Qin Official

Behind Heifu, two merchants were discussing the King of Qin's plan to conquer Yan.

But I heard someone ask: "What did the king say in his message to conquer Yan?"

Another person replied: "The king said, 'The king of Yan is in confusion, and his prince Dan Nai secretly ordered Jing Ke to be a thief. He will order the soldiers to kill him, and his country will be destroyed!' Now, I am afraid that the army has arrived in Zhao, and even passed the Yi It’s water.”

The first merchant said worriedly: "Whenever we raise an army, we will give priority to recruiting sons-in-law, city residents and other unworthy men to join the army. Will we also be drafted to transport grain? I heard that it is bitterly cold in Yan State, and in August and September. There is rain and snow, and many people will freeze to death if they travel all the way north in this winter..."

Another person comforted him and said: "I heard from people in Jiangling City that the governor of Nanjun only recruited experienced soldiers from various counties to guard the border between Qin and Chu. The attack on Yan should not involve Nanjun. After all, it is too far away... …”

This was probably a businessman who was running errands and transporting goods for the Qin government. He traveled all over the country and was well-informed. His information was much better informed than ordinary people like Ji Ying who heard about things through hearsay.

But what they talked about after that was mostly about prices in various places, and the strange custom of rural households in Yan State from Baguaqi, who would let the women of the family sleep with travelers when they stayed overnight. While talking, they also made vulgar laughter... Hei Fu on the side was stunned. The people of the imperial capital were so hospitable!

After a while, the two merchants finished eating and left in a hurry, leaving Heifu alone thoughtfully.

As he expected, as a follow-up to Jing Ke's assassination of the King of Qin, the King of Qin Ying Zheng, who was extremely vindictive, actually launched a large army to attack Yan!

At the same time, Heifu also realized that he had made a miscalculation: since the Qin State started the year in October, and today is the first day of the Lunar New Year, doesn't that mean that it is already the twenty-first year of the Qin Dynasty?

If he remembered correctly, in history, King Qin defeated Yan in the 21st year of his administration, destroyed Wei in the 22nd year, and after that, he conquered Chu...

"There are still two years left, and my time has been shortened by a few months for no reason!"

Hei Fu cursed secretly, feeling a sense of urgency at the same time. After finishing the meat porridge in a few mouthfuls, he wiped his mouth and called to Ji Ying, "Let's go, report to the South Gate Campus now, to avoid a long night of dreaming."

"Ah? Go now? I also want to go to the Nulu..."

Ji Ying still had some unfinished thoughts. Nvlu was the brothel of this era. He had a typical small farmer mentality. He wanted to be rich and warm, but he wanted to be corrupt. He had thousands of dollars in his pocket.

He also smiled and asked Hei Fu to go with him, because judging from Hei Fu's age, he was probably still a young boy.

Heifu had no interest in women from that kind of place. When he was an intern in his previous life, he participated in the anti-pornography campaign. He was deeply impressed by the ugly scene, so he was disgusted with this kind of thing. He immediately said with a straight face: "I heard , The daughter-in-law often spends hundreds of money in one night, and you will spend it two or three times before you have nothing left! It is better to keep the money and go home to marry a wife. "

Ji Ying settled the accounts and realized that it was indeed more cost-effective to marry a wife, so he stood up angrily. Unknowingly, he had now begun to follow the lead of the black husband, even though he was obviously older in age.

Perhaps out of shame, when paying the bill, Ji Ying took out the money from his pocket, handed twenty and a half taels to the shopkeeper, and treated Hei Fu to a meal. On weekdays, the food for each of them is worth three or four dollars at most, but today they spent a lot of money.

The shopkeeper took the money, but did not put it in his arms. Instead, in front of Hei Fu and Ji Ying, he put the twenty cents one by one into the clay pots that all the guests could see. There was a jingling sound, and there was already a lot of money inside.

It turns out that this thing is called "銗" (xiàng), and in layman's terms, it is the piggy bank of later generations. Because this restaurant is a "state-owned hotel", all income must be returned to the public. The owner does not dare to line his own pocket, because it will be fined 100 yuan. The correct operation is to put the meal money into the money jar in front of the guests, and at the end of the day, officials will come to count the income.

Hei Fu secretly thought that he had gained experience again. The two of them left the restaurant and walked slowly towards the south gate. It was afternoon, the sun was about to set, and the wind was blowing. Hei Fu, who was wearing thin clothes, couldn't help but shiver.

"Brother Heifu, it's cold." Ji Ying had already put on a thick winter coat and said with a smile, "It's winter now, why are you still wearing summer clothes?"

Yes, it’s winter now, but Hei Fu was in a hurry when he left home, and the winter clothes his mother sewed for him were not finished yet. His eldest brother said he would bring them over in person in a few days. The thin clothes he was wearing had been exposed to wind, rain, and weather After being exposed to the sun, it's like "the quilt has been as cold as iron for many years."

Besides, although the clothes sewn by his mother are warm no matter how you wear them, Hei Fu, who loved cleanliness in his previous life, could not get used to the life of only wearing the same clothes for a few months. On their way to the South Gate Campus, they passed by the market and Hei Fu... The husband asked Ji Ying to go shopping and buy some clothes for himself.

…

The market in Qin was not along a street with stalls selling casually on both sides as imagined by later generations, but a closed place, similar to a vegetable market in later generations, surrounded by a market wall.

"Did you see that flagpole raised high?"

Ji Ying had been to the county town and introduced: "That is the city flag, which stands in the city pavilion. Every morning, traders from all walks of life who come to trade wait outside the city gate. When the city flag is raised, they can take their turn. enter.

The officials who manage the market are at the market pavilion. All vendors who come to the market to trade must check their documents and goods and stamp them before they can do business.

After entering the market gate, the sound of hawking can be heard throughout the market. The first thing that catches the eye is various grains. Now is the time when food is abundant after the autumn harvest. Many farmers near the county town are selling excess beans and wheat. , in exchange for some cloth and money.

In addition, there are also sellers of farm equipment such as rakes, plows, sickles, etc.; there are also sellers of lacquerware and pottery, but most of them are daily utensils, and few are exquisitely crafted luxury goods.

Most of the people wandering around the market are civilians, including women carrying bamboo baskets and japanese hairpins and cloth skirts; there are also soldiers with short brown cloth and several patches on their clothes; there are also people laughing, playing and running. The children passing by all had dirty faces... They were coming and going, and it was very lively.

Heifu quickly found what he wanted, and they stopped in front of several stalls selling raw silk, knitted winter clothes, and shoes.

Facing the warm greetings from these shop owners, Heifu hesitated and didn't know what choice to make. In his previous life, what he hated most was haggling. Even if he hesitantly negotiated the price, in the end he found that the boss still showed a meaningful smile after he left. That's right, he was slaughtered again...

Fortunately, when you buy things in Qin, you don't have to bargain!

Because the State of Qin stipulated in the "Golden Rules": When buying and selling in the market, wooden tags should be tied to indicate the price; unless it is a small item worth less than a penny each, there is no need to tie the tag... If the merchant deliberately raises the price, If you deceive buyers, you will be severely fined by the city officials once you do it. So here, you are unlikely to see a merchant shouting "998 for each item" with goods of unknown value.

It can be regarded as the consumer rights protection law of this era. It is simply good news for straight men like Heifu.

Finally, after shopping around, Heifu bought a Gebu thick winter coat of good quality for 150 yuan, so that he could survive this winter without air conditioning, heating, or a kang. Alas, he is from the south after all, so he needs to be upright to survive the winter. . In addition, he spent 75 yuan to buy a close-fitting singlet, 50 yuan to buy a pair of undergarments, and 50 yuan to buy two pairs of coarse cloth shoes, which he put on his feet immediately - along the way, his straw sandals were badly damaged and the soles of his feet were damaged. It's about to hit the ground!

Among the money Heifu gave to the hawker, some of them were incomplete, but the hawker just frowned and reluctantly accepted it. It turned out that the "Golden Rules" stipulated that coins used in transactions should be mixed together, regardless of whether they are good or bad. No picking and choosing!

It seems that like later generations, it is not allowed for sellers to refuse to accept RMB. Only when the government is strong enough can it issue such an order.

After taking the clothes, Heifu was about to turn around and leave when the clothes vendor hurriedly chased him out and shouted: "Sir, you forgot to get the coupon!"

"Coupon?"

Heifu was stunned for a moment, what coupon? coupon? coupon?

"The gentleman was joking, of course it's a deed."

After the hawker put a small piece of wood with a jagged edge into his hand, Heifu looked at the words written on it and suddenly realized it.

"What did I think it was, it turned out to be a shopping receipt!!!"

It turns out that in the Qin State, a deed was required for any transaction exceeding one hundred yuan. As the saying goes, "Those who do not accept deeds are therefore trustworthy." After the transaction is concluded, the seller must write down the transaction items and the price on a wooden board, then saw it in half, with each buyer and seller holding half.

If the amount of money is wrong, or there is something wrong with the goods, you can use it as a voucher to replace the goods or file a lawsuit. Of course, it is only for the same day, and expiration does not count. If the quantity of goods, money and coupons sold by merchants does not match, they will also be punished by market officials. Of course, if someone with ulterior motives wants to use this to defraud, don't forget Qin's unique "false accusation and rebellion."

"I've learned a lot again!"

After Heifu put the shopping receipt in his pocket, he sighed for the first time.

No matter what the Qin State did, they had to write deeds to prove it: they had to write down the payment of rent and taxes, they had to write down the grain into the warehouse, they had to write it down when the judges asked the people's questions, they also had to write down the market transactions... and there were laws to enforce them, and both sides had to enforce them. One copy has become a tacit habit. Look around, if there is a transaction of more than one hundred yuan, even illiterate civilians will take the initiative to ask for the deed from the store.

Isn’t this similar to the “unique Western contract spirit” that some scholars of later generations have been touting for many years? It’s really scary to think that things have reached this level before paper even appeared. Those people who say “Chinese people have not had a spirit of contract since ancient times!” should really go back and take a look.

With this mood, Heifu looked back at the bustling market, his face was heavy and thoughtful, and after a moment, he suddenly said: "I understand!"

Ji Ying was squatting at a stall selling sword scabbards, looking left and right, when he heard Hei Fu yelling, he quickly turned around. "What do you unserstand?"

Heifu said happily: "Shang Jun, he must have been brutally slaughtered by profiteers back then!"