Chapter 1415 The emperor who has nothing better to do!
On the day after the First Army conquered Tucheng, two chieftains who had surrendered to Daqian, Aping Muga and Ayushila, came to the First Army commander Zhang Meng with an old man with disheveled hair and a very embarrassed look!
"Master Zhang! We have captured Xiong Ping!"

After hearing the words of the two chieftains, Zhang Meng looked at the original owner of the earthen city in front of him with great interest. Although he had become a prisoner at this time, Xiong Ping's expression was still arrogant. Facing Zhang Meng's gaze, he snorted disdainfully and turned his head to the side.

Zhang Meng was not angry when he saw this and said:
"Where did you capture him from, my two chieftains?"

Upon hearing this, Aping Muga spoke first:
"We found him in a cowshed in the city. Ayushira wanted to kill him, but I thought he should be handed over to you, Master Zhang, for disposal!"

As soon as he finished speaking, Ayushila stood up and said:
"Master Zhang! That old fellow Xiong Ping once humiliated my father. Before my father died, he asked me to avenge him!"

"That's what we agreed upon when we discussed it! Once you catch this bastard, hand him over to me for punishment!"

"I'm going to skin that bastard and burn him to death in front of my father's grave! I'm going to gut him like a bull!"

Feeling the undisguised murderous intent in Ayushira's words, Xiong Ping's originally disdainful and arrogant expression could not help but flash a hint of fear...

Noticing this, Zhang Meng nodded and said:

"I did promise you, so take this old man away now, and don't let him have a quick death!"

Upon hearing this, Ayushila was overjoyed and immediately patted his chest and promised:
"Master Zhang, don't worry. This old man has harmed so many people. It would be too easy for him to die quickly. I must torture him bit by bit!"

Zhang Meng nodded in satisfaction when he heard this. At this time, Xiong Ping shuddered after feeling the deep hatred in Ayushila's words. Then he could no longer hold it in. He knelt down in front of Zhang Meng and kowtowed, saying:

"Master Zhang, I have offended you by not recognizing a great man. I beg you to forgive me and spare my life!"

Seeing this, Ayushila was afraid that Zhang Meng would go back on his word and wanted to take Xiong Ping away immediately. However, when he thought of how he would be tortured after being caught by Ayushila, Xiong Ping no longer had any face and simply hugged Zhang Meng's thighs, refusing to let go no matter what!
Looking at the farce in front of him, Zhang Meng said calmly:

"Chief Ayu, I have something to tell you. This Xiong Ping has offended His Majesty before, so I just received an order from His Majesty to capture Xiong Ping alive and escort him back to the capital!"

Listening to Zhang Meng's words, Tusi Ayushila was stunned for a moment before realizing that Zhang Meng's promise was just a joke on him. He immediately became furious, but given the difference in status between the two, he did not dare to lose his temper and could only argue:

“Sir Zhang, you promised me before that if I help you capture Tucheng, you will hand over this old fellow Xiong Ping to me for disposal…”

Zhang Meng nodded and said:

"Chief Ayu, you are right. I did promise you, but things have changed. His Majesty has ordered me to escort Xiong Ping back to the capital!"

"I am a general of Daqian, so I must obey the orders of His Majesty the Emperor. So I have to inconvenience you, Tusi Ayu!"

"But I will compensate you. You can take 200 more cows from the Xiong family, and I will give you an extra 1,000 taels of silver. This compensation is already very good. Ayu Tusi, do you think it's a good deal?"

After saying this, Zhang Meng did not wait for Ayushila to agree, and called two guards to take Xiong Ping away.
Listening to Zhang Meng's words, Ayushila became more and more angry. He felt that he was completely fooled by Zhang Meng. He wanted to yell at Zhang Meng for breaking his promise, but when he thought of the powerful firearms of the Daqian army, he could only suppress his impulse and continued to speak patiently:
"Master Zhang, as long as you hand Xiong Ping over to me, I will double the compensation!"

Zhang Meng's smile disappeared immediately after hearing this and he said coldly:

"Ayu Tusi, you have to understand that I am not negotiating terms with you again!"

"Master Zhang, you are the general of Daqian! You must keep your word and win the trust of others!"

Zhang Meng originally thought that he had said enough and this southern barbarian would be more sensible, but he did not expect that he would still not give in.

If he didn't need their assistance in the future, Zhang Meng would not give him any compensation. Now that he has compensated you, are you still taking advantage of him?
Thinking of this, Zhang Meng began to doubt whether he was too polite to these chieftains, which made them dare to speak to him like that?
Just as the atmosphere in the room became tense, another chieftain, Aping Muga, also realized that something was wrong with the atmosphere, and immediately pointed at Ayushila and cursed:

"How dare you, a bastard, speak to Master Zhang like that?"

"Hurry up and apologize to Master Zhang!"

At this time, Ayushila's temper also came out, and he also said with his neck stiff:

"What did I do wrong? Why should I apologize? He is the one who is untrustworthy and unreasonable. He should be the one to apologize..."

Before Ayushila finished speaking, Aping Muga slapped him twice in the face. The two slaps were so loud that Ayushila was stunned. Then Aping Muga knelt in front of Zhang Meng and said:
"Master Zhang, he took the wrong medicine! You are a magnanimous person, so don't bother with him. I will take him back and teach him a lesson!"

Zhang Meng looked at Ayushila, then looked at Aping Muga and said:

"You're a good friend! Take him away!"

"Thank you, Master Zhang, for your kindness!"

After getting the permission, Aping Muga immediately pulled Ayushila out of the room. After leaving the room, Ayushila calmed down and immediately thought of Aping Muga and asked:
"A Ping, why did you hit me? I want to make things clear with this Zhang guy!"

Upon hearing this, Aping Muga angrily rebuked:
"You pig-headed bastard!"

"Don't you see that Zhang's face is not right? If you continue talking, he will chop off your head!" Ayushila asked fiercely:

"Is this Yunqian? He dares to chop me! I'll chop him first!"

Seeing that his friend had not yet understood the situation, Aping Muga said helplessly:

“Don’t scream! The world in Yunqian has changed. Ayu, you can’t be like before…”

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September 30th, Baiweizhai Restaurant, Chunhua Road, Yijing

The waiter skillfully brought the delicious dishes to the table and shouted:

"Sir! Your salt and pepper prawns, braised spareribs, fish cooked in Sichuan sauce, boiled dried shredded vegetables, and loofah and tofu soup are here."

"Your dishes are all here! Please enjoy!"

Ye Mingsheng, who was on a secret visit, nodded slightly when he heard this, and then signaled to his two sons who were eagerly waiting that they could start eating. Seeing this, Jingren still wanted to be reserved, but Jingcheng was not polite at all and stretched out his chopsticks directly to the salt and pepper prawns!

In just over an hour, the two children followed Ye Mingsheng to check the prices in the market and visited the entire Chunhua Market. The two children went from being curious and excited at the beginning to being a little tired, so it was a good time to eat a lot to replenish their energy!
Two months ago, a new food column was opened in Yijing Morning Post. The content of this column was an inventory of the hundreds of restaurants and hotels of all sizes in Yijing by a senior foodie named Fan Chenggong.

Because this model had never been used before, everyone thought it was very novel and interesting. In addition, Fan Chenggong's comments were very sharp and to the point, so it attracted a lot of attention for a while, and the sales of Yijing Morning News also hit a new high.
In the latest issue of Yijing Morning News, Fan Chenggong gave an evaluation of Baiweizhai. In Fan Chenggong's words, Baiweizhai has three famous chefs in charge, and the dishes are delicious and attractive. It is one of the must-visit restaurants for those who want to know Yijing cuisine...
Especially the signature dish, fish boiled in Sichuan fragrance, this dish was made by Wang Quan, the owner of Baiweizhai, who spent fifty taels of silver as resettlement allowance and fifteen taels of silver as annual salary to invite a famous chef from Sichuan. This is an authentic Sichuan flavor that is rarely seen in Yijing!

If you haven’t ordered this Sichuan-flavored fish, it’s like you haven’t been to Baiweizhai!

So when Ye Mingsheng was reading the newspaper, he also saw Fan Chenggong's comments, and thus became interested!
It just so happened that Ye Mingsheng's target this time was the Chunhua Market, which was also on Chunhua Street. Ye Mingsheng wanted to learn about the current prices of grain, cloth, refined salt and other commodities in Yijing, as well as the current recruitment and labor treatment in Yijing City.

According to Ye Mingsheng's field visits over the past hour, the supply of basic materials in Yijing is still sufficient and the prices remain stable.

As for recruitment, although there are not as many jobs as before, we can still guarantee that as long as you work hard and steadily, you will be able to find a job to make a living!

As for labor treatment, judging from the current recruitment situation at Chunhua Market, food and accommodation are basically provided for a year, and the wages are at least five taels of silver. Some shops with better treatment will also give some dividends at the end of the year.

Although there are still some areas that are not perfect in terms of working hours, overtime pay, and work-related injuries, there have been great improvements compared to before. At least as a worker, as long as you have evidence and are willing to file a complaint with the government, the government will basically file a case for investigation.
Although there are still some flaws and shortcomings, Ye Mingsheng is basically satisfied with the current situation.

After understanding the situation, Ye Mingsheng began to taste today's delicious food!

Perhaps it was because he had read Fan Chenggong’s comments that made Ye Mingsheng have high expectations for Baiweizhai’s Shuxiang Spicy Boiled Fish. So when Ye Mingsheng actually ate this dish, he felt a little disappointed. He felt that the taste was not as delicate as Fan Chenggong said, and the soup was not as spicy and fragrant!
Of course, although Ye Mingsheng was a little disappointed, to be fair, the dish was still very good. It was spicy, fresh and delicious and very satisfying to eat.

At least this dish is basically a must-order for every table of guests in Baiweizhai. Everyone is very satisfied with it, and some diners even gave it a thumbs up!

Even the brothers Jingren and Jingcheng seemed to be enjoying the meal very much. Their faces turned red and they were breathing heavily from the spiciness, but they still refused to let go. They kept using chopsticks to scoop up fish slices from the plate, and in the end they even picked up some vegetarian dishes like bean sprouts.

It’s just that Ye Mingsheng is served by the imperial chef on weekdays, so he has high requirements for food, so he feels that some of them are not so praiseworthy!

After paying the bill, Ye Mingsheng asked the waiter:
"I heard there's a new library opening on your street?"

The waiter nodded and said:

"Yes, a library has been opened. This library is a novel name, but it is said that this library is similar to a book warehouse, filled with all kinds of books. However, compared to the book warehouses of various academies, this library is open to the public. Anyone who can read can go and have a look..."

"I also heard that this library was funded by the imperial court, apparently to improve the cultural level of the people. For this reason, there are 10,000 books in the library, covering a wide range of categories."

"The day this library opened, it was really a big hit. Not only was it reported in the newspapers, but half of the scholars in Yijing came. It was really packed with people. But I never thought that this library had a strange rule!"

Ye Mingsheng asked with interest:
"What strange rules?"

"Although anyone who can read can enter this library, if you are well-dressed and come with your men in a carriage to read books, you will be charged!"

Ye Mingsheng smiled and asked:

"What if he was wearing cloth? And walking to the library?"

"Then you can go to the library and read books for free!"

After saying this, the waiter couldn't help but continue:

"Sir, throughout history, every dynasty has squeezed money out of the poor, but only our Emperor of Daqian has not only adopted some kind of work law to guarantee the treatment of little people like us, but also invited the poor to read books for free. Don't you think this is strange?"

Ye Mingsheng didn't say anything when he heard this, but just smiled. A drunk scholar beside him took over the conversation and said:
"Humph! Rich people have to pay to read books, but poor people can read for free. This has never happened before. I think the old emperor has nothing better to do..."