New and dark light years

Chapter 410 The Capital is a Deep Dive

Everyone in Beijing, young and old, knows about what happened more than sixty years ago.

After meals, they would sometimes crack a few jokes, treating them as risqué gossip.

But only a few people know the truth.

Looking at the purple marks on the wall and feeling the coldness emanating from them, Li Lin shook his head helplessly.

Such heavy resentment.

The capital city was bustling with activity, its streets teeming with pedestrians and vehicles.

Ten guards escorted the carriage slowly forward, but because there were too many people, they moved rather slowly.

Hongluan, a native of Yulin County, came to the capital for the first time and was chosen to be Huangqing's maid.

She leaned out of the car window, looked outside, and exclaimed in surprise, "So many people! It's so lively!"

The most lively time in Yulin County is during the Spring Festival.

But compared to this place, even during the Spring Festival in Yulin County, it seems far inferior.

Many locals around heard her exclamation and chuckled, their expressions a mix of pride and disdain for a country bumpkin.

Seeing that Hongluan was beautiful, wearing a pretty gold hairpin, and sitting in a carriage, he dared not underestimate her anymore.

Gao Dazhu led the way, winding through many streets, and finally stopped in a place that was a little less noisy.

"My esteemed guest, we have arrived."

Li Lin got out of the car and immediately saw a plaque hanging above the entrance of the place, with the three large characters "Duting Post Station" written on it.

There were armored soldiers guarding the entrance.

But their military bearing... well, let's just say it was rather sloppy.

He slung his long spear over his shoulder and swaggered over like a monkey: "Out of town? Staying here?"

Li Lin raised an eyebrow slightly; the other party's questioning tone... was quite unpleasant.

He said in a calm tone, "Yes... this is my official seal."

Without any hesitation, Li Lin threw the official seal along with the golden cloth bag over.

The other party hurriedly took it, causing the long spear he was carrying to fall off his back.

He took the official seal, and while untying the cloth bag, he looked at Li Lin with displeasure: "You little official from out of town, don't go too far. You should know that this is the capital city. What kind of high-ranking official haven't I seen here..."

He untied the bag and saw the bronze official seal. Upon closer inspection, he was slightly startled to see the four seal characters "镇抚使司" (Zhenfu Shisi, meaning "Commander's Office of the Garrison Command") written on it. Then he noticed a few smaller characters next to it: "苍梧路节度使司印" (Cangwu Road Military Governor's Office Seal).

Generally speaking, local military governors have no way to act arrogantly in the capital.

After all, there is a difference between local and central governments.

But the problem is... the garrison commander holds real power and commands troops, which is a real headache.

If it's a civil official, this person isn't too scary. But if it's a military official, especially on the southern border... underhanded tactics are common. If you can avoid offending them, then you should.

"Sir, it was my rudeness." The man immediately changed his attitude, bowed, and said, "May I ask if you are here to stay at the inn?"

"Yes." Li Lin nodded.

The man continued, "Sir, I offended you just now, it was my fault. To be honest, if you want to stay at the inn, that's fine, but... I don't recommend you stay here!"

"Why?"

The man smiled wryly and said, "Although this Duting Post Station looks alright from the outside, the rooms inside are not very good. They are either dilapidated or the bedding is moldy. There isn't a single decent room."

"You didn't lie to me?"

"I would never dare," the man continued. "Sir, you are also an official, you should understand what it means when the money arrives but there is no money."

Li Lin laughed: "Alright, since you said that, I won't hold what happened earlier against you."

The man breathed a sigh of relief.

Li Lin turned to Gao Dazhu and said, "Are there any clean and comfortable inns around here?"

"Yes, yes, yes!" Gao Dazhu quickly said, "Go forward, then turn east, and you'll see an inn called... Fulihua. I heard it was built by a nobleman and only caters to high-ranking officials and dignitaries, but some of the expenses are quite frightening."

“Then let’s go.” Li Lin nodded.

Generally speaking, there's a reason why things are expensive in a place like Beijing.

Li Lin brought many large denomination banknotes and silver ingots with him on his trip to the capital.

He knew very well that coming to the capital and obtaining the position of military governor would come at a price.

And money... is the most basic price to pay.

The carriage continued on its way, and after turning left, it came into view a very long white wall.

Following the path along the white wall, you will arrive at the gate.

The three characters 'Fulihua' were engraved on the plaque above the main gate.

“My esteemed guest, this is the place.” Gao Dazhu bowed and said, “But I cannot go in any further; I am not qualified.”

Li Lin took out a small silver note from his sleeve and handed it over: "Thank you for your hard work."

Gao Dazhu had been waiting for this moment, and when he saw the amount of the silver note, it was twice what he had expected. He was overjoyed. After taking it, he repeatedly bowed and said, "Thank you, sir. Thank you, sir. I wish your family harmony, happiness, and peace."

Then Gao Dazhu left.

Li Lin looked towards the main entrance, where a man who looked like a waiter came out.

The other party sized up Li Lin, clearly observing his demeanor and attire to determine whether he had enough money to stay there.

He then walked over with a smile, cupped his hands in greeting, and said, "Are you here to stay, sir?"

Li Lin nodded, then asked, "Is there a place to put the carriage and feed the horses?"

"Yes, we have everything..." the waiter said with a smile. "Don't worry, sir, we're very good at this."

"Alright, Qing'er and Hongluan, come down."

The two disembarked from the carriage.

The waiter was initially amazed, then lowered his head, not daring to look any longer.

He knew very well that some powerful people were extremely possessive and couldn't stand their servants even glancing at their women. They might even blind you if you weren't careful.

"Take us to our accommodations first," Li Lin said.

Although Huang Qing and Hong Luan were both in the carriage and hardly walked, carriages in this era did not have shock absorption. Even though they were traveling on a relatively flat official road, they were shaken so badly that their bones felt like they were going to fall apart.

"Please come this way, sir." He pointed inside and said, "Don't worry, your carriage and servants will be taken care of."

Li Lin nodded.

Upon entering, Li Lin discovered that the 'Fulihua' inn was surprisingly large.

Li Lin's house is a large mansion with five courtyards, but the area occupied by this inn is so vast that you can hardly see the end of it.

A winding path leads forward among the green shrubs and flowerbeds.

"Who owns this inn?" Li Lin asked. "It's not easy to own such a large piece of land in the capital city where every inch of land is precious."

The waiter chuckled and said, "Even if you ask, sir, we dare not answer this question."

Li Lin nodded, indicating that he understood.

The waiter led Li Lin and the other two to a side room.

This room is built over a green pond, with a stone bridge connecting the two.

"This is the only room that is still available. Please don't mind, sir."

Li Lin shook his head: "I'm very satisfied."

"Please go in and rest, I will send someone to serve you."

"it is good."

After the waiter left, Li Lin led his two wives into the waterside pavilion.

It's a two-bedroom, one-living room apartment, not very big, but the interior is very tastefully decorated.

Everything is exquisite and meticulous.

Hongluan went over to take a look and said, "They're all quite valuable, but they're still not as good as what we have at home."

Li Lin laughed: "It's already quite impressive that it's been used for running a business to this extent."

Before long, a group of maids came in, some bringing wine and dishes, others fanning and massaging the three of them.

Some were even arranging bedding, taking care of almost every aspect of the process.

The guests don't have to move at all.

The two women had little appetite and ate some fruit before going to rest. After all, they had been traveling for nearly a month and were indeed exhausted.

Li Lin ate two extra bowls of rice, then asked a woman next to him, "I plan to go to the Huang family tomorrow. Could one of you take us there? We don't know the way."

"Honorable sir, which Huang family are you from?" the woman asked.

"Is there two Huang families in the capital?"

The woman understood and said, "Then I will come to the door tomorrow to await your orders."

"That `s a deal."

After finishing his meal, Li Lin 'chased' the women away. He then left some small paper figures as a warning before going into the inner room and sleeping next to two of the women.

Because all three of them were exhausted, they had no desire to engage in dual cultivation.

The next morning, the three of them woke up and, having slept well all night, were fully refreshed.

After breakfast, the three arrived at the entrance of the inn, where ten guards and a carriage were already prepared.

Upon seeing Li Lin, ten of his personal guards came over and bowed to him in greeting.

"Did you eat and sleep well last night?"

"Good good!"

The ten people laughed one after another.

And he seemed quite happy.

Li Lin immediately understood that these people had received special treatment last night.

He shook his head helplessly and smiled at the woman next to him, saying, "Your service is quite attentive."

"It wasn't difficult to invite some women from the nearby brothels."

"Then please lead the way, young lady."

"My esteemed guest, my surname is Fang!"

"Then I'll leave it to you, Madam Fang."

Fang nodded and walked ahead.

Ten guards escorted the carriage, which was about to leave.

Just then, a man entered from outside, followed by more than a dozen servants.

aggressive.

As soon as he entered the room, he shouted, "I need a place to stay. Are there any rooms available?"

A waiter stood nearby, not the one from yesterday, bowing repeatedly and saying, "My esteemed guest, there are no rooms available. Please excuse us."

"So what if I don't take responsibility!" the man said with a menacing look. "I have plenty of money."

The waiter looked terrified, but said in a calm tone, "Honorable sir, we have failed to provide adequate hospitality. You must not tell our owner about this. He lives in the inner city, and it would be very troublesome to kick him out. He might even kill us."

Upon hearing this, the man paused for a moment, then looked at Li Lin, his eyes darting around. He pulled out several silver notes and said, "You live inside, right? Just let me have your room..."

Li Lin drew his sword and sheathed it.

Swish!
A pale purple sword aura flashed past the man, slicing several silver notes in his hand in two.

The broken silver note drifted away in the wind as Li Lin and his men walked past him.

The man, clutching the broken silver note in his hand, slowly retreated, his face covered in cold sweat.

(End of this chapter)