Chapter 1004
Jia Yun Arrives Outside the Fortress
Chapter 1004 Jia Yun Arrives Outside the Fortress
The green lake,
The blue waves ripple, the gentle breeze blows, the sparkling scenery is beautiful, and the evening comes, the setting sun, the afterglow sprinkles on the water, dyeing the world red, like auspicious sign,
North of the city,
Princess Yongcheng's residence,
There were constant comings and goings of guests every day, especially many old friends who learned that the princess had returned to the capital without her husband being with her, and who also heard from somewhere that the princess and her husband were not on good terms. This consumed the energy of countless people and made countless scholars envious of her love.
today,
The princess's residence was also busy for a while. Yue Mu Ning, the illegitimate son of the Changyong Marquis's residence, Liao Cheng, the legitimate son of the Jinxiang Marquis's residence, and Song Xingjun, the illegitimate son of the Chengyi Marquis's residence, who was pushed by several people and accompanied by others, came to the residence to present gifts and have a meal.
period,
Princess Yongcheng only showed up once and then never came again. The few of them had a dry meal and left after feeling bored.
"Brother Liao, we will take our leave now. You don't need to come here again to drink."
Yue Mu Ning, the bastard of the Changyong Marquis's mansion, waved his hands repeatedly, wondering why he had suddenly thought of agreeing to his promise. The food in the mansion was not tasty, not as good as the banquet in Chunlou, which was boring.
Song Xingjun, who was standing by, blushed even more. He couldn't drink alcohol to begin with, and the princess also had a consort. Everyone knew what Liao Cheng meant, but in this situation, there was no one else to be with. He thought of Xie Cheng, the grandson of Dingcheng Marquis of Jingying, and the two people from Jingtian Marquis and Pingyuan Marquis's mansions. Tsk tsk, he wanted to be the consort.
"Well, ahem, thank you two dear brothers for accompanying me today. I will definitely invite you two dear brothers again in the future. That's all for today."
Xie Cheng also knew that the princess had no interest in him, but these few days, he couldn't stop thinking about the princess. Her figure, her every frown and smile, were always in his mind. Why wasn't he the princess's consort back then?
Everyone saw the unwilling look on his face. Song Xingjun and Yue Mu Ning both felt that this was not possible, but they couldn't say this in front of the princess's house. They could only smile bitterly.
"Brother, let's go, back, back,"
It was like giving them a way out. Taking advantage of the alcohol, they supported each other and politely left the princess's mansion. The maids in the hall cleaned up the mess.
In a corner of the door, a figure saw everyone leaving and flashed past.
In the backyard of the palace, on the attic,
Princess Yongcheng Zhou Ying sat on the floor. On the table in front of her was a fine banquet. A careful person would have noticed that it was almost exactly the same as the one she had just given to the young masters of the noble families. However, Zhou Ying was the only one in the huge hall, accompanied by the female historian Zou Xiao.
After drinking for a while, Zou Xiao stood by his side, looking at his master who was a little drunk, and gently advised him;
"Master, the food is cold. You should not drink so much. The secret treasure has been sent from the northwest. It is said to be a 300-year-old purple Ganoderma lucidum from the north. It has been escorted to the capital by the guards of the princess's mansion."
Zou Xiao snatched the wine cup from his master's hand, replaced it with a bowl of tea, and then dipped a little tea and wrote a word on the table:
Zhou Ying was slightly stunned, her eyes flickered, and then she lightly frowned, then suddenly became clear and asked with a smile;
"It's interesting. My sister has always pretended to be noble. Since she came to the capital, no one has come to visit her among the nobles in the city. Let's talk about those young talents. No, those young talents back then all had wives and concubines. Now they all pretend to be like this. Who are they showing off to?"
Thinking about the days of eating and drinking in the front hall, some old memories came to my mind, and I couldn't help feeling a little melancholy. Looking back, sometimes, it was all in vain.
"Master, you are not unaware of the things going on in the capital. Which noble young man would not be tempted by the people in his house? Fortunately, those who came to visit in the past were not particularly disreputable."
Zou Xiao reached out to wipe the words off the table, and then refilled the tea for his master. Zhou Ying shook her head, her bare face blushing, and sighed.
"Yes, no matter how good the reputation is, it is difficult to conceal it. The affairs of the rich and powerful are nothing more than those dirty things. There is no movement from the eldest princess, but the spy reported that someone from the mansion went to the Luo Yunhou Mansion to take something. I guess that they went to ask for medicine. After all, the old mountain ginseng outside the pass is a rare and precious medicine."
Let me briefly mention some of the previous events. I think that master, like my own master, was also heading to the palace to pay homage.
"You are just too cunning. My sister has come to her senses now. She will certainly get what she wants from Marquis Luo Yun. If we hadn't been prepared, we would have gone there. It's a pity that so many people in the Su family have been saved by her in private. Looking around the capital, which family dares to go there again? I am not the only widow. By the way, is there any news about Marquis Luo Yun in the south?"
When Princess Yongcheng Zhou Ying mentioned Luo Yunhou, her heart moved. Thinking of Luo Yunhou's handsome face, her body suddenly became weak. She didn't know when he would come back. She couldn't help but think back to the day when she came here to drink. Suddenly, she had endless aftertastes.
"My Lord, Marquis Luo Yun has led his army to besiege Linshan County City, and has divided his troops to attack Huaizhou and Chenzhou. They should have been taken. We are just waiting for the battle report from the county city. I think the county city is not that easy to attack. It is a famous strong city. The rest is not difficult to find out. It is said that the palace has summoned several ministers to discuss matters. There must be some changes."
Zou Xiao thought back and realized that it was easy to find out about things in the south, but it was hard to find out about things in the palace. The elders were even more cautious.
"Okay, it's good to know. The one in the palace is not made of clay. If he doesn't even have these thoughts, it's hard to say whether he can keep his position if he jumps to other things. Luo Yunhou is really powerful. In addition to the conquest of Chenzhou and other places, it can be said that he has won three battles and three victories. Looking at the entire Dawu, how many famous generals can there be? My brothers, you have to be honest for a while."
Zhou Ying showed a trace of sarcasm on her face. She wanted that position, but she didn't dare to risk her life. How could such good things happen to them? Just as the master and servant were talking, there was a sound of footsteps downstairs. After waiting for a while, they entered the screen and saw the female historian Ge Qing, dressed in martial arts uniform, quickly walked in and knelt on the ground.
"Master, several distinguished people have left,"
"Oh, you are quite considerate. You have endured until now. You are full and satisfied. Did Liao Cheng say anything?"
Zhou Ying's face was full of impatience. In the past, she would have cherished them, but now that there was such a precious gem in front of her, everything was just a passing cloud.
"In reply to the master, Master Liao did not say much. Perhaps he had drunk too much. He thanked the other masters and went back. I think he will not come here often in the future."
Ge Qing smiled slightly. Anyone would be disheartened by the cold reception given by the master.
"That's good. You'll have more peace in the future. In that case, pay more attention to the affairs of the mansion. Be careful with the gifts from the retired emperor. The spies in the capital should also be smart and don't be careless. I think that Marquis Luo Yun may make a big move."
"This, is, Master."
Ge Qing was a little surprised, but immediately responded. The master and his servant in the room fell silent.
Customs,
As the saying goes, the longer the journey, the more difficult the trade route. The difficulty lies in the transportation of goods.
The caravan of the Marquis of Luo Yun's Mansion had already passed through the border. Along the way, they saw many wonderful sights and were overwhelmed with beauty. Many of the children of the Jia family who followed the merchants were greatly impressed, especially Jia Yun, who, as the leader of the Duke's Mansion, saw and asked a lot along the way and learned a lot of trades.
After leaving the customs, I felt a chill coming over me. The ground was desolate and the wilderness stretched as far as the eye could see. Fortunately, there were many merchants and caravans on the official road, so I didn't feel lonely. However, everyone in the team, including the escorting escorts, had been alert for a long time. Everyone was issued with a long sword. At night, more than half of the people were not allowed to rest and stayed as night watchmen.
"President, I don't know how long it will take to reach Pingyao City. It's been a tough journey, but we can finally see the end of the road,"
Jia Yun sat beside the bonfire, using a branch to stir the fire to make it burn more vigorously. Not far away, the escorts from the Chamber of Commerce stood guard with knives in hand. The atmosphere was solemn.
The president of the Chamber of Commerce, Shang Da, took out a map from his bosom and took a look. After walking out of Luoyue Pass, they were outside the pass. It was only a day and a half's journey to see Pingyao City, but it was hard to say whether they could encounter the Jurchens. On the way here, they heard that many caravans had no people or goods.
"The road is not far. We will be able to see them after noon tomorrow. However, the danger is not necessarily less. The area outside the Great Wall is vast and sparsely populated, and the people are tough. We also have to be on guard against the Jurchen cavalry. However, it should not be a big problem."
Although Shang Da said it lightly, it was because he had a golden token of the Marquis' Mansion in his arms. This was given to him by the Marquis's wife as a life-saving token.
Hearing the president's words, Jia Yun relaxed a little. As the night gradually brightened, he looked around. It was all wilderness, with only a few farms occasionally, but they were also dark.
There were only piles of bonfires on both sides of the official road. Many caravans were huddled together for warmth. Jia Yun was a little surprised and asked,
"President Shang, if this place is dangerous, why do these people come here willingly?" Such a stupid question also made Shang Da turn his head and look at him with a slight smile.
"You, you will understand after you walk more. You can ask yourself, why did you come here?"
"This is, of course, for money."
Jia Yun blushed and murmured, "If it weren't for the fact that he could make a lot of money in one trip, who would come to the border? It was he who spoke too much." Seeing Jia Yun's blushing face, Shang Da smiled knowingly.
"You still don't come here often enough. If you ship goods from the interior of the country here, the price can be tripled, or even quadrupled. Then, if you take the goods from here and bring them back to the interior of the country, you can make at least three times the profit. With this round trip, the money can be multiplied several times. Who wouldn't be jealous? But I heard that the commercial taxes outside the country are also heavy, but you can still make a lot of money."
Shang Da was somewhat emotional. No wonder the Marquis' Mansion had such financial resources. If the market was opened like this, the tax alone would be huge. While he was thinking, suddenly, there was a sound of horse hooves on the official road. Everyone was alert. Many escorts immediately woke everyone up, formed a formation and drew their weapons, looking towards the sound of horse hooves in the dark.
After a while,
I saw a group of cavalrymen from outside the pass approaching not far away, and the captain in charge shouted loudly,
"All caravan owners, bring out your tax documents immediately. This captain wants to check them."
A shout,
Many caravans on both sides of the official road put away their weapons, and the leaders stood on the official road with tax documents in hand, waiting. Only Jia Yun was a little confused and asked:
"Chairman Shang, what tax documents? Aren't we still not in Pingyao City?"
now,
Shang Da was also puzzled. Thinking back carefully, when he was at Luoyue Pass, he was indeed reminded by the soldiers guarding the city to go to a freight station in the city to pay taxes and get receipts, but he did not go. When he was about to leave the North Gate, the soldiers guarding the city did look a little strange. Could it be that the taxes were paid at Luoyue Pass?
this.
I felt a little strange, but fortunately the gold order in my arms gave me confidence.
"Don't say anything, just follow me."
"Yes, President."
The two of them were a little nervous and confused, and they stood on the official road. Not far away, the captain was riding on a tall horse, and behind him were a group of officers and soldiers holding torches to illuminate the official road. There were also some clerks dressed as scholars, who were checking the tax documents submitted by the shopkeeper. No one dared to make any unnecessary movements.
But don't know,
There was a group of people in front of them, sweating profusely, vaguely retreating, but suddenly, they were stopped by a pair of big hands.
"Don't move, it would be bad if you attract the attention of the soldiers ahead."
"Dad, we don't have any documents to enter or leave the country, and we haven't paid any taxes. If we are caught, we will be severely punished."
Everyone outside the Great Wall knows that anyone who dares to evade taxes will be punished tenfold, and anyone who dares to smuggle has long been killed.
"Why are you panicking? We have the documents for entering and leaving the customs. As for taxes, we are not doing business."
The person who was speaking was wearing a fur coat, had a carefully trimmed beard, and a fur hat on his head. Who else could it be but Wu Jinxiao from Ningguo Mansion?
The two people who were talking behind him were naturally his two sons, Wu Xiangwen and Wu Xiangping. They entered the pass for one reason, to sell some goods and earn some money, and the other reason was to go back and file a complaint with the Ningguo Mansion. Now, there were not many families left outside the pass who could leave their farms outside Luoyue Pass. They thought that they could earn more money by opening up the trade route. Who could have thought that the hand of Luo Yunhou Mansion had already reached into Luoyue Pass?
The entire official road has become the property of the marquisate, and tax collection and tax inspection have almost become the norm. In addition, the farms everywhere have been occupied by the marquisate in recent days, saying that they are used to plant mulberry trees, and they have not paid a penny. Seeing that most of the farm land has been occupied, Wu Jinxiao, like several other owners of the noble mansions, had no choice but to return to the interior to report to the master and make some money.
Who would have thought that at this moment, it was their turn.
As the inspecting officers and soldiers approached, the sweat in my palms increased.
"You guys, take out the customs documents and tax documents?"
A soldier who looked like a leader had already approached. Wu Jinxiao smiled flatteringly, then took out the customs clearance document, wrapped it with a silver ingot, and handed it over.
"Sir, I am the head of Ningguo Mansion in the pass. I am here to transport property to my master, not as a merchant."
This explanation was reasonable, but the military officer in front of him smiled playfully, glanced at the customs document, weighed the silver in his hand, his face changed, and he immediately cursed;
"How dare you bribe me, you dog! The Marquis's Mansion has a law that all goods entering and leaving the customs must pay taxes, no matter who you are, do you understand?"
"This, this, sir, sir, these are all produced by the farms, belonging to the Duke's Mansion. It is not the turn of the Marquis' Mansion to take them by force. I have never heard of collecting taxes from the Duke's Mansion. Otherwise, sir, I will give you some more."
Wu Jinxiao made a bitter face and tried to talk to him. He wanted to take more silver, but the soldier slapped him in the face, causing the corner of his mouth to bleed.
"Old man, don't you understand what I said? All goods entering or leaving the country must pay taxes. The property of the Duke's Mansion belongs to the Marquis' Mansion outside the customs. If you don't have any, don't blame me for being rude."
With a shout, a group of people immediately surrounded him from behind, all with unfriendly eyes and holding the hilts of their knives.
Wu Jinxiao and the others were pale at this moment, and their arrogant look was long gone. At this moment,
Jia Yun had heard everything clearly. Wu Jinxiao, isn't that the head of Ningguo Mansion outside the pass? Why is he here? This matter has not been sorted out yet, but he dare not ask casually. After all, those soldiers are tall and strong, and extremely fierce.
He turned to look at the Chamber of Commerce president beside him and said;
"Chairman Shang, the person in front is Wu Jinxiao, the village head of Ningguo Mansion outside the pass. This is also the business of the Jia family. This..."
He hesitated and didn't finish his words. Although the Marquis's Mansion and the Ningguo Mansion were not on good terms, the Marquis had a close relationship with the Rongguo Mansion. It was a coincidence that they met this time.
His eyes were somewhat worried, but his body did not move. Jia Yun also knew that things outside the Great Wall were different from those inside the Great Wall, and he could not make decisions on his own. Shang Da squinted his eyes, and he did not know what he was thinking.
Then, there was a sound of soldiers pulling ahead. At this moment, Shang Da walked over first. Jia Yun's face moved, and he followed.
"My fellow soldiers, what happened?"
"Oh, there really are people who are not afraid of death. Why, do I need you to ask what I am doing?"
The man just now hadn't spoken yet, but from behind, a captain came over on horseback, speaking in an official tone, looking him up and down. He was dressed richly, and he didn't look familiar with the place. It should be his first time outside the Great Wall.
"Sir, I dare not ask, but this man said he is the head of Ningguo Mansion in Guannei. He is the face of the nobleman. It is not good to act like this."
First, I gave them advice. After all, in the capital, every household had their own care. But I didn't know that these things were shameless outside the Great Wall.
"Humph, what you said is for those inside the pass. Outside the pass, you can only listen to the Marquis' Mansion and the Marquis. The Marquis has stipulated that all goods entering and leaving the pass must pay taxes. This is an iron law that no one can violate. You newcomers, take out your customs clearance documents and tax documents. I want to check them."
The captain said coldly, "No one outside the pass dares to question the orders of the Marquis' Mansion and the Marquis.
Such domineering words made the group of people shudder. Shang Da also saw why Marquis Luo Yun had the confidence to act recklessly in the capital. From the small, he could see the big. Now the Marquis had obtained three of the four cities outside the Great Wall, and his power was overwhelming.
But he didn't have the documents to pass the customs. When he hesitated, the soldiers around him had already drawn their swords and surrounded him. He didn't dare to hesitate and took out the gold medal from his pocket and held it in his hand.
"Sir, we are the Chamber of Commerce of Luo Yun Marquis' Mansion in the capital. I was rewarded by the Marquis and appointed as the president. This time, I am ordered by the old lady of the Marquis' Mansion to do business outside the customs. I don't have the customs documents, so I hope you can forgive me."
Although he said this lightly, the soldiers around him immediately fell silent. The leading captain was even more frightened, staring suspiciously at the token in the man's hand. Someone from the Marquis' Mansion? Is this true?
(End of this chapter)