Chapter 659 Daxuan First Level

Everyone stood on the deck of the canal boat and looked into the distance.

But at the confluence of Huitong River and Wei River, the setting sun dyed the river surface golden red.

There are guardhouses and checkpoints on both sides of the river.

Black-robed clerks, sallow-faced boatmen, merchants, porters…

People of all kinds were coming and going, and the noisy sounds even drowned out the surging waves.

The entrance to the river is completely blocked by a tall wooden gate.

Dozens of grain ships and passenger boats crowded in front of the lock, waiting anxiously.

“Over the dam!”

As the old official at the sluice gate struck the gong, the canal workers quickly set up the springboard.

“Hey hoo hey hoo~”

The shirtless trackers on the shore were shouting and pulling the ropes, with sweat rolling down their bronze backs.

As the winch turned, the huge wooden gate slowly rose.

The ship, which had been waiting for a long time, immediately entered.

After more than a dozen ships passed, the wooden gate was slowly lowered again, and the ships behind continued to wait.

This is the “dam crossing” at the canal checkpoint.

The scene and scale are no less impressive than any other dock.

Li Yan and others were not surprised when they saw it.

This Linqing City is no simple matter. It is the premier commercial hub in the north of the Great Xuan Dynasty and the first of the eight customs houses on the canal. It has jurisdiction over a 400-li waterway port and collects taxes that are ten times the total commercial tax of the entire Luzhou, ranking first in the country.

Not to mention Jinan Prefecture, even Suzhou and Hangzhou Prefectures have to stand aside.

“The prosperity surpasses the two capitals” is not an empty statement.

Not only are heavy troops stored here, it is also a gathering place for business groups from various states.

“Young Master Li.”

A clerk from the Cao Gang bowed respectfully and said, “It’s getting dark now. We can’t get through the Linqing customs for a while. You can go ashore and stay in Linqing City for one night. We can get on the boat tomorrow after we pass the customs.”

Li Yan frowned slightly, “Is it troublesome to pass the money checkpoint?”

“Ah~”

The Cao Gang clerk sighed, “This is the imperial court’s money bag, and there are many troubles here. Anyway, there are a lot of petty tricks. Just let us handle it, don’t pollute your ears.”

Li Yan pondered for a moment and said, “Okay.”

His original plan was not to stop here.

Before arriving in Tianjin City, he would only go to Cangzhou on the way and visit the Wu family.

But now that things have come to this, there’s no harm in waiting one more night.

As they were talking, the canal boat was gradually approaching the lock.

As the trackers stirred the turntable, the gate rose and the canal boat entered.

Li Yan looked around and a familiar feeling came over him.

He had seen this kind of structure when he was passing some dams by boat in his previous life, but he didn’t expect that it had been used so early.

If I’m not mistaken, there will be a gate in the river section ahead, which will change the height of the river channel and make the water flow smoother.

The difference is that there are guards and watchtowers on both sides of the river bank, armed with bows, crossbows and muskets, watching closely. There are also small boats on the river, which are the tax collectors responsible for inspecting goods and collecting taxes.

Li Yan remained calm and glanced at the left side of the river bank.

There were wooden poles standing on the shore, with several corpses hanging on them, with bamboo chips tied around their necks.

“Those are private boats evading taxes…”

Seeing his gaze, the Cao Gang member hurriedly explained in a low voice.

At this moment, a tax ship slowly approached.

It was already sunset and the light was dim. An old tax collector jumped onto the deck holding a lantern with the Chinese character “天” on it. His clothes were ragged and he reeked of alcohol. He looked around arrogantly and said, “What are you still standing there for? Check it out!”

At the command, the two clerks behind him immediately rushed into the cabin.

They were as aggressive as wolves and tigers, and they rushed into the cabin and started to rummage around.

A Cao Gang disciple nearby saw this and quickly handed over a “ticket” with a red seal from the bank.

The old tax collector glanced at it calmly, dipped his fingertips in saliva, and read each page carefully.

“Ouch!”

Just then, a scream sounded.

But the clerk who had just rushed in flew out of the cabin and rolled twice on the deck.

Lu San walked out of the dark cabin with a cold face, “If you move again, I’ll chop off your paws!”

However, the two clerks, seeing that the luggage of Li Yan and others were all packed in fine sandalwood boxes and covered with leather to make them waterproof, became greedy and wanted to pry open the boxes to steal something, but were beaten out by Lu San.

“you…”

The old tax collector’s face changed and he was about to lose his temper.

He was not panicked when he saw several people taking action.

The Grand Canal connects the north and the south, and is a hodgepodge of all kinds of people. He has seen all kinds of people.

But Linqing is heavily guarded. No matter who you are, once you come here, even a dragon will be coiled and even a tiger will be crouched. If you dare to resist taxes, you can be beheaded directly according to the imperial order!

However, before he could open his mouth to shout, he saw Long Yan’er next to him waving her sleeves.

The three tax collectors froze up immediately, their eyes becoming dull.

“I searched it, nothing happened before…”

Long Yan’er opened her red lips slightly, then waved her hand to take back the insect.

The three tax collectors gradually regained consciousness.

“Have you searched it?”

“We searched, and found some food…”

“Ah.”

The old tax collector nodded, feeling that something was wrong, but couldn’t think of anything. He suddenly narrowed his eyes and pointed at the cargo hold: “There are two baskets of Zhangzhou oranges in there, they are not recorded in the tax book!”

There was only food on the Cao Gang’s ship, and no Zhangzhou oranges at all.

However, the Cao Gang disciple smiled and stuffed the silver coins in, “Yes, yes, we will make it up right away.”

The old tax collector put the silver into his sleeve, and then swept the stern with the lantern, and then waved his hand and said:

“Okay, next one!”

After saying that, he jumped onto the boat with two of his men and left.

“Good guy…”

Sharifei was amused. “We have been through many checkpoints in our travels, but this is the first time I have seen someone so blatant. It is indeed the number one checkpoint in the world where passing geese are plucked out of their feathers!”

“Calm down, everyone.”

The Cao Gang disciple smiled bitterly and said, “The one who manages the Linqing City Taxation Bureau is Eunuch Ma from the capital. He has been with the emperor since he was a child and has great power. Even the garrison troops are under his control. We really can’t afford to offend him.”

“It turns out he is a eunuch from the capital…”

Li Yan shook his head slightly, “Is this considered a pass?”

“It’s not that simple.”

The Cao Gang disciple sighed, “Linqing Banknote Customs is the top of the world, where money and grain are concentrated. People from all levels want to get involved. There are many procedures one after another. Even if our Cao Gang often handles it, it will take a whole day.” “I have made arrangements. You can go into the city to rest for a night. I think you can leave tomorrow afternoon.”

“Alright.”

Li Yan nodded and didn’t say much.

It’s easy for them to leave, and it doesn’t matter if they offend the people here, but it will inevitably cause trouble for the Cao Gang.

Only after obtaining the red seal could the grain ship dock.

Needless to say, Linqing City was prosperous. The story in “Jin Ping Mei” took place here. Nearly half of the various urban stories circulating on the market today are related to this place, which shows its status in the hearts of the people of the Daxuan Dynasty.

When he arrived at Zhujing Town in Songjiang Prefecture, he wrote a poem to describe Zhujing Town:
“The fireworks of thousands of families are like those of the capital. The Yuan Dynasty once built Daying. Merchants came and went in droves. People still call it Little Linqing.”

Zhujing Town, Songjiang Prefecture, is the Shanghai of the previous life, and is now called “Little Linqing”.

Even at night, the hustle and bustle is still there.

Especially since Li Yan has the ability of smell and hearing, no details can be hidden from his detection.

At the riverside alley, small piles of Jiangnan bamboo were being carried into shops by porters. The bamboo tips swept past the signs of “Suzhou and Hangzhou Silk” and “Songjiang Cotton Cloth”, raising a cloud of dust and the sound of southern dialect curses…

At the end of the alley, the mule and horse team of Shanxi merchants kicked over the bluestone slabs. Several men in the team spoke with northern Xinjiang accents. The bamboo baskets and backpacks behind them smelled faintly of soil and old mountain ginseng. They must be mountain herders working with Shanxi merchants…

On the west bank, seventy-two official kilns had already started cooking in the evening, and the black smoke spewing out of the kilns was entangled with the sunset glow.

The kiln workers were moving bricks, covered in sweat. The stamps on the bricks, “Zhang, the kiln owner in the 13th year of Jinglong” were still clearly visible…

Those are Linqing tribute bricks. Because they use “lotus soil” from the Yellow River and go through nearly twenty processes, they “make a sound when hit and have no holes when broken”, making them the main building material for the imperial palace in the capital. Each brick is engraved with the firing time, kiln owner and craftsman’s name.

There are also exquisite pleasure boats that are obviously from Jiangnan. Not only can you hear the sound of stringed instruments and bamboo music, but you can also hear women laughing softly and throwing peanut skins into the water with their white hands…

The sound of rock-paper-scissors came from the tavern on the dock. The day laborers who had finished carrying their bags squatted under the eaves, drinking coarse wine and eating flatbreads. Someone drunkenly cursed: “Eunuch Ma’s claws are longer than the canal!” Others hurriedly covered his mouth and glanced at the tax collector’s lantern…

Looking around, Li Yan inexplicably thought of “Along the River During the Qingming Festival”.

“It’s really lively here, even Chang’an can’t compare to it!”

Even Sharifei sighed.

When night fell completely, the Chen family’s boat finally docked at the South Gate Wharf.

Li Yan and others stepped onto the gangplank and went ashore. They saw that the city gate in the distance had not been closed yet, and the lights all over the city were visible.

Because they were afraid that those petty officials would have evil intentions again, they moved out all the luggage, big and small, called for an ox cart, and led by the disciples of the Cao Gang, they creaked towards the city.

Linqing is bustling especially at night.

All the shops on both sides of the street were open, the lights were on, and the streets were still crowded with people.

The Cao Gang disciple who was accompanying them laughed and said, “You all have come at the right time. There are so many fun places to go in Linqing City at night. There are three red-flower alleys alone. There are thin horses from Yangzhou, women from Mizhi, and even women from Luosha Country. If you want to listen to music, you can find bands from all over the country…”

“Just listen to the music.”

Li Yan shook his head slightly, “Is there any special food in this place?”

“That’s a lot!”

This Cao Gang disciple was obviously also a foodie, and said without hesitation: “Lincheng is a prosperous place, and those business gangs are very rich. They are particular about food and never tire of fineness. There is everything from the south of the Yangtze River’s icy shad and assorted fragrant noodles to the north’s mutton hotpot. If you are willing to spend money, ‘General Cai’ can also cook for you personally…”

As he spoke, he couldn’t help swallowing.

“Oh?”

Li Yan also became interested, but when he was about to ask, he was interrupted by the noise in front.

But in the middle of the street in the distance, there were groups of martial artists standing, holding weapons and glaring at each other.

The leader on the left is a thin man in gray shorts. He raises his hands in a fist stance, and his left hand forms an “elephant trunk fist” to lightly hit the waist. The long sleeve on his right arm hangs down like flowing clouds, and his feet leave marks on the ground, showing that he has used hidden strength.

Li Yan narrowed his eyes slightly, “Sun Bin Fist?”

Sun Bin Fist, according to legend, was passed down by Sun Bin, a military strategist in the Warring States Period. There is no clear record of it. Because practitioners often wear long-sleeved clothes, it is also called “Long Sleeve Fist”. It is said that it has three hundred and sixty hands connected, chicken legs, dragon waist, and monkey nature. Most of the fist types are “Elephant Trunk Fist” and it is quite popular in Luzhou area.

The boxing stance and long sleeves are too obvious.

“Young Master Li has good eyesight!”

The Cao Gang disciple who was accompanying him flattered him, then looked ahead and whispered, “That man is Yuan Heng, the second disciple of the Yang Family Martial Arts School. He is usually brave and aggressive, often wandering around the streets of Linqing. He is a young and inexperienced person.”

“The guy on the opposite side is not someone you can easily mess with either. His name is Tian Fan, and he learns the spring kick. Both gangs are martial artists, but they don’t do martial arts. Instead, they are entangled with city foxes and community rats, fighting for territory in the city, and often fighting fiercely.”

Sharifei smiled and said, “Their sect doesn’t care about it?”

The martial arts industry has its own rules. They know what to eat and what not to eat, and they cannot break the rules.

If a thing like this appeared in the sect, the master would lose face.

“Ah~”

The Cao Gang disciple shook his head and whispered, “These two are useless, but they have a dog official in the government behind them who helps them do shameful things. Others are too lazy to provoke them.”

As he was talking, the big bearded man opposite, Tian Fan, had already bent his legs slightly like the roots of an old tree, with the corners of his robe tucked into his belt, doing the Linqingtan Legs. He sneered, “Yuan, don’t you see your character? You’re just like a monkey. If you enter Miss Zhao’s boudoir, aren’t you afraid of scaring her?”

“fart!”

Sun Bin punched Yuan Heng, cursed him, and started to attack him.

He staggered left and right, and in three or two steps he came in front of Tian Fan. With a flick of his wrist, his long sleeves swept towards the opponent’s face. In his sleeves, there was clearly a copper cone hidden, heading straight for the Jingming acupoint.

“Hey!”

The bearded man Tian Fan let out a low roar, twisted his waist and kicked sideways, his big feet coming whistling with the sound of wind.

It is exactly the “iron broom sweeping away dust” of Tan legs.

Feeling the force from that leg, Yuan Heng’s expression changed slightly and he quickly stepped back.

The big bearded man Tian Fan took advantage of the situation and kicked him straight in the crotch.

Both of them were insidious and vicious in their actions.

“stop!”

A light breath came from upstairs on the street.

But a white figure jumped down from the window.

He was a scholar dressed in white, with a slightly green face and an oil-paper umbrella in his hand.

This man was more skilled than him. He swung his oil-paper umbrella at an angle, and the ribs of the umbrella lightly hit Yuan Heng’s Quchi acupoint, forcing him back. Then he turned his hand back, and the bearded man Tian Fan’s leg kick seemed to be kicked into a pile of cotton, and the force was dissipated by the vortex of the umbrella.

“The Master said: A gentleman has nothing to contend with, so he must practice archery!”

The scholar in white robe stood with his umbrella folded, the tip of the umbrella touching the bluestone slab between the two of them.

Click!

The bluestone slab cracked into spider-web patterns, shocking Yuan and Tian so much that they took three steps back.

The scholar smiled faintly, “Uncle Yang wrote an article in “New History of Wulin” last month, saying that the martial arts community fights for land like street thugs. Today, I have been enlightened.”

Kong Shangzhao behind him quickly lowered his head.

But the scholar had sharp eyes and had already seen it. He laughed dumbly: “Junior Brother Kong, you haven’t been to the martial arts hall to practice for many days. How come you didn’t even say hello when you saw me?”

Kong Shangzhao had no choice but to step forward and bow, saying, “Greetings, Senior Brother.”

“Don’t be afraid.”

The scholar laughed dumbly, with a trace of disdain in his eyes, “I don’t care about what’s going on between you and Shang Qing, but you know his temper, you can’t avoid him…”

Li Yan held Kong Shangzhao’s shoulders and pulled him behind him.

But just as he was about to speak, he suddenly looked upstairs.

But there was a woman lying on the window, wearing light yellow clothes, with bright eyes and white teeth, her palms resting on her cheeks, her eyes full of smiles, “Mr. Li, long time no see.”

But it was the Chang’an City’s most beautiful woman, Zhao Wanfang…

(End of this chapter)