The city of Chang'an in Xibo is not only the capital of the former Wei Dynasty. Looking back, the vast historical scrolls have been written for thousands of years. Five dynasties have left their names in the history of Qing Dynasty. Here, they sit in the great national destiny, and there are ten more. Numerous political powers have come to dominate here one after another. After many expansions and repairs by these heroes, this majestic city where all nations come to visit is now like a giant beast lying in the middle of the pass.
Although the land of Gyeonggi is called a plain with fertile water and grass, it is like a basin. It is surrounded by mountains and is surrounded by eight rivers like jade belts. The underground rivers are complex and there are also large rivers that pass nearby and roll eastward. This is a treasure land surrounded by mountains and water. As early as thousands of years ago, there was a political power that chose this place as its capital.
It's just that after years of war, or changes in the terrain, the undercurrents washed away by the rivers that have changed their course several times over the past thousands of years have become even more numerous. The original city has long since sunk into the ground, and the changes in the sea have created undercurrents. Staggered, jagged rocks, as jagged as canine teeth, are densely distributed in the ground.
As early as the Wei Dynasty, a large bowl-shaped pit collapsed in the northwest of this huge city. It was several miles in diameter and more than ten feet deep. The two stables are high in the south and low in the north, which is extremely inconsistent with the capital city.
Some refugees live in this pit all year round, and there are always some idle men who do rogue activities in exchange for work. The city vividly calls this place a pit for evildoers.
Beishi, which does not have any city defense map, is deep in this pit.
The planning of the capital city inherited the old system of the previous dynasty, with the central royal road Suzaku Avenue as the axis, supplemented by 11 vertical streets and 14 horizontal streets. It was neatly divided into 108 squares like a border, and included the east and west cities, including residences, Shops, shops, and shops of all kinds allow the common people to trade daily necessities, food, clothing, housing, and transportation.
Different from the two cities on the surface, it can be traced back to the Wei dynasty and further forward. The government issued relevant formalities and could rent doors for buying and selling in the East and West cities. In the hundreds of years of development of this majestic giant city, As it evolved, there were always some shady illegal businesses that added fuel to the flames, and over time, an underground city like this in Bei City emerged that was neither known nor investigated.
Not only the Great Zhou Dynasty, the former Great Wei Dynasty also benefited other countries when its national power was strong. The surrounding small countries came to the dynasty, ranging from a few years to decades. Obviously, the Honglu Temple in the imperial city could no longer accommodate these numbers. Tens of thousands of people lived there, so as early as the early years of the Wei Dynasty, the imperial court specially approved Puning Fang and Xiuxiang Fang, which are close to Xiuzhen and Anding Fangs, as residences for the envoys of the vassal state. They carried out large-scale construction and built mansions.
Precisely because of the proximity to this underground city, some envoys from foreign countries who were not satisfied with the low price of barter in the East-West market understood the special treatment and protection provided by the laws of the Great Zhou Dynasty to the people of other countries, and they would bring the treasures of the Great Zhou barter. The exotic treasures were traded privately in the North Market, also known as the "Ghost Market", and they made huge profits, gradually forming a trade chain that was out of reach of ordinary people.
Over time, after years of accumulated development, this building, whether a product of historical evolution or vicissitudes of life, has become a place for foreign countries to make violent profits in the capital.
However, some profit-seeking people in the capital are extremely motivated. They have spotted this gap and used some shady means to forcefully enter this underground market, seize profits by force, and drive out those who should be at home. Later comers. From above, there is this dark underground city.
Compared with the east and west cities, which are under the jurisdiction of the government and registered, the northern city has more illegal businesses. It ranges from human trafficking in foreign lands thousands of miles away, to the sale of salt and iron that is strictly prohibited, or there are businessmen in Bei City who boldly said that there are only things that have never been heard of, and there is absolutely nothing that cannot be seen in Bei City.
Similarly, the Zhou Dynasty and the Wei Dynasty both placed eunuchs and maids who were old and frail and had been demoted from the palace in Xiu Zhen and Ding. These servants who had lived in the palace all their lives naturally wanted to make a lot of money. , always trying their best to bring some luxury items to the palace for sale, which also fostered the development of this "ghost market".
The unspeakable activities of the Palace Cleansing Department and the Dung Man, those valuable things flowed into this place for sale and made huge profits.
In view of the fact that illegal businesses are being conducted in such an illegal place, the court has also tried its best to investigate and deal with them. However, the routes here are as changeable as an ant nest. How can the traders who live here all year round be easily caught? He was afraid that he would disappear at a single turn, and despite being surrounded and suppressed several times, he failed to achieve his goal. On the contrary, it only encouraged the arrogance of the demons and demons here.
In addition, the person who is invisibly respected as the boss in Bei City has ulterior connections with the government, both covertly and covertly. Someone once said that he saw a carriage loaded with unknown objects entering and leaving Beijing at night. Mansion, and then returned to the villain's pit. There is a two-finger difference in depth between the front and back of the rut marks, which also shows the so-called filial piety.
Although this underground city, which is hidden underground and never sees the light of day all year round, stretches across the city and outside the city, there is no entrance in the city. There is only a wellhead the size of a dog hole near the west side of Gwanghwamun. It is said that some people were repatriated from the palace. To save trouble, the eunuch hired someone to dig.
It is true that it is absolutely impossible to enter from here in the middle of the night. Moreover, the city gate has already been closed at this time, and the city will soon enter the curfew period. Naturally, there will be no such lack of silence.
There is definitely no such thing as a curfew in Beishi City. For someone who knows the law and breaks the law, it can earn much more by operating twelve hours a day than the rare four or five hours stipulated by the imperial court.
Before entering the city, Midnight and Black and White Wuchang arrived at this evil pit that existed under the imperial city in sharp contrast to its bright surface after nightfall.
Just like a ghost market buried deep underground, this evil pit whose origins have long been obscured is also dark and obscure and cannot be seen in the light of day. It follows a slope and winds down with nine twists and turns.
It is easy to go up the mountain but difficult to go down. Although it is neither a mountain nor a ridge, the terrain is like this. The three of them each held a freshly made torch and entered the pit with one foot deep and one foot shallow.
The further you go, the more you feel the indescribable darkness and dampness inside. Just imagine the long underground rivers flowing endlessly, coupled with the sparse sunshine all year round, the further down you go, the more you can smell a frowning miasma.
Bai Wuchang Jiang Shu, who was walking in the middle, put one hand into his hood, pinched his nose, and said in a slightly dull voice, "Boy, are you trying to fool us?"
The first night watcher relied on the memory of this place from earlier years and avoided some obscure side roads. He was very focused on it, for fear of going to the wrong place.
"What Aunt Bai said, I'm still here. Why are you fooling me? Are you afraid that I will leave you and Uncle Hei here and run away?"
While talking, Ye Sangeng smiled and said, "Aunt Bai, we are a family and we cannot be vague about important matters."
This provoked a cold snort from Hei Wuchang Jiang Huai'en, "You lost my knife, why are you so vague now?!"
In the middle of the night, he kept silent and hurried on, for fear that if he said another inappropriate word, he would anger the Kunlun slave at the end who was holding back his stomach.
There is no more tea left, the road winding like an earthworm gradually becomes flat and straight, and you can also hear the sound of water flowing, but the musty smell that comes with it is stronger, which makes Bai Wuchang, a woman who naturally likes cleanliness, complain from time to time. .
No need to pay attention to the slippery feet anymore, he walked in the middle of the night and said: "I haven't been here for five or six years. When I came here to handle official business, I was in a hurry. The homeless people in this pit led the way, so don't blame me for walking so cautiously." . You can also smell that the moisture here is too heavy, because there are countless underground rivers, and mud will trap your footsteps somewhere. If you don't deal with it carefully, you have to explain it here."
Bai Wuchang was still puzzled about the location of this place and asked: "Does the imperial court just ignore these refugees and let them live in such a filthy place, dirty and smelly?"
In the middle of the night, he curled his lips, "There are thousands of people in the pit, and I can't take care of them. They have lived here for generations, and their ancestors have taken root for generations. How can they just leave? Since the previous dynasty, they have all come from outside with dreams of getting rich." The only thing that makes a living in the capital is that the capital is full of gold, but it is also full of traps. How can you take root here if you don’t have any skills? There are also some victims who came to escape disasters in other places during the last years of the previous dynasty. There were natural and man-made disasters in their hometowns, so they all want to come to the capital. Eating a living, but how can it be that simple? In the end, I don’t even have anywhere to go, so I can only come here. At least I can do some shady business here and I won’t starve to death.”
In the middle of the night, he sighed, "The place in the prosperous age is beautiful, but where the sun can't reach, flies and dogs are camping."
Jiang Huai'en, who was walking at the end, curled his lips in disdain, "It's really strange for a pampered young man like you to say such things."
Ye Sangen explained: "I have a friend who was born in the evil pit, and has been here many times before."
Bai Wuchang was a little surprised. He really couldn't understand that someone who was born in the middle of the night with a silver spoon in his mouth could have such a friend. It was really unbelievable, so he asked curiously: "What friend?"
There was no direct answer, and the late night reply was ambiguous, "Friends who have passed away."
Jiang Huai'en chuckled again, "You're so smart, how can you have friends who have died?"
In the middle of the night, he said: "What Uncle Hei said, I am an open-minded person after all..."
"Stop putting gold on your face." Bai Wuchang interrupted directly, "You kid can even fool the elders in the family. How dare you say these four words? If you can't find him, let's see how I deal with you."
Ye Sangen grimaced directly, "Aunt Bai, I told you that I also met Ding Gong in Bei City five or six years ago. He can't stay here all the time after such a long time."
Bai Wuchang frowned, "You mean, maybe the tomb-robber Ding Dai dog is not here?"
Midnight is also sincere, "I'm not sure either, I have to ask around."
Jiang Huai'en, who was at the end, was panicking. He stopped immediately and said angrily: "Are you not sure what you are doing here?"
He didn't look back even at three o'clock in the night, and kept walking, "Find someone who can figure it out."
Also ignoring Jiang Huai'en who stopped, Jiang Shu followed closely at midnight and asked who it was.
Midnight did not answer this question, but pointed to the rows of dilapidated wooden houses built against the cliff not far away, showing rough outlines in the firelight, "Go through here and enter by boat. Underground is Beishi.”
In the middle of the night, he suddenly stopped and turned around to look at the two people behind him with serious expressions.
"Remember, from now on, talk less and listen to me in everything."
"Why? If you kid..."
Hei Wuchang's questioning was interrupted by Bai Wuchang raising his hand to indicate that the woman, who had been covered in gray robes all year round, finally lifted her hood, revealing half of her thin face under the light of the torch, her lips slowly opening and closing like a stimulating pill, "Are you going to this evil pit or looking for someone in Bei City?"
"have no idea."
He answered simply in the middle of the night, "If I sleep, I'll go to the evil pit. If I don't have money, I'll go to Bei City and work as a broker. I'll have to ask around."
"Who is this?"
"A most well-informed man."
