Xie Changyuan didn't have many friends, and he didn't think he could make friends on his journey south, because he could only be regarded as a traveler, and most of the faces along the way would only be seen once in his life.
Yan Yong was not his friend, but the braised pig's trotters made by him were really delicious. When he squatted next to his stall and chewed the pig's trotters, it was a rare and pleasant time for Xie Changyuan.
Only at this time will Xie Changyuan completely relax his mind and not think about what happened in the past, nor think about how to find bad luck in the Twelve Divine Palaces, nor what to do after arriving at Tianbao City in the South China Sea.
When he got interested, he would chat with Yan Yong for a few words, and this honest man would also strike up a conversation with him. They would chat without a word, just like ordinary hawkers and buyers.
Logically speaking, ordinary fights are not a big deal. Since the beef policy was promulgated, being beaten one more time or one less time is not a problem to the vendors walking through Bianliang City, because they have survived so far and have suffered nothing.
Have you eaten?
However, when he saw the bearded yamen officer deal a fatal blow to Yan Yong, Xie Changyuan had no reason to watch indifferently.
He put his beard under his feet and looked at everyone. No matter the government servants or passers-by, as long as they saw his eyes, they could not help but feel a chill running down their spines and then look away.
Someone heard Beard's wailing and reacted, immediately wielding a fire stick and trying to hit Xie Changyuan.
But the latter just glanced at him, and the strong and majestic pressure made the man stop in his tracks. The stick was raised above his head for a long time without falling.
This is not angry but self-defeating.
"Young man, I advise you not to mind your own business. These are thieves who violate laws and regulations. They openly defied the meat ban issued by His Majesty the Emperor. They confiscated all property and cut off an arm as required by law. Anyone who obstructs law enforcement will be punished.
Same crime."
An experienced government official threatened.
He was also good at looking at people. When he saw that Xie Changyuan was tall and not easy to mess with, he immediately used his imperial power to suppress him.
On the other hand, he didn't want to leave just yet. After all, he could receive a reward for catching a peddler selling illegal meat.
Hearing this, Xie Changyuan laughed.
"Oh? Can your Song Dynasty's national laws govern me, a Qin citizen?"
He continued, "Besides, they just want to eat and survive. Is this also a sin?"
Everyone was speechless.
The vendors who were knocked down on the ground all got up, all with gray heads, bruised noses and swollen faces.
When they heard Xie Changyuan's words, they were all stunned for a moment. Immediately, a strong sense of grievance surged into their hearts, and a few young people were even wiping tears.
They clung to their last breath and struggled hard in Bianliang City for a year, just to survive.
For a year, they were terrified and set up stalls as if they were thieves, just because the emperor issued a ridiculous order to cut off their livelihood.
After the beef policy was promulgated, the only meat that could be legally sold in the market was beef, and live cattle were in the hands of the government or noble lords. If you wanted to buy from them, you would only have your bones and marrow sucked out.
The number of private scalpers was exhausted within a year, and the supply exceeded demand. It can be said that only the rich will benefit from this policy.
It's not that they haven't considered changing their profession to sell something else, but the only skills that they, ordinary people in the market, know are passed down from their ancestors. If they want to change their profession, other industries are already saturated and cannot accommodate them.
In addition, there are rules and regulations in the industry, and different channels have different rules. Some of them run into obstacles or are excluded, and they may not be able to open even once in a day.
If there is a choice, who is willing to be sneaky and take risks to sell?
It has been a year, and today someone finally spoke a fair word for them in public. This made the vendors present feel excited and they all looked at Xie Changyuan with gratitude.
In the end, more than a dozen government officials left with water and fire sticks. The reason was simple: they couldn't beat them.
Not all yamen servants are like those in market novels who bully the weak and fear the strong. They have to hit the iron plate and jump in pain to know that they have messed with someone who is not easy to mess with.
These government officials are not stupid. Anyone with eyes can see that Xie Changyuan is not an ordinary person. A search in the entire Song Dynasty will probably not find a few such tall and strong men.
The oppression of his size, coupled with Xie Changyuan's ferocious demeanor, easily scared off these government officials. After all, people said that the national laws of the Song Dynasty could not rule him, a Qin man, so threatening the law was the last resort. Since If people don't accept this trick, they will just leave in despair.
When Xie Changyuan walked out of the crowd, he was holding large and small oil paper bags in his hands. The contents inside were fragrant, and everyone who walked by him would look back in confusion.
It contains soy sauce chicken, roast duck, barbecued pork and other foods, and even a pack of spicy rabbit heads.
These were all given by the vendors as a thank you gift from Xie Changyuan for helping them retire from the government service.
The journey was smooth, and Xie Changyuan soon arrived at the west of the city.
Walking into this place, it is obvious that the flow of people has become turbulent, with many people from all walks of life mixed in, and everyone has something to do in their hands.
The direction they were going was the arena, where competitions were held every day. They either went to participate or watched, every day.
The warriors were very angry, and they were the first to shout against Hui Emperor Zhao Shuo's idea of having the whole country surrender to the Twelve Divine Palaces. Therefore, this arena was created to deal with dissatisfaction.
It is said that since the completion of this arena, the five major champions have not lost a single defeat.
The crowd was roaring, and Xie Changyuan did not go to see who was competing in the ring this time, so he walked to the guest building alone.
The guest building in the west of the city is fully booked today, and this generous guest must be Princess Linyang.
Xie Changyuan was taken in by a clerk and went straight to the fourth floor, where he saw a woman dressed as a man sitting quietly at a table by the corridor.
Lin Yang held her cheek in her hand, her eyes half-closed as if she was concentrating. When Xie Changyuan appeared, she opened her eyes. Her pair of water-cut autumn eyes did not show the expected displeasure, but looked very calm.