Probably because she was so stunned, even Princess Louise had almost forgotten the etiquette habits she had developed since she was a child. In any case, it is very impolite to stare at someone like this.
Princess Louise even forgot to answer the other party's question. Fortunately, Miss Delly behind her came to her senses and gently pulled the princess.
The princess came back to her senses, but when she heard what the other party said clearly, she was even more surprised.
That guy...servant?
What shocked Louise was that the "servant" in the mouth of this beautiful and shameless guy, who was so powerful and powerful, was actually just a servant? This weird guy looked so arrogant, even with his outstanding appearance.
His arrogant temperament seems to be born from birth. This naturally awe-inspiring aura is clearly a temperament that can only be developed by being aloof... Such a guy is just a servant?
I am afraid that the vast majority of people in the world are only worthy of being his servants!
However, it was so natural that these words came out of the mouth of that beautiful and shameless guy. The strange thing is that this beauty (Louise called this guy in her heart), his (her?)
Every word was clear and gentle. If the servant's temperament was like a proud solitary peak, then this man seemed like the vast sky! No matter how arrogant the mountain peaks were, they seemed to be unable to reach the sky.
"...Ah." Louise finally spoke. She took a deep breath. After all, she had received palace education since childhood. She panicked for a moment, then calmed down and said with a smile: "Well, you are right, we
We are going to Loulan City, may I ask, what do you have..."
There was an unabashed smile in the other party's eyes, and every move he made seemed to contain indescribable grace: "Well, that's great. I have a very presumptuous request. My servant and I are
We came from other places and wanted to travel in the northwest and enjoy the scenery outside the Great Wall. Unfortunately, we were just told in this town that the Tulip Duke issued a special decree here. I heard it was because Loulan City was too prosperous.
There are too many mainland merchants coming in and out every day, so Duke Tulip has ordered restrictions on entering the city. In addition to spending money to pay entry duties, you must also obtain a customs clearance permit before you can enter the city. Moreover, it is busy now.
I heard that at this time of year, all the hotels in the city will be full. If you don’t have a caravan clearance permit, you won’t be able to find a hotel even when you enter the city... Beautiful lady, look, our master and servant
The two of you are just ordinary tourists, not businessmen. Moreover, we came all the way and did not know about this special law in the northwest. Therefore, I see that you and your companions seem to be the original caravan. I think you must be sure.
There is an entry permit, so I took the liberty to block your way. Could you please take us into the city with you?"
Princess Louise was stunned for a moment.
Customs clearance is a new decree promulgated by Du Wei. Starting from the year before last, in order to prevent spies from the Northwest Army or prairie people from entering his territory at will, he ordered checkpoints to be set up in the border areas of the entire Desa Province.
The caravan must be enthroned and undergo customs clearance procedures before it can enter the country.
Princess Louise came from the imperial capital. Although she did not show her identity as a princess, when she came, she had already asked her subordinates to go through the formalities in the name of a noble of the imperial capital. She had the customs clearance procedures, but
...Bring these two strange people into the city together?
Louise's curiosity finally took over. Taking two people in was not a big deal for a majestic imperial princess, but she was really curious about this ridiculously beautiful guy.
She had seen all kinds of rich and noble children since she was a child, but she had never seen a person with such a beautiful demeanor! As she stared at this guy, she secretly guessed the origin of this guy.
Judging from his appearance, he should be very young, and this standard Roland Continental accent must have been acquired by the aristocratic family who studied strictly since childhood. And this kind of demeanor, as well as his gestures, are simply not picky at all.
The imperfect elegance made Princess Louise believe that this guy must be a young man from a wealthy family.
It's just that I have never heard of such a young and outstanding person coming out of any big family in the empire. Is it one of those ancient families in the north? But this guy looks so gentle and delicate, he doesn't look like a northerner.
As generous as he should be, then, a southerner? But looking at his fair skin, and his eyes are so clear and crystal clear, he doesn't look like those southerners who are too shrewd. The most important thing is that Princess Louise feels that everyone on the mainland
Most of the top wealthy families gathered in the imperial capital. If any family produced such a talented person in the younger generation, there was absolutely no way he would not know about it.
"Okay." The princess and Miss Delly looked at each other and said, "It is not difficult to take you into the city. However, my dear sir, before asking others for help, can you first explain your identity and origin?
Woolen cloth?"
"Well, my name is Luo Xue, and I come from the north of the mainland." This man smiled. What he had to admit was that when he smiled, even Princess Louise was temporarily lost in his smile.
"...Well...Luoxue, what a lovely name." The princess concealed her gaffe: "Compared to your hometown, you must have seen the beautiful northern scenery with colorful falling snow." After a pause, she looked at the one behind her.
Servant": "Well, where is your companion?"
Even Princess Louise would never believe it. How could such a man with such an outstanding temperament and even a hint of coercion be a servant?
"Oh...he is just a servant, you just need to call him mistress." Luoxue replied lightly. His tone was still gentle, but when he mentioned this servant, his gentleness was just right.
It's like the gentleness of a kindly master to his slaves. Although he is kind, the feeling of being aloof and superior is very real.
And...he is really a servant.
But...Xiaosan, this name is so...so strange.
Soon, the princess immediately decided to take them on the road together. When she saw that these two people didn't even have horses, she asked the accompanying knights to give up two horses for them to ride.
The accompanying knights are all elite followers who protect the princess and Miss Delly. Originally, they were very unhappy when their way was blocked by these two strangers, and they had to give up their horses. Naturally, some people were dissatisfied, but the princess
The knights did not dare to disobey the order. Anyway, these knights traveled a long distance, riding two men and bringing spare horses.
At this moment, in order to embarrass the two guys who were blocking the road, someone brought out the two most violent horses among the spare horses.
These two tall horses are both high-quality war horses among the Royal Forest Army, but ordinary people cannot ride such war horses.
Seeing the two horses brought in front of these two people, the other knights sneered in their hearts: I'll take you off your horses later!
But next, everyone was stunned!
When the two tall war horses came to the front of the two men, they were still scratching their hooves anxiously. Even one of them seemed to be slightly afraid and neighed uneasily. The name was "Xiao San"
The servant just sneered "Hmph", but with just such a "Hmph", the horse next to him actually neighed and then retreated anxiously. If it weren't for the fact that these war horses had all entered
If he had been trained strictly, he would have broken free from the knight's reins and run away.
Even the surrounding knights, under the eyes of this weird "mistress", felt a strange sense of fear and oppression in their hearts.
At this time, Luoxue smiled softly and took two steps forward. He stretched out his hand and caressed the horse's back. There seemed to be a natural softness about him. The anxious horse immediately calmed down.
In full view of everyone, Luo Xue's hand gently fell on the horse's head, and he stroked it back and forth. The war horse actually bowed its head obediently, and then, with its four hooves bent, it knelt down in front of Luo Xue, and it unexpectedly changed.
He was extremely docile, allowing Luoxue to sit on the horse easily, and then the horse stood up on its hooves.
"Mistress, don't scare our companions." Luoxue was riding on horseback and looked back at his servant. There was a hint of fear in the mistress's expression, and he did not dare to disobey Luoxue's order. He snorted and said,
He pulled the reins, got on his horse, and made no further movements.
The group went to Luo Lancheng, and after easily going through the formalities for entering the city at the city gate checkpoint, they arrived at Loulan City.
This season is indeed the most prosperous time in Loulan City. In the spring, everything revives. After the harsh winter, the consumption of various materials is huge. It is precisely when a large number of caravans from the mainland swarm out of the customs and enter the grassland to sell various daily necessities and food from the mainland.
The best time to wait for the goods.
Entering Loulan City, the streets are bustling with people, and caravans and carriages are crowded on the roads. Although the northwest has just experienced a war, it has not reduced the enthusiasm of the merchants. The empire of Loulan City
The largest city on the border has turned into a prosperous commercial city under Du Wei's more than two years of management.
Although the streets were busy and crowded, they were in order. Teams of cavalry wearing the uniforms of the Tulip Family City Guards were patrolling back and forth on horseback. On the notice board at the city gate, the latest decree of Duke Tulip was posted, and there were even
Some clerks specially appointed by the Government Affairs Department stood beside the noticeboard and read the content loudly.
From the moment they entered the city gate, in the eyes of Princess Louise and her party, the entire Loulan City was a scene of prosperity.
Several streets in the distance are even being expanded, and tall houses are being built one after another. What is even strange is that there are actually people who look like ordinary citizens in twos and threes beside the construction projects.
, holding baskets filled with food and water to reward those who are building roads for houses.
The workers were all wearing strange and uniform gray clothes, with a large word "construction" embroidered in Rolandic on the front of the clothes.
Princess Louise looked a little strange. She had never seen such a scene before. It seemed that those who were building projects were all a unified group. In the Roland Empire, whether it was building roads or building houses, etc., if it was an official
All major projects directly recruited coolies and migrant workers, and even slaves were used for construction. Some noble families also used slaves and servants from their own families to build their own houses.
The princess was curious, so she sent someone to ask, and got an answer that made them feel weird.
"Master." A knight who came back after asking had a strange look on his face. In front of outsiders, he called the princess "Master" instead of "Your Highness." The knight answered honestly: "I asked
, It turns out that those construction workers wearing gray clothes are said to be a team under the provincial government of Desa that is responsible for the construction of various projects, and it is said that they are also part of the army. This is an original creation of the Duke of Tulip. It is said that it is called
'Engineer soldiers'. All these guys' daily work is to build various projects, open roads, bridges, break ground, etc... And like soldiers, they get military pay every month."
"Well, but why do the citizens bring food and water to comfort the engineering soldiers? Are the troops here so loved by the citizens?" the princess asked.
"This... is not land." The knight scratched his head: "I asked them, these people are all ordinary people here. The road you see being built and the houses being expanded on both sides are their land. These
The people carrying food and water are the residents of this street, the owners of the houses being built."
The princess was moved. She looked at the distance and saw that the houses built were not small... Could it be that the Province of Desa was already so wealthy? Even ordinary people were already wealthy enough to live in such a
A big house?
Fortunately, the knight quickly gave the answer: "Master, this also surprised me. They told me that whether it is a house or a road, it was announced by the Duke of Tulip by the Desa Provincial Government Affairs Office. Official
It was built with money. It is said that all the dozens of streets in Loulan City will be widened and built within this year, and all the expenses will be paid by the government here. These residents only have to promise one thing, which is to let
From now on, all the men in my family who are over the age of 18 will receive reserve training from the private army of the Tulip family in Dessa Province."
"All join the army?"
"No, not all of them join the army. It's just reserve service. It is said that Duke Tulip's decree is very simple. As long as the young people in their family who are over 18 years old receive one year of reserve military training. They don't really join the army, they just receive training.
, after one year of training, you can go home. These citizens support this decree very much. As long as they promise to receive military training for half a year, they can live in their own house for free. However, the ownership of the house belongs to the official government of Desa Province.
, these citizens have the right to live and do not have to pay rent. They exchange military training for free housing."
Princess Louise was stunned.
Could it be that Du Wei...that guy has so much money that he has nowhere to spend it?
There are probably at least 300,000 permanent residents in Loulan City, and there are probably at least 70,000 to 80,000 young and middle-aged men. All of them can participate in military training, and then live in large houses provided by the government for free?
Next to her, after hearing this, Miss Dai Li lowered her head and pondered for a moment, and suddenly softly uttered a sentence in her mouth: "Hiding troops among the people?"
"It's not just Loulan City." The knight replied with a wry smile: "I heard that this is a decree issued by Duke Tulip at the beginning of this year and has been implemented in the entire Dessa Province. It is said that just fifty miles outside Loulan City, a
The recruit reserve training camp is there. These ordinary citizens receiving training are allowed to go home every seven days after training."
The whole province?
What does this Du Wei want to do?
If this continues, there will probably be more than 300,000 young adults in Desa Province! After all, as long as you undergo one year of military training, you can get a free big house to live in. I am afraid that few people will do such a good thing.
Refuse. Even if only half of the 300,000 young adults accept this condition, in less than a year, Du Wei's territory will have at least 100,000 young adults with military experience! If necessary, as long as one
With a paper conscription order, these people can become qualified soldiers immediately after putting on military uniforms!
In the distance, Luoxue and his servant were riding horses, staying far away from Princess Louise's queue. Although the knight's voice was not loud, with Luoxue's ability, he could not speak a single word.
Leak, I could hear it clearly. After listening, Luoxue suddenly sighed quietly.
"This Tulip Duke is such a big deal. 150,000 soldiers are hidden among the people..."
He turned his head, glanced at his servant, and suddenly smiled in a low voice: "It seems that you are right. Among these humans, the one who is most likely to cause us trouble is the Tulip Duke... The third prince
, your information is very good."
The servant's eyes suddenly showed a trace of fear, and he quickly lowered his head. Not daring to let the Elf King see his face clearly, he whispered in fear: "You...there is no third prince in front of you.
I am just your servant now, my noble king!"
With mixed emotions, a group of people continued to walk forward. Just after turning a corner, the road ahead was obviously the most prosperous area in Loulan City. The street was more than twice as wide as the previous road, and the roads on both sides were
The houses are tall and lively.
What makes people feel even more weird is that on this street, there are huge banners hanging every ten meters on the road. Those banners are of different colors, red, orange, yellow, green, blue, purple, there are all kinds of them, and each huge banner is
On the banners on the ground, there were clearly written words that surprised Princess Louise and her party...
"Sicilian Fur Shop. The best address for fur goods in the continent, No. 1 Zhuque Street!"
"Lao Mama Hot Pot Restaurant, Desa Provincial Chain, come and taste the delicious food! Address, No. 2 Qinglong Street!"
"Come and take a look, we have the best jewelry here! Fortune Jewelry Store, Mainland Gold Signature! The address is just around the corner!"
"Headquarters of the Snow Wolf Mercenary Group! The most brave and loyal warrior. Solve all your worries! Address: No. 1 Xuanwu Street! (Illegal entrustment declined)"
If these various weird banners were just shocking, then everyone immediately discovered that on both sides of this street, even every twenty meters, there would be a large wooden banner about half a person tall.
The trash cans, even the walls of these trash cans are painted with smooth paint, with words like "Traveler's Home, the best hotel chain in Desa Province!" "Wear Hawker leather boots and walk thousands of miles."
Road!" "Thor's Hammer Weapon Shop, dwarven craftsmanship, the best weapons on the mainland!" Wait, wait...
These various things left a group of outsiders dumbfounded. Then, Princess Louise's curiosity took over again and she immediately sent a knight to ask passers-by. The results they got surprised everyone even more.
"These signs are all ordered by the Duke of Tulip. Those banners and the words on these trash cans are all what the Duke calls 'advertising'. However, any merchant who wants to write their own words on them must do so."
The money is paid. It is said that it is calculated based on time. Every month, you have to go to the Government Affairs Office of the Governor's Mansion to participate in the bidding. Now it is said that a banner on this street has been sold for one thousand gold coins a month, and a rubbish
Bucket, it has been sold for five hundred gold coins a month."
After hearing this, Princess Louise made a quick calculation in her mind, couldn't help but take a breath, looked at this wide and bustling street, looked at the banners and trash cans in the distance, calculated the number, and sighed: "
God, let’s put it this way, isn’t it just this street that can earn the Tulip Duke more than 10,000 gold coins every month? Just hanging a few pieces of cloth can earn at least more than 10,000 gold coins a month!”
"Ten thousand gold coins is enough to support an empire-standard infantry battalion." As expected of the general's sister, Miss Delly immediately came to the conclusion: "This Tulip Duke is really a master of making money."
Luo Xue, who had been following behind, couldn't help but sigh at this moment, and whispered to the servant beside him: "Have you seen that many of the young men walking on the streets here have steady steps and strong arms?
He has sharp eyes. Although he is a civilian, he looks like someone who has undergone military training. These are much stronger than other places on the continent we have traveled along the way. I am afraid... once a war breaks out in the future, this Tulip Duke can pull up dozens of people at any time.
He has a qualified army worth tens of thousands. Moreover, this guy seems to be very good at making money. All of this money must have been used to support his army."
That servant was naturally the third prince of the Dragon Clan who surrendered. There was a fierce look in his eyes. He whispered: "Master, I dealt with this guy before. He is a very shrewd and powerful person. He was even able to
My father was chasing me and I escaped. Along the way, we discovered that this Tulip Duke is probably the most outstanding talent among human beings. Maybe... we can get him now..." As he spoke, he raised his finger and placed it on his own
A light stroke on the neck.
Looking at the fierce expression of the golden dragon, Luoxue smiled softly. He raised his head and looked at the sky. The sun was already a little dazzling. Luoxue stretched out his delicate palm to block his eyes. Under the golden eyes, his wrist
The silver thread on it glows faintly.
Finally, the Elf King smiled. His smile was as warm as the spring breeze, but his voice, word by word, was like a knife cutting into the heart of the golden dragon.
"Don't think that I don't know what you think... You'd better remember carefully that your identity is just my servant now. No matter what happens, I make any decision, and I don't need your contribution to me.
Wisdom's advice." The Elf King looked at the golden dragon. Although his smile was gentle, there seemed to be needles hidden in his eyes: "Assassinating a Duke in the human world, and he is also a strong man in the mainland, surrounded by experts...
…You must really want me to die in Roland Continent.”
The golden dragon's expression changed, and just as he was about to defend himself, Luo Xue already smiled calmly and said, "There is no need to deny that we both know each other's thoughts. You surrender to me, but I am not naive enough to think that you are loyal to me. It's just that.
.What I need to remind you is...even if you want to play any tricks, you'd better do it cleverly. Don't use such stupid tricks next time, because it will make me look down on your intelligence."
As he said that, Luoxue kicked the horse's belly lightly and walked to the front.
The golden dragon left behind had a complex meaning in his eyes.
Princess Louise and her entourage went directly to the headquarters of a Southern Chamber of Commerce in the city. After all, Miss Dai Li’s family is a wealthy family in the southern part of the mainland and has inextricable relations with this Southern Chamber of Commerce. They learned early that the family’s current identity is the most important.
When the distinguished lady arrived, the people from the Chamber of Commerce cleared a clean, comfortable and spacious courtyard in the headquarters of the Chamber of Commerce very early.
When Princess Louise and her entourage arrived, the leader of the Chamber of Commerce immediately went out to greet them and invited them into the courtyard. Delly did not reveal the identity of Princess Louise, only saying that she was her good friend. Anyway, she is a lady from such a noble family.
, there are always a few close friends in the boudoir, and the leader of the chamber of commerce treated her as a noble lady from a certain family, and received her warmly.
Delly ordered the guard knights to live around the courtyard to guard them, and she and Louise moved into the chamber of commerce with the maid they brought with them.
The yard is clean and comfortable, but slightly smaller. The leader of the Chamber of Commerce explained that Loulan City is developing very fast now, and the land price here is too expensive, almost every inch of land is a premium, so it is impossible for the Chamber of Commerce of its own to do so.
The area is too large. The strength of the Southern Chamber of Commerce is quite good. It is rare to have such a place in Loulan City.
Princess Louise didn't care about the living environment, and immediately sent her confidant and considerate maid to go to the Liszt family's chamber of commerce in Loulan City in civilian clothes to contact Mrs. Liszt.
As for falling snow...
The curious Princess Louise persuaded the Elf King to stay here, and the Elf King, who had originally planned to stay here temporarily, did not refuse and stayed here temporarily as a guest. Out of respect for this mysterious "beauty", Princess Louise ordered
Mr. Luoxue lived alone in a courtyard with his servant.
Luoxue happily accepted the princess's kindness, and then he made a request. He saw that the chamber of commerce also had a study room, and he hoped to borrow some books in the study room.
"What books do you need?"
"Any book on customs and customs will do. A general history of the mainland would be best. I've already read the sixth volume. You should have a complete set, right?" The elf king's gentle demeanor made the leaders of the chamber of commerce secretly guess that he was from the imperial capital.
Some prominent nobleman?
"Oh, although we don't have one, I will ask someone to buy one right away." The leader of the chamber of commerce quickly left.
I don't know why, facing this beautiful man with a gentle smile (in fact, even he couldn't tell his gender, but Miss Dai Li called Luo Xue "Sir" when she introduced him, but Luo Xue didn't express any objection.
(meaning), the leader of the chamber of commerce always has an inexplicable awe in his heart.
During lunch, Princess Louise sent someone to invite Luoxue to have dinner with her. The Elf King happily accepted the invitation, but in order not to spoil the atmosphere, Luoxue was considerate and did not bring his "servant" to attend, but left the golden dragon with him.
In the yard.
Over lunch, the two girls Delly and Princess Louise used all kinds of words to try to find out Luoxue's identity. However, the Elf King was very good at talking about astronomy, geography, humanities and art, music and painting, it seemed like everything,
This versatile man is extremely proficient in many fields. Although he has not really practiced it, some of the opinions he said, in the eyes of Princess Louise and Miss Delly, are almost comparable to those famous masters in the imperial capital they have encountered.
The character is amazing. And the elf king’s elegant demeanor made this lunch very enjoyable.
And Princess Louise particularly noticed the manner of Mr. Luoxue when he was dining. The etiquette when the other party used knives and forks even made Princess Louise, who had received palace etiquette since childhood, feel inferior. Looking at Mr. Luoxue's demeanor, it seemed as if
Looking at a very beautiful picture, even the subtle movements of his fingers seemed to be extremely beautiful!
The two women, while intoxicated, couldn't help but be secretly surprised.
How could there be such a beautiful person in the world? If he was born as a girl, I am afraid that no woman in the world could compare with him!
After lunch, the leader of the chamber of commerce came in a hurry, interrupting the conversation between the three.
The leader brought a piece of news: Duke Tulip's most trusted assistant, Chief Administrative Officer of the Province of Desa, and the number two figure in the Province of Desa, Lord Philippe, is visiting!
Lord Philip's purpose of coming was very simple. He claimed to have learned about the arrival of Miss Delly, who was about to become the Imperial Princess. On behalf of the Duke of Tulip, he came to greet her and at the same time warmly invited Miss Delly to attend an aristocratic event held at the Duke of Tulip's Palace tonight.
banquet.
Delly and Princess Louise looked at each other. Under Princess Louise's look, Delly asked: "Where is Mr. Philip?"
"Just outside."
"It's too lazy." Delly frowned: "The governor-general of the Province of Desa is equivalent to the official position of the governor of the empire. How can you let Lord Philip wait outside? Invite him in quickly!"
After taking a look at Luoxue, Dai Li originally wanted to ask Luoxue to avoid it first, but something suddenly moved in her heart. She didn't know what the thought was, but she took it back as soon as the words came to her lips.
When the Elf King heard that he was "Duke Tulip's most trusted assistant", a wonderful look immediately flashed in his beautiful eyes...