Zhi Xuan

Zhongdu City

In the middle of the night, the city of Zhongdu was silent, and the doors of all the workshops were closed tightly, and there was no light.

The pawns patrolling the streets were holding torches, and their jackets couldn't resist the cold, shivering in the cold wind.No matter what the responsibility is, you can't leave your post without authorization.Calculating the time, it took another hour to take turns with colleagues.

The watchman trotted all the way, knocking on the clapper in his hand several times, and clearly transmitted it to each workshop.Hot air filled the mouth and nose, and hoarfrost hung from the eyebrows and eyelashes, blocking vision.Because his pace was too hasty, he didn't notice that the snow was freezing under the snow, so the watchman slipped forward and fell to the ground.

"Unlucky!"

The watchman got up from the ground while complaining, brushed off the broken snow on his body, and sneezed twice.

The lantern tumbled to the ground, and the candle was extinguished.

The clapper rolled further away, and the watchman searched forward under the light of the snow, and found that the luck was really bad, and the guy who was eating fell into the ditch beside the road.

Fortunately, it was frozen in winter and all the sewage was frozen.In summer, the sewage in the ditch flows horizontally, and the stench is so bad that you can't get it out even if you want to fish it out.

The watchman thought he was unlucky, carefully went down into the ditch, groped to find the clapper, and climbed out after a lot of effort.He hastily grabbed the lantern, breathed a sigh of relief after checking it, took out the flint from his pocket, and rubbed it several times to relight it.

Lanterns were introduced from Xiyuan Kingdom, and Zhongdu City originally did not exist.

The first batch of lanterns were brought by caravans and sold at a very high price for exclusive use by the clan.Later, a variety of materials appeared, and the price slowly dropped.

Today, lanterns have become a common thing, and they are not visible in all the workshops in the city, even a few are hung in the slave workshop.Although it was eliminated by the Shurenfang, it looks tattered, at least it is better than a torch, and it is regarded as a treasure by the slaves.

When mentioning Xiyuan Country, one can't help but think of more than a dozen shops opened in the commercial area.

These shops occupied two streets, the walls were opened and refurbished, and a unique cover was hung in front of the door, selling goods from Xiyuan Kingdom.

Every day when the market opens, there are crowds of people inside and outside the shop, and there is a lot of voices.The goods sold are calculated by car, and the businessmen who operate it earn a lot of money.

The shop has a complete range of commodities, including basic necessities, food, housing, and transportation. The prices range from high to low, which can meet the needs of most urban residents.Among them, the food shop is the most popular, and the steamed buns, rice cakes and steamed cakes sold are delicious and generous.Regardless of the city residents, the caravans are buying in large quantities to replace dry and hard rations.

Steamed buns are the most expensive, followed by rice cakes, followed by steamed cakes.

The watchman bought five steamed cakes at a time, each bigger than two palms of an adult man, with a finger-thick edge, soft taste, and full of wheat fragrance after a bite.If you are lucky, you can buy steamed cakes coated with sauce. The rich sauce wraps the meat pieces and sandwiches them in the cakes, which can make the whole family have a good meal.

The watchman carried a lantern, carefully kept away from the frozen ditch, and walked along the road.

Thinking about the wages he saved, he decided not to go home, but went directly to the shop to guard.When the door of the square opened, I rushed to the food store immediately to buy some freshly baked steamed cakes, and maybe a small jar of meat sauce.

When he was replaced by the former king, he would never dare to do this.

Firstly, the curfew in the city is strict, and if you are caught, you will not be taken lightly, and the worst is a whip; secondly, the shops are not as good as they are today, there are no shops in Xiyuan Kingdom at all, and you can’t buy steaming steamed buns and steamed cakes, so there is no need to blow cold wind.

Thirdly, and most importantly, the merchants of Xiyuan Kingdom leased a small half of the commercial workshop, and set up a brazier at the gate of the workshop. In summer, they smoked wormwood to drive away mosquitoes and flies, and in winter, they burned firewood to keep the gatekeepers warm, and kept it on all night.

The watchman went over to watch at this time, so that he could take advantage of the light to warm up without being frozen.When he met a familiar gatekeeper, he would even give him an animal skin, allowing him to take shelter from the wind on the porch to keep warm, which might be warmer than at home.

Some gatekeepers couldn't stay idle, and even chatted with him.From the mouth of the other party, the watchman heard a lot about the Xiyuan Kingdom, and he yearned for the Xidu City, where the wealth of the world is gathered.

According to the gatekeeper, since the former Marquis of Xiyuan and the young son ascended the throne, Xiyuan Kingdom has been flourishing, and the capital city of Xiyuan has also changed greatly.

The western capital was once hit by a fire, and most of the buildings in the city were burned, especially the clan square, with almost no tiles left.

The new city was built on top of the ruins. After re-planning and design, there are eight streets and nine streets in the city, and the population is far greater than before.

In the center of the city is a newly built shop, which is three times the size of the city of Zhongdu.Every day there is a lot of traffic, there is a flow of people, and there is an endless stream of caravans going from south to north. The city is not closed at night, and there is no curfew in the city, which shows that the business is prosperous.

The gatekeeper showed the watchman a few exquisite coins. It is reported that they were minted under the order of the Marquis of Xiyuan, and they are now circulating in the Northland. They are more convenient and easier to count than silk, and are very popular among merchants and city residents.

In addition, Xiyuan Kingdom also built roads on a large scale. It is said that they are called official roads, which can accommodate several chariots in parallel.

The northern vassal states saw the benefits and thought it was convenient, Bei'an was the first to catch up, and the big and small vassal states followed suit one after another.

Nowadays, the roads in the Northland extend in all directions, and there is a road leading to the grassland, connecting the two cities of the grassland, and it is extremely convenient to travel.With the help of the fast road, countries can quickly move troops, effectively consolidate the border defense, and further advance to the depths of the grassland.

The gatekeeper had never seen it with his own eyes, and he listened to the narration of foreign merchants, and collected all kinds of information to speak clearly, which made the watchman so fascinated that he even wanted to travel with the caravan.

A gust of cold wind interrupted the watchman's thoughts.

The wind is too cold, and it is likely to snow again.The watchman couldn't help speeding up his pace, hoping that the time would pass faster and let him finish work as soon as possible and go to the shop to warm up.

The palace was still brightly lit at this time.

More than a dozen elders of the royal family stood guard in the main hall, begging Wang Huai to withdraw his order.They kept watch from morning to sunset, from evening to night, and refused to leave no matter what.

They didn't intend to disobey orders, and they didn't intend to put Wang Huai's face on purpose. There was really no way to let the whole court know that there was discord within the royal family.

After the funeral of the former king, the princes and princes left the central capital. Everyone in the royal family thought that they could restore the past, and they would be reused by the new king.Unexpectedly, the situation was completely opposite, and Wang Huai issued several orders in succession, ordering six royal families to confine their families.

The wording of the decree is strict, and the departure time is limited.

If it sounds better, it will be banned, but if it sounds worse, what is the difference between it and exile?

The six people are the real power faction in the royal family. They could have carried the banner of the royal family and fought against the clan in court.Not long ago, I was gearing up for a big fight.

King Huai made a stroke, which caught the royal family by surprise, like a thunderclap exploding above their heads.

Just seal it?

Will it be closed at this time?

Or should the whole family go together and leave no one behind? !

Before the clan was forced to seal, the royal family celebrated with crowns.What an irony compared to today!

How could the members of the royal family be reconciled? They got together to discuss and decided to invite the elders of the clan to use their status as elders and relatives to exert pressure and force Wang Huai to withdraw his will.

Seeing the current situation of the Zhongdu clan, everyone in the royal family made up their minds that they must never open their mouths, and must let the young Wang know how powerful they are.

The co-lords of the world must also talk about human relationships, and they cannot do whatever they want, let alone be unscrupulous.If you really dare to do this, your reputation will be ruined, even worse than that of the arrogant Xi Yuanhou.

Thus, the scene in front of the main hall took place.

The old man of the royal family, with white hair and ravines all over his face, fell on the ground and begged the king to take back his will.The man Wang Huai's face was livid, it was impossible to accept his request, and he could not forcibly drag him away, so the situation fell into a stalemate.

When the Queen Mother learned of the situation, she sent someone to deliver a handwritten letter to Wang Huai.

After reading the content on the silk, Wang Huai immediately got up and left, leaving no one in the royal family's eyes, leaving only a back view.

The footsteps gradually faded away, and everyone in the royal family went in without knowing it, looking at each other, feeling uneasy.

Not long after, a group of servants walked into the hall, holding braziers in their hands, and put them on the wall one after another to ensure that the temperature in the hall was sufficient to prevent the old people from freezing out.

At the same time, the private soldiers of the royal family assembled in the city, broke down the gates of the royal family square and the clan square according to the king's order, swarmed in with torches, and started arresting people according to the list.

All the royal families involved in this matter and the clans behind it were all arrested, and all of them were dragged out of their homes, bound and sent to the palace.

The private soldiers dragged and dragged them all the way, punching and kicking them if they were disobedient.

Many people were captured from the dormitory, and they didn't have time to put on their outer robes, at most they were wrapped in a cloak, their hair was messed up, their clothes were disheveled, shivering in the cold wind, they looked very embarrassed.

They are distinguished, why have they been humiliated like this?

Furious and angry, he cursed on the spot.

There were several Chinese doctors in the arresting team, and they recorded what they said, and presented it to Wang Huai, all of which were ironclad evidence of disrespect for the king and rebellion.

The royal family and the clan were dumbfounded. How could they ever object? This is slander!

Doctor Zhong sneered, and slapped the bamboo slips on their faces, even daring to quibble with such ironclad evidence!

Everyone was pushed and shoved all the way, both shocked and angry.When he arrived at the palace, his face was blue from the cold and his voice was weak.A few people are still shouting, but they lack support and appear to have no momentum.

Doctor Zhong left the team and returned to Wang Huai first.

Soon, the two went back and forth, read out the will of the king in public, and denounced all criminals who were ambitious and intended to rebel, which was a heinous crime.

"The mastermind is hanged, and the rest will seize the title and dismiss the official, and take back the fief."

The members of the royal family who were still clamoring just now collapsed to the ground.

Before they could open their mouths to beg for mercy, the old royal family members who had been guarding all night walked out of the palace with bitter expressions on their faces. When everyone asked and asked for help, they didn't say a word.

The human Wang Huai failed to do anything to them. It was the queen mother who came forward and gave them two choices: either go home honestly, go to the court after dawn, and confess that they were deceived by the traitor and disrespected the human king, and regret their mistakes; Everyone is punished together, and the family and business are destroyed, which affects the children and grandchildren.

Which is more important, how to choose?

The old people are full of bitterness and know that they have no more choices.In order to keep the family business, he had no choice but to obey Wang Yan.From now on, we can no longer rely on the old to sell the old, otherwise the end is in sight.

The old people gave in, which meant that the royal family was at their wits end and it was no longer possible to restrain the king.

Hearing the waiter's report, Ren Wang Huai suddenly felt refreshed and wished he could laugh three times.

At this moment, he finally understood Zhi Xuan's happiness. Although his reputation would be questioned, he was so happy to be so forthright!

After this incident, he can also show his sincerity to Zhi Xuan, let the other party know that he sincerely wants to cooperate, and will not rest on his laurels, let alone hold back.

As a qualified partner, he will take the initiative to remove obstacles.Even if it was the royal family who stood in the way, he would not show mercy.

Yuan Tao always paid attention to the movements in the main hall and the palace gate, listened to the maidservant's report of the result, immediately wrote a letter with a pen, sealed it with wax, and ordered people to send it to Zhi Xuan quickly.

"Depart at dawn, don't delay."

"promise!"