After being jilted, the entire neighboring village was filled with deep regret.

Chapter 290 Situation in the Imperial Capital
Su Chunlin shook his head, his already worried face showing even deeper wrinkles. "Your cousin and A-Zhan are going with you. I heard they'll change carriages in the prefectural city and travel with the caravan, so there shouldn't be any danger."

"Dad, how come you're so open-minded now?" Su Tai couldn't help but find it amusing.

Su Chunlin glanced at her, took a deep breath, and said, "It's not that I'm optimistic, but I encountered dozens of groups of officials on my way back from the border, you know? The border war requires manpower, and the government would love for more criminals to commit crimes, so they don't have to sentence them to death or anything."

Once they're escorted to the border, they'll be under military control. Those men are all destined for the front lines, for at least a year! That bastard Xiong Kai was on the front lines; I never expected the brat to be so lucky. He survived all that and even tried to scheme against me!

Su Chunlin grew angrier the more he thought about it, muttering, "I should never have agreed to this marriage in the first place, what bad luck!"

"Dad! This happened so long ago, why are you still fussing about it!" Su Tai shook her head speechlessly, but felt much more at ease.

Su Zhan and his group, who were on Su Tai's mind, had already left Lizhou. The closer they got to the capital, the hotter the weather became.

Xiao Tangcheng's initial excitement wore off, and he was completely dejected, like a wilted eggplant.

Tang Yu felt very sorry for Su Chuan and wanted to discuss stopping to rest, but Ke Yunyun stopped her. "We are with the caravan for safety, so we can't just stop on a whim. Besides, they won't wait for us. We have to grit our teeth and bear it."

"I'm worried about the child's condition," Tang Yu said anxiously.

Having spent so much time with Tang Cheng, he knew his situation well. This kid was prone to getting sick when he was in a bad mood, and traveling was already tiring enough; if he got sick on top of that, it would be a real problem.

Ke Yunyun was at a loss.

When the caravan stopped to rest, the couple gritted their teeth and told Su Chuan and Su Zhan about the situation.

Before Su Chuan could speak, Su Zhan magically produced a wooden cart and a lollipop from the carriage, saying, "Give this to the child to make him happy."

Ke Yunyun was pleasantly surprised, "Cousin, where did you get this?"

Su Zhan chuckled and said, "My sister prepared these in advance. She said if the child makes a fuss on the way, she'll give them one at a time. You can tell Xiao Tangcheng that as long as he behaves well, he can get a new gift every day."

Tang Yu felt this method was a bit mercenary, but he didn't have any better ideas at the moment, so he could only give it a try.

The results were surprisingly good.

Tang Cheng not only regained his energetic self, but also became much more enthusiastic about eating. He would say nice things to the adults every day to make them happy, and he no longer resisted when Tang Yu taught him to read.

Even the caravan members praised him when they saw him.

Tang Cheng became even more motivated after receiving praise from others.

The problem that had been troubling Ke Yunyun and Tang Yu was easily solved. At this point, Tang Yu no longer thought that the reward was mercenary, and instead found ways to reward the child.

In such a relaxed atmosphere, everyone adapted to the life of traveling, and more than a month passed in the blink of an eye.

They also arrived at the capital of Langya Kingdom.

Seeing the majestic city walls and the imposing soldiers guarding the city, everyone felt a deep sense of awe and unconsciously straightened their backs.

The caravan had travel documents, and the passengers also had household registration and travel permits, so they were quickly allowed into the city.

The city's prosperity surpasses that of any other prefecture, especially its streets, which are wide enough for five or six carriages to ride side by side, leaving people speechless.

Su Chuan looked at Tang Yu, "Brother-in-law, what do we do now?" Tang Yu had been traveling around for many years and was quite confident.

He thought for a moment and said, "Let's find a restaurant to stay in first, have a good meal, and then inquire about the travel situation. Let's see if we can find a suitable place to stay today. If not, we'll stay at an inn for a few days. I don't know how much an inn costs per night in the capital."

Once they entered the city, they would have to start worrying about money.

The group walked out of the main street and into a more down-to-earth neighborhood, where they found a restaurant that looked to be doing good business and took a break.

The waiter greeted them warmly and recommended three meat dishes, two vegetable dishes, and a bowl of staple food, priced at two hundred coins.

Su Zhan was shocked by the prices, his face changed, and he hurriedly asked the waiter, "Young man, are things in the capital all expensive?"

"Of course, this is the capital! Even a simple steamed bun costs three coins," the waiter replied matter-of-factly.

Su Zhan and the others looked at each other in bewilderment.

When the waiter came to serve the food, Su Chuan gave him an extra twenty coins and inquired about the situation in the city, "We are newcomers and plan to settle down in the capital. Do you have any good suggestions, waiter?"

Considering the price of twenty coins, the waiter answered quite diligently.

"If you gentlemen wish to stay in the city, it is best to go to the west side of the city. The imperial palace is located in the center of the capital. The inner city, centered around the imperial palace, is inhabited by high-ranking officials and nobles. The inner city is separated from the outer city by a moat. The outer city is divided into four districts: east, west, south, and north. The south side of the city is mostly inhabited by minor officials and wealthy merchants. If you do not have a certain status, you will be looked down upon if you go there."

The north side of the city is inhabited by local commoners. Although they are ordinary, they are all locals and xenophobic. Moreover, many of them are from clans, so they are numerous and powerful. If you go there and get into a conflict with them, no one will help you. Therefore, people from other places usually do not settle in the north side of the city.

The east side of the city is mainly a market town, with many businesses and it's the most prosperous area. The west side is more complex; it's half wealthy and half ordinary people. Many large families have built villas there. Oh, and there's also an academy there. You won't have to worry about being bullied if you settle down there.”

Tang Yu frowned. "Wouldn't that make the place a chaotic mix of all sorts of people, and not very peaceful?"

The waiter shook his head. "The capital city has government offices and soldiers patrolling in every area, so it's very safe. If you're talking about instability, it's the east of the city, not the west. It's just that there aren't any major powers there, making it a good place for outsiders to settle down."

"Thank you!"

Su Chuan and his companions left the restaurant and headed straight for the west of the city.

It would take another hour to get from the east side of the city to the west side. They could finally breathe a sigh of relief when they arrived at the west side of the city.

In Langya Kingdom, there are official and private brokerage firms. Private brokerage firms are fewer in number and can only be subordinates of official brokerage firms. Although they can get a lower price when buying and selling houses, trouble is likely to arise later, and official brokerage firms will not intervene to help resolve disputes over houses.

They chose the official's son without even considering it.

After careful comparison, Ke Yunyun settled on a two-courtyard house that was very similar to the backyard where she lived in Su Tai's house. The front yard had eight rooms, including a main room, kitchen, and bathroom for daily life, and could also be furnished with a few guest rooms. The back yard had eight rooms, connected to the front yard by only a small door.

The small gate bolts separate the backyard from the front yard, providing excellent privacy, and the high walls give people a strong sense of security.

This courtyard is not cheap; the official asked for 1,500 taels, far exceeding Tang Yu's family's wealth.

Tang Yu was hesitating about whether to pay on credit, but Ke Yunyun readily paid and took over the courtyard.

“Madam, there’s no need to spend that money. I can find a way,” Tang Yu said, blushing.