You kid! You don't have to be so low-key! !

An old horse carrying a young man appeared on the road in the distance, and went to the gate to register with many people entering the customs.

At the same time, many vendors came out from inside the pass, their faces filled with joy, as if they had bought the goods they liked.

As they passed by, the young man leading the horse saw that the vendors' goods were printed with the Qingxi Business Alliance logo and had a faint fragrance. He knew without guessing that it was soap.

I heard that Li Qingxi also sent envoys to other countries to spread these soaps and teas and expand the influence of these products, and now it seems to be showing initial results.

This place is located at the north gate of Xingyang. The soldiers are wearing iron armor and holding spears, looking very majestic.

He was very energetic and checked the documents carefully, not letting anyone who looked suspicious to enter.

After crossing the border, there were many pedestrians on the road, walking in a hurry. There was a military camp not far away, and the sound of military training could be heard constantly, with an astonishing momentum.

Continuing forward, some villages gradually appeared on the road. Children were running in the fields, and their laughter could be heard. Changqing was immersed in that kind of vitality and couldn't help but smile. He felt better and hummed a little tune. The singing gradually faded away with the sound of horse hooves.

.............

In the palace in Xingyang, Li Qingxi sat on the dragon throne and listened to the ministers reporting on state affairs.

Portraits of ancestors were hung on the walls of the palace, and the spirit tablets of successive emperors were enshrined. Here, the emperor and his ministers discussed state affairs and formulated policies.

There were several women among the officials, some of whom were even at the front. At this moment, one of them was reporting:

"Your Majesty, as the products are selling well, the taxes paid by the Chamber of Commerce are nearly 30% higher than last year, and the Royal Business Alliance has made a profit of nearly 100 million taels of silver this year, a 10% increase over last year."

Li Qingxi nodded and said, "It's still the old rules. Give 10% of the profits to Dean Que of Caojia Academy. She knows what to do."

Caojia Academy suddenly rose to prominence two years ago, and its president is actually a young lady.

This caused many teachers and students in the academies to angrily denounce this as being against etiquette and moral principles.

Some teachers and students from the academy came to criticize, but Que Zhihe responded with many classics, leaving them speechless and having to leave in disgrace.

This made Que Zhihe famous, and for a while, there was a constant stream of people coming to challenge her.

Que Zhihe even fought several people in one day without losing the upper hand, and her reputation was completely established.

Later, Que Zhihe participated in literary gatherings and discussed with many Confucian leaders without showing any fear. It was learned that Que Zhihe also established schools in various places for poor students to study for free, which made everyone admire her.

Later, these leaders said, "Learning does not distinguish between genders!"

As a result, the social status of women suddenly improved, and many academies even began to recruit women. There was no objection to Que Zhihe's position as the dean, and she was even credited with spreading Confucianism.

She was granted the title of "gentleman" in front of the saint's temple, becoming the first female gentleman in the Nine Kingdoms in several years.

Many students in Xingyang State aim to be admitted to Caojia Academy. Even many people from the Nine States want to study in this academy. Caojia Academy has become famous since then.

After the morning meeting, Li Qingxi returned to the study, rubbed his brows as he looked at a pile of memorials, and then moved his gaze upwards to a wooden sword with an exquisite scabbard lying quietly on the sword rack not far away.

Li Qingxi looked a little dazed, thinking about the person in his heart, and murmured unconsciously:

"It would have been great if we had never met..."

As if he knew that the past could not be undone, he said to himself:

"If there is still a chance, I will not let it go, even if I have to use any means!"

Li Qingxi suppressed his emotions and buried himself in the mountain of memorials.

Time passes again inadvertently, the autumn wind blows, the leaves fall, and white frost like snow begins to cover the ground. Winter has arrived.

A young man in a cotton robe, leading an old horse, looked at the majestic city gate in front of him with some emotion.

After being away for nearly two years, when I returned, the city wall still looked the same, but the situation was very different.

Entering the city, the streets of the imperial city were bustling with people coming and going.

There are houses and shops on both sides of the road, selling a wide variety of goods.

Many people in gorgeous clothes were strolling around, looking like merchants. The cries of vendors and the laughter of the people could be heard in the streets and alleys, creating a prosperous scene.

Along the way, people's lives are stable and society is harmonious. People live and work in peace and contentment, enjoying a good life, a prosperous era.

Although Changqing, who was promoted to the Yanluo realm, could not use his miraculous spiritual sense, he became more sensitive to breath. After a while, Changqing sensed a familiar breath, which was Wang Gang.

He walked to a house near the palace, where the scent was the strongest, and knocked on the door.

After a long time, a woman opened the door, followed by a child. The woman was about 40 years old, but well-maintained and had a mature charm. I guess she was also a famous beauty in the surrounding area when she was young.

The child has clear eyes and looks a bit like Wang Gang.

Chang Qing knew from the aura that this person and Wang Gang were probably married, and the child was probably Wang Gang's son. He bowed and said:

"Hello, sister-in-law. I am the younger brother of Brother Wang, my name is Changqing. I came to the capital this time to give something to Brother Wang, so I came to visit you!"

When the woman saw that it was a young man, she relaxed a little and became even more curious that this man was Wang Gang's younger brother. She had never heard Wang Gang mention him before, but she didn't think much about it and took Changqing to the lobby.

After telling Chang Qing that Wang Gang would need another half hour to finish his shift, he asked him to rest in the lobby and then went downstairs to make tea.

Changqing saw that the house was extremely simply furnished and there were not even any servants, which showed that life was rather simple.

He put the long knife on his back on the table and felt a pair of eyes watching him from the side. Chang Qing knew without looking that it was the child. He smiled slightly and the figure disappeared.

The child looked at the person who suddenly disappeared, walked out from behind the pillar where he was hiding, kept looking around, and then looked at the chair where Changqing had sat, feeling curious, excited, and a little scared.

At this moment, a voice suddenly came from behind: "Little guy, what's your name!"

The child was startled by the sudden sound, but did not scream. Changqing nodded, saying that the child was very courageous and had good potential.

The child turned around and said timidly: "Wang Ji"

Then he looked at Chang Qing curiously and asked, "Is your uncle as powerful as my father? I saw you suddenly disappear just now."

Chang Qing nodded and said, "Yes~"

He took out a few pieces of candy from his arms and handed them to Wang Ji. Wang Ji's eyes lit up. He took the candy and started eating it happily.

While eating, his eyes would occasionally glance at the long knife wrapped in cloth on the table.

"Do you know what this is?"

Chang Qing pointed at the long sword, and Wang Ji nodded and said, "Yes, it's a big sword. My father also has one."

"Aren't you afraid?" Chang Qing said

"Why should I be afraid? I want to be as great as my dad in the future. When he said this, Wang Ji was very excited, his eyes full of longing.