Chapter 290: Situation in the Imperial Capital
Su Chunlin shook his head, and the wrinkles on his already worried face deepened. "Your cousin and A-Zhan will go with you. I heard that they will change carriages when they arrive in the capital. It shouldn't be dangerous to go with the caravan."
"Dad, why are you so open-minded now?" Su Tai just found it funny.
Su Chunlin glanced at her and took a deep breath. "It's not that I'm open-minded, but I ran into dozens of officials on my way back from the border. You know? The border war requires people, and the government would like to have more people committing crimes without having to sentence them to death.
Once they are escorted to the border, there will be a military camp in charge. Those people will have to fight on the front line for at least a year! Xiong Kai, that bastard, was on the front line. I didn’t expect that the stinky boy was so lucky that he didn’t die even after this, and he still plotted against me! "
Su Chunlin became more and more angry as he thought about it. He muttered, "I should have never agreed to this marriage. It's unlucky!"
"Dad! It happened so long ago, why are you still caring about it?" Su Tai shook her head speechlessly, but she felt a lot more at ease.
Su Zhan and his group, who were being missed by Su Tai, had already left Lizhou. The further they got towards the imperial capital, the hotter the weather became.
Xiao Tangcheng’s novelty wore off and he no longer had the initial excitement, like an eggplant hit by frost.
Tang Yu was very distressed and wanted to discuss with Su Chuan to stop and rest, but was stopped by Ke Yunyun, "We followed the caravan for safety, we can't stop willfully, and they won't wait for us, so we have to grit our teeth and bear it."
"I'm worried about the child's condition." Tang Yu was worried.
He has been with Tang Cheng for so long and understands his situation. This kid is prone to getting sick when he is in a bad mood. Traveling is already tiring, and it will be troublesome if he gets sick again.
Ke Yunyun was at a loss for words.
When the caravan stopped to rest, the couple gritted their teeth and told Su Chuan and Su Zhan about the situation.
Before Su Chuan could speak, Su Zhan pulled out a wooden car and a lollipop from the carriage like a magic trick, "Give it to the child, to make him happy."
Ke Yunyun was very surprised, "Cousin, where did you get it from?"
Su Zhan laughed and said, "My sister prepared this in advance. She said that if the child makes a fuss on the way, she can give it to him again. She will give him one at a time. Tell Xiao Tangcheng that as long as he behaves well, he can get a new gift every day."
Tang Yu felt that this method was a bit mercenary, but he had no better ideas at the moment, so he could only try it.
Unexpectedly, the effect was so good.
Not only did Tang Cheng regain his lively appearance, he also became more active in eating. He said nice things to please the adults every day, and he no longer resisted Tang Yu teaching him to read.
Even the people from the caravan would praise it when they saw it.
Tang Cheng became more motivated after receiving praise from others.
The problem that had been troubling Ke Yunyun and Tang Yu was solved. At this time, Tang Yu no longer thought that rewarding was materialistic, but instead found different ways to reward the children.
In such a relaxed atmosphere, everyone adapted to life on the road and more than a month passed in a flash.
They also arrived at the imperial capital of Langya State.
Seeing the towering and majestic city walls and the mighty soldiers guarding the city, everyone was filled with awe and straightened their chests unconsciously.
The caravan had a pass and they also had a household registration permit, so they were quickly allowed into the city.
The prosperity of the city is unmatched by any other city in Lizhou Prefecture, especially the streets that are so wide that five or six carriages can run side by side, which is even more jaw-dropping.
Su Chuan looked at Tang Yu, "Brother-in-law, what should we do now?"
Tang Yu has been traveling around for many years and has a better understanding of the situation.
He thought for a moment and said, "Let's find a restaurant to stay in first, have a good meal, and then ask around to see if we can find a suitable house today. If not, we can stay in an inn for a few days. I don't know how much an inn in the imperial capital costs per night."
Once they entered the city, they began to worry about money.
The group walked out of the main street to a relatively civilian neighborhood and found a restaurant that seemed to be doing good business to rest for a while.
The waiter came forward to greet them warmly and recommended three meat dishes, two vegetable dishes and a pot of staple food, asking for two hundred coins.
Su Zhan was shocked by the price, his face changed, and he quickly asked the waiter, "Brother, are things in the imperial capital very expensive?"
"Of course. This is the imperial capital after all! Any steamed bun costs three cents." The waiter answered as a matter of course.
Su Zhan and others looked at each other.
When the waiter came to serve the dishes, Su Chuan gave him another twenty coins and asked about the situation in the city. "We are new here and plan to stay in the imperial capital. Does the waiter have any good suggestions?"
For the sake of the twenty cents, the waiter answered the question very attentively.
"If you want to stay in the city, it's best to go to the west. The center of the imperial city is the imperial palace. The inner city, centered on the imperial palace, is inhabited by dignitaries. There is a moat between the inner city and the outer city. The outer city is divided into four districts: east, west, south, and north. Most of the people living in the south are small officials and wealthy businessmen. If you don't have a certain status, you will be looked down upon if you go there.
The people living in the north of the city are all local civilians. Although they are ordinary, they are all locals and are xenophobic. Moreover, many of them live together in clans. They are numerous and powerful. If you go there and have a conflict with others, no one will help you. Therefore, people from other places usually do not settle in the north of the city.
The east of the city is mainly the market town, where there are more businesses and it is the most prosperous. The west of the city is more complicated, where half are rich and half are ordinary people. Many wealthy families have built villas there. Oh, by the way, there are also academies there. You don't have to worry about being bullied if you settle there."
Tang Yu frowned, "If that's the case, wouldn't it be a place where all kinds of people are mixed together? It's not very stable."
The waiter shook his head. "The imperial capital has government offices and soldiers patrolling every area in the east, west, south and north. It's very safe. If there's any instability, it's in the east, not the west. It's just that there aren't any big forces there, so it's suitable for outsiders to settle down."
"Thank you!"
Su Chuan and his friends came out of the restaurant and headed straight for the west of the city.
It took another hour to walk from the east to the west of the city. When they arrived at the west city, they could finally breathe a sigh of relief.
The servants in Langya State are divided into official and private ones. Private ones are relatively fewer and can only become vassals of official servants. Although the price can be cheaper when buying and selling houses, troubles are likely to arise later, and when disputes arise over houses, official servants will not intervene to help resolve them.
They chose Guan Ya without any consideration.
After careful comparison, Ke Yunyun took a fancy to a courtyard with two entrances, which was very similar to the backyard of where she lived in Su Tai's house. There were eight rooms in the front yard, which could be used for daily life, such as the main room, kitchen, bathroom, etc., and could also be used as a few guest rooms. The eight rooms in the back yard were connected to the front yard only by a small door.
The small gate is bolted, separating the backyard from the front yard, providing great privacy, and the high courtyard wall gives people a full sense of security.
This courtyard is not cheap. Guan Ya asked for 1,500 taels of silver, which is far beyond Tang Yu's financial resources.
Tang Yu was hesitating whether to buy on credit, but Ke Yunyun paid the money readily and bought the yard.
"Madam, you don't have to spend this money. I can find a way." Tang Yu said with a red face.
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