While officials were considering the government's political intentions and the political threats from Yanjing, ordinary people needed three meals a day and daily necessities.
But at the same time, perhaps because I did not participate, did not witness it with my own eyes, and the shadow of ten years ago is still there, the whole city still has a feeling of not being satisfied, not being transparent, not being relieved... So, I still can't help but talk about it.
This is a situation that seems contradictory, but is actually natural.
Xincaomen is theoretically the east gate of Dongjing City. Entering from Xincaomen and heading west, you can pass by Xuande Tower along the south wall of the palace and finally leave from Wanshengmen in the west.
However, since bulk goods all went through the Bian Canal, officials and livestock generally went through Nanxun Gate, and there was an Yichun Garden outside Chaoyang Gate further south that had been converted into a horse racecourse, the palace expenses could never be increased, so both the New Cao Gate and the Inner City Cao Gate were more like vassals of the Inner City Maxing Street commercial district.
Nowadays, most of the people passing by here every day are "drivers" from the villages in the east of the city. They own fields and are farmers, but they do not delay pushing their carts into the city early every day during the slack season, take over the small flags and then deliver takeout on Ma Xing Street... This is a better place in the east of the city than in the west.
"What happened up ahead? Fatty Ma, go ask."
Zhao Luobo, the fourth shopkeeper of Fanlou, is certainly not a delivery man, but his family also lives outside the east gate, so he gets up early every morning to collect some fresh fruits and vegetables and fish balls in the east of the city, exclusively for Fanlou... There are not many things, but they are fresh. He can borrow them from the delivery drivers in Fanlou and still have some change left. Today is no exception, but at this moment, he arrived at Xincaomen on a mule, but was surprised to find that the road seemed blocked today.
Ma Pang was a takeaway driver at Fanlou, and a younger generation of Zhao Luobo's neighbor. Upon hearing this, he immediately went forward to inquire, but after a moment, he hurried back and told the whole story:
"Uncle Zhao... the gate is open, but there are barricades and notices posted on it. The gatekeeper is also shouting that there is military business at Xincao Gate today and it will not be accessible before noon. We should take a detour..."
"Get into the fucking military."
Zhao Luobo was furious. "I walked up to him and told him to take a detour... The world is peaceful, the Jurchen emperor has fled from Yanjing and died, where is the military mission? How can the Jurchens come again from thousands of miles away?"
Ma Pang and a group of Fanlou drivers just remained silent.
After Zhao Luobo finished scolding, he looked back at his own convoy behind him. He was helpless, so he carefully counted out a hundred coins from his pocket and handed them to Ma Pang: "Isn't your relative in our village working as a manager here? Go and ask... Tell them that they are waiting to cook in the building, and they also need to provide for the gentlemen. With so many people, it will take more than half an hour to go around Chaoyang Gate."
Fat Ma nodded repeatedly and immediately stepped forward to take the money. However, when he turned around, he couldn't help but curl his lips, thinking that Uncle Luobo was too stingy... For such a serious matter, what's the use of a hundred coins?
Are you still using the same methods as when you were rich, prosperous and wealthy?
Sure enough, Ma Pang took a hundred coins and went around the city, only to ask the family, and then ran back with the money in his pocket without showing a penny:
"Let Uncle Zhao know... As soon as I took out the money, the captain guarding the gate found out. He said that Fanlou was nothing before military affairs! The fourth shopkeeper was nothing again! The money was gone, and I got kicked for nothing... They only let us enter from the Chaoyang Gate in the south. A moment later means a moment of delay. Fanlou has no food for lunch, it's all we deserve!"
Zhao Luobo, who was riding on the mule, had a pale face. It was obvious that he was afraid of delaying things, but at the same time he was reluctant to give up the hundred coins. After a long while, he gritted his teeth and said, "Did you steal the money? You don't allow familiar faces to enter the house for a hundred coins? This didn't happen during the Xuanhe period!"
Ma Pang just shook his head and smiled bitterly, which made the other drivers and Li Fu laugh too.
The people from Fanlou gave them face, but the people from the other regular stores nearby didn't even bother to give them face, and directly mocked them: "Uncle Radish, the Emperor Jianyan is in power now, and he hates the things that happened during the Xuanhe period the most... Why don't you tell us about the time when you were growing radishes in the east of the city 20 years ago? At that time, there was even General Gao who bought radishes from your family!"
Zhao Luobo felt more and more embarrassed and distressed, but he had no choice but to order the convoy to turn to Chaoyang Gate.
But at this moment, the shopkeeper of Fanlou, who was sitting on the mule, turned around and was surprised to find that as the morning fog dissipated, smoke and dust had already billowed on the eastern road, as if a large army was approaching.
This made him, who had experienced the Jingkang escape and returned again, feel uneasy, and he immediately made up his mind:
"Let's go, let's go through Chaoyang Gate. Don't run into the army."
Everyone started, but after only a few steps, someone from the Xincao Gate suddenly shouted on the city gate tower: "People from Ma Xing Street, you really can't get through Chaoyang Gate at this time... Minister Zhang has ordered to open the barricades and let the drivers going to Ma Xing Street get in first!"
Manager Zhao was confused and naturally couldn't take another detour, but there was a traffic jam ahead and the army was approaching behind him, so he couldn't help but panic. He could only shout repeatedly, asking Fan Lou's car to follow him closely and not to leave the team without permission.
In the distance, the army was approaching, and as they neared the solid road in front of the gate, the smoke and dust gradually faded, making it even more obvious how large the army was and how powerful it was.
Manager Zhao, who was used to being afraid of the army, became even more panicked. He just pushed forward and finally entered the Xincao Gate before the army arrived. He breathed a sigh of relief and turned back to scold:
"Don't be greedy to look at the army. You'll break eggs and drop carrots. Let's walk along the street... Walk slowly, look while walking... Don't do either..."
The drivers were about to respond when they found that Zhao Luobo suddenly froze in place, then looked at the city gate of Xincaomen in astonishment.
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