Huainan.
On the official road outside Lingzhou City, there was an endless stream of horse-drawn carriages and caravans, and there were also pedestrians setting up ox-carts and carrying farm tools onto the smooth road from all directions.
Compared with ordinary motorcades, Emperor Yu and his entourage were particularly eye-catching. They were guarded by more than a hundred knights in front and behind, and there was a carriage in the middle. They were luxuriously dressed and the man driving the car was also powerful. Although the knights were not in a queue, they were filled with the atmosphere from a distance. A chilling atmosphere.
The middle-aged man in brocade robes at the head has a well-proportioned figure, is calm and intimidating, and exudes the aura of someone who has been in a position of power for a long time.
"Master, more than ten miles further, we will reach Lingzhou City."
"Um!"
Emperor Yu nodded in ecstasy. He was obviously in a state of wandering. He glanced around, looking at the flat and open farmland. The people were busy cultivating the land and preparing for spring plowing. Everything was full of vibrant scenes.
"This is the peace of the country and the people, right?"
"I have been on the throne for more than 20 years and have been personally involved in everything, but I have never seen such a peaceful scene."
“Since entering Huainan, the road has been smooth, with no bandits or thieves, no strongmen hijacking the road, business travelers are flowing, farmers are working hard, and the farmland is everywhere, everyone has fun.”
"Is this Huainan?"
Emperor Yu was greatly shocked. He couldn't wait to go to Lingzhou City, meet his second son, and ask him whether Huainan was like this originally or whether it became like this after he came. ?
"Master, there's something going on!"
Jing Li suddenly held the reins and looked towards a road not far away. He saw that the caravan in front was stopped by a group of government officials, who seemed to be asking for money.
"snort!"
"Sure enough, I was overly imaginative."
"Let's go up and have a look!"
Emperor Yu's face darkened, and he took the lead in riding forward. Jing Li, Su Chi and others saw this and quickly followed.
"Stop!"
Seeing Emperor Yu and his entourage, several of Luka's government officials stopped them from a distance. The officials behind them also removed their trip ropes and walked toward Emperor Yu.
"Are you a caravan?"
"Tourists!"
"Oh, the toll is ten cents per person, payable per person!"
"Hmph!" Emperor Yu's face darkened, and he showed a hint of anger: "Who gave you the courage to block the road and exploit the people?"
"Exploitation?"
All the government officials looked startled, and even the merchants next to him looked at Emperor Yu with a strange expression.
Jing Li seemed to notice the strange looks from the side, and quickly asked: "Master, what's going on?"
"This is the checkpoint of our Lingzhou City. All traveling merchants from other places must pay head tax and tolls!"
"After handing it over, you can go directly to the city later."
"Poll tax? Toll?" Emperor Yu frowned slightly and said in a deep voice, "Only traveling merchants from other places need to pay?"
“Yes, locals can pass for free with their Huainan ID cards!”
"Okay, hand over!"
Emperor Yu waved his hand, and Jing Li handed over a gold ingot. Just as he was about to leave, the officer stopped him: "Wait a minute!"
"What else is there!"
"No, I'm looking for you!"
The yamen officer handed over a few silver notes. Jing Li raised his eyebrows and heard the yamen officer say: "These banknotes are universal in Huainan and are easy to carry. You can also go to Da Song Bank to exchange them for cash!"
"No need, I'll give it to you!"
"What!"
The officer's face was suddenly shocked, and his reaction was extremely fierce: "I have no enmity with you, why are you hurting me like this?"
"ah?"
Jing Li was stunned at this time, and the old man carrying a hoe on the side said: "They are from other places and don't know the rules of Huainan!"
"Guys, we in Huainan are absolutely prohibited from bribing officials!"
"If these officials accept your money, I'm afraid they will have to eat at the public house that night."
Jing Li looked startled again, glanced at Emperor Yu subconsciously, and took back the banknote after seeing him nod.
The anger on Emperor Yu's face gradually faded away, and instead he revealed a thoughtful look.
"Let's go on our way!"
The convoy continued to move towards Lingzhou City. After half a day, it finally arrived at the capital of Huainan, Lingzhou City.
"What a majestic Lingzhou City!"
"This city is no less generous than our capital, Kyoto!"
"Sir, look at the city's circumference, and you can't see any mud at all?"
"They are all flat stone surfaces?"
Emperor Yu also glanced at it and his expression was stagnant. There was no debris inside or outside the city tower. The vendors under the city tower were neatly lined up in two rows. The aroma was rich. Travelers and vendors were coming in and out from the city gate. For a moment, Suddenly, Emperor Yu's face showed a hint of trance.
"My imperial city is nothing more than this, right?"
"Master, shall we go into the city?"
"Enter the city!"
Not only Emperor Yu looked dazed, but all the knights accompanying him had shocked expressions on their faces. They obviously came from the most prosperous capital city of Dayu, but now in Lingzhou City, they looked like bumpkins.
"Handcakes!"
"Bamboo tube rice dumplings... come and try them!"
"Grilled chicken legs, freshly grilled chicken legs!"
The rich fragrance hit his nostrils, and Emperor Yu, who was about to enter the city, suddenly stopped and walked towards the hawker on the side.
"What is this hand cake?"
"Hey, you're from out of town, right?"
"good!"
"This hand cake is a specialty of our Lingzhou City. It was invented by His Highness King Yong himself and made with ninety-nine processes. It is crispy on the outside and tender on the inside, crispy and delicious. After eating it, it warms the kidneys and nourishes the essence. , the effect of replenishing qi, nourishing yang, and prolonging life!”
"oh?"
When Emperor Yu heard this, he became interested instantly, and Zhao Huaiyuan's eyes lit up: "Old man, give me three!"
"Okay, ten cents each!"
"good!"
Zhao Huaiyuan generously handed over a piece of broken silver, but the old man raised his eyebrows and said, "Didn't your guest bring a banknote?"
"Bank notes..."
Zhao Huaiyuan shook his head, but Jing Li on the side took out a banknote from his arms and handed it over. The old man handed the broken silver to Zhao Huaiyuan and said with a smile: "In this Lingzhou City, banknotes are It is a must-have item. It is inconvenient to trade broken silver, but it is a banknote, which can be found in various denominations."
"But, Master, your money is really big enough."
As the old man spoke, he started tinkering with the stall in front of him. Emperor Yu glanced around and asked softly: "Old man, is it possible to make a living by setting up a stall here?"
"certainly!"
"oh?"
Emperor Yu's eyes flashed with sparkle, and he continued to ask: "Are there any government servants coming to collect fees?"
"Yamen?"
The old man was stunned for a moment, then smiled and said: "You are talking about the booth fee, right?"
"We who set up stalls here pay one tael of silver to the government every month, and we can set up a fixed stall here every day."
"One tael of silver!"
Emperor Yu frowned and said in a deep voice: "This government is really greedy. It exploits the people like this and deserves death!"
"Um?"
The old man suddenly looked surprised, and there was a bit of dissatisfaction in his eyes: "Sir, what do you mean by this?"
…
