Upon hearing Yun Wei's question, Qin Lushu was visibly taken aback for a moment, then smiled and said, "Brother Yun, you are truly perceptive; you noticed even that. Well then, the two of you are not staying in Bili City for long. Let's go find some food first, and then we can sit down and discuss this further."
Yun Wei nodded happily, and Isaac naturally had no objections either.
They followed Qin Lushu to a quiet and elegant room in the Ninth Heaven and sat down. Looking down from the skylight by the window, they could overlook the entire Bili City and its myriad aspects of human life.
The city of Bili was even more lively at night.
As the lanterns were hung in the city, the sounds of drums and erhu drifted from somewhere, and the sounds of singing, dancing, and shouting echoed through the courtyard. Only then did one realize that the bustling traffic of the daytime was nothing more than the most ordinary sight.
Yun Wei was looking on with curiosity when he heard Qin Lushu sigh, “Everyone knows that in the first heaven, fishing and herding are the main activities; in the second heaven, agriculture and sericulture are the main activities; in the third heaven, all kinds of crafts and arts flourish; but only when the fourth heaven rises can we see the prosperity of the human world.”
However, it refers to the functional divisions within the Jade City.
Yun Wei thought about it and could understand.
This is similar to the urban clusters of modern cities, where the outermost countryside is mostly agriculture, forestry, fishing and animal husbandry, the suburbs are mostly light and heavy industries, and in the city center, residential areas and commercial districts are scattered throughout.
“Hey, Brother Yun, don’t just nod.” Qin Lushu laughed and continued, “But in reality, the Sixth Heaven is full of scholars and merchants, the Seventh Heaven is full of officials and the wealthy, the Eighth Heaven has no commoners, and the Ninth Heaven is full of families of four surnames.”
Upon hearing this, Yun Wei lowered his eyes, picked up a peanut, and said calmly, "After all, the higher you go, the more scenery you'll see."
Although the layout of Bili City is like a nine-square grid, the area does indeed decrease as you go up. Although it is a nine-story high platform, it can be considered a kind of earthen mound.
Qin Lushu raised an eyebrow and asked in a leisurely tone, "But what if someone said that people in each level of Bili City can only stay on that level and cannot easily move up or down?"
Yun Wei's hand trembled slightly, and the slightly charred peanut between his chopsticks rolled off the table and onto the floor.
But he had no time to care.
Clearly, what the other party was saying to him at that moment was the real secret of Bili City.
This is the secret that caused the nine-story platform to collapse.
He put down his chopsticks, but said seriously, "Brother Qin, rest assured, no one else will know what I said today."
"Oh, Brother Yun, don't be so serious. I was just rambling on... Come, let's raise a glass. Just consider it drunken ramblings, and forget about it after you've heard it." The young man casually rolled up his wide sleeves and toasted the two of them.
The three of them shared a hot drink.
Qin Lushu looked out at the dark night sky and began his story in a leisurely tone: "The story begins with the four great families..."
Yun Wei had been so engrossed in listening to the story that he forgot he wasn't much of a drinker.
Moreover, this is a distilled craft beer.
The moment the liquor hit his stomach, he knew he was in trouble. That familiar intoxicating feeling, the world spinning around him, it was like walking on cotton.
In his dizzy, feverish state, he glared at the servant beside him, questioning with his eyes why he hadn't stopped him earlier.
He refused to believe that Isaac would also forget about this.
Isaac pursed his lips, then smiled and silently took his hand under the table.
Her boyfriend is so gentle.
The gentle kneading of his fingertips seemed to be telling him that it's okay to try something exciting once in a while.
Yun Wei listened to the story of Qin Lüshu in such a blissful state.
It turns out that the four great families have different philosophies on family management.
The Xie family has a long history of upholding morality and emphasizes self-discipline and self-cultivation. It was originally the head of the four great families, but unfortunately, it has few members.
The Qin family passed down their knowledge of poetry and literature, studied ancient history and history, and valued "detachment" and "external things." They generally remained aloof from the affairs of Bili City.
The Nangong family inherited their wealth and status, and were the first to establish trade routes connecting Bili City to various territories of the Zhuyuan Continent. Their family motto is "business acumen" and "righteous wealth," and they are uncompromising in foreign affairs.
Only the Huo family adhered to the traditional concept of family lineage and emphasized "family background" and "blood ties," making them the least prominent of the four great families.
But a thousand years later, relying on its numerous and prosperous offspring, the Huo family has gained nearly half of the power in Bili City.
Then, over the next twenty years, he became increasingly arrogant and domineering, establishing many unreasonable rules.
The arrival of the visitors from the East Sea coincided with the Huo family's proposal to strictly separate the Nine Heavens.
The Qin family, already at a disadvantage, sided with the Xie family and made their opposition clear.
Although the Nangong family did not express a clear opinion, they also believed that this matter was too frivolous and hasty, and should not be left to the four great families to decide.
"Compared to his bunch of filthy cousins, Mingchan is actually adorably foolish." Qin Lushu hiccuped, squinting as he commented, "Brother Yun, don't laugh at me, although I also come from one of the four great families, hiccup—"
"Having read many stories of rise and fall, there are some things I see that I just have to say..." The young man poured out his wine cup, leaned against the table, and murmured, "The once-prosperous Bili City, although it hasn't collapsed yet, is no longer a monolithic entity."
Yun Wei remained silent.
He came from another world and had no intention of changing it.
But whether it's Sid, who rallied after going to Bethlehem, or Qin Lushu, who's drunk and seems to be laughing and crying at the same time...
He didn't know how to describe it, but when he saw them, he still felt an indescribable sense of emotion.
Yun Wei thought that perhaps he saw conscience in them.
This is a source of pride and glory that humanity can proudly retain even if it one day becomes extinct in the universe.
Although his mind was in turmoil and he was not clear-headed, what to do with Qin Lushu, who had fainted in front of him, was indeed a problem.
“Or, how about we take him back to the Court of Imperial Sacrifices?” Isaac suggested uncertainly.
Yun Wei immediately refused, "No, it's so cold..."
What he was really thinking was that if he got drunk and his colleagues took him to the company, he would probably feel like he was dying when he woke up the next day.
Just then, he spotted a figure in a fiery red dress in the connecting corridor downstairs.
"Young Master Huo!"
Yun Wei, emboldened by some unknown source, shouted loudly at the retreating figure.
His voice was already low and hoarse, almost inaudible amidst the cacophony of bright lights and revelry, and the figure in red mercilessly disappeared around the corner.
But Yun Wei was horrified to find that many people below had raised their heads and were looking at him with puzzled expressions.
ah……
Yun Wei made a slip of the tongue.
Perhaps, as Qin Lushu said, the Huo family already occupies half of the three heavens in Bili City.
Yun Wei quickly sat down awkwardly and returned to the table.
He was looking at the handsome young man who was drunk across from him, with a troubled expression, when he suddenly heard someone knocking on the door of the private room.
Isaac quickly got up and opened the door.
Outside the door stood a distinguished-looking man, dressed in fiery red, standing as straight as a pine tree.
The expression on his face was just too scary.
Anyone who saw that look on the other person's face, as if they owed him three million gold coins, would run away without a second thought.
Huo Mingchan, his face sour, looked at them coldly. "This is truly unbecoming! What do you want, shouting and yelling at me like that?"
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