317 The Forty-Six Chapters of the Royal City's Turmoil
Moreover, most of these incidents were limited to a single household, a single street, or a single area. They were dealt with quickly and did not pose a significant threat. Occasionally, an entire village would disappear, but this usually occurred in a remote, isolated place. However, in the past twenty years, there has never been a case involving an entire prefecture.
Thus, in such a short period of time, the border regions, counties, prefectures, and other levels of government underwent such dramatic changes, a truly unprecedented event. After all, this was not the end of a previous dynasty; such actions would be a grave taboo.
However, this has already happened, and changes have begun. The young lady dragged me here, wanting to see the owner of this place. There are too many rumors, and many of them are untrue. In the end, seeing is believing.
However, along the way, I have many feelings. I knew before that Dalong Prefecture was heavily monopolized. It was basically the fiefdom of the previous prefect. Although there was no strange occurrence, there were quite a few people enslaved in the area.
The difference between the common people and the land governed by his young lady was not small.
However, while the young lady's strategy was good, it was difficult to resist the superiority of those with ambition. It is understandable that those who have achieved success in cultivation and want to become immortals or ancestors would require a large number of servants and resources.
However, some went even further, plundering more and more, disregarding the lives of ordinary people, and eventually parted ways, leaving unpleasantly.
Although Dalong Prefecture is so harsh on its people and its cultivators are so high up, it has gathered a group of capable people.
Unexpectedly, many talented individuals from years ago were willing to join such a place. Their thoughts are truly hard to judge, and it's impossible to determine whether they were right or wrong.
But following his mistress wholeheartedly was enough. He touched the three-foot sword beside him, a chill creeping over him. The sword in his hand was the only weapon to protect the mistress in his heart.
As for those who part ways and indulge in pleasure, they are ultimately just two different paths. Since they are on different paths, they should not interfere with each other. If there is a conflict, they will naturally become enemies. And for enemies, the answer is naturally to bring your sword to greet them.
Upon entering Dalong Prefecture, a completely different scene unfolded. The entire prefecture was embarking on a new phase of decision-making, which, although yet to be tested by time, was already radiating vitality and dynamism.
Along the way, especially when we reached the border region, the scenery was quite different from what I had heard about the hardships of the border.
The roads are neat, level, and well-maintained; both sides are vibrant and full of life, a testament to a bountiful harvest.
Just like the checkered fields on my own side, they form a unique landscape along the roadside. The crops planted on both sides of the road gleam in the sunlight, giving this land endless vitality.
Along the country lanes, farmers are working, and there are pavilions built to shelter them from the wind and rain, with wisps of smoke rising from them, as if hot water is being boiled. At least, the farmers working in the fields have eyes full of energy.
Occasionally, conversations drifted on the wind: "Hey Lao Hei, how's it going? Maybe you've saved enough money to get married this year?"
This year's harvest looks good, but we've handed over less than we should. What a great opportunity!
I heard that many young men, all unmarried, have come from nearby villages. Your son should seize this opportunity.
Or, "Honey, this is almost time to mature. Is it really only that much that needs to be handed over? Are you changing your mind again?"
A definite answer came: "Don't worry, Mr. Weng has confirmed with us repeatedly over this period of time, that's all."
Moreover, those that were planted early have already been harvested, and this is all that has been paid; we need to quickly open up more land.
Sigh, if only we had cleared out more space back then. Now, the area is all crowded, and going further away isn't quite safe.
The old woman's voice said, "I heard that the army seems to be expanding its territory or something. I don't know. We might go and cultivate another piece of land, but it's probably the army's own land."
I just heard about it this morning, I don't know if it's true. If it is, that would be great, we can save more food for our grandson. He's growing up so fast, and he's gotten strong and healthy thanks to the good food he's been eating lately.
May God bless you, may you live to be a hundred years old, no, a thousand years old, ten thousand years old, that would be wonderful.
Whispers drifted in, carried on the wind, carrying many hopes; listen closely, and you'll hear many celebrations: 'Finally, no wild beasts have attacked this year.'
Or, 'Our child didn't starve to death, and is growing even better than last year. I really hope that this kind of life can last forever.'
"My lord, are we dreaming? The city is about to be built, and the crops are about to be harvested. I've even heard they're trying to plant new crops."
Yes, it is said that the leaves and roots are edible. If that were true, we could eat our fill this year, save for a few years, and then our child would be getting married. We should save more.
Many thanks to Lord He and Elder Weng.
At this moment, a group of armored men hurried over, their faces stern, their spears gleaming coldly. From the other side, another group of armored men arrived, their faces identical, and they quickly cleared away the surrounding crowd.
The Ji family's coachman slowly came to a stop, and the procession quickly passed by.
Suddenly, a figure appeared in the air, hovering like a rapidly flying dragonfly, carrying a hint of seriousness and murderous intent.
The surrounding crowd quickly dispersed! The road into the city was instantly filled with people, all rushing into the city.
A burly, dark-skinned man, carrying a large sword, landed with a thud in front of an ordinary carriage. The coachman, however, was dressed in fine clothes, like a merchant, wearing loose-fitting brocade robes. He had a ruddy complexion and a round belly, probably from overeating; he was likely driving to lose weight.
The situation inside the carriage was unknown. Meanwhile, travelers on both sides quickly departed into the distance. The surroundings suddenly became empty. Only in the distance did the woman disguised as a man slowly alight from the carriage, gently waving her hand; the other carriages immediately sped away as well.
An elderly man stepped down from the last carriage, calm and unhurried. He carried a large knife, dressed simply, and without changing expression. He slowly approached the woman and whispered, "Miss Zuo, should we back out? Something felt off on the way here, but I can't quite put my finger on it."
Miss Zuo stared intently, her gaze unchanged, her tone gentle and without much fluctuation. "Old Master Hong also felt something was wrong. This coachman looks very strange, and there's always a faint smell of corpses about him."
If I'm not mistaken, this is likely to be quite a problem. Being targeted like this is really troublesome; I don't know if they're after us or this place.
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