Yuelong Capital
The grass is green and the birds are singing, and the spring breeze is warm. It is a perfect time for traveling, so Su Musong and Xiao Luochen set out on their journey to Yuelong.
Xiao Luochen's fifth brother Xiao Luokun originally wanted to go with him, but he passed the imperial examination last year and now he has entered the Hanlin Academy. Since he has become an official in the court, he has lost the freedom to travel, which made him feel very regretful.
Although this was Xiao Luochen and Su Musong's first solo trip, neither the Prime Minister's Mansion nor the Duke of Anguo's Mansion was overly concerned. The Su family had numerous businesses, and local stewards often managed the two along the way. They were escorted by capable individuals when passing through bandit-infested areas, and their itineraries were regularly dispatched to the capital via pigeon houses. The two men took their time, stopping to explore beautiful scenery wherever they came across it. This uneventful journey took nearly two months before they reached Zhangcheng, the capital of Yuelong State.
At the city gate, the Su family's steward in Zhangcheng had already been waiting for Su Musong and Xiao Luochen.
Zhangcheng, while not as grand and magnificent as the capitals of Shenghuang and Yufeng, was undoubtedly the most ingeniously constructed of all the capitals. Four main roads divided the city into eight districts, interconnected by ring roads, providing easy access in all directions.
Su Musong and Xiao Luochen entered the city from the south gate. As soon as they entered the city, they saw a tall pointed-top pagoda built of white stone with gilded edges. There was also an iron pestle about ten feet long standing on the top of the pagoda. No one knew what it was used for. Xiao Luochen had read a lot of books, but he had never seen this kind of structure in any book.
"This pagoda is so tall! I bet this Buddhist temple must be magnificent too!"
Su Musong couldn't help but admire.
"Sir, this is not a pagoda in a Buddhist temple. This is a memorial tower for our Yuelong's founding emperor."
"The founding emperor?"
"I heard that Yuelong's founding emperor was a woman?"
"Young Master Xiao is right. The Yuan Emperor was indeed a woman. She led the rebel army to overthrow the tyranny of the Dali Dynasty, and she also enacted new laws, distributed land, established schools, and implemented the imperial examination system, ushering in a prosperous era. Her life was full of ups and downs, but she was truly legendary!"
When talking about Emperor Yuan, the steward's tone suddenly became higher, and his eyes were full of reverence.
"For a woman to accomplish such feats is truly legendary."
"That's right. Before our dynasty, women in Yuelong couldn't attend school, let alone become officials or engage in business. But after Emperor Yuan founded the country, this rule changed. In Yuelong, women can do anything that men can do."
"Yuelong has been established for over two hundred years, yet I didn't expect the people's respect for Emperor Yuan to remain undiminished. They also seem to know a lot about his life."
Xiao Luochen knew something about Yuelong's national conditions, but Yuelong's customs and habits were very different from those of other countries. If he had not actually been there, he might not be able to fully understand many facts.
"Of course. The life story of the Yuan Emperor was adapted into a play called 'The Story of a Creation in Another World,' which is performed every five years. As a result, ordinary people like us know the story by heart. Legend has it that the Yuan Emperor himself wrote the script."
Xiao Luochen and Su Musong were secretly amazed after hearing this. This Emperor Yuan was indeed an extraordinary woman. They had only heard that the customs and people of Yuelong were different from those of the surrounding countries, but they had never expected that the founding monarch could turn his life story into a play and perform it regularly.
"Sir, you've arrived at a perfect time. We're currently casting for this play, and each theater hopes their actors will be chosen."
"Theater? Actors?"
"It's your theater and actors. Yuelong is called a little differently. Rumor has it that it was Emperor Yuan who changed the name, and it's been passed down like this."
The carriage continued to move forward, and more and more vehicles, horses and pedestrians appeared on the road.
Xiao Luochen was surprised to see that although there were many vehicles and horses on the street, there was no chaos at all and no traffic congestion.
"The traffic on this road is quite orderly, and it seems that everyone has their own path."
"Yes, there are sidewalks on both sides, two lanes further in, and a horse lane in the middle. If you walk around randomly, you will be fined."
Su Musong looked in the direction that Manager Li pointed, and sure enough, he saw a female official stopping a carriage that was driving onto the sidewalk and talking to the coachman.
"This is the first time I've heard of being fined for taking the wrong road."
"This is also a rule set by Emperor Yuan. Other countries do not have it."
When they were about to pass an intersection, the carriage in front stopped, and Manager Li had to stop his carriage as well. Soon, a team of about five or six hundred soldiers wearing pheasant feathers on their crowns and red armor passed by. It seemed that the people and carriages stopped to make way for this team of soldiers.
"Why do they all seem to be women?"
Su Musong looked carefully and was surprised to find that these majestic soldiers were all women.
"These are the soldiers from the Suzaku Camp. The Suzaku Camp is home to Yuelong's most elite female warriors. They will first train in this camp and will be sent to various locations to serve as female military commanders in the future."
Xiao Luochen previously only knew that in Yuelong women could go to school with men, take the imperial examinations, and serve as officials in the court, but he didn't know that there were also special female warriors.
Everything Xiao Luochen and Su Musong saw along the way was new, and they became more and more curious about Yuelong's Emperor Yuan. They thought it would be great if they could watch "The Story of Entrepreneurship in Another World" once, but unfortunately, Manager Li said that the play was only performed two years ago, so they could only watch it two years later.
The carriage traveled for half a day, and after the road changed three times in the order of forest belts, residential areas, and commercial streets, Su Musong and Xiao Luochen finally arrived at the guesthouse arranged by Manager Li.
The Su family also has a private residence in Zhangcheng, but if Su Musong lives in the private residence, he will inevitably have to visit and interact with the Su family's old friends in Zhangcheng. Su Musong found it troublesome and specifically asked Manager Li not to disclose his whereabouts. Therefore, Manager Li deliberately chose this guesthouse, which is right by the lake in the center of the city. It has a quiet and beautiful view and is not far from the venue where the Wenyuan gathering will be held.
Su Musong and Xiao Luochen rested in the guest house for half a day. When they heard the maid say that the night view by the lake was very beautiful, they became interested and avoided their entourage and sneaked out.
When the sun sets, half of the setting sun spreads on the lake, the evening breeze blows gently, and the sunset glows, which is very beautiful.
The pleasure boats shuttle between the island in the middle of the lake and the ferry terminal on the lakeside, welcoming and seeing off passengers in a busy but orderly manner.
A boatman saw that the two seemed to be worried about choosing a boat for the lake tour, so he took the initiative to approach and talk to them.
"My two young masters, would you like to take a night boat trip?"
The boatman was paddling a small boat that could just accommodate two or three people. Although it was not spacious, it was exquisite.
Seeing that the two were hesitant, the boatman said
"That pleasure boat is big, but it's crowded and noisy. My boat is small, but it has the advantage of being undisturbed. I'm at the stern, and you two sit at the bow. We can say or do anything without worrying about being overheard or seen."
The boatman looked at Su Musong and Xiao Luochen with an ambiguous look, and the two did not understand for a moment.
Just then, a small boat docked nearby, and two young men got out, whispering to each other, their clothes a little disheveled, and they passed by Xiao Luochen with their fingers interlocked, oblivious to the people around them.
Seeing this, Xiao Luochen immediately understood what the boatman said and felt embarrassed. However, Su Musong was concentrating on looking at the boat with a normal expression.
"Let's take the pleasure boat; this one is a bit crowded."
Xiao Luochen turned around and was about to leave, but was grabbed by Su Musong and pulled onto the boat.
"I think this boat is great. You don't like crowds, so it's nice for just the two of us to chat on this boat."
By the time he reacted, the boat had already left the shore. Xiao Luochen had no choice but to sit down obediently, and Su Musong also sat down next to him.
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