Chapter 378 Gathering
"Chang'an, I'm back!" Lu Zhaoshi looked up at the tall city wall for a long time, with a mixture of feelings in his heart.
The Lu family recommended him for officialdom. As dynasties changed, he was sent to the remote and wild Wuzhou in Lingnan to serve, where he stayed for ten years.
I almost forgot what Chang'an looked like, and now I'm back to see the emperor.
Hu Dalang looked at the towering city walls, which extended to seemingly endless lengths at both ends. He could only imagine how big Chang'an City was.
"Let's go!" Lu Zhaoshi lowered the curtain.
The carriage slowly entered the city from Chunming Gate.
People were coming and going on the street, the shop assistants on both sides were shouting to attract customers, and the vendors were moving in and out among the crowd, selling things.
"Chang'an is so lively!" Hu Dalang couldn't help but lift the curtain, his eyes full of joy and excitement.
Outside Lingnan, there are many prosperous towns, but only Chang'an is as lively as this one.
"Oh! There really are cannibals!" Hu Dalang saw a man with a high nose bridge, deep eye sockets and a strange face.
"The East Market is in front, and sometimes you can see Kunlun slaves!" Su Boyan said with a smile.
"Really?" Hu Dalang's eyes widened. Chang'an could see everything!
Su Quanyan on the side was amused. The three of them accompanied Governor Lu back to Chang'an, and among the four, only Hu Dalang was there for the first time.
"Kunlun slaves, Silla maids, and Bodhisattva barbarians are the favorites of the nobles in Chang'an City. They can often be seen on the streets. Their appearance and body shape are very different from those of the Han people." Su Boyan introduced.
Silla maids were slaves from the Silla Kingdom on the Korean Peninsula. They had single eyelids, small facial features, smooth and fair skin, and petite figures, which were in line with the aesthetic of the time.
With his gentle personality, soft voice, humble and elegant manners, he was very popular among the nobles.
Bodhisattva Man was a woman from a country called Nüman near Tianzhu (now Myanmar). She wore a high bun, a gold-decorated hat, and a pearl and jade necklace, just like the Bodhisattva in the murals, so she was called Bodhisattva Man.
The most notable features of Kunlun slaves are their dark skin, gentleness, obedience, strong bodies and strength like bulls.
After hearing the price of these slaves, Hu Dalang was shocked. "Wow, hundreds of acres of paddy fields in Lingnan and two crops of rice are only exchanged for such a slave?"
This realization made him realize how big the gap between the rich and the poor is in the world!
Two crops of rice from one acre of land, excluding taxes, can feed one farmer, but the price of a Silla maid is equivalent to the annual food rations of hundreds of farmers.
Soon the convoy arrived at Chongrenfang, and Lu Zhaoshi said, "We've arrived at the Jinzouyuan!"
This is a resting place set up by the emperor for the convenience of management in the idle living quarters in the capital for the envoys from various states and counties.
The memorial halls of the various vassal states were not only close to the palace and the imperial city, but also close to the East Market, making it convenient for purchasing daily necessities.
The office hours of the Chaojishi in the capital start from December 15th of each year and end in the early spring of the following year when they return to their respective places.
Envoys from all over the country handled local affairs here, participated in the evaluation of local officials, and presented specialties and tributes from their own jurisdictions.
The emperor would sometimes personally summon envoys to the court to learn about local economic, political, military and other matters.
A minor official from the Imperial Court came out to receive him. Seeing that he was the governor of Wuzhou in Lingnan, a poor and remote place, he naturally treated him with contempt.
Then he looked at the several carriages, which were filled with boxes of all sizes, and he was even more contemptuous.
I have seen many local officials who come from poor mountain villages, bringing some worthless local specialties and making connections everywhere.
The governor from Wuzhou probably thinks the same thing.
They untied the ropes and unloaded the boxes casually, placing them on the ground with a clang.
"Ouch! Be gentle! This thing is valuable! Be careful not to break it!" Lu Zhaoshi's heart tightened. Inside was white sugar and rock sugar in a white porcelain jar, a tribute!
"Since your Excellency has said so, we are all carrying the things in this way. If you think we are not doing a good job, then you can do it yourself!" Several petty officials said sarcastically.
This governor has no tact at all. It's the New Year and he doesn't even know how to reward us. He just wants us to do some work for him?
I rely on these two days to make some money throughout the year.
All those who come in and out of the Jinzouyuan are local imperial envoys. Which one of them is not a fourth or fifth rank official?
There are so many crimson ones from the fourth rank, don’t they all have to be put into the wallet?
This is the capital, not your own little piece of land, you have no right to control me!
"?" Lu Zhaoshi didn't expect that the petty officials in Chang'an didn't take the officials sent out from other places seriously at all.
During the ten years in Wuzhou, although I was poor, I was the chief officer and I never bribed anyone.
When I arrived in Chang'an, I found myself surrounded by powerful people and no one but myself, a fourth-rank official, was worth anything!
"The New Year is coming soon, everyone, use this to buy some wine! Wuzhou in Lingnan is poor, and we don't have much to offer. This is all we have, so please be kind and generous!"
Lu Zhaoshi stuffed some money into the bag and said nice things with a smile.
"Your Excellency is too polite!" The clerks accepted the money bags magnanimously and then carefully unloaded the boxes.
Hu Dalang wanted to stand up for the injustice, but was stopped by Su Boyan, who helped him untie the boxes and personally unloaded the most important ones.
There is no logic here. Everyone only cares about money, not people.
Lord Lu has just arrived, so there is no need for him to get into conflict with others, so as to avoid making things difficult for him later.
"Sir, we'll take our leave! We'll visit you again another day!" After unloading the goods, Su Boyan and others said goodbye.
"Thank you for your hard work along the way! Go back quickly!" Lu Zhaoshi bowed.
"Brother, why don't you stay at my house for a while? Maybe your brother Bu Yu is also at my house!" Su Boyan invited.
"Sorry to bother you!" Hu Dalang was not polite.
Everyone was very casual along the way, communicating and discussing from time to time, and benefited a lot.
The three of them first went to Changshoufang, and when they learned that the Su Mansion was in Guangdefang, they turned around and went back.
"Knock, knock, knock!" There was a round of knocks on the door, and it took a while for someone to come and open it.
"Sir?" It was a child from the Wang family, Wang Sanlang's fourth son Aqing.
Without bothering to greet him, he ran into the house in surprise, "Sir, sir, the master is here!"
When Su Zhongyan heard this, he ran out in a hurry, only to see his brother, cousin Su Quanyan, and Hu Dalang loading and unloading boxes.
"Brother, you must have had a hard time on the road! Let me do it!" Su Zhongyan wanted to lend a hand.
"Zhongyan, don't move! We can do it!" He was stopped by Su Boyan.
"Why?" Su Zhongyan was puzzled.
"Good stuff! We were afraid you might break it! We carried it carefully for thousands of miles and we don't want it to break at our doorstep!" Su Boyan said with a smile.
"What good stuff? So mysterious!" Su Zhongyan was curious.
"Aying gave it to Aye! You'll know when Aye comes back!" Su Boyan didn't hide it.
"Aying? What new things have you come up with?" Su Zhongyan guessed.
"Sugar!" Su Boyan said as he came closer.
"?" Su Zhongyan stared at his brother. "Is it different from brown sugar?"
Su Boyan nodded.
All the children came out, and Su Bangyan finally saw his brother. He threw himself into Su Quanyan's arms and cuddled with him for a long time.
The gift Su Ying prepared for her father was very valuable, so Su Boyan sent it directly to her father's room.
The rest was the luggage of the three of them, which was delivered to their respective rooms.
Su Shiyan and Su Chenyan came out of the study, and everyone nodded as a greeting, but they were no longer as friendly as before.
Now all the children of the Su family gathered together.
Qin Fangcheng watched coldly and had to admit that the children of the first and third wives were frank and upright, and had the demeanor of gentlemen.
The two grandsons of the family looked stingy and downtrodden, and only the youngest grandson could see it.
It’s a pity that people don’t treat themselves well.
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