Infrastructure Throne

The night is quiet, the clouds gradually disperse, the moonlight shines on the landscape pool in the garden, and the silvery white waves shimmer and flicker like a group of flying fireflies.

Yan Zui slowly came in front of Shen Qingze, and their eyes met under the moonlight.

"You... have you seen it?"

Shen Qingze nodded slightly, and was about to speak when the other party's index finger suddenly stretched out and pressed his lips.

"Hush——" Yan Zui blinked at him, his voice was so soft that only the two of them could hear, "Shut up, turn around."

Shen Qingze raised his eyebrows, and turned around slowly according to the words, only the empty corridor and the flowers and branches blown by the breeze remained in his vision.

After a while, a warm body tentatively covered his back, and two slender arms wrapped around his waist - he didn't dare to hug him too loosely, for fear of not being able to wrap it around, nor dare to tighten it too tightly for fear of being rejected. .

The opponent's weight leaned up little by little, his head rested on his shoulders and neck, and he could even feel the bridge of his nose rubbing gently. Shen Qingze's body stiffened for a moment, and then slowly relaxed.

His tolerance became a kind of reliance, and the arms tightened even further.

Yan Zui closed his eyes, and his voice was light and light, no heavier than a piece of duckweed: "Don't talk...don't move...that's it, let me lean for a while, just a while..."

Shen Qingze turned his face slightly, and from the corner of his eye he could only see the black hair on the top of Yan Zui's head.

He had no choice but to give up the urge to spy on the other party's expression, turned his head silently, and looked straight ahead. At that time, the bright moonlight passed through the carved and hollowed-out railings in the corridor and projected on the floor tiles, as if blooming silvery flowers. flowers come.

Ye Mi was silent, and no one spoke again. Shen Qingze's eyes were focused, and his heart felt a rare peace.

After an unknown amount of time, the duck lying on Ah Bai's back let out a weak cry.

Shen Qingze and Yan Zui seemed to be awakened, they lowered their heads at the same time, looked at them, their eyes met.

"Chirp..." Yaya blinked her peasy eyes, Gululu rolled off Ah Bai's back, and wanted to jump on the two of them, but the big white dog grabbed the back of the neck and trotted in small steps. Blink was gone.

Yan Zui narrowed his eyes: "...What breed is your dog? It's very spiritual..."

The corner of Shen Qingze's mouth twitched: "...This is an unsolved mystery."

Being stabbed horizontally by ducks, the delicate atmosphere was blown away in an instant.

Shen Qingze patted the back of the opponent's hand lightly: "Take you to a place."

※※※

After the downfall of Yan En, Boya and others, the market in Yuanliu City has returned to its former bustle.

Even because a large number of grains and potatoes filled the warehouses, the pessimism of the people was swept away, and there were more people visiting the night market at night.

The merchants who went on strike were used to playing tricks on the wind, and when they saw the nobles, they gave up and hurriedly opened their doors for business.

Unexpectedly, the city lord's mansion issued a new city lord order, requiring all stores to apply for a "business license" uniformly, and those who must be raped are not allowed to open.

To apply for a license, it is necessary to register information such as the identity of the head of household, the number of employees, and the scope of business. It is not allowed to report false information and register indiscriminately. Otherwise, once it is found out, it will be fined or the store will be confiscated.

At the end of the year, the City Lord's Mansion will collect commercial tax according to the registration of the business license.

The merchants are really shooting themselves in the foot, and they can't tell what they are suffering. Fortunately, the ratio of ten taxes to one is not too heavy.

As for those who dare to default or resist taxes, the living examples of the nobles are in front of them, who dares to be a stabbing head?I can only pinch my nose and be obedient.

※※※

At the night market, the lights on both sides of the street were brightly lit. The merchants seemed to be trying their best to earn back the losses of the two-day strike. The closing time was much later than usual.

Pedestrians walked in twos and threes, and some adults led children, chatting and laughing.

Shen Qingze and Yan Zui changed into their normal clothes, with winter hats on their heads, scarves and hat brims covering their faces, dressed as two ordinary people, and walked aimlessly through the crowd.

Yan Zui's eyes fell on Shen Qingze's hands, which were Yan En's leather gloves.

Shen Qingze noticed the other party's gaze, took one off and handed it to him: "It's quite warm."

Yan Zui was speechless for a while, and after a while, he said in a strange tone, "Don't you think it's bad luck?"

Shen Qingze had a completely indifferent attitude: "Make the best use of everything."

Yan Zui didn't know whether to laugh or cry: "I used to be a blacksmith, so I just saved money on food and expenses, but now you are also the officiant of the majestic Yuanliu City, so you don't have to treat yourself so harshly on expenses, right?"

Isn't it just a pair of gloves?Do you want to ask him?Don't use Uncle's...

Yan Zui muttered something in his heart, and changed the subject casually: "Did you just bring me here for a stroll?"

Shen Qingze shook his head, and pointed to some shivering little beggars wrapped in coarse linen in the dark corner of the street, devouring the potato peels they picked up: "Look at them."

He guided Yan Zui to a clothing store next door. A commoner with a child took out copper coins that he had accumulated for a long time, and counted them one by one with his callused hands, just to buy a winter coat for the child.

In the night market, most of the pedestrians on the street are wearing old coats. If you can buy a small string of bacon or bring a piece of caramel to your family, it will make them smile sincerely.

Occasionally, a luxurious carriage of a nobleman passed by, and the commoners gave way one after another. When the wheels ran over the puddle, cold water splashed them all over their bodies.

Yan Zui's face was solemn, his thin lips were straightened, and he asked in a deep voice, "What do you want to say?"

Shen Qingze said lightly: "This city is very poor. Most of the people in the city are very poor, and it is not easy to barely maintain food and clothing."

"Obviously there are many mineral resources in the surrounding area, and there are still a lot of uncultivated and abandoned land, but why are you still so poor?"

Yan Zui lowered his eyes and twitched the corners of his mouth mockingly: "It's me, the city lord, who is incompetent..."

"No." Shen Qingze blurted out his denial, and casually grabbed his hand, the cold touch made him frown.

"Yuanliu City is like this hand." Shen Qingze gently folded his thumb: "The nobles are the shortest thumbs. They are the rulers, with the smallest number. They are not involved in production, but they occupy the most important place." status, occupying the most resources.”

He folded the remaining four fingers one by one:

"Below the nobles, there are ordinary civilians such as farmers, merchants, craftsmen, and soldiers. They constitute the main force in the city. They have the largest number of people and undertake almost all the labor, but only occupy a small amount of resources."

Shen Qingze clenched Yan Zui's hand into a fist, and put it in his palm:

"Of course, they are not the bottom of society. The real bottom are beggars, slaves, and exiles who have nothing. They are precarious and their lives are worthless."

He raised his eyes and looked into Yan Zui's thoughtful eyes: "What really makes Yuanliu City impoverished is the low production efficiency, each worker's output is very little, adding up, the total is just that little. "

"The two are nobles who have the right to distribute wealth. They put all the little wealth into their own pockets, leaving only a little bit of wealth to the common people. If things go on like this, can everyone not be poor?"

Yan Zui seemed to understand a little bit, but more doubts came to his mind: "You mean... nobles shouldn't exist? But you and I are also nobles."

"No, they are the inevitable products of the times and have their own value."

Shen Qingze said lightly: "I just want to tell you that if you kill Yan En, your grandma may be very sad, because she lost her son, and she may blame you, because you are a family related by blood."

"However, without Yan En, Abyss City is like digging out the biggest abscess. The huge wealth he occupies is no longer just for him to squander and enjoy, but can be used in countless places to develop our city. .”

"Newly build more water conservancy, dig more farmland, open more workshops, provide more jobs, and feed more people. This wealth will eventually fall into the pockets of the general public."

"Many precarious families will become rich because of this, and those children who cannot afford to be left to fend for themselves on the side of the road will be able to eat a full meal and survive."

"The city will prosper more and more. It's all worth it. Don't blame yourself. As a city owner, you made the right decision."

"I believe that your grandma also understands, so she didn't blame you and didn't want to embarrass you." Only after you left, she hid and cried secretly.

Shen Qingze sighed lightly, and omitted the second half of the sentence.

"In her eyes, you are an excellent and competent city lord."

Under the night, amidst the bright lights, Shen Qingze's deep black eyes were as bright as the stars in the sky. When he focused on him, he conveyed a kind of firm power.

"You are her pride."

Yan Zui was gradually warmed up by the palm of the opponent's palm, and could clearly feel Shen Qingze's steady pulse.

Under the warm skin of the other party, there seemed to be some kind of passionate emotion surging, converging into a stream, flowing slowly along the pulse.

Yan Zui couldn't tell what it was, but felt that his impetuous heart had finally settled down, and he was unprecedentedly stable and open.

He stared blankly at Shen Qingze for a while, and finally stretched his brows and eyes, and smiled lowly: "Did you bring me here to comfort me?"

Shen Qingze slowly let go of her hand, and said dryly: "Of course not. The City Master is so strong, he will not be depressed by such a trivial matter."

He put on the pair of leather gloves slowly, and walked forward step by step: "I just don't want you to be shaken. Next, I still have a lot of plans, and I have to rely on the city lord."

"After all," he paused slightly, turned his head, and waited in place: "there is still a long way to go in the future."

Yan Zui followed his footsteps, and walked side by side with him in the stream of people traveling across the river.

"What other plans do you have? This winter, the bears in the misty forest are going to hibernate..."

"There is a meadow on Yeshen Mountain, which is very suitable for sheep. I plan to build a sheep farm there and build a textile factory. I have ordered Jin Da to bring gifts to the shepherd orcs in exchange for more sheep..."

"Tsk, are you really a blacksmith? Why do you know everything..."

"No, I don't know how to shave sheep."

……

The shoulder-to-shoulder figures of the two gradually drifted away and slowly disappeared into the crowd.

At that time, the night was full of silver and moon hanging high, the clouds were wide and the sky was far away.