This is a fiery city, and even the city walls seem to be burned red by the scorching sun. From a distance, it looks like a red-hot boiler, steaming up.
In my impression, Yandu is the most prosperous city.
All the famous families in the Suzaku Kingdom are gathered here, as well as the country's wealth, strong men, geniuses and resources. It is the dream place for young people in the Suzaku Kingdom.
Four years ago, Li Tianming came to Yandu with a lofty dream, passed the imperial examination and entered the Yanhuang Academy to practice, and everything was prosperous.
Four years later, he made a comeback, and the meaning of life was completely different.
When I saw Yandu again, my mood was naturally different, and this time I brought my mother with me.
Wei Jing opened the roller blind in the carriage.
Her eyes were like water, and the way she looked at Yan Du was completely different from Li Tianming.
Until now, Li Tianming didn't know what the story was between her and Yandu, but he knew that Wei Jing had always been from Yandu before she married Li Yanfeng.
Her childhood and this fiery Yan are all tied together.
At this moment, her eyes were like water, and there was a smile on her lips, but her eyes were moist, as if filled with mist.
It can be seen that twenty years later, when she returned to the hometown where she was born and raised, she must have had many turmoils in her heart.
And those waves were hidden in the smile at the corner of his mouth.
Her silver hair was flying in the air, even though she looked very old, but in that smile and the flying long hair, Li Tianming suddenly imagined her youth.
I think she must be a lively and enviable beautiful woman, just like Jiang Feiling and Princess Qing.
"Time and illness are too cruel." Li Tianming buried these words in his heart and did not say them out.
With a smile on his face, he stared at his mother and asked: "How is it? Do you feel like things are different and people are different, everything is different, and you want to shed tears first?"
"Naughty, your mother is not a sentimental person. I just miss Yandu's pastries, mung bean cake, osmanthus cake, and crab apple cake. They taste so good." It can be seen that she is already salivating.
Once upon a time, she was also a girl walking down the streets with delicious food in her hands.
"Don't worry, when your son gets rich, he will definitely let you have enough to eat."
"From now on, we will settle down in Yandu. I will serve you well and bring you delicious cakes every day." Li Tianming said.
"Lagou, don't break your promise. If you dare to forget, I won't let you go home." Wei Jing said with a straight face.
"Cruel woman." Li Tianming shook his head.
"beat you!"
Sure enough, after leaving Lihuo City and never having to see that man again, happiness is that simple.
"However, we came to Yandu empty-handed, where can we stay?"
This is a problem that Li Tianming needs to solve urgently. If he comes alone, he will have a place to live after entering Yanhuang Academy.
However, my mother cannot enter Yanhuang Academy, she needs a home of her own.
"I'll take care of this. Mom still had many friends in Yandu back then." Wei Jing said with a smile.
It seems that she has already made plans.
"It's just that the sisters haven't seen each other for twenty years, and they all live better than me."
No matter how free and easy a person is, they will all be lost at this time.
They were inseparable together back then, but now they have their own families and their own lives.
After entering Yandu, Li Tianming drove the carriage and headed towards the western area of Yandu according to Wei Jing's guidance. The western area was the free land of Yandu, where trade was prosperous and there was a mixture of fish and dragons.
Yandu is so big that if you really want to go shopping, it will take you several days and nights to finish it.
"Do you know the location of 'Chen Palace'?" Wei Jing asked.
"Of course I know that Xing Mansion and Chen Palace are the most luxurious and splendid mansions in the Western District of Yandu. If it were not for the fear of the Suzaku Royal Family, these two mansions might be built more luxuriously than the Imperial City."
Li Tianming had stayed in Yandu for a year and knew the streets of Yandu well.
The main reason why these two mansions are so luxurious is because of their money. Because,
This is the residence of the two presidents of the ‘Star Chamber of Commerce’.
The Star Chamber of Commerce is the largest business alliance in the Suzaku Kingdom, controlling the economic lifeline of the country. Countless branches have been opened in cities of all sizes, including Lihuo City.
As the saying goes, if you don't have enough money, there is nothing you can't buy in the Star Chamber of Commerce.
The two presidents of the Star Chamber of Commerce are legendary figures in the Suzaku Kingdom.
They are civilian geniuses who started from scratch together. They were known as the "Twin Stars" more than 20 years ago and are now respected as the "Two Saints of Stars".
In just twenty years, the two of them opened the Star Chamber of Commerce all over the country. They have a wealth that is unparalleled in the country, making the Star Chamber of Commerce, which has only 20 years of history, become the most emerging force in the Suzaku Kingdom.
It is even powerful enough to compete with many established wealthy families with thousands of years of history, such as Lei Zun Mansion.
Xing Mansion and Chen Palace are the residences of Xing Sage and Chen Sage respectively. Over the years, they have received countless high-ranking people.
However, that is not a place that ordinary people can enter, and Li Tianming has never been close to it anyway.
"What are you doing in Chen Palace? Do you know people from Chen Palace?" Li Tianming asked curiously.
"There once was a good sister who married into Chen Palace." Wei Jing said.
Maybe she was about to meet a friend she hadn't seen in twenty years, so she felt a little nervous. After all, she was seriously ill and at the end of her road.
Soon after, a starlit mansion appeared in front of them.
This mansion is like a small city, located in the most prosperous area of Yandu, surrounded by many famous families.
The Chen Palace is like stars holding the moon, grand and elegant, with many sculptures and reliefs very stylish. The dazzling starlight is enough to make ordinary people feel ashamed and dare not approach it.
Far away from the gate of Chen Palace, there are guards with advanced cultivation and fierce companion beasts guarding it.
Seeing the adult lions and tigers lying on the ground, even if they are taking a nap, is very intimidating to the people around them.
Li Tianming drove a carriage. This carriage was Li Yanfeng's car, so it was luxurious enough. Therefore, the guard at the door assumed that there must be someone in the carriage.
So, they were quite polite and asked: "Your Excellency, you want to visit Chen Palace? Do you have an invitation?"
"Excuse me, please tell your wife Xue Lan that my old friend Wei Jing is here to see you." She gently opened the roller blind and said softly.
"Madam? Our madam usually doesn't see regular customers. Please don't embarrass us." The guard said seriously.
"Please tell me your name. Sorry for the trouble. If there is no response, I will leave naturally." Wei Jing said very politely.
The guards were not sure. After all, the person in front of them was an old man. He might be an elder of the madam. To be on the safe side, they reported inside.
The waiting time is a bit long. After all, Chen Palace is too big and it will naturally take time to report to Madam.
"Mom, does this lady have a high status in Chen Palace?" Li Tianming asked curiously.
"Of course it's high, she is Chen Sheng's wife." Wei Jing said with a smile.
"Holy shit?" Li Tianming was startled, and he had to look at Wei Jing with doubtful eyes.
One of her former friends was named Mrs. Chen Sheng, which meant that her status in Yandu was not low.
Chen Sheng is now a prominent figure in the entire Suzaku Kingdom, and his status is comparable to that of a minister in the Suzaku Kingdom.
Li Yanfeng could not even come into contact with such a person.
When Li Tianming was still a little doubtful, news had come out, and the guard hurriedly stepped forward and said: "Please see my madam. She is setting up at the 'Xuechen Pavilion'. Please get off the carriage and follow the villain in, Mrs. Wei."
Wei Jing had difficulty walking, so Li Tianming helped her into Chen Palace.
After entering, Li Tianming saw how luxurious this Chen Palace was. There were jewels and glass everywhere, five steps to the first floor, ten steps to the pavilion, flowers blooming like brocade, it was so beautiful.
Compared with this Chen Palace, the City Lord's Mansion in Lihuo City can only be called a shabby house.
To be able to be the hostess in such a palace, it seems that this woman named Xue Lan is also an extraordinary person.
Li Tianming must be calmer, otherwise he will look too much like a country bumpkin entering the city.
It's just that one of the former sisters now doesn't even have a status or a place to stay, but the other is the mistress of Chen Palace, the wife of Chen Sheng.
The encounters in life are really depressing. The bad people you meet make life very painful.
It's just that Wei Jing's face is calm. It seems that she is not jealous that the sisters can have such happiness, but is deeply happy for it.
The road to Xuechen Pavilion is a bit long, and we also pass by a martial arts arena on the way.
The martial arts arena was particularly lively at this time, and many young girls from the Star Chamber of Commerce were competing for trials.
In every Yanhuang Academy exam, there are very many Star Chamber of Commerce disciples who can enter the Yanhuang Academy to practice. Today's drill is probably for final preparations.
After all, in three days, it will be the day of the official imperial examination.
Li Tianming noticed that there was a young man of fifteen or sixteen years old who was very dazzling in the martial arts arena.
The young man was slender and handsome. He was wearing a blue drill uniform and his long hair was neatly combed and meticulous. The most dazzling part of his body were his eyes.
Those eyes are as bright as stars, crystal clear, like gems and emeralds.
Even though Li Tianming was far away, he could still see the light of these eyes.
This is definitely a child of a big family. The innate crystal clear feeling cannot be compared with ordinary children from the fringes.
For example, take Liu Qianyang, he does have a noble temperament and a powerful aura, but compared with this young man, he obviously lacks a crystal clear innocent heart.
From a distance, this young man looks like a pure star, so although there are many martial arts geniuses around him, from a distance, one can tell at a glance that he is the dazzling one among them.
His companion beast is a burly purple lion.
There are six very obvious star points in the purple lion's eyes, and each star point shines brightly. This is enough to prove that this young man's companion beast is a sixth-level companion beast.
Being able to have a sixth-level companion beast means that this young man is considered a top genius even in Yan, and cannot be compared with Liu Qianyang, Jiang Yilin and others.
"This is the 'Six-Star Yao Lion', the companion beast of our young Chen Yao. It is said that even among the sixth-order companion beasts, it can be considered a 'top grade' existence." The guard was proud, proud and envious.
Li Tianming knew that Yandu would classify the companion beasts into more detailed grades.
The same fifth-level companion beasts and sixth-level companion beasts will also be divided into three levels within the same class: high-grade, middle-grade and low-grade.
For example, his four-winged golden-winged roc was once listed as a fifth-level mid-level companion beast, and it was in the middle of the pack among fifth-level companion beasts.
And this six-star Yao lion is not only a sixth-level companion beast, but also a top-level existence, which further proves that this young master 'Chen Yao' is extremely talented.
"Is this Xue Lan's child?" Wei Jing asked.
"Of course, young Chen Yao is Madam's youngest son, and Madam's eldest son 'Chen Hao' has already entered Tianfu to practice and is now ranked very high on Tianfu's list." The guard said proudly.
Chen Hao?
Li Tianming knew Li Tianming. He ranked among the top three in the imperial examination four years ago. He was suppressed by Lin Xiaoting and failed to enter Tianfu directly. However, his hard work paid off and today he is already a genius in Tianfu.
"Master Chen Yao is about to take the palace exam in three days. He is very likely to get the first place in the palace exam and be directly promoted to Tianfu."
"It is said that the younger you are and the earlier you enter Tianfu, the more blessings and cultivation you will receive. If Master Chenhao could have ranked first in the imperial examination four years ago, he would probably be no worse than the one from Lei Zunfu today."
Needless to say, Li Tianming knew that this young master from Chen Palace must be the most popular candidate for the imperial examination.