Chapter 20: Border Town No matter how smart she is, she can't escape his...
In late spring, the wind in Mucheng was a bit hot.
Shu Yao set up an inconspicuous stall in the east of the city.
A few bamboo poles enclosed a small area, with a dozen bamboo tubes scattered on the ground.
The body of the tube was covered with red paper with words like one qian, five qian and even one liang written on them.
There was an old wooden board next to the stall, with the words "Three coins and five lots, the winner gets silver" written on it in charcoal.
To put it bluntly, it's a bit like putting a ring on it.
In her previous life, she had always dreamed of living like this, setting up a stall when she was happy and closing it when she was lazy.
When you work for yourself, you want to be free.
When she first traveled through time and space and became a princess, she thought she could just lie down.
As a result, she came at the wrong time.
Just as Shu Yao was lamenting the bizarre life of an ox or a horse, she suddenly felt her sleeves tighten.
It turned out that he was pulled twice by someone, neither lightly nor heavily.
She looked down and saw a boy who looked about seven or eight years old pulling her sleeve, pointing at a bamboo tube on the ground with his other hand, staring at it eagerly.
"Madam! Madam! What is this?" the boy asked repeatedly, looking up. "How do we play it? Tell me!"
Behind the boy was an old woman.
Although he was muttering, "Hey, my little ancestor! Slow down!"
But his eyes were full of indulgence, and there was not much intention to stop him.
The slight emotion in Shu Yao's heart about the life of an ox or a horse was diluted a little by the lively atmosphere of the city.
She bent down and looked the boy in the eye with a smile: "Good question, young man! This is called tossing a pot, it's very fun!" As she spoke, she picked up a smooth bamboo stick and turned it lightly between her fingers, which just caught the boy's attention.
"See those bamboo tubes?" She pointed at them on the ground. "Give me three copper coins, young man, and I'll give you five bamboo sticks." She pointed at the cloth blocking the stall. "Just stand there and throw the sticks as hard as you can. Whichever one you hit, the prize inside will be yours! So, you wanna try your luck?"
The boy's eyes lit up when he heard this. He turned around and hugged the old woman, shouting, "Grandma! Grandma! I want to play! I want to play! Give me money!"
The old woman was swayed by him, and she laughed and scolded him as a little debt collector. She slowly took out the purse from her waist and said to Shu Yao, "You are good at attracting customers... Three copper coins, right? Give me five sticks and let my grandson play with them. Don't cry if you don't catch them!" She said the last sentence while pointing at the boy's forehead.
Shu Yao was just thinking about whether to use the three copper coins to buy a sesame cake when she saw an unusual commotion coming from the street corner.
"Get out of the way! Everyone, get out of the way!" A team of Mucheng soldiers cut through the bustling crowd and strode forward.
The leader, clutching a scroll of notice, stood a few paces in front of Shu Yao's stall. He quickly unfolded the silk paper and mechanically read out: "Order from the City Lord! Effective immediately, military taxes will be levied to strengthen the city's defenses and ensure the safety of the people! Anyone setting up a stall in the market must pay ten cents per day! Those who defy the order will be charged with treasury treasury, their goods confiscated, and they will be detained and investigated!"
As soon as these words were spoken, there was an uproar.
"Ten cents?! You might not even earn that much after working hard all day!"
"I just paid the spring tax, why are they adding more? This is killing me!"
The captain stepped forward to Shu Yao and said, "Ten cents."
"Please wait a moment." Shu Yao planned to spend money to avoid disaster.
Just as he was about to take out his money, he heard the other party shout, "Wait! You look unfamiliar. Show me your pass!"
It turned out that the team leader thought she was a young man because of her dark skin and thick clothes, but when she spoke, he found out that she had a woman's voice.
Thinking of the city lord's recent strict investigation of suspicious people, he suddenly became suspicious.
Shu Yao hurriedly took out the newly issued travel permit from her bosom, and almost at the same time, stuffed all the copper coins on hand into the team leader's palm.
He forced a twitch of his lips and lowered his voice, "These... are all considered tea money as a token of my respect to you... Please do me a favor!"
The captain weighed the copper coins in his hand, which amounted to far more than ten coins, and then threw the pass back to her, snorting coldly: "You're smart!"
Then he walked to the next stall.
Shu Yao hurriedly put the pass into her arms, feeling a little uneasy.
In troubled times, a city lord with a powerful army suddenly increases military taxes. I'm afraid it's not just ordinary corruption and exploitation...
She couldn't afford to take the risk.
Mucheng is no longer a place to stay for long!
Shu Yao found three more copper coins and stuffed them back into the old woman's hand, saying in a hurried and low voice, "Auntie, I'm really sorry. I'll return the money to you. I won't run this stall anymore..."
The old woman was startled when she heard this. She glanced at the soldiers not far away who were still shouting at the tax collectors. She seemed to understand something as she held the copper coin she had found again. She murmured, "This world..."
Without saying anything more, he grabbed his grandson who was still clamoring to play and left in a hurry.
Shu Yao closed up her stall as quickly as possible.
He packed up all his belongings, locked the gate, and led his horse to blend in with the crowd leaving the city.
Riding a horse along the forest path, the shadows of bamboos on both sides quickly swept backwards, and the wind whistled in my ears.
The rustling of bamboo leaves makes people inexplicably irritated.
Shu Yao forced herself to calm down and recall the map information she had written down in the Documents Courtyard.
Keep going along this road and you will reach the Wuyi boundary marker.
There is a remote little pier hidden next to the monument, where you can hire a boat to travel to other border towns.
The Yellow River served as the boundary between Liang and Jin, and the waterways were well connected.
Even if Xiao Chengjing is extremely powerful, it is impossible for him to search all the border cities for her.
While he was thinking, he suddenly saw dust rising in front of him and a group of soldiers galloping towards him from a distance.
Shu Yao's heart skipped a beat.
That helmet tassel and that black armor are clearly the style of the Liang army!
She quickly lowered her head and pulled the reins.
The horse's hooves slowed down.
She retreated to the side of the road and stood quietly with her head down.
I just hope this team of people will pass by raising a cloud of dust.
But then there was the sound of a chaotic clatter of horses' hooves, and the man in the lead sighed, pulled the reins, and stopped abruptly beside her.
Then he raised his hand to stop the riders behind him.
More than ten riders and horses blocked Shu Yao's way.
Hot air blew out of the horse's nose and hit the hem of her skirt.
She subconsciously shrank back, and the horse under her also retreated.
The horse's hooves stepped on the bamboo roots, making a crisp sound.
The scout (ancient scout) who was sitting on his horse slowly turned his head and asked, "Where are you going alone, my lady?"
Shu Yao's breath was caught in her throat.
Is it so easy to spot a woman disguised as a man?!
That's not what's written in the novel...
She glanced at the scouts, then looked away to the right. "General, please understand! The Liang-Jin war has just ended, and the city lord suddenly raised military taxes... I'm afraid... afraid that fighting will break out again... That's why I'm thinking of leaving the city before dark and seeking refuge with relatives out in the city..."
When the scout heard the words "increase military taxes", his brows suddenly tightened and his eyes quickly swept across Shu Yao's face, as if weighing the truthfulness of her words.
After a moment, he snorted coldly. Although his tone was still stern, it softened a bit. "Hmph! You do have some knowledge, and you know how to avoid danger and seek good fortune! It's a pity that you used it in the wrong place!" He tightened the reins with one hand to calm the horse's anxious stamping hooves. With the other hand, he raised the whip and pointed in the direction Shu Yao originally intended to go. "The army of the Emperor of Liang will be here in an instant! Not to mention you, even a bird can't fly over! I advise you to turn back quickly. If you take another step forward, you will be punished as a spy!"
When Shu Yao saw that the scout did not suspect her, a huge stone in her heart fell to the ground.
He hurriedly thanked him: "Thank you for your guidance, General! Thank you for your guidance, General! I will take a detour and will not cause you any trouble!"
After saying this, she turned her horse around and returned the same way.
The scout narrowed his eyes and stared at the direction she disappeared in for a moment, then turned back and shouted to his deputy, "Report what this woman said to the general immediately!"
Before he finished speaking, a horseman galloped out with whip drawn.
When the soldiers came to report, Zhao Yan was about to discuss the affairs of Mucheng with Xiao Chengjing.
Upon hearing this, Zhao Yan immediately opened the tent and entered, his expression solemn, saying, "Your Majesty, the person sent to invite Mucheng City Lord Shen Yue to a banquet has not returned yet. Another scout reported that Shen Yue has secretly increased military taxes and locked the city gates. I am afraid that Shen Yue has become disloyal and regards this banquet as a Hongmen Banquet, so I will not be attending."
Xiao Chengjing sat leaning at the desk, slowly turning the red brush between his fingers.
The pen holder was purple-brown, which made his fingers look even whiter and longer.
After a long while, he finally chuckled, "Oh? When did it happen?"
"It's been two hours since the agreed time." Zhao Yan's brows were filled with worry. "Mucheng is not like Yumen. If he keeps fighting like a trapped beast, a forced attack might cause unrest among the people."
"Forced attack?" Xiao Chengjing slowly tapped the end of his pen against the table, making a rhythmic sound. "Zi Yan, when did I ever say we were going to force an attack?"
Zhao Yan thought for a moment and asked tentatively, "Then what Your Majesty means is..."
"Chen Yue is mean and ungrateful, and Mucheng may not be united." Xiao Chengjing let out a cold smile. "Within a few hours, someone will bring Chen Yue's head and open the city to surrender."
"Your Majesty is wise!" Zhao Yan's eyes showed understanding.
Your Majesty's decision to take a detour through Mucheng on the way back to Liang was not a spur-of-the-moment decision, but was well planned.
"Oh, right." Xiao Chengjing stopped Zhao Yan as he turned to leave. "Since Chen Yue has already locked up the city, how did the scouts find out that he was secretly collecting military taxes?"
Zhao Yan immediately stopped and turned, "Your Majesty, our scouts intercepted a lone woman on the trade route outside the city. After a brief interrogation, they learned that Mucheng was levying taxes." He paused, noticing the emperor's slightly frosted expression, and continued, "When we arrived at the city gates, we found them firmly shut."
Xiao Chengjing listened silently, then suddenly twisted the pen with his fingertips, and the red pen tip hung in the air.
"A woman?" His eyes narrowed slightly.
Zhao Yan quickly added, "Yes, the woman said she fled in a hurry because Mucheng imposed heavy taxes..."
"Leaving the city alone just because of taxation..." Xiao Chengjing's eyes flashed with the interest of a cat playing with a mouse.
The clever appearance of the woman suddenly appeared in my mind, overlapping with the figure deep in my memory.
The line of her tightly pursed lips rises almost imperceptibly, outlining a calmness that is in control.
After a moment, he mused, "She does know how to choose a place."
After saying this, he flicked his sleeves casually, as if brushing away all the anxiety of the past few days.
No matter how smart she is, she can't escape from his control.
Xiao Chengjing ordered Zhao Yan, "Go and bring that woman here." Finally, he added, "Remember, don't hurt her."
"Yes, Your Majesty!" Zhao Yan's heart trembled, and he clasped his fists and accepted the order.
The author has something to say:
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Alas, I hope the heroine escapes, but I also hope the hero catches her [evil smile]
I was so happy to receive the reward from the baby yesterday. I went to the author's column and saw that 6 discerning babies had collected my collection [sunglasses]
Although I haven’t decided what to write next, I’ve received a lot of positive feedback from writing so far, which makes me very happy [Panda Head]
In addition, the hero and heroine will meet in the next chapter [Let me see]
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