Chapter 1727: Seeing the Small, Knowing the Great

Warm spring sunlight bathed the streets of the Eastern Capital, though the spring breeze still carried a hint of chill. White willow catkins drifted everywhere, tickling passersby's noses, and from time to time a crisp sneeze rang out across the market streets.

The weather was warming, all things reviving; the harsh winter of the past seemed to be receding ever further, and the vitality within the Eastern Capital had burst forth anew. On the streets, crowds surged like tides—a scene of bustling liveliness.

Shop signs propped on long poles swayed in the breeze. Set up a stove, lay out a few tables and benches, and the most ordinary eatery in the Eastern Capital was ready. Liu Yang sat on a bench, unhurriedly eating a flatbread cake, yet his gaze remained fixed on the street scene—the carriages streaming past, the peddlers carrying shoulder poles, the laborers hauling loads, the stalls spread out along the road, the idle clerks and runners, and the patrol guards passing by on their rounds from time to time.

Even within a city, there were class distinctions. After decades of development, the boundaries of settlement within the Eastern Capital had grown ever clearer—long ago divided into poor south and rich north, noble inner quarters and humble outer wards. Of course, when it came to liveliness, the southern city and southern market still took the crown. Whether a city prospered depended not only on those places where the wealthy gathered, but also on the lives of these common folk.

"Achoo!"

The sharp sound drew Liu Yang's attention. Looking down, he saw his second son, Liu Wenji, holding a bowl of porridge in one hand and a spoon in the other, looking utterly at a loss, his little face splattered with rice porridge. Seeing this scene, Liu Yang needed no explanation for what had happened.

A gentle smile appeared on his face. Liu Yang pulled out a handkerchief and handed it to him: "Wipe your own face clean!"

"Mm!" Liu Wenji replied obediently.

Looking at the bowl now half-empty, Liu Yang asked, "Are you full?"

"Full."

"Was it good?"

"Delicious!"

"I'll take you somewhere else to look around!" Liu Yang said with a light laugh.

Hearing this, Liu Wenji's lively eyes immediately lit up, and a look of eager delight spread across his little face. He stood right up, looking positively enthusiastic. Though the Crown Princess and Consort Xiao had raised him to be well-behaved and obedient, he was still full of curiosity and imagination about the world beyond the palace.

"Shopkeeper, the bill!" Liu Yang patted Liu Wenji's head, then turned and called out to the busy vendor by the roadside.

It was a husband-and-wife operation. Hearing the call, the husband hurried over at a trot, his face beaming with a warm smile. His honest, rough-hewn features also clearly carried the shrewdness of the petty merchant. His gaze swept over the table, he rubbed his hands together, and said cautiously, "Honored guest, that comes to fifty-two wen in total!"

For a small stallholder like this, Liu Yang counted as a major customer. Setting aside his fine clothing, that single plate of venison alone was worth twenty wen—few people ordinarily ordered such a thing.

"Fifty-two wen." Liu Yang muttered to himself.

Seeing his reaction, the shopkeeper hastily ran through the menu prices, then gritted his teeth and put on a generous air: "Just give me fifty wen and we'll call it even!"

Noting his expression, Liu Yang smiled: "You make your living through this trade; it's not easy. How could I take advantage of you for those two wen?"

"Pay up!" Having said this, Liu Yang called to Wang Yue, who was waiting at the side.

Seeing this, the shopkeeper's face immediately broke into a delighted grin, repeatedly praising Liu Yang for his magnanimity. After the change was given, Liu Yang glanced at the vendor, beckoned to him, and said, "If you're not busy, would you sit down for a moment? I have a few questions I'd like to ask you."

The shopkeeper was taken aback and looked somewhat reluctant, but Liu Yang's bearing was plain to see, and he dared not refuse. He sat down gingerly and said cautiously, "What would you like to ask, honored guest? I'm afraid I don't know anything."

Liu Yang had simply asked on a whim, but seeing this reaction, he became all the more interested. He said gently, "Don't be nervous. Just a simple chat."

"From your accent, you're from the capital?"

"That's right! My family has been in the Eastern Capital since my grandfather's time—several decades now!" the shopkeeper replied.

A smile appeared on Liu Yang's face: "So you could say your family has grown up together with the Great Han and with the Eastern Capital all the way to this day!"

"Well said!" The shopkeeper revealed a simple, honest smile, and a note of pride crept into his voice: "Both my grandfather and my father served in the army, following His Majesty to conquer the realm. You know the Zhaolie Shrine, don't you? The spirit tablets enshrined there include the names of my grandfather and father. I go every year to pay my respects!"

"Oh?" Hearing this, Liu Yang's interest grew keener, and his expression turned even more gentle: "So you're descended from martyred heroes! May I ask where they fell?"

"My grandfather was killed in battle at Shouzhou in Huainan, and my father died in the Qianyou Northern Expedition, perishing in the great battle at Nankou!" The man sighed.

Hearing this, Liu Yang nodded slightly: "It is precisely because of martyrs like your grandfather, who cast aside life and death, that the Great Han enjoys its present flourishing age!"

As he spoke, Liu Yang swept his gaze over this roadside stall and the shop front it leaned against, and asked curiously: "As far as I know, for soldiers who fall in battle, the court issues pensions according to military rank and merit, and grants land. With two generations like your grandfather and father, the compensation you received must have been considerable—enough to support a family. How is it that you've taken up this hard little trade?"

At this mention, the shopkeeper's floodgates opened, and he replied: "Neither my grandfather nor my father ever made officer rank. Even my grandfather was only a squad leader of ten. Of course, they still left us descendants over two hundred mu of land.

It's just that my family also has uncles, nephews, and brothers. After the family division, each household's land was diluted. I myself have four sons—the eldest is already married, and I still need to prepare betrothal gifts for the other three. Now the land is all managed by my sons. Thinking that we still have this property in the Eastern Capital, and that I have some cooking skill, I tidied things up and set up this little business.

After all, the Eastern Capital has plenty of diners, and the money to be made is greater—the returns are higher than those few mu of land!"

Liu Yang's brow furrowed involuntarily: "A few mu of land! Didn't your grandfather and father leave over two hundred mu? How many uncles, nephews, and brothers are there in your family? Even after dividing the property, shouldn't it still be enough to support a household?"

The shopkeeper hesitated, and by now had come back to his senses. Seeing this, Liu Yang's face turned stern: "Speak freely!"

Startled, the man wavered for a moment, then stammered: "My family originally received thirty-five mu in the division—all prime farmland along the Wuzhang River. Managed well, it would be more than enough to support the family, with surplus to spare. It's just that the court's taxes are not light, and corvée labor is considerable. In previous years, grain prices never rose either. What's more, over twenty mu of the land has already been sold off—"

"Ordinary farming families would cling to their land for a lifetime. And your family's land is fertile soil watered by the Wuzhang River. How could you sell it? Did your family run into some difficulty?" Liu Yang looked determined to get to the bottom of it.

"Honored sir, I truly cannot say more!" The shopkeeper shook his head repeatedly, and a trace of fear had already appeared on his face.

Liu Yang gave the man a long, deep look. The hardships of the common people—these four words suddenly swirled through his mind. And this man was a landowner descended from martyrs. What of those truly ordinary common folk?

After a moment's thought, Liu Yang let a smile return to his face, his tone even gentler: "I was only asking casually. Since you have reservations, I won't press you. Tell me, then—how long have you been running this food stall?"

"About five years now!"

"How much profit do you make in a day? Five or six hundred cash, I'd imagine!" Liu Yang said with a smile.

The shopkeeper shook his head repeatedly: "Not that much. Customers like you, honored sir, are rare. Ordinary diners spend just a few wen on some rice porridge or flatbread and that's enough. Even ordering chicken or mutton slices doesn't reach twenty wen!"

Hearing this, Liu Yang nodded, and pointed at the venison still more than half remaining on the table: "Your venison is quite tasty!"

"To be honest with you, honored sir, our little stall can't compare with the big restaurants. This venison comes from villagers who hunt it themselves. There isn't much of it, but we put more care into preparing it."

"Not bad!" Liu Yang said with a light laugh. "Though the flavor is a bit bland—you didn't use much salt, did you?"

At this, the shopkeeper looked a little embarrassed and said in a low voice: "Salt has been expensive lately."

"What's the price of salt in the Eastern Capital now?" Liu Yang pressed immediately.

"Alas!" The man sighed, then said: "It's already climbed to eighty wen a dou—double what it was ten years ago. Even half a year ago, it was only sixty-seven wen a dou."

"Why?" Liu Yang's expression was visibly turning sour.

"They say it's because of the rebellion in the northwest—the green-white salt from there can't be shipped out, so salt prices have risen along with it."

Hearing this, Liu Yang thought for a moment, then said with some irritation: "What does a rebellion in the northwest have to do with the Eastern Capital? How many people in this city even eat green-white salt?"

"You're right there, honored sir! Common folk like us in the Eastern Capital all eat Yangzhou salt, Cangzhou salt, or Hezhong salt. The northwest is too far from us. Green-white salt is fine stuff, but only the high and mighty can afford it. Yet when the northwest erupts, salt prices rise everywhere, and we have no choice but to buy. Alas..."

Seeing the man sighing deeply, Liu Yang was silent for a moment, then changed the subject: "Running a business here in the city must be hard work. Have you run into any trouble? Any oppression from the authorities, or harassment from ruffians?"

"This..."

Seeing his hesitation, the answer was self-evident. As they spoke, two young men came swaggering over. They wore kerchief headdresses and silk robes, noses pointed at the sky, flaunting themselves as they passed. The shopkeepers along the street all greeted them proactively. Of course, what drew Liu Yang's attention was that the merchants and stallholders were all taking out copper coins, stuffing them eagerly into the pouches hanging at the young men's waists, while offering fawning compliments.

When they reached this shopkeeper, the old man hurriedly begged Liu Yang's pardon and went over, performing the same motions—who knew how many copper coins he fished out. The two young men wore satisfied expressions.

However, they gave Liu Yang, seated calmly by the roadside, a brief once-over before quickly averting their gaze. They casually grabbed two pieces of venison and strolled off gnawing on them as they went down the street. One could well imagine that after walking just one street like this, the pouches at their waists would be stuffed full of copper coins.

Watching this scene unfold, Liu Yang's heart was filled with a welter of emotions. He naturally understood exactly what was happening. When the old shopkeeper returned, he asked, "How much did you hand over?"

"Ten coins!"

"Is it like this every day?"

The old man shook his head, taking it rather philosophically, or perhaps having grown accustomed to it: "Not at all—only every few days or so."

"Those two—what identities do they hold? They don't look like tax collectors to me. You rise early and toil late, and your hard-earned gains amount to little enough in a day—how can you just let them take without lifting a finger, eating and grabbing for free?" Liu Yang asked.

At this question, the old man did not answer at once, but thought for a moment before clasping his hands and saying, "This young lord is clearly of no ordinary station, so naturally you cannot know the hardships of us common folk. This street is already one of the better ones. For us, spending a bit of money to buy peace, to be able to run our business steadily and safely—that is already enough. Why go looking for trouble?

Besides, they are collecting taxes on behalf of the government."

That last sentence struck a sensitive nerve in Liu Yang. His gaze turned sharp and piercing as he fixed his eyes on the old man: "What is this all about? Pray tell me in detail!"

But this time, the old man no longer dared to speak recklessly. He shook his head repeatedly, refusing adamantly to say another word.