Lord, he is not a man [infrastructure]

There are many people with the surname Ma in Luma City, but not all of them are nobles, at most they are of noble blood.

Master Ma is also such a person.

Master Ma's full name is Ma Jin, and he is indeed the nephew of Earl Ma Lin in Luma City, but he is not the child of Earl Ma Lin's brother, but the child of a cousin who is separated by one floor.

Since he was sensible, Ma Jin liked to say that he was the nephew of Earl Marin, but he never said that he was the child of Earl Marin's cousin.He is also the one who fawns over Earl Marin's family the most among the brothers and sisters in the family.

Ma Jin thinks he is smart and ambitious.

He knew very well that although his father had a good position in Luma City in the eyes of the common people, he did not have a title, and it was impossible to help his children earn a title.

Ma Jin was unwilling to spend his whole life as a commoner. He flattered his uncle Tang's family in order to get close to the center of power in Luma City, and hoped that he would have the opportunity to win a future for himself in the future.

And that opportunity arose not so long ago.

At that time, he happened to be accompanying Maran, the second son of Earl Marin, to a party with a group of young masters, and when someone was chatting, he mentioned the matter of paper.

The man's father was a tax official named Liu Feng. It was said that he was the younger brother of the niece and daughter-in-law of Duke Luma.

Although the lord is the self-comforting statement of a group of noble children without actual titles, but at any rate, they are also recognized nobles, which can be regarded as separated from the commoner class.

The son of Liufeng mentioned that his father was recently sent by the Duke of Luma to collect taxes in Bailu to investigate something, but unfortunately nothing was found.

The reason why Liufeng was sent to Bailuling again by the Duke of Luma was because a strange and terrifying commodity flowed out of Bailuling——paper.

Paper is much easier to use than all kinds of leather, wood, and slate.

It stands to reason that when this kind of thing appears, everyone should rejoice.

Ordinary nobles and commoners were indeed happy about this, but the Duke of Luma and some big nobles smelled danger.

First of all, paper has the advantages of being easy to write, store, and carry, and is much thinner than ordinary leather paper. Ordinary leather paper cannot be compared with paper at all.As soon as paper appeared, it impacted the original vellum paper craftsmen, and also impacted the interests of several territorial lords who made money from it.

Secondly, the price of paper is so good, but its price is much lower than leather paper, not only the nobles, but ordinary commoners can afford it.This made the nobles who regard knowledge and the carrier vellum as the carrier of knowledge extremely uncomfortable.

In the end, it's paper that makes money.Others don't know how much paper costs, but anyone who sees paper will understand that mastering papermaking technology is basically keeping a golden rooster that can lay golden eggs.

After Grand Duke Luma discovered the paper, he immediately asked people to investigate the origin of the paper, and finally found Sanshuling and Bailuling by peeling off the cocoons.

Grand Duke Luma wanted papermaking technology, but he couldn't ask the lords below to offer papermaking technology.He can only send someone to verify the matter first, and if it is true, he intends to give some pointers to the owner of the territory, so that he should take the initiative to present this technology.

Liu Feng had been to Bailuling and Sanshuling before. Although he didn't get much bargain from Bailuling, he had a good impression of Sanshuling. The lord named Gu Hui was quite generous.

When Duke Luma called him to inquire about the detailed situation of the two territories, Liu Feng volunteered to go to the two territories to check the situation.

The green hemp is very fair, let him focus on finding out the papermaking technology.

Liu Feng came to Bailuling again with a heart full of meritorious deeds (extortion).

When the paper was pushed out, Tang Bo knew that someone would come to inquire, so how could he not be prepared in advance?

On the pretext of checking taxes, Liu Feng visited both Sanshuling and Bailuling, but everything he saw was exactly the same as it was five years ago.When he spent money to ask the local people about the paper, he vaguely found out that the paper seemed to be transported by a caravan from a distant place, and the lord Tang Bo bought it all, and then sold it at a higher price.

Liufeng found nothing in the end, so he could only return to Luma City in dismay.

Because of this incident, Grand Duke Luma was somewhat dissatisfied with Liu Feng's ability to handle affairs, and the promotion and title he had promised were gone.

The son of Liufeng is an idiot, to openly complain at such a gathering place that Duke Luma doesn't mean anything, and even contemptuously said how papermaking technology could appear in the poor corners of Bailuling and Sanshuling.

The son of Liufeng swears that the paper must have been brought over by a caravan from another country, but Lord Bailu saw its value and was lucky enough to buy it all.

After Ma Jin got in touch with Liu Feng's son, he decided in his heart that he would never associate with this idiot again, so as not to be troubled.

But what the son of Liufeng said caused waves in his heart.

At the end of the party, the second young master Ma Ran taunted Liu Feng's son with his confidantes, and said that he would never be invited again.

Ma Jin flattered her, and the two naturally mentioned paper and white deer collar again.

Maran's guess was similar to that of Liufeng's son. He didn't think that the lords of Bailuling and Sanshuling could produce paper.

Maran also said: "I don't know who the Lord of the White Deer is. But the Lord of the Three Trees is just a child, what does he know!"

Maran's face was full of disdain when he said this.

Ma Jin casually asked about the lord of Sanshuling. He didn't expect Ma Ran to answer him. Who would have thought that Ma Ran would tell him that the little lord of Sanshuling actually had some relationship with their Ma family.

But more, Maran refused to say.

Ma Jin was very curious, and after returning home, he asked his father about the little lord Sanshuling. Under his pestering, his father told him a secret.

Only then did Ma Jin know that the mother of the little lord of Sanshuling turned out to be his cousin Ma Ai, and the identity of the child was quite questionable.Back then, in order to deal with the child, Earl Marin even went to Sanshu to lead him.

Ma Jin's father also told his son that the reason why Luma City asked Ma Lin to get rid of the child seemed not only because of the problem of the child's identity, but also because it was more likely that the child was a divinely favored person.

Of course, no one in Luma City except the Earl of Marin has ever seen that child, and no one knows whether the child is really a favored one.

But who among the nobles in Luma City doesn't know that the Duke of Luma dislikes the appearance of god-favored people in other families?

At that time, the Ma family thought that the child was dead, but they did not expect that the child not only survived, but also became the Lord of the Three Trees.

Ma Jin's father also mentioned a strange thing. It is said that some people who met the little lord of Sanshuling found that the child was still the same as when he first came to power, and hadn't grown up at all.

After Ma Jin knew about Gu Ding, he felt that his chance had come.

He is good at making money, and by virtue of his status as the nephew of the Earl of Marin, he has met many noble people... people around him, among them is the maid of the eldest son of the Duke of Luma.

Ma Jin hooked up with that maid, and the relationship was good. He originally wanted to establish friendship with the eldest son of Duke Lvma through that maid, but unfortunately, that maid treated him indifferently and never gave him a chance to make a request.

Ma Jin guessed the mood of the eldest son's wife of Duke Lvma, thinking that any wife in the main room would feel uncomfortable knowing that her husband might have an illegitimate child outside?

Ma Jin found the maid and expressed that he could relieve his wife's worries.

The maid ignored him at first, not to mention sending a message to his wife for him.

But Ma Jin said to the maid: "Gu Ding was not killed when he was young. Not only did he live until now, but he also became a lord. This is definitely not something ordinary people can do. Maybe the paper is selling very well outside now. It was also made by him, after all, the gods are so miraculous, who knows what kind of special ability Gu Ding possesses. And I also heard that he has not grown up for so many years, could this be an ordinary child?"

The eldest young lady finally met Ma Jin, but this woman was also very smart, she only said to let Ma Jin secretly find out the source of paper and papermaking technology, and didn't mention anything else.

However, Ma Jin understood what the lady wanted to know the most. He promised to investigate Bailuling, especially Sanshuling, and if he found anything, he would come and tell the young lady.

The eldest young lady gave him a sum of travel expenses for this, and promised that if he did well, she would help him plan for a title.

Ma Jin didn't just want to show his face in front of the young lady, he also wanted to find out about the paper and show his face in front of the Duke of Luma.

For this reason, Ma Jin traveled thousands of miles and suffered a lot to come to Sanshuling.

When he hadn't set foot in Sanshuling, just like other noble young masters in Luma City, he believed that there would be no good things in this poor place, let alone how lively and prosperous it was.

As a result, when he approached the Three Trees Collar, he saw a majestic city wall.

The city wall is at least 20 meters high, and you can't see the end at a glance on both sides.

The material of the city wall is not the common rammed earth wall, but the stone brick wall which is extremely expensive and laborious to build.

The servants who followed Ma Jin were also dumbfounded, but their caravan was very happy.

"I heard that Sanshu City has changed a lot in the past few years. I didn't expect it to become like this. This is how much money I made to build such a magnificent city wall." The caravan man sighed.

It was even more lively at the city gate, and people came and went very frequently.

Ma Jin found out that the city didn't charge entry fees, and didn't check the origin, anyone could enter.

Ma Jin was even more surprised when he entered the city.

The city is very well-built, and when you come in, a guide will ask you where you are going, and the toll fee is only one copper coin.

Ma Jin hired a guide and asked him a lot of questions.

It's a pity that the guide couldn't answer him where the paper came from, he only knew that it was sold in the city, and said that many caravans traveled thousands of miles to buy a lot.

Ma Jin wandered around Sanshu City for two days, and was very interested in the trading market and entertainment area here.

Especially in the entertainment area, there are many dramas, operas, dramas, juggling, etc., many of which have never been seen in Luma City.

Ma Jin also wanted to visit Gu Ding directly to see if he really couldn't grow up, but was told by the locals that the lord's castle had moved outside the city, and he had to apply first if he wanted to see the lord.

Under the guidance of the guide, Ma Jin went to a place in the city called the "Lord's Meeting and Appointment Office", wrote down his name, background and reason for wanting to see the lord, and then waited.

The staff at the office told him that because there were a lot of people who wanted to see the lord, if it was not an urgent matter, they would have to queue at least ten days later.

Ma Jin thought that this time would be convenient for him to inquire about the details of the two territories, so he didn't get angry because of it, and he didn't ask for a rush with money.

Ma Jin saw a lot of good things in the trading market that are not available in Luma City. For example, there are several types of paper, some are easy to write, some are used to wrap things, and there is a yellow paper that looks very soft to the touch. It is said that this kind of paper is not used for writing, but for...wiping buttocks.

In addition, Majin also saw some eccentric but functional furniture, such as folding chairs and folding tables.

The housekeeper who came with him was very moved when he saw these two things, and said that it would be very convenient to put them in the carriage, and he could set a table for dinner and rest wherever he took them out.

Ma Jin bought the set of folding tables and chairs.

After that, they also saw a kind of yellow clay stove and a kind of fuel called briquettes.

Ma Jin didn't know what coal briquettes were made of, so he asked the seller, but the seller didn't know anything about it. He only knew that it was more durable than wood and more convenient.

In addition to this, there is a large collection of fabrics and ready-to-wear.

Many of the fabrics are dyed, and the colors are very bright and beautiful. I heard the vendors boast that their fabrics will not fade much even after being washed several times.

The ready-to-wear styles are very eccentric and very different from the clothing styles that are popular today.Some ready-to-wear clothes don't even have cloth straps on them, but instead rely on things called buttons and buttonholes to close the clothes.

But Ma Jin saw that the three tree leaders seemed to be wearing this style of clothes, and they were all neat and tidy.Some foreigners will also buy and wear this kind of clothes because they are easy to put on and take off and stylish.

Ma Jin also saw straw slippers, leather sandals, long and short leather boots, and cloth shoes.

In short, many things in the Three Tree City Trading Bazaar may seem inconspicuous, but if you look closely, you can tell that they are different from other places.

In addition to the things that Ma Jin can recognize, there are many utensils and food that Ma Jin has never seen before.

Next to the trading market is a food market. The shops on the street are not big, but the food they sell is different.

Ma Jinjian has never seen most of the snacks and dishes.

Ma Jin couldn't help but bought a lot of things, and spent money to find someone to inquire about the news, but most of the local people were stupid, and they looked blank when they asked anything.

Ask them where these trading items come from, and they can point to the vendors and say, "They brought them."

Ask the vendors, but the vendors slyly say that they also buy from big merchants.

Ma Jin went to look for a big businessman again, and finally spent money to meet a big businessman, who said he bought it from other big businessmen.

Ma Jin went back and forth to find several people, but in the end he still couldn't find the source of these commodities.

On the contrary, his butler heard some news by chance, speculating that these products might be related to the White Deer Collar. It is said that many people from the Three Trees Collar work in the White Deer Collar.

Ma Jin asked someone to take him to Bailuling.

But halfway through, I couldn't go on, because a high mountain blocked the way.

Ma Jin didn't know if there was this high mountain between Sanshuling and Bailuling, he only saw the height of this mountain and the vastness of the land, then looked at the dense forest, and heard the sound coming from the mountain forest. When the beast roared, he dared not go any further.

Ma Jin spent money and asked the guide for other ways to Bailuling.

It took three silver coins before the guide told him that if outsiders want to go to White Deer Collar, they can only take the special carriage of "Three Tree City White Deer Collar".

Ma Jin was so angry that he almost drew his sword and killed the guide.

But the guide said in an old spirit that the three copper coins he gave could only lead him to the road to the other side of the mountain.

Ma Jin endured his anger, and the guide took Ma Jin to the carriage station for the sake of the three silver coins.

What made Ma Jin even more angry was that the people at the station didn't even sell him a ticket. The reason was that he hadn't been invited by Bailuling, and outsiders hadn't been invited and allowed, so no one could go to Bailuling.

In the next few days, Ma Jin tried every means to find Bailuling, but he couldn't get in.

He asked the locals about Bailuling, and the locals either didn't know anything, or said that Bailuling was not as prosperous as Sanshu City, and it was just a rural area.

The more Ma Jin couldn't find out about Bailuling, the more curious he was about Bailuling.

He also secretly followed the carriage going to Bailuling, trying to find Bailuling, but what was very strange was that he lost the carriage after halfway along.

That time, he almost lost his way in the wild and never found it again.

After finally returning to Sanshu City, Ma Jin learned to be smart. He visited a big businessman, and as the nephew of Earl Ma Lin, made friends with him, and often went out to eat and drink with this big businessman, in order to gain the favor of this big businessman. , Ma Jin treats guests several times.

When Ma Jin's pockets became thinner and thinner, the big businessman seemed to be finally moved by Ma Jin, thinking that Ma Jin was a person worth making friends with, so he took him to meet several big men with three tree collars and white deer collars.

Among these big figures, Ma Jin is most concerned about Yang Shiwu from Bailuling, who claims to be the director of the Water Conservancy Planning Department of Bailuling.