Xue Sanhuai, a native of Huaizhou in Northern Qi, is 40 years old this year. He has an ordinary appearance, looks very honest and honest, has a slightly fat body, and always has a kind smile on his face. He really doesn't look like a businessman, but Xue Sanhuai opened a small tavern in Xuyi City, Huaizhou, and the business is very prosperous.

At this time, it was not yet lunchtime, there were only three or two guests in Xue Sanhuai's tavern, and Xue Sanhuai, the shopkeeper, had nothing to do for the time being, so he sat behind the counter, sipping tea comfortably, while looking at the busy street outside the house. Looking at the heartfelt smiles on the faces of the people who came and went, Xue Sanhuai suddenly sighed, and a trace of worry couldn't help but flash in his eyes.

Xue Sanhuai was originally from Huaiyin County, Huaizhou, and it had only been three months since he came to Xuyi City, but he fell deeply in love with this land and the life here.

Compared with Huaiyin County, life in Xuyi County is simply heaven. Here, you don't have to worry about the endless exploitation of the nobles and old wealth, and you don't have to worry about your surname all the time, because there is Gao Changgong, the king of Lanling, who loves the people like a son and is generous and benevolent. Although he has now been demoted to the Marquis of Xuyi, and has been deprived of his high surname, the people of Xuyi City are still willing to call him Gao Changgong, the king of Lanling, in private.

Although Xue Sanhuai's name looks rustic, he is a person who has read the books of sages. It's a pity that he is not very interested in the way of governing the country that the sage said, and he has only learned some mathematics. It is precisely because of this that he was able to have a very sharp mind, and decisively escaped from Huaiyin County in August last year and came to the fertile land of Xuyi City to develop.

In Xuyi County, after more than half a year of development, the population has rapidly expanded from tens of thousands to 600,000, which sounds quite terrifying, but it is normal in this era. But not to mention the land of Jianghuai, there are hundreds of thousands of people displaced by the war between Chen and Qi who have taken refuge in Xuyi, and even in the rich land near Kyoto in the Yellow River Valley, there are constantly people who can't stand the oppression and exploitation of the aristocracy and settle in Xuyi County with their families.

The rapid growth of the population put tremendous pressure on Xuyi City, forcing Gao Changgong to expand Xuyi City. It took 150,000 workers three months to finish the new city wall in September last year, but many of the city's facilities had to wait for the next spring to bloom because of the cold weather.

Today's Xuyi City has undergone earth-shaking changes, but the huge area of twelve miles in length is amazing, not to mention the thriving scene everywhere in the city.

The city is full of new handicraft workshops, and the production of various grades of wooden furniture is now sold throughout Daqi, and even many merchants from the Zhou and Chen kingdoms have come from far and wide for these furniture. And the quantity and quality of the cloth produced by the textile workshops, where women were the main laborers, made the merchants who made a living from it in other places become jealous.

The nose and eyes of the merchants are always very keen, and Xuyi City has attracted merchants from all over the world, so that Xuyi City will be more prosperous, and it has brought huge wealth to Xuyi City, which is also the reason why Gao Changgong can have the money to build a huge city, and the people in the city are happy.

But it may soon be gone!

As soon as he thought of this, Xue Sanhuai was worried, and he couldn't help but feel angry and helpless in his heart.

Just a dozen days ago, Li Xun, the Duke of Tang of Zhou in the west, came to Yecheng in Qi State. Questioning Cushman & Wakefield's real intention to send Happy Suit, and strongly demanding that Cushman hand over Happy Will.

Now it is rumored all over the world that the son of Gao Changgong, the king of Qi Guoying, the prince of Huaiyang County, and the king of Zeng Lanling, Gao Changgong, is happy to be a shameless person, he is bold, he kidnapped the princess of Zhou, and killed her after being defiled.

Chen Guo and Zhou Guoren talked about Gao Changgong a lot, thinking that he had no way to teach his son. Even many Northern Qi people have denounced Gao Changgong's father and son, but these Northern Qi people are not from the Jianghuai Valley.

But there was not a single word about the unfavorable father and son in Xuyi City, and everyone was silent about it, and those who dared to slander the happy father and son were ruthlessly expelled by the local people.

Is Joy a Silver Thief? Even if everyone in the world thinks so, the people of Xuyi City will never believe that Xingxing is a silver thief. Although he was happy that he had not been in Xuyi City for a long time, those who had seen him or had not seen him firmly trusted him.

For the happy Gao Gongzi who was dressed in white and always smiling, the people of Xuyi City were not only grateful, but also had an extremely high evaluation of him.

It was because of his proposal that countless workshops sprang up in the city, accommodating countless homeless people and giving them a place to live; It was precisely because of his orders that even the merchants in the city did not dare to oppress the poor people who worked for them, so that every drop of their blood and sweat was duly rewarded, and life was no longer miserable.

Especially for the majority of women in Xuyi City, happiness is not only a messenger who guides them on the way, so that they can use their own hands to earn money in life, and improve their status in the family. But it's a pity that the happy smile never distinguishes between men and women, and he still shuttles through the streets in a chic way to the outside, making countless young girls sigh and pause.

Such a character who regards the girls of the city as a floating cloud, could it be the one who does such a despicable thing for the sake of beauty? This is a naked frame-up, and this is the unanimous view of all female compatriots in Xuyi City.

But no matter how the people of Xuyi City defended the happy father and son, those powerful people in Yecheng who had long been jealous of Xuyi's wealth and jealous of Gao Changgong's talent very much hoped that this matter was true. They were already gearing up, ready to swallow Xuyi's delicious pastry.

It is said that these two envoys from His Majesty the Emperor of Yecheng are about to come to Xuyi City, and there is no need to think about Xue Sanhuai to know that it is not good news. Since the Son of Heaven sat on the throne of the Ninety-Five, Xue Sanhuai had not received any good news from him.

Lord Lanling has always been loyal and patriotic, this time he may have to give in to the Son of Heaven again, is Xuyi City or Xuyi City without Gao Changgong? Without the protection of the happy father and son, is this Xuyi City still safe? Will people still live in such comfort and abundance? Is this last piece of paradise about to disappear?

Just when Xue Sanhuai was worried and helpless in his heart, the door of the tavern suddenly went dark, he only felt a chill, and a figure flashed into the store.

This is an unusually thin teenager, but there is a sense of vicissitudes between his eyebrows. His face was pale, there wasn't much blood, and his appearance was so ordinary, so ordinary that you would forget that he existed just by turning around. His lips were thin and tightly pursed, his eyes were narrow and narrow, and his eyes were numb and dead. He was shrouded in a black robe that was already a little old, and the whole person looked so withdrawn that people were a little afraid to approach.

"Two catties of beef, one catty of meat!" The shopkeeper was just about to speak, and the black-clothed young man spoke, his voice was very low and there was no trace of emotion, which made the shopkeeper close his mouth vividly, just said yes and hurriedly walked to the back hall.

The young man in black walked to a seat by the window, he didn't move fast, but every step was the same distance, as if measured, exactly the same. From under the wide sleeves where his arms were swinging as he walked, Xue Sanhuai faintly saw a short scimitar like autumn water, even if it was seven or eight meters away, Xue Sanhuai seemed to be able to feel the coldness on it.

As if sensing Xue Sanhuai's gaze, the black-clothed young man suddenly looked back.

Xue Sanhuai was suddenly startled, and lowered his head in a panic, his back already soaked in cold sweat. What kind of eyes were they, cold, dead silent, and he looked at himself as if he were looking at a dead man. Xue Sanhuai's breathing was stagnant, his heart was pounding violently, and his hands hidden behind the counter were trembling even more.

"Whew-" When the black-clothed young man retracted his gaze, Xue Sanhuai felt light, and hurriedly wiped the sweat off his forehead with his sleeve. At that moment just now, Xue Sanhuai was as long as decades, and fear and despair were suppressed in his chest, suffocating him.

This must not be an ordinary person, it is better to be less troublesome, I must instruct Xiao Twenty not to offend this evil god!

Soon, Xiao Er sent the food that the black-clothed young man wanted, and he didn't dare to say much when he was instructed by the shopkeeper, so he was about to quietly retreat with the tray, but the black-clothed young man stopped him.

"Answer me a few questions, this is yours!" The young man in black took out a gold ingot from his bosom and put it on the table, his tone still as cold.

"Excuse me!" Xiao Er was a little cramped, and the coldness on the black-clothed young man made him uncomfortable, and he always had the urge to turn around and run.

"Do you know where Happy is now?" The young man in black asked.

"Are you looking for Mr. Gao?" Xiao Er said in surprise, seeing the dead eyes of the black-clothed young man, he suddenly panicked, and hurriedly said: "I'm sorry, the little one, the little one doesn't know!" ”

"In addition to his happy family, who is the most familiar and close to him in Xuyi City?" The young man in black withdrew his gaze and continued to ask.

"Very, a lot, the generals and soldiers in the military camp outside the city, as well as the boss Ye Jinye in the city and in the city." Xiao Er was a little trembling, he stammered a little when he spoke, and his palms were full of sweat.

"Take it!" The black-clothed young man said lightly, then lowered his head and began to eat.

Xiao Er suddenly felt like he had been pardoned, and immediately turned around and left, as if there was a fierce beast chasing after him.

"Wait!" Just when Xiao Er sighed in his heart that he had finally left the terrifying stranger, the cold voice suddenly sounded in his ears, and Xiao Er was suddenly shocked and fell to the ground.

"You've forgotten your stuff!" Just when Xiao Er was trembling all over, and he was struggling to make a decision about whether to turn around and go back, the cold voice sounded, and then, a slight sound of breaking the air sounded, and the next moment, a gold ingot appeared at Xiao Er's feet.