Gu Hui was completely unaware of Peng Ze's ulterior motives. She went about her daily routine without a care in the world.
Occasionally, Princess Jinghe would tease her, and she would just smile and not say anything more.
Soon, it was the tenth day of the month.
The five neighboring kingdoms all know that the newly arrived magistrate of Kuncheng in the Great Zhou Dynasty plans to hold a Lantern Festival.
This year's trade zone was also opened on that day. From now on, the trade zone will not only open periodically, but will be open at any time. You can enter the city to do business, but you need to pay a certain deposit when you enter the city. If you cause trouble in the city, the deposit will not be refunded, and you will never be able to set foot in Kun City again.
Many businessmen were eager to make a move.
They also hold Lantern Festivals in their own country, but they always lack a certain charm and are not as lively as those in the Great Zhou Dynasty!
Therefore, many merchants from the five neighboring countries planned to come to Kuncheng for the Lantern Festival. The royal family members wanted to come, but dared not, fearing they would be captured by the Peng family. They could only send their own people to check and report back on the excitement of the lantern festival.
Of these countries, only the Goddess Kingdom has always existed independently; the other four were established by officials or generals of the previous dynasty who retreated to the periphery, raised their own armies, and became independent.
Unfortunately, apart from Xingnan Kingdom, which is closest to the capital, none of these countries can enter the territory of Da Zhou through other passes; they can only trade with Da Zhou merchants in Kun City.
The Great Zhou royal family has always been very harsh on those countries. If you want to enter the Great Zhou, fine, but the annual tribute will take up more than half of your national treasury. Who would want to come?
Their ancestors knew about lantern festivals, but they just couldn't recreate the feeling described in books. They wanted to experience it for themselves!
...
Gu Shouxin ordered the yamen runners to stop the people from making lanterns.
The common people lacked the necessary materials, so the government provided them. During the Lantern Festival, the government took back half of the money earned by the people from selling lanterns.
It was an action that involved almost the entire city.
Every household, big or small, is setting up camp.
Gu Shouxin divided the constables into groups: half patrolled as usual, while the other half went to the trading area and the Peng residence area to set up lanterns.
The government offices set an example by making some large lanterns and placing them in prominent positions.
Gu Nian didn't join in the fun; besides training, she continued to do her research every day. Gu Xin would invite Gu Si and Cheng Huaiyu to go see the lantern displays every day.
Sun Yumei and her team are working hard to produce embroidery items that will be sold later. This time, it's not just handkerchiefs and purses, but also round fans and small screens.
Cai Xiaolian told Sun Yumei that she would personally go to see how to negotiate the price if the other party wanted a long-term cooperation.
He essentially taught Sun Yumei how to do things step by step.
On the tenth day, Hua Shiyi Niang couldn't hold back any longer and came to the yamen in person to ask for advice.
She missed the piece of music that Gu Xin and Gu Si had played that day so much.
When she arrived, she didn't see Gu Xin and Gu Si; it was Cai Xiaolian who personally greeted her.
Cai Xiaolian called Sun Yumei out; this matter still needed to be resolved.
Hua Shiyi Niang was a woman in her twenties, dressed as a married woman. This was the first time she had come to the county government office in Kuncheng to meet the county magistrate's wife, who was from a completely different world from her.
The initial anxiety gradually disappeared after meeting Cai Xiaolian and exchanging a few words.
Because Cai Xiaolian told her about the other developments of Jieyoulou.
No courtesan wants to do this kind of business; they are all forced into it. Upon suddenly learning this, Hua Shiyi Niang was so excited that she couldn't speak.
After calming down, she asked, "Why would Madam Gu help women like us?"
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