The owner of the Gusheng Chaojian Inn took the initiative to talk to him and asked, "I'm sorry, old man. I'm new here and I'm not very familiar with this place. I'm just curious about the constant robbers outside the city. I wonder if it will affect your business?"
Seeing that Gu Shengchao took the initiative to lower his attitude, the innkeeper became less restrained and shook his head and said: "It will definitely be affected. The number of business trips on the road will naturally decrease, and there will not be so many people staying in the hotel. Fortunately, there are not many in the city. The chaos of war is much better than the chaos outside."
"Yes, the world is not peaceful, and the imperial tax will be reduced, and the burden on the people will be heavy." Gu Shengchao said casually.
The shopkeeper waved his hand to express his objection: "In the past, Governor Hang was considerate of the people's sufferings. Even if there were bandits, he never increased taxes. We people lived and worked in peace and contentment and lived happily. This is why he summoned troops to suppress the bandits, and the people enthusiastically signed up to participate. The reason. It’s a pity that the whole army was wiped out, and it has never been the same since.”
"Oh, what do you say?" Gu Shengchao felt that there was something in the innkeeper's words.
He sighed and said: "Officials from other places, big and small, must stay in my small shop when they come here. The government has never owed a single cent. This time I came back with a big defeat. I haven't paid any silver for two months in a row. I always owe so much." We can’t afford the loss.”
"Two months?" Gu Shengchao was shocked. He remembered that the county governor Hang Yifan personally admitted that it took three months to recuperate half of his ear that was cut off by the bandits.
Gu Shengchao asked: "When did Governor Hang gather his troops and set off?"
The innkeeper said without hesitation: "It's also two months. It only takes three days from departure to escape. I keep careful records every day. These are not wrong."
Gu Shengchao took out a piece of silver and put it on the table: "We can't live in vain. Let's pay the old man some deposit first. If there is any trouble, please forgive me."
The shopkeeper's eyes lit up when he saw the silver on the table: "Sir, I'm afraid this is not appropriate!"
"Why is it inappropriate? It is natural to pay money when staying in a hotel. Besides, if you can take over the errands of the government, you must have a close relationship with the governor of Hangzhou. We are both official errands, and his payment is almost the same as mine. Don't be polite, old man. "The ancient sage told the truth.
The shopkeeper smiled awkwardly: "You are wise, my lord. My niece is the county governor's wife. Her parents died young and it was all thanks to me to raise her. The county governor's first wife died of illness, and within three years of marrying her, we gave birth to a son and a daughter. , thanks to her blessing, I received favor from the government."
"Well, I'm sorry to bother you, I'll take my leave." Gu Shengchao returned to the guest room and couldn't sleep, always feeling that something was wrong.
At dawn, Gu Shengchao heard noise coming from outside.
"Come on, I've been watching you for several days. You must go back with us today to finish the rest of the corvee work." Several government officials shouted loudly.
"Masters, please do well. My son's legs and feet are not good. The crops in the field cannot be left to waste. I also need someone to take care of me. Just let him stay." An old woman begged.
"Old man, don't be so shameless." The officer was a little impatient.
"Please." The old woman looked like she was about to cry.
"Get out!" one of the government officials yelled angrily.
There was a "plop" and someone fell down.
"Mom!" a man exclaimed.
Gu Shengchao walked out of the room and stood in the corridor on the third floor, where he could see the street opposite.
An old woman fell to the ground, and several government officials dragged a man forward. The man struggled but was still taken away.
There were many people watching, and no one dared to step forward to help or stop him.
The government was arresting people, but Gu Shengchao, as a court official, was not in a position to openly obstruct her, so he had to go downstairs and approach the old woman.
The old woman slowly sat up. She must have been injured due to a fall, and she couldn't help but moan.
"Old man, why did they take your child away?" Gu Shengchao leaned down and asked in a low voice.
"Who are you?" Seeing the ancient sage's unfamiliar face, the old woman hesitated and did not dare to speak lightly.
Gu Shengchao carefully helped her up and said kindly: "Old man, I'm just passing by here. How dare Langlang Qiankun arrest people casually?"
"Young man, please go away quickly. I will arrest you too. Your life may not be saved." Seeing that the government servant had gone away, an elder came over to help.
"Why?" Gu Shengchao really didn't understand.
"Alas!" The elder sighed and said, "It's not that the officers and soldiers who suppressed bandits have been defeated recently. We will never return to the peaceful and prosperous days of the past. Now there are too many taxes and corvees. The rich can only spend more money. We The poor people can only live in an ignoble existence. The crops in the fields are not obvious just after they are planted. After a while, if no one takes care of them, they will become deserted. It is a foregone conclusion that this year will be a disaster year, but it is not a natural disaster but a man-made disaster!"
The elders are afraid that if they say too much, they will make mistakes, and they will run away quickly for fear of causing trouble.
Gu Shengchao helped the old woman return home. Looking at the dilapidated hut surrounded by bare walls, he felt bad and left some scattered silver for the old woman.
"Was it like this before here? Aren't you afraid of being held accountable by the court if you impose excessive taxes?" Gu Shengchao said dissatisfied.
The old woman lay on the bed and said disappointedly: "It wasn't like this before. Since the encirclement and suppression of the bandits failed, we have to do endless corvee every day, and we have never heard of any kind of taxes. If we continue like this, there will be no way to survive."
Back at the inn, Lu Jin had just gotten up, fetched face wash for Gu Shengchao and put it aside.
"Miss Lu, go slowly." Seeing that Lu Jin was about to go back to her guest room, Gu Shengchao quickly stopped her.
"Brother Gu, what's going on?" Lu Jin was curious.
Gu Shengchao muttered: "It's weird here. I want you to accompany me to Longwan Bay to find out what's going on. Where do those bandits come from?"
"Okay, I've wanted to go out and relax for a long time." Lu Jin was young after all, and it was really depressing to stay at home.
The two of them walked out of the town after breakfast. Gu Shengchao was worried that the horses would be inconvenient to walk on the dangerous roads around Longwan Mountain, and they might be attacked by wild beasts if they were tied up in the wilderness.
Rather than that, it would be safer to leave the horse at the inn.
After the two of them walked for a while, the cultivated fields on both sides began to become sparse. The ditches next to the weeds and the faintly visible field ridges showed that lush farmland once grew here, but it was deserted due to various reasons.
Going further, the plowed fields are completely out of sight.
Looking back, the town disappeared at the end of the sky.
"Can Miss Lu know how to wield a sword?" Gu Shengchao asked with a smile.
Lu Jin shook his head and regretted: "No one taught me, I just saw others flying by."
Gu Shengchao encouraged her: "You have safely passed through the tribulation and reached the Mahayana realm. Logically speaking, it is not difficult to wield a sword. So, let me teach you."
"Really? Thank you so much, Brother Gu." Lu Jin was ecstatic.
Ancient Sage Chao immediately taught Lu Jin the secrets and tricks of wielding a sword.
One taught seriously and the other studied attentively. After a while, Lu Jin mastered the basic essentials.
The ancient sage called out the sword and stood on it: "You try it, it's easy to learn."
Lu Jin tried throwing out the scimitar and suspended it one foot above the ground.
The ancient sage Chao Yujian hovered beside her with ease, stretching out his hand to encourage her: "Don't be afraid, you can do it."
Lu Jin held Gu Shengchao's hand, stood bravely on the scimitar, silently recited the mantra, and slowly flew forward.
With the help of Gu Shengchao, Lu Jin became bolder, and as he slowly rose, she also flew up.
Seeing that the time was right, Gu Shengchao slowly let go of his hand. Lu Jin stood alone on the scimitar and drove forward quickly.
Lu Jin was extremely excited and inadvertently glanced down. The dizziness caused by fear of heights made her feel dizzy. She suddenly became unsteady and almost fell off the scimitar.
"Don't worry about what's going on below, just keep your eyes on the front." Gu Shengchao reminded Lu Jin.
The scimitar carried Lu Jin and drew an arc in mid-air, and finally returned to stability.
"It's normal for the first time. You'll get used to it after trying it a few times." Gu Shengchao imparted his past experience.
A sight is better than a hundred hearings, and a try is worse than a hundred seeings.
No matter how good the method is, it is better to do it yourself.
From the initial panic to the calmness, from the initial erraticness to the final stability, after a morning of flying, Lu Jin quickly mastered the essentials of wielding a sword.
At noon, the two came to the mountain outside Raolong Bay.
Down.
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