Chapter 255: Youzhou Observations

Even if you don't understand weapons, one look at its appearance tells you it's a good thing, and Da Wang asked Liang Bin, who was quite moved.

The Jin Dynasty strictly controls iron, so civilian blacksmith shops at most sell something decent like vegetable knives; buying a slightly longer butcher's knife is done secretly through underground deals.

It's a pity that such strict control is useless—Hanshou Marquis still rebelled as he should have.

Those following Liang Bin are all who retreated from Shanggu Pass; their military sidearms have already been handed over, and now even in Shanggu Pass they aren't issued weapons. Even if they had sidearms, they'd be Jin Dynasty iron scraps, incomparable to Da Wang's advanced black-tech synthesized weapons.

Liang Bin politely asked the price, and Da Wang felt he wasn't easy either. His shrewd father had handed Liang Bin over to him, and thereafter he basically bade farewell to Chang'an, which he liked. Da Wang decided to treat him better, so… he'd make less profit.

"As long as six hundred taels per blade. This knife—never mind a person, one chop can sever a warhorse's neck. I've named it the Horse-Slaying Blade!"

Liang Bin: "What?! … Six hundred taels is really not cheap, and the name you came up with will also affect the price."

Da Wang angrily: "Seven hundred taels."

Upon hearing this, Liang Bin immediately gave a look: "No no no, I misspoke just now. I think the name Horse-Slaying Blade is plain and easy to understand, yet simple and direct in stating its power, with tremendous deterrent force! This name is great simplicity appearing as clumsiness—excellent! So, can you sell it to me for five hundred taels? Since I left Chang'an, I haven't seen a single silver coin. In Chang'an, my grandmother used to give me silver, but after coming to Youzhou two months ago, I haven't received a single wen from my father!"

Da Wang recalled that he was the one who hinted to Dongdu Hou to send this guy to Youzhou, and relented: "I don't care about these few hundred taels; the rest, I'll make up for Liang Erge."

Liang Bin was moved to tears, thinking: In this broken place Youzhou, what money could the You King possibly have?

"Having one hundred taels to spend one tael, and having one million taels to spend one tael—these are not the same!" Liang Lao was twenty percent moved.

"Your Highness is magnanimous! Like your second brother! But I don't have three thousand taels either; I'll be fine once my grandmother arrives, and then I won't be short a single fen."

Da Wang heard Liang Bin say he resembled Erge, that scatterbrained young master who gives away money, and twitched the corner of his mouth. Sorry, I never engage in losing deals, unlike Erge.

Liang Bin's gratitude toward Da Wang lasted until they ran to the western gate of Youzhou City.

Liang Bin lifted his head to gaze upon the towering city gate, huh? This is Youzhou City?!

No, I remember Youzhou's crumbling walls were rammed earth!

What is this, blue stone? How much manpower and material would it take to circle the city with this!

Da Wang was also speechless: "You've been at Shanggu Pass for two months and haven't even once gone to look at the neighbors?"

"I thought Youzhou had nothing worth seeing; my father bought land and a house but hasn't finished building it, and I came here not knowing where I'd live. Shanggu Pass may be austere, but it's not so bad as to leak wind at night… No, You King, did you strike it rich?"

He looked up at the city guards on the wall; these people were also more numerous than the old, weak, and disabled troops he remembered, and they even had iron armor!

The usual patrol and garrison on Youzhou's city walls are Youzhou Garrison—not exactly regular troops, but even this is enough to intimidate.

Da Wang also equipped them with armor, slightly inferior to regular troops, a more convenient everyday style, but still far surpassing Jin Dynasty standards.

Now, looking at this second-generation heir from Chang'an, he's dazed and stunned.

You King returned to the city, and a neatly dressed row of city guards lined up and knelt in welcome, making Liang Bin gasp aloud.

Something's off!

This aura is off!

After passing through the city gate, he finally realized how wide this thing is.

"This… attacking you guys in Youzhou would take tremendous effort, wouldn't it?"

Da Wang proudly rode his little date, slipping along until he reached a spot where he could touch the wall, then reached out smugly and tapped it: "The lower half is solid, filled with stone and enriched earth inside—even cannons would need to bombard it for a while."

Liang Bin: "What's a cannon?"

Da Wang: "……You'll see sooner or later—a very powerful weapon. I'll blast a big hole in that Shanggu Pass wall with one shot."

After passing the city wall, inside was a vast, uninhabited wasteland, though the road was built flat and wide. Liang Bin was dumbfounded again: "People? Empty city?"

Da Wang: "……Could it be that I've expanded the city wall outward?"

Liang Bin revealed an expression of reverence: "You really are rich, huh—could your mother's clan actually be wealthy merchants? Or is selling pickled vegetables this profitable?" He knew the pickled vegetable business in Chang'an sold well, and his household often bought them. That coal smoke is toxic and troublesome, and as far as he knows, there's no business in it. Commoners can't afford it, nobles still prefer smokeless charcoal.

"That's not important—once you reach the new district, you'll know. Don't you know that besides koi carp, all those imported goods sold by the Jin family's Jin Yu Man Tang come from landing in Youzhou?"

Liang Bin had a sudden realization: "I know about koi carp—I heard Guangling King mention it. Their procurement channels for Jin Yu Man Tang certainly wouldn't tell me."

This guy suddenly realized and got excited: "Then… isn't Youzhou full of fresh novelties?"

"How much money do you have on you?"

"The silver I brought from Chang'an still has… a two-hundred-tael note. Shanggu Pass also had no chance to spend silver..."

Da Wang looked at him sympathetically: "You come live with me at the prince's residence—also, don't go eat at those street restaurants."

"Yo~ I can't even break two hundred taels in Youzhou~"

Da Wang: "No. I'm afraid you'll have no money and get stuck washing dishes."

Liang Bin laughed heartily until he followed Da Wang diagonally across, arriving at the entrance of Zhuque Avenue…

"This is Youzhou?"

Da Wang proudly: "Can two hundred taels be spent completely? If you run out of money and get detained by a shop, remember to go to the prince's residence for help—I'll have my cousin come redeem you once, as repayment for you redeeming me in Chang'an."

Liang Bin's mind took a strange turn: "Why is it the Prince's cousin?"

Da Wang: "Because I can't afford to lose face before that person. I suggest you also don't mention Dongdu Hou's name—I estimate he also can't afford to lose face."

Liang Bin: ……

Da Wang's dignity in Chang'an was something he could casually throw away, but now, in his own territory, Da Wang has an idol burden. Just as he returned from the northern campaign, the people helped him uphold it.

Da Wang's reputation among the common people is now invincible.

This northern district is too ahead of its time.

Compared, one cannot help but admit Chang'an lost.

Before, there was only one endless Zhuque Avenue, behind which was empty space. Now Da Wang has planned several new wards, and near the You King's residence, he's built some sizable official mansions, assigned to several subordinates.

Today's Zhuque Ward, at a glance, is no longer lonely; the surroundings have begun to gain popularity.

Likewise, with exquisite architecture, the houses in the northern district are almost all modeled after Zhuque Avenue's style, which in today's Jin Dynasty counts as top-tier design, exquisite and meticulous.

Da Wang pointed westward: "If your family bought new land to build a residence, it should be there. This kind of house builds slowly, few people can build it, and the construction period is especially long. It's only just begun in early spring, a few days of work—you won't be able to move in yet."

Liang Bin was already eager to go in and explore; Zhuque Avenue prohibits horse racing, of course except for Da Wang.

Today Da Wang still came down to walk slowly with him, observing the bustling street—this street truly has everything: food, clothing, entertainment, everything you could want.

The scent of all kinds of food drifted through the streets, and Liang Ben was about to cry, "What on earth were those two months the young master spent squatting at Shanggu Pass even for?!"

Da Wang said sincerely, "It just saved you money, didn't it? Otherwise, you'd already be deep in debt by now."

Liang Ben originally didn't believe it, thinking to himself, Could prices really be higher than in Jiankang and Chang'an?

Then he was drawn in by a huge poster of a beautiful girl outside the cosmetics shop, ignoring Da Wang's advice and insisting on buying a box of rouge to coax his grandmother.

"Say that again—how much is this box?"

As soon as Liang Ben entered, he acted like a young master, having the clerk bring out the shop's best rouge.

This shop carried all sorts of products, and the two characters for rouge were too vague. Looking at the male customers, the clerks who greeted them were also male—this clerk, Liang Ben probably didn't even understand, so he just brought out a mid-priced set without directly listening to the customer's request for the best, because from his experience, doing so would nine times out of ten scare the customer away.

This wooden box contained three or four bottles and jars, including all the base makeup, and even came with a lipstick.

The price was also lovely, quoted at 699 taels.

"699 taels. If the customer doesn't like our shop, we have other styles. We have basic skincare for 99 taels all the way up to a deluxe makeup gift box for 12,999 taels. If you're buying for your younger sister, a young lady doesn't need such complex ingredients—let me show you the 99-tael one?" He thought he'd given Liang Ben an out, but Liang Gongzi, whose entire fortune had dwindled to just 200 taels by the time he reached Youzhou, still broke down.

He gazed wistfully at Da Wang, "Now I seem to know how the city walls came to be." Your Youzhou prices—this is robbery, isn't it?!

Da Wang looked up at the sky.

This guy, when he was in Chang'an, hadn't even gone to the Jin family to buy these filial items for his grandmother—Chang'an prices would only be even more outrageous than Youzhou's.

That clerk really went to get the ninety-nine-tael item, but unfortunately, Liang Ben didn't want to buy it even at that price! His grandmother wouldn't arrive that soon, and he still had to survive—this street still had so many fun things to enjoy!

He began desperately signaling Da Wang, constantly giving him meaningful looks—quick, save me! Let me leave with dignity! I don't want to buy it, and I don't have the money!

Da Wang had seen enough of his antics, laughed enough, and finally spoke: "Carrying such a big box around is so inconvenient—just wait until you leave Youzhou to buy it, no rush."

Seeing Da Wang speak, the clerk also stood beside him and chimed in.

"Oh, so you just arrived in Youzhou? Then you really ought to take your time exploring our Youzhou—these local specialties, just wait until you're leaving Youzhou to buy them, no hurry."

Liang Ben pretended to nod thoughtfully, "Look, I even forgot! Well, today let's just drop it—I'll come buy it when I'm leaving." After saying that, he grabbed Da Wang and fled in a hurry.

Stepping out, he looked up again at the beautiful girl poster hanging on the upper wall and said, "My father was right—beauty leads people astray!"

Da Wang nodded along, then added, "But it's fine—luckily, you don't have anything in your pockets worth misleading anyway."

Liang Ben: ……

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New chapter:

The bustling prosperity of Zhuque Avenue made Liang Ben unable to move his legs, alas, his purse was embarrassingly light.

Da Wang went out to cause a ruckus for a day, still wanting to return and see if any new intelligence had arrived, but Liang Ben couldn't be taken along……

Da Wang had no choice but to dump this fellow on the street, assigning him a palace guard to wait until he'd had his fun before bringing him back to the prince's residence.

Liang Ben's two hundred taels, after buying a new-style crystal pendant to hang on his belt at the jewelry shop, left only a few cents.

When he entered the restaurant wanting to try the Youzhou delicacies Da Wang had mentioned, he found he could order…very few dishes.

Liang the Second Young Master had never been this embarrassed before.

It wasn't that his silver wasn't enough for a meal at the restaurant—here there were dishes priced the same as in Chang'an, but he'd already eaten all those before! What he wanted to try were only Youzhou's specialties, each one more expensive than the last.

In the end, he could only order some cheap and filling sea fish and two dishes that were still somewhat rare and inexpensive.

Besides, he couldn't eat alone—there were also the attendant who came with him and Da Wang's palace guard. Liang the Second Young Master's heart kept screaming in despair. Silver—what a fine thing it is; without it, one is utterly done for!

After they finished eating, night had already fallen outside.

Liang Ben glanced at the lit-up Zhuque Avenue and immediately rushed down to join the crowd.

The people of Youzhou greatly enjoyed the fiery trees and silver blossoms lighting up the night after the lamps were lit.

After dinner, they all loved to come out for a stroll—Liang Ben, accustomed to Chang'an's prosperity, also liked it!

Who would've thought there'd be lighting design like this back then?

And Zhuque Avenue—Meng Meng gave Da Wang the design for Zhuque Avenue, bringing in modern-nightscapes lighting design.

After the northern sun shone all day, once night fell, Zhuque Avenue and the northern Youwang Residence blazed brightly like celestial palaces.

Some buildings looked ordinary by day, but when lit up at night, they were dazzlingly magnificent—let alone Zhuque Avenue, which was beautiful even in daylight.

Liang Ben followed the crowd, strolling along, his eyes insufficient for the sights, his mouth constantly murmuring, "……Is this Youzhou? How could it be like this? ……How could it be like this? ……"

After the lamps were lit, Zhuque Avenue was packed shoulder to shoulder—Liang Ben, aside from the Yuanxiao Festival, had never seen such a lively nighttime street scene.

He saw many people pushing mobile stalls to sell goods at the roadside; as long as they didn't block the view of the imposing shops behind, the shopkeepers didn't interfere. Liang Ben clicked his tongue in wonder.

You couldn't even imagine this in Chang'an! For instance, someone selling sesame cakes at the door of Jin Yuman Tang? Impossible! The clerks would sweep them and their stalls away together.

Early spring in the north was still quite cold, but the bustling Zhuque Avenue drove away that chill.

The sound of sizzling oil came from nearby, followed by a wave of rich fragrance drifting over.

Liang Ben followed the crowd over to watch, seeing the young man skillfully pour a bowl of batter onto the iron griddle, then scoop up some dark, mysterious bits and spread them in a layer, flip it once, and a burst of fresh aroma arose.

"What is this?"

The little boy in charge of collecting money and holding the oil paper nearby gave him a science lesson: "It's oyster pancakes, learned from that big restaurant over there. The oysters on top? We go dig them out at the beach at midnight—fresh catch of the day, very fresh!"

"And what's that yellow batter?"

"Egg and flour."

The man busy making pancakes, hearing the words, took a breather and said: "These oysters are fresh and big, delicious and nourishing—aside from our coastal areas, you can't eat them elsewhere. Honored guest, would you like to try one?"

This is Da Wang's supported project—first, this super-large flat-bottomed iron griddle made of iron is hard to come by elsewhere.

The iron pipe's strictness—try stir-frying vegetables in an iron wok? You can't even do that properly.

This griddle is only sold at Da Wang's farm tools shop.

Yes, they don't just have iron plows—they also sell all kinds of iron woks and copper stoves. As long as you hold a Youzhou household register, you can buy one at the original price.

The stall owner's family was conscripted by Da Wang for labor service, saved up some silver, and set up this little stall—now they've already broken even. His other brothers take turns going out at midnight to pry oysters from the beach, bringing them back to the city before dark, and he handles the stall at night—whole family pitching in; as long as they're willing to endure hardship, life still has hope.

The common folk are reluctant to buy, but the wealthy merchant families in the city are quite willing to spend.

Liang Bensheng ate oysters for the first time in his life and instantly fell in love with them! So fragrant and delicious!

So, during those two months at Shanggu Pass, he was really just eating bitterness for no reason.

Liang Bensheng had just eaten a plate of fragrant and spicy grilled sea fish with white rice at the restaurant, already full to the brim, yet he couldn't resist stuffing another oyster pancake down his throat. Standing on the street, he shouted loudly: "I love Youzhou!"

He drew countless looks that were hard to put into words; nowadays, such unrestrained people are truly rare...