Chapter 6

Raozhou City stood twenty miles away. One could see its tall, sturdy walls and imposing gates from the mountain. Despite the harsh conditions, the city was bustling with people, as it had always been a strategic military location. Many exiled criminals and serious offenders were sent here.

Besides being a border town, Raozhou City had an iron and coal mine within its jurisdiction. Additionally, there was a Grand Canal, which was excavated two hundred years ago by the order of Emperor Taizu of the Sheng Dynasty.

Of course, the entire canal wasn’t excavated; it originally existed but didn’t reach Raozhou. Emperor Taizu had it extended to transport iron from the mine.

Iron was essential for forging tools and weapons, and coal was equally important for smelting iron and heating. This was why Emperor Taizu had the canal extended to transport these resources.

At that time, Raozhou only had an iron mine, and the coal mine was discovered a decade ago.

The entire Sheng Dynasty had other coal and iron mines, as well as copper and gold mines. Many neighboring countries coveted these resources. Fortunately, Emperor Taizu was powerful, expanding the empire and strengthening its military. However, over the years, wars have taken their toll on the military. This was why the neighboring Yu Kingdom frequently coveted Raozhou, often waging wars to seize its iron and coal.

Two years ago, the Eldest Prince led an army to attack the Yu Kingdom, severely weakening it. This brought stability to the border town for over a year, improving the people’s lives. This was likely why the Second Prince feared the late emperor would appoint the Eldest Prince as the heir.

When the Eldest Prince returned to the capital, the Second Prince couldn’t wait to act, leading to open and covert struggles between the two factions until the Eldest Prince’s defeat…

As for why the late emperor never appointed a Crown Prince, Xu Qinyu didn’t know.

The Eldest Prince was executed, leaving behind a daughter, Yuan’er, who was three years old, and a son still in swaddling clothes. After the Eldest Prince’s execution, the Eldest Prince’s heir was “accidentally” dropped and killed by a servant, clearly orchestrated by the new emperor. The Eldest Prince’s consort, devastated by the loss of her husband and son, couldn’t bear it and followed them in death.

Thinking of this, Xu Qinyu sighed inwardly and glanced at Pei Weixuan.

He was still holding Yuan’er and Feng’er. He was tall and slender, with a rare flush on his handsome face, but he looked sickly and weak. It was precisely because of his frail appearance that the new emperor didn’t eliminate him, probably thinking that this sickly brother, who had been weak since childhood and constantly needed medicine, wouldn’t pose any significant threat.

Xu Qinyu looked towards Raozhou City.

Finally, they had arrived. She didn’t want to recall the hardships of this journey, which were even more terrifying than her days in the welfare home. Fortunately, it hadn’t rained in the past few days, but the sky was overcast, and it felt like it might snow. They needed to enter the city before dark. Their winter clothes were already tattered, and they needed to buy new ones and rest properly.

Ma Liu shouted, “Everyone, stay alert! We’re almost at Raozhou, just twenty miles to go. We’ll be there by afternoon.”

With renewed energy, they continued walking.

They hadn’t cooked breakfast that morning, eating only the remaining biscuits, which were almost gone. Once they reached Raozhou City, everyone was looking forward to a hearty meal.

After several hours of walking, they finally arrived at Raozhou City.

Up close, the city walls looked even more magnificent, heavily guarded. Entry required inspection, as it was a border town, and they were wary of spies.

Seeing an ancient city for the first time, Xu Qinyu felt a bit excited.

Soon, it was their turn. Deputy Officer Chen presented his token, and the soldiers guarding the gate allowed them to enter.

Once inside, Deputy Officer Chen led them to the yamen to find the registrar.

The registrar managed household registrations, and they needed to arrange theirs since they had just arrived at the border town.

At the yamen, Madam Wen hesitated before approaching Deputy Officer Chen and saying, “Sir, we don’t have any cash, only some jewelry. Could we go out to exchange it for silver to pay the household registration fee?”

Xu Qinyu then realized that even though they had been demoted to commoners, they wouldn’t be settled in the border town without paying the household registration fee. They needed to pay to stay in Raozhou City or its surrounding towns and villages. She wasn’t sure how much silver was required, but if they couldn’t pay, they would have to go to villages that didn’t require the fee.

Villages that didn’t require the fee were usually near coal or iron mines, where people went because they had no money. Some refugees from previous years were also sent there, creating a vicious cycle of poverty. As for the serious criminals, they were all sent to the coal mines.

Mining coal is the most arduous and dangerous work, often resulting in fatalities. Even if money is offered, few are willing to do it. Historically, serious criminals have been sent to various coal mines to dig coal. These prisoners don’t have household registrations and are managed by the soldiers at the mines. Iron mining, while also tough, is less dangerous and pays well, attracting many strong laborers.

Xu Qinyu didn’t know how the household registration fee was paid but didn’t ask to avoid revealing anything.

Deputy Officer Chen nodded, “Madam, you may go.”

After all, she was once an empress, so Deputy Officer Chen was very polite.

“Mother, I’ll go with you,” Xu Qinyu said, stopping Madam Wen.

Even she found Madam Wen too soft and weak, worried she might be taken advantage of.

Madam Wen nodded, leaving Pei Jianing and Pei Weixuan to take care of Feng’er and Yuan’er before heading out of the yamen.

Once outside, Xu Qinyu curiously looked around. When they first entered the city, they were in a hurry, and with the group of serious criminals in shackles, they were often watched by onlookers, making it inconvenient to stop and look around. Now, they weren’t in such a rush and could take their time to observe.

Raozhou City couldn’t compare to the capital, which was more prosperous and luxurious. The architectural styles were also different. The buildings here were less refined and more rugged, but the city was still bustling with people doing their business.

The streets were lined with various shops, inns, grain stores, cloth shops, pharmacies, tea houses, jewelry stores, and more. Business was thriving.

Xu Qinyu not only paid attention to these but also observed other people and events. They might have to stay in Raozhou City for a couple of days, and she wanted to see if there were any opportunities to earn some extra money. Living off their savings wasn’t an option, and the household registration fee would likely be substantial. Money was needed everywhere. She didn’t want to be sent to a village near a coal or iron mine, which was remote and filled with a mix of people.

Madam Wen soon found a relatively large pawnshop nearby. Once inside, she took out three pieces of jewelry from the lining of her long coat- A pair of ruby and pearl earrings, a ruby and gold bead hairpin, and a jade bracelet.

Looking at the three pieces of jewelry, Madam Wen felt distressed. After her eldest son was harmed, the entire family was imprisoned. Even when Yuniang entered the family, there was no one left in the mansion. The next day, the new emperor exiled them to the southwest, allowing them to return home first, but soldiers accompanied them, forbidding them from taking anything. These small pieces of jewelry were the only things she managed to hide in her coat lining.

Originally, there were four pieces, but they had to pawn one for food and drink during the journey, and the money was already spent.

Only these three pieces were left, worth at most a hundred taels of silver. In Madam Wen’s eyes, a hundred taels were too little. After paying the household registration fee, there might be nothing left, and she didn’t want to go to a cheap village.

The rubies, gold beads, and jade bracelet were valuable and pawned for a hundred taels of silver. Dead pawns usually fetched only half the value, and live pawns even less. The shopkeeper didn’t cheat them.

Seeing this, Xu Qinyu took out five gold leaves from her coat lining and handed them to the shopkeeper. “Shopkeeper, please exchange these gold leaves for silver.”

These gold leaves were likely sewn into her clothes by her parents when she married into the Xu Wang Mansion. The original owner didn’t know about them, as she was in a daze and unresponsive when sent to the mansion. She discovered the gold leaves after recovering from her illness. When the original owner left the Dechang Marquis Mansion to marry, her parents probably mentioned the household registration fee. But the original owner didn’t listen, so she had no impression of it.

Madam Wen was surprised to see her daughter-in-law take out the gold leaves. “Yuniang…”

Xu Qinyu sighed softly. “My parents hid these before I left. I was in a daze during the journey and didn’t notice them until a few days ago. It’s better to exchange them for silver. We’ll need money in the city for everything, and silver is more convenient.”

The five gold leaves were worth about fifty taels of silver, likely the original owner’s parents’ entire savings. Her father earned four taels of silver a month, and her mother came from a modest family with little dowry and no shops. Although the family covered other expenses and her mother received two taels of silver a month, many private expenses made it hard to save money.