On the twenty-eighth day of the twelfth lunar month in the nineteenth year of Emperor Chongzhen, the Capital was filled with an atmosphere of festivity and harmony. With the New Year approaching, Qianmen Street was bustling with a constant flow of people.
"Mutton! Fresh mutton! Fat sheep from the Mongolia grasslands, bought straight from the victorious imperial troops returning from Xuanfu and Datong—slaughtered right here for you!"
"Buy some beef, buy some beef! Top-quality oxen from the Mongolia grasslands, only twelve taels of silver at the lowest per head!"
Chapter 603