Two months ago, inn.
Liang Su paid his respects to Zhao Ying and Zhao Xi and left.
Zhao Ying silently held the piece of paper he left under the teacup in her palm.
Shangguan Shu said that Liang Su was his confidant, and that this man was upright and honest, never deceived others, was willing to sacrifice his own life, and did not covet power and wealth. She could trust him.
Zhao Ying dismissed the people around him and opened the paper with Zhao Xi, but there were only two lines of words on it.
【The underground has ears.】
[The next day at three o'clock in the morning, at the pagoda.]
So, the two of them learned the secret of the underground of the inn. As for the pagoda, Zhao Ying asked a guard to disguise himself and inquire among the people the next day. When the guard came back, he told them that the pagoda was a pagoda in Dali, about a hundred feet high, and the person at the top of the pagoda could overlook the whole Dali.
The pagoda was built with donations from Dali clans ten years ago. The pagoda contains countless rare treasures, and under the scorching sun, the Buddha's light rises into the sky, which is impossible to look at directly.
However, there were no eminent monks practicing in such a pagoda. What was even more strange was that there was no one in the pagoda all day long, and the door was tightly closed, as if it had been built in vain and was just a decoration. The imperial guards wanted to ask more questions, but they could not get anything out of it.
Zhao Ying frowned in confusion. To avoid eavesdropping, they had already passed the message on paper. "Why did Liang Su want to meet at the pagoda?"
Zhao Xi narrowed her eyes and said, "You'll know when you get there."
That night, the two men disguised themselves and sneaked out of the inn and came to the pagoda.
The magnificent pagoda becomes even more imposing and ominous in the deep night.
The pagoda is surrounded by a circular open space with four exits on the top, bottom, left and right sides. Going deeper into the space, there are houses, horse farms, fields and woodlands.
That corner of the woods was dark and a little creepy, but it was easy to hide people.
Zhao Xi winked at Zhao Ying, and the brother and sister walked towards the woods.
Liang Su happened to be there, having been waiting for a long time.
"Your Highnesses, I will take you to the pagoda. Once there, I will tell you a story, and you will understand everything."
Liang Su's expression was obscure and solemn, which made Zhao Ying and the other two feel a little hesitant.
Liang Su was well prepared. He entered the tower, lit a fire stick, and had no obstacles on his way.
"Your Highnesses, this tower is called the Futu Tower and has forty-eight floors."
"Squeak..."
The last door was pushed open, and the night wind from deep space blew in, blowing away the stuffy air in the tower.
The three of them walked to the railing. Dark clouds were hanging overhead and the bright moon was high in the sky. Zhao Ying had never seen such a huge moon.
Under the tower, it was dark and quiet.
Zhao Xi was probably a little afraid of heights, so he glanced down at the tower and then looked away.
Liang Su suddenly pointed at the high wall behind the woods. The wall was so far away that it was hard to see clearly.
"Your Highness, please look! There are all the secrets of Dali!"
Zhao Ying looked in the direction of his fingertips but saw nothing. She took a deep breath, suppressed the depression and strangeness in her heart, and said, "General Liang, just say whatever you want to say!"
"Okay, then I will start from the beginning for your Highnesses."
"Years ago... Dali had four highly respected and wealthy clans: the Duan, Qian, Ming, and Chu."
"Duan?" Zhao Ying was surprised, and so was Zhao Xi.
Aren’t the four major clans in Dali the Liu, Bai, Xiao, and Chen?
"Your Highnesses, these are the four surnames Duan, Qian, Ming, and Chu!"
"The Duan family excelled in agriculture, the Qian family stored grain, the Ming family practiced medicine, and the Chu family established schools... The people of Dali lived and worked in peace and contentment, leaving their doors open at night. Although they were tough, they were sensible and righteous. The people regarded the four major clans as the patron saints of Dali. At one point, the people of Dali worshipped their clans instead of true gods."
"This kind of worship lasted until a few decades ago, when the Duan and Chu families married and gave birth to a baby girl named Chu Xi. Perhaps the good deeds of the clans had reached the gods, and when the baby was born, hundreds of birds came to celebrate, and the people bowed down in worship. A Taoist priest passing by said that this baby was born with a holy body for cultivating immortals. Others would encounter many disasters and hardships in their quest for enlightenment, but this baby only needed to practice normally and would naturally have the opportunity to ascend."
"The old Taoist wants to take the baby girl as his disciple and bring her back to the temple to raise her. Although the Duan and Chu families are reluctant, they also agree."
"Since then, the people have become more and more devoted to the clans, even ignoring the power of the Dali royal family. The Dali royal family is incompetent, cruel and ruthless, and the clans have been fighting for the people and the royal family for many years."
Zhao Ying stared intently. Da Chu had only controlled Dali for over a decade. Did that mean the four major clans Liang Su mentioned were a long time ago?
She remembered that the first time Shangguan Shu led the southern expedition, he fought against the bandits in the southwest. Of course, they were not bandits originally, but a brave and warlike country. Shangguan Shu turned them into bandits, and later even exterminated their entire clan.
On the way back in triumph, the army attacked Dali.
"What happened next?" Zhao Ying asked.
"Later, not long after the baby girl was sent away, a group of refugees arrived in Dali."
"There were about three hundred people, men, women, young and old, all dressed in rags. The leader of the refugees claimed to be surnamed Liu, and their ancestral home was an island on the coast of the East China Sea. Unable to endure the harsh environment and tyranny there, they fled with their families, seeking a way out."
"They first visited Jiaozhi and Lancang, but they were barbaric and uncivilized, eating raw meat and thirsting for blood. Seeing they were helpless and helpless, they slaughtered and ate them at will. They finally escaped and came to Da Chu, but Da Chu rejected foreigners and refused to accept them. They were repeatedly expelled, so they had no choice but to come to Dali."
"The clan elders were always kind and generous. Seeing how lonely and miserable they were, they took them in, gave them status, shelter, food and clothing, and even arranged jobs for them in their shops, allowing them to settle down completely in Dali."
"Later, the Qian family, which had the most shops and the most prosperous business, discovered that these refugees were very intelligent, studious, and skilled at business. So they recommended them to other clans. Gradually, these refugees gained higher and higher status within the clan, and their understanding of business dealings became increasingly clear. So, after a few years, many refugees left the clan's shops to run their own businesses."
"Although this is unethical, the clansmen didn't blame them. Anyone can do business, so if they want to do it, then go for it."
"The Liu family, one of the refugees, was engaged in the grain business, but the Duan family's shop was well-known and they couldn't compete at all, so they came up with an idea."
"Good grain is ten cents a pound, inferior grain is two cents a pound, and the average price is six cents. Liu has introduced a high-quality grain, eight cents a pound, with the good and inferior grains mixed in 50-50, so ordinary people can't tell them apart."
"The Liu family made a fortune, and the shops opened by the other refugees copied their practices. However, while this was a powerful move, it didn't shake the family's foundation."
"Then the refugees came up with another idea. They hoarded medicine and food, and then spread a plague."
"Countless civilians were killed and injured. The Ming family, skilled in medicine, tried to provide medicine to save lives but couldn't find it. They had no choice but to buy it from the Liu family at a high price. Similarly, they provided porridge and food... There were so many people in Dali, and treating them was a drain on the clansmen. The Dali royal family has always been incompetent and happy to see the clansmen suffer and break bones. After this incident, the clansmen and the people are extremely disgusted with the Liu family and others."
Zhao Xi sneered, "Such a heartless person who repays kindness with enmity is rare in this world."
Liang Su shook his head, "Your Highness doesn't know, there are even rarer things to come."
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