The Emperor is Above

Chapter 61 Outside the Central City Gate
It was almost dawn and the east was already bright.

There was already a lot of noise in the lower city of Xing State.

Amid the curling smoke from cooking fires and the sounds of chickens and dogs, there is also the voice of women in the market scolding naughty children. Peddlers, merchants, noble servants, all kinds of people come and go in the streets and alleys.

At this time Qing Yi also bid farewell to Gongsun Wu and walked on the wide streets of the lower city. In the distance, he could see the golden sunlight shining on the top of the mountains.

The road, which is 15 meters wide, is paved with bluestone one foot thick. Tall trees of various colors are planted on both sides, and the branches facing the sun are even sprouting tender buds.

It was almost noon, and shops opened their doors one after another. Shops were lined up on both sides, with jewels from all over the world gathered together and spiritual objects from all directions. There were also shops selling bone tools, weapons, armor, spiritual medicines, and so on.

"Master, the capital is so prosperous!" Da Niu looked around as he walked, his eyes wide open, wishing he had a few more eyes so he could never see enough.

"How about we leave you in the capital when we go back?" Qing Yi responded with a smile, but strode forward without looking back.

"That won't do!" Daniu took two quick steps to catch up with Qing Yi, and said hurriedly, "Grandma said that a golden nest or a silver nest is not as good as our own doghouse. No matter how good the capital is, it is not our doghouse!"

In response to this idiot's poor choice of words, Qing Yi could only cover his forehead and express that there was no hope.

"whee--"

Xizi and Mengzi couldn't help but cover their mouths and laugh, and Huaimu couldn't help but curl up the corners of his mouth.

Fortunately, Qing Yi had already seen the huge sycamore tree that was ten feet high. The chubby Tun Shigu was standing under the tree and waving happily. Chai Yong and other Huaiqiuli militiamen were escorting the convoy behind him.

"Brother, let's go quickly!" Tu Shigu hurriedly came over and said, "If it's later until Chenshi, there will be more people entering and leaving the city gate. Not only will we have to queue for a long time to enter the city, but it will also be more troublesome when we get out.

We have a lot of things to do today. After entering the city, we will go to the Shaofu to find Doctor Yuanmu first, and then visit Old Man Shi and Niuniu. What do you think of this arrangement?"

Qing Yi thought for a moment and added, "I have known Ran You, the captain of the Left Division, before. Now that I am in the capital, it would be best for me to meet him."

"Okay, brother, although this is your first time in the capital, you know a lot of people!" Tu Shigu said with both envy and headache, "This adds another place, so we have to speed up today's schedule."

"Village head, we've only got 1,000 kilograms of wild wolf meat left, and the rest has been sold!"

While Chai Yong was telling the convoy to line up at the city gate, he walked over to Qing Yi and reported, "Everyone bought a lot of good things at the market, and now we have 7,000 red copper coins left."

"There are still so many left. It's not easy to come to the capital. Let's go to the market to buy some more before we go back!"

Qing Yi first chatted with Chai Yong for a few words, and then greeted the militiamen in Huaiqiu warmly. He was glad to see that everyone was happy.

Nothing bloody happened at the market, and after checking the carriage and finding the little white fox and the civet cat were still sleeping soundly, Qing Yi felt relieved.

"Let's line up in this queue!" Tu Shigu looked carefully for a moment before choosing a queue to line up at the back, boasting in the tone of an experienced old driver.
"Our team may seem large, but in fact most of them are retainers of noble lords, so the city guards' inspection is relatively cursory, and the queues to enter the city are faster."

Sure enough, what Master Tun Gu said was correct. Many of the convoys ahead were simply searched and the city guards let them go easily without any rummaging through the boxes and cabinets.

Everyone walked forward slowly and calmly, but suddenly they heard Gongsun Wu's familiar voice behind them: "Shang Shuyi——"

Turning back, he saw the handsome young man of about sixteen or seventeen hurrying over, attracting many women to stop and watch with affectionate eyes. Qing Yi hurried forward and found that Gongsun Wu was sweating on his forehead. He couldn't help but say solemnly: "Brother Gongsun, it's only been less than half an hour since I said goodbye to you, why are you so hurriedly chasing after me? Is it that Shi Ludan is causing trouble again? Or is it that shrew who came to your house to make trouble again?"

"It's ok for Shi Ludan to cheat me of food and drink, but how dare he come to my house to cause trouble again?" Gongsun Wu acted very confident, but then he felt a little ashamed.
"My mother found out after you left in the morning, and she scolded me, saying that Shang Shuyi and I had a friendship of helping each other and sharing life and death.

Since you are here in the capital for business, as a native of the capital, I will have to accompany you around, so that at least you can save some energy on your legs and feet.

Although I have been to Central City less often, I am still more familiar with it than you are on your first visit. I will lead the way wherever you want to go."

"That's great!" Qing Yi didn't bother to be polite with Gongsun Wu, "I'm sorry to bother you today, Brother Gongsun. I just don't know how to get to the Shaofu."

Gongsun Wu, Tun Shigu, Chai Yong and others also greeted them with a smile. After a few words, it was their own caravan's turn to prepare to enter the city.

Compared with the city guards at the gate of the lower city, the team of city guards guarding the entrance to the middle city is more elite and powerful.

Apart from their sophisticated equipment and distinctive armor, their cultivation is also generally stronger. Ordinary soldiers have the strength of a mid-level body forging, and the squad leader must have at least the cultivation level of a ninth-grade warrior, while the team leader is at the eighth-grade warrior.

"Next team!"

As the city guards who were checking the carriages and horses shouted loudly, Chai Yong and others drove more than a dozen carriages to the city gate for inspection.

Qing Yi listened carefully to Gongsun Wu's introduction while looking at the complex and sophisticated military defense facilities inside and outside the central city gate.

The middle city is on a platform more than 130 feet higher than the lower city. Between the two is a 130-foot stone cliff, which can be turned into a natural city wall with a little repair.

A large number of vines, shrubs, flowers and plants live between the thick rock layers of the cliff, and faint green moss can be seen, which prevents anyone from climbing up the cliff, not to mention that there is a three-meter-high wall on the cliff for protection.

To enter the middle city from the lower city, one can only enter through the south, east and north gates. The east gate is the largest gate and is carved into the cliff.

The huge city gate was made of wide and heavy iron and wood. It was six zhang high and four zhang wide. Each city gate required the concerted efforts of at least thirty city guards to push it.

Behind the city gate is a sloping passage carved out from the inside of the cliff. Even if someone breaks through the lower city and the middle city gate, this slope will still be an impenetrable defense.

Teams of carriages and horses entered the city along a long passage into the central city. There were many doors on both sides of the passage, which were used as hiding caves for the garrison. At least 500 people could be stationed in wartime.

Seeing this, Qing Yi could not help but admire. In this barbaric world with such low productivity, building the capital on such a platform and digging such a magnificent passage in the rock wall really made people admire it.

At this moment, a Sima of the city guard army in distinctive armor walked out from the city gate. Qing Yi found that this man looked very familiar. When the other party saw Qing Yi, he was also slightly stunned.

"Haha, it turns out to be Xia Shuyi!" Sima of the city guards couldn't help but reveal a faint smile, but that smile always made people feel that it was very cold.

He looked at Qing Yi's clothes, and then pretended to be surprised and said: "I didn't expect that after not seeing you for a few months, Lower Shu Yi is now Upper Shu Yi. However, I successfully advanced to the rank 7th rank Lower Armored Sergeant this year, and now I am also the Sima of the City Guards."

"Then congratulations to Sima Zuogong!" It turned out that this Sima of the city guard army was the city guard army commander Zuo Gongyu who was met on the day of tribute last year.

(End of this chapter)