Although it has only been a few years, Wright's tavern has undergone some changes - after Wright left, it first became a hideout for a group of "idlers". When the Tianjuan Army entered the Assyrian city, it was confiscated and turned into a warehouse.
Now, it has become a tavern again, and has a new name - Hope Tavern.
It is worth mentioning that it is no longer anyone’s private property, but belongs to the Assyrian municipal government - both the operation and management and the profits.
In addition to the Hope Tavern, the government also has industries such as hotels and specialty stores. The income from them will be used for the salaries and subsidies of government officials. These are all set by Woolley, because for now, taxes can only be used to enhance military strength, develop the economy, infrastructure, medical care, education, and disaster relief...
At nightfall, Wu Lai left the port to relax and unknowingly came to the door of this tavern. He suddenly became interested and simply asked two knights to wait across the street while he went in as a customer.
The tavern no longer had the luxury it had during Wright's time, but it still had many customers because, in addition to being able to accommodate one or two hundred people at a time, the quality of the wine, the price, and the service also satisfied the customers.
Wu Lai lowered his head and followed a young bartender up to the second floor.
"Sir, the second floor is quieter than the first floor, and there are far fewer people." The young bartender led the way and spoke with a smile.
Wu Lai responded and asked, "You are hired by the Government Office, right? How much is your salary?"
After the young bartender said a number, Wu Lai nodded and thought to himself that it was no wonder that the service attitude was so good, as the salary was obviously higher than that elsewhere.
There were quite a few people on the second floor. At a glance, there were about twenty people sitting at four or five tables. Some of them were obviously a little drunk, and their movements and voices were somewhat involuntary. Seeing this, Wu Lai smiled slightly, chose a small wine table in the southeast corner, sat down with his back to these people, and ordered a bottle of wine and a plate of preserved fruits.
He chose a very good position so that no one would notice him and yet he could hear the sounds he wanted to hear.
The preserved fruits and wine were served soon. After seeing the respect and expectation in the young bartender's eyes, Wu Lai took out two silver coins and placed them on the table: "No need to give me the change."
"Thank you, sir. Thank you, sir. You are so generous." The young bartender's repeated thanks attracted the attention of the surrounding drinkers, but after confirming that they could only see the back or a small part of the side, they quickly lost interest.
"Go down, I'll open the bottle myself." Wu Lai just waved at the young bartender when an abrupt voice came from behind him -
"Oh my! What era is this? There are still people showing off their wealth?!" The voice sounded quite sarcastic.
"Olis, this is someone else's right. Doesn't the new law say that any legitimate rights are protected?" someone echoed.
Wu Lai smiled bitterly and shook his head. It was obvious that the conversation between the two men was directed at him.
"Customer..." The young bartender showed a trace of uneasiness on his face.
"Go down." Wu Lai waved his hand again.
"New law?! Don't talk to me about some bullshit new law!" There was a strong smell of gunpowder in this sentence. Wu Lai frowned slightly. This was obviously said by the man called "Olis".
However, as soon as he said this, Wu Lai's interest was really aroused, although his original intention of coming here today was to drink, relax and reminisce, and it had nothing to do with the incognito visit.
"Olis, stop talking nonsense, this is..." This was the voice that just echoed.
"Go to hell, Lennon, where is your new law? Freedom of speech, freedom of speech." Ollis's slap landed heavily on the table, causing the cups and plates to rattle.
"This..." The young bartender who was standing next to Wu Lai and had not yet left showed a flash of timidity on his face. He quickly saluted Wu Lai, turned around and went downstairs.
Woolley opened the bottle...
"I'll say what I want to say. Whoever wants to listen can listen. If they don't want to listen, they can get out!" Ollis shouted.
"Go ahead, Oris, but I really hope you can say something new tonight. If not, it's better to shut up." Someone said with a laugh.
"New?!" Oris stood up suddenly, "Then the new law is the newest! Humph! You all know that during the Tianjuan invasion of Assyria, they repeatedly asked our Hilton family to join them, but our family would rather choose to move away than..."
"Oris, stop bragging. Just based on the Hilton family that originated from a coppersmith workshop, do you think Tianjuan would look down on you? What's more, your family has moved to Lovington before Tianjuan's people have arrived, right?" someone else shouted.
Oris blushed and raised his voice: "But my Hilton family is full of talented people. When the Tianjuan invaded, it is undeniable that they were loyal to Assyria, right? Now that Assyria is becoming more and more stable, other families can resume their old business, so why can't our Hilton family do the same?"
"Tell me, why not?" someone asked.
"It's all because of the new law!" Ollis waved his fist and said, "The new law prohibits our Hilton family from opening a workshop. Isn't this cutting off our livelihood? According to the new law, opening a workshop to make a living is a legitimate right and is protected. But why is it that we are not protected? Isn't the government just looking down on us and picking on the honest people like us?"
"Olis, Ollis, stop talking." The man named Lennon suddenly tugged at the corner of Ollis's clothes.
"I want to say it! I'm going to say it!" As soon as Oris struggled, he caught a glimpse of two figures walking towards him. He looked closely and saw that they were two young men in government officials' uniforms. His heart began to beat slowly. After hesitating for a moment, he slowly sat down.
"I was wondering why there was so much noise, it turns out it's you, Oris." After walking to and stopping in front of Oris's desk, the leading government official said with a stern face.
"Oh, it turns out you are the adults from the Government Office. Nice to meet you." Oris curled his lips.
"Olis, tonight, I'm warning you for the last time. If you continue to slander the new law, the government will be rude to you." The second government official pointed at Oris and said.
This attitude... Wu Lai frowned.
Ollis was immediately angered. "Defamation?! You accuse me of slander again?! Which of what I just said is not true? The noble status of our Hilton family has been abolished, and hundreds of slaves in the family have been freed by you. You said you would not open the coppersmith workshop that we have relied on for generations. Humph! There are more than 80 people in our Hilton family. Can you support them?!"
"Olis, all actions of the government are carried out strictly in accordance with the new laws and regulations. What your family is experiencing, other families are also experiencing..." The leading government official was interrupted by Oris before he could finish his words.
"Bullshit! What experience! I only know that those who followed Wuleglindo all got benefits! The Duncan family, who retreated without fighting and let the Assyrian frontline collapse, actually got a private land! Wuleglindo is biased..."
"Shut up!" With a shout, Oris's neck was tightly grasped by the second government official. The official's arm strength was obviously not small. Oris's body was huge, but he couldn't break free after being strangled by the official. His face was getting redder and his expression was getting more and more panicked.
The drinkers nearby hurried forward to smooth things over.
"Oris, calling the Lord by his name and slandering him maliciously are both serious crimes! This time, your Hilton family is finished!" The leading government official said in a deep voice, and waved his right arm fiercely at the drinkers who surrounded him, "All of you go away, the government office is doing business, outsiders, please stay away!"
Some of the drinkers kept silent while others sat back. After those who were familiar with Oris exchanged glances, two of them took out their wallets from their pockets and handed them to the two government officials with a smile.
"What are you doing? Are you trying to bribe us? Get out of here!" The two leading government officials took a step back. "I'm warning you, don't play this trick on us. The Lord has taught us that all government officials must be honest and abide by the law. The Lord's words are the law, and the Lord's words are the decree!"
"Who said that?" a voice came from behind him.
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"What happened to what we were talking about?!" The government official who was still holding Oris turned around, his body trembled suddenly, and he even stuttered, "So, it turns out... it's... the Lord..."
Lord?! Everyone was stunned.
"It seems you have seen me before." Wu Lai smiled slightly and walked quickly to the table of Oris. "Let go of this Oris."
"Yes, yes." After the two government officials let go of Oris, they hurriedly saluted Wu Lai. Seeing this, the drinkers around them also hurriedly saluted. Oris hesitated for a moment, his knees softened, and he knelt down on the ground.
"Your honorable lord, I, I was drinking...drinking..." Oris was so confused at the moment that he couldn't finish his words.
"No need to be polite." Wu Lai waved his hand. "It's just a coincidence today. I saw some things that were hard to see before." As soon as Wu Lai finished speaking, everyone on the second floor became uneasy. The two government officials and Oris simply broke out in sweat.
Wu Lai looked at the two government officials and said, "As government officials, you two had a poor attitude and inappropriate approach when handling the problem. You must correct it in the future."
The two government officials nodded quickly.
"It's very good that you can stick to your principles in the face of temptation. Keep it up," Wu Lai added.
"We will follow the Lord's instructions." The two government officials responded at the same time.
"Let me make a few statements." Wu Lai glanced at everyone. "First, it's okay to call me by my name. This is a tavern, not a temple. If we were in a temple, I hope everyone would abide by religious etiquette. Second, my words are neither laws nor oracles. All laws are promulgated after collective discussion and research by the public opinion delegation and government officials. I personally have no power or intention to influence public opinion. Third, freedom of speech is correct, but when commenting on current affairs and laws and regulations, one must be fair and objective. Once personal emotions and wishes are mixed in, it is easy to mislead others and interfere with the normal livelihood construction of Assyria."
"The lord is right." The drinkers were full of admiration. Putting aside Wu Lai's great contribution to Assyria, his identity as the number one person in Assyria and the fact that he could talk to everyone here in a friendly manner was a remarkable thing in itself.
"Your name is Oris, right?" Wu Lai's eyes fell on Oris.
"Yes, yes." Oris nodded quickly.
"Banneing the nobility and slaves is to promote the development of Assyrian civilization. We also know that not all things can be 100% perfect. Therefore, as long as we can get the support of the vast majority of people, conform to the interests of the vast majority of people, and meet the needs of Assyria's development, these things can be done. Oris, you can look around and compare more. What is the difference between the current government officials and the previous officials? Are the people now living a more stable life than before?" Wu Lai said.
Oris quickly expressed his opinion: "Respected Lord, I don't need to look again to know that the people in the government office serve the people and act fairly. The people... the people also say that under your leadership, life will get better and better. They firmly believe in this."
"Okay." Wu Lai nodded. "Let me tell you about the Duncan family. It is true that the Duncan family has obtained private territory, but we must see that the Duncan family has gained it by virtue of great merit. Think about it, if Long Wendun had surrendered to the Tianjuan during the invasion, the road to recovering Assyria would never be as smooth as it is now. Moreover, General Weihuo is now guarding Annan with the children of the Duncan family and pressing on Titania, and is still fighting bravely for the dignity and territory of our Assyria. If it weren't for them, without those brave soldiers guarding us firmly, can everyone drink, chat and complain here?"
Everyone shook their heads.
"Finally, I'd like to remind Oris." Wu Lai raised a smile. "The new law does not restrict any person or family from operating a copper product workshop. It only stipulates that the metal product industry is not allowed to be monopolized. The price, scale and production direction must be guided and supervised by the government. You know, metal can be made into both civilian goods and weapons. Now is wartime, and it is also a period of large-scale infrastructure construction in the territory. The consumption of metal has increased greatly. If there is no good overall coordination, wouldn't it be a waste of the already limited tax revenue?"
So that's how it is...Olis nodded quickly, and the people around him also agreed. The man named Lennon was obviously a show-off. He raised his hand and shouted, "My Lord, you are absolutely right. Oh, only someone as far-sighted as you can see things so far and think so carefully. Respected Lord, I, Lennon, love to talk, and I really hope to get your permission to pass on your teachings tonight to others."
"That's fine, I agree." Wu Lai nodded with a smile.
"Thank you, Lord." Lennon grinned, feeling so relieved. The Lord, the high priest, had promised him personally, so he would have a lot of listeners for at least a month.
Oris hurriedly apologized and expressed his opinion. Seeing Wu Lai's friendly and unpretentious attitude, the drinkers gathered around him. Some wanted to ask questions, and some wanted to see Wu Lai more clearly from a close distance.
At this moment, two knights rushed up the stairs. After greeting, one of them stopped everyone and signaled everyone to step back, while the other came to Wu Lai and whispered a few words in a hurry.
After hearing this, Wu Lai's eyes suddenly lit up.
"Good Pu Tong, he is indeed a lucky general!" Wu Lai clenched his fist excitedly...