Simultaneous travel: City, infinite evolution

Chapter 231 Encountering Gao Yao While Strolling Through Xianyang [Bonus Chapter for Donations]

Chen Hong and his group then went to the slave market to see what was new.

This was a slave market, selling everything from people from the Central Plains to the Xiongnu, Rong, and Di tribes, and even people of unique ethnicities from the Western Regions.

Lü Zhi was very surprised. "Father, Young Master Chen, look, why are there people with multicolored hair? And it looks all wrinkled."

Its eyes are strange too; the pupils are green, blue, all sorts of colors.

Chen Hong chuckled: "They come from the Western Regions. The Western Regions are connected to the more distant western continent, so naturally there are all kinds of people there."

"These barbarians from beyond the borders are nothing but beasts; how can they be called human?" Lu Gong sneered, looking at the colorful barbarians as if they were cattle, sheep, pigs, or dogs.

Chen Hong did not refute this. Not to mention the Legalists, even the Confucians at this time probably did not regard the barbarians as human beings.

This was likely influenced by the sacrificial rites of the Shang Dynasty.

The Shang Dynasty was very fond of human sacrifice. They would often capture Qiang people to use as offerings for divination and prayer, and these were considered high-class sacrificial offerings.

"The Western Regions are a wonderful place, with fine wine and luminous cups, and plenty of food and money."

The Mauryan Empire, which borders the Western Regions, is an even better place, with a warm climate and fertile land where anything can grow.

Because people can survive by doing whatever they want, coupled with a distorted system, the people there are lazy and careless in their work.

I heard there's a lot of gold there; you can find gold dust and nuggets just by walking along the riverbank.

Chen Hong's words piqued Lü Gong's interest.

"There is such a place! If our Great Qin can conquer it, wouldn't there be even more land to cultivate?"

Chen Hong shook his head. "The distance is too far. With the current transportation capabilities of the Great Qin, it's already a struggle to control its current territory."

Even if we conquered that place, it would be difficult to establish effective and timely rule.

"That's such a pity," Lu Gong shook his head and sighed.

"Young Master Chen is truly knowledgeable; he even knows about the Western Regions, a land beyond the reach of civilization."

Lü Zhi and Lü Su looked at Chen Hong with sparkling eyes, their admiration overflowing.

Riding a horse, I stepped onto the cross bridge spanning the Wei River, which connects the north and south banks.

The Wei River is a major river, and the fact that such a large bridge could be built across it demonstrates that the Qin Dynasty's architectural technology was already very advanced and impressive.

No wonder so many epic projects could be started; the Qin Dynasty's artisan training system must have been quite mature.

After all, the fierce competition of the Spring and Autumn and Warring States periods had just ended, and the artisan traditions of the Mohist and Gongshu families had not yet been broken.

In the common people, a skilled craftsman could have a decent social status and income.

Unlike the Confucian school, which, due to its long-standing feud with the Mohists, held artisans in utter contempt, calling their skills "strange and frivolous," and vigorously rejected and suppressed them.

This led to a situation where those who could make a living did not want to become craftsmen, and many crafts were lost and eventually died out.

After crossing the bridge over the Wei River, we arrived at the north bank of the Wei River.

Arriving at Zhishi, located north of Weiqiao, it is a hub market connecting north and south transportation.

Chen Hong and his group strolled through the bustling market, where everything was sold.

Agricultural products include grain crops such as millet, sorghum, wheat, and rice, as well as livestock such as cattle, sheep, pigs, and chickens, and their meat, hides, fat, and other by-products.

Handicrafts include pottery (such as pottery with trademarks such as "Hamjeong Yunri Tsukie"), ironware (farm tools, weapons), bronzeware (ritual vessels, coins), woodenware (furniture), bambooware (woven products), and textiles (silk, linen).

Then there are luxury goods and raw materials such as jade, cinnabar (used in cosmetics), wine cups (raw material for making rouge), ginger (a seasoning), salt, iron ore, etc.

Chen Hong bought some pottery jars, coins, ritual objects, furniture, silk, jade, as well as cinnabar and mercury from Sichuan and Chongqing.

If these things stand the test of time, they would definitely be considered Qin Dynasty antiques in later generations, priceless.

Of course, Chen Hong mainly bought these things because he needed them, plus he had a collecting habit of seeing beautiful and nice things.

Chen Hong also bought some gifts that girls like for Lü Zhi and Lü Su.

I also bought some scholar's items for Master Lü.

Anyway, they were all quite happy.

The market also featured many exotic goods, including gems, spices, and furs brought by merchants from the Western Regions.

Chen Hong also picked out some things to buy, mainly spices, which are indispensable for cooking delicious food.

"It's so lively!"

"Xianyang truly lives up to its reputation as the center of the world; there are so many novel and interesting things that I've never seen before."

Lü Zhi and Lü Su had a great time and were very curious about everything. They were overwhelmed by the wide variety of goods on display.

The market was bustling with people, with pedestrians flowing like water, and vendors shouting enthusiastically.

There are also shops such as restaurants and taverns with a simple and grand architectural style, with the exterior walls made of bamboo and mud and painted white, and lanterns or signs hanging on the side of the door.

There are even shops with styles from six different countries.

After Qin Shi Huang conquered the six states, he built replicas of their palaces on the north side of Xianyang. The royal families, princes, concubines, princesses, and beauties of those six states all lived in the replicas of their former palaces.

As the saying goes: Concubines, princesses, princes, and imperial grandsons left their palaces and came to Qin in carriages, where they sang and played music day and night, becoming palace women of Qin.

Qin Shi Huang did not exterminate the royal families and nobles of the six kingdoms.

This is actually a continuation of the tradition from the Spring and Autumn and Warring States periods.

That means nobles are nobles, and commoners are commoners.

The royal families of the six kingdoms are, in essence, all one family.

They've been intermarried for countless generations; they're all relatives.

Just like Qin Shi Huang, who had the blood of the Chu royal family in his veins.

Although it might be a life-or-death struggle, if one were to truly break the rules and exterminate everyone, it would offend the entire aristocratic class.

However, Qin Shi Huang clearly underestimated the hatred that the nobles of the six states harbored towards him and the Qin state.

No wonder, anyone who is a celestial being from heaven can have whatever they want, with land, wealth, and people at their fingertips, and can enjoy endless riches and honors for generations without ever facing the risk of a significant drop in social status.

They suddenly fell into obscurity, becoming ordinary nobles or even commoners. They lost their land, their population was taken away by the Qin state, and their wealth shrank dramatically.

Without these safeguards, the next generation's social class decline is imminent.

They don't even need the next generation; this generation will be reduced to dust.

Who could stand this? Who wouldn't hate it? This explains why Xiang Yu, a nobleman from one of the six states, hated Qin to the core.

Although the nobles of the six states were destroyed, they had been cultivating their influence for hundreds of years, and their connections and power in the local areas were still not to be underestimated.

If the Qin Dynasty had remained strong, it wouldn't have been a problem; they could have suppressed them until they died.

But once a problem arises, the backlash will follow.

Qin Shi Huang not only did not exterminate them, but even treated the royal families of the six kingdoms well, building palaces for them, though they were confined and had no freedom.

When people saw the palaces of the six kingdoms, they followed suit and built shops in the style of the six kingdoms.

It attracts many people to go in and spend money; its exotic atmosphere is quite unique.

The commercial area also incorporates architectural elements from various countries, such as Chu-style roof tiles and shops with Qi-style decorative patterns.

Chen Hong and the others went into a restaurant and sat down to eat.

"Mmm...this minced meat with patties is so delicious."

Lü Zhi took a bite and exclaimed, "One bite and the meat is bursting with flavor and juice!"

"Haha, young lady, this isn't just ordinary minced meat with a pancake, it's a roujiamo (Chinese hamburger) with braised pork." The waiter laughed smugly.

"Oh?" Lü Zhi raised an eyebrow, quite interested. "Tell me about it."

"This roujiamo (Chinese hamburger) uses a thin, soft lotus leaf bun, filled with braised pork simmered in a aged broth. The bun is soft and easy to chew, and the meat is very flavorful."

"And this spicy garlic lamb blood is made with fresh lamb blood cut into chunks, served with a bright red broth made with minced garlic, chili peppers, Sichuan peppercorns, and other seasonings. The broth is spicy and pungent."

As Chen Hong and the others listened to the waiter's explanation, they ate, and indeed it was true.

"This oil-splashed noodles with chopsticks is also very good. The noodles are as thin as the tip of chopsticks. After cooking, boiling hot rapeseed oil is poured over them to bring out their aroma."

"This knotweed candy is also very unique; it's a crispy sweet treat coated with sesame seeds."

"This oil tea and braised three delicacies are even more exceptional."

Oil tea is made by stir-frying flour with oil, then adding almonds, fried dough twists, etc. after brewing. It has a salty, fragrant, thick and smooth taste.

Braised Three Delicacies is made by simmering meatballs, braised pork, and "xiangpi" (a type of fish maw) together; the broth is fresh and flavorful, truly a culinary masterpiece.

The more Chen Hong ate, the stranger it seemed; without a doubt, these were all local specialties of Xianyang.

But did the Qin Dynasty develop and evolve its cuisine to this extent?

Isn't this too fast?

"Waiter, which chef made these? Tell him to come out and see me."

The waiter smiled and said, "Sir, these are new dishes made by our new chef."

His many innovative dishes made everyone love to eat.

Many customers eagerly order his dishes, keeping him very busy; he's always occupied in the kitchen.

"Stop talking nonsense and call him out to see me right now."

Chen Hong slammed a piece of gold onto the table with a loud bang.

Xiao Er chuckled, picked up the gold coin, bit it, and immediately beamed with joy.

"There's time now, there's time now, call immediately, call immediately."

Please wait a moment, sir.

The waiter turned and went to the kitchen.

A moment later, a guy with messy, disheveled hair covering his face came out.

"Sir, is there a problem? Is the food I made not to your liking?"

Chen Hong sized up the guy, and the more he looked at him, the more familiar he seemed. "Pull your hair up. What kind of man looks like with his hair all loose?"

Upon hearing this, the chef sensed something was amiss, brushed his hair back, looked at Chen Hong, and frowned.

"Have we met somewhere before?"

"I feel like I've seen you somewhere before."

Upon seeing this face, Chen Hong immediately knew that he had met an old friend.

"Gaoyao?"

Gao Yao's eyes lit up immediately. "How do you know my name?"

"Why does it look so familiar?"

"Let me think, let me think..."

Gao Yao pressed his head, deep in thought, "Oh!..."

"I remember now, you're the new security guard at our station, aren't you?"

"Your name……"

"What's your name?"

"Chen Hong," Chen Hong said directly.

"Oh, right, right, Chen Hong, it's Chen Hong." Gao Yao clapped his hands and nodded repeatedly.

"Why are you here too?"

"Oh, yes, I remember now."

After Xiaochuan opened that broken box, you shouted: Stop!
Xiao Chuan and I turned to look at you.

Then a flash of white light, and we found ourselves in this wretched place.

Lü Zhi and the others looked at Chen Hong and the disheveled Gao Yao with surprise.

"You...know each other?"

"Yes, I know him." Chen Hong nodded.

Gao Yao, however, appeared somewhat agitated and manic.

"I've met my family. Finally... finally someone can talk to me."

(End of this chapter)