Listening to the landlady's incessant chatter, Chen Qing finally got a general idea of the situation here.
As I expected, after the giant Earth Python of the Northern Lands revived their basic size, those guilds stopped doing things that killed the goose that laid the golden eggs. The terrain of the Central Plains was too sensitive, and many people dared not act rashly. In addition, since resources would first be exported from the North Pole in the future, the mortals in the Northern Wasteland became the targets of their efforts to win them over.
Missionary work is the best way to win people over and control the common people. Chen Qing had anticipated this, but he hadn't expected Ziyue to win so decisively.
Logically speaking, by the time Ziyue arrived, those guilds that had been infiltrating the families of Northern Wolf City for a year would have already established themselves, especially the Nether Moon Cult. According to the information sent by Yuchi Peng, just a month ago, almost every household in Northern Wolf City had their Black Lantern.
The Nether Moon Cult is excellent at proselytizing because its backing is comprised of evil spirits. They first create panic with evil spirits, then use Black Lantern for protection, which is the most effective way to win people's hearts and minds. It must be said that the Divine Martial Guild, founded by Little Days Kingdom, really suits their characteristics by choosing this method.
Even when the Radiant Sun Sect, which had seized three cities, arrived, Chen Qing didn't think they could gain any advantage. But then Ziyue, a guy with no foundation, came and turned the tide in just ten days. What exactly did she do?
"Did the Nether Moon Cult disappear after that?" Shen Qi asked curiously.
According to what they said, during that period every household kept their Black Lantern and believed in the Nether Moon. With such a commotion, even an emperor wanting to surrender to Jiangnan would have to go through some turmoil, right?
How could it be so smooth?
"This..." The proprietress seemed somewhat embarrassed by the question.
Seeing this, Chen Qing smiled and handed over a plump, warm jade, which immediately made the other person's eyes light up.
"Is the young master from Jiangnan?" The proprietress looked at the warm jade, feeling both afraid and reluctant to part with it.
It's huge! Just by looking at its quality, it's so much better than those crooked and broken pieces of jade that I spent a fortune on.
If you were to sell it, it would probably fetch more than a thousand gold pieces!
This young master is incredibly generous, but the more generous he is, the more wary people become.
"Don't be afraid, ma'am," Chen Qing said with a smile. "We are indeed from Jiangnan; we are from the Shen Family of Jiangnan."
" The Shen Family?" The proprietress was immediately startled. The Shen Family's reputation wasn't limited to Jiangnan; it was also well-known in the Northern Wasteland. Back then, they had forcibly married off the Wind King of Northern Yan, which had infuriated many commoners. After all, if the Wind King were still alive, how could the Sixteen Cities of Yanyun have been lost?
Chen Qing nodded. "Our esteemed monarch suddenly announced his submission, and our Shen Family was unaware of the situation. However, the business opportunities here are enormous, and we naturally cannot fall behind. Take this warm jade, for example. Our Shen Family has the best quality at the lowest cost. If the proprietress is willing to act as our outpost, we can even provide the latest Jiangnan wines."
These words made the proprietress's heart pound.
Jiangnan Fine Wine
The Northern Lands is cold, and people love strong liquor. In the past, the liquor from the Jiangnan was all soft and mellow, which was not very popular in the Northern Lands. However, since the King of Qin came to power there, all kinds of exquisite liquors have emerged one after another, and any one of them becomes a hit in the market. If this place can become the vanguard...
She could practically see herself sleeping on a bed of gold leaves, counting gold, all with her eyes closed!
Swallowing hard, the proprietress cautiously sat down and whispered, "Sir, you've come here to do business, why do you insist on asking these questions?"
"Naturally, it's for safety," Shen Qi said with a smile. "Since we're here to do business, we're naturally going to invest heavily. If safety can't be guaranteed, wouldn't it be a waste of money?"
"Safe, safe!" The proprietress nodded repeatedly, "Very safe. With those giant snakes guarding the way, neither monsters nor bandits on the road dare to be careless. It's very safe!"
"But the landlady just said that evil spirits are attacking people in this city."
"That was caused by those bastards from the Nether Moon Cult before." The proprietress cursed without regard for her image. "I saw it coming back then. Those guys were up to no good. In the past, our Northern Wolf City has never heard of any evil spirits attacking people. Even after the Northern Lands Giant Python Rebellion, which lasted for so long, nothing like this has happened. But it just happened when those bastards came to preach. Do they think everyone else is stupid and can't see it? It's just that because they have someone backing them, ordinary people dare not speak out."
"Is someone backing you up?" Shen Qi's eyes were unreadable.
"That's right." The proprietress pursed her lips and lowered her voice, "Back then, it was the powerful families who started hanging up the Black Lantern Black Lantern. After the incident of the evil spirits attacking people, the common people followed suit!"
"If it had powerful families backing it, why did the Nether Moon Cult disappear so quickly?"
"Hasn't this set things right?" the proprietress laughed. "His Majesty is wise and Divine Martial. Seeing the chaos in Northern Wolf City, he immediately chose to submit to Jiangnan. And just like that, in a single day, those aristocratic families switched sides and took the lead in banning the hanging of Black Lantern. Those eerie and ghostly Nether Moon Sect disappeared without a trace in just a few days, and there haven't been any more so-called incidents of evil spirits attacking people."
"Guests, you wouldn't believe it, but ever since we became part of the Jiangnan family, this place has become so much better."
"What's so good about it?" Chen Qing asked with a smile, sipping his tea.
"I can't really explain it, but I just feel that the anxiety I felt last month is gone. The poultry in the backyard are much calmer and are eating obediently. People on the street who used to be violent have become much more irritable, and I myself feel much better for no reason. I must be lucky."
"The proprietress really knows how to talk," Shen Qi said with a smile.
"It's true," the proprietress laughed. "I don't know why, but back when those damned Nether Moon Sect were around, I often had nightmares about my dead husband staring at me with a sinister look. I couldn't sleep day or night. But ever since His Majesty announced the return to Jiangnan, that feeling disappeared overnight. These past few days, I've been eating and sleeping well, and my complexion has improved a lot."
"That's true. The proprietress looks radiant; she must have been doing well these past few days," Shen Qi nodded in agreement. Whether it was true or not, he had to at least say something polite.
Chen Qing didn't think the other party was just being polite. After this place was included in the scope of the Divine Path Style, it would receive a share of Jiangnan's fortune. The people of Jiangnan were loyal and blessed with abundant merit. Even a small share would alleviate the hostility here. In the era of Spiritual Energy Revival, the less hostility there was, the more peaceful the Earth Spirit would be, and the more comfortable people would live. This was a natural phenomenon.
"What about the other sects?" Chen Qing asked. "Did they also disappear along with the Nether Moon Cult?"
"No, not at all," the other person shook their head. "There are many religious sects proselytizing around, and even our Empress seems to have converted to a certain sect."
" The Imperial Dowager Consort Beiyu?" Chen Qing asked with a smile. "I've had a few dealings with the young lady of the Beiyu Family in Jiangnan. I wonder if the proprietress could introduce me to the Empress Dowager?"
Upon hearing this, the proprietress hesitated.
"Our business isn't small-time; naturally, we need some backing." Chen Qing smiled and handed over another piece of warm jade. "We're looking for connections everywhere, right? If you have a suitable one, boss lady, we won't bother looking elsewhere. After it's done, you'll certainly get your share of the profits."
"Look at what you're saying." The proprietress smiled and took the warm jade. She weighed it slightly and found it was even heavier than before. What a fine item! These two are really generous. It seems they must really Shen Family family.
This is a huge deal. Although the Empress Dowager recently wrote that the situation in the palace is complicated and that we should not go to the palace unless necessary, such a big deal is not to be missed, so we have to give it a try.