Now that you mention it, it does seem a little true.
Murong Yunji also stood up, looking ahead with a strange expression. As the ship approached the harbor, she also felt that strange feeling, like when she was a child and saw a spider with a blister-like bottom crawling in front of her. Goosebumps involuntarily rose all over her body.
After becoming powerful, Murong Yunji rarely encountered this feeling, that deep-seated fear.
What the hell is that?
"Let's observe for now." Ao Zhen glanced at Murong Yunji. She was satisfied with the other party's alertness. She had handled the fear in this situation very well, remaining calm and composed, without even losing her breathing.
As the ship docked, Wei Gongzhan led the way, followed by the manager in charge of the cargo, who disembarked to unload the goods. The two women disguised themselves as young ladies and remained hidden in the cabin.
"It's been a long time since I've seen goods from Jiangnan."
A gentle voice came from behind. Wei Gongzhan looked over and immediately recognized the person from their flashy clothes.
Chen Zhuo was the third legitimate son of Chen Baifeng and his first wife. Unfortunately, it seemed that this wife was being played by fate. She gave birth to one son after another, but none of them had the talent of a sorcerer. The first two were alright, they had some talent, and with some resources, they could at least become sorcerers. Even if Chen Yun was not good enough, with a lot of resources poured in, he could at least become a Dragon Vein sorcerer.
But this one was different. He had absolutely no talent for magic. In the end, even the usually domineering First Madam was too ashamed to let Chen Household continue to pour resources into this third son. According to family rules, she began to manage the family business.
However, due to his mother's status and domineering personality, Chen Zhuo held a superior position, and even when managing his business, virtually no one dared to openly look down on him.
Wei Gongzhan's expression remained unchanged, and he quickly said with a smile, "Hey, sir, you don't know, prices in Jiangnan have risen quite a bit recently, and many peddlers aren't getting satisfactory prices, so they're all holding back."
Just because he knows the other person doesn't mean the other person knows him. This person doesn't have the talent of a sorcerer, and his memory is unlikely to be as good as a sorcerer's. Someone as insignificant as himself shouldn't attract attention. After all, the capital was so big back then, and the two of them had never crossed paths before, only occasionally meeting at the Yuchi Residence.
"I've heard of that." Chen Zhuo smiled and nodded. "Your boss is quite something. Right now, merchants all over Jiangnan are at a stalemate with the common people. How did you manage to get some cheap goods?"
Wei Gongzhan immediately sensed the probing tone in the other party's voice.
It's true that prices have recently risen in Jiangnan, mainly because peddlers and merchants are making too much profit. Goods sold in Jiangnan can fetch more than ten times the price of other goods elsewhere. Such exorbitant profits are causing discontent among those responsible for production.
Because sales were good and prices were high, the purchase price remained so low, which made most people feel unbalanced, leading to the collective price increase at the end of this year.
The government seems to be intentionally encouraging this practice, which is causing a huge headache for many merchants. They don't want to give up such large profits, because if this sets a precedent, those responsible for production will continue to do the same thing, which will truly undermine their foundation.
Therefore, major merchants issued bans, prohibiting the purchase of goods at high prices, thus opposing private producers.
Ordinary merchants dare not purchase goods, and the reason is simple: ships are getting better and better. Everyone either relies on the large ships of the trading company and pays a certain percentage of commission, or they jointly buy ships. They are all on the same side, so naturally no one dares to go against the majority for small gains. Otherwise, once isolated, many businesses will be difficult to do in the future.
For this reason, Jiangnan did not sell any new goods outside the region for a full two months.
The other party's question indicates they are scrutinizing the background of your ship.
Thinking of this, Wei Gongzhan chuckled and said, "Back then, our boss helped a lot of people. Although most commoners are also after profit, our boss still has some prestige. It's not difficult to collect some goods in the countryside. Of course, most of them are wine and food. The local farmers are easier to deal with, but high-end goods like warm jade are more difficult. After all, the producers are all teachers from the academy, and they are not so easy to talk to."
"Hahaha," Chen Zhuo nodded upon hearing this, "It's good enough to have some wine and tea. We were just worried about not having anything good to use for the family banquet during the New Year. How much do you have on this ship? I'll take it all!"
"Oh my, young master, you're so generous! This saves us a lot of time, hehe. Please wait a moment, young master, we'll unload the goods for you right away."
"Yes, let's hurry." Chen Zhuo laughed, "Unload the cargo as soon as possible, before it gets dark, take a break and have a meal, then we can consider going back to haul in another boatload. I've made it clear that whether it's tea, wine, or grains from Jiangnan specialties, we'll buy as much as you have!"
Upon hearing this, Wei Gongzhan's heart sank. Did the other party genuinely want the goods, or were they subtly trying to get rid of him?
"Alright, young master!" Wei Gongzhan said with a smile, "Don't worry, this is the best merchant ship in Jiangnan right now. We'll set off early tomorrow morning. I'll write a letter and have someone take it back to the owner, asking him to bring you all the current goods!"
"Oh?" The other party looked at Wei Gongzhan and said indifferently, "Judging from this, your steward isn't going back for the time being?"
"Hehe." Wei Gongzhan chuckled upon hearing this, "I brought my two young ladies here to visit their family."
"Is that so?" Chen Zhuo nodded. "Not many people come here from Jiangnan to visit relatives. They mostly use visiting relatives as an excuse to go to Jiangnan."
"Haha, you flatter me, young master." Wei Gongzhan spoke modestly, but his face was full of pride, as if the other party's praise of Jiangnan made him, a native of Jiangnan, feel very honored.
Chen Zhuo glanced at the other person. People from Jiangnan are almost all like this nowadays, and he's gotten used to it.
He nodded immediately. "Then I won't delay you any longer. Deliver the goods as soon as possible. Once they arrive, take this—" The other party took out a jade pendant. "Go directly to the Chen Residence to find Steward Li. He will handle the rest."
" The Chen Household?" Wei Gongzhan was taken aback for a moment, then overjoyed, "So it's Chen Household! Good, good, good! Don't worry, don't worry, I'll notify you as soon as the goods arrive."
After Chen Zhuo left, Wei Gongzhan down. Instead, he obediently followed the others to unload the cargo before returning to the cabin.
"Who was that person you were talking to just now?" Ao Zhen was the first to speak.
" Chen Zhuo, the third son of the eldest branch of the Chen Household."
"He has a problem!" Ao Zhen said directly.
If I'm not mistaken, that strange feeling I just experienced must have come from him.
"As expected?" Wei Gongzhan took a breath upon hearing this. He had also felt that the young master seemed rather sensitive about their decision to stay.
"Senior, did anyone notice when you were paying attention to him?"
"Probably not." Ao Zhen shook her head. "After I vaguely sensed that aura, I kept myself hidden. Even if the South Sea Dragon King was there, he couldn't have detected me under those circumstances."
"I see." Seeing the other party's assurance, Wei Gongzhan breathed a slight sigh of relief.
"But the other party seems very sensitive. You just lied and said we were visiting relatives. What if he's overly cautious and sends someone to find out?"
"It's alright," Wei Gongzhan said with a smile. "From the moment you decided to impersonate merchants, your identities were already prepared. This ship belongs to the Zhou Household. The Zhou Household has a relative in the South Sea. This family visit was originally genuine, but we were temporarily replaced. No matter how he investigates, there won't be any problems. As for when we arrive, we just need to show Master Zhou's token and ask him to help us conceal it."
"You've thought things through quite thoroughly," Ao Zhen nodded in agreement. Now it seemed that it was a good idea for Wei Gongcheng to bring this one along, as the other party was more accustomed to the rules of the mortal world and could better conceal his identity.
"Senior," Wei Gongzhan asked in a low voice, "Is the problem not with the South Sea Dragon Palace, but with the Chen Household?"
Mentioning this topic, Ao Zhen frowned deeply. "The situation here is probably more complicated than we imagined, and I have a feeling that something big is about to happen here!"