The spring is cold and cold.
The wind blew through the streets, bringing with it the choking smell of cinders.
Pedestrians all covered their mouths and noses and walked in a hurry. According to the imperial doctor of the Taiyuan Hospital, inhaling too much smoke will damage the kidney qi and hinder children. It can be cured by taking pills sold by the imperial court.
"This is such a shitty world, even the hospital is so evil!"
Boss Hu from Dongsheng Grain Shop spat, tightened his new narrow-sleeved brocade robe, covered his nose and lifted the tavern door curtain.
The melodious sound of the pipa, the rich and high-pitched singing voice of the blind man, the conversation of the guests with southern and northern accents, the creaking of tables and chairs, the clinking of wine glasses, all mixed together and reached the ears.
Inside and outside the door curtain, two worlds blurred, suddenly changing from quiet and deserted to noisy and lively.
"Boss Hu, I haven't been here for a while."
Bai Shiyu bowed to invite in and said with a smile: "We are full today, how about you share a table with Mr. Xu?"
Boss Hu and Boss Xu were already familiar with each other. They said hello and agreed to share a table. They ordered a pot of wine and two dishes, then picked up the newspaper on the table and glanced at it.
"Hey, the imperial court won another battle?"
"We would like to congratulate Boss Hu in advance. You are about to make a lot of money."
Boss Xu said: "The imperial court broke through the Xuan Kingdom's northern frontier defense line and captured 100,000 prisoners. It is said that they will be demoted to criminals and used to fill the workshops."
"That's good, I'll buy a few too. Our people are becoming more and more disobedient."
Boss Hu finished reading the newspaper and said with envy: "We are just eating on the sidelines. In the future, the goods from the workshop can be sold to Xuanguo without having to pay taxes, and I can see them making a lot of money again!"
Sitting next to him was an old wealthy man. His ancestors had been officials for eight generations, but when he arrived, he only had money left. He snorted coldly when he heard this.
"I just hope that the Red Alliance will make trouble and make those little bastards suffer!"
"Mr. Cui, there must be taboos when talking about state affairs!"
Bai Shiyu clasped the wooden sign on the table, cupped his hands and said, "Nowadays, the limelight is tight, and the imperial court is checking the remnants of the Red Alliance every day. Please bear with me."
Boss Hu smiled and said: "In the entire capital, this is the only tavern where you can talk casually. We wouldn't dare to talk about it in other places."
There is a tavern that has been operating in the capital for three years and has become a well-known place for entertainment. Rich people from all walks of life come here to gain knowledge.
The wine is good, the food is good, and the music is good.
This can only satisfy people's appetites and speak freely, but it can make people feel comfortable from the inside out.
Mr. Xu's ancestral land provides thousands of acres of cotton and linen for the cloth industry. He looked worried: "This Red League is making trouble every day, and there is no way to catch all the remnants. Today the east side is wiped out, and tomorrow there will be another group in the west. Will it happen?" Making a big fuss?"
Bai Shiyu was busy greeting the guests, his feet did not touch the floor, but his ears were perked up to listen to the guests' comments.
The tavern is the only place where the Red Alliance can be openly mentioned. The City Patrol Department, the Beijing Yamen, the Military and Horse Department, and even the imperial spies came to inspect the place openly and secretly, but no remaining members of the same party were ever found.
In this case, it's just a matter of betraying Shopkeeper Sun's face. The martial arts master's tyrannical court knows best!
"The Red Alliance is just a disease of Xianji. Have you ever seen the Mud Legs successfully rebel?"
Mr. Cui's family background is that he belongs to a branch of a thousand-year-old family. He said: "Really when dynasties change, they are just the pioneers of the king. It is people like us who are the ones who take the throne!"
Bai Shiyu happened to come over to refill the wine, and asked intentionally or unintentionally: "You are a historian, do you know why this is?"
Mr. Cui pointed to his head: "It's different here!"
"That makes sense."
Bai Shiyu smiled and changed the subject: "What you said is interesting. It's just that our Zhou Dynasty has a strong military and points its sword at the world. It doesn't look like the end of the dynasty!"
In recent years, the Great Zhou Dynasty has used the power of artillery to sweep through the Yunzhou countries, and Yixue was ashamed of being besieged by the coalition forces.
There is no one in Yunzhou who can defeat him. The powerful military front is matched with the dumping of machine creations.
As the court and workshop owners became richer and richer, the wages of workers also improved accordingly, from working eight hours to ten hours.
When the people in the country did not have enough consumption, they plundered people from surrounding countries to ensure that the machine was running day and night. Dazhou, whose machines have been developed for a hundred years, is like an awakened gluttonous beast, beginning to devour everything unscrupulously.
"The imperial court is naturally prosperous..."
Mr. Cui was stunned for a moment. Even if the old man who had been abandoned by the times could compare it with the descriptions in ancient books, he would still have to admit that the imperial court had the power to swallow up the world.
"We don't understand the world of this world!"
The tone is slightly sad, and what I have been proud of throughout my life has hit a brick wall in the face of the new era.
The branch of the Cui family is not as rich as the main family. The thousand acres of fertile land in the family barely maintains the dignity of the ancestors. If it is ruined one day, they will have to add blood to the machine in order to eat and drink!
in front of the counter.
Zhou Yi listened to all directions, and everything the guests said fell into his ears word for word.
From time to time, guests would come over to say hello, and they would put down their notebooks and chat for a while. No matter what they started talking about, they would eventually turn to the court, the machine, or the Red Alliance.
The first two are the trend of the times and are invincible, while the latter one is obviously becoming more popular as it becomes more banned.
At this time.
Two figures came in from the door, the white-robed old man Jincheng, followed by the black-robed guards holding swords.
The sound in the tavern was stagnant, and then there was a loud discussion. Just by looking at their appearance, they were not Zhou people. Some of them were well-informed and said they were from outside Yunzhou.
Jin Cheng came to the counter, put his right hand on his chest, and bowed to salute.
"Your Majesty the Golden God, are there any guest rooms?"
"Of course there is."
Zhou Yi nodded with a smile and ordered: "Xiaobai takes the guests to the second floor and serves them well."
After a while.
Bai Shiyu returned to the counter and said, "Does the shopkeeper know their origins?"
Zhou Yi said: "One hundred thousand mountains, Moyun City."
"Moyun City is an ancient name, but now it is a sacred city. Rumor has it that it echoes the Xianjing."
Bai Shiyu glanced around and lowered his voice: "On the surface, this Golden City is the envoy of the Kingdom of God to the Great Zhou Dynasty, but in fact it is a conspiracy machine. It bought a lot of parts from me, and also wanted to steal the machine blueprints!"
Zhou Yi pondered for a moment and asked: "The Red League's halls are all over the Zhou Dynasty, and they have direct contact with machines. You haven't figured it out all these years?"
"It's difficult, I only know a little bit about it."
Bai Shiyu shook his head and said: "The imperial court is very strict about the protection against machines. Anyone who dares to spy on them will be guilty of conspiracy. Besides, we hate machines and want to smash them all, just like we did in the past for plowing and weaving!"
Zhou Yi asked: "Have machines changed much in recent years?"
"It seems to be becoming more sophisticated and more widely used, but the changes are not big."
Bai Shiyu sneered and said: "Since the death of Zhou Taizu, the imperial court has been dependent on and fearful of machines. They only want to squeeze the blood and sweat of the people, but the development of machines is far inferior to before."
Zhou Yi nodded slightly. Human nature is like this. After all, it was the emerging class that was promoted behind the scenes. It quickly fell into the comfort zone without competitors.
Dazhou's machines started with high technology and were strongly promoted by the emperor. However, one hundred and twenty years later, the train was just developed.
"We need a catfish to stir up the situation in Yunzhou!"
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