Pang Qingyun rode atop a tall steed, his half-long hair meticulously combed back. His body swayed with the horse's gait as his sharp eyes swept over the surrounding commoners, who pointed at him and watched the spectacle.
People adapted quickly to new changes. The old masters were gone, as were so many of the old rules. At the same time, constrained by the founding principles of the new dynasty, the new rulers—though they had begun to enjoy wealth and privilege—had not yet accepted the idea of lording it over others or taking pleasure in harming people.
More importantly, Wang Yan placed great importance on rectifying public morals and had always put effort into ideological education. As for the so-called meritorious followers, military cliques, and noble factions, Wang Yan indulged none of their bad habits. The moment he discovered any corrupt conduct, he came down hard.
He did not punish people without first teaching them, but rules had long since been established. If someone still clung to wishful thinking and stirred up trouble, they were simply courting death!
People were used to pushing their luck, and the common folk who had long been shackled were no exception. Wang Yan opened a crack, and they tore it wide open themselves, soon treating it as perfectly normal.
It was like setting up street stalls. If someone set up a stall on a street one day, did good business, and no one chased him away, then two more stalls would appear the next day. If they also did good business and no one chased them away, before long the whole street would be filled with them...
Thus, the people of Jingcheng now had very loud voices.
Still, their lives had indeed improved greatly. Jingcheng was the capital and the foremost place in the realm,