Qian Su's idea wasn't unreasonable.
Xiangyang had a set of strict rules and regulations. Even an illiterate person could understand them.
The people were illiterate, but after living there for almost a decade, these rules had long been ingrained in their bones, forming a special spiritual outlook.
After Qian Su entered the city, she felt like she had accidentally entered a paradise.
The layout of Xiangyang was different from other cities. People had their own roads, and carriages had their own roads. Therefore, the roads here were exceptionally wide, enough for five carriages to travel side by side. Every five hundred steps, there was a wooden barrel that was half the height of a person standing on the side of the road. From time to time, people would throw something into it.
The streets were spacious, clean, and orderly. It made Qian Su, a nouveau riche, feel indescribably uneasy.
Hmm …
The feeling of uneasiness was similar to that of an illiterate person sneaking into the circle of top scholars.
Feng Zhen revealed a long-lost emotion and explained to Qian Su excitedly.
"What are those wooden barrels used for?"
"They're used to throw rubbish and the filth of cows and horses. They're not allowed on the road. If you don't dispose of them, you'll be fined if you're caught."
"What's up with those strange carriages?"
Qian Su saw a carriage with two horses passing by next door. Except for the top of the carriage, it was open on all sides. Qian Su took a look and discovered that the carriage was separated by three wooden planks. There were six bearded stools, and six fairly clean dressed ordinary people were sitting inside.
Feng Zhen took a look and said, "It's a public carriage from the carriage and horses company."
"According to the ancient system, one carriage for the commoners, two for the scholars, three for the officials, four for the officials, five for the feudal lords, and six for the emperor." Qian Su's brows furrowed. She said unhappily, "Judging by their attire, they're obviously commoners. How are they qualified?"
"That's true, but one horse can't pull six people," Feng Zhen said. "At first, there were indeed scholars who objected, but with the lord's personality, she's always amenable to coaxing but not coercion. The carriage and horses company is also beneficial to the people. What's wrong with two horses? "
Xiangyang was getting bigger and bigger. There were more and more people living here. The north, south, east, and west were separated by a long distance.
In order to accommodate the old warhorses, Jiang Pengji set up a carriage and horses company. She let the horses pull the carriages. The drivers were all retired soldiers.
Transportation was convenient, and the people didn't have to walk.
One only needed to pay a certain fee to get on the bus. Ordinary families could afford it.
Because two horses pulling a chariot was a privilege that only scholars had, ordinary civilian organizations did not dare to follow the trend of setting up chariots and horses, for fear of being accused of overstepping their authority. Therefore, chariots and horses had always been an official organization. In order to make it easier to manage, he also made a license plate mark.
Due to the high cost, horse-drawn carriages and ox carts were not as popular as private cars in the later generations, so the traffic had always been smooth.
Commoners could wait for a bus at a fixed stop. If there was an empty bus, they could get on.
The funny thing was that the people who had objected to it at first were happy to use the public carriages later on.
It couldn't be helped. Not everyone had the money to keep a horse carriage or an ox cart. Most of the time, they had to rely on their feet.
Since there was such a convenient means of transportation that even the commoners could use, why couldn't they?
Qian Su watched with relish. She was shocked at first, but then she calmed down. However, she didn't close her mouth halfway through.
"We're here —"
Feng Zhen got out of the carriage and secretly massaged his old waist. Then, as if nothing had happened, he walked over to the other carriage.
"Madams, you can come down with the little Langjun and the little wife."
The curtains of the carriage were lifted. Yan Shuxuan and Yang Roujia stepped down from the carriage with the help of their maids. They were holding their babies tightly wrapped in their arms.
Feng Zhen had applied to Jiang Pengji for a transfer to Wanzhou. It was official business, but in fact, he was slacking off.
Jiang Pengji couldn't bear to see him so happy, so she assigned him the task of escorting Yang Tao and Yan Lin's wife.
Yang Tao and Yan Lin both had families, but the conditions in Nansheng were harsh and unsuitable for their wives and children. Jiang Pengji suggested that their wives and children move to Wanzhou to settle down. Jiang Pengji was purely concerned about her subordinates, but in the ears of Yang Tao and Yan Lin, it sounded like a threat.
Was she suggesting that they hand over the hostages?
Regardless of whether she meant it or not, Yang Tao and Yan Lin could only agree.
This trivial matter was thrown to Feng Zhen. Qian Su volunteered to help.
Although it was said that she was sharing Feng Zhen's worries, she was actually secretly protecting the two madams and their children to prevent possible harm.
As intelligent as Jiang Pengji was, she naturally understood the deeper meaning behind these people's actions. She didn't explain and let them fill in the blanks.
This was a comedy where everyone was diligently scheming against each other, but only the lord was fishing in troubled waters.
"We'll be living here from now on? Where will Roujia live? "
Yan Shuxuan had been a little uneasy these days. When she saw the residence she would be living in from now on, she was a little uncertain.
Isn't this treatment a little too good?
"General Yang and Military Advisor Yan have a close relationship. My lord wants to arrange for them to live closer together. I checked the houses that are still empty. This is the only one that's better. The location is quiet, but it's not far from the bustling city. This is General Yang's residence, and the one opposite is Military Advisor Yan's. "
As a building maniac, his lord had built hundreds of residences in one go as soon as she entered Xiangyang District.
A small number of residences were left behind. Some were given to the initial team as rewards, and the rest were sold at a high price to the gentry or local tycoons who had moved in.
His lord, a black-hearted merchant, paired up with Wei Ci, the leader of the navy. The residences there were extremely expensive.
In the past two years, they had earned a lot just by selling the residences.
For example, Feng Zhen's residence, which he had bought for only three copper coins, had now increased in value countless times over.
If Yang Tao and the rest knew that his lord had gifted them such a residence, they would be even more loyal.
"Thank you, Master Lanting."
Yan Shuxuan secretly heaved a sigh of relief. She bowed toward the south and nodded to Feng Zhen to express her thanks.
Feng Zhen smiled and said, "It's New Year's Eve Lantern Festival in a while. If the two madams are free, you can bring your maidservants out to play and relax."
In reality, Xiangyang District was very lively for a month before New Year's Eve. Various merchants' warm-up activities were similar to those of profiteers in later generations.
These scenes could only be seen in Xiangyang District. For outsiders like Yan Shuxuan, it was rather rare.
Feng Zhen only returned home after settling them down.
Little did he know that his son's rebellious youth had arrived. The scene was rather peculiar.
Thinking about how he bragged about his son in front of his colleagues and how good he was at educating his son, he couldn't help but hammer himself to death.
Silly boy, you've tricked your father to death!
Feng Yi's secret letter successfully reached its destination and landed in Jiang Pengji's hands.
The reason why it was a secret letter was that its confidentiality was the most important. The number of people who were qualified to read the contents of the letter was definitely less than three.
Feng Yi and the other naughty boys were quite lucky. The secret letter landed directly in Jiang Pengji's hands.
"Feng Yi? It's from Rong Li of Feng Zhen's family. Could it be that something happened at Zhanjiang Pass? "
Jiang Pengji still didn't know that Feng Yi and Sun Lan had returned to the academy to continue their studies. She thought that the two of them were still working hard at the frontlines.
She tore open the seal and took out the thick secret letter.
At that moment, the sun was setting in the west. The room was dim and half of Jiang Pengji's face was hidden in the darkness.
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