Unfortunately, hundreds of years later, the once-well-equipped drainage system has been blocked for who knows how many years. Not only can it not withstand heavy rains and floods, but even the daily sewage from residents cannot flow away, and can only gather into cesspools at various street corners.

The shops on both sides of the road have repeatedly encroached on the streets, causing many streets that could once accommodate two carriages side by side to now be difficult for pedestrians to pass. The stone slabs paved on the streets have long been pried away, either used to build houses or to build cemeteries, but it doesn't matter. In Ruan Shihao's view, there is no difference between these two actions. Both are to provide people with a place to live, the only difference is that one is for the living and the other is for the dead.

Of course, the inner city was not like this. As the location of the royal palace and the residence of dignitaries, no one dared to touch a brick or tile there. However, the outer city had long been flooded with sewage and reeked with stench. Every summer, the Taichang Temple was trembling with fear for an epidemic.

It’s not that no one has proposed to renovate the outer city, but none of them have been successful.

Sometimes there was no money, or the money was not enough. After everyone had divided their profits, they found that there was no money left to start work, so they simply did not start. Anyway, it was the fault of those low-class people that things turned out like this, and it had nothing to do with the court.

Sometimes there is money, but no one can do it. If you want to restore the outer city to its original appearance, you have to demolish the houses they built illegally, dig up the streets, dredge the drainage, and then rebuild the roads with stone slabs.

No one can do this without causing public resentment.

The last person to forcefully attempt this was the Minister of Revenue decades ago. Ruan Shihao vaguely remembered the old man saying that during those years of bumper harvests and peace, the treasury finally had money, so the Minister of Revenue proposed a massive plan to rebuild the capital of Taijing, and it received support from almost the entire court, including the king.

Until the soldiers demolished the old houses that blocked the road.

It was not until the homeowners knelt at the gate of the palace and said that the houses had been passed down for more than ten generations, and some were even family ancestral halls, that they were demolished by the soldiers that they demanded an explanation.

Until the shop owners who had no business because of the road digging also joined the petition army at the palace gate.

Finally, when several so-called folk elders who were elected and would die at the gate of the palace with the help of their families, even the Minister of Revenue could not suppress the matter.

Ruan Shihao could hardly remember the final outcome, but he heard that this meddlesome Minister of Revenue did not have a good ending, and the outer city returned to its original state, until he was born, grew up, and moved away in the outer city...until today.

However, Ruan Shihao did not see any residents trying to stop the construction here. This is understandable. After all, the Qinghe people had just occupied this place, and the people might still be afraid. But he also did not see any soldiers maintaining order. This is a bit difficult to understand. If there is not enough force, what should be done if these people obstruct the construction?