Empress Mi Benji

Chapter 156 Comparatively Rich

"You're too loud."

"I used magic to isolate the sound."

After struggling for most of the night, Zhuang Xunli's muscles were numb. He pillowed on the soft jade cream. All worries were gone. He didn't need to think about anything. His head was empty.

Sweet dreams, relaxed and natural, you can sleep until someone wakes you up.

"Your Highness, it's time for breakfast." Lan Qiu's voice came through the door.

"Well, get up right away." Zhuang Xun opened his eyes, and what he saw was Bi Yuewu's charming face, which seemed to be smiling but not smiling, as pink as a flower.

"You're feeling better." His lips were close to Zhuang Xun's ear, and his jade hands were rubbing Zhuang Xun's cheeks.

"Hmm..." Clear your mind, there is nothing to worry about anymore.

"Go deal with these people. I don't know about other gods. You are my new koi, little beast." With a gentle smile, the beauty dissipated like smoke.

Accepting his fate, completely accepting his fate, and realizing that he was completely plotted by Xuannv, Bi Yuewu gave up. Anyway, it was already like this, so he should stop his losses in time.

She has experienced Zhuang Xun's bastard and honest nature. She knows who's trap she is stepping into if she uses random phrases. Bi Yue has less resistance to Zhuang Xun. In addition, Zhuang Xun is indeed a good beast and worthy of her investment. In the end That's all.

"Ah? Koi?" Is this considered supported?

Even so, he still likes to curse, and Zhuang Xun doesn't care much about Bi Yuewu's attitude. After all, they have different positions.

"I'll change my clothes and I'll be right back." He shouted to the door, packed up and got up.

After exercising a lot, he was really hungry. After washing up, Zhuang Xun ate breakfast, which was some steamed buns and rice porridge. It tasted very sweet.

"Let's go shopping in the city today to learn about the customs and customs of Zhao State." Zhuang Xun took the initiative to say to Lan Qiu that after seeing the city edges, it was time to see what the city was like.

When I came up with the idea of ​​making people live like human beings, I naturally decided to do some research first.

It's ridiculous for a king of an enemy country to go to the capital of another country to conduct an investigation. Zhuang Xun was very embarrassed and so on, but he didn't think anything of it. There was no investigation and he had no right to speak.

Lan Qiu quickly agreed to restore Zhao Guo's image and wanted to introduce Zhao Guo's progress to Zhuang Xun.

"Your Highness, do you want to go to the East City or the West City? The East City has singing and dancing, music and literature, and the West City has rare and rare treasures to buy..."

"Anyway, there are still many days before Mrs. Jiang comes back. Let's go and have a look. This is my first time out of Jizhou. I don't know what the customs are like. I just want to have fun and appreciate it."

All Zhuang Xun can do now is to investigate the situation in Zhao State. According to Xuannv's wishes, he has told Si Qinmi and the others that they must act in accordance with the covenant promised to Xuannv.

That is to say, he came to form an alliance with the State of Zhao. Since Zhuang Xun is now in the hands of the State of Zhao, Si Qinmi should agree and send the mission to Zhao State that was initially intended to be used as a cover-up.

I don’t know what the situation will be then, whether he will be put under house arrest with the mission, because Zhuang Xun took the initiative to surrender according to Xuannv’s words, and his subordinates were unwilling.

Anyway, now, Zhuang Xun has nothing, and his freedom is still restricted, so he can only pretend to be stupid and observe with his own eyes what the Zhao country is like.

"That's right, Slave Qian is ready. Your Highness, let's have some fun to relieve your boredom. Let's go see the excitement of the Song and Dance City first today."

Lan Qiu suggested that if Zhuang Xun wanted to visit the farmland, she felt embarrassed and it was difficult to go. If he went to Jinyang City to play, it would be smooth.

This time, I no longer walked on foot, but sat on the carriage, admiring the surrounding scenery. I saw more and more houses becoming more and more grand, which meant that I was getting closer to the heart of Zhao State.

Zhuang Xun saw a wedding scene. The brand-new red carpet stretched across the street. The groom rode a tall horse from the front, and the honor guard with loud gongs and drums escorted him in front and behind.

The big basket in front was a basket full of money. The attendants scattered the coins along the way, but no one on the road picked them up. Even those who were hit threw the coins on the ground.

In the center of the city, the men all wore brocade clothes and the women all wore gorgeous clothes. The clothes were diverse and it was hard to see them repeated. They included beautiful jade and pearls, and hairpins and jade pendants. Zhuang Xun originally thought that his outfit was already very luxurious, but in this country where such gorgeous clothes are prevalent. The place seemed ordinary.

So even if a passerby was hit by a copper coin, he would slap it on the ground in disgust and not consider it precious. In contrast, the young farmer Zhuang Xun gave a copper coin yesterday to thank him for the water, but his eyes were demanding and his mouth was humble, and he finally accepted it with gratitude. .

Zhuang Xun felt so psychedelic. During the journey of dozens of miles, he had no clothes or trousers to wear and had to change them when working. At the same time, he took the new red silk cloth and stepped on it. People stepped on it and horses stepped on it.

As Zhuang Xun's carriage passed through the street, someone was blocked in front of him, blocking several carriages.

"Master Xu has booked Zuiyue Tower for a banquet with friends. Please take a detour." There were servants blocking the way on the avenue. Anyway, it was making a noise.

"Zuiyue Tower is the largest singing and dancing restaurant in the East City. It is usually a gathering place for literati from aristocratic families. You can make friends with many talented people here. Why is Mr. Xu so arrogant and domineering? I will scold them and ask them to make way. Come, let us pass.”

Lan Qiu was responsible for driving the carriages and horses. When she saw this situation, she told Zhuang Xun that it was obvious that she had to use some privileged means. She originally wanted to take Zhuang Xun to experience the cultural atmosphere of Zhao State, and also let Zhuang Xun see the cultural atmosphere of Zhao State. Talented man, don’t have any huge prejudice against Zhao Guo because of what happened yesterday.

"No, let's take a detour and find another place. Don't block the merchants from making money." Zhuang Xun shook his head, still thinking about the grand wedding ceremony.

He doesn't have the so-called habit of slapping someone in the face to show off. Besides, whether he can pretend to be cool or not is one thing. Whether he is embarrassed or not with these people is another thing. He is not that poor in spirit and wants to show off his wealth.

It was like watching a short video about the earth showing off his wealth or reading a slap-in-the-face novel. He was embarrassed and panicked. He was not here to cause trouble, but to investigate Zhao State on the spot.

"Is there a parking place? Let's go down for a walk and see the prosperity of Jinyang." Zhuang Xun wanted to see the market more than seeing the talented people.

"As ordered." Zhuang Xun spoke, and Lan Qiu obediently took a detour and found a store to park the carriage.

Zhuang Xun also wanted to find a commercial street and ask about the price and economic situation, but Lan Qiu had already parked the car outside a restaurant.

The restaurant was called Wuxian Tower. She took the initiative to clear the way in front, greeted Zhuang Xun, went to a private room, and asked Zhuang Xun, who was looking at the exquisite mural screen, to sit down and prepare to go find the steward.

"This is Madam's exclusive box. Your Highness, please enjoy the singing and dancing with peace of mind. Please let the steward arrange the music. There are also boxes in Zuiyue Tower, but the dancing there is not as graceful as that in Wuxian Tower."

"Don't go to all this trouble. Let's watch what others are watching. You can sit down too. Driving is hard." Zhuang Xun sat down and there was a dancer dancing a sleeveless dance on the stage, which was very interesting.

"Thank you, Your Highness, for letting Your Highness see the joke." Lan Qiu just felt embarrassed. Yesterday, people were barely clothed and struggling to survive. Today, the literary and entertainment venues were booked by the rich second generation.

"What's the joke?" Zhuang Xun thought about what he saw today. If it hadn't been for yesterday's scene, he would have thought of surrendering to Zhao Guo.

Compared with such prosperous Jinyang, the capitals of the Three Kingdoms of Jizhou are just large county towns, while those of Zhao State are modern cities.

But compared to what I saw yesterday, it can only be said that seeing a city that sucks human blood does not produce any yearning emotions.

"The dandy took over the Zuiyue Tower where talented scholars and literati communicated, and even blocked the carriage. He had no choice but to let His Highness enjoy the singing and dancing here." Lan Qiu's face was slightly rosy, and no one saw the good things. All he saw were bad people. It's a bad thing, it's a shame and it's been thrown into a foreign country.

"Well, I prefer singing and dancing. You asked me to recite poems against those talented people. I'm not used to it. How can I recite poems against those talented people? But is this kind of thing common?"

Zhuang Xun smiled and didn't care much. He didn't like things like cultural exchanges very much. He didn't have any plug-ins, and he wasn't in the peak state after graduating from high school. He might not understand what he heard. It would be more practical to watch beautiful women dancing.

"It's not common. It's probably another way for these so-called talented people to gain fame. After all, being an official in the court means not only family background, but reputation is also very important."

Lan Qiu guessed that just like Zhuang Xun back then, rapid fame in the public opinion field was directly linked to official status, and the importance of raising reputation, whether it was moral or literary reputation.

"Yeah, yes, reputation is very important. I have always had a doubt. Is it because of you and Mrs. Jiang that my reputation spread so widely?"

Zhuang Xun recalled that he had retained the title of Love Saint in the past, and even now, focusing on a person who is not afraid of anyone who comes. To outsiders, the ugly Siqin Mi, the tigress Li Rusi, the beautiful and luxurious Mrs. Jiang, and Xi Bi Yue, the queen mother of You who played with him, finally married his He Tan.

That kind of spreading speed is known to several countries. It is incredibly fast. Unexpected things can be made up to look like real things. Zhuang Xun guessed that Mrs. Jiang should have a share of the credit. Other than Mrs. Jiang, no one else would. I want to give him hope like this.

"That's true, but only part of it. Most of it was spread by the people. The effect was something neither Madam, she nor the slaves and I could have imagined." Lan Qiu admitted that she had indeed done it, and it would be okay to let Zhuang Xun know about it now.

"Then I have to thank Mrs. Jiang for coming to thank her in person, otherwise it would be quite troublesome for Prince Yu to notice me. I dance very beautifully. This box is not cheap."

Zhuang Xun nodded understandingly and shifted his gaze to the stage. The dancer made a thrilling move, leaping high into the air. Her sleeves and slender legs formed a round shape that caught everyone's attention.

"I don't know this. If Your Highness likes it, when Madam comes, you can ask the restaurant to send the dancer to you. If you want the same box, Madam can also send it to you."

Lan Qiu shook her head and made a promise to Zhuang Xun. In her opinion, this was just a small thing, so she dared to make a promise.

"No, no, there is a maid at home who can dance, but not so delicate, no need." Zhuang Xun waved his hands quickly, replaced by curiosity about Mrs. Jiang's identity.

According to her statement, she is the cousin of the Queen Mother Zhao. Is her root system that strong?It not only affects foreign countries, but also affects the country. If you say you want to send a dancing girl, you will send a dancing girl.

"Could this property belong to Mrs. Jiang?" Zhuang Xun asked tentatively, having the idea of ​​exploring Mrs. Jiang's identity.

"No, it's just that the owner and his wife behind this store know each other." Lan Qiu smiled, with an expression that reassured Zhuang Xun.

"Is that so?" Zhuang Xun stopped talking and concentrated on watching the dance. His mind was thinking about the gap between the rich and the poor in Zhao State, Mrs. Jiang's identity, and his own future path.

Lan Qiu was very discerning. When she saw Zhuang Xun enjoying the dance, she peeled the fruit for him without disturbing his interest.

"I'm hungry, let's go buy some snacks." After the dance, Zhuang Xun stood up. Today's business is to investigate the situation of all walks of life. He doesn't come to watch dancing every day. He doesn't want to watch dancing in this situation of being controlled by others. .

"There are dishes in the restaurant. I'll go down and ask someone to cook them right now." Lan Qiu said proactively, leaning down and getting ready to go down and ask someone to cook them.

"I'm used to being poor. I want to eat some local food and walk around. I don't feel comfortable staying in such a high-end place."

Zhuang Xun refused, saying that he also wanted to see how fantastic the State of Zhao was and what the distribution of classes was like. You can't investigate this by sitting in a restaurant listening to singing and dancing.

Every time he read more of these things, he became more determined in his heart and decided to run away. Although he felt sorry for Empress Xuannv, he didn't want to be Prince Taiping in this kind of country.

"Your Majesty, Your Highness, but there are no snacks in Dongcheng, and vendors are not allowed to set up stalls. There may be some in Nancheng, but it's a bit far. Let's eat the food from the restaurant for now."

Lan Qiu made the suggestion. She didn't know why she didn't want Zhuang Xun to go. She might be afraid of the embarrassment of yesterday.

"It doesn't matter, it's still early. I mainly want to see what the market is like." Zhuang Xun was no longer in the mood to watch the dance, and it was useless to worry about Mrs. Jiang's identity.

Lan Qiu couldn't say anything, so she could only follow Zhuang Xun all the way, walking through the market, seeing coolies, seeing vendors trading, and seeing Fu Shui saving lives. The problem Fu Shui really had some effect, it must be said that it was a kind of black humor. .

Nancheng is a real civilian area. There are few people wearing brocade clothes. Most people are wearing coarse linen clothes, but they are relatively complete and have everything they should have.

Zhuang Xun was talking to people while shopping. There was no airs. Those who could do business in the city had a pretty good family background. At least if you ask about their family relationships, they all had jobs or things to do. Naturally, they also had complaints. But they are all of a daily nature.

Just like the kind of people on Earth who blame the government for everything, they have never seen real poor people, so they can't be considered really poor. Zhuang Xun can only tell this.

After asking around, I found that everything is okay. It can even be said that compared with the Three Kingdoms in Jizhou, the happiness level is pretty good. They belong to those who truly live under the emperor's feet. Also, a little bit of rubbish is enough for them to live.

For example, some people were going to pick up the copper coins scattered by the Wang family for today's wedding, and the red silk carpets that had been passed down by thousands of cars, for their own wedding, even though they were cursing and annoyed that they had to be charged by the soldiers and officials to go to Dongcheng.

But when asked about the income, it seemed that Zhuang Xun did not constitute a competitive relationship. The man still smiled and said that if he was quick, he could basically make money back, full of hope.

Lan Qiu, who followed Zhuang Xun around all the time, breathed a sigh of relief. If these people were so poor, like yesterday, and their family members didn't dare to come out because they had no clothes, which showed the injustice of Zhao's rule, then she would have no shame to accompany them anymore. Zhuang Xun came out.

Zhuang Xun was tired after walking all afternoon and was about to leave. He drove back east from Nancheng. His mood was not much better or worse. He was full after eating snacks and even a little stuffed. He asked Lan Qiu if she had a bite. He ate as if he wanted to hold on until Zhuang Xun stopped playing.

Che immediately summarized what he had seen today. The city is indeed prosperous, but the upper class is a little more luxurious, and the middle class still has a decent sense of happiness. It is not a heaven on earth, nor a purgatory on earth. This is the real Zhao Kingdom, where Xuannv showed him That’s right, the place I saw was also right.

The pyramid structure is obvious, and overall it is becoming stable. At least the oppression of the middle and lower classes seems not as serious as that of the Yu State when he was a bookkeeper. income" people, otherwise they will also complain.

It’s hard to say for the lowest level, because taking Jiannan, which he rules and has the most contact with farmers, as an example, Jiannan’s current governance foundation is stable. The farmers and soldiers assigned to the land are grateful, and any spies can be immediately transferred to the government. .

I used to think that the publicity was good, and Zhuang Xun was not stingy with brainwashing propaganda. You people can get the land thanks to Zhuang Jiedu's great kindness. Without Zhuang Jiedu, your land would have been used by other people. People robbed it.

Now it seems that he really wants to treat the people as human beings, so the people hold him up high. Compared with the era when the earth was the master of the country for a period of time, it is incomparable, but compared with the thinking of these slave owners, feudalism has indeed progressed There are too many, and the slavery system is too backward. Let’s make it more feudal.

Those at the bottom of these countries should all be half-assed. There is no particular order. It was only after Zhuang Xun came to Zhao that he realized how advanced and progressive he was. In his previous contact with Luo Yue, even if he was a city dweller in Chengdu, it was much better than those outside the city. At least they could still learn from it. The big shot missed something to eat.

Just when he was thinking about these problems and how he should solve them, the carriage stopped.

Zhuang Xun opened the curtain, and a long cloth barrier blocked his path. The gold and silver threads on it all represented the world's top craftsmanship, and the patterns and veins presented were even more elegant than the ones he wore at the longevity banquet. It's a bit gorgeous, but I don't know how many hard-working female workers made it.

"What is this?" Zhuang Xun probed and asked Lan Qiu. It was like a wall stretching across the entire street, with a person supporting it every ten meters.

"The step barrier is used by important people to block the dust and other people's sight when passing through. I just don't know how this step barrier can be so long. I will go down and ask the reason." Lan Qiu explained to Zhuang Xun.

Lan Qiu got off the carriage, walked to the node about ten meters away, and asked: "What are you doing? You want to build such a long barrier and dare to block the way of my young master."

Seeing Lan Qiu's arrogance, the attendant who raised the barrier said respectfully: "My master is richer than Mrs. Hao. Hao Taifu used blue cloud silk cloth as a barrier for forty miles, while my master used moiré brocade as a barrier for fifty miles."

(End of this chapter)