Li Chang'an watched the carriage disappear into the distance and sighed. He felt a little regretful that he hadn't been able to have a proper chat about physics with the coachman.
He weighed the copper coin in his hand and gave a mocking laugh.
Those who didn't stop the carriage were whipped several times.
The one who blocked the carriage had taken a string of copper coins.
What an ironic world.
He looked back and tossed the copper coins to the vagrant who had been whipped: "These are for you to treat your wounds."
The man who had been beaten caught the copper coin thrown at him, knelt on the ground and kowtowed, muttering, "Thank you, sir, thank you, sir."
Ignoring his gratitude, Li Chang'an led Su Xiao away.
We encountered several more carriages afterward, but none were as arrogant as the first one.
When Li Chang'an saw this, he would stand by the roadside and let them pass first.
He is still very reasonable.
Just as Li Chang'an's legs began to ache, a gong sounded behind him.
"Clang, clang, clang~"
When officials travel, ordinary people should scatter.
"Clang, clang, clang~"
When officials travel, ordinary people should scatter.
A group of soldiers, carrying swords at their waists, drove away the refugees on the roadside.
The refugees were driven off the main road, and they knelt on the ground, not daring to raise their heads, for fear of offending the soldiers and being arrested and beheaded.
Li Chang'an was also invited to the roadside, but the soldiers in front of him did not treat him like other refugees.
Instead, he respectfully cupped his hands in greeting and said to him, "We need your assistance with government affairs."
Seeing that he was quite polite, Li Chang'an did not make a scene. He quietly stepped back to the side of the road and stood among the refugees, watching them curiously.
I wanted to see what officials appointed by the imperial court looked like.
The officers and soldiers didn't care that he didn't kneel down.
After all, he was dressed like a scholar, so he must have achieved some academic success.
In the Ming Dynasty, there was a rule that scholars who passed the imperial examinations could refuse to bow to officials.
The officers and soldiers knew this rule, so no one reprimanded him.
After the soldiers who led the way left, a procession of honor came along, followed by a three-horse carriage.
Behind the carriage was a troop of mounted soldiers, each one clad in armor and strong and robust.
Sitting in the carriage was the top scholar, personally selected by the Emperor, who achieved the highest rank in the imperial examination.
He lifted the curtain and looked at the homeless people on the roadside, feeling pity for them.
He had witnessed countless such scenes on his journey from the capital to the border, and from being heartbroken at the beginning, he had become somewhat numb to them.
The Ming Dynasty is now beset by internal and external troubles. The border is threatened by Tartars and barbarians, and the court is plagued by corrupt officials forming cliques and factions.
There were even instances of government officials embezzling military funds while fighting was taking place on the border.
At the beginning of this year, several thousand border troops rebelled because they had not received their pay. Although the rebellion was quelled, the losses were minimal.
However, this also served as a warning to the current emperor, which is why he was sent down to inspect the border.
What he saw along the way was shocking; he never imagined that the Ming Dynasty had fallen to this state.
The people were displaced and forced to sell their children by oppressive government and taxes.
If things continue like this, the Ming Dynasty will face more than just the Tartars and barbarians.
It is very likely that we will be facing people who have nothing left.
Zhang Jiadi sighed heavily, looking worried.
Just as he was about to lower the curtain, he saw Li Chang'an.
Wearing an expensive scholar's robe, with Li Chang'an's sharp eyes and bright eyebrows, handsome face, elegant demeanor, and the fluorescent glow on his body, he attracted Zhang Jiadi's attention.
Among a group of kneeling refugees, Li Chang'an stood tall and unassuming, standing out like a crane among chickens.
In particular, his gaze was calm, and when he looked at the convoy, there was not a trace of fear or awe.
"Wow, there is such an exceptionally handsome man in this world!"
Zhang Jiadi couldn't help but exclaim in admiration.
As the carriage passed in front of Li Chang'an, Zhang Jiadi couldn't suppress his curiosity.
He stopped the carriage, straightened his official robes, and got out with his page.
"Sir, may I ask your esteemed name?"
Zhang Jiadi bowed to Li Chang'an and asked, "Master, why are you chatting with someone again?" The page behind him tugged at his sleeve and whispered, "Master, why are you chatting with someone again?"
Sigh, my husband is good in every way, except that he likes to make friends with others.
I made countless friends along the way, and what should have been a two-week journey took a month and a half to complete.
"My name is Li Chang'an, courtesy name Haoran. May I ask what brings you here, sir?"
When Li Chang'an first became a boss, he enrolled in some cultural courses, so he knew some etiquette and calligraphy, and even gave himself a courtesy name, Haoran.
At the time, I even thought of myself as a cultured person, someone who was quite refined and knowledgeable.
It was only when he actually came into contact with other big bosses that he discovered that this group of scoundrels was the least cultured.
Every day is a full-service massage and body scrub; I'm either at a bathhouse or on my way to one.
It made him waste several months of his studies.
Upon hearing Li Chang'an's reply, Zhang Jiadi said, "I apologize for my intrusion. I was simply struck by Brother Haoran's imposing presence and extraordinary appearance. That's why I wanted to come and get to know him. I hope you won't take offense."
"No problem, no problem. May I ask your honorable name, brother?" Li Chang'an returned the greeting with a cupped hand and smiled at Zhang Jiadi.
Indeed, outstanding men can attract women.
An overly outstanding man can only attract other men.
“My surname is Zhang, my given name is Jia Di, and my courtesy name is Yu Jie,” Zhang Jia Di said, pointing to his page. “This is my page, Zhang Yun. He doesn’t have a courtesy name; just call him Xiao Yun.”
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