Chapter 85 – You’re a powerful man.

Qingpingyuan Yamen. Catch chief Yan Chang holding his beloved teapot, lying on a wooden rocking chair, humming a little song while drinking from the spout of the pot zip zip zip zip.

A minor official knocked on the door and came in, his face excitedly saying, “囿长, joy comes from heaven, joy comes from heaven!”

Yan Chang glared at him, “Joy my ass! We are in this bird shit place, can pick up gold or what?”

The minor official knew that he had just been reprimanded by Lingwu Supervisor Wang Jianzheng two days ago, and his heart was not happy, and he was busy explaining, “It’s Jin Zi Longfei who has come to the door, see, this is the knocking gift.” Said the hand carried a oil paper bag on the desktop, untie the bundled rope.

Packaging is not eye-catching, Yan Chang lack of interest, but see the small official from the paper peeled out of a lacquer carved gold wooden box, carefully handed him. Just look at the fine workmanship of the box, you can imagine the weight of the contents of the box, the lid just opened a gap, the fragrance of the tea will come to his nose. Yan Chang deep inhale a mouthful, intoxicated, said: “The best pine roses tea …… alone this box, when worth a hundred taels of silver.”

Pineapple tea color green, taste mellow, with a unique olive aroma, is now the most popular among the dignitaries favored one of the varieties of tea. In fact, this box of tea is only one catty, in the origin of Huizhou, and even the capital, and then good color sold to ten taels of silver a catty has been a high price. But Pingliang province remote, and adjacent to the border, tea can be used as currency circulation, mainly because of the northern barbarian tribes on the tea demand is great.

These nomads because of the perennial meat, if you do not eat tea will be sick, but the grasslands do not produce tea, only to buy from the Daming, resulting in tea and salt in the borderlands almost equal to the currency. The imperial court has repeatedly issued decrees to prohibit the private sale of tea and salt, but the amazing profits have been the goal of merchants from ancient times to the present day, so it has been banned repeatedly.

This box of top quality pineapple although the quantity is small, but if it is sold to the grassland tribes some tea like life and attached to the nobles, as the face of mutual comparison, it is estimated to be able to sell a hundred taels of high price, and may even be directly exchanged for the northern beads, then it is a fortune in flight! Yan Chang thumped his heart and immediately asked, “What kind of person gave this tea?”

The junior official replied, “It’s a male gentleman, just outside the garden gate, saying he wants to discuss a business deal with the 囿长.”(囿長).

Yan Chang immediately jumped out of his rocking chair, straightened his crooked crown and hat, and said, “Quickly go to welcome in, the hall to meet the guests.”

In the hall, the hosts and guests greeted each other and took their seats. Yan Chang saw the door of the son of about sixteen or seventeen years old, handsome appearance, exquisite clothing, but also with a few powerful attendants, a look is a rich son or family son, extraordinarily attentive on the tea, asked: “Dare to ask this son how to call? What business do you want to talk with me?”

“My surname is Su, line three in my family, 囿长 can just call me Su Sanlang.” Su Yan smiled and said, “My family is in the tea business, and because I intend to open up a few new freight lines, I lack horses and have come here to ask for them.”

Yan Chang listened to the face cloudy, “Su son is afraid to find the wrong seller. I here is the court horse temple Lingwu supervisor under the jurisdiction of the Qingping court, herd are official horses, where can private sale.”

Su Yan laughed: “If there is no one to point out, how dare you come to Supervisory Temple to ask for purchase? I am young and impatient, I don’t like to talk in circles, simply say it straight, I want five hundred horses.”

Five hundred horses? This is too generous! Yan Chang was almost stunned by this number and asked in a daze, “Really?”

“A thousand times true. We need five hundred horses first, thirty taels of silver each. But you have to inspect the horses first, and you can only accept them after you have passed the inspection. But don’t worry, I’ll buy these horses mainly for transportation, so I won’t ask for too much in terms of quality.”

Yan Chang listened to the number of hearts on fire, and then listen to the price and some hesitation: “Nowadays, on the border market, even an inferior horse, are sold to fifty two silver ……”

Su Yan pushed the froth with the lid of his teacup and said lightly, “Yes, fifty taels per horse, then why don’t I go to the border market and buy from those tribal Tartars?”

Because those horses are their own, and the Supervisory Temple’s horse, is the official’s. Yan Chang knew his words, sell the court s horse, earn their own money, no capital trade can earn one or two are white, why can not sell cheaply?

But selling such a large amount at one time for private sale, in case you are caught by the top ……

Seeing the other party’s hesitation, Su Yan smiled, put down his teacup and arched his hand, “It’s me who is imposing. There’s nothing to do, I’ll go for a walk in Wan An Yuan again.”

He made a move to get up, and Yan Chang hurriedly called, “Wait!”

Eyes to the hand of fifteen thousand taels of snowflake silver, is really not willing to be other court colleagues snatched away, such a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, made once, the second half of life will be free of food and clothing. Yan Chang decided to take the risk and eat the deal, so he clapped: “Deal!”

Su Yan laughed, “That’s right, 囿长 seems to be a straightforward person. I love doing business with people like you, you’re quick and easy, and you’re a good repeat customer.”

Yan Chang said, “Mr. Su bought a large number, I need time to select, how about two days?”

Su Yan shook his head, “The schedule is quite tight, can’t wait for two days, how about this, I’ll send twenty attendants to accompany 囿长 to go and select them to save time.”

Yan Chang saw that he was not very old, but acted shrewdly, let the retainer accompany the selection of horses, obviously to prevent the seller to inferior to good, but also from this to see that he has a strong family. Yan Chang peeked at the four guards standing behind him by the sword – all of them are physically strong, full of energy, although the appearance is not outstanding, but they are practitioners. This kind of well-trained guards, only rich and powerful families can afford to raise, and he even brought twenty of them around, really is not to be underestimated.

Think of those sick and thin horses in this court, I am afraid that it is not fooled, it is necessary to put together, pull out all the family money.

Because the temple supervisor officials often come to the court extortion, arbitrarily borrow or sell horses, especially the top boss Wang Supervisor, just two days ago and fished away a few, Yan Chang heartbroken, secretly hide some slightly better quality, today finally came in handy.

After Su Yan instructed the attendants, he said to Yan Chang, “This is the first time I’ve come to the Temple Garden, I don’t know what the scenery is, can I walk around?”

“Of course I can, deserve to be accompanied.” Yan Chang modestly said, “In fact, it is just a few pieces of pasture, by the pastoral army to raise horses, and also raise some cattle and sheep for their own use, there is no scenery to speak of.”

Su Yan laughed, “It’s always a new insight.”

The two men courtesied each other out of the hall and rode to the pasture.

Yan Chang saw the Su Prince of the retainers are sent away, along with the court in the small officials to select horses, only with a in the side, and this is obviously the best-looking retainers, can be described as short in the middle of the tall, can not help but sigh: these days not only to be an official to look at the appearance of the servants, and even to do the retainers servants are good face is more appetizing, no wonder the old man did more than a dozen years, is still a even the rank of the囿长!

In a short while to the pasture, Su Yan saw this place flat and wide, water and grass is fertile, very suitable for grazing, but the horses between the grass is sparse.

Approaching to take a look, the horses are either skin broken through the spine, or bone high hair off, thin loss of nine out of ten, almost can not see a fat, he could not help but frowned, asked in a deep voice: “囿长 would not be sold to this kind of horses in my right?”

Yan Chang was embarrassed, “No, no, no! There are still some good ones inside. These are stocked outside, also to cope with the top.”

Su Yan pretended to be surprised: ”In order to cope with the higher-ups? When the higher-ups come to inspect, do they require the horses to be thin and sick? What kind of trendy inspection standard is this for your Supervisory Temple?”

Yan Chang was embarrassed by his loss of face, reluctantly said: “is afraid of the upper see horses can still eyes, forced to take away.”

Su Yan guessed that the real reason should be more than that, but Yan Chang refused to say more, at this time to ask for fear that instead of triggering his suspicions, so change the subject, pointing to a distant appearance of a dilapidated, like a bunker-like adobe building, asked, “Where is that?”

Yan Chang replied, “It is the Horse Camp Castle. The herding army barracks and stables are in it, so if Mr. Su wants to go in and see it, it’s best to bring the guards with you.”

“Oh, why?”

“The herding army is unruly and ignorant, and I’m afraid I’ll run afoul of His Excellency.”

Yan Chang with a look, glanced at this Su Gongzi, some words are not good to say in person: half of them are sent to the military prisoners, ferocious temperament, and often do not see a woman, suffocating fire, at first glance, you see this kind of red lips and teeth of the small male, if there is not enough force deterrent, not like the group of wolves pouncing on a goat, tore you alive!

Su Yan previously eavesdropped on Wang Jianzheng and his men talking, knowing that the pastoral army fled more than half, the Supervisory Temple suffered from no one to keep the horses, and had to request the court to allocate manpower, the Ministry of Criminal Affairs to send over the felons.

Also recalled that when he was hijacked to the Eagle’s Mouth Mountain bandit stronghold, Wang Chen had personally confessed that his brother Wang Wu was once a member of the Herding Army, because of the heart of the warhorse was poisoned and killed, afraid of accountability, had to flee and fall into the grass as a bandit.

“He also does not want to be a deserter, but the pastoral army is not much better than the horse households! I heard that many of the official horses in the prison garden have been stolen and sold, the pasture has also been appropriated by many powerful people, and those officials are corrupt. No one takes care of the official horses, they are all sick and thin, and everyone in the border army raises private horses and sells them to the government. My brother’s horse was poisoned to death one night, he was afraid of losing his head, so he had no choice but to flee back and join us in the pasture.”

Wang Chen’s words are still beside his ears, Su Yan frowned and thought, I’m afraid that this horse camp castle really need to go in and take a look. Military camp beheading order, the first chop is desertion, this batch of pastoral army in the end what is the situation, why would rather risk losing their heads, but also want to escape to become a stray.

Yan Chang accompanied him for a few more moments to stroll around, a minor official rode over and reported, “Zhang Qianhu from Ningxia Wei has come to press for the riding drill horses needed for the military camp.”

Su Yan heard, deliberately asked, “This …… us this deal, does it affect the war horse delivery of the military camp?”

“Won’t won’t!” Yan Chang was afraid that the silver money would fall through, and patted his chest, “The most important thing to be a man is honesty, since I promised Mr. Su, I will naturally guarantee our deal first. As for the side of the military camp, I will think of another way.” He cast his gaze towards those thin and damaged horses on the grassland that could barely stand up.

“I’ll deal with it first, Mr. Su …….”

“No harm done, I’ll wander around a bit more, 囿長 please make yourself at home.”

Yan Chang gave another explanation, “Castle do not enter without authorization.” Only then did he hurriedly go with the minor official.

Su Yan waited for him to ride far away and winked at Jing Hongchou at his side, “Any place that warns ‘Do Not Enter’ tends to be broken into, it’s called reverse psychology.”

Jing Hong pursued, “And after breaking in?”

“Either a big poke or a big secret is found, and it never comes to nothing.”

“So your honor is going into the fort?”

Su Yan laughed: “That 囿长 said that it’s only good if you bring all the guards with you. You see that you’re the only one now, tsk.”

Jing Hong chased after him unconvinced, “One of me is more than twenty of them.”

Su Yan was about to make a few more jokes, when out of the corner of his eye, he glanced at a figure holding a horse in the distance, which seemed somewhat familiar. He narrowed his eyes and stared at the person’s back, the more he looked, the more fishy he felt, and suddenly let out a loud shout, “Hey–that mighty and majestic man leading the horse!”

That person subconsciously a turn back, eyebrows were Jing Hongchou see clearly. Jing Hongchou was surprised and said, “Is it Wang Wu …… or Wang Liu?”

Su Yan believed that Jing Hong chased after his superior eyesight, and was somewhat puzzled: “These two brothers didn’t lead the crowd to escape from Yan’an after robbing the prison, and were chased by the guards’ cavalry, so how did they appear here?”

When the man looked back, it was as if he froze for a second, and immediately turned onto his horse and ran wildly towards the depths of the grassland.

“Meet and flee, surely the heart is weak, may be out of the way again.” Su Yan made an immediate decision, raising his whip and urging his horse, “Chase! Take him down first.”