Zhao Hanzhang brought money, saying she wanted to buy Shu brocade, so she felt embarrassed to go empty-handed.

The reason she wanted to meet this manager was to learn more about the situation in Shu.

Shu, a special place.

Because the Shu Road is treacherous, it is difficult for those inside to get out, and for those outside to get in; it is hard for information to get through.

Although Zhao Hanzhang had never had any conflict with Shu, when she was the Yu State Governor, she had instructed Ji Yuan to send scouts to Shu to gather information.

She even borrowed the influence of Zhu Chuan to plant personnel.

But over three years, whether the scouts went in alone or followed Zhu Chuan into Sichuan, few were able to send information out.

The last time they received news from Shu was eight months ago when Chengdu King Li Xiong took advantage of the chaos in the Central Plains to suddenly attack Fucheng, killing Qiao Deng and Wen Shuo. Since then, their people have not sent out any more news.

Zhu Chuan also disappeared for a while, unable to be contacted, until the war ended, the Central Plains stabilized, and Zhu Chuan came out of Sichuan with a large shipment of goods.

This time, there were more Shu merchants coming out together with Zhu Chuan than usual, so Zhao Hanzhang wanted to personally inquire about the situation in Shu.

Waiting in the Flavor Building was not only the manager from last night but also their employer.

Zhao Hanzhang wore a neat narrow-sleeved collared shirt, with a leather belt tied at her waist, a strap on the belt held a short dagger, and she wore leather boots. Her eyes were as clear as lake water, and when she looked at people, her gaze was as bright as the moonlight, seemingly able to see through to one’s heart.

Shen Jian felt slightly scorched when he met her gaze, and couldn’t help but slightly look away. 𝒻𝓇𝑒𝘦𝘸𝑒𝒷𝓃ℴ𝑣𝘦𝑙.𝒸ℴ𝘮

Manager Ma didn’t overthink it and immediately stood up, smiling as he greeted her, then introduced Zhao Hanzhang and the employer, "Miss, this is my employer."

Shen Jian had collected himself and saluted, "Shen Jian."

Zhao Hanzhang also saluted with a smile, "Zhao Zhen."

Shen Jian was moved and asked, "Miss, is your surname Zhao?"

Zhao Hanzhang: "Although my surname is Zhao, I have nothing to do with the prominent Zhao Family today. I am from Luoyang, and as my family has fallen into decline, I can only rely on selling some goods to make a living."

If it were in the past, Shen Jian naturally wouldn’t talk business with a woman, but times have changed, and now there are women active in every industry.

Because of Zhao Hanzhang, it was not uncommon for women to engage in business.

Shen Jian came to see Zhao Hanzhang, ah no, Zhao Zhen, he wanted to contact the wealthy people in Luoyang through her, open up the market, and sell the goods they brought at a high price.

Both of them had their own objectives, and thus talked smoothly.

Zhao Hanzhang thought carefully and felt that she could still introduce Shen Jian to some people, as it was a time where even blind trading could make money, and adhering to the principle that fertile water should not flow into others’ fields, she decided to introduce Shen Jian to Uncle Cheng.

Mr. Ji and Mr. Ming also seem to have a lot of private wealth, and they certainly want to make money too, so it’s worth trying to make a profit.

As for her, she didn’t have much money, but she had workshops and shops under her name, perhaps they wouldn’t mind expanding their business size or product range?

Shen Jian, hearing Zhao Hanzhang could introduce so much business to him, immediately said he would host this meal, "The young lady is so capable, your family and brothers must be even more remarkable."

This was probing whether her family background was reliable, Zhao Hanzhang sighed and said, "My father and brothers all fell in battle; now I only have a younger brother, so the family relies on me. The people I mentioned to Brother Shen are all managers in old families of ours; even if they are just managers, they’ll still give me this face, Brother Shen, rest assured."

Shen Jian said he was very reassured, but what he truly thought could only be known by himself.

Zhao Hanzhang then inquired about the situation in Shu, "Now that the war has ceased and there are fewer bandits outside, I’ve heard Shu has not only exquisite silks but also various precious medicinal materials, so I plan to visit Shu after the New Year. Does Brother Shen know if Shu is easy to travel now?"

Shen Jian was slightly stunned, "Miss Zhao plans to go to Shu personally?"

Zhao Hanzhang: "I have that plan."

Shen Jian shook his head and calmly said, "I advise Miss Zhao to abandon this idea, Shu is not easy to traverse."

"I know the Shu Road is difficult."

"But at this time, the difficulty is not just the treacherous Shu Road," he said, "To be honest, Shu has also just ended the war, so there has been a massive influx of refugees from Shu into Jingzhou and Yangzhou."

"It’s like this elsewhere, let alone in Shu? Defeated chaotic troops, villages entangled with the anguish of war, countless people became refugees. Some followed the refugee leader to Jingzhou and Yangzhou, but more people chose to become bandits in the mountains."

Shen Jian stated, "Miss Zhao has also mentioned the difficulty of the Shu Road, so you should know Shu has many steep mountains and ridges. The bandits hide in the mountains, making it difficult for the government to eliminate them even with large troops."

Zhao Hanzhang: "Then you guys..."

"We can get out of Sichuan because we follow Mr. Zhu’s caravan," Shen Jian stated straightforwardly, "The Zhu Family is a big clan, quite influential. Especially in recent years, due to their exclusive glass, their family power has grown significantly, and all kinds of bandits will give their family some face."

"We affiliated merchants turn over a sum of money, which the Zhu Family forwards on our behalf, thereby ensuring a safe journey."

Zhao Hanzhang came to understand, "The Zhu Family actually has such prestige. Is there someone serving as an official in Shu?"

"No officials, but several young masters of the Zhu Family are disciples of the Heavenly Master Dao, even Mr. Zhu Chuan has Dao affinities."

Zhao Hanzhang exclaimed, "Wow, I didn’t expect Mr. Zhu to be from the Heavenly Master Dao."

Their conversation branched off-topic, and after discussing the Heavenly Master Dao for some time, Zhao Hanzhang found an excuse to bid farewell.

She noted Shen Jian’s address, expressing that she would send the manager over the next day.

Then she bought all three pieces of Shu brocade Shen Jian brought, not bargaining, which caused her a lot of financial pain.

Zhao Hanzhang handed the Shu brocade to her trusted aide and only after mounting her horse and riding away did she exclaim, "I will never personally negotiate deals again; I can’t bring myself to haggle over prices now."

Zeng Yue also felt the Shu brocade was bought too expensively, feeling it wasn’t worth it, so he nodded in agreement, but he was curious, "Miss, why did you stop asking once the Heavenly Master Dao was mentioned?"

"Didn’t you notice? He had a string of golden rice ears hanging at his waist, so he is also of the Heavenly Master Dao," Zhao Hanzhang smiled and said, "Although the Heavenly Master Dao has little to do with it, because it’s also called the ’Way of the Five Bushels of Rice’, some people hang rice ears or wheat ears at their waist to express their Dao."

"Now the Prime Minister of Shu, Fan Changsheng, is the leader of the Heavenly Master Dao. Since we talked about the Heavenly Master Dao, if we dug deeper, it would lead to him. Shen Jian would not only not tell me but become alert, so we only talked about the Dao and not the people behind it."

"Then, is Zhu Chuan an informant planted by Shu among us? It’s been a long time since our people have sent back any information."

"I don’t know," Zhao Hanzhang replied, "Have Song Xin speed up, try to select a team of excellent scouts, and find any means to send them into Shu. Once a radio can get in, the Shu Road will no longer impede our communication."

"Understood, my subordinate will go back and urge Song Xin."