Gongsun Yan decided to resume his alchemy skills by refining some commonly used elixirs, but the focus was still on refining the "Blocking Breath Pill". For this reason, he and Yi Rui went to the mountains to collect a large amount of Breathing Bleeding Grass.
In the Longxi Gorge, looking at the steep mountains and criss-crossing ravines on both sides of the canyon, Yi Rui couldn't help but sigh with emotion. Her husband had grown up in such difficult conditions since he was a child.
There is a world of difference.
But it was through the training in such a difficult environment that "Brother Yan" developed a mighty and persevering character. He was calm and calm in the face of difficulties, and was not alarmed by changes. No matter what difficulties he encountered, he could face them calmly.
and finally got out of trouble.
At the end of the first year, Xing Kui came from Nanhai to join Gongsun Yan. He reported that Hua Chaoyang and his daughter had "recruited troops" again and established their own power. The Hua family was temporarily free of worries.
After Gongsun Yan introduced Xing Kui to his mother, he arranged for him to stay in Gongsun Sheng's west wing.
That night, Gongsun Yan even held a special "dinner" to welcome him and served him wedding wine. Yi Rui specially brought out her own "Yijiaxiang".
Early the next morning, after Gongsun Yan arranged everything at home, he and Xing Kui embarked on the road north to the capital, heading straight to the original capital of Huachen Kingdom, which is now the capital of the Northern Dynasties.
In the afternoon of the same day, the two came to the south bank of the Yellow River. Compared with the lower reaches, the southern and northern dynasties faced each other across the river here, heavily guarded and heavily guarded.
In order not to alarm them, Gongsun Yan and his two men could only go down the river and take a detour. Through hearing and seeing along the way, Gongsun Yan had a general understanding of the current situation in Huachen Kingdom.
Relatively speaking, the life of civilians in the south is relatively stable, and many places have not been greatly affected by the war. Places such as Longcheng and Lishui Town have been almost unaffected.
But the north is very different. There are few people here, and large tracts of land are deserted. The houses in many villages are also dilapidated. Beggars are often seen on the roads fleeing for safety. It is not uncommon for corpses to be exposed along the way. It is a depression.
scene.
Looking at the scene in front of him, Gongsun Yan became increasingly angry. There were many places that Gongsun Yan had passed through before. In just three years, they had become so dilapidated and the people were in dire straits. This was obviously due to the invasion of the Bangyuan Kingdom.
In the evening, the two finally arrived in the capital. Compared to other places in the north, it was a scene of peaceful singing and dancing. The shops, restaurants, and shops on both sides of the streets were still open for business as usual, and the brothels were full of entertainment, as if there had never been a war.
Gongsun Yan took Xing Kui and went straight to the "Huashengju" inn. This was the property of the Fan family. Gongsun Yan decided to come here to inquire about it before deciding on the next step.
The appearance of the inn did not change much, but there was no receptionist standing outside to greet guests. Gongsun Yan and Xing Kui walked directly in.
There was a man dressed as a warrior sitting at the counter. When he saw them coming in, he shouted to the second floor:
"Fan Hong, guests are here, come down quickly and register them."
Soon, there was the sound of "dong dong dong" running downstairs, and Fan Hong appeared immediately, still wearing an apron around his waist. Entering the counter, he took out the registration book and said:
"Please register here, please."
"Oh, Shopkeeper Fan, don't you recognize me?"
"Oh? Sir, I'm sorry, there are too many guests coming and going. I just think you look familiar, but I really can't remember your name."
"Oh, I am the Chu official of Xia Su State. I stay with you every time I come to the capital. Are you free in the Yajian now?"
"Oh, Mr. Chu, I remembered that you were here. However, our 'elegant rooms' are not open to the public now. They are all occupied." Fan Hong followed Gongsun Yan's words and said, in fact, he had no idea who the person in front of him was.
"Not to the public? I have lived there several times before. Is your boss here?" Gongsun Yan asked deliberately.
"Oh, our boss has returned to his country manor. Even if he is here, you can't live in him. Now all the people living there are military masters."
Hearing this, Gongsun Yan knew that this place was under "military control", so he immediately completed the check-in procedures. When it was time to pay the deposit, Gongsun Yan asked in surprise:
"Hey, why do you need so much deposit? Has your hotel raised the price?"
"Yes, Mr. Chu, not only have we raised prices here, but all the inns have also raised prices, and half of all business in the capital must be handed over to the higher authorities." Fan Hong explained.
"What are you talking about? Hurry up and complete the procedures for them."
At this time, the man dressed as a warrior at the counter was a little impatient, and it was obvious that Fan Hong wanted to obey his orders.
"Submit half to the superiors? This is too dark! Who do you hand it over to?" Gongsun Yan asked deliberately.
"What? You have an opinion! We want to hand it over to friendly forces!" the warrior interjected.
"Friendly troops? What friendly troops? Why should we hand it over to them?" Gongsun Yan said in surprise.
"The friendly forces are the armies of the Damangyuan Kingdom! They helped us resist the Southern Dynasties and maintain public order. Of course we have to thank them." The warrior said, as if they should be so.
"Haha! It's really ridiculous that people have occupied half of your country, but you are thanking them instead. What a slave!"
Gongsun Yan mocked, while Xing Kui on the side also showed a look of disdain.
"Boy! Watch your mouth! If it weren't for the fact that you are from the upper state, I would have captured you long ago." The warrior was a little angry.
It turns out that the people of the Huachen Kingdom used to call the Jishui Kingdom and the Xiasu Kingdom the superior state to show their respect. Gongsun Yan just made up a story casually, which saved him a lot of trouble. If he really said that he was a resident of his own country, he would have been scolded.
Damn, those who are serious will inevitably be imprisoned.
After the two checked in, they immediately went to the restaurant on the second floor. Most of it was empty, with only two or three tables of people eating.
Gong and Sun Yan casually found a quieter place to sit down. There were no other waiters in the restaurant, and Fan Hong was busy busy. When he saw them sitting down, he quickly handed over the menu.
Gongsun Yan took it and glanced at it for a few times, then handed it to Xing Kui for him to order, while he chatted with Fan Hong:
"Shopkeeper Fan, where have all your guys gone? Why are there not many customers?"
"Mr. Chu, you don't know that since the Northerners came in, the business here in the capital has plummeted. If you don't open the door, you will lose money, and if you open the business, you will lose even more money. In desperation, we can only fire the workers." Fan Hong complained softly.
The people of Bangyuan country are called Northerners.
"Oh! Is your business so slow now? I see that other businesses are doing very well, and everyone is open for business."
"Haha, it's all just a pretense for others to see. When the new king takes the throne, all shops in the capital must open for business within ten days, otherwise all properties will be confiscated! No, we have been persisting for more than a year, and we haven't made any money yet.
The compensation is much greater, and if this continues, I think this place will have to be confiscated sooner or later." Fan Hong explained.