Bianjing, the capital of the great gods.

Recently, this god has not been peaceful. There are frequent ghosts and strange things inside, and there are restless vassal kings outside.

On the 23rd day of the first lunar month, Gu Wen, who was working in the Qingxi Shuifang outside the Longqiao, was summoned by the master's family.

Gu Wen sat in the carriage, and the servant was meticulously slapped his butt, and the sound of slapping revealed a trace of regularity. The carriage was very stable, and the slight shaking made people sleepy.

The road outside was densely packed with disaster victims, shivering on both sides of the road. In March, Bianjing could not be frozen to death, but it was still difficult to bear at night.

He asked as usual: "There are many victims recently. I still remember that the harvest was coming a few days ago."

"Master, it's useful to harvest eggs. Even if gold grows in the ground, it's not enough to pay taxes."

"Yes, I used to impose a tax of ten years and a land tax of ten years later. After receiving this money, I have never seen any food growing in the fields for ten years."

The big fight was originally peaceful, and the emperor was justified in succession, and he had a bumper harvest year after year. However, the people of the world were forced to survive by tying taxes. The two national policies changed rice into mulberry and horse politics directly led to the chaos in the two counties and endless bandits.

Gu Wen originally wanted to say something, but the sudden cough made him unable to speak.

This person is poor and often sick. If he hadn't been asked for a job in the royal palace, he would have died prematurely. Fortunately, he was just weak in physique and did not have any very serious diseases.

"Master, are you okay?"

"Old problem."

He waved his hand and didn't say anything again. Only the trembling of the hungry people in the cold wind and the joy that came from afar were left in the air.

After leaving Zhuque Gate, reaching Longqiao, more than a hundred steps into the night market.

There were crowds of people, and there were thousands of vendors, and there were jade buildings on both sides, and the lights were red when the sun set.

The watermen pushed the wheeled water trucks and walked through the back alleys of various restaurants, transporting buckets of water to restaurants, teahouses, tile shops, or residences of high-ranking officials and nobles, or the brothels of Changlefang.

Restaurant vendors include sea cucumbers, shark fins, bear's paws, dried scallops, fish belly, deer tail, deer tongue, bird's nest...

Under the rolling curtains of brothels, there are thin horses in Yangzhou, girls in the teaching house, and prostitutes.

On the gambling table in Changlefang, dice, cockfighting, quail, and money-spreading.

Although most people have fallen asleep after midnight, nightlife has just begun for the foster class in Bianjing. They neither get up early because of work nor rest because of tomorrow's work. They are born for enjoyment.

The family's grain, mountain and meat forest will turn the "food" two meals into three meals, four meals, and even twelve meals. Some of them are gold, silver and jewelry to raise beautiful maids, men, concubines, servants and slaves, and there are sedan chairs, servants and concubines in their houses. Even if they are picking up manure, they will have special personnel.

Some are candlelight and oil fire that separates the night, while others are curtains and yarns that separate the rising sun.

Recently, Bianjing has not been peaceful, but it has nothing to do with them, such as the high-ranking officials. The prosperity has never specifically refers to a certain place, but what path you are following.

There were many great officials, scholars, and children of aristocratic families who were riding on the bustling market. There were drunk men who could not dodge them. The guards who were cutting the way forward raised their hand and whipped them, and the howlings attracted more attention.

People kept looking at the jade courts on both sides of the flower building, and saw their ordinary faces sitting in the carriage. Those who first entered the Dragon Bridge asked which young master was such a grand show.

And those who have been hiding in the Dragon Bridge for a while only dare to answer as the carriage gradually drifts away:

"Wen Hou of the Ninth Prince's Mansion, Qiansui of Longqiao."

Gu Wen had no expression on his face, and the dim light outside the car window shone on his face. His face was ordinary, without showing any signs of mountains or water. It was probably difficult to attract others' attention when he fell into the crowd.

He naturally enjoyed all the things brought by power. He had long been accustomed to stepping on others' heads, was already tired of others' awe, and had long become a man-eating monster.

Morality, civilization and ideas in previous lives will only harm others and oneself.

Feudal ethics has never been just a simple concept. It is a god that cannot be disobeyed. Only when He dies can you scold Him.

He is just a slave under this great god, half of the class who can stand under this bright lights and wine. He is not a high-ranking official, nor a royal relative, nor a powerful official in the capital.

He is the operator of a water house and a retainer of a prince.

The population inside and outside Bianjing is more than 3 million, and 60% of them rely on the Taojiang tributaries flowing through Bianjing to survive, while the rest rely on digging wells. The huge Bianjing has only two thousand wells, of which the Kushui wells are as many as 1,600, most of which are for ordinary people.

The clear water well accounts for more than 300, which is used by officials and well-off families, and has to pay water every month.

There are only a hundred sweet water wells, and they are all "water and gold mines".

If the private wells are digging in the city, most people sell water for business. The shopkeeper sets up a wooden wheeler with a wooden barrel above. After the man fills it, he pushes it to the buyer's house, pours it into the water tank, and takes the money away.

Therefore, Gu Wen made a living by this and occupied the largest water house near Longqiao, and half of the Longqiao shops needed to rely on.

Every month, there is no gold, but eight thousand taels.

The nickname is "Wenhou".

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The Ninth Prince's Mansion.

"Mr. Wen, the royal palace has arrived."

Gu Wen walked out of the carriage and looked up. He saw a large family in the high gate, a stone lion standing, surrounded by the Chongba, covered with green glazed tiles, and a kissing beast was placed on the roof, which was the prince's residence.

He did not let his servants lead the way, and quickly walked into the mansion. The guards who were stumbled on the road turned a blind eye to him and no one stopped him.

This was not the first time Gu Wen had come here, but it was the first time he had summoned him into the mansion late at night, which surprised him very much. What exactly did he need to come to the palace late at night.

He accelerated his pace with a hurry to reveal the answer.

The palace was still immersed in the long night, and the quietness was everywhere, making Gu Wen's steps more and more obvious. So before he arrived at the study, the noble man sitting there had already noticed it.

The dazzling pearl curtain was lifted up by the eunuch. Gu Wen walked into the study. A faint incense filled the beast furnace. The noble man was leaning over to write calligraphy and paintings on the desk. The bright yellow robe reflected slightly in the candlelight, and his facial features were handsome and unspeakable.

The ninth prince Zhao Feng is also a strong competitor to the Grand Priest.

Ten years ago, the prince fell into the water and died. Today, the emperor has not established a new prince. The emperor is still in a state of age.

Gu Wen stepped forward and knelt on one knee. He did not need to kneel down except for extremely formal occasions. The ministers in the court did not need to kneel down when they saw the emperor.

There is only one kind of person who needs to kneel down and worship, a domestic slave.

There are different levels everywhere, and there are different places where there are people. There are two types of retainers. One is a family of aristocratic families who bring capital into the group, and the other is an ordinary person like Gu Wen who has no support but capable.

The former is the minister and needs to be treated with courtesy by the master, while the latter is a slave, who can be killed or cut.

But a smart master will acquiesce to the rules of kneeling by the slaves, while being friendly and unconcerned about the details.

"I'm sorry, my family rushed to the royal palace in the middle of the night."

Zhao Feng put down his pen and expressed closeness appropriately. This is another advantage of being a retainer, which can easily gain the trust of his master and become a confidant.

Gu Wen is one of the ninth prince's confidants. He would negotiate with him about business matters, but this was the first time he was looking for him in the middle of the night.

Today's ninth prince's attitude is also a bit strange. He is closer than before, and even has a little more "respect"? As a commoner, he is mostly in business, and for the powerful, business is just a decent way to eat.

Zhao Feng asked in a tone of discussion, "You must have been in my palace for five years, right?"

Five years.

Gu Wen was a little dazed, and he realized that it had been five years since he traveled through time.

Five years ago, he traveled through time and became a beggar from Dagan Bianjing, carrying a stone jade pendant he passed down from his ancestors, which was said to be a fairy destiny. Before Gu Wen could understand the eunuch of the ninth prince came to him and asked for the jade pendant in his hand.

The man showed his identity with more than a dozen fully armed soldiers. Gu Wen knew that he could not keep the baby, so he put forward a condition. He wanted to be prosperous and wealthy. He had been suffering from the beggar for more than half a year, but he could not keep the baby, at least he could take the opportunity to get rid of poverty.

The other party agreed and then took him to the Ninth Prince's Mansion until today.

At first, when Gu Wen heard that "the Nine Sons have the legacy of Taizu", his first reaction was to run away. The Ninth Prince would inevitably be involved in the struggle for the throne after he was given this title. But when he saw the various things in feudal society, he found that the struggle for the power of the throne was not terrible, and it was terrible to be an ordinary citizen.

Even if you have a net worth of tens of millions, the next second is the fat pig under the official's butcher's knife. They have some ways to eat you.

So Gu Wen stayed in the Ninth Prince's Mansion and used some modern company management experience to become the other party's right-hand man, "Wen Hou" who is responsible for the largest cash flow room in the Ninth Prince's Mansion.

Gu Wen replied: "If it weren't for Your Highness, your subordinates might have starved to death on the roadside. Your nobleman's kindness is remembered in the five inner world."

"You heard of strange and strange things in the city recently?"

"Naturally, someone saw dragon shadows swimming by under the Dragon Bridge. A tree ten feet tall grew overnight on the Zhuque Road in the south of the city. The big Buddha in Baiyun Temple shone golden light, and someone met a white deer at night in Bianjing. This is auspiciousness. Everyone says that a big move can last for thousands of years."

There are many sayings about ghosts and gods in ancient times, especially in recent times, and they have to say that they have noses and eyes.

Gu Wen asked someone to inquire that a tree suddenly grew on Zhuque Road, and the government ordered more than a hundred civilians to pull it off and push it down. In the end, he had no choice but to let it go. Now Zhuque Road is blocked all day because of this tree.

"You should know that these are true."

Zhao Feng took off the stone jade pendant from his waist and placed it on the table where Gu Wen could see it. His name for Gu Wen suddenly changed, saying, "This is your heirloom back then."

"It's your Highness now."

"What if I want to return the things to you?"

Zhao Feng's body leaned forward slightly, his tone was calm and light, as if he was really going to give it back to Gu Wen, but he didn't know how many sharp edges had appeared in the dark.

Gu Wen replied without hesitation: "The subordinates need to return the kindness of His Highness. The subordinates spent 3,000 taels of silver in the last year, and there may be 10,000 taels in five years, and the subordinates can't pay it back with their hearts."

"Does Your Highness want me to eat for free?"

Zhao Feng was stunned for a moment when facing the rhetoric question, then chuckled a few times. The laughter instantly faded away the murderous intent. He put away the jade pendant and cursed: "Your dear is so elegant. You can spend 3,000 taels of silver a year, and it will only cost less than a thousand taels of silver in this Bianjing. If I don't count the sect's mansion to allocate silver, the expenses for a year may not be half as long as you love me."

"His Highness's Holy Virtue."

Gu Wen gave a compliment, and he knew that he had escaped another disaster today.

Accompanying the king is like accompanying the tiger. Although Zhao Feng is just a prince, he is not as good as managing the current official position. He is more authoritative than the emperor to Gu Wen and everyone in the Ninth Prince's Mansion.

Seeing Zhao Feng nodding very well, Gu Wen laughed even more. This move was nothing more than a kind and powerful person, beating the people below at all times, and enjoying the pleasure of power to overwhelm others.

This is not a clever method. He stands in this position, so he can overwhelm himself.
To be continued...