When Li Chi saw the three of them come out together, he knew that Lord Qi Yuan had settled things with his employer.
He happily ran downstairs to pay the bill and tidy up the horse and carriage.
"Master, I've already inquired. Gu County is most famous for its mutton soup and sesame seed cakes. Would you like to try them?"
"Mmm, have a taste!"
This suited Murong Yue's wishes perfectly.
The four set off again.
Qi Yuan's identity was now public, so he disguised himself as a guard in the group. Li Chi remained the groom, A Hao was the maid, and Murong Yue was the young lady.
This team is now quite decent.
The small county town in the morning was not as bustling as Beijing.
Murong Yue mainly paid attention to the queues at rice and grain shops along the way.
It feels similar to Beijing.
She was relieved.
Once you leave Gu County and continue south, you will have officially left the territory of the capital.
The weather was nice, so Murong Yue simply sat in the empty seat in front of the carriage, ate a mouthful of broad beans and a piece of oven-baked sesame seed cake, and looked at the road ahead.
From here on, the dividing line between official roads and commercial roads becomes increasingly clear.
Li Xuanji had told her that official roads also come in large and small sizes.
The roads between prefectures were large, those between important counties were small, and there were no roads between counties that were not located in fortresses.
The main roads were wide enough for two carriages to travel side by side.
The narrow official road could only accommodate one horse-drawn carriage.
The official road was smooth and orderly, with several soldiers patrolling at regular intervals, and the trade road was right next to it.
The trade route was much wider than the official road, but the road surface was not as good.
People came and went, and horse-drawn carriages followed one after another, all traveling along trade routes.
The two roads are not far apart, but no one crosses the area in between.
Everyone knows that going to the official road without cause is severely punished.
Every now and then, people would look curiously at the official road, wondering which official was traveling there.
The city behind us receded into the distance, and more and more farmland appeared on both sides of the road.
Looking at the sparse crops, Murong Yue's mood wasn't so good.
The effects of the drought have emerged.
The crops looked wilted, and some farmers squatted at the edge of the field, carefully scooping water with a ladle to water each crop one by one.
Some people were carrying buckets and queuing up to draw water from the well.
However, it seems that people are still able to get food.
She felt slightly relieved.
The Ministry of Revenue calculated that the grain stored by the imperial court was sufficient to cope with this severe drought.
We're not worried about food; the problem is water.
A group of people had gathered not far from the official road ahead, and it was unclear what they were doing.
Murong Yue asked Li Chi to drive over; she wanted to take a look.
For some reason, she found it hard to describe her current feelings, even though she clearly loved watching the excitement.
But now she's a little reluctant to see any excitement.
But if you don't watch it, will the excitement disappear?
No, the excitement is still going strong.
Instead of running away, face it head-on.
She wanted to see what people were doing.
The carriage went down the pipe and stopped not far from the crowd.
A court official was accompanied by two guards, with a wooden notice board behind him.
The official pointed to a newly posted notice on the bulletin board: "By imperial decree, starting today, all water use except for drinking water is prohibited."
"The thirty wells in Liujia Mill were under the supervision of the imperial court."
“According to the household registration, each person gets half a bucket of water per day,” he said, pointing to the bucket next to him.
It's the kind of water bucket that everyone sees.
Half a bucket of water is definitely enough for one person to eat and drink.
The family's water is pooled together. If you're careful with your water usage, you can wash your face and brush your teeth, but forget about taking a shower.
"By the grace of the imperial court, everyone has three days. Those whose households have not yet been registered should do so as soon as possible."
"Large livestock also need to be registered. You can check your water usage later."
"If you can't afford to raise them, sell them to the imperial court as soon as possible to avoid their death."
Is there anything you don't understand?
The official wiped the sweat from his brow; it was hot, and he was getting a little impatient.
But he has to do this well.
During this severe drought, the imperial court dispatched troops to patrol the area. They discovered that if he hadn't done a good job of publicizing these basic tasks, he would have lost his official position.
Someone asked, "Sir... what about the smaller livestock?"
"Large animals refer to cattle, horses, pigs, sheep, mules, and the like, which are capable of working."
"Small ones, like chickens, ducks, and rabbits, how much water can they drink? You just need to drink a little less."
"...yes."
That makes sense.
Larger ones, which are too expensive to keep alive, can be sold to the imperial court.
It's better than dying at someone's hands.
As for how the imperial court handles it, that's none of their business.
"Sir," someone else raised their hand, "is that child also only half-baked?"
"Yes, regardless of age or gender, everyone is only half-baked."
"Of course, don't even think about falsifying the population. The Ministry of Revenue will check the household registration. If they find out that you've falsified the information, your whole family will be conscripted into the army."
In fact, the officials understood the court's actions.
The reason why so much water is given to children is simply because they are afraid that the conditions are too harsh and the adults cannot afford to raise the children, so they kill or abandon them.
Now, even a small child can drink more than half a bucket of water every day.
The child can't possibly drink half a bucket of water; the extra can be used for other things, or even sold.
Families with more children have an advantage.
"What about the crops?"
The land is what ordinary people care about most. This year there is a severe drought, what will happen to the land?
The official wiped his brow again. "This year, I've instructed you to plant sweet potatoes and potatoes, which don't require much water."
"If the situation is good, the government will coordinate the watering schedule; if the situation is bad, then it's up to fate."
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