Chapter 31: South City News
It is a cool autumn day in September.

Luoyang South City can be said to be the most prosperous place in the entire Dayan.

On a busy and orderly street, you can see all kinds of shops, vendors shouting their wares, street performers, hurried officials, tall and graceful foreign women, merchants leading camels, and foreign girls in restaurants...

"Luoyang has three markets and 120 wards. This South Market was originally Guben ward, and later became South Market, also known as Fengdu City. The entire South Market has 3,000 shops and 120 trades."

Li Er, Li San, Li Si and Liu Xuanji were walking in the South Market of Luoyang, followed by several guards. Li Er and Li Si talked as they walked, introducing the grand occasion of the South Market to Liu Xuanji.

"That's a cloth shop, that's a grain shop, there's a tavern not far ahead, the fish stew in the shop is good, all made with river fish from the Luo River, and there's wine, including Western wine, Sanlejiang is also the best, there's also a shop that specializes in Jiannan Shaochun, the wine is very strong, I'll go there to drink it tomorrow, today let's try the river fish from the Luo River first."

The group entered the tavern and ordered two tables of food and wine. Several guards were in the lobby on the first floor, while the Li brothers took Liu Xuanji to the second floor and sat in a private room overlooking the river, where they could see the scenery along the river and the street.

Liu Xuanji first raised his glass and said, "Thank you for bringing me to see the scenery of Luoyang. I was born in a border area and I only heard about the prosperity of Luoyang. I saw it with my own eyes. It really lives up to its reputation. It is really the best place in the world."

Li Er said: "With your talent, you will definitely be able to settle down in Luoyang in the future. This matter is not worth mentioning."

"Thank you very much for your kind words, Erlang. This glass of wine is for you gentlemen."

These words touched Liu Xuanji's heart. He would definitely settle down in Luoyang in the future!

"Brother Liu, you are welcome. Please join us for a drink."

A few people were eating and drinking when they heard some unusual movement on the street.

I saw a group of soldiers armed with lances, swords and shields, they went straight into a grain store, arrested everyone inside, and sealed the store.

The entire operation was smooth and the only sound you could hear was the clashing of armor and weapons as the soldiers walked.

People on the street gathered in a circle, pointing and talking, "Is this the seventh one?"

"you do not say."

The Li brothers and Liu Xuanji who were drinking upstairs naturally saw it. Li Yuanhui even asked Han Quan, who was drinking downstairs, to find out what had happened and buy some fruits to go with the wine.

After a while, Han Quan came up with two paper-wrapped fruits and asked about the general situation.

"That grain store is owned by a relative of a director of the Ministry of War. That director was implicated in Yang Xun's treason, and his entire family was imprisoned. His relative's family is now implicated as well. I heard that many shop owners in South City have been implicated. The Dali Temple and the Ministry of Justice are full of people, and Luoyang has arrested tens of thousands of people."

Han Quan went downstairs after he finished speaking. The high spirits of the group were dampened by the news.

Only then did Li Yuanhui intuitively feel the horror of the feudal monarchy of this era. Under the implicated system, not only family members, but also relatives and friends would be implicated.

Is it true that all people in the world are nothing but grass?

Whoosh.

A feather arrow hit the center of the bull's eye dozens of steps away.

The man drawing the bow was eight feet tall, wearing a blue robe, a soft-winged fu hat on his head, two slightly curled mustaches, and his eyes were full of spirit.

The palace maid behind him holding a cloud umbrella was none other than Emperor Murong Ying, who was practicing archery in the palace garden.

"Saint Shooter."

A few steps away, Prince Gaoyang Murong He immediately flattered him.

Murong Ying said without even turning his head, "Haha, I haven't used the bow for a long time, so I'm a little rusty. The autumn hunt will start in a few days, so this is a good time to sharpen my bow before the battle."

Murong He said: "Even if the saint is not very good at archery, his archery is still so accurate, which shows that his skills are very profound."

Murong Ying turned around and smiled, then sat on the Hu bed beside him and looked at Murong He and joked, "I heard that you were kicked several times by Uncle Wang in Hongnong Palace?"

Murong He bowed his head and clasped his hands, saying, "The twelfth king saw that I had suffered heavy casualties and gave me a slight punishment. It is as it should be." Upon hearing this, Murong Ying snorted coldly, "Uncle Wang only kicked you. For your crime of underestimating the enemy and advancing rashly in the Battle of Beimang, it is not too much to chop you off."

"That's what the saint said."

Murong lowered his head even deeper.

"Alright, stop pretending. Although you may not be very good at fighting, you are diligent in your work. You have delayed Yang Xun's main force on the Qiaohan Road, so your merits and demerits can be considered offset. I won't bother with you this time."

"Thank you for your grace, Saint."

"Don't talk nonsense. You are lucky to have met a young talent like Li Silang. If it weren't for him, you would have gone down to see Taizu and the late emperor."

"Your Majesty, you are talking about Li Silang. Do you still remember what you said to me after offering sacrifices to our ancestors in Chang'an at the beginning of the year?"

Murong He asked cautiously.

Murong Ying, who was leaning on the Hu bed, was stunned for a moment, then said, "Move a stool for Prince Gaoyang."

Feng Jin behind him gave a wink, and immediately a young eunuch brought a stool and placed it beside him. Murong He thanked the saint very impolitely and sat down directly.

Murong Ying seemed to be thinking about something. He stroked his slightly curled beard with his hand, then looked at Murong He and said, "The other day in the hall, I saw him from a distance. This Li Silang is a young talent, not bad."

"Why not wait until the autumn hunt in a few days and let His Highness Jinyang take a look?"

Murong Ying glanced at him and said, "You seem to be very concerned about this matter, right?"

Murong He smiled and said, "Isn't this just remembering the saint's instructions? The imperial concubine asked my wife before if there were any suitable young men in Chang'an. When I saw Mr. Li during the rebellion, I felt that this boy had a great fortune and might be a good match for Your Highness."

Murong He was favored by Murong Ying among all the royal family members. One reason was that he entered the palace as a guard at the age of fifteen and followed Murong Ying. Another reason was that his legal wife, Princess Gaoyang Wei, was a sister of the Saint's Concubine Wei. They were both daughters of Duke of Chen Wei Fang.

In the harem, Concubine Wei gave birth to two sons and one daughter, and was more favored than Empress Cao.

"Then let's do this. Wait for the autumn hunt in a few days, and you bring Li Silang here. Let Jinyang Xiang take a look at this kid. Although he has made great contributions, I have already made him a county marquis, and he may even have to sacrifice a daughter. Hehe, you said he has a deep fortune, and it is really true. I hope this boy can become my lucky general."

Murong He smiled and said, "The saint is blessed by heaven. When it comes to good fortune, who can compare to you, the saint?"

Murong Ying pointed at him and said, "Hahaha, you, if you had used your skills more for the right things, you wouldn't have been kicked by Uncle Wang."

Murong He said solemnly: "What the sage said, I will keep in mind."

"Oh, there is one more thing. Situ Duan submitted a petition the other day, saying that he was old and weak and wanted to retire. I thought about it and realized that Situ Duan had worked hard for the country for a long time and now he should enjoy his retirement. I want to grant his request, but who should take over as the Minister of the Chancellery?"

Murong Ying's question stumped Murong He, but he was not surprised because Murong Ying often asked him about very important state affairs and appointments, but he almost never gave clear suggestions because he knew his own abilities.

Sometimes when the emperor asked him questions, he was actually asking himself.

The emperor didn't actually need advice, he just needed time to weigh the pros and cons.

"Well, I think it would be better to let Lord Duan recommend it? Or ask the Twelve Kings? For such an important matter, I am not in the court, so I dare not speak carelessly."

The Twelve Great Kings refers to Prince Wei Murong Ding, and because he is the twelfth son of Emperor Taizu, he can be called the Twelve Great Kings.

Murong Ying did not get angry when she heard these words that seemed like excuses for herself. Instead, she was very satisfied with the other party's ability to know when to advance and when to retreat.

This is also the reason why he favors Murong He.

Smart, but not too smart. Not very capable, but loyal and hardworking.

Only such a member of the royal family can be trusted to be employed.

(End of this chapter)