Compared with the pleasant climate and comfortable environment of some cities in the southeast and southwest of Hanzhou, Jianye, located in the north, is actually not a very livable city.

Jianye City has a typical savannah climate, with hot and high temperatures all year round, and there is no obvious seasonal distinction. The year is divided into a rainy season from May to September and a rainy season from October to April. The heaviest precipitation is between December and March, when the humidity exceeds 70%, and at the end of the day, the whole body will feel slimy.

To add insult to injury, during the rainy season, there are often tropical storms, accompanied by thunderstorms, and the weather is harsh.

Because of the annual tropical storms, most of the buildings throughout the city are built to be tall, heavy, and durable. The simple and thin shacks, or temporary shacks, that are common in many cities, are rare, because they are not able to withstand the storms of the rainy season.

Jianye was the earliest city established in Qi and served as a temporary capital for 35 years, and today, it is also the largest industrial and commercial city in Qi.

In view of Jianye's important position and economic strength, the cabinet government of Qi directly classified it as a Zhili Mansion and enjoyed a special political status.

At present, the entire Jianye Prefecture has jurisdiction over nine districts and counties, including Beicheng District, Nancheng District, Montenegro (near present-day Palmerston, Australia), Xinhuai'an (present-day Palmerston, Australia), Kaiyuan (present-day Hamptidu City, Australia), Changhua (present-day Point-Stewart Town, northern Australia), Yongxing (present-day Adelaide Deriver Town, northern Australia), Ningshui (present-day Daleyriver Town, northern Australia), and Bac Ninh (present-day Kitts Harbor, northern Australia), with a population of more than 850,000 and a total economic output of 18% of the country.

July is the coolest month in Jianye, with the highest daytime temperature not exceeding 30 degrees, which is refreshing and pleasant under the slightest sea breeze. More than 70 percent of the people in the city have gathered in the entire Jianye Prefecture, and the urban area has expanded greatly from the long and narrow island in the north to the northeast and south, and has been connected with the neighboring Black Mountain City and New Huai'an, covering an area of more than 150 square kilometers.

Although the pioneers of Qi embarked on a rather forward-looking urban plan when the city was first built, the rapid urbanization process and the rapidly increasing population still made the layout of the city seem cramped and messy.

Because so many people are interested in Jianye City, the city is also denser in architecture and population than any other city in the empire, with a population density eight times larger than Chang'an, and twice as large as another large city, Daxing. Many of the city's green spaces and woodlands, once used as respites for city dwellers, have also been cut down and turned into heavy factories or cramped residential buildings.

If it weren't for the city's domestic water and flood control in the rainy season, the artificial reservoir located in Jianye City, Longshui Lake, might have been built impermeable and covered with large and small buildings.

However, for a large industrial city like Jianye, it is difficult to breathe fresh air. Countless factories, steamboats, and chimneys spew thick smoke into the sky year after year, and all houses, houses, commercial buildings, and memorial (or stupa) are soon stained with a black spot.

Even if, more than a decade ago, the Jianye government imposed a ban on smoke emissions for large enterprises, requiring thousands of chimneys to emit as little smoke as possible, or to stop production operations in bad weather conditions – which is actually economically and technically difficult to achieve, this only solves a small part of the problem.

Many people want the government to build more green spaces and parks in urban areas instead of more factories and warehouses. Many health scholars believe that parks and green spaces, large and small, can clean the air.

However, civil affairs officials in Jianye City apparently do not want to demolish factories that are conducive to people's livelihood and economic development, as well as old residential areas, in a dense city, and thus get into a huge troublesome demolition business. So, a few years ago, in order to cope with the people's mouth and alleviate urban pollution, Jianye City built several parks in the suburbs, the largest of which is Muxian Lake Park, which is reported to have cost more than 800,000 yuan.

Although Muxian Lake Park is separated by a guardrail and a ditch, it is still a large park covering an area of 4,000 acres, a place for people to gather and relax, and a place that "makes people's eyes shine".

Of course, most of the people who walk here are ordinary tourists, but the dignitaries and wealthy people walk the wide park meadows in the middle of the day on the noble Indian marwari horses, or in the afternoon in luxurious carriages, showing off their bright and fragrant clothes, beauty, or shining riding boots.

The carpet-like grass is full of running children, the water surface of Muxian Lake is full of water birds and ducks, the lush foliage of the tall trees, and the lush mountains in the distance make people stay away from the hustle and bustle of Jianye City for a while.

Li Yanliang and Cao Ge first took a public steam locomotive to Nancheng District, and then rented a four-wheeled carriage and headed towards Muxian Lake in the suburbs.

As early as a few years ago, Muxian Lake and the nearby mountains were the villas of those dignitaries and nobles in Jianye City, with beautiful mountains and rivers, a quiet environment, and it was close to the palace of King Qi in the past, and ordinary people could not approach it at all.

"Shouldn't your family be some high-ranking official?" Li Yanliang sat in the carriage, looking at the lush forests outside the window, the rippling Muxian Lake, and the luxurious courtyards that loomed from time to time, and suddenly became a little uneasy. Moreover, the horse-drawn carriage continued to travel up the mountain road.

Looking at this posture, it is estimated that the further you go up the mountain, the more advanced those villas and mansions are, isn't that more valuable?

"There are no high-ranking officials in my family." Cao Ge smiled and said, "It's just the blessing of the ancestors, and a lot of industries have been placed. ”

"Your family is a founding father?"

"Well, sort of."

"Tut-tut......" Li Yanliang looked at the smiling Cao Ge and couldn't help but be surprised, "I didn't expect that Brother Cao is still the family of the prince." ”

In the territory of Qi State, as long as the founding fathers are mentioned, they are all full of admiration and envy. In that year, they landed on the mainland of Hanzhou with Emperor Taizu, and they worked hard to establish a powerful country. Subsequently, these founding fathers were given dignitaries by Emperor Taizu. After they passed away one after another, the lowest were posthumously named marquis by the empire, which can be described as a glorious life.

And after Cao Ge inherited the founding of the country, even if he has been in the country for decades, the title of the ancestor is not there, and he has no prominent status in the past, but with his friendship with the royal family and the shares of several monopoly trading companies given by Emperor Taizu back then, it definitely belongs to the top wealthy family in my Qi country.

As soon as he thought of this, Li Yanliang was a little worried, how could I, a common man, climb into a high-ranking family?

"Yanliang, don't think about it." Cao Ge patted him on the shoulder, and said with a sincere face: "You and I have a relationship, only by virtue of the love of the army robes, there is no difference between the gateway to the highlands. To be honest, although I have the grace of my ancestors, I also want to make an earth-shattering cause with my own efforts. In this way, I, Cao Gefang, do not disgrace our ancestors. In time, Yanliang may also be in the process of expanding the territory of our Qi country, relying on his military achievements, and he will be crowned a marquis in one fell swoop, but it is not known. ”

"Brother Cao's auspicious words." Li Yanliang secretly took a deep breath and said with a smile: "In "Romance of the Three Kingdoms", Lu Bu once said: The eldest husband lived in heaven and earth, how could he live under the people for a long time. With this sentence, I encourage Brother Cao and I, and then in the expansion of the empire, I hope that both of us can build immortal achievements and be crowned Marquis. ”

"Yanliang, so courageous." Cao Ge praised: "Make meritorious contributions, be named Marquis, and encourage my brothers!" Hahaha......"

The carriage stopped at a large compound located by the stream at the halfway point of the mountain, the red porch and plaque had large golden characters, the beams were carved full and round, and the two stone pillars in the middle of the porch were each carved with a lion.

"King Lu's Mansion!"

"Brother Cao is a descendant of King Lu!" Li Yanliang's eyes widened, and he turned his head to look at Cao Ge with a smile on his face.

"That's right, my ancestor is the King of Lu who was enshrined by Emperor Taizu." Cao Ge replied with a smile: "However, I am not a descendant of the family, so I can't inherit this prince." ”

The title of Lord of Qi Guogong imitates the model of the previous Ming Dynasty, but the difference is that most of the titles are not hereditary, and are inherited in a decreasing way from generation to generation. For example, the hundreds of founding fathers who were enshrined in those years have been passed down to the present day, and most of them have been automatically demoted to the lowest county male, or have been cancelled their titles.

The title of the title of the Qi State and the corresponding property rights and political privileges can only be owned by the owner of the title himself, and although his family members are members of the noble family, their political status is close to that of ordinary commoners. The title is passed according to a fairly strict primogeniture system; If the eldest son dies young, the eldest grandson, second son, youngest son or other family members will replace him in order. If there is no heir in the family, the title may be inherited by his next of kin according to his will or during his lifetime, and with the approval of His Majesty the Emperor and the Imperial Court. But in most cases, the title was withdrawn by the emperor.

Once someone has acquired a title, it is not fixed. If a new person has received outstanding military merits, outstanding political achievements, or special favor from the emperor, he can be promoted to a higher title, but the original title will be automatically abolished.

Therefore, compared with the Qin State on the mainland, the number of people who have been knighted by the Qi State is quite small, and it is not even as good as the Northern Ming Dynasty, which has a population of only more than two million. It is said that Emperor Taizu privately said that if a large number of nobles who "eat white rice" were created in China, it would not be conducive to class mobility, and would also produce unpredictable social problems.

However, among the many canonized nobles in the Qi State, there is a hereditary high gate, that is, King Lu, who is not only the highest princely title, but also a real title. Penglai Island (now Solomon Islands), the largest island in the Taihe Islands (now Solomon Islands) located in the northeast of Hanzhou, was the fief of King Lu, enjoying all the exclusive economic benefits of the island, as if it had become a vassal state of its own.

In that year (1635), when the elders of Dengzhou landed on the mainland of Hanzhou, Emperor Taizu was still young and was only responsible for the management of civil affairs, and the person who presided over the overall situation was Cao Xiong, the ancestor of King Lu, -——.

More than 80 years ago, during the Xinsi Incident (1641), some ambitious Dengzhou elders tried to get rid of Emperor Taizu, who had been appointed as the heir, in a vain attempt to support the infant son of Cao Xiong as the future lord of Hanzhou, but by mistake, Cao Xiong died. After the matter was revealed, Emperor Taizu purged the Dengzhou elders involved, executed and exiled dozens of people, and stabilized the situation in Hanzhou in one fell swoop. At this point, Emperor Taizu officially took the throne.

After Emperor Taizu established the country and became the queen, he named the son of Cao Xiong as the king of Lu, hereditary replacement, and retired with the country. In the first year of Hanxing (1670), after Taizu became emperor, he promoted the title of King Lu to the prince, ranking first among the knights, and gave Penglai Island, which had just been discovered for a long time, to King Lu as a de facto fiefdom.

Not only that, King Lu also enjoyed the blessing of 300,000 yuan annuity provided by the imperial government every year. And the royal family will also give a large number of rewards to King Lu from time to time, and the materials and amounts are often in the hundreds of thousands.

It can be said that King Lu's status in the Qi State is second only to the royal family, not only prominent, but also precious.

However, because of their sensitive status, the Lu Wang family behaved quite low-key in China, from the first generation of King Lu to the third generation of King Lu, almost no children were involved in the political, military and other affairs of the Qi State. Even, in order to show loyalty, three consecutive generations of King Lu have never returned to the fiefdom of Penglai Island, and have been living in the palace of King Lu in Chang'an, living in a simple place and not interacting with any powerful people.

For more than 80 years, with the increasing strength, the territory under control is becoming more and more extensive, making the prestige of the royal family gradually rising, and no one can shake it. In this situation, some of the children of King Lu, who were unwilling to be mediocre, also broke free from the shackles of the palace and began to devote themselves to various affairs of the empire according to their own interests, actively exerting their talents and abilities.

As far as Li Yanliang knows, there is a brother of Prince Lu in Daxing, who has been obsessed with the study of medical skills for more than ten years, especially good at trauma surgery, and has treated many injured patients.

"Oh, that's my third uncle." Cao Ge heard Li Yanliang mention the brother of Prince Lu, who was a doctor, and replied with a smile: "When I was young, I heard my father's narration that since he was a child, he had people catch all kinds of birds, beasts and animals for him, and then he used a knife to dismantle them one by one, and carefully study the internal organs and bones of animals. The brothers and sisters in the clan didn't like to go to his yard, and the scene was probably similar to the battlefield that Yanliang experienced, and there was blood everywhere. Not to mention looking at the madman, even when I hear about these things, my scalp is tight! ”

Several attendants of the Lu Wangfu warmly greeted them from the gate, quickly took the luggage of Cao Ge and Li Yanliang from the carriage, and walked towards the mansion with the two of them in their arms.

"Hey, what is this?" As soon as he entered a large hall, Cao Ge was shocked to find two human skeletons on the table against the wall, a gloomy skull facing the door, and two empty eyes seemed to be staring at him, and he couldn't help but be shocked.

What's the matter, the palace has been murdered!

(End of chapter)