All the way south, wherever they went, the people lived and worked in peace and contentment, and no one picked up anything at night. Although two corrupt officials were caught, most local officials were still very honest.
However, it was because of the arrest of these two corrupt officials that Jiang Changning learned that officials from the Ministry of Justice and the Dali Temple had already been arranged ahead of their team to patrol and arrange things along the way.
After all, it was an emperor's tour and everything was carefully arranged. Jiang Changning felt like he was in a luxury tour group.
This is good, but it is still a bit boring.
Jiang Changning reached out and lifted the curtain. In the fields on both sides of the road, the crops were lush and full of vitality.
Seeing Jiang Changning looking at the scenery outside the window, as if thinking about something, Emperor Xuanzhi asked with a smile: "What are you thinking about?"
"I was thinking about the prosperous Xuanzhi era." Jiang Changning turned his eyes to look at him, his lips curled up, smiling like a flower, "Your Majesty is an outstanding and wise ruler."
"Zou Ji was more than eight feet tall, and had a handsome appearance. He put on his court dress, looked in the mirror, and said to his wife, 'Who is more handsome, me or Xu Gong in the north of the city?' His wife said, 'You are very handsome, how can Xu Gong compare to you?'"
Jiang Changning chuckled, "Zou's wife praised Zou's beauty, that was personal, and I praised Your Majesty's wisdom, that was true."
"The Empress's mouth is sweeter than honey. Let me have a taste." Emperor Xuanzhi reached out and pulled the person into his arms and kissed her.
Jiang Changning, who was panting from being kissed, said: "If Your Majesty doesn't believe it, then go on a private visit and listen to the voices of the people."
"What a coincidence! Ningning and I are indeed in tune with each other." Emperor Xuanzhi said with a smile.
That evening, the group checked into a palace outside Suqian City.
The next day, Emperor Xuanzhi and Jiang Changning, accompanied by Chang Youzhong, Cao Jiang, Xiaochun, Banqin, and four guards, went to the city.
"My queen, please be careful where you step." Xiaochun supported Jiang Changning who almost stepped on a stone on the ground.
Jiang Changning smiled and said, "Your Majesty, since we are traveling in casual clothes, should we change our names?"
"It's time to change our titles. I am Master Huang, your Highness is Madam Huang, and you are the servants of the Huang family." Emperor Xuanzhi said.
Chang Youzhong and others said in unison: "Yes, sir."
"Master, why is the city of Suqian named like this?" Jiang Changning asked.
"Before the first year of Baoying in the Tang Dynasty, Suqian was called Suyu. In order to avoid the name of Emperor Daizong, it was changed to Suqian." Emperor Xuanzhi said simply.
Jiang Changning thought, "When my son ascends the throne, won't Kunming have to avoid his name? What should it be called then?"
"Let that little brat worry about this." Emperor Xuanzhi didn't want to worry about it.
Jiang Changning raised his eyebrows but didn't dwell on this issue.
Suqian has a strategic position. It faces Qi and Lu in the north and borders the Yangtze River and Huai River in the south. It is located in the middle of two rivers and controls the throat of the two capitals. It is somewhat like the dividing point between the north and the south.
In times of peace and prosperity, the city was very lively and prosperous.
As I was strolling around, I suddenly heard a shout from the front, "Damn you little thief, how dare you come into the store and steal wine!"
"Something is happening, let's go and see what's going on." Jiang Changning said excitedly.
So Chang Youzhong and others protected their two masters and squeezed in to watch the fun.
Everyone gathered in front of a small tavern. The waiter of the tavern grabbed a boy of eight or nine years old, who was holding a pot of wine.
The boy said anxiously, "Little Second Brother, please be kind. I need this wine urgently today and I absolutely need it. Can you give it to me on credit first? I will definitely pay you back in three days."
"No, I don't even know him. Why should I trust you? Give the wine back to me." The waiter grabbed the boy with one hand and reached for the wine jug with the other.
The boy refused to let go, and as the two men sawed at each other, the onlookers shouted, "Beat him! Beat him up and he'll behave himself."
"I'm not a thief. I need this wine urgently. I said I would pay. Brother, I see you sold wine on credit to others, why can't you sell it to me?" The boy asked a little angrily and a little aggrieved.
"Haha, this wine is mine. I can sell it on credit to anyone I want, but not to you, a little thief."
"I've already told you, I'm not a thief, I'm not a thief." The boy's face turned red with anger.
Everyone else pretended not to hear and told the waiter to quickly take the man to the county government office.
Jiang Changning saw that the boy was wearing a gray short-sleeved shirt. Although it had two or three patches on it, it was clean. He said, "Wait, I'll pay for his wine."
The onlookers, the waiter and the boy all looked over.
"Madam, are you really going to pay for his wine?" the waiter asked in disbelief.
Xiaochun showed with her actions that what her wife said was true, and took out a string of copper coins, "How much is the wine?"
"This pot of wine is Yanghe Daqu, and it costs one penny of silver." The waiter still didn't let the boy go.
The price of wine is not cheap. What if this lady changes her mind
Yanghe Daqu is a famous liquor. How could this small shop sell this liquor
Seeing Xiaochun's suspicious look, the waiter quickly explained, "This kid is very clever. He stole the best wine in our store. Our store relies on this wine to survive, and we only have five bottles."
Cao Jiang went over, opened the lid of the pot, and smelled it. "It's Yanghe Daqu."
Xiaochun then gave the waiter a penny and said, "Okay, let him go."
The boy walked up to Jiang Changning and bowed, "Thank you, Madam. May I ask which inn you are staying at? How long will you stay here?"
Jiang Changning couldn't tell him that he lived in a palace outside the city, nor could he tell him that he didn't know how long he would stay here. Everything had to be decided by Emperor Xuanzhi.
Emperor Xuanzhi answered for her, "Three days later, go to the Binzhi Inn to find the innkeeper and return the silver to him."
The boy said seriously, "Thank you, Master, and thank you, Madam. I, Zhang Jueheng, will not let you down for your trust. I will definitely go to the inn to return the money in three days."
"Okay, we trust you, just go and do your thing." Jiang Changning said with a smile.
Zhang Jueheng, holding the wine jug, disappeared in the crowd.
Emperor Xuanzhi and Jiang Changning did not know that because of their intervention, Zhang Jueheng's fate was changed. He was not imprisoned in the county jail and would become a capable official in the court in the future.
After Zhang Jueheng left, the excitement ended.
Jiang Changning took Emperor Xuanzhi to continue shopping. In this era, transportation was not well developed and population mobility was relatively small. The things sold on the street had obvious regional characteristics.
"This pancake is good, fragrant, crispy, and sweet but not greasy. It has a unique flavor. The more you eat it, the more you enjoy it. Master, please try it." Jiang Changning was enjoying her shopping. She didn't care about the etiquette of a lady and just ate the pancake she bought.
Emperor Xuanzhi looked at her lovingly, lowered his head and took a bite of the pancake, "It tastes really good."
Then, Jiang Changning took a fancy to the rolled noodles sold on the roadside. Emperor Xuanzhi stopped her and said, "It will be time for lunch soon. If you eat this, you won't be able to enjoy the famous dishes of Suqian."
"What are the famous dishes in Suqian?" Jiang Changning asked with a smile.
"That's a lot." Emperor Xuanzhi told her in detail that Suqian had double-skinned crucian carp, pig head meat,
Oh my god! I went to bed and took a nap, then I remembered that I didn’t upload it, so I quickly got up. Oh, my memory is so bad.
(End of this chapter)