Allure of a Country Maiden
Chapter 610 - 608

Chapter 610: Chapter 608

After Xiao’er and Shangguan Xuanyi finished their meal, they headed towards Shen Chengzu’s iron shop.

"What are we going to the iron shop for?" Shangguan Xuanyi casually asked.

"I ordered two sets of farming tools there a few days ago. They should be ready by now, and since the shop is not far from here, I thought I’d pick them up on the way." Xiao’er explained.

"Custom-made farming tools?" Did custom-made farming tools require her to pick them up personally? Then what are the purchasing servants for?

"Actually, they are just two small sickles. Harvest season is about to start. My dad said he wanted Xi’er to understand how hard it is to get food, so he planned to take her to the villa to harvest rice." Xiao’er recalled how Xi’er was so excited to learn that Shen Chengyao was going to take her to the villa to experience the joy of harvest.

However, after some time, the little girl would probably cry out for her dad and mom and want to go home!

"Marquis Shengping really knows how to educate his daughter." Which father would want his daughter to suffer like this! Let alone harvesting rice in the fields, even if you were to get a tiny bit of spring water on your fingers, he would still grieve deeply.

Probably because they had such parents, they educated such a wonderful daughter. Shangguan Xuanyi looked at Xiao’er with proud and gentle eyes.

In her words: she could cook, behave elegantly in public, kill enemies, climb over walls; she could earn money, and beat up the delinquents!

As autumn arrived, many people would also go for hunting in the mountains.

In recent days, the iron shop was always crowed, with people buying farming tools, or having them repaired, and purchasing bows and arrows.

The shop was so busy that everyone was overwhelmed with work. Shen Chengzu also purposely hired two assistants to help with the shop, fearing that someone might take advantage of the chaos and steal things.

Xiao’er and Shangguan Xuanyi just walked into the iron shop as Shen Chengzu was saying goodbye to a man dressed as a hunter who had come to pick up ten sets of bows and arrows.

According to imperial regulations, each person could not buy more than ten sets of dangerous weapons like bows and arrows, swords and the likes.

Spotting the two, Shen Chengyao quickly ushered them into the accounting room in the backyard and prepared tea for them.

"No need to go through so much trouble, Uncle Shen. I’m here to pick up the farming tools and will be leaving after. How’s business recently?" Seeing how busy Shen Chengzu got, Xiao’er hurriedly asked him to stop.

"Business is always good this time of year, it’s just that it seems like more people are going hunting in the mountains this year. Many people come to buy bows and arrows, and they all buy ten sets, or several sets at a time. The man you saw when you came in, it’s the second time he’s come to order bows and arrows. Even though he’s shaved his beard and used a different household certificate this time, I still recognized him."

Weapons like bows and arrows and swords required a household certificate to purchase, and the purchases had to be dutifully registered.

Xiao’er and Shangguan Xuanyi exchanged a glance after hearing this.

"Uncle Shen, did you ask them why they were buying so many at once?"

"I did, they said they were buying for their brothers and nephews, or for villagers. Some people bought them for their children."

This wasn’t really normal; bows and arrows are not cheap, and only a well-off family could afford to get a set for each child.

Where would ordinary people be willing to? Moreover, who would spend so much silver to buy a few things that they rarely use and store them at home? Are there that many families with spare silver lying around?

So even though the imperial court has set a limit on the number of bows and arrows a person can buy, over all these years, there have still been very few cases where a person buys several sets of bows and arrows at once.

If a lot of people each buy a few sets of bows and arrows and if the number of people who buy is large, and if these bows and arrows are brought together, the number is indeed considerable.

"Uncle Shen, do you know if the situation of buying bows and arrows in other iron shops is the same?" Xiao’er’s expression became a little serious, and Shangguan Xuanyi also looked thoughtful.

"I wouldn’t know. I’ve been too busy lately to pay attention to anything else."

Xiao’er nodded, it was quite normal not to know.

"Uncle Shen, can you get the registration book for the purchase of bows and arrows in your shop for me to look at?"

"Sure, I had planned to bring the record book over to your father tonight anyway." Shen Chengzu quickly stood up to fetch the book when he heard this.

After a while, Shen Chengzu came back with the book "just now, another hunter came in with a few wild rabbits to order ten sets of arrows. I remember this guy bought ten bows half a month ago."

This is not normal!

"What did he say this time when he bought the bows and arrows?" Xiao’er asked.

"He said it was for his mother’s brothers. The household certificate he used was different."

Shangguan Xuanyi took the registration book from Shen Chengzu’s hands and began to read.

Xiao’er also leaned in, and the two of them began to look closely.

After tallying it up, the shop had sold nearly two hundred sets of bows and arrows in the past month.

If the situation at other shops was the same, there were nearly a dozen iron shops in the Imperial City, then wouldn’t the number of bows and arrows sold be nearly two thousand sets?!

That’s enough to form a team of mounted archery troops!

If it’s the same situation in the iron shops outside the Imperial City, the situation would be even more serious.

"Besides bows and arrows, how are swords selling?" Recalling that there were not only bows and arrows among the cold weapons, Xiao’er asked.

"No one really buys swords! But..." Shen Chengzu suddenly remembered something, quickly went to a bookshelf and found another book, then handed it to Xiao’er.

"This is the account book sent from Shengping County the day before yesterday. You just reminded me, last month there were quite a few orders from Shengping County for the manor to replenish their weapons, and they all bought long spears."

Xiao’er and Shangguan Xuanyi looked at each other.

Such a method was really smart!

As the saying goes, little makes much, and every little makes a mickle!

"This matter needs to be investigated. When is the man who ordered the bows and arrows just now coming to get them?" Shangguan Xuanyi looked at Shen Chengzu.

"Three days from now."

Shangguan Xuanyi nodded, then looked at Xiao’er.

"Uncle Shen, we have some things to attend to, so we’ll be leaving, and when you’re free, come to our house for a meal." It seemed that this matter needed to be investigated as soon as possible. Knowing yourself and your enemy, you can fight a hundred battles without defeat.

Shen Chengzu nodded, "I will go over to have a drink with your father after I finish the busy period."

After leaving the iron shop, Shangguan Xuanyi sent Xiao’er back to Marquis Shengping Mansion and then left.

He needed to send someone to investigate this matter to see what was happening in the iron shops in the Imperial City and other townships.

He finally had half a day’s free time and originally planned to return to his mansion after having dinner with Xiao’er. It seemed that he couldn’t do so now.

The person he had sent to Lianyun County to investigate the conscription had not yet returned, and a new problem had arisen.

Was it the doing of the same person, or the doings of different people? Xiao’er watched Shangguan Xuanyi’s retreating figure and wondered.