What exactly happened?
...
Before long, Old Hu appeared before Qin Chuan and Su Ruyan with a procession of eight-bearer sedan chairs, two horse-drawn carriages, and all the necessary food, wine, and other items.
Old Hu handed the remaining money to Qin Chuan. Qin Chuan looked at it and saw that there were still five taels left. He hadn't expected there to be so much left...
"Village head, thank you for your trouble." Qin Chuan handed one tael of silver directly to Old Hu as a reward for his hard work.
Old Hu declined several times, but Qin Chuan insisted on giving it to him. Old Hu couldn't refuse and eventually accepted it.
This sum of one tael of silver was enough for Old Hu to earn more than a month's salary as the village head.
Qin Chuan looked at the eight-bearer sedan chair. It was indeed impressive, decorated very festively, but the carriage itself was not large, only big enough for one person...
"Where are the horses?" Qin Chuan suddenly realized that Old Hu hadn't rented any horses.
He even planned to ride a tall, magnificent horse back to the village in high spirits!
How can we manage without horses? Is renting horses too expensive? Or is the money we've given insufficient to rent them?
Why was the carriage rented?
"These horses are under the control of the imperial court. Most of the horses in the horse farms are used for military purposes, while most of the horses in civilian areas are also requisitioned. People who rent horses need to report in advance, and they will be punished if they return them late," Old Hu explained.
Qin Chuan understood. It turned out that these horses were strategic resources of the imperial court, which were under control and very difficult to rent.
"Then why are these carriages so easy to rent?" Qin Chuan asked, pointing to the carriage in confusion.
“This is a mule!” Old Hu said.
"Huh? This is a mule? I thought it was a horse!" Qin Chuan exclaimed in surprise.
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