Simulation becomes reality, have I ever looked down upon the eternity?

Chapter 208: Turbulence at the Post Station, Horse Hoofbeats (Two in One)

【It is night.】

[It was only thirty miles away from Jiakang City, and we could reach it in no time, but the night was getting darker, and the gate of such a big city was not easy to enter.]

[Although there is no curfew in Jiakang City, the night inspections are much more detailed. ]

[In such a prosperous place, people who need to enter the city urgently at night have to queue up very strictly and show their identities. You are worried about disturbing the people in the city, which is obviously not what you want.]

[We should keep a low profile when we go to Yanjing. ]

[You all have decided to rest here at this post station outside the city and set off tomorrow.]

[Jiakang City, as an important town, has a post station within five miles and a pavilion within two miles.]

[This post station is designed to provide a place for rest. The larger ones are also equipped with post guards, fast horses, food and fodder, etc. ]

[In the past, only those who held official positions or official business certificates could enjoy such conveniences. Ordinary people could only stay in simple village inns when traveling and had no chance to enjoy them.]

【However, in recent years, the reform wind in Yan has been blowing strongly, and the business has been booming like never before. 】

[The post station system also changed accordingly. There were special business stations set up within the post stations, which were specially for merchants or travelers to stay in. They only needed to pay silver. ]

[Even worse, there are free post stations for the common people to stay and eat for free. Naturally, there are also profits to be made from this, mostly when the councillors and prefects of the big cities are replaced at the end of their term.]

[In order to win over supporters, wealthy families in the city often perform "good deeds" such as distributing salt and oil, hosting buffets, and even setting up free post stations, in order to win the favor of the people and their votes.]

【Three years ago, during the general election in Jiakang City, some wealthy families even opened a polling station in a brothel in order to gain more votes. Although this move was quite absurd, it also reflected the importance of public opinion at the moment.】

[However, the "bribery and corruption" behind the scenes are also supervised by the "mercury" department of the Prince of Yan's Palace. ]

【Enforce the law and punish those who violate the law. 】

[In the "Essentials of Governing the North" written by the Prince of Yan, it is clearly recorded that the public opinion vote accounts for one-third of the appointment of a place in the Prince of Yan's palace.]

[However, this is not all. The remaining two-thirds are determined by the Prince of Yan's Mansion and various assessments.]

[The last sentence of "Essentials of Governing the North" was written by the King of Yan himself.]

[“The methods I write can also change with the times. There is no absolutely perfect policy in the world. We can only keep exploring and put the people first.”]

[Originally, this decree ended here, but after many discussions between the Yanwang Mansion and the prefects of various cities, a crucial sentence was added.]

[“King Yan has the power to deny any government order.”]

[“The laws of the world cannot be imposed on the King of Yan.”]

[This statement was not written by the King of Yan, but was added by later people.]

【And the people of Yan all agreed with this and felt that it should be so.】

[In the book "Essentials of Governing the North", the core concept is not only that "people are the foundation of the country", but also that the Prince of Yan's Palace is above all other industries. All worldly activities must pay tribute and taxes, and the Prince's Palace also holds absolute power over political and military orders. ]

[The Prince of Yan's Palace also shoulders the right and obligation to protect the people of Yan. ]

【Outside Jiakang City, thirty miles away, there is a post station, which is large in scale and can accommodate more than three hundred people. It is the largest in the vicinity.】

[This post station has a business post, you only need to spend silver to enjoy a night of good sleep. ]

[As you were about to dismount and settle down in front of the post station, the caravan that had been following you for the past two days also seemed to sense something and stopped in tacit agreement.]

[I saw a noble man, dressed in gorgeous clothes, walking quickly. ]

[Among the entourage, there are seven or eight guards with swords, and their momentum is overwhelming. ]

[The Seven Masters of Zhongnan had already led their horses into the stables of the post station and were busy making arrangements.]

【Li Lanjiang found Lu Yu and went to a nearby open space to spar with him again. Lu Yu didn't seem to care about it, as he was itching to spar, so the two of them left together.】

【Seeing this, Ye Shengnan shook her head helplessly, "Brother Li always likes to seek trouble."】

[The group is about to enter the post station. Apart from you and the fifth brother Yang Su, the only people present are Ye Shengnan, Su Ziyin and Ji Qinxin.]

【Two men and three women.】

[Just then, a nobleman hurried over from behind to stop the five of you. He was tall, wearing a top-quality white brocade robe, with a jade belt tied around his waist, and a dazzling array of rings and jade hanging from it, looking extraordinarily luxurious.]

[He has a handsome appearance, but his peach blossom eyes have a bit of vanity, which is probably a sign of physical weakness.]

[This caravan has actually been following you for a long time, but they are all ordinary people. Even the dozens of guards are just second- and third-rate warriors in the martial arts world, and you didn't pay any attention to them.]

[The noble young man politely said, "Excuse me for interrupting you, but please stay?"]

[He was polite in his words and decent in his behavior, but he could not hide the arrogance in his eyes.]

[Yang Su frowned slightly. Seeing that his uncle didn't speak, he didn't say anything either. He just stood quietly by the side with an unfriendly look.]

[Ye Shengnan looked like she was enjoying the show, with a slight smile on her lips and a hint of amusement in her eyes.]

[The nobleman's eyes looked straight at Ji Qinxin, the stunning beauty on the Rouge List.]

[When he saw her by chance two days ago, he was deeply attracted by her beauty and wondered how such a beautiful woman could exist in this world.]

[The originally boring journey became interesting because of meeting such a beautiful woman. 】

[And, coincidentally, they were all heading to Jiakang City. ]

[This made him feel that this was fate sent from heaven, a marriage bestowed upon him by God.]

[He wanted to go up to greet them several times, but unfortunately the team of carriages and horses was moving too fast, and they had goods on the caravan, so they could barely catch up.]

[After much difficulty, the convoy has to stop at the post station. ]

[He was secretly delighted, thinking that this was a godsend opportunity, and quickly got off the carriage and walked over quickly.]

[He is a native of Jiakang City and is familiar with the local customs. His family is also a wealthy businessman, and he also has an uncle who is also a councilor in Jiakang City.]

[The noble young master reluctantly turned his gaze away from Ji Qinxin, and then he looked up and down at the group of people, secretly evaluating them in his heart.]

[The noble young master noticed that most of them seemed to be Taoists, and the group was led by this middle-aged man.]

[He looked at the middle-aged man, who was dressed rather shabbily, and whose clothes seemed to have been patched many times, and looked quite old. For some reason, his appearance looked quite familiar, but he couldn't remember where it was at the moment.]

[The other people accompanying him were also wearing blue linen Taoist robes, which did not look expensive at all.]

[There are two women beside them. Although they are pretty in normal times, they are far inferior to the woman in white.]

[This woman in white was extremely beautiful. Based on his many years of experience in prostitution, he knew that although she was dressed quite conservatively, the tight white gauze still could not hide her curvy figure, especially the part below the waist which suddenly expanded like a full moon.]

[You only need to experience this kind of figure once to know that this is the most beautiful among beauties. ]

[Most importantly, looking at the way this woman walks, her legs are tight, without any gaps, and she is still a perfect virgin, which is something you can only encounter once in a while.]

[The most precious thing in the world is a night of spring. If there is a touch of red, it is like drinking a pot of good wine. ]

[The nobleman asked leisurely: "Do you want to stay at the post station?"] [Su Ziyin replied impatiently: "Aren't you a talkative person?"]

[She was born into a wealthy family. She was very familiar with this kind of rich and powerful dandy boy who appeared to be polite but was actually extremely vulgar. Therefore, she was quite cold towards him.]

[The noble young master was not angry. Instead, he looked at everyone and smiled, "Are you officials?"]

[When you heard this, you shook your head and replied, "I have no official position."]

[The smile on the noble man's face became brighter and brighter, as if he had expected this.]

[“I’m sorry, everyone. This post station is full.”]

[Su Ziyin glanced at the entrance of the post station. There were still three wooden signs hanging there, which meant that at least half of the rooms in the post station were still vacant.]

[Post stations usually have a few guest rooms for emergencies, but most of these rooms are prepared for officials. ]

[If the rooms are full, there won't be a sign hanging above. Considering the scale of this post station, there should be at least a hundred rooms left.]

[“What nonsense are you talking about? This post station clearly has over a hundred guest rooms.” Su Ziyin retorted bluntly.]

“Really?”

[The noble young man pretended to be puzzled and looked at the wooden sign on the post station. At this time, a guard who had just been in the caravan came up at a trot.]

[The guard held a bunch of keys in his hand and handed them to the young master respectfully, saying, "Sir, we have already rented all the guest rooms in the business post station."]

[The nobleman nodded calmly and took the bunch of keys with a smile on his face.]

[“See, I told you, all the rooms in this inn are full.”]

[Su Ziyin had seen through this man's deliberate act. He stood at the door to stop them, just to let his guards rent all the rooms in the business inn, thus forcing them to not be able to move in.]

[There is no explicit rule in the post station that prohibits renting out all of it. With such great wealth,]

[Ye Shengnan carefully looked at the nobleman in front of her, with a playful smile on her lips.]

[Ji Qinxin also frowned slightly, thinking that this person had bad intentions.]

[If Yang Su encountered such an arrogant person in normal days, he would immediately punish him severely. But now seeing that his uncle looked calm, he could only suppress his anger.]

[The nobleman caught a glimpse of Ji Qinxin's frowning brows. Every frown and smile of the beauty was like a spring breeze blowing on his face, touching his heart.]

【I was very happy in my heart and felt that I had gained a lot from this trip. 】

[Compared with this, the gold and silver rented from the post station is nothing.]

[The nobleman looked up at the horizon. The dusk was getting darker. He said slowly:]

[“You don’t need to look for other places. The gates of Jiakang City are closed. Besides, it is the time when the King of Yan is offering sacrifices to the heavens. There is an endless stream of people heading to Yanjing. The surrounding post stations are all full.”]

[“This post station is a temporary addition. I dare say that there are no other vacant rooms besides this one.”]

[“I’m sure you all have seen with your own eyes the number of carriages that the merchant caravans and civilians have carried along the way.”]

[Ji Qinxin thought to herself, this journey was indeed just as he said.]

[There was an endless stream of motorcades, all of which were people with their families. There were many white-haired old men with their grandchildren, and middle-aged couples with their children, all heading north to Yanjing.]

[She couldn't help but wonder, what kind of reputation did the King of Yan have to attract so many people to follow him? ]

【Ye Shengnan smiled brightly at this time and said to the noble young master: "Sir, what do you think we should do?"】

[The noble young man seemed to have been waiting for these words, and his expression revealed a bit of anticipation. ]

[However, he noticed that the middle-aged man at the head of the group remained silent and did not speak.]

[He stared at the middle-aged man's face, and felt more and more that he had seen him before, but he could not remember where he had seen him before.]

[The noble young man quickly searched in his mind for the appearance of his father and the councilors and military guards in Jiakang City, but none of them matched this person, so he stopped bothering!]

[He turned to look at Ji Qinxin and said in a slightly excited tone: "I just want to get to know this girl, is that possible?"]

[“Excuse me, young lady, could you please tell me your name?”]

[Ye Shengnan laughed even louder after hearing this: "Young Master, you really spend money like water just to win a beautiful woman's smile. This romantic act is really admirable."]

[The young master's mouth curled up into an infatuated smile, his eyes full of admiration:]

[“Let alone a thousand gold coins, even if it’s ten thousand gold coins, how can it be worthy of this girl’s stunning beauty?”]

[You activated your heavenly state and looked up at Ji Qinxin's head, only to see black air lingering around. It seemed as if you had realized that this was indeed a fate filled with disasters.]

【Fate is unfortunate and cannot be helped. 】

[“Is this request of mine not too much?” he asked softly, with a hint of anticipation in his tone.]

[“If you agree, all expenses for tonight’s room will be charged to this young master’s account.”]

[A hint of coldness flashed across Ji Qinxin's eyes, but she did not answer.]

[“Young lady, you know, my family owns thousands of acres of fertile land, and my ancestors for three generations have all been officials.” The nobleman seemed to see the girl’s displeasure, but he felt that her raised eyebrows were of a different flavor.]

[Suddenly, he changed the subject: "Besides, if you follow him, you will probably suffer for the rest of your life. If you follow me, you will be able to wear gold and silver and never have to do any work again. You can just enjoy the happiness of life."]

[The noble young master became more and more excited as he spoke, and even associated Ji Qinxin with you. ]

[Ji Qinxin, who was originally full of anger, blushed slightly upon hearing these words.]

【The nobleman saw this and understood what was happening, a smug smile appeared on his face. 】

[He thought to himself that it must be the money that moved her.]

[There is no woman in this world who cannot open her legs. It's just that the price you offered is not high enough. ]

[In the past, he spent a lot of money in the brothels along the Yuetang River until he was satisfied.]

[Yang Su was already furious, and was just waiting for the order from his uncle-master to let this arrogant fellow see how powerful the Taoist master was.]

[You suddenly turned your head and looked towards the official road of Jiakang City, and everyone else couldn't help but look over there.]

【Just see!】

[A long dragon-like cavalry team holding torches came from afar in a mighty force, with thousands of people.]

[The sound of horse hooves is deafening!]

[In the darkness of the night, a loud eagle cry pierced the sky at the right moment, adding a bit of solemnity. ]

[Your face shows helplessness.]

(End of this chapter)