Huaizuo is the famous capital, and Zhuxi is the best place.

At that time, Jiang Baishi's song Yangzhou was slow, and he exhausted the romance of Yangzhou. By asking where Yangzhou is, Huainan River Beihai West Head. The world is divided into three bright moonlit nights, and the two scoundrels are Yangzhou. Since ancient times, Yangzhou is mostly a place where literati and tourists linger, it is also the place where the Beijing-Hangzhou Canal and the Yangtze River meet, and it is also a water and land transportation hub.

When Xiao Jinyan and Dongfang Nuan Nuan arrived in Yangzhou, it was two days later. In the past two days, although the two of them were not worried, they also cheered up, for fear of being chased by the people of Yixiaotang again. Xiao Jinyan has traveled all over the world, but Yangzhou is the first time to come.

At this moment, it is early in the morning, the city gate has not yet been opened, there is a long queue outside the gate, some are passing merchants, some are the surrounding people carrying newly planted fruits and vegetables, and wait for the city gate to enter the city to sell a good price, the city gate is bustling, so lively.

Xiao Jinyan has been in Suzhou for a long time, and he can barely understand Suzhou dialect, but when he arrives in Yangzhou, if he arrives in Java, he is confused, with different sounds for five miles and different customs for ten miles.

The gates opened, and a group of soldiers went out of the gates, and the people began to enter the city.

Xiao Jinyan was a little strange, if he entered the city normally, the officers and soldiers would generally interrogate a few words, pay a little money to enter the city, or collect some taxes from the goods, and let them go. But for some reason, today's officers and soldiers are particularly strict in their investigations, and in this case, they will either raise taxes or catch thieves.

A lieutenant rode to the city gate and said loudly, "Brothers, give me a little light, we got a tip-off that there are spies from Xichu who have infiltrated Yangzhou City and are doing bad things, if you encounter suspicious people, you must strictly investigate!"

All the officers and men replied yes and cheered up their spirits.

The city gate tax has been in place since the Song Dynasty, and the Ming Dynasty also followed this tax system, ordinary goods, daily use, etc., twenty lessons one, but for the control of salt, iron, tea, silk, etc., it needs to be officially introduced or issued by the government, strictly controlled. Don't look at the city gate officials, they can also act cheaply as needed in the specific implementation of the city gate tax. This brings them an opportunity to take advantage of, and ordinary people don't look down on it, but when they encounter merchants going in and out of the city to pay taxes, as long as they turn a blind eye to the number of official citations and approvals, they can profit from it, and even take the opportunity to sleep with a few or a dozen girls, which is also a common thing.

Xiao Jinyan also understands that the Mid-Autumn Festival is approaching, and every time this kind of juncture comes, there are a lot of such "spies" and "anti-thieves", and they are used to it.

Before Xiao Jinyan arrived, the people in front of the queue were already complaining.

"What? 300 Wen? Usually it's 300 Wen, Official, my cart of cabbage is only 300 Wen!"

The city gate official ignored him, "I want to go in, but I don't want to go in, and get out, the next one." ”

The captain stepped forward and whipped the city gate official, and scolded, "The people are our food and clothing parents, how can you speak, we eat the court money, and when we encounter problems, don't avoid them, but think of solutions, do you understand!"

The city gate official didn't expect the boss to react so much, covering his hot face and not daring to speak. The lieutenant said to the old man, "Old man, this is just a festival, the tax, it was set by the Lord of Futai, and we can't exempt it for you, your cabbage usually costs a pound, but today you can sell it for three dollars a pound, so you still have to earn it!"

When the old man heard this, he was right, and he obediently handed over three hundred papers, and sighed, "Taxes are fiercer than tigers." ”

The lieutenant also sneered, "You only say that the people are suffering, and we errand boys will not have a better life." Your brothers and sisters must take care of it, who will do it with you if you don't have meat to eat? The superiors must also take care of it, otherwise why should you be inspected at the end of the year? The main hall of the family must always change its clothes, and the outer house must also have a profit, right? Our money is not blown by the wind, someone has to be an unlucky ghost, who should not be?"

Xiao Jinyan listened to it, and said in his heart that this guy is not a big official, but there are a lot of crooked reasons.

Although everyone complained about today's tax increase, most of them still paid the amount.

In the Ming Dynasty, if you go in and out of nearby states and counties, it is easy to register with your accent. If you are a foreigner, if you want to enter the city, you must either have a road guide issued by the government to prove your identity, or you must have a guarantor in the city to prevent you from committing evil after entering the city. Of course, this is not absolute, some forge road guides, some bribe city gate officials, and some Jianghu people, high and high, want to enter the city, there are many ways.

When Xiao Jinyan was in Dengwen Academy, he made a lot of blank road guides, and he didn't expect it to come in handy today.

After the soldier had examined the guide, he asked, "Who are you, where do you come from, and where are you going?"

Xiao Jinyan said that your question is so profound, a senior surnamed Su back then has never answered these three questions in his life.

The soldier was beaten just now, and he was holding back his anger, when he saw Xiao Jinyan's flamboyant tongue, it was even more unpleasant, and said: "I see that you are a thief, you are not a good type at first glance, and you are not recruited from the truth, listening to your accent, it doesn't look like a local, could it be a spy from Xichu?"

Xiao Jinyan was about to get angry, but thinking that Dongfang Nuannuan was still in the car, he couldn't fight with them, so he said in a low voice, "Official, take a step to speak." The soldier said in a strange manner, "Lao Tzu's steps are very expensive, borrow one step, pay back three steps, can you still afford it?"

Having said that, he still followed Xiao Jinyan to a secluded place, "What, if you want to bribe the official, then hurry up, the official is very busy." ”

Xiao Jinyan took out the waist card of the supervisor of Dengwen Academy from his arms and said, "This thing, you can take a look?"

Dengwenyuan is a spy agency directly under the Ming Emperor, and the power is monstrous, even if you are in the capital, you can enter and exit at will in the residence of officials below the third grade, and officials below the fifth grade can be cut first and then played, Xiao Jinyan thought about taking out this thing, how could the other party have to give a face.

The soldier was in Yangzhou City, 108,000 miles away from the capital, and where did he know what Dengwen Courtyard was, looked at this black waist card, and said, "It's not gold or silver, get a piece of wood to fool me?"

"I'm asking the official to look at the words on it!"

The soldier scolded, "I can't read, you let me see a fart!"

Xiao Jinyan thought about the seriousness when you checked the road guide, and you dared to pretend to be affectionate.

However, in the Ming Dynasty, the civil and military were high and low, and there were not many literate officers and soldiers in the army, and many officers who were great generals were also illiterate, so the imperial court mostly used civilian officials to command military generals. The only exception is the Metropolitan Governor Yuwen Tianlu.

It is said that in the imperial examination that year, Yuwen Tianlu had the opportunity to be ranked first, but later because of a woman, offended Sun Qingshan, the secretary of the Ministry of Rites of the Dynasty, and was canceled from fame. Later, Sun Qingshan's family was retaliated against by Yuwen Tianlu, and there was a wave of quality three, peeling skin, filling grass, lighting sky lanterns, and dying miserably.

"And what do you know?"

"I'm a vulgar man, and I know silver. If you have one, just take some out, don't be ignorant of lifting. ”

Xiao Jinyan said that you would have said no earlier, why don't I rush to treat my sister. After that, he said to Dongfang Nuan in the car, "Sister, please take some more silver." Dongfang Nuannuan handed out a piece of broken silver from the car, Xiao Jinyan took it, and sent it respectfully with both hands, "Official, please be accommodating." ”

The soldier glanced at his boss who was basking in the sun not far away, and was about to pick it up, and asked, "What disease does your sister have?"

Xiao Jinyan said, "Leprosy." ”

As soon as these words came out, there was no one within three feet around, and even the people behind him, hearing that there were lepers in the car, all fled away. Xiao Jinyan said, "Official, take the silver?" The soldier hurriedly shook his head, hurry up, don't get in the way here.

Xiao Jinyan said that you don't accept it, but don't blame me for not knowing how to lift.

In this way, the two entered the city, and Dongfang Nuannuan smiled in the car, "Brother Xiao, your trick just now is enough to damage." ”

Xiao Jinyan said that if this is not the case, maybe the other party will be embarrassed for us, if the city gate official sees that you are as beautiful as a flower, and has to rob you to go home to be a wife, wouldn't I be a big deal?

Dongfang Nuannuan sighed, "If it looks as beautiful as a flower, it would be good." ”

Xiao Jinyan said, "Don't worry, let's go to Yangzhou City, wait until we find Doctor Xue, and see if he can cure your illness." ”

Dongfang Nuannuan asked, "Brother Xiao, when we get to Divine Doctor Xue, are we going to separate?"

From Suzhou to Yangzhou, it was only a few days, but the two have experienced a lot of things together and have already become good friends who talk about everything. It's just that Dongfang Nuannuan eats, lives and walks on the grounds of illness, almost all of them are in the car, even if they live in the store, they cover their faces with embroidered hats and thick veils, and refuse to show their true faces.

Although they haven't met, in the past few days, Xiao Jinyan has already regarded Nuan Nuan as a sister, so she comforted: "When you arrive at Doctor Xue's house, you can treat your illness with peace of mind first, and I still have to deal with some things in Yangzhou." ”

Thinking of what Chuanjian said, before Vancouver died, he was going to come to Yangzhou to see someone, and that person had evidence of Yuwen Tianlu's collusion with Xichu. If this is the case, Yu Wenshuang is also coming to Yangzhou City at this moment, I am afraid it is not just a coincidence.

Dongfang Nuannuan doesn't seem to have much confidence in Divine Doctor Xue, but Elder Liu is dead, his father went to Shujian Mountain and his whereabouts are unknown, the entire Bright God Sect has long been shattered, she has been weak since she was a child, she was sentimental, and now she is in this world, she has no relatives, and the only person who cares about herself is also leaving, and she can't help but feel sad, and she actually sobs.

A woman's tears are the most powerful martial arts in the world.

Although Xiao Jinyan is a peerless student, he can't resist this move.

He hurriedly comforted, "Don't worry, when I finish my business, I will come to Yangzhou to see you." ”

Dongfang Nuan Nuan said: "At that time, maybe I had been killed by Yuwenshuang. ”

Xiao Jinyan said, "You can rest assured about this, no one on the rivers and lakes has dared to offend the six-fingered divine doctor." ”

This is true, walking the rivers and lakes, who does not have three illnesses and two pains, five labors and seven injuries, know more than one divine doctor, and make more incense, although Xue Shenyi recognizes money and does not recognize people, but among the three lists of heaven, earth and people, there are not many people who accept his feelings. What's more, the six-fingered divine doctor Xue Bao can not only save people, but also kill people.

Doctor Xue is very famous in Yangzhou City, and when he asked someone about it, he asked where he went, and the two of them rushed to the Xue Mansion in the east of the city. Xue's family covers an area of about three or four acres, surrounded by Gaolong's courtyard wall, I heard that Xue Shenyi has a strange temper and a strange personality, and has always lived alone, and has been with herbs all year round.

Xiao Jinyan stepped forward and knocked on the door, but no one answered.

Pushing the door slightly, the door opened in response, Xiao Jinyan looked over, and saw that under an old locust tree with a crooked neck in the courtyard, Doctor Xue stepped on a stool, tied a rope to the tree, circled twice, and prepared to hang himself.