In the end, Hai Ruyue left with a deep sense of melancholy.
In the swaying carriage, she held a mirror with one hand and stroked her face with the other, looking for flaws on her face.
Was she old? Not old! From the way the men around her looked at her, she could confirm that she was very familiar with that look. She knew what those men wanted to do to her. They wanted to strip her naked.
However, whether it was the cold Yuan Gang or the frivolous Niu Youdao, neither of them had the look she wanted to see in their eyes. This made her feel very insecure.
That's right! They didn't have the desire to violate her. Instead, they made her feel insecure.
She put down the mirror in her hand and looked out the window. The uneasiness in her heart had not subsided. Niu Youdao didn't admit that he did it.
She was no longer the girl who loved Shang Jianbo to death. She didn't believe that there would be such a great help in this world without asking for anything in return. Without a definite answer, she always felt that there was a huge black hole behind her, as if it would swallow her at any time …
After sending off the guests, Niu Youdao returned and saw Gongsun Bu standing outside the thatched hut.
"What's the matter?" Niu Youdao asked with a smile.
Gongsun Bu asked, "Is there still no news of Lu Shengzhong?"
Niu Youdao said, "He was either killed by Shao Pingbo or submitted to Shao Pingbo. In any case, Shao Pingbo won't let him come back."
Speaking of this, his expression became slightly solemn. After thinking about it, perhaps one of his decisions had caused him to miss the last chance to save Lu Shengzhong.
He shouldn't have stopped the three sects from going to the Song Kingdom to contact Lu Shengzhong. If Shao Pingbo couldn't see the contact person, he would know that he had been exposed and wouldn't let Lu Shengzhong come back. Otherwise, Shao Pingbo might even use Lu Shengzhong to sow discord.
Gongsun Bu said, "It's best if he's dead."
Niu Youdao smiled slightly and didn't comment …
It was another midsummer. In the blink of an eye, a year had passed.
The waterfall poured down from the cliff. On a rock under the waterfall, a motionless figure was immersed in the curtain of water.
Black Peony flew over and shouted, "Daoye!"
The silhouette in the water curtain suddenly flashed and shot up along with the pouring water.
Going against the current, his speed was very fast, and he did not stir up any unusual splashes.
He unsheathed his sword in the water curtain. Bang! The water above the waterfall exploded. A figure drew his sword and pointed it at the sky, rushing out of the water.
He somersaulted in the air and returned his longsword to its sheath. He turned around and glided down, landing beside Black Peony.
The Black Peony was stunned. Why did it feel like the torrential flow of water did not pose any resistance to this person at all?
With steam rising from his body, Niu Youdao asked, "What is it?"
Black Peony replied, "I've asked about the matter you mentioned. I'm not a spy. It's just that the population of Verdant Mountain County has skyrocketed, and merchants gather here. This place isn't too far from the county capital, so it's normal for people to occasionally barge in by mistake. When the Prince learned that Daoye's cultivation was disturbed, he had already ordered people to make some inscriptions that forbade people from entering. Later on, he will have people erect them in the surroundings. "
So that was how it was! Niu Youdao nodded. He had heard Yuan Gang mention that people were constantly trying to barge in, so he had asked about it.
"From what you've said, is Verdant Mountain County very prosperous now?" Niu Youdao asked.
"Prosperous!" Black Peony nodded and said, "It's simply too prosperous. The difference between one year and the one before is like the difference between clouds and mud."
"After the Prince implemented the new policies, refugees from all over came upon hearing the news. The population of the two counties increased by seven or eight times. Most of the farmland in Verdant Mountain County that was abandoned long ago has been reclaimed. To keep the refugees here, to allow them to truly settle down in the two counties, the Prince not only divided the land, but also specially allocated a hundred thousand gold coins to recruit a large number of scholars to be teachers. He set up free schools throughout the two counties so that all the refugees could farm and all the refugees' children could go to school. Now, villages are rapidly forming around the land and schools. In Lan Ruoting's words, as long as their property is here, unless they have no other choice, these refugees will not easily leave the two counties. "
"And with the large number of people gathering and the reduction of business taxes, it has attracted merchants from all over. In turn, the merchants have hired a large number of refugees to work. The current Verdant Mountain County is really not what it used to be. The city is too lively, but it's also troublesome. There are too many people, and there aren't enough shops, but the merchants have demands. Mister Lan is currently negotiating with those merchants. "
"Negotiating?" Niu Youdao was stunned. "About what?"
Black Peony said, "The Prince intends to use the current county capital as the inner city. With the inner city as the center, he will expand five li to the periphery and build another outer city on the periphery."
Expand five li to the periphery? Niu Youdao was slightly shocked. "Where did he get such great financial resources?"
Black Peony said, "That's why Mister Lan wants to negotiate with those merchants. He's prepared to provide free land in the outer city for them to build shops. But the premise is that those merchants have to pay for the construction of the outer city walls. Based on the length and distance of the walls, the amount of free land in the city will be measured. This way, those refugees who can't settle down in the short term can find something to support their families. It's said that the negotiations are almost done, and there are still some conflicts of interest being negotiated. "
Niu Youdao asked, "This is Lan Ruoting's political opinion, right?"
Black Peony nodded. "It seems so. The Prince seems to have delegated power to Lan Ruoting in terms of internal affairs. The Prince is still mainly in charge of military affairs."
"This Lan Ruoting is indeed a talent. How generous!" Niu Youdao sighed, but his thoughts flew to Beizhou.
He had been meditating here and had almost never asked about the affairs of the two counties. Instead, he paid more attention to the affairs of Beizhou.
According to the news, Shao Pingbo was even more generous. He was wantonly recruiting learned scholars and skilled craftsmen. In this chaotic world, he wanted to open up the water supply network of the entire Beizhou. It was said that in the short span of a year, the results were extraordinary, and the population had also exploded.
It seemed that Shao Dengyun had given Shao Pingbo more power, making Shao Pingbo less constrained.
The current Shao Pingbo was in charge of military affairs and internal affairs. His ability was extraordinary. With his superb skills and governing ability, he had changed the entire Beizhou in the short span of a year. The strength of the entire Beizhou was rapidly increasing like a rolling snowball. It had almost directly absorbed the manpower and financial resources of the surrounding areas and used them. This made the surrounding areas very embarrassed and sad, but they could not do anything to Beizhou.
In this aspect, even Niu Youdao had to admit that he was far inferior to Shao Pingbo.
Because of this, the changes in Beizhou made Niu Youdao slightly worried. The stronger Beizhou was, the more power Shao Pingbo could mobilize in the cultivation world.
News from Beizhou said that Great Zen Mountain attached great importance to Shao Pingbo's ability and had sent more masters to protect Shao Pingbo.
Coming back to his senses, Niu Youdao glanced at Black Peony, who was speaking in high spirits. The corners of his mouth curled into a smile. He realized that this woman was different. She was gradually becoming concerned about these things. Otherwise, she wouldn't be able to speak so clearly and logically.
"Where's Yuan Gang?" Niu Youdao asked.
Black Peony said, "I think he went to the craftsmen's workshop. Recently, he has been going to Gongsun Tieniu's place more frequently."
Niu Youdao was silent for a moment. Then he waved his hand and said, "I haven't left the mountain in a long time. Come, let's go to the county city to take a look."
Black Peony immediately went to the three sects to invite some masters to protect her.
As soon as they approached the county city of Qingshan County, Niu Youdao, who had not left the mountain for a long time, immediately felt the different atmosphere.
There was an endless stream of people on the official roads. Carriages and horses could be seen everywhere. There were low-ranking officials measuring, drawing lines, and setting up wooden stakes outside the city. It seemed that the expansion of the city was imminent.
Once they entered the city, they casually walked around. The streets were bustling with activity, and the noise was incessant. Compared to the deserted streets from before, Niu Youdao almost thought that he had walked into the wrong place.
Although many of the people were dressed shabbily, and there were even many people begging with bowls in their hands, it was really very different from before.
There were people everywhere. Niu Youdao, who had been cultivating in seclusion for a long time, was not used to it. He lost interest in walking around and went straight to the County Governor's Manor.
Shang Chaozong's personal guard recognized him. He dismissed the guards who had stopped him and personally led Niu Youdao in.
When he arrived outside the meeting hall, he heard Shang Chaozong and Lan Ruoting discussing inside.
Niu Youdao raised his hand to stop them. He asked the personal guard to stop reporting and listen outside.
Lan Ruoting's voice sounded from inside. "Prince, look here. The port in the south is our advantage. Under the circumstances of the surrounding blockade, it is a shortcut to import and export goods by sea. It is also very convenient for merchants. I suggest that we synchronize the expansion of the city with the port here. We can build a city near the port to facilitate the transportation and storage of goods for merchants …"
"Cough, cough." The personal guard at the side suddenly coughed. He really felt that it was inappropriate for someone to eavesdrop on Prince's conversation. Ignoring Niu Youdao's obstruction, he reported, "Prince, Daoye is here."
Niu Youdao stared at him and smiled. He walked into the house.
Shang Chaozong and Lan Ruoting walked out as well. They were a little surprised. This person had never shown his face all year round.
"Daoye, why are you here?" Shang Chaozong cupped his hands and asked, "Is there anything?"
Niu Youdao followed them into the meeting hall. He immediately saw the map hanging in the room. He walked to the map and looked at it. "Nothing much. I just overheard a few words from outside. Why? Is the surrounding blockade on us?"
Lan Ruoting said, "It hasn't reached that level yet. However, the progress here has already aroused the vigilance of the surrounding forces. It is only a matter of time before the trade route here is sealed. No one is willing to see this place expand. We have to prepare for a rainy day. We have to quickly set up the sea route here. The sea is boundless and there are roads everywhere. The surrounding forces can only cut off the land route. It is not so easy to cut off the sea route. Also, once the surrounding forces strengthen the blockade, I'm afraid it will be even more difficult for warhorses to enter. Going by sea is also a solution. "
Niu Youdao nodded. "Mister Lan is wise. You are thinking far ahead!"
Shang Chaozong frowned and said, "The three sects and the Heavenly Jade Clan sent people to the Qi Kingdom have yet to give us an answer."
Lan Ruoting explained, "Daoye, what the Prince means is that our progress is not slow. If the surrounding forces feel threatened, they will not just seal off the route. Therefore, we need a strong military force to deter them. We urgently need warhorses here. Otherwise, our military force will not be able to keep up and we can only wait to be beaten! The more we can't keep up with our military force, the easier it will be for our enemies to invade us! "
Niu Youdao said, "We can't just rely on the Qi Kingdom. Haven't we thought of another way?"
Shang Chaozong said, "We have purchased some warhorses from the surrounding forces. There should be more than a thousand of them. However, there is still a huge gap between warhorses and normal horses. Warhorses that can run fast and fight in the battlefield are very few. The warhorses here are also gradually aging. There are tens of thousands of warhorses here. It is not possible to purchase more from the surrounding forces in a short period of time. However, there are countless good horses in the Qi Kingdom."
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