PFC Chapter 47 The Prosperous Capital
Chapter 47 The Prosperous Capital
Chang Yuan still remembers that right after he knocked Liu Yuan's head off, Liu Yuan's heart and the three-pointed double-edged sword gathered divine power and became magical items.
The final divine power of the Creation Jade Statue condensed into a transparent bead, an item containing the power of an evil god and with its own inscription. It was taken away by the four extraordinary beings who arrived at that time.
Unexpectedly, a month or so later, the bead reappeared in front of him and became the treasure he was responsible for escorting.
Chang Yuan glanced at it a few times, satisfied his curiosity, and then looked away.
Whether the evil god's abilities are good or bad is unknown, but he is quite satisfied with his current life and has no intention of risking ruining his mission.
The clanging sound of the train was quite hypnotic, but fortunately, the Imperial Guards were all exceptionally elite, and they had all slept well the night before as ordered, so everyone was alert and alert.
The train continued without stopping and nothing happened. Before we knew it, it was dawn, and the sound of roosters crowing could be heard.
Just then, the speeding train suddenly stopped, and the carriages emitted a piercing sound of metal squeezing and rubbing.
The guards stood firmly on their feet, only their bodies swayed slightly.
The Imperial Guards escorting the carriage on the roof fared much worse, tumbling heavily forward for a considerable distance, the thuds echoing all the way to the connecting section of the carriage.
Chang Yuan's mouth gaped slightly: "Wishtoday! This unlucky guy seems to have fallen into the connecting area between the carriages."
"Han Ye, go and get him out of there, before he really falls off the bus."
"yes!"
Han Ye was the most skilled of the elite guards besides Chang Yuan. Upon receiving the order, he opened the sliding door and leaped from the side of the carriage to the connecting area between the carriages in a few steps.
Sure enough, a member of the Imperial Guard got stuck there.
He clung tightly to the connecting rod with both hands, his face less than half a foot from the rapidly backward-moving track, and he was so frightened that his face turned ashen.
Han Ye pulled him up and pushed him back onto the roof of the car.
"Thanks so much, bro!"
"No need to thank me, we're all comrades."
"I owe you my life. When we get back to the garrison, I'll treat you to drinks!"
"OK."
Neither of them asked the other's name or number. One climbed back to his seat, and the other jumped back into the carriage.
After the sliding door closed again, Li Hui asked curiously, "What happened just now?"
Qiu Yixin, who is experienced and has carried out several escort missions, explained: "It means the front of the car hit something."
"I just smelled a stench from cow droppings; someone's cow must have been hit."
Li Hui couldn't understand: "The train has been running for so many years, how could someone still be so careless?"
Qiu Yixin laughed: "It must have been intentional..."
"The Great Ming Code prohibited the slaughter of draft cattle and the consumption of beef indiscriminately, unless the cattle died from accidents such as falls, fractures, or diseases."
"oh--"
Li Hui understood: "Damn it, they actually use a train to eat beef! Aren't they afraid of damaging the train?"
Gao Su calmly replied, "I'm not afraid."
Li Hui: "Huh?"
Qiu Yixin laughed and said, "Didn't you notice?"
"At the very front of the steam locomotive, at a height exactly between the chest and abdomen of a bull, there's an incredibly sturdy crash beam!"
Li Hui was even more surprised: "This has become a common practice?"
Gao Su shook his head and said, "There's nothing we can do. The Iron Ox was born much earlier than the Iron Steed. Nowadays, in the two capitals and thirteen provinces, very few people still use oxen to plow the fields. People raise oxen to eat meat and drink milk."
Han Ye said, "Yes, my family also uses iron oxen to plow the fields."
Qiu Yixin said, "The oxen no longer plow the fields, but the Great Ming Code cannot be changed. None of the Grand Secretaries in the capital can convince anyone else. No one can change the established laws of our ancestors, so we can only make do with it."
"The Ming Dynasty has been around for five hundred years, there's nothing we can do about it."
The escorting train only had this one accident, and afterwards it entered Zhili safely and arrived smoothly at the southern city of the capital.
As the capital of the Ming Dynasty for hundreds of years, Beijing was incredibly prosperous.
Since the reign of Emperor Shizu of the Ming Dynasty, when the Ming Dynasty was restored, the population of the capital city has continued to expand and the area has continued to grow, making it impossible to protect all the residents with city walls.
Thus, the extraordinary sight of the Qin capital city without walls, dating back two thousand years, reappeared.
The southern suburbs of the capital, which the train passed through, were already far more prosperous and bustling than Zhangde Prefecture.
The shops and residences stand side by side, and the streets and alleys paved with blue bricks crisscross. Various markets and shops are densely packed together, with wine flags, tea banners and signs fluttering in the wind.
The streets were bustling with people, with people dressed in all sorts of colorful clothes coming and going.
There were commoners in short clothes, scholars in long gowns, soldiers in military uniforms, and women wearing veils, their figures intertwined.
As the train approached Yongdingmen, its speed slowed down even further.
Yongdingmen was once the south gate of the outer city and a vital thoroughfare for people coming and going from the north and south of the capital. Its prosperity far surpassed that of the southern suburbs.
The Yongdingmen gate tower still stands majestically, with flags fluttering and guards standing at attention. However, the city walls on the left and right have been completely demolished and turned into thoroughfares.
Various markets stretched along the main road, with rice markets, vegetable markets, southern goods markets, and seafood markets bustling with activity.
The shouts of vendors, the haggling of customers, the neighing of cattle and horses, and the rumble of iron steeds mingled together, creating a lively symphony of everyday life.
As the train passed through Yongding Gate, the streets of the inner city became wider and the buildings more orderly, with less of the bustling city life and more solemnity and grandeur.
The train finally stopped at Zhengyangmen Station.
This is the heart of the capital, the political and commercial center of the Ming Dynasty.
Along both sides of the street, the government offices of the five ministries and six departments were neatly arranged, with their vermilion gates solemn and dignified, and officials dressed in various official robes moving between the offices.
Outside the government offices, the small square between Zhengyang Gate and Daming Gate has square streets that resemble a chessboard, hence the famous Chessboard Street.
Qipan Street is lined with bookstores, filled with the fragrance of ink, making it a gathering place for literati and scholars.
After leaving their offices, officials would stroll around here, selecting rare items such as paintings, calligraphy, gold and silver jewelry, silks, satins, and antiques.
The steam locomotive gradually stopped its panting, and the white steam it released slowly dissipated.
Chang Yuan led the elite guards off the train. The group stood somewhat awkwardly on the platform, carefully guarding the unloaded wooden crates and treasure boxes.
The air was filled with the clamor of voices, the dazzling array of goods before their eyes, the bustling crowds around them, and the majestic Forbidden City and orderly government offices in the distance.
The accumulation and prosperity of the Ming Dynasty over five hundred years are fully displayed in the magnificent splendor of this imperial capital, where "all kinds of goods gather and all directions converge".
The Imperial Guards were stunned by the prosperity of the capital of the Ming Dynasty. They exclaimed "Wow!" from the southern suburbs and were still in a daze.
Even the train conductor, who had been to the capital countless times, was dazzled by the scene before him and sighed repeatedly.
"Commander Chang, please remember these six words: 'Living in Beijing is not easy.' Don't just go into any store and buy anything; it's very expensive!"
Chang Yuan said gratefully, "Thank you for reminding us, we'll be careful!"
He then ordered, "Go directly to the Southern Garrison Command, without making any stops along the way!"
The imperial guards responded in unison, "Yes!"
They took out their snow-white ivory tags and hung them in a conspicuous place on their waists to display their status.
Chang Yuan tucked the letter into his pocket, slung the treasure box over his back, and pressed his right hand against the revolver as he walked at the front of the group.
Gao Su and Qiu Yixin lifted the wooden box and followed closely behind Chang Yuan.
Han Ye carried his three-section combined spear and walked at the very back.
The elite cavalry squad traveled non-stop, arriving directly at Dongchang Hutong, where the headquarters of the Embroidered Uniform Guard was located.
Chang Yuan frowned, not because he was nervous, but because he was puzzled: how could someone have given him such a strange feeling along the way?
It's somewhat threatening, but more so, it's tempting.
It's like a delicious dish with thorns.
I don't eat people!