Yangzhou was called "Han" in the Spring and Autumn Period, "Guangling" and "Jiangdu" in the Han Dynasty. There is also an ancient name called "Weiyang".
Hancheng and Hangou appeared at the same time, and Hangou was a canal.
What really made Yangzhou become "the famous capital of Huaizuo and the best place in Zhuxi" was that Emperor Yang of Sui Dynasty dug and dredged Hangou on a large scale and dug the North-South Grand Canal.
Although Emperor Yang of the Sui Dynasty dug the canal, which brought serious disasters to the local people at that time, the Grand Canal was an achievement that will benefit future generations.
It is precisely because of the Grand Canal that transportation and cultural exchanges between the north and the south have been quickly realized, the development of industry and agriculture and commercial prosperity have been promoted, and Yangzhou has become a hub for transportation between the north and the south.
At that time, Emperor Yang of the Sui Dynasty also dredged and deepened Shanyangdu, so that ships on the sea could reach Yangzhou City directly, which made Yangzhou become a famous foreign trade center in the Tang Dynasty and a distribution center for silk, tea, ironware, and salt. p>
Such a commercial city with "widely accessible department stores and profits from all over the world" is naturally not small in scale.
In the Yuan Dynasty, Yangzhou Prefecture included the three prefectures of Gaoyou Prefecture, Tongzhou, and Taizhou, and the nine counties of Jiangdu, Taixing, Yizhen, Rugao, Haimen, Baoying, Xinghua, Liuhe, and Chongming.
Since the Ming Dynasty, Liuhe has been transferred to Yingtian Prefecture, and Chongming has been transferred to Suzhou Prefecture. Therefore, Yangzhou Prefecture has been changed to govern 3 prefectures and 7 counties, of which 3 counties, Jiangdu, Yizhen, and Taixing, are directly under its jurisdiction. Gaoyou Prefecture under its rule is in charge of Baoying.
Xinghua County, Taizhou leads Rugao County, and Tongzhou leads Haimen County.
The Dahua Dynasty continued the old system. Although the area of Yangzhou became smaller, the administrative hierarchy was clearer.
The magistrates of Yangzhou are on the fourth rank, with Tongzhi and Tongpin under them; the three magistrates of Gaoyouzhou, Tongzhou and Taizhou are on the fifth rank, with Tongzhi and judges under them; the county magistrates are on the seventh rank, with the county magistrate and chief book under them. The prefecture, prefecture, and county levels each have an inspection department and deputy inspection department, each equipped with a number of archers.
Nowadays, all these officials are trying their best to curry favor with Jia Lian, so that Jia Lian tries not to go out on the streets to avoid being encountered.
But when it comes to "profiting all over the world", the first choice is the salt business with astonishing profits. Since the implementation of commercial transportation and sales, the salt industry in Lianghuai and Huaihe has grown by leaps and bounds. Yangzhou salt merchants are truly rich. From this point of view
Yangzhou is "prosperous because of rivers and prosperous because of salt", and its reputation is well-deserved.
Although the capital city is the first prosperous place to bear the brunt, the prosperity of the capital city is not the same as the prosperity of Yangzhou.
The prosperity of the capital city is mainly due to the fact that it is the political center.
At the feet of the emperor, there are countless high-ranking officials and dignitaries. Because of the high-end ostentation demand of these "nobles", ordinary people in the capital can naturally get some glory. The overall living standard is higher than that of the whole country, and of course it looks prosperous.
The prosperity of Yangzhou is precisely because "the sky is high and the emperor is far away", which downplays many political factors and ranks economic factors first.
Although salt merchants, large and small, inevitably collude with the government, compared with the "officials everywhere" in the capital, the people here are indeed more economically minded.
This kind of prosperity in Yangzhou is more worldly and down-to-earth.
Jia Lian, who was walking on the streets of Yangzhou, fully understood this.
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Bustling and crowded.
There are many businesses on both sides of the street. In addition to shops selling various items, there are also inns, wine shops, teahouses, and bathhouses. They are almost one after another, one street after another, endless and endless.
"How long do you want to go shopping?
From morning to now, you two have entered nearly a hundred shops, aren't you tired?"
Jia Lian felt that both of his legs were no longer his own, but the two aunts, Qingwen and Zhuyu, could still run into shops one after another without feeling tired at all.
Qingwen, who was walking in front, was discussing with Juyu whether the tapestry satin with five-color butterflies that she just saw was more beautiful, or the Shu brocade with three-color hibiscus. At this time, she turned around and saw Jia Lian holding his waist and legs in an awkward manner, and said with a smile.
:
"Didn't Erye promise yesterday? He will accompany us for a whole day today.
We’ve only walked five streets, how come it’s like this?”
However, Zhuyu saw a very unique box of perfume in a shop and was about to drag Qingwen in. Seeing Jia Lian's virtue, she frowned and said:
"If I had known I hadn't brought him here, it would have been a hindrance."
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It’s not like I have to follow you to find abuse!
Yesterday, she insisted on threatening me with "two things", and I gritted my teeth and agreed, but now she thinks I'm "holding back"?
If it weren’t for the chance to see Ah He, I wouldn’t have been fooled like this!
Jia Lian's legs were sore and his heels were already numb. He sat at a wonton stall on the roadside with his hands waving:
"I really can't walk anymore, you two just let me go."
Juyu was in a hurry to enter the store and pointed at the teahouse next to her:
"Then let's go have tea, Mr. Er."
As he spoke, he pulled Qingwen anxiously and said with a smile:
"I've heard about it in the capital. This 'Xie Fuchun' store is the most famous for its fragrance powder and hair oil. None of the 'Cuiyu Rong' and 'Chun Zhizhang' stores we've been to before are as good as this one."
Women's shopping has no purpose at all, the focus is just the word "shopping".
For men who have no sense of participation, it only brings endless confusion, suffering, pain, and even anger.
Jia Lian was not angry yet, but looked at the backs of the two girls who were getting more and more energetic as they wandered around, and sighed deeply:
"A woman's physical strength only depends on her interests."
The old man selling wontons came over and asked Jia Lian very considerately:
"Two sisters?"
Jia Lian grinned:
"I'm not that lucky.
If she was really my sister, at least I could blame others."
The old man didn't pay attention to Jia Lian's answer. He came up to talk for another purpose:
"Sir, would you like to have a bowl of wontons first?
As long as a woman enters that shop, she will not be able to get out within half an hour."
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After listening to what the old man said, I really didn’t suffer a loss.
After Jia Lian finished a bowl of wontons with bamboo shoots and meat, a bowl of Sixi glutinous rice dumplings, and two salty pot cakes, she still didn't see them coming out, so she had to burp and go to the nearby teahouse to drink tea to eat.
"Save the light".
The name of this tea house is quite elegant, which made Jia Lian nod his head:
"Nothing can be done to save the fleeting time, and the years are rushing people like arrows.
Good! It’s interesting.”
Upon entering the teahouse, the waiter at the door saw Jia Lian as beautiful as jade and well-dressed. He immediately nodded and bowed, respectfully welcomed Jia Lian to the second floor, and invited him directly into the private room.
There are four private rooms on the second floor, and Jia Lian was invited to the "Chun" private room.
Entering the private room, Jia Lian looked out the window facing the street and could see the door of "Xie Fuchun".
The waiter grabbed it first and immediately wiped the polished chair surface with a white handkerchief, then smiled and invited Jia Lian to take a seat.
Just as I sat down, a soft female voice came from outside the door. When she opened her mouth, she said a sentence from "The Analects of Confucius":
"Isn't it right to have a friend come from afar?"
Following the sound of people arriving, a jade hand lifted the door curtain embroidered with green bamboo, and a woman walked in Qiao Qiao:
"Excuse me, distinguished guest, what kind of tea would you like to drink?"