My name is Wei Qing, and I want to fight the Xiongnu.

Just because the weapons on the top floor are priced at a fortune doesn't mean they're actually worth that price.

Liu Yangxin once said that the prices of weapons at Baibingge were inflated by 100%, and that they would probably only fetch a few thousand gold coins in other shops.

This is the price through official channels. If it were traded on the black market, it would probably be around two or three thousand gold coins, or even lower.

Without hesitation, the steward replied, "Fifty thousand gold coins is a reasonable price. As for providing a suitable weapon, I'm sure it won't disappoint you, young master!"

Wait...how much?

Wei Qing wondered if he had misheard. Fifty thousand gold coins?

When did I say 50,000 gold? Didn't I say 5,000 gold?

Chapter 46: The Lü Clan Arrives

This piece of junk is worth so much?

Another plan to make a fortune formed in Wei Qing's mind.

Why bother selling masks? Just grab a few machetes, take them for a ride through the Xiongnu territory, and the price will skyrocket tenfold! It's practically a risk-free business, incredibly profitable!

Wei Qing suddenly realized that he was a business genius!

Not going into business is a huge loss for the business world!

Liu Yangxin, who was standing next to him, finally realized why Baibingge wanted to buy the woodcutter's knife.

Not only that, she had an even bolder idea in her mind: to get something for nothing!

Glancing at the toad that had just jumped out of the well, Liu Yangxin pinched its waist muscles in annoyance, knowing that this guy was probably up to some unreliable scheme again.

This guy is never reliable when it comes to money.

Just as Wei Qing was about to agree, a sudden change occurred. A young general in armor led his troops up from downstairs and headed straight for Wei Qing.

The three Xiongnu barbarians in the distance all showed joy when they saw the general appear.

That's right, Xu Youdao really has nothing to do with them. When they were on the first floor just now, they noticed that Wei Qing and that lady came down from the phoenix carriage.

Xu Youdao was at most a descendant of the Xu family. How could he possibly confront a princess of the Han Dynasty?

If we really want to deal with the princess of the Han Dynasty, we have to ask Lady Lü for help!

The manager frowned slightly upon seeing this. What did this mean?

"General Lü, what does this mean?"

He recognized the man who came; he belonged to the department responsible for monitoring transactions in the Hongzi District.

Since the Hundred Weapons Pavilion is backed by the imperial court, the two sides usually keep to themselves and do not interfere with each other.

Now that they've led troops directly to the top floor, it's probably not just a simple matter of them coming to buy weapons, is it?

The Hundred Weapons Pavilion wasn't afraid of the Lü family, but it was best not to offend them if possible; harmony brings wealth.

The man referred to as General Lü was named Lü Xiang, and was around thirty years old.

The supervisory department is a lucrative position; every year, the money received from bribes is so much that it's hard to count.

To be able to sit in this position right after graduating from the Imperial Academy naturally requires a certain level of ability and courage.

Otherwise, with so many direct descendants of the Lü family, why would it be his turn?

Lü Xiang came here, naturally because of Liu Yangxin.

As for Prince Kuile, it was just a casual gesture of goodwill.

The direct descendants of the Lü clan were not so low as to need to curry favor with a mere prince from a small Xiongnu tribe.

Lu Xiang smiled at the manager of the Hundred Weapons Pavilion and said, "Manager Zhou, don't be anxious. I have no ill intentions in coming here. I just heard someone report that some civilians in the Hundred Weapons Pavilion are illegally carrying swords, so I came to investigate."

According to Han Dynasty regulations, ordinary people within the Hongzi district were not allowed to carry swords. May I ask, young man, are you a son of a noble family of the Han Dynasty? Or do you hold an official position?

Lady Lü had already investigated Wei Qing's identity.

Born into slavery, he seems to have a close relationship with Cao Can. Later, when he arrived in Chang'an, Marquis Pingyang, Cao Ying, helped him get rid of his slave status, but he is still a commoner.

According to the regulations of the Han Dynasty, commoners were not allowed to carry swords, so Lü Xiang's act of coming to cause trouble could be seen as a demonstration of his loyalty and duty.

Upon learning that the other party's surname was Lü, Wei Qing turned to Liu Yangxin and asked in a low voice, "When Your Highness goes out in the past, have you often encountered this kind of frivolous person?"

Is it just bad luck?

I left Pingyang Prefecture twice after arriving in Chang'an, but someone always seemed to cause trouble for me.

When Lü Xiang heard Wei Qing's words, his face twitched. Could you speak any louder?

Xu Yun, Xu Youdao, and Steward Zhou, who were standing nearby, exchanged bewildered glances. Was this young man doing it on purpose? The way he spoke could be heard clearly even from three or four meters away.

Moreover, they finally guessed Liu Yangxin's identity: he was actually a member of the Liu royal family!

No wonder...

Liu Yangxin smiled wryly. To be honest, he had encountered this kind of thing quite often before.

When she first entered Chang'an, she told Wei Qing that the Liu royal family was generally very cautious in their words and actions, fearing that they might be caught doing something wrong.

As soon as the Liu family royal family has even the slightest problem, these Lü clan members swarm towards them like flies drawn to a stench.

She was careless today, not realizing that Wei Qing was still a commoner.

It can only be said that Wei Qing carrying a sword and a knife was almost like wearing clothes, and Liu Yangxin was already used to it, so he didn't think too much about it.

Who knew such a small matter could cause so much trouble?

However, Liu Yangxin was by no means the kind of weak girl who would panic and hide behind a man when faced with problems.

She stepped forward and said, "The sword that Wei Qing carries was a gift from Prime Minister Cao. So, if General Lü thinks there is any problem, why not go to Pingyang County and ask Prime Minister Cao about it?"

When Lü Xiang heard Liu Yangxin mention Cao Shen, he couldn't help but sneer inwardly.

Are you trying to intimidate me by using Cao Shen?

If Cao Shen were truly in Chang'an, the capital city, he would absolutely not even bother to ask and would simply pretend nothing had happened.

It is unreasonable to offend Prime Minister Cao over a minor figure like Wei Qing.

Unfortunately, Cao Shen was in Pingyang County and hadn't returned for several years.

Even if he returns, he will not interfere in the Liu-Lü conflict.

Lü Xiang said to Liu Yangxin in a nonchalant tone, "Regardless of whether the sword was a gift from Chancellor Cao, this general only knows to handle official business. If this young man is not a nobleman, even if the sword was stolen, robbed, or cheated from outside the Hong District, this general will not question it further. But if he is a commoner, even if the sword was bestowed by the Empress, he cannot bring it into the Hong District. This is the law of the Han Dynasty..."

Before Lü Xiang could finish speaking, Wei Qing retorted, "So, are you going to add, 'The emperor is subject to the same laws as commoners'?"

Lu Xiang, Xu Yun, Steward Zhou, Xu Youdao, and the others stared wide-eyed at Wei Qing upon hearing this.

Brother, how dare you say that?

At most, Shang Yang cut off the prince's nose; are you planning to take action against the emperor?

Only Liu Yangxin looked like he knew this would happen; Wei Qing really spoke without any inhibitions.

Wei Qing laughed: "It's just a question, don't be too nervous. You said that as a commoner, I don't allow the Hongzi District to carry knives and swords."

Lü Xiang decisively did not pick up on the previous topic, nor did he use it as an excuse to accuse Wei Qing of disrespecting the emperor. It would be too easy to get himself into trouble, and it wasn't worth it.

"Ahem, that's exactly right! According to the laws of the Han Dynasty, if a commoner appears in the Hongzi District carrying a knife or sword, his or her knife or sword will be confiscated and he will be fined five hundred as punishment. If a conflict is caused, the punishment will be doubled."

After Lü Xiang finished speaking, he looked at the weapon at Wei Qing's waist. When he came up, he heard several people upstairs discussing the so-called Blood Weapon.

He had come out this time intending to use it to cause trouble for Liu Yangxin, but he didn't expect to have some unexpected gains.

As for the sword that Prime Minister Cao gave to Wei Qing... never mind, I'll personally deliver it to Prime Minister Cao when he returns.

I doubt that Prime Minister Cao would bother me with such a trivial matter.

Besides, even if he did find someone, as long as it didn't lead to a feud, he wouldn't be afraid; at worst, he'd just have to apologize.

Chapter 47: Flip the Table!

Liu Yangxin was about to speak again when Wei Qing stopped him.

Wei Qing knew that Lü Xiang had come purely to cause trouble, and that there was no reasoning with this kind of person.

The only thing missing is the line: "The pawns, the organizers, the referees, and the co-organizers here are all my people. What can you use to fight me?"

Liu Yangxin simply wanted to give Wei Qing a certain identity, such as being his horse slave, so that it would be reasonable for him to carry a sword.

But Wei Qing didn't want to involve Liu Yangxin, who was planning to cause trouble at the Imperial Academy later.

However, Chang'an Royal City has its own rules, and Wei Qing has his own methods.

He did not answer Lü Xiang's original question, but simply asked Lü Xiang, "General Lü, there is something I do not know. Please enlighten me."

With an air of confidence, Lü Xiang smiled and said, "Alright, go ahead."

When the Imperial Academy first recruited the most talented people in the country, did it include criminals?

What is the meaning of asking this question?

I have heard that Wei Qing wanted to enter the Imperial Academy and even went to the Marquis of Ruyin's residence for this purpose, but he probably did not succeed.

When asked about the details, the nobles were completely clueless, all shaking their heads as if they had conspired to say they didn't know.

Lady Lü was quite surprised by this. If she simply wanted to enter the Imperial Academy, why go through all that trouble? She could have just pulled some strings.

Although the Imperial Academy is not a public toilet where you can come and go as you please.

But for the Liu and Lü families, as well as the Pei County Meritorious Group, it was basically just a high-end nightclub; as long as the money was right, they were happy.

Lü Xiang didn't know what Wei Qing was thinking, but he still calmly replied, "Yes, as long as they haven't committed the crimes of matricide, patricide, treason, or rebellion, as long as they are truly gifted, the Imperial Academy will still admit them. Moreover, if they can graduate smoothly, their previous crimes will even be wiped clean."

This preferential treatment was reserved for geniuses, and it also indirectly proves that in the early Han Dynasty, people went to great lengths to discover geniuses.

Having achieved his desired result, Wei Qing drew a wood-chopping knife from his back and handed it to Lü Xiang, saying, "Please."

Seeing this, Lü Xiang was secretly pleased, thinking that at least the person knew what was good for them, but unfortunately, it wasn't over yet.

Do you really think that calling out your weapon and fining me 500 gold coins will end this matter?