Zhi Xuan

Saitojo

It was just dawn, and there was already a long queue in front of the city gate.

The people waiting to enter the city waited eagerly, stomping their feet to dispel the chill while keeping their heads in the air, hoping that the city gate would open soon.

The soldiers at the top of the city had just changed shifts, one team walked down the city wall quickly to get today's meal, the other team walked to the side of the female wall and looked down at the city.

In the distance, several caravans came, and the carts were dragged by oxen and horses, speeding across the snow.Some of the wagons were full, with deep ruts, and some were empty, in order to go to the city to buy goods and then ship them to other countries for sale.

Nowadays, the Western Capital City is not only the political and military center of Xiyuan Kingdom, but also the most prosperous commercial city in the Northland.

The shops in the city continued to expand, covering nearly one-fifth of the outer city and one-tenth of the inner city.People come and go every day, and the traffic is constantly shuttling.There are as many as [-] shops in the market, and dozens of new shops are waiting to be opened. The front door has been hung with different guises, fluttering in the wind, which is particularly eye-catching.

There are two types of shops, one is specialized in bulk goods, and it specializes in the sale of large caravans. The goods and money for each transaction are calculated by car.The number of members of the caravan is no less than 200, and the number of guards can reach as many as [-] or even [-].

The other is smaller, with a wide variety of goods, sold piecemeal, and equally lucrative.For example, a small food shop has more than ten kinds of staple food and dishes, as well as various tricks from the inner city, among which tofu, soy milk and bean curd are the most popular.

Since there is no curfew in the city and the shops are not closed day and night, the clan workshops, Guoren workshops and common people workshops are less closed.Even on a cold winter night, there are many pedestrians on the roads in the city, and the shops are brightly lit and bustling.

However, the excitement is limited to the city.

The gates of the city are closed on time every day, and they are not opened until dawn.If you fail to enter the city before closing the door, you can only stand outside the city to blow the cold wind, listen to the lively voices in the city, and scratch your heart and lungs while suffering from the cold.

In theory, Zhidi New City is already the largest distribution center for trade goods in the Northland. Caravans from various countries can go to Zhidi if they want to sell goods, and they don't need to come to the Western Capital.

Some caravans worked tirelessly and would rather go a longer distance, simply because they admired the prosperity of the western capital, and wanted to see for themselves how majestic the capital built on the ruins was, and whether it was really like the legend, full of traffic and colorful groups flower.

The sun gradually rose, dispelling the last ray of darkness.

The dark clouds that had been covering for many days quietly dissipated, and the sky was as clear as blue, and it was actually a rare sunny day.

It's just that the wind becomes colder, like a knife scraping a bone.The leather jackets on their bodies couldn't withstand the cold wind, so everyone had to gather together to try to reduce the sudden chill.

The sound of drums came from the top of the city, and everyone was refreshed and listened carefully.

After the three drums, a series of footsteps sounded behind the city gate, followed by the sound of ropes being dragged and the friction sound of wooden discs turning.

The door shaft began to rotate, and with a creaking sound, the huge city gate slowly opened, revealing a five-meter-high city gate opening that could accommodate three chariots in parallel.

There are several wooden tables at the door opening, and behind the tables are sitting with pens and eyes, specially checking the registration of people entering the city.

Caravans entering the city must receive wooden cards, which must not be lost during their stay in the city, otherwise they will not be able to prove their identity.

Clans, Chinese and common people from outside must be registered, and after checking their identities, a special book is made to exclude spies from other countries and people with ulterior motives before they are allowed to enter.

The people of Xiyuan have no such requirement.

As early as when the Western Capital was completed, Zhi Xuan had organized a wave of censuses.The tasks are distributed down to the village as the unit.The statistical roster is not 100% accurate, and more than [-]% of them have no problems.

In this age of poor information, it can be called a miracle, which is amazing enough.

All Xiyuan people who are recorded in the register can receive a metal medal.Different from the wooden plaques of foreign caravans, the metal plaques symbolize household registration and are held for a long time and inspected every year.The village elders will report to the county doctor, and then the county doctor will add and delete the population, and then send it to the western capital after summarizing.

This method is simple and crude, and there are many loopholes to exploit.But in reality, there is no way to do it without leaving nothing.

After some careful consideration, Zhixuan allowed the clan to take advantage of loopholes occasionally.As long as it does not affect the overall situation, it will not be pursued to the end.

Out of practical considerations, in order to maintain domestic stability, we must turn a blind eye and close one eye at present.

When he pulls out his hands and completes the preliminary plan for external development, and there are more available people in his hands, the rights released will be taken back one by one.If it is overdone, it is not ruled out to settle accounts and fatten up before killing.

Under the gate of the city, the officials were writing like flying, checking their identities and issuing wooden signs, everything was orderly and orderly.

"Take it well, be sure to carry it with you. It will be checked in the city, and it must not be lost."

Wooden boxes were stacked at the feet of officials, the lid was opened, and inside was a newly made wooden sign.All carved by Zhidi craftsmen, the patterns are unique, and there are dark patterns when disassembled, it is difficult to imitate without the craftsmanship of a master craftsman.

Doing this seems to be laborious, but it can ensure the authenticity to the greatest extent, avoid fishing in troubled waters, and reduce the burden on the patrolling soldiers in the city.

The caravan leader got the wooden sign, looked at it with his head, and saw that the officials used a charcoal pencil to record on the cloth, writing down the characteristics of the person who received the wooden sign, detailing the scars on the face and moles under the lips, and marking the location with emphasis .

"Go fast." Seeing the businessman standing still, the soldiers who maintained order spoke up, urging him to go faster to make room for the latecomers.

The businessman quickly looked back, called the caravan members to follow, led the horses and oxen through the city gate, and walked all the way to the merchant workshop.

Everyone in the caravan arrived for the first time, and they couldn't help being attracted by the buildings in the city. They looked around and were amazed.

"So clean!"

In the impression of the caravan, most of the cities are dirt roads, with long-term snow accumulation in winter, the old snow turns into ice, and the new snow is trampled hard. If you walk on it, you will slip and fall into the ditch beside the road.

If you are lucky, the ditch will freeze into ice, and you will just fall.Unlucky, someone dumped the dirt just now, stained the whole body, and the thick leather jacket is difficult to wash, so I can only consider myself unlucky.

And that's not the worst.

There is no clear snow in the city, the ice and snow melt in spring, the snow water flows in the city, and the roads become muddy.The pungent and unpleasant smell filled the melted ditch, and the whole city was enveloped in it, and people had to cover their noses when entering and leaving, which showed that the environment was harsh.

In history, there are countless examples of vassal states moving their capitals, and the unlivable environment is one of the most important reasons.

Before Zhixuan rebuilt the western capital, Xiyuan Kingdom also faced this problem.

A fire burned down the old city, and the new city was re-planned. The roads were paved with stone slabs, and stones were used to avoid the problems of dirt roads.

The ditches were widened and dug deep, connecting directly to the outside of the city, forming a circulating water network.

The sewers are also being built, and there are master craftsmen such as Tao Lao. The project is not as good as the capital of the Song Dynasty, and it is unique in ancient times, far better than Tao Lao's hometown.

Merchants walked on the street, the snow had been cleared long ago, and some of it was piled up in the gutters on both sides of the road, waiting to be transported out of the city.

Beside the road should be the common people's workshop, the walls of the workshop are low, and the gate of the workshop is not closed.There are row upon row of buildings in the square, and there are very few rammed earth houses, but more mud brick, stone and timber buildings.The roof is not covered with straw, but with brightly colored tiles, which are rare to see elsewhere.

The tiles were produced by the Zhidi Workshop, and they were originally gray in color.After being improved by craftsmen, various bright colors are fired.

The people of Xiyuan Country are still dark, but it doesn't mean everything has to be pitch black.

This kind of brightly colored tiles is very popular, and people in the country will use it to build houses.

The clans are ingenious, carefully painted on the tiles, and combined into exquisite patterns.Suhu was the first to draw a picture of a tiger on the roof of his house.Zhi Xuan watched it once, and didn't want to watch it a second time.

Tigers lying on the roof, fortunately he can figure it out.

Well, you have talent, you are self-willed, you can be a tiger if you are a tiger, anyway, you are just a family, and you can't see it.

It's a pity he thought too well.

At the beginning of Su Hu, Fan Xu, Luan Hui and others did not want to be outdone, and made great efforts to renovate the roof.

Walking into the clan square, tall and magnificent buildings are not uncommon. The roofs of each house are the highlights, such as birds and beasts, fish and insects, mountains and rivers, and a stroll in the clan square can recognize the totems of Doctor Qing's family.

The merchants crossed the long street, passed by Shurenfang and Banjiarenfang, and when they saw the tall porch of the commercial square, they were overjoyed and quickened their pace in unison.

At this moment, the sound of horseshoes came from behind, and several fast horses passed by.

Immediately, the knight kept waving the reins, carrying a waterproof animal skin bag, which contained medicinal materials collected from the Yang family's fiefdom, and traveled all the way with stars and moons, in order to deliver it to Mrs. Yang's hands as soon as possible, and make it for the young master Ming to take.

The news Zhi Xuan received was not complete.

Gong Ziming was not only caught cold, but also poisoned, and the poison was extremely strong.If Mrs. Yang hadn't noticed something was wrong and ordered a thorough investigation, she really wouldn't have found out that it was his wet nurse who poisoned her.

The nurse felt that she could not survive, and hanged herself before the servant broke in. Without leaving a word, the clues were cut off.

Mrs. Yang was furious with thunder, and took down all the people who served Gongzi Ming, and borrowed troops from Yang's family to surround the Gongzi's mansion, and no one was allowed to enter or leave.

Knowing this, Yang Hao, who was ill, insisted on writing a letter to Mrs. Yang, and asked Yang Qi to visit Fan Xu and Luan Hui on his behalf, asking them to help Shangshuzhixuan, and please return to the country as soon as possible.

After decades of ups and downs in the officialdom, he has witnessed two generations of monarchs ascending to the throne. He is well aware of the fierce competition surrounding the successor. Yang Hao knows the situation is dangerous.

Mrs. Yang couldn't find out the real culprit behind the scenes, but he knew it all.

This was an internal struggle within the Yuan clan. According to clan rules, Su Hu and others would not easily intervene.If you want to get out of the predicament, you must ask the monarch to exert pressure.

For this reason, he did not hesitate to bow his head to Fan Xu and Luanhui, hoping that the other party would help him because they were both Liuqings and had fought side by side in the early years.

"Remember, you can't trust anyone before your majesty returns, especially the Yuan clan!" Yang Hao leaned on the couch, exhausted by a serious illness, making him look ten years old.

"promise!"

Yang Qi hurried back from the grassland, and faced a severe situation as soon as he got home.The situation is extremely critical, and there is no room for him to hesitate, he must act according to Yang Hao's instructions, in order to save Young Master Ming and protect Mrs Yang.

Mrs. Yang told Yang Hao about the poisoning of young master Ming, but the latter blocked the news and did not disclose it to the outside world. Even Fan Xuluan did not know the details.

It's not that Yang Hao concealed it on purpose, but that he can't trust anyone except Zhi Xuan.

He had to create a false impression for outsiders that Young Master Ming was safe and sound, and was recuperating in the mansion due to the cold.Only in this way can the people behind the scenes be cautious, suspect that the poison is useless, and delay the time as much as possible.

"Is Your Majesty coming back soon?"

Yang Hao drank the decoction and could no longer taste the bitterness in his mouth.

He had a premonition that his time was approaching, and the reason why he persisted until today was to see Zhi Xuan again.Only when he sees the king can he ensure the safety of the Yang family, keep Mrs. Yang and son Ming, and he can die with peace of mind.

If the king needs it, he will let himself die in another way.As an introduction to prying open the Yuan family, it is enough for the king to remember this affection, and he deserves to die.

At the same time, Zhi Xuan had grown his hair from Xiangdi and returned to China day and night.

On the way, he received a secret letter from Luo Gong, which contained the newly discovered news that his son Ming had been poisoned and was dying for a time.

Seeing this line of writing, Zhi Xuan's eyes were cold.

Those behind the scenes may have forgotten that Gong Ziming is not only a candidate for heir, but also his blood relative.

The scumbag father ignored it. With Yuan Tao and Mrs. Yang, he would not allow son Ming to be killed, let alone allow such treacherous villains to get away with it.

When he returns to the capital, it will be the time when the villain dies!