My older brother said I'm invincible.

Chapter 162 It's only a matter of time
The gang leader has been stationed here for four years, and has been extorting and robbing passersby.

This was the first time he had ever been extorted and robbed.

Zhang Du seemed to still remember Qu Qiusheng's teachings. Seeing that the leader did not answer, he became even more agitated. "Men! Arrest and kill these scoundrels!"

The warriors behind him were stunned for a moment when they heard this, but they still drew their swords one after another.

Qu Qiusheng hurriedly dismounted and stood in front of Zhang Du, his eyes also showing some fear.

Even if you're going to be a bit aggressive, you can't kill government soldiers!

"Lord Zhang, Lord Zhang, please don't do it, please don't do it!"

The leader of the group finally realized what was happening and dared not resist. Not resisting meant death, but resisting meant the death of his entire family.

He knelt down before Zhang Du, his face filled with terror, pleading, "Spare me! Spare me!"

Zhang Du raised his whip again, glaring menacingly at Qu Qiusheng, "Get out of the way! Or I'll kill you too!"

Qu Qiusheng quickly got into character, putting on a mournful face, "Master Zhang, my life is worthless, I just want to make sure the important matter entrusted to me by the patriarch is not ruined!"

Zhang Du's expression had just softened a bit, but he glared fiercely at the gang leader, "Someone like you dares to talk to me about rules? You want to ask me for benefits?"

"I'm blind! I'm blind!"

The local militia were naturally afraid. They were not actually government officials. Only the Eagle Banner Army were the real soldiers of the government. People like them were just temporary workers in the local area. Even if they were the leaders of the militia, they were not actually government officials. They were only considered government officials when they had officials leading them. Without officials in charge, they were just a group of commoners.

For centuries, nobles killed commoners as easily as chickens. Things were better for a while when Emperor Wen first unified the country, but in the later years of his reign, many illegal acts occurred. This was even more true after the emperor took the throne. The emperor did not care much about the local troubles caused by nobles. Whether it was corruption or murder, he did not care as long as he liked it.

However, one must not infringe upon the rights of the sage. One should not embezzle the sage's property, and one should not kill in a way that interferes with the sage's work. Otherwise, there are no problems.

Qu Qiusheng walked a few steps to the group leader's side and said in a low voice, "We still have to go, we can't waste any more time, so please give us something as a token of our appreciation."

"well"

The militia leader nodded repeatedly. A moment later, several new large boxes were loaded onto the carriage. The militiamen looked terrified and dared not speak. The militia leader bowed and scraped, not daring to meet Zhang Du's eyes.

Zhang Du snorted and swaggered through the checkpoint with the crowd behind him, while Qu Qiusheng stayed behind to register. Registration was necessary, otherwise there would be more trouble on the way.

Upon seeing the official document issued by the Prefectural Governor himself, the commander trembled and wiped the sweat from his forehead.

The group leader led his men and escorted them all the way out. Even after they had gone far away, they could still see the man standing in the distance, looking extremely apprehensive.

After walking for a long time, Qu Qiusheng finally couldn't help but burst into laughter.

He laughed for a long time, but then gradually turned to crying, covering his face so that no one could see his ugly state.

"Old Master Qu, what are you doing?"

Zhang Du stared at him in astonishment.

Qu Qiusheng shook his head, wiping away his tears. "Four years ago, not long after my father passed away, I was trying to cross the border to Hejian with my goods. This guy demanded money from me, and when I gave it to him, he wasn't satisfied. He detained three of my vehicles. When I arrived in Hejian, the goods didn't match the description, and even my deposit was taken away. I was reduced to near bankruptcy overnight."

Zhang Du sighed and softly comforted him, "Things won't stay like this forever. Sooner or later, they'll pay the price. Today we're just collecting some interest; one day, they'll have to pay it all back!"

Qu Qiusheng breathed a sigh of relief. He hadn't felt so comfortable in a long time. His whole body felt relaxed, as if he had become twenty years younger!

"Mr. Zhang, where are we going to deliver this batch of goods?"

Zhang Du took out several maps and handed them to Qu Qiusheng one by one, letting him look at them one by one.

"Taihang Mountains??"

"Yes, send it to Taihang, and someone will come to collect it."

"I understand, do I have to hand everything over?"

"What you mean is to sell part of it and hand over the rest."

"Then we don't need to wait until Shangdang to sell. Shouyang and Licheng can be sold, and there's also the matter of the restaurants."

Zhang Du only had an empty map, while Qu Qiusheng was very familiar with the surrounding area. Merchants, thieves, monks, scholars, and officials were among the few groups of people who could roam around freely.

Because post stations could not deliver private letters, ordinary people would ask merchants, monks, or others traveling along the way to help them deliver messages.

The two continued to refine their ideas. Qu Qiusheng offered a great deal of advice, and Zhang Du could truly understand some of the lord's thoughts. To accomplish great things, no one could be missing. Even these merchants, whom scholars despised the most, had their advantages and strengths, and were an indispensable force in the great cause of rebellion.

They traveled south for several days and finally arrived in Fenyang.

This time, Zhang Du didn't lead his men into the city alone; he brought Qu Qiusheng with him.

After entering the city, they spent a lot of effort before finally finding a restaurant.

Qu Qiusheng told Zhang Du to wait there, and then walked into the restaurant alone.

Zhang Du waited outside for a while, and then saw Qu Qiusheng come out again, followed by several people who were exceptionally warm and polite to him. Qu Qiusheng waved casually, walked a few steps to Zhang Du's side, and then the others went back.

Qu Qiusheng smiled and took something out of his pocket, waving it at Zhang Du.

“Mr. Zhang, this is the contract. This restaurant will be ours from now on.”

"what??"

"I paid for it myself beforehand, it didn't cost much, and this location is the best, closest to the city gate, making it convenient to come and go."

Zhang Du looked on incredulously, "How could it be so fast?"

"Haha, merchants have their own ways, which scholars don't know."

Qu Qiusheng laughed, and Zhang Du quickly asked, "What about our people?"

"It's alright, let them keep it open for now. We'll arrange for more people when we head back. One person is enough. Everything in the shop belongs to us, including the people inside."

Zhang Du was still a little confused; he didn't know how Qu Qiusheng had managed to do it.

Qu Qiusheng said, "Alright, go out first. We'll arrange the manpower when we get back! Let them handle the rest themselves!"

The two walked out of the city, and Zhang Du fell into deep thought.

Back in Jing Le, he also went to a restaurant, but as soon as the topic of purchasing came up, the person started complaining and said a lot of things, making it impossible for him to ask any more questions. In the end, they politely saw him out.

How could Qu Qiusheng have bought out the entire restaurant and everyone inside in such a short time after entering? Was he perhaps lured in with a large sum of money?

Seeing Zhang Du's puzzled expression, Qu Qiusheng slowly said, "Mr. Zhang, do you know what these restaurant owners want most?"

"money?"

"No, money is certainly a good thing, but you can't survive on money alone."

"That is?"

"Household registration".

"To be precise, it was the city registration. When Emperor Wen was still alive, he ordered all cities to thoroughly investigate the merchants and shop owners in the city. They all needed to register as city owners in order to trade and make money. After the emperor came to power, everyone changed the name of this city registration to the 'dead registration'."

“Those registered in the city are first subject to corvée labor and heavy taxes. Those registered in the city can own farmland, but they have to pay twice as much grain, which is the hardest job in the world.”

Zhang Du suddenly realized, "I think I've heard of that before."

"What I just told them was that I could help them resolve their city residency issue and buy their shop."

"As we merchants say, different customers have different needs. As long as we know what they need, any deal can be made. What do you think, Mr. Zhang?"

Zhang Du burst into laughter, "That makes sense!"

The group continued south, passing through cities along the way. Qu Qiusheng made several purchases of the restaurants they needed, and at the same time began to sell some of the goods they had brought. If these things were left to Zhang Du, he would probably be at a loss, but for the old merchant Qu Qiusheng, it was not a big problem.

Especially after he gained a powerful backer, he became even more adept at handling things.

If anyone is in a difficult position, just invite Zhang Du over.

Zhang Du doesn't even need to reveal his identity. As long as he raises his head and adopts an arrogant and domineering demeanor, nine out of ten people will immediately back down and dare not inquire about their situation.

After walking for a long time, they finally arrived near Lingchuan.

(End of this chapter)