Chapter 4, Hong Gu of Qing Liu Cottage (1)

The foundation of the loess embankment is covered with a thick layer of sand and gravel, compacted firmly with a roller, making the official road over three zhang wide quite bright and easy to traverse

Faintly, Chu Tian could still hear the whispers of several constables and local soldiers behind him: "Isn't this the way of things? Big scales measure gold, small scales measure silver, eat meat from big bowls, drink wine from big bowls. In this day and age, officials are not as good as thieves! Wearing this official robe only brings a facade of glory; how much benefit can it really bring?"

After passing through the city gate that stretches for twenty zhang, one arrives at a walled city that covers an area of two hundred mu.

On ordinary days, when there are no battles, the inner city of the fortress becomes a spontaneously formed market, where many small vendors set up stalls to sell trivial items. Chu Tian, riding on the old yellow wolf, leisurely walked through the fortress, exchanged a few pleasantries with the captain of the state soldiers stationed at the inner city gate, and, as a matter of routine, invited them for tea before formally entering the city of Yaozhou

With her right eye wide open and her left eye tightly shut, the woman bit down hard on the garlic strip filled with gold, and immediately, with a beaming smile, she softly exclaimed: "Absolutely pure gold, ha, has the head of the Chu family struck it rich? Come in, come in, you bunch of short-lived women, why aren't you hurrying to get ready? The head of the Chu family is coming!"

"Oh, isn't that so? According to the usual practice, the toll is typically 20 percent, but the newly appointed silkworm manager from the Chu family is being arrogant, reprimanding that group of gentlemen, and making a big fuss out of it, which has escalated the situation. Is there any good outcome from this?" The middle-aged constable shrank his neck and chuckled dryly, saying, "If we brothers are to capture thieves, we can only see how many unfortunate little thieves we can catch to take the blame."

Chutian smiled as he took out half a silver coin from his sleeve and tossed it out: "Please, brothers, have some tea. No worries, no worries, having swallowed the widow's big rooster, with Aque here, even if all the widows in the world join forces, they cannot do anything to Old Huang. Hmm, is there something going on in the city?"

Without needing guidance from Chu Tian, Old Huang deftly navigated through the streets of Biaozhou City. A rich scent of cosmetics wafted ahead, and on both sides of the refreshing bluestone-paved street, two rows of exquisite small buildings were arranged in an orderly manner, with all the doors facing the street tightly closed

Without needing anyone to greet him, Old Yellow Wolf walked towards the backyard along the corridor in the courtyard, extremely familiar with the path.

"Chuchang, are you going into the city again? Hey, Old Huang, Old Huang, you should be a bit more well-behaved. Last time, while you were walking on the street, you opened your mouth and swallowed the rooster that was crowing at Widow Li's house..."

"Xiu's mother, just keep yourself busy, ha, I am only here to chat with Hong Gu for a bit. Please have mother bring over a pot of tea!" Chu Tian patted the neck of the old yellow wolf, which then gently darted into the courtyard. With a powerful flick of its sturdy tail, it tightly closed the two courtyard doors, and with a lift of its hind paw, it secured the latch.

Chutian waved his hand and chuckled a few times, licking the corner of his mouth: "One hundred thousand bolts of silk, my goodness, how many fish and shrimp would that sell for?"

The old yellow wolf arrived at the entrance of the first courtyard on the right side, and then lay heavily on the ground outside the door, its long tail sweeping the ground haphazardly. Chu Tian patted its head, adjusted his clothes, and gently pushed open the courtyard door to walk inside

With a cheerful smile, the middle-aged constable shook his sleeves and patted the panting old wolf on the head. He stood on tiptoe and leaned closer to Chu Tian, saying, "Tsk, it's nothing serious, just the routine capture of bandits. One of the Chu family's fleets transported 200,000 bolts of silk satin, and that group of lords in Zhen San Prefecture forcibly collected 50% in tolls. The manager of the Chu family's mulberry and silkworm operations is currently throwing a fit at the prefectural office, isn't he?"

The door swung open with a loud bang, revealing a woman who appeared to be in her forties, dressed in a red top and green skirt, with seven or eight jade bracelets on her wrists and two or three pounds of gold chains around her neck. Her head was adorned with dazzling jewels that could blind anyone, and she stood with her hands on her hips, glaring fiercely at Chu Tian.

In just a mere thirty li of distance, the old yellow wolf raised by A Gou moved swiftly, frolicking along the way, and within less than a quarter of an hour, it carried Chu Tian to the city of Yaozhou

Suddenly, sharp shouts erupted from within the door: "Which heartless bastard is making a fuss in broad daylight? The door is going to break, the door is going to break, stop it, stop it, you bastard!"

"What, do you really want me to come at this late hour?" Chu Tianchao said, his eyes widening as the woman pulled out a golden garlic strip from her sleeve and waved it.

"It is certainly acceptable to come during the day to drink tea and listen to music!" The woman's fierce face suddenly broke into a broad smile, and she forcefully twisted her stout waist, leaping up like a plump penguin, swiftly snatching the garlic strips from Chu Tian's hand.

Mother Xiu smiled like a blooming flower, hurriedly responded to Chutian, stuffed the garlic strips into her sleeve, and joyfully skipped along the way

With a giggle, the woman twisted her round waist and shouted loudly: "Good daughters, the Chu boss you think about all day has arrived! Don't sleep, what are you sleeping for? Once you're dead, there will be plenty of time to sleep! Come on, some living people, the Chu boss is here!"

Old Huanglang restrained his temperament, taking small steps as he carried Chutian into Biaozhou City

The old yellow wolf possesses formidable strength and immense power. With a series of pushes from its claws against the courtyard gate, a series of cracking sounds echoed, nearly causing the door frame to collapse. The plaque hanging above the door, inscribed with the characters "Qingliu Xiaozhu," emitted a sharp sound, and several wisps of dust fell from behind the plaque.

With his hands spread wide, the middle-aged constable chuckled softly, saying, "As for those gentlemen from Zhen San Shan, Chief Chu is a brother of ours, so he naturally knows that they are not someone we can handle"

"Fifty percent? Isn't it supposed to be twenty percent according to the example?" Chu Tian stared wide-eyed in astonishment

Outside the towering city gate, several constables dressed in black mingled among a group of state soldiers, appearing to be lazily daydreaming. However, a pair of eyes, more ruthless than those of a thief, continuously scanned the flow of people entering and exiting the city.

The woman fiercely waved the garlic stalk, her eyes bulging round as she menacingly stared at the empty, exquisite courtyard.

Bypassing the large courtyard in front, I walked along a cobblestone path for several dozen zhang, where several exquisite courtyards were lined up behind in a row

In broad daylight, this street is surprisingly empty, with only a few idle men with playful smiles sitting at the tea stalls at both ends of the street, each one sneaking glances around. Upon seeing Chu Tian approaching, the idle men wanted to come over and greet him, but they appeared hesitant, nodding and smiling from a distance.

A middle-aged constable with a stern face separated two state soldiers and approached with a cheerful smile, eagerly cupping his fists in salute to Chu Tian

The old yellow wolf, larger than a big bull, stuck out its long tongue and with a "thud" jumped over ten zhang, landing heavily at the city gate. Several patrolling officers were suddenly startled, straightening their bodies, their sharp gazes swiftly scanning Chu Tian's face

Chutian chuckled softly, shaking his head gently

The middle-aged constable swiftly raised his hand, and half a silver coin just happened to slip into his sleeve.

In the land of Chu, at the Chu Pavilion, a woman with vividly painted red lips opened her mouth wide, and a large spray of saliva shot out, startling the old yellow wolf, who quickly jumped back to avoid the saliva from her mouth: "Our Qingliu Cottage is a respectable place, and you, in broad daylight..."

Chutian gave them a slight nod, while the old yellow wolf, panting with its long tongue out, walked drooling to the end of the street. Its large wolf paw pushed forcefully against the lacquered small door of a courtyard.