The steward smiled and nodded. “Thanks to the Zhao Family Army’s escort, otherwise we wouldn’t dare come to Luoyang. I heard that outside Yuzhou, bandits run rampant everywhere. With just these few people and such precious goods, we wouldn’t dare travel far roads.”

Zhao Hanzhang smiled and said, “The court has already sent troops to suppress the bandits. I think before long, entering and leaving Luoyang will be as safe as entering and leaving Yuzhou.”

The steward just smiled without answering this question. He asked Zhao Hanzhang with interest, “Does the young lady want to purchase goods? I wonder what merchandise interests you. Besides Sichuan pepper, I also have silk and Shu brocade, as well as fine linen cloth from Shu. I have everything.”

Zhao Hanzhang asked, “You’re from Shu?”

The steward smiled and answered yes.

Zhao Hanzhang glanced at the scale of their convoy and nodded. “I am somewhat interested. I do know one merchant from Shu—his name is Zhu Chuan.”

The steward paused, then said, “Young Master Zhu? He’s a great wealthy merchant.”

He smiled and put the handful of Sichuan pepper back in the cloth bag, then tied the bag, closed the chest, and didn’t continue recommending to Zhao Hanzhang.

Zhao Hanzhang pinched the two Sichuan peppercorns in her hand and asked, “Steward, you won’t sell to me anymore?”

“Young lady, please don’t tease me. Since you know Young Master Zhu, you won’t lack these things. Why would you buy my goods?”

“Did Young Master Zhu also come to Luoyang this time?”

“Yes, their convoy alone has forty-six carts, the most goods among all of us. He also has quite a lot of Sichuan pepper. Since the young lady is familiar with him, you can go find him.”

Zhao Hanzhang shook her head. “We’re only acquainted, not really familiar.”

Hearing her say this, the steward perked up and smiled. “I see the young lady has beautiful looks and charming features—perhaps you’d be more interested in Shu brocade. I have several bolts of brightly colored Shu brocade here. The craftsmanship is truly unique in this world. Would you like to take a look?”

However, Zhao Hanzhang glanced at the torches and shook her head. “The sky is already dark. Looking at Shu brocade now would hide its splendor. Holding torches, if a spark accidentally falls, the heartache would be terrible. How about tomorrow instead? I also want to see the goods you’ve brought.”

The steward naturally had no objection.

They had brought quite a lot of goods and knew large quantities were flooding into Luoyang, so naturally they hoped to find suitable buyers to sell their goods as soon as possible.

Zhao Hanzhang casually inquired about what they’d seen and heard along the way. “You came from Shu to Xiping without Zhao Family Army protection. Did you encounter bandits on the road?”

“Alas, we encountered them quite a few times, mostly in the Shu and Jing Province areas. Once we entered Yuzhou territory, there were none.”

Zhao Hanzhang asked, “Has Shu started fighting again? I heard the Prince of Shu cares for the people. How could he allow bandits to run rampant in Shu?”

“Alas, this year when you started fighting in the Central Plains, we also started fighting inside. The Prince of Shu eliminated Prefect Qiao and Prefect Wen in one breath. Although the Prince of Shu is very good, whenever there’s war, bandits inevitably run rampant and refugees flee abroad.”

Zhao Hanzhang said, “This year there were indeed many refugees from Shu flooding into Jing Province and areas south of the Yangtze.”

Wasn’t Wang Cheng dismissed from office because of this?

She asked, “The Shu roads are difficult to travel. Is it still easy for your merchant convoys to get out?”

“Not easy. It’s just to make a living. Now the best places to do business are south of the Yangtze and Yuzhou,” the steward smiled. “If the General can clear out all the bandits along the way, perhaps Luoyang will be added in the future.”

“From Shu to Luoyang, going through Jing Province to Yuzhou is rather far. It would be better to go directly from Liang Province to Yong Province, then enter Luoyang.”

The steward laughed heartily and said jokingly, “That Yong Province has nothing but bandits and farmers about to starve to death. How would we dare pass through Yong Province? We’d rather take two extra detours through Jing Province and Yuzhou than take that Yong Province route.”

Zhao Hanzhang said, “Times are different now. Yong Province is now managed by Governor Fu. I heard he’s fair and strict, and cares for the people. He definitely won’t allow such things to happen again.”

But Yong Province had left too disastrous an impression on Shu merchants—it was a grain famine, and one that had lasted several years. Cannibalism had already become the norm there. In his view, the people still alive now could no longer be called human. He would never pass through Yong Province, much less do business with them.

Zhao Hanzhang didn’t insist he agree with her words. Seeing his persistence, she changed the subject.

The steward was quite talkative. The queue slowly moved forward. A soldier came over with a paper. “It’s estimated to be another half hour before your turn. Come over and write the declaration form.”

The steward couldn’t write. The soldier was straightforward and just gave him a sample. “Like this—write it this way. Where you’re from, how many people, how many carts, horses, mules, oxen—all this must be written clearly. And the goods inventory list.”

The soldier asked routinely, “Are you carrying any grain or coarse linen cloth?”

The steward quickly said, “No, no. Mine are all fine goods.”

The soldier curled his lip. “What are you afraid of? We’re not going to rob your things. If you have grain or coarse linen cloth, you can enter the city tax-free, and there’s a special passage—no need to wait in the long queue.”

Hearing this, the steward’s heart stirred. He asked, “What if we only bring a portion? Do the goods need to be separated? Or can everything go through the special passage?”

The soldier glanced at him and said, “If the grain and coarse linen cloth you’re carrying make up one-third of your total goods, everything can go through the special passage.”

“Is this order only valid this time, or will it continue?”

The soldier said, “It’s an order issued by the court, valid for this year and next year. After that, if there are changes, the court will naturally change it again.”

The steward decided in his heart that if this Luoyang trip went smoothly, next time he came he would include a few carts of grain or coarse linen cloth in the convoy to avoid waiting in line for so long.

And tax-free… This was a way to curry favor with the Luoyang county office. Even just to build a good relationship with the Luoyang county magistrate, he couldn’t miss this.

The soldier finished giving all the instructions he needed to give, took the form, and was about to go to the next convoy. Turning around, he saw Zhao Hanzhang standing not far away. His eyes widened and he was about to salute when he saw Zhao Hanzhang shake her head at him.

The soldier looked at her, then turned to look at the steward, silently held it in, and turned to leave.

But holding words in his heart felt so uncomfortable. What should he do? He wanted to find someone to confide in. Ahhhhh, he had just seen the General up close!

The General had seen him too and even shook her head at him.

The soldier excitedly bit his finger. After a good while, he suppressed the urge to scream in his heart and walked a long distance before remembering he needed to give forms to the next convoy.

He silently turned around and headed back, his face flushed red with embarrassment. He walked past Zhao Hanzhang to find the next steward.

Zeng Yue glanced at him and shook his head slightly, thinking the soldiers in the city still needed more training!

As soon as the soldier left, Zhao Hanzhang moved closer to look at the form he was supposed to fill out. After glancing at the sample form, she nodded slightly. This thing Zhao Zheng created was quite good—it saved a lot of effort.

Otherwise, following the old city entry system, even if she kept her city gates open twelve hours a day, it would take two or three days for so many convoys to enter the city.

She asked, “Steward, what do you think of this form?”