After saying goodbye to Ye Zong, Chen Yichen's next journey was much more dull, and in order to hurry, he rarely got off the boat and stayed in the inn, which was a starry night.

After driving like this for more than twenty days, Chen Yichen arrived at the boundary of Tongzhou, which is the end of the Grand Canal of Beijing and Hangzhou and the gateway to the capital.

Although it is now in a time when the weather is not connected, there are still many canal ships traveling from the south on both sides of the Tongzhou Canal, which are full of rice and grain, ready to unload the goods here.

Chen Yichen's scholar's fame has the advantage of convenient travel, but he has no priority for canal access, so he has to wait in line to get ashore.

"I didn't expect that there were still so many canal ships gathering here at this time. If I encountered autumn harvest and winter canal dry seasons, I couldn't imagine what it would be like."

Listening to Chen Yichen's feelings, the boatman smiled and said, "Donald Chen will see the real grand event of canal transportation after autumn this year. In addition, the scholars who went to Beijing to take the spring exam, a queue similar to the ten-mile corridor will appear on the canal."

"I dare to ask the boatman, how long does it take to wait in line?"

"If it's fast, it's an hour, and if it's slow, it's possible. It's mainly because of the inspection speed of military service at the gate."

Whether it is a canal ship or a cruise ship from other places, if you want to enter the capital, you must go through military service inspections, which is very similar to the later permits to enter the capital.

It is not a dry season at present. The ships are running smoothly and there will be no accidents such as stranding. Theoretically, the passage speed will be very fast. But in fact, the so-called military service inspection is more about getting a card, and paying money will make you feel refreshed and you will naturally pass quickly.

If you are unhappy when you pay money, and there are no high-ranking officials who need to pass the pass later, then just drag it to see who can waste it.

The ships lined up slowly forward. After about two hours, it was finally Chen Yichen's turn.

There were more than a dozen military service personnel standing at the gate, led by a small officer. The inspection of military service only briefly verified the road guide of Xia Yichen and others. Without carefully searching, he stretched out his hand and said, "The toll is twenty cents per person."

Hearing this price, the boatman argued: "Mr. Jun, didn't he only have ten cents a few years ago?"

"You also know that it was a few years ago, and now it's the price, but it's waiting for you later."

Regarding the objections of the ship owners, they checked the military service and did not even have the interest in bargaining, and they were not accustomed to it at all.

As for Chen Yichen's fame and fame, it may be of some use. If it is placed elsewhere, it may be of little use. If it is placed in a place like a dog, a scholar is just like the view of later generations. That is really worse than a dog...

After all, every year, the scholar who goes to Beijing for the spring exam starts as a juren. What is the point of being a scholar who takes the autumn exam?

"But Jun Ye, this price is too..."

The boatman wanted to argue, but Chen Yichen waved his hand at him, took out a string of copper coins from the bag and handed them over and said, "June, this is the toll for the three of us."

Seeing that Chen Yichen was paying the money quickly, the expression on this man looked much better, and nodded and replied: "It's better for scholars to understand the rules, let's go."

After saying that, he asked his subordinates to release the military service.

Passing the gate, the bird's boat docked at the pier, which means that the journey of thousands of kilometers ended here, and Chen Yichen officially entered the capital of the Ming Dynasty.

"Boatman, thank you so much for your care along the way."

After getting off the boat, Chen Yichen first expressed his gratitude to the boatman. He felt exhausted by the boatman's voyage of thousands of kilometers. You can imagine how tired the boatman was.

Another more important point is that when I met the Jingkou Gang in Zhenjiang section, the boatman also picked up the oars to cover himself, which was far beyond his shipment income.

"You are kind to you, only the little one understands what a real scholar is."

"I also hope that Mr. Chen will be able to go to high school in the capital this time, and there will be a good official in the world in the future."

The boatman was also extremely moved. Chen Yichen did not have the slightest literati airs along the way. He always treated crude people like himself with courtesy. This kind of cultivation and demeanor had never been seen in others.

If Chen Yichen can reach the top of the sky and take charge of the Ming Dynasty in the future, it may be a good thing for all the people in the world.

"Borrow the boatman's good words and say goodbye."

"Mr. Chen walked slowly."

After holding his fists and saying goodbye to the boatman, Chen Yichen led A Niu to the carriage and horse carriage.

Because the canal terminal in Tongzhou is still a long way from the real "urban area" of the capital.

There are many trains to the capital, after all, it is a popular route. After getting on the carriage, A Niu asked, "Brother Chen, are we going to where we are now?"

"I won't go today for the time being."

Chen Yichen shook his head. Although he and Zhu Yong had the real name of father and son, they did not have the name of father and son.

When you come to the Duke Chengguo Mansion in the capital, you cannot enter and exit as casually as you go back to your own home. You must follow the process of visiting outsiders, first submit a message, and then get the consent of the consent of the concierge before you enter.

Of course, it is also possible that Duke Cheng Guo specifically instructed that he did not need to go through this process.

But no one can tell such a thing. Chen Yichen couldn't control Zhu Yong's mentality. Instead of being turned away at night, it would be better to follow the normal process.

"Then let's find a hotel to settle down?"

"Um."

Chen Yichen nodded, thought for a while and continued, "Let's go to Yingtian Guild Hall first."

In ancient times, big cities such as Yingtian and the capital would have all had fellow townsmen, providing a place for scholars and gentry to settle down.

Compared with ordinary inns, the biggest advantage of a fellow townspeople is that they are fluent in language, eat to suit their appetite, and also get some help and convenience.

Chen Yichen was completely unfamiliar with the capital in the Ming Dynasty and did not know which inn is suitable, so he simply went to the Yingtian Guild Hall in the capital to avoid the trouble of choosing.

Accompanied by the shaking sound of "creaking", it took more than an hour to arrive for a short journey of more than ten kilometers. Chen Yichen, who was not very motion sick in later generations, was dizzy by the carriage, which only shows that the land traffic conditions in the past, even in the capital, were not much better.

The carriage stopped in front of Dongzhimen, got out of the carriage, Chen Yichen looked at the majestic city wall, and a sense of magnificence rushed towards him.

The ancient city walls of Beijing in later generations have basically been demolished. If you want to see similar outer city walls, you can only feel them when you go to a place like Xi'an.

But at this moment, Chen Yichen was able to witness the capital city wall with his own eyes, which made him feel a different feeling.

Entering from Dongzhimen, even if you officially arrive at the inner city of the capital, the "urban area" was found in the Ming and Qing dynasties. Later generations divided Beijing into four cities, namely the outer city, the inner city, the imperial city, and the Forbidden City.

However, the outer city will not be expanded until the Jiajing Dynasty of the Ming Dynasty, and the population of the capital increased significantly, so the current Beijing city has only three cities: the inner city, the imperial city and the Forbidden City.

Walking along the main road in the capital gives people the feeling that it is completely different from that of the Jiangnan water towns like Yingtian, with a bleak and solemn atmosphere.

Of course, in addition to climate change, there is also a psychological factor, after all, it is at the foot of the emperor and the center of the Ming Dynasty's power.

The Yingtian Guild Hall is located in the Beicheng District, which is also a place where merchants and trade are prosperous. As the capital of the Ming Dynasty and one of the two capitals, the Yingtian Guild Hall is also extremely large in scale and looks extremely luxurious from the outside.

Chen Yichen and the others walked into the guild hall. At this time, because the spring exam season was not yet there, there were only guests in groups of three or three to chat in the spacious lobby, which was not very lively.

The shopkeeper stood at the front desk to calculate the accounts. After seeing Chen Yichen come in, he immediately walked out and welcomed: "Two guests, should you eat or stay in a hotel?"

“Stay in a hotel.”

"Haole, I wonder what room the guest officer wants?"

"Just two ordinary single rooms, and we will prepare a meal for us first."

Chen Yichen originally arrived in Tongzhou in the morning, but he lined up in the canal and transferred carriages, etc. He didn't arrive at Yingtian Guild Hall until nightfall. His stomach was already so hungry that he was croaking.

"No problem, let's help the guest prepare."

After saying that, the shopkeeper called the waiter to deliver the luggage to the room, and Chen Yichen and A Niu sat down in the lobby and waited for food to come.

"By the way, the shopkeeper, help us prepare towels and boil hot water."

After sitting down, Chen Yichen added to the shopkeeper, "I was tired from the journey and had to take a hot shower before going to bed."

Hearing Chen Yichen say this, plus his shirt on his body, the manager of the guild hall said, "Is this guest official coming to the capital to take the exam?"

Chen Yichen nodded and said, "Well, that's right."

"That guest can be said to be prepared for the future. There is still half a year left in the spring examination, so he rushed to the capital early."

Generally speaking, scholars in the capital take the spring exam and start in the autumn and winter seasons after the autumn exam, so the time is just right.

Of course, some scholars are more steady and choose to set out earlier. After all, the delay in the canal exam often occurs, and candidates have missed the spring exam.

However, it is rare to set off in spring like Chen Yichen, which is more than half a year earlier, so the shopkeeper is a little surprised.

"I'm not going to take the spring exam, but to take the autumn exam."

Chen Yichen explained with a slightly awkward explanation that he was still a scholar but failed to pass the exam, so where did he get the qualification for the spring exam? He could only take the provincial examination and autumn exam.

"Oh, there is Jiangnan Gongyuan in Yingtian Prefecture. Why do the guest officials travel thousands of miles to the capital to take the exam?"

To be honest, almost everyone who asked Chen Yichen was curious about this question, but he was not easy to answer, so he could only cover it up and replied: "This matter is a long story."

How could a person who opened a fellow townspeople's association have no ability to observe his face? Chen Yichen said this and immediately understood that the other party didn't want to say it.

So he changed the topic and introduced himself: "I have been in the king of Xia and have been in charge of this club for more than ten years. I wonder what the guest official is called?"

After all, those who can come to Yingtian Guild Hall are all fellow villagers, and they contain their connections. If you make a familiar face and make friends with you, you will be a sure profit and you will never lose money.

Who knows if there will be a prime minister among this group of people in the future?

"My surname is Chen and his name is Yichen, and he has not yet obtained the word "Tian".

Chen Yichen?

When Manager Wang heard this name, he felt familiar. Looking at the young appearance of the guest in front of him, he suddenly remembered that a customer had mentioned it recently.
Chapter completed!