It was getting late when we came out of the other courtyard.
Luo Chuan did not stay in the other courtyard to have dinner with the sword cultivators. It was not for any other reason. It was just that most of the Taoist priests in Wangchuan did not eat after lunch, so there was no need for him to break their habits.
On the way back to the royal chariot convoy, Luochuan became more and more worried. Except for Jingzhou, which is at the center, it seems that the situation in the other four states is not optimistic.
With the Northern Yi and the Southern Yi obviously not using all their strength, and the Western Yi and the Eastern Yi still making arrangements in the dark, the huge human race in Central Continent has already shown a decline that seems to be irreversible.
Changzhou had nothing to do in the face of the Northern Yi attack, and the huge loss of population could be imagined; Wuzhou suffered from natural disasters, and if this drought situation continues for another one or two years, or even if it only continues to be drought in some areas, the consequences will be huge.
It is unimaginable; Hanzhou in the southwest faced Nanyi so much that Anyang County lost a large area of territory, and it also opened the door to the entire Hanzhou plain, with no danger to rely on; and although Jiangzhou seemed to be the most prosperous and safe, it had to
Being forced to accept a large number of refugees from other states, and accepting them all, not to mention that Jiangzhou will not be able to cope with it in the long run, but the powerful class may not be happy, but the refugee problem is the most difficult to deal with, and one bad thing will be a huge trouble.
.....
He couldn't help but think of what the young female Taoist said to him. Lu Zu's death seemed to have happened a long time ago, but in fact it was only a year ago...
Just when he was deep in thought, the bell outside the carriage rang loudly, waking him up from his thoughts. He frowned and asked, "What's the matter?"
Gao Shixian's voice came from outside the carriage, "Replying to the Lord, the officials of the County and Cheng Mansion have asked to see you, saying that they have something important to report."
"Let him come to the window of the carriage," Luo Chuan opened the curtain and saw a tall and thin young official being released by Lijun Qingqi who was escorting him outside. He trotted to his window and saluted.
"Lie to Kangxi"
"Inform the prefect, Guang County has sent envoys to Licheng. They are very anxious and want to see the prefect!" The young official's voice was a little low, but it happened to fall in Luo Chuan's ears.
"Messenger sent by the Yun family of Guangjun?" Luo Chuan asked again calmly, "How many people are here?"
"Reporting to the Grand Administrator, there are only two envoys and one deputy, but there are nearly a hundred people accompanying us as escorts, and there are also more than a dozen carriages for transporting gifts," the young official quickly replied. Luo Chuan nodded, "It's naturally getting late today.
I don’t have time to see them, so tell them that I won’t be free tomorrow either, and let Dou Juncheng arrange for them to meet them the day after tomorrow.”
The young official quickly bowed and saluted, then trotted away.
Luochuan lowered the curtain, took the map from Siqi and looked at it carefully for a while before handing it back to her. Without saying a word, he just reached out and pulled a golden rope on the carriage, and there was a crisp sound outside the carriage.
The bell rings.
"Master, the old slave is here," Gao Shixian's voice came.
"Lao Gao, I'm not going back to Fugong for dinner tonight. Let's go to your grandson's tavern," Luo Chuan said.
"My lord, his tavern is very small and he didn't prepare it in advance. It would be a big sin if he neglected my lord. Should I wait until the next holiday to ask him to thank the guests in advance and make preparations..."
?" Gao Shixian sounded a little embarrassed.
"It doesn't matter," Luo Chuan said, "it's just us and Siqi, four dishes and one soup are enough."
"I obey the order," Gao Shixian was more happy than worried after all. After replying, he got off the chariot, called a palace attendant and trotted to deliver the order, and then waved to Cao Man to give a few instructions. The latter turned around and pointed on his toes.
He quickly disappeared into the streets of the city.
The convoy turned and headed towards the commercial district.
It was approaching night at this time, and the area belonging to the tavern and brothel in the commercial district gradually became lively. However, the arrival of the prefect's chariot suddenly cooled down the entire area, and for a while, even the laughter and laughter in the brothel disappeared.
The vendors and passers-by along the street knelt on the ground, and the guests upstairs closed their windows one by one, leaving only the eyes in the small slit by the window to look carefully and curiously.
The imperial chariot finally stopped in front of a small tavern, and Siqi and Luo Chuan got off the imperial chariot one after another.
Luo Chuan raised his head to look at the three words "Gaoliang Zui" on the plaque on the door of the tavern, and asked Gao Shixian, who was bowing next to him, "These three words are well written, and the writing is so smooth that it makes me feel a little drunk.
"
Gao Shixian bent his waist deeper, "These three words were given by the old master himself, but the old slave did not let his grandson carve the signature..."
"Oh," Luo Chuan looked at those three words carefully again. They were completely different from the style he usually used in official documents or official letters to and from the prefect's palace. He smiled slightly and walked to the tavern.
Several people were already kneeling in front of the tavern. The one in the middle was a lean and lean young man. His clothes were neither luxurious nor poor, but very ordinary. Kneeling next to him was a petite girl in a sarong.
Jing Chai is also quite simple, and the others are chefs and waiters, who are shaking a little when they kneel on the ground.
"The grass people Gao Zhiyuan and the sorghum drunk people all welcome the prefect!" The young man did not raise his head when he heard the footsteps approaching, but saluted loudly.
"Everyone, get up." Luo Chuan didn't dare to raise his head after watching everyone get up. He just moved out of the way and walked in first with Siqi. Behind him, groups of neatly dressed cavalry surrounded the inside and outside of the tavern.
It was all over the place.
Luo Chuan entered the first floor of the tavern. There was no one here. There were only some stains on the tables that had not been wiped dry. It seemed that the guests who were here had just left not long ago. He went up to the second floor without anyone guiding him and chose a room that was more spacious.
Sitting down in a compartment with a window, Siqi opened the window and his shadow appeared behind Luo Chuan like a ghost.
Luo Chuan glanced at Gao Shixian and Gao Zhiyuan who came up with him, and said with a smile, "Come on, you and your grandson should also sit down."
Gao Zhiyuan just bowed his back and didn't dare to say a word, while Gao Shixian said in fear, "How can I, old slave, sit at the same table with the Lord, no matter what my identity is..."
"It's not like we're in the prefect's palace. We're in your home today. It's too much if the master doesn't even have a seat. Sit down," Luo Chuan said again. Gao Shixian couldn't refuse anymore, and they twisted their buttocks.
Sitting on the corner of a chair, he looked at Gao Zhiyuan and said, "I came suddenly this time and drove away all the guests in your room. Didn't I lose a lot of money?"
Gao Zhiyuan never dared to look at Luochuan. He lowered his head when he heard the words, "It's still early to go back to the prefect, so there aren't many guests. We can't pay much, and we can't pay much."
"Oh, there are a lot of outsiders coming to the city these days. Shouldn't the business of the tavern be better?" Luo Chuan looked out the window. Luo Changgong had already moved the motorcade out of the street, although pedestrians and horses still had to pass by.
He lowered his head and quickened his pace, but in the end it didn't cause much trouble.
"Let me tell you, Lord Prefect, this year's business is indeed much better than in previous years. Foreign warriors are so heroic, and they often have to wait until midnight to leave after drinking." Gao Zhiyuan's words were not as reserved as before, and he gradually became more relaxed.
.
Luo Chuan nodded, "It's hard work, but that's how you make money to support your family." He looked back at Gao Zhiyuan and asked, "Who is the girl by your side before?"