When I entered the city yesterday, it was cloudy, but today the sun came out, and the sky was blue like water.

Compared with Xi'an, the streets of Yanbei City are not wide enough, and the streets are deserted, and some shops are not even open.

"It must be too cold, so the people are unwilling to go out when they are roasting fire at home." Fangfei looked around. Yanbei City had a royal palace at least. Even if it was not as prosperous as Xi'an, it would not be too deserted.

Chen Tong shook his head: "The people will not come out to work because the weather is cold. Only those who do not have to worry about food and clothing will hide at home and roast the fire in broad daylight."

This is true. Fangfei occasionally goes to the shop to help, and several of her own shops will open the doors regardless of wind or rain.

"These shops didn't open. It's not that they didn't open the door today, but that they closed the door?" Fangfei was unbelievable. There were too many shops closed. She counted and found that there were four or five more shops on the street in front of her.

No wonder the streets are so deserted.

"Among Jiang is bragging. She said it's good outside the pass. Yanbei city is full of traffic, and ordinary people also wear big sweaters. When the river is frozen into ice, they will go to the market on the ice on the river. The market will be the whole winter. When the flowers bloom and the ice melts, the market will disperse. When the next year is frozen, the market will be put on again. Alas, I am so curious that I can go to the market on the ice. I really want to see it. Now I know, it's all her made up."

Yanbei City is the most prosperous town outside the pass, and it is deserted here. Who would have idle enough to go to the market on the ice?

"Pret Jiang didn't talk nonsense. I have also heard of the ice market in Yanbei. There are those who sell skins, seafood, and old ginseng and medicinal materials at the market." Chen Tong said.

Fangfei suddenly felt energetic. Mrs. Jiang did not lie. Is there really an ice market?

She turned around and ran to a shop. A strong-bodied aunt was about to close the door when she saw a little girl running over. The aunt stopped and asked, "What do you want to buy with a little sister?"

"Auntie, let me ask, have you been to the big market on the river this year?" Fangfei asked.

The aunt looked up and down at her and asked in surprise: "Did the little sister come from the inner palace? Isn't she a local, right?"

"Yes, I came from the inner city and followed my family." Fangfei said.

The aunt looked at the street. At first glance, there were only two people standing on the roadside. They were with the little girl. The aunt sighed and said, "No wonder you don't know. The big market in the river has disappeared in two or three years. Nowadays, only people like us who have old men and young families still stay here to open shops. Those who are capable have already escaped."

"Escape?" Fangfei was very sensitive to the word "escaping". This was not a good word. She widened her eyes and asked, "Where to escape? Why do you want to escape?"

The aunt pulled her neck and looked at the street again. There were still only two people on the side of the road. Then she said, "The timid one escaped to the pass, and the bold one walked further."

"Far further? Where is that? Is there a place farther than outside the pass?" Fangfei looked confused.

Seeing that the child didn't look like he was pretending, the aunt pointed and said, "North."

Fangfei was so scared that she covered her mouth. The north side of the pass was the place of the Tartars.

"Why do you have to escape? Isn't Yanbei good?" Fangfei asked.

"Of course Yanbei is good. Some of us here are treasures. When King Yan was there, there was no one more abundant than ours. Peacocks, old ginseng, snow clams, mountain goods. People in the Guan area spent a lot of money to purchase every year. At that time, the streets sold leather and medicinal materials, and they were often merchants in the Guan area. Oh, unlike now, these things are not afraid to sell," said the aunt.

Fangfei became more and more curious: "Auntie, please tell me why you dare not sell it anymore? My family still wants to open a shop in Yanbei."

"If you have a backer in the government, then keep it open. If not, don't open as soon as possible, leave quickly." The aunt wanted to close the door, so Fangfei stepped in with one foot. The aunt couldn't close the door, so she simply told the truth, "Now is not as good as before. When the King of Yan was there, he only closed the official tax and got one for thirty. Later, when there was a Grand Governor, in addition to the official tax, he also had to collect military tax and firewood tax. This was based on the shop. For shops like my family, the military tax and firewood tax were each 15 taels each.

There are thirty taels in total, and five taels of labor and military tax will be collected from the Mid-Autumn Festival and the New Year. If the shops selling leather and medicinal materials, the military tax will be 25 taels each, and the total is 50 taels, and ten taels each during the Mid-Autumn Festival will be collected from the silver house pawnshop. The people who go to the river to the market are doing business from the south and north, and the government believes that they earn the most, so they are taxed according to the silver house pawnshop. Their shops can only be opened for half a year. Most people can't even make money from taxes. Who dares to do that kind of business?"

Fangfei was so scared that she opened her mouth wide. Oh my God, fortunately, Wang Shuangxi and Azhi did not come. If they heard that there were such heavy taxes, they would be so scared that they closed the shop and became bandits.

"Miss, let's be honest, my shop will be closed these days. In the past two years, a few merchants often came to me to buy mountain goods, so they can still hold on. Now their business can't continue, and even my shop can't be opened anymore. We can't live without food or drink from the whole family." The aunt said at last.

When Fangfei saw Shen Tong, she repeated the aunt's words. Shen Tong and Luyou were also shocked. These days, two taels of silver can support a whole family without worrying about food and drink all month, and small businessmen can't make much money even if they work hard for a year. With such high taxes, no wonder the businessmen have to leave their hometowns. The rest are the elderly, weak, women and children. If they can't go, they can only hold on.

Before coming to Yanbei, Shen Tong did not expect that the huge Yanbei City is now an empty shell. The rich and the poor are all gone as long as there is no backer in the government.

When he returned to the official post, Xu An also came back. He told Shen Tong that there was really no idle helper in Yanbei City. The idle helper needs protection fees and had to be maintained by the merchants who opened shops. The merchants were gone, so they had no money to get it.

"There is a man named Lu Sanye, who used to be the largest gang leader in Yanbei City. Last year, Mr. Lu Sanye took a group of subordinates to join his cousin and entered Heixiong Village to become the second head of the house. The city commander was his youngest son, named Keyier. Keyier had dozens of gangs under him and collected small money on the street. He had no glory as he had back then. I think Mr. Lu Sanye wanted to leave a way out for him, so Keyier stayed in the city."

Shen Tong narrowed her eyes slightly, and a smile appeared on the corner of her mouth.
Chapter completed!