Since the people here were prepared, they changed direction.
Taking a less conventional route, they would go to Qingzhou Prefecture anyway, so a detour was fine.
They skirted the small counties around Qingzhou Prefecture, observing the conduct of local officials along the way. Occasionally, they would stop in villages to gauge the people's sentiment.
It wasn't bad. Nothing major happened on the journey, and there were minor imperfections, which were understandable.
Zhang County.
This county was adjacent to a county in Yun Kingdom. Comparing the two, Zhang County was still considered relatively prosperous.
Fan Zehao decided to stay in this county for a night, to admire the lakeside scenery and to rest.
"They say Zhang County is famous for its ceramics. The ceramics here are well-known within the inner city. Let's go take a look later!"
Zhao Jiaqi teased him with a smile, "You, who wield swords and spears, even know the local specialties. It seems you've learned a lot on this journey!"
He was pleased with his wife's recognition, "Indeed. Isn't it said that one learns from those they associate with? This is what they call 'close to vermilion, one turns red'."
Look at him, quoting idioms. It was amazing he learned so much in just a few days!
The couple chatted and laughed as they found an inn and directly asked for two superior rooms. Zhao Jiaqi wanted to stay longer, as she'd heard much about the excellent ceramics and numerous skilled artisans here, though she had never seen them with her own eyes.
Therefore, they decided to stay and observe. If they found any good craftsmen, they wanted to learn from their skills. Learning more and observing more was the way to progress!
After freshening up, they deliberately changed into very ordinary clothes. Zhao Jiaqi also refused to wear any jewelry or hair ornaments, only a jade hairpin in her hair.
From a distance, she looked like an ordinary country woman. Compared to Fan Zehao, he wore an old robe but still carried an air of ferocity.
This ferocity stemmed from his hunting days.
As they walked down the street, Te Shou followed at a discreet distance, also looking at the goods for sale. If they wanted to buy something, they never hesitated to spend money.
Zhao Jiaqi pointed at the stalls displaying various pottery items, of different sizes and styles. Even a doll could be made in several different ways.
The level of detail carved into the dolls was astonishing, making such artisans truly lovable.
"Husband, look at this doll, how beautiful!"
Zhao Jiaqi picked up a doll with a pout, as if it were being cute, or perhaps sulking because it didn't get candy. She loved it so much she couldn't bear to put it down. httpδ:/m.kuAisugg.nět
This was the first time Fan Zehao saw his wife so fond of something, especially such a small trinket. He glanced at the doll. It was plump and quite cute.
With big eyes and double eyelids, it strongly resembled Yu Meng when she was little. Without a second thought, he bought it!
"For you!"
She nodded repeatedly with joy, smiling happily and revealing a row of pearly white teeth. No matter one's age, receiving a gift was always a pleasure.
The ceramics vendor, seeing this, immediately started promoting other dolls, "Madam, this doll is actually part of a set. This is the smallest one. The others are all here in front!"
Following the vendor's gesture, Zhao Jiaqi saw the little girl's siblings on another shelf.
Each doll had a different shape: smiling happily, frowning angrily, clapping, and even crying. Counting them, there were a total of ten.
"How much is this set?"
The vendor, seeing they were likely wealthy, dared not overcharge. He held up five fingers, "Fifty wen for the set!"
Fifty wen for a whole set?
Zhao Jiaqi was astonished. Such exquisite items were being sold for such a small amount of copper coins?
Seeing her stunned reaction, the vendor thought he had quoted too high and quickly explained, "Madam, I'm not overcharging you. If you calculate it, each one is only five wen. This is much cheaper than elsewhere!"
Zhao Jiaqi, seeing his eagerness and sweating, waved her hand with a smile, "I'm not saying it's too expensive. I'm wondering if you can make a profit selling them at this price?"
The smaller dolls might yield a profit of one or two wen, but for the larger ones, five wen likely yielded very little profit!
The vendor sighed, "We just need to support our families. We don't make much money, but at least we can fill our stomachs!"
"In that case, why don't you raise your prices?"
The vendor scratched his head with a troubled look, "It's not that we don't want to raise prices. It's just that we are adjacent to them. Both towns here and there make a living by producing ceramics. They sell cheaply, so we have to lower our prices too, otherwise, they won't sell!"
'There'?
Zhao Jiaqi pondered. The 'there' the vendor referred to was likely Lin County in Yun Kingdom.
"We are under the jurisdiction of the Inner City, while they are under Yun Kingdom. We belong to different regions, so why are we being constrained by them?"
Speaking of this, the vendor lost interest in doing business, "You're outsiders, aren't you!"
The two nodded. They found a step to sit down, and then chatted with the vendor.
"Logically speaking, our Zhang County is managed by the Inner City, and Lin County is governed by Yun Kingdom. But our Zhang County is truly unfortunate!"
When Fan Zehao heard the word "unfortunate," his nerves immediately tensed, "Why do you say that?"
The vendor spread his hands and explained, "Our Zhang County is like a child without parents, not cherished by its grandmother and kicked out by its grandfather!"
What he said left Zhao Jiaqi and Fan Zehao speechless. They could only listen to the vendor pour out his grievances.
"Songling Prefecture doesn't claim us, saying we belong to Yun Kingdom. But the Xiuzhou Prefecture of Yun Kingdom says our county is precisely on the dividing line, and we are actually under the jurisdiction of the Inner City!"
"Because of this, our county has suffered. We want to follow the Inner City, but they don't want us. We want to return to Yun Kingdom, but they look down on us. We can only survive in the cracks!"
He pointed, "Whether it's the Inner City or Yun Kingdom, children from both sides can attend private schools for free. But our children can only watch. Any good policies from above never reach us!"
Although he spoke at length, Zhao Jiaqi and Fan Zehao understood clearly. This place was a no-man's-land.
To think that an entire county was unwanted by anyone?
"A county, not small, not big. Why don't they want to accept you? Has your county magistrate not appealed to the higher authorities?"
The vendor sighed deeply, "This place has nothing else, just plenty of loess and few trees. During spring and autumn, when the wind blows, the dust fills the sky. So, these two regions are reluctant to claim us?"
He wiped his face, "Our county magistrate is a good man. For years, he has tried every possible way to change the situation, submitting memorials to the higher-ups every year. But unfortunately, there has been no response from above. If the magistrate asks too much, he'll be reprimanded!"
Fan Zehao frowned deeply. He had never seen any memorials from the magistrate here, nor had he even heard of them!
He now suspected which country's memorials the magistrate was submitting. However, asking a vendor about such specific matters might not be reliable.
He took out a silver ingot and handed it to the vendor, "I'll buy all these ceramics from you. Please have them delivered to the inn across the street!"
Ten taels of silver. The vendor dared not accept it and quickly pushed the money back, "Sir, my entire stock is worth less than one tael of silver. You're giving me so much, I don't have enough change!"
A simple farmer, honest and straightforward. It would be a pity to lose such a simple person.