Three Kingdoms: Ten Times Speed, Diao Chan Says I'm Too Fast

Hanyang Commandery, Ji County!

early morning.

Shops and restaurants on the south side of the main street in Ji County have all opened their doors.

Autumn has arrived, and the streets are filled with people carrying farm tools as they head out of town to harvest the crops.

The street vendors were shouting loudly.

The shop assistants also stood in front of the shops and began soliciting customers.

Compared to a little over a year ago, the renewed vitality in this border town is astonishing.

A group of merchants, speaking with a Hanzhong accent and dressed neatly, stepped off their carriages and horses and entered a restaurant in the east of the city.

The shop assistant standing guard at the door greeted the dozen or so merchants who were entering the store one after another with great enthusiasm.

"Please come in, guests. We have freshly slaughtered lambs from this morning. You've come at just the right time."

A dozen or so merchants from Hanzhong brushed the dust off their clothes after their journey and then went inside the shop to sit down.

Before long, hot mutton and mutton soup were served on the table.

After the merchants who had traveled from Hanzhong arrived here, they sat down and began to feast.

"The harvest in Liangzhou looks pretty good this year; it's even better than what we have in Hanzhong."

"I heard that since the beginning of this year, Liangzhou has enjoyed favorable weather and abundant harvests."

One of the middle-aged merchants said this while tearing apart a piece of mutton.

The people sitting opposite them all nodded in agreement.

They came from Hanzhong, entered Liangzhou from Wudu County, and then traveled along the Wudu Road to Xixian County of Hanyang County.

They travel this road almost every year.

Liangzhou is famous for its cattle and sheep hides.

This is the perfect time to collect furs, which are then transported from Liangzhou to Hanzhong and processed into clothing.

Those wealthy and powerful families have a particular fondness for these leather cloaks.

"Compared to last year, Liangzhou has really changed a lot."

"It is said that the governor of Liangzhou implemented some new policy, which led to the bumper harvest in Liangzhou."

"What a pity..."

The middle-aged merchant shook his head and said, "It's a pity that the governor of Liangzhou is dead, otherwise..."

"nonsense!"

Just as the middle-aged merchant was halfway through his sentence...

The waiter, carrying a tray with fermented rice wine on it, shouted loudly.

The dozen or so merchants sitting together were startled by the sudden sound.

As they turned around, the waiter carrying the tray was glaring at them angrily.

"Stop talking nonsense! Who said Lord Ji is dead? You've only heard rumors from somewhere. Stop spouting nonsense!"

A dozen or so merchants looked at the shop assistant with strange eyes.

He also looked her up and down.

"Young man, why are you so angry? The governor of Liangzhou isn't your parent. We were just chatting."

"Do you really need to go to such lengths?"

"Besides, everyone knows that the Governor of Liangzhou died in battle at Xiutu Marsh. Am I wrong?" The middle-aged merchant said disdainfully, "You're just a restaurant, are you not even allowed to speak your own words?"

"no!"

The middle-aged merchant thought these words would drive his employees away.

However, this only provoked an even more vehement rebuttal from the guy.

"You can say anything else, but you cannot curse Marquis Ji!"

The waiter glared at the group of people, pointed to the door, and shouted, "If you dare to spout any more nonsense, get out! You're not welcome in Liangzhou!"

"hiss!"

The middle-aged merchant frowned and said, "You're being unreasonable, young man. We've come to eat and drink, and we're paying you. What business is it of yours to tell us what to do?"

"You're in business, how can you turn away customers?"

"Go and call your manager!"

The waiter glared at the group, then turned around and called out to the shopkeeper in the distance.

The shopkeeper, dressed in coarse gray clothes, stepped forward to the table where a dozen or so merchants from Hanzhong were gathered.

"What's wrong, gentlemen? This child is still young. Please don't take it personally."

As the shopkeeper spoke, he tugged at the waiter's sleeve.

However, the young shop assistant remained motionless, glaring angrily at the merchant before him.

"Shopkeeper, they say Marquis Ji is dead!"

“I argued with them, but they said I was being unreasonable.”

Upon hearing the shopkeeper's words, the smile on the shopkeeper's face froze, and then gradually faded.

"Gentlemen, Liangzhou is a hospitable place with a bold and generous spirit."

"Gentlemen, it seems you are not first-time visitors to Liangzhou. I cannot say what it was like before."

"But for now, you should all tone it down a bit."

"The matter of the Marquis of Ji is not something that just anyone can discuss."

"This is Ji County. I would like to offer you some advice: if you continue to discuss the life or death of the Marquis of Ji, you may not even be able to leave this county office."

As the shopkeeper spoke, he smiled at the waiter beside him and said, "Little Bean, you can go and do other things first. There's no need to serve this wine, lest the guests get drunk and go out talking nonsense and lose their heads and get beaten to death."

The young man, who had followed the Taiping Dao followers from Qingzhou to Jizhou, then from Jizhou through Bingzhou to Liangzhou, was finally settled in Ji County of Hanyang Commandery. He received land and a newly built house. As he turned around, he glared at the dozen or so merchants.

The young man was illiterate and knew little about etiquette.

Even his name was given to him casually by his parents; he didn't even have a surname.

My family used to grow beans in Qingzhou.

But the year after year was worse than the last, and the family's land was sold, as was her younger sister, who was sold to a wealthy family.

Finally, he was forced to join the Way of Peace and then joined the rebellion.

I thought this was how my life would be.

But it wasn't until they arrived in Jizhou that they found their way to Jizhou.

Their whole family came here.

It was Marquis Ji who gave their family a newly built house and allocated land.

My parents now earn work points during the autumn harvest in the production team.

As long as they have enough work points, their family will be able to get oxen for plowing next year and can start plowing the land again.

Marquis Ji also gave them seeds.

If it weren't for Marquis Ji, his family would probably have long since perished somewhere, becoming wandering ghosts and piles of white bones.

The family has the longevity position of the Marquis of Ji.

He is now able to make a living by working in Ji County.

It can occasionally supplement household income.

The dozen or so merchants looked at each other, then obediently shut their mouths.

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

State pastoral office.

The martial arts training ground in the back courtyard.

Wearing a black cloak and holding a son and a daughter in his arms, Duan Yu chuckled and teased them.

"Mu'er, call me father."

Duan Yu stretched out a finger and gently ran it across his son Duan Mu's fair face.

On either side of the chair where Duan Yu was sitting.

Two tigers, each nearly ten feet in size, with sharp claws and teeth and white stripes on their bodies, were perched to one side.

The hot air he exhaled with each breath was billowing.

"My lord, it's time to change the dressing."

Tie Shitou walked up behind Duan Yu, carrying a tray in his hand.

The tray contained a white cloth, needles and thread, and medicine.

Duan Yu, sitting in the armchair, nodded.

The maid standing not far away immediately stepped forward and took Duan Mu and Duan Chen from Duan Yu's arms.

"My lord, the imperial envoy has arrived in Ji County. It is the eunuch Zuo Feng."

"Does Your Excellency wish to see me now?"

"Iron Stone asked."

Duan Yu pondered for a moment, then shook his head and said, "No rush, let Liu Baitu come to see me first!"

After saying that, Duan Yu took off his black cloak and began to apply medicine to himself.