In the southern twilight city, it was raining continuously, Yu Chong sat in the grocery store, looking at the pedestrians on the street with hurried expressions, thoughtfully, Zhang Guifang, I must catch you with my own hands.

"Brother Chong, you see if we can open yet, there is no one on the street, who will come to our small shop." The person who spoke was called Ah Fu, who had been playing with Yu Chong since he was a child, and after both of them became adults, they didn't like to read, so they followed Yu Chong to open a grocery store.

Yu Chong's grocery store is very small, but the location is urgent, in the center of the downtown area of Nandui City, and it can be regarded as the ancestor to grab such a position in the already small urban area.

"Go, go, you know the!" Yu Chong responded impatiently, and asked casually, "Have the spices in Shangyuan arrived, the inventory in the store is about to bottom out, and a few days ago, many officials and ladies asked me for this spice." ”

"Cough, Brother Chong, I still want to talk to you, and the spices in Shangyuan, now I can't even send Penghua's spices." Ah Fu said in a daze.

"What's going on?" Yu Chong asked puzzled.

"Brother Chong, you haven't been looking for Xiao Liuzi at the dock for a long time, I went to look for it yesterday, Xiao Liuzi said that recently, Shangyuan and Penghua have been at war again, and all the materials can't be shipped, and the merchants of the two countries are really in trouble. Ah Fu told Yu Chong everything that Xiao Liuzi told him.

It seems that they all want to turn Nandui City into their own vassal state before starting the war, Yu Chong said in his heart. Although the ground of the South Twilight City is small, it is located in the east of the confluence of the canals of Shangyuan and Penghua, which leads directly to the ocean, has abundant products, produces Nanzhu, and can be regarded as the land of fish and rice.

In the past five years, Shangyuan Kingdom and Penghua Kingdom have had more than a dozen frictions because of the competition for Nanducheng City, and in the end, no one can make Nanducheng a vassal to themselves. Thanks to Chi Ling, the lord of the city of Southern Twilight, he took advantage of the delicate relationship between the two countries to protect the city.

But there are unforeseen circumstances, the half-moon former lieutenant Chi Ling suddenly died, and the youngest son of the weak crown Yu Chi Qing was made the city lord, and the current political situation is also quite turbulent, and the people's lives are also quite affected.

Yu Chong was thinking about it, Ah Fu pushed Yu Chong, Yu Chong came to his senses, and saw a plain Hezun disciple holding a copy scroll, and said "All living beings are equal, Allah bless the body, the congregation helps each other, and the old brings forth the new......"

"Okay, okay, there is no business in the shop today, and we will entertain Dahezun another day!" With that, he hurriedly pushed away the plain-clothed Hezun disciples.

"Ah Fu, don't let them in again in the future, what are you talking about every day." Yu Chong said angrily.

"Okay, Brother Chong, I don't know when we will have Hezun disciples in Nandui City, when I went to Penghua before, I saw them a few times, I guess they also have no fate."

"Don't worry about them, in a few days, you will go with me to Shangyuan to explore, there is no business to do, you and I drink the northwest wind." Yu Chong said depressedly.

In the afternoon, when the rain stopped, the sun rose lazily, illuminating the entire Nanducheng pedestrian street, Yu Chong stretched his waist, patted Ah Fu, who was snoring like thunder, and said, "I'll go back first, and you can go home by yourself after closing." ”

"Oh, okay, Brother Chong." Ah Fu responded, turned his head and went back to sleep.

Yu Chong ignored him, walked out of the door, first went to the Zhu family restaurant where he often goes, asked Xiao Er to scald a pot of wine, asked for side dishes, ate wine by himself, and drank three or five glasses, and heard someone next to him whisper, "Do you know that our Southern Twilight City has not been stable recently, and as soon as the old city lord left, the eldest son and the second prince couldn't hold it back." ”

"Didn't you set up the little prince as the city lord, what else do those two brothers have to toss."

"Things don't seem to be so simple, there is news that the city lord was going to pass it on to the second prince Wei Chi Ze, I don't know what method the little prince relied on, so that the old city lord changed his mind, I heard that the old city lord is also guarding against the fight of his descendants after a hundred years, so he dispersed the power, the eldest prince is gentle and elegant, and has the best relationship with the ministers, the second prince is brave and good at fighting, and has a very high prestige in the army, and the little prince is very deep in the city, quite like the old city lord, in charge of the taxes and financial power of the southern twilight city."

"Therefore, there is also an undercurrent in this city, I just hope that this time the little city lord can turn left and right like the old city lord, if who belongs to Nandusk City in the future, you and I will not be as good as we are now."

"Whisper, after eating this cup, go to my house and talk again." Yu Chong heard the truth, but he also knew a thing or two, and hurried back to his residence after eating.

At night, Yu Chong couldn't sleep for a long time, thinking that five years ago, his parents disappeared because of the war between Shangyuan and Penghuaguo, and he couldn't be at peace for a long time, and he was angry when he thought that he still didn't save enough to marry the little daughter of the Yang family, Yang Yixin, and he was angry that he would live with Yixin in the future, and his mother-in-law was still afraid that I couldn't treat Yixin well, and the two were not allowed to meet for five days, I don't know what Yixin is doing now, thinking about it, and gradually falling asleep.

Early in the morning, Ah Fu knocked on the door and shouted, "Brother Chong, Brother Chong, come out and take a look, the tax department has come to collect taxes again." ”

"It's only the middle of the month, why is it starting to be taxed?" Yu Chong said angrily, hurriedly put on his clothes, and followed Ah Fu to the market angrily.

As soon as I arrived at the market, I saw a group of merchants gathered around the officials of the tax department, constantly talking something, Yu Chong stepped forward and heard a sentence, "You guys hurry up and pay the taxes, everyone is safe, otherwise, there is no such good-natured tax collection as our tax department, hurry up and get the money!" ”

"Dogs fighting people!" Yu Chong scolded angrily.

"Be quiet, don't let them hear." Ah Fu hurriedly pulled Yu Chong back and pulled him out of the crowd, so as not to make a big deal and end badly. After that, the two brothers went back to the shop and quietly watched the group of people pointing around, and finally dispersed and left.

After a while, Zhang Dajun, the market supervisor, came to Yu Chong's shop with two entourages and said, "What did you say about this day, I just paid taxes at the end of last month, so don't you come to urge again." ”

Yu Chong poured the tea and handed it to Zhang Dajun, and said, "Brother Dajun, what's going on." ”

"Poor and crazy, this is not the new city lord has just taken office, and he has come to loot the people's fat and people's ointment." Zhang Dajun whispered.

"He has to collect taxes from time to time, how can we make a living, this itself is twice as high as farming and fishing, throw away the purchase money, how much can it fall into his pocket, Brother Dajun, my daughter-in-law has not married."

"This time it's a sudden tax, I know you're having a hard time, cough, it's also a helpless thing, but we discussed it with the people of the tax department, and then give the big guy three days, three days later, I will collect the tax, and then I will support your brother, eat and drink together another day!"

"Okay, Brother Maharaja, I hope it's only this once, or I won't be able to eat."

Zhang Dajun shook his head with a smile and walked out.

Ah Fu poured a cup of tea and handed it to Yu Chong, and said, "Brother Chong, why are our days getting more and more difficult?"

"Don't think about it, go, follow me to Brother Xu."

"Then we can't open this shop?" Ah Fu asked.

"Let's close it first, there is no official lady and lady who wants to come to us in the past few days."

Yu Chong took Ah Fu straight to the dock where Xu Ying was, and as soon as he entered the house, Yu Chong was not polite, and directly picked up the wine jug on the table and drank two sips.

"Why did you kid come to me at this time, isn't the shop in the market open?" Xu Ying asked.

"Why don't you open it, the goods can't come in, and our Nanzhu can't be shipped out Early this morning, the people from the tax department came to collect taxes again, how can there be money to support it, my daughter-in-law hasn't landed yet." Yu Chong complained.

"Hahaha, you kid, you really come to me whenever you have something."

"I don't have many friends in South Twilight City, so if I don't ask you about the situation, who else will I look for?" Yu Chong replied.

"Okay, I'm afraid of you, your market is not having a good time, when our life is good? Ah Fu, go and close the door first. ”

Ah Fu went to close the door, sat down on a small bench and ate the scattered peanuts on the table.

"Brother Chong, don't hide it, two days ago, the tax department has come to my wharf to collect taxes, and it is half a year's tax, what can we do, can we not give, do you still eat this bowl of rice, on weekdays, my wharf is also collected in March, and the tax department did not explain the words, this is considered to be collected in advance for the second half of the year or how, I did not make it clear."

"What did the big boss say?"

"The big boss has asked someone to go to the Metropolitan Tax Department to ask the chief inspector to understand, and there is no news yet, the suspicion of the boss may be that the small city lord has just taken the throne, he has no money in his hand, and he can't control the ministers, and the two brothers are only looking at jokes, maybe they hope that there will be civil strife in the city, and it is difficult to say if they replace it."

"Is it that serious?" Yu Chong asked puzzled.

"It has always been more complicated, and now the Shangyuan Kingdom and the Penghua Kingdom are fighting tightly, in the past, both countries would send envoys to my Nandui City to buy grain and grass."

"Didn't the envoy come this time?"

"I heard from the big boss that the envoy came and also made a presentation to the small city lord, but the small city lord did not agree to provide grain and grass to the two countries."

"Why is this, the city lord who is so caught up with the purchase and sale has not done it, our Southern Twilight City has made a fortune, in addition to its own abundant products, isn't it also a lot of money to supply grain and grass to the two countries?"

"It's not easy to say, maybe our little city lord has other plans this time."

"Alright then, Brother Xu, I'm going to go to Shangyuan Kingdom to see what's going on with my spice."