Chapter 41: Pei Dongyun

Li You’s words were highly inflammatory; Wu Zhuge had originally kept a shred of sobriety in his heart, but he could not resist Li You’s mention of the "Prince Rui Estate." How luxurious and magnificent was the Prince Rui Estate?

But then again, was the estate of a feudal prince really so easy to seize?

Take the joint campaign of Li and Zhang in the seventh year of Chongzhen; the momentum was massive, yet they didn't even manage to touch the Hanjiang.

In the eighth year of Chongzhen, Li Chuang made a comeback, attacking from Madao to Chenggu and Yangxian, only to be defeated by the Sichuan army that came to the rescue under Hou Liangzhu. He didn't even see the Hanzhong Fucheng before he was defeated and retreated once more.

In the ninth month of the tenth year of Chongzhen, Li Zicheng, Over-the-Sky Star (Zhang Tianlin), and Mixed-Sky Star (Hui Dengxiang), along with over a dozen other peasant armies, set out from the Qinzhou region, passing through Huizhou and Lueyang to march on Hanzhong Fucheng. Their "momentum was fierce," the ranks were "over forty miles wide," and "it took two days for them to fully pass." As a result, on the twenty-sixth, they were soundly thrashed by Regional Commander Cao Bianjiao and fled in a panic.

Later, when leaving Sichuan, Little Red Wolf (Sun Tianfu) seized an opportunity to lay siege to Hanzhong Fucheng. Upon learning of this, Hong Chengchou immediately led He Renlong and Zu Dabi to rush to the rescue and lift the siege.

So many big shots rushed to the rescue of Hanzhong, all because of the Rui fiefdom. Therefore, wanting to plot for the wealth of the Prince Rui Estate could only remain a thought.

As the two spoke, they unknowingly reached the foot of the mountain at Mao'erba. The slope near the official road was uneven, and Wu Zhuge and his group were afraid of injuring their horses, so they led them up the mountain on foot.

Li You had no choice but to fall silent. He was actually very curious: what kind of "official-bandits" were they, exactly?

Especially regarding the shipment of iron and refined salt—were they sold directly to which guild or chamber of commerce? Or to the gentry and officials?

Regarding the ins and outs of this, Wa Qingyun only knew of the Cao family in Mianxian, and was vague about the rest. This was exactly what Li You wanted to know, because this was the foundation of Longmen Shanzhai’s existence.

Just as they led their horses onto the official road, a large group of people and horses suddenly came toward them.

"Business is here?"

Wu Nai could not help but say excitedly.

Wu Zhuge raised a hand to stop them, narrowed his eyes, and looked over.

Approaching was a caravan. In the front were six or seven tall horses, and behind them were uniform carts with large wheels, heavy loads, and deep tracks. A large, triangular red flag was inserted into the cart frame, embroidered with the character "An" in gold thread on black silk.

The draft horses in front of the carts were all sleek and sturdy. Each cart had a strong driver holding a saber, and there were elite cavalry patrolling the surroundings.

Li You estimated that the caravan had about twenty riders. Their attire was divided into two colors; half of the men were uniformly wearing leggings and wrist guards, black robes and riding trousers, with scarlet belts wrapped around their waists.

The attire of the other group was slightly more chaotic, but their aura was even more fierce.

After Li You’s dozen or so riders stopped, the other side noticed them and quickly halted the caravan.

On the most luxurious carriage in the middle, a delicate, jade-like hand lifted the curtain, poked out half a head to peek, and then closed the curtain again.

The four riders in front rushed toward Li You’s side, swift as flying arrows. The charge of these four alone had the momentum of a hundred-rider charge. Wu Nai could not hold himself back, his hand pressing tightly onto the hilt of his saber...

But those four riders reined in their horses and stopped abruptly ten paces away.

The four were not old, about twenty-two or twenty-three. Each wore a headscarf with the "wan" character, red belts around their waists, and yellow leather boots. They had double-sheathed weapons on their backs and carried broadswords.

The slightly older one, a man with a round face and large ears, cupped his hands on horseback and said, "I don't know which group of friends this is? I am Pei Liangwei, this is the Da'an Chamber of Commerce. May we pass?"

The tone was sharp; it was clear he did not think much of Li You’s group.

"Da'an Chamber of Commerce?"

Wu Zhuge was startled. The Da'an Chamber of Commerce was a branch of the An family.

By the end of the Ming Dynasty, chambers of commerce and bill shops had flourished, forming various trade associations and merchant groups, and giving rise to various chambers of commerce, public offices, and bill shops. Among them, the highly renowned Qin-Jin merchant groups included prominent families such as the Cao, Kang, Wang, Fan, and Jin, while the Huizhou merchants included influential clans such as the An, Zou, Cha, Ruan, Fang, and Wang.