The lake at the foot of the mountain is long and narrow. It is at least dozens of miles to walk from one end to the other. The mountain is almost parallel to the west coast of the lake. There is no close contact between the foot of the mountain and the lake shore. On the contrary, in fact, there are at least a dozen miles from the foot of the mountain to the lake shore.
The road inside formed a slightly sloping flat land.
There is a city in the middle and countless villages.
The name of this city is Xian Ning, which means cloud.
Before the Central Plains Dynasty conquered Yunzhou, Yunzhou was a country of its own and was very prosperous. It actively learned the cultural techniques of the Central Plains Dynasty and also used the writing and etiquette of the Central Plains Dynasty. At that time, the capital of this country was not over Yundu, but right here.
Here, Xian Ning is still as prosperous as Yundu, and the city is even more magnificent.
However, the city is not included in the painting.
Song You first walked along the lake and took in the scenery. When Yan Zi told him that he had reached the bottom of Xian Ning, he chose a path that went straight up and walked up.
It actually took more than half an hour to walk to the city.
You can see how far away it is.
Xianning was once the capital of the country. It had a tall masonry city wall that surrounded the city into a square. The west gate faced the mountains, the east gate faced the lake, the south gate led to the hinterland of Dayan, and the north gate led to the snowy areas and Yunzhou.
Merchants on the Tea Horse Road must pass through here and exchange tea and other supplies from the south for horses in the north.
Song You entered the city just in time to pass the city gate.
Yunzhou has long been included in the Central Plains Dynasty, so the ultimatum is naturally useful here.
It's just that Yunzhou has been unstable in recent years, and Xianning seems to be especially unstable. The military academy guarding the city has investigated more carefully.
Entering the city, prosperity suddenly appears.
There is no curfew here either.
The Taoist enters from the east gate and goes all the way up. This road leads from the east gate to the northwest, dividing Xianning into the north and south. Together with the road between the south gate and the north gate, it is one of the two most prosperous streets in the city. It is probably
It is also the only two roads in the city that can be called "streets". It divides Xianning into four square blocks. In addition, there are alleys of various sizes, which may seem complicated, but in fact it is impossible to get lost.
Nowadays, the streets are bustling with lively entertainment, and there are often women sitting upstairs and looking down to entertain customers. At first glance, it looks like other cities.
Probably those shops selling local folk costumes and local supplies have been closed by now.
Song You walked slowly with his horse.
The ground was covered with hard stone bricks, which made the sound of horses' hooves.
"The weather here is not bad. We spend the winter here next to Aha Lake. I heard from the Yundu Zhu family and the businessmen on the road that it will probably not get cold here until the cold winter. Before that, strong people can stay here during the day.
You only need to wear a single layer of clothing, and it won't get cold at night." Song You said to his cat as he walked, "If Miss Sanhua is free, just go all the way down and take your fishing rod with you.
Go fishing in the lake, find a place where no one is around, you can practice your magic, and you can sell the fish you catch for money."
"..."
After eating the last piece of sugar cane, Sanhua Empress turned back into a cat. She was still at ease as a cat. She followed the Taoist with small steps, but did not answer. Instead, she kept turning her head and looking left and right.
Indeed, I have never seen anyone selling sugar cane.
"Miss Sanhua, you don't have to worry about getting lost. Anyway, there is a mountain on one side and a lake on the other. If you go up, you will reach the foot of the mountain, and if you go down, you will reach the lake. The largest official road in the middle will definitely lead to Xianning.
There are only two main roads that crisscross each other in the city, so you can walk to the main road no matter what."
"Meow……"
"Miss Sanhua is so perfunctory, is she too busy looking for accommodation tonight?"
"Meow……"
"No need to look for it, there are several right here."
Song You stopped and looked at both sides of the street ahead.
This city was built quite early and is square and square. There are still traces of the city-market system of the previous dynasty here. For example, the same or similar industries are highly concentrated in the same area. In the past, this city was probably dedicated to inns for tourists.
There are still many inns and hotels left in Fangshi. But not all of them are there. After all, Dayan's economy is highly developed, which will more easily expose the shortcomings of the Fangshi system. Flexible adjustments have been made here based on actual needs.
However, as far as the eye can see, there are at least four or five hotels.
There are shop signs at the door, or wooden signs are hung, and some even have lanterns hung and wine flags flying.
"Xian Ning Building."
The Xianning Building is very grandly built, with carved railings and painted buildings, and there are singing and dancing on it. It is obviously a high-end brothel that provides accommodation and other entertainment services.
"Tongfu Carriage and Horse Racing Shop."
The carriage and horse shop is a shop that I often stay at. It is convenient to stay and the price is cheap. The environment is slightly worse. The customers come and go frequently and there is a mix of people. It is not suitable for long-term stay.
“Daqianjiao Shop.”
The so-called foot shops are actually hotels without wine-making qualifications. Wine must be wholesaled from other "main shops" or "wineries" opened by the government, and then retailed. They mainly serve drinking, and also provide accommodation services for temporary rest and lodging during the journey.
, but they are usually simple and simple. Jiu Mengzi would not pick these when he was drunk, and they are not suitable for long-term stay.
“Yongchun Inn.”
Song You looked at the last inn.
The inn is good, the inn is good.
I just received a reward of twenty taels of silver from Yundu Zhufu last month. I have been traveling for twenty days and it has not been used yet. It is just used to improve the quality of the accommodation.
At the same time, Sanhua Empress also stopped, sat down at the Taoist's feet, and looked at the hotels with the Taoist. Because her posture was so cute, she was beautiful, and her expression was lively, many pedestrians on the road couldn't help but look at her.
He cast a glance and saw that it was a Taoist who brought him. Anyone with a leisurely mind could not help but smile.
Sanhua Empress is still young, but she has stayed in quite a few hotels, so naturally she can tell which ones are good and which ones are not, and which ones are expensive and which are cheap.
Not to mention the name, you can already tell by looking at the exterior decoration.
"Have you made your choice, Sanhua Empress?"
"Meow……"
"I've made my choice too." The Taoist smiled, "In that case, let's go."
The Taoist walked towards Yongchun Inn.
The cat walked towards the carriage shop.
It wasn't until he took two steps that he realized that the Taoist priest was walking in a different direction than he was. He was stunned in place with one front paw raised, and turned to look at him. Then he quickly trotted to follow him.
"Sir, this is..."
"Ask about the price of accommodation,"
"Oh, let's stay in the hotel!" The store owner immediately breathed a sigh of relief. He was afraid that he thought he was here to ask for money, but then he became enthusiastic and asked, "Sir, do you plan to stay for a long time or a short time?"
"Three months."
"Easy to say! Easy to say!"
Xianning is also a large city in Yunzhou and is quite prosperous. However, it is cold and even snowy in the north in autumn and winter, so there are relatively few merchants on the tea horse road and the prices are much cheaper.
Song You went to the carriage and horse shop to ask again. In fact, he just wanted to scare the shopkeeper. He also tried to estimate the market price based on the price of the carriage and horse shop opposite. In the end, he spent five taels of silver and stayed there for three months. The stables were included, but the horses were not included.
The money for the child’s fodder - calculated is higher than the rent of living in Changjing, but it must be taken into account that Changjing is a house for shopkeepers, which is equivalent to public rental housing subsidized by the court. This kind of house itself is
It was difficult to apply for it. After getting the imperial subsidy, the heroine gave him a discount to get such a discount.
In comparison, the small house in Changjing is better for living alone and has a larger space. The inn is better for being located in a prosperous area, with ready-made room facilities, bedding and pillows, and dedicated cleaning staff.
That's pretty much it.
"My horse does not need a leash, will not hurt anyone, and will not run around. The store can rest assured. If it hurts someone for no reason, it will be compensated according to the price. If it runs away on its own, it is none of the store's business. The same goes for the cat, which will never be damaged.
The items in the store’s room will not hurt anyone, otherwise they will be compensated according to the price.”
As the Taoist said that, he took the horse to the corner of the stable and swept the floor of the stable. Then with the help of the store owner, he moved the luggage to the second floor room, walked down and sat in the lobby on the first floor.
Three oil lamps were lit in the lobby, two on the middle pillar and one on the counter, which could illuminate the lobby.
"Does the store have anything to eat?"
"It's a bit late now. There are still two fish in the kitchen, some rice and bait wire, bacon and smoked chicken, but there are not many dishes left."
"I heard that the rice noodles here are delicious?"
"The rice and silk bait are all delicious, but some people from out of town are used to eating bait silk, and some don't like to eat it." The store owner enthusiastically promoted, "It's made from rake meat and soup made from bones. It's a bit cold now that it's dark, so eat it."
The last bowl was delicious and comfortable, and it kept you warm, so you can keep it satisfactorily.”
"Just have a bowl."
"There isn't much meat left in the rake, so I'll give it all to Mr. If there is more, it will be considered as a gift. We will have a good relationship with Mr."
"That would be great, thank you very much."
Wearing this Taoist robe and walking around the world, we often encounter this kind of preferential treatment, especially since Taoists do not seem to be ordinary people. No matter whether they are ordinary people or dignitaries, they will be treated more courteously.
It can also be regarded as a hidden benefit.
When the rice noodles were brought up, there was indeed a lot of meat on them. The Taoist took out the small bowl of Sanhua Empress, which was made of exquisite blue and white porcelain. Under the light, the patterns were revealed on the table, and he only rake out most of the rice noodles in his own bowl.
The meat was put into the bowl and handed to the cat.
Then he took the chopsticks, but did not move in a hurry. Instead, he stopped the shopkeeper who had not gone far: "I just want to ask the shopkeeper..."
"Sir, do you have any questions?"
The shopkeeper stopped immediately and turned to look at him.
"While I was walking down the road, I heard that there is a little Chai Niang in the city. I wonder if the store owner knows where she lives?"
"Hahaha……"
When the shopkeeper heard this, he smiled and said to him: "Seeing that Mr. Sir has just arrived today, and he behaves like an accomplished monk, the little man thought in his heart that Mr. Sir must go to find that little Chai Niang. Even if he doesn't go looking for it,
She also wants to look for other people who appear suddenly and ask questions out of curiosity."
"The store owner is used to it."
"I'm used to it..."
"Then you must know where she lives?"
"The literati have a good saying, it is far away in the horizon, but close is nearby." The shopkeeper said happily, "There is an open space behind the small shop. It is late now, if it is daytime, sir, you can see that there are many freshly dyed clothes hanging in the open space.
The good cloth is the famous Xianyun gauze from Yunzhou, which belongs to Xiao Chai Niang's husband's family, and is going to be supplied to the palace."
"Right in the back?"
"It's right behind, and her house is also behind. Although it's not next to this street, it's much cleaner than this street!"
"I see……"
The Taoist nodded and replied in a low voice.
All I have to say is that we are destined.
He lowered his head to move the chopsticks, but the cat raised its head from the bowl and barked at him.
"Meow!"
"..."
The Taoist had no choice but to raise his head and ask the shopkeeper: "May I ask where can I buy sugar cane in the city?"
"Sugar cane? It's rare to see it being sold. We don't have many people growing sugar cane here. But I heard that on the road to the south, on the other side of the mountain, there are quite a few people growing sugar cane, boiling it into syrup and selling it to sugar mills."