Chapter 121 The Great Merchant Ximen Daguanren
Yanggu County, Zishi Street.

Shi Qian was a fast walker and arrived a day earlier. He soon rented a two-story building on the street as his home.

When Cao Jie and his party arrived in Yanggu, they could move in with their luggage.

Because we have to plot some things, it is not convenient to stay in the inn. Buying a house is not that fast and it is a waste of money.

Renting a house was a very normal economic behavior in the Song Dynasty.

In the Water Margin, Wu Dalang moved from Qinghe County to Yanggu County and made a living by selling pancakes, but he could afford to live in a two-story house. In the Golden Lotus, Wu Dalang and Pan Jinlian also lived in a two-story house.

Wu Dalang was just a small business peddler. How could he have so much money to buy a house to live in?
You know, the era with the most expensive housing prices in history was the Song Dynasty.

Su Shi and Ouyang Xiu were never able to buy a house in Kaifeng. Su Shi had no house in Kaifeng, so his son had to borrow a house from a friend when he got married. His father Su Xun also spent his whole life in a rented house. Even Prime Minister Kou Zhun could not afford to buy a house in Kaifeng.

Of course, it may also be because they are not greedy!
So, how did Wu Dalang get this house?

In fact, civil servants who could not afford to buy houses in the Song Dynasty could live in low-rent housing, and Wu Dalang, as a civilian, could also apply for low-rent housing. Even if it was not low-rent housing, private individuals could rent out their houses.

When Cao Jie and his party arrived in Yanggu County, they were attracted by the lively sounds of gongs and drums.

The entire county town was filled with people rushing towards the county government office, which was surprising.

"Brother, what's going on? It's so lively."

The middle-aged man squeezed in with all his might: "The Subduing Tiger Arhat has arrived in Yanggu County. I want to meet him and pray for his blessing and safety."

Subduing Tiger Arhat?

Who is this person!
After some inquiries, Cao Jie couldn't help but smile.

"Young man, I heard that this Tiger Subduing Arhat not only subdued the vicious tiger on Jingyang Ridge, but also killed a golden-haired tiger in Qingzhou. His martial arts skills are truly invincible in the world."

"Yes Yes!"

My second brother is invincible!

"Now Luohan has come to Yanggu County to serve as the general of the Xuanyi Army and protect the area. We are no longer afraid of bandits coming to cause trouble!"

"Ah! Yes!"

Since it was Wu Song's fault, Cao Jie did not leave. He went to the second floor of the hotel next to the county government office, ordered a table of first-class dishes, and was led by the waiter to a seat by the window.

"Wow! What a big bug."

Chao Gai lowered his head and looked down, and immediately screamed.

"Wu Erlang actually subdued such a ferocious beast. Hey, I think the big beast seems to have cultivated Qi. Interesting."

"No wonder Wu Erlang didn't kill him."

Liu Tang and Ruan Xiaoqi also squeezed their heads to look in the direction of the county government gate, and saw Fat Tiger tied with a rope at the gate.

It was like a lazy cat lying on the ground basking in the sun, without any murderous aura.

Then, the county magistrate Baili Hou followed Wu Song out, and a clerk beside him carrying a basket of copper coins also appeared in the field of vision.

Wu Song was an eight-foot tall man with an awe-inspiring demeanor. As soon as he appeared, he became the focus of the whole audience.

He cupped his fists and bowed to the four directions, saying loudly: "Although I, Wu Song, have subdued this beast, I dare not accept the reward. I heard that the hunters around Jingyang Ridge have suffered greatly because of this beast, and many have lost their lives. Why don't I give the 100 strings of cash that you have rewarded to those who have suffered?"

The magistrate of Yanggu County immediately raised his thumbs up and said: "General Wu truly has a heart of a bodhisattva, and his reputation as the Subduing Tiger Arhat is well-deserved." "My lord, be so kind. Wu Song only hopes that the neighbors will spare this idiot, teach it to practice under my knees, and atone for its sins..." Wu Song clasped his fists again.

"Since it was subdued by the Arhat, let the Arhat decide its life or death! If it has achieved success in cultivation, it may be able to protect another area."

"Yeah yeah!"

The crowd was excited and shouted "Arhat, have mercy on me".

When Wu Song took out the hundred strings of cash and gave them to the victims, the atmosphere at the scene reached a climax.

In this world, we have only seen officials putting money into their pockets, but never seen generals throwing money out.

For a moment, people thought Wu Song was "the Arhat who came down to earth."

This reputation also made a huge contribution to the later conquest of Dongping Prefecture.

Let’s not talk about what happened afterwards for now.

Soon, a tall, burly, and handsome man stood up from the county magistrate's side. He bowed to the crowd and said with a smile, "I am Ximen Qing. I admire General Wu's character, so I will also take out eighty strings of cash to atone for the sin of this big insect."

"Master Ximen, she is so good!"

Someone in the crowd shouted that if his guess was correct, it must be a stooge he arranged.

Cao Jie looked up at Ximen Qing. Standing next to Wu Song, he was just a foil. So he turned around and asked the waiter who was serving the dishes, "I'm new here and don't know who Ximen Qing is. Can you tell me about him?"

The waiter looked at the silver on the edge of the table, stuffed it into his sleeve, and whispered in a voice that Cao Jie could hear clearly:
"You are talking about Mr. Ximen! He was originally a poor rich man who inherited his family's herbal medicine shop. Later, he married several concubines and became rich. Later, I don't know how he donated money to become an official. Now he is a popular figure under the county magistrate! Blah blah blah..."

"Oh!"

Cao Jie nodded slowly. This is not Ximen Qing in "Water Margin", this is Ximen Qing in "Jin Ping Mei"!
Ximen Daguanren in "Jin Ping Mei" is different from the lustful bully in "Water Margin". He is not only a dissolute and lascivious local rich man, but also a shrewd and decisive talented businessman who is good at investment, and a corrupt official who is cunning, hypocritical and good at manipulating the sleeves.

Most of "Jin Ping Mei" can be said to be the story of Ximen Qing's rise to wealth. With his high IQ and EQ, strong ability to make money, and the means to make things happen in official circles, he paved the way for him to successfully counterattack from a poor man in Yanggu County, Shandong to become the richest man in Shandong at that time.

Cao Jie turned his head and looked at Ximen Daguanren again, and finally regarded him as his rival in Yanggu County.

The magistrate of Yanggu County was a greedy villain who was even easier to bribe than Shi Wenbin.

But the problem now is that Ximen Qing is now his favorite and his family has considerable assets.

If Ximen Qing is not dealt with, no matter how much money is spent, it will be useless.

"Brother, drink here. I'll go get the news."

When Liu Tang saw Cao Jie in deep thought, he knew what he should do.

"No hurry, eat first and fill your stomach."

"Okay! I'll just take two bites."

Liu Tang ate a pound of meat in big mouthfuls, and strode out of the restaurant with two pieces of cake in his hand.

He is an old hand and is good at gathering information.

At this time, Wu Song looked towards the second floor of the restaurant, and he had already spotted Cao Jie and his party.

Cao Jie nodded slightly at him without saying anything, and they both understood each other...

(End of this chapter)