Daily Intelligence System: Don't Kill Me, Honey!

Li Shanchang and Tang He were also unaware, and although Ma Xiuying was very clever, she couldn’t possibly know what this material underfoot, which they had never seen before, was made of.

Zhu Chongba knocked on the ground and said, ”I don’t know what material this gray official road is made of, but it stretches for over ten miles, this must have cost quite a bit.”

Hearing this, Tang He said, ”And these city walls, they really look magnificent!”

Zhu Chongba nodded and said, ”Indeed, they look truly grand; this Huangzhou Prefecture City is indeed wealthy.”

Thinking this, Zhu Chongba and his entourage prepared to enter the city, but were unexpectedly stopped by the gate guard.

”What goods are on the cart?”

The gate guard asked directly, and Zhu Chongba responded, ”Grain.”

Upon hearing this, the gate guard said, ”Just one cart?”

Zhu Chongba replied, ”Just one cart.”

The guard said, ”Then you may enter!”

Zhu Chongba asked in surprise, ”No entry fee?”

The guard said, ”By the City Lord’s Order, those not carrying goods may enter for free.”

Zhu Chongba said, ”But I have a cart of grain.”

The guard replied, ”Those carrying a small amount of grain are also exempt from the entry fee.”

Zhu Chongba asked, ”Why is that?”

The guard explained, ”Those carrying a small amount of grain are usually farmers selling it themselves. Our City Lord is benevolent and doesn’t want the people to suffer, so he exempts them from the grain entry fee.”

Zhu Chongba asked, ”Then how do you distinguish a small amount from a large amount?”

The guard looked at Zhu Chongba and said, ”Why do you have so many questions? Are you coming in or not?”

Zhu Chongba was at a loss and could only say, ”I am a guest invited to the grand wedding by your City Lord, is this how you treat us?”

The guard was taken aback and looked at Zhu Chongba, asking, ”Do you have proof?”

Upon hearing this, Zhu Chongba directly took out the invitation written by Chen Jiusi.

Seeing the invitation, the guard immediately turned to the soldiers behind him and said, ”Go quickly and inform the chief, there is a guest with the City Lord’s invitation!”

Hearing this, someone immediately reported, and soon a leader came out.

At this point, he approached Zhu Chongba and said, ”I am the South City Guard Captain, may this esteemed guest please show me the invitation.”

Upon hearing this, Zhu Chongba handed over the invitation. The captain examined it closely, verifying its authenticity, as there had been many impersonators in recent days, so he checked very carefully.

After examining it, the captain nodded slightly and said, ”Esteemed guest, please follow me. Our City Lord has already prepared accommodations for you.”

With that, the captain personally led Zhu Chongba and his group into the city. Upon entering, they immediately saw the streets filled with people. Zhu Chongba had never seen such a bustling city, not even the Great Capital of Daqian was this prosperous.

People were shouting their wares, tavern and restaurant signs stood tall, yet everything was arranged in an orderly manner. Although the streets were crowded, there was no sign of chaos, which demonstrated the city’s governance capabilities.

Moreover, on the streets, you could hear accents from various places, indicating that traders from all over Southern Heaven and North Sea were doing business here.

This showed the commercial prosperity of this place.

The flourishing commerce, along with the comings and goings of merchants, made Zhu Chongba envious. As a leader of a prefecture city, he naturally knew how substantial the profits from such prosperity could be.

Ma Xiuying, too, was seeing such a bustling city for the first time and leaned out of the window to take in everything before her.

She also sighed internally, thinking this must be the Taiping era that the people longed for in their hearts.

With such thoughts, the group was quickly taken to the Noble Guest House specially designated for important guests in Huangzhou Prefecture.

The Noble Guest House was an area of villas specially built by Chen Jie, with all two-story small buildings, each equipped with a pond and garden, where one could leisurely vacation.

It could be said that those who reside here are important guests specially catered to by Huangzhou Prefecture, and ordinary envoys would not have the opportunity to stay here.

At this moment, Zhu Chongba and his group were brought to a standalone two-story small building. Seeing before them the gently flowing pond, blooming flowers, and a pleasant living environment, everyone felt their spirits lifted.

Just then, a group of maids clad in elegant attire approached from a distance and said, ”Guard Captain Song, more esteemed guests have arrived!”

”Oh, Cuiju, these are honored guests from Haozhou, this is Zhu Chongba, a guest invited by the City Lord for the grand wedding, do you think it’s appropriate to arrange them here?”

Hearing this, Cuiju smiled and said, ”This place was prepared for esteemed guests, how could it not be appropriate?”

With that, Cuiju looked towards Zhu Chongba and said, ”Greetings Hero Zhu, I am Cuiju, the steward of the Noble Guest House. I will show you around your accommodation.”

After finishing, Cuiju led Zhu Chongba, Ma Xiuying, and the others into the two-story small building before them.

”This house has a total of eight rooms, equipped with a tearoom, study, and bathroom. If you have bathing needs, we will provide hot water.”

”You see, there is a bamboo pipe here that connects to the water room. If you wish to bathe, inform us, and we will heat the water in the water room, which will then flow through this bamboo tube into the bathtub. After bathing, there will also be someone to handle the wastewater.”

”The view from upstairs is open; from here you can take in the entire scenery of the Noble Guest House.”

”Take a look, at the center of the guest house is an artificial lake. Our entire guest house is built around this artificial lake, which is stocked with various fish. If esteemed guests are interested, you can fish by the lake, and the fishing gear is in this utility room.”

”Additionally, the guest house is staffed with four maids and a matron. If esteemed guests have any needs, you can ask them.”

”Moreover, the guest house is equipped with chefs specializing in the cuisines of Sichuan, Lu, Cantonese, and Yangzhou, as well as some local specialties. For example, dishes from the southern border of Xiangxi are quite good, so if you wish to eat something specific, you can request it. Here is the menu, and the kitchen is never closed, even at midnight, with chefs ready to serve you at any time.”