Chapter 36: substitute

Seeing Qin Jue staring at herself for a long time, Xie Linlang thought for a while, and suddenly asked expectantly.
"How? Did you find that I was very knowledgeable and talented? I'm so good, don't you really consider apprenticeship?"
She put her hands on her chin, her eyes shone with stars.
At this moment they were sitting on the top of the high mountain, the surrounding mountains were low, and in the silence of the night, Qin Jue had the illusion that only the two of them were left in the world.
But they are the only ones left, and she doesn't seem to be lonely anymore.
He thought so, with a smile in his eyes, and the phrase "Master" was swallowed back by him.
I saw him stand up and said lightly, "Let's go, there are only two months left in three days, aren't you in a hurry?"
Qin Jue did not say that Xie Linlang also forgot, yes! He has to report to Xiangcheng!
But fortunately, there are still three days, there should be time!
In this way, Xie Linlang did not dare to delay, ending Qin Jue's "experience" ahead of time, and the two went straight to Xiangcheng.

She may not feel it, but everything they experienced on the road was scattered like gems in Qin Jue's memory, shining in the darkness.
Strictly speaking, Xiangcheng is a good place, surrounded by mountains and rivers, isolated from the world.
But the road from Qilian Mountain to Xiangcheng was badly built! No, it should be said that there should be no road here, but the road is formed when there are more people walking.
Sitting in the bullock cart, Xie Linlang looked at the map while chatting with the old man driving the cart.
The old man had just come out of a neighboring village to sell goods, and when he saw them on the way, he was going to Xiangcheng, so he kindly took them for a ride.
"Master, I want to ask, how many roads are there to enter Xiangcheng?"
The map is not clear, so it's better to ask the locals.
The old man said as he drove the car, "This is the dry road. If people in the surrounding villages want to enter the city, they have to go through this road."
"According to you, there is still a waterway into Xiangcheng?"
"Yeah!" The old man said with a smile, "Xiangcheng has mountains to the northwest and water to the northeast. If you enter from the north, there is only this official road. If you don't take a dry road, you can only go boating a little further! The waters around the city are not wide and there are no storms, and one person can paddle over them."
Xie Linlang heard the words and asked again, "Since the waterway is not far away, there must be a pier near here? Where is the nearest pier?"
The old man thought for a while, and pointed to the east road, "The nearest pier should be the Heishui Pier, right? You can see it by walking a few miles to the east, but the lake is long and narrow, and the water is not deep. It’s usually a big boat. Don’t go there, the big ship will go to Chang’an Wharf a little further east..."
"Blackwater Pier?"
Xie Linlang was a little strange, "Is the water there black? Why else is it called this name?"
"Hey! It's not very dark. In winter, there will be dark brown dirt on the water. There is rarely a very thin layer. When washing clothes, it will disappear after taking a double shot. When the spring begins, it will Disappear without getting in the way."
Xie Linlang nodded thoughtfully, and then asked about other things, "Speaking of which is my first time in Xiangcheng, is Xiangcheng University? Are the people in it easy to get along with?"
Speaking of this, the old man sighed.
"If Xiangcheng is a good place, I don't have to get up early and run into the village! If you didn't say you want to go to Xiangcheng to find relatives, I really don't recommend you to go there.
The grandfather of the county in Xiangcheng is heartbroken! Since I set up a tin workshop ten years ago, I have fooled the young people of the city to work for him! If you don't go, if you don't go, once the court conscripts, you will send disobedient people to serve! "
Qin Jue, who had been playing around with herbal medicines and did not speak, suddenly asked, "Isn't the number of people calibrated for the corvee?"
For example, if the tasks are assigned from the above, if this place is to be conscripted with three hundred escorts, there must be three hundred. How can you escape from the military if you listen to the old man?
"Yes, the number is calibrated, but Xiangcheng is not poor! The imperial court provides assistance to such poor places. Not only can tax revenue be halved, but the number of people in service can also be reduced.
This was originally a kindness of the court, but was used by the black-hearted magistrate to blackmail the citizens, and those who were not obedient would be arrested!
Compared to serving outside, the local people are definitely more willing to stay and work for the county magistrate!
It's just that the county magistrate is too inhuman, and he does more work and pays less money. Every year there are people who are exhausted, but everyone can do nothing about him..."
Xie Linlang was happy, and used the people of a city to work for herself to earn money. Not to mention, this black-hearted county magistrate is quite business-minded. No wonder he didn't want others to succeed him. He finally caught it in this poor place. Money tree, how can you give up like this?
At this time, the ox cart was on the ramp, and Xie Linlang looked up and saw the Heishui Pier.
It was just that the distance was too far, and she couldn't see if the water was black, but she could see many boats docked there.
Xie Linlang asked, "It's this time, why are so many people coming to Xiangcheng by boat?"
After hearing this, the old man said with some envy, "You are talking about a cargo ship? That is a caravan ship, they are here to buy tin, because other tin workshops will not work in winter, only Xiangcheng is the four seasons. They all supply tin, and tin is a necessity for casting bronzes. If they can't buy it elsewhere, they will detour to Xiangcheng in droves to buy it every year."
"It turned out to be like this." Xie Linlang nodded.
After going down the ramp, it didn't take long for the old man's village to arrive. Xie Linlang said goodbye to him, and then led Qin Jue to continue toward Xiangcheng.
But at this time it was getting late, and I wanted to go to Xiangcheng, and I had to go through a forest. Xie Linlang was worried about the danger of driving at night, so he planned to rest one night outside the forest and talk about it tomorrow.
At night, in the cave, Xie Linlang went out to hunt, and Qin Jue slowly walked out of the cave after raising the fire.
Stepping on the moonlight, he followed the signal and came to a stream.
As soon as he came, Dong Qi, who was in a burly, appeared.
He hadn’t seen him for more than ten days. He thought that His Royal Highness had some accident, but after seeing him at this time, he knew that he was thinking too much, because His Highness seemed to be in a better state of mind than a dozen days ago, although his face was still Some are pale, but there is more light in his eyes, as if there is something different inside.
Dong Qi is a little strange, who changed His Highness? In other words, what happened to make His Highness grow up again?
As soon as he was about to kneel, Qin Jue stopped him first and whispered.
"Why are you looking for me in such a hurry?"
At this time, the people sent by the emperor were still in Xiangcheng. If it was not a very important matter, they would not find him.
Hearing this, Dong Qi stood up straight and said excitedly.
"His Royal Highness, we have found a substitute who is exactly like you!"