The Baijian River gathers many streams from deep in the valley of the main vein of the South Ridge of Tongbai Mountain. It flows downstream through a gentle and open valley basin, and finally merges into the Huai River, which runs from west to east and passes through gorges and valleys in the Tongbai Mountains.
middle.
This basin is located on the north bank of the Huai River. The terrain is steep. There are nearly a thousand households in the market in Huaiyuan Town, mainly distributed along the open valleys on both sides of the Baijian River above the Huai River.
In addition to the horse trail that crosses Tongbai Mountain and passes through the market in Huaiyuan Town, there are also four or five dirt roads that extend deep into the mountains and valleys on the left and right; the Baijian River and the Huai River meet at the bottom of the valley, and the water surface is relatively open, with a total of
Sixty-seven ferry terminals connect the roads cut off by the river.
Huaiyuan did not have a county. Except for a small military village built at the west end of the market, there was no city wall built around the market to protect it.
The girl Wang Xuan entered the market in a carriage and saw the crowds of people on the Qingshi Main Street and the many shops on both sides. She believed that Lu Xiong's words on the way that Huaiyuan Town was not as prosperous as Xinyang City were true. It was hard to imagine that they set out from Xinyang.
, I didn’t meet a few business travelers along the way.
However, it is not difficult to understand if you think about it carefully.
Huaiyuan Town is closer to Xinyang County in Guangzhou, but at present, there are cards to collect taxes between different states and counties, and rural households are strictly prohibited from traveling across counties at will. Huaiyuan Town is usually closely connected with Biyang under its jurisdiction.
County ties are closer.
Even if large quantities of commercial goods are to be shipped out of the mountains to Huainan West Luzhou County in the east, they usually wait until the Huaihe River rises in late spring and then use boats to carry them, which saves manpower.
After passing through the market on the east bank of the Baijian River and arriving at a ferry, Xu Wujiang called for the ferry and carefully pulled the carriage onto the boat, preparing to cross the Baijian River, which was more than thirty feet wide.
On both sides of the ferry, in addition to seven or eight ferries, there were also many ragged coolies piled in small groups waiting for work.
This is mainly for Tangzhou, Dengzhou and other places heading west to Beijing South Road. There are no waterways, and the horse trail in the western section is rugged and difficult to navigate. However, bulk commodities can only be carried by animal power, and even young laborers are hired on the spot to carry them on their backs.
Ship it over.
Cross the river to the west bank, where the military camp is located.
The stone city is three hundred paces square, and the gate of the village facing the river is engraved with the words "Huaiyuan Inspection Division"; the local custom calls this place the military village, and the official documents also refer to it as the Huaiyuan inspection village.
In addition to inspecting the yamen and barracks, the post office is also in the military camp.
Xu Xinan is two years older, and Xu Huai is still two months away from turning sixteen, but Xu Wujiang is still with him.
Everything in the Inspection Department relied on the local area, and Deng Gui was not too harsh on Xu Wujiang and other subordinates. There was no shortage of food for Xu Huai in the military camp.
At this time, Xu Wujiang arranged for Xu Xin'an and Xu Huai to send Wang Zhen and others to the post:
"The post is right in front, Xu Xin'an. You and Xu Huai will send Wang Xianggong and the others there first. After a certain family returns to the Yamen to pay their errands, you can then pay your respects to Wang Xianggong!"
…………
…………
The post house occupies a small area, about three acres, and there are weeds growing on the walls of the courtyard.
Entering from the gate, the first courtyard you enter is the Yi Cheng Gong House.
Cheng Yi, the postmaster, was not in the yard. Only two old postmasters with military backgrounds were sitting in front of the porch to bask in the sun. Xu Xin'an thought that the postmasters were slow and left Xu Huai to help unload the cart, so he ran to find Cheng Yi.
Wang Zhen did not hold an official position, but he was demoted to live in Tangzhou, which meant he was under local surveillance. After all, he was not exiled or exiled from the army.
After he left Beijing, he had to rush to Tangzhou to report within the time limit, and Tangzhou local authorities had the responsibility to supervise him and take care of his daily life; and on the way to Tangzhou, the post office also had to take him in and receive him.
Cheng Yi, the postmaster, was in charge of welcoming and sending off people. He was a low-ranking official. He had to suffer the officials and gentry who passed by at this time and showed off their power. However, when demoted officials stayed in the posthouse, he did not.
Will be lazy.
Cheng Yi liked to drink a little wine on weekdays. He would put the wine in a pot of tea regardless of the time, read, write, and draw. He would take a sip when he was free. He asked Xu Xin'an to come over and first took the official notice from Wang Zhen.
letter.
Xu Huai unloaded the cart and parked it in the front yard. He was about to lead the horse to the stables behind the post house when he glanced at the official notice stating that the king had been demoted due to the crime of "disrespect". See Zhu Tang
state.
He was confused:
Before Wang Zhen was demoted, he was the censor Zhongcheng. He was one of the very few people in the world who was qualified to be called "Xiangong". Logically speaking, except for the officials sitting on the throne, he would not offend the prime ministers and kings of the dynasty.
Put on the "disrespectful" label.
Wang Zhen could only be punished with the crime of "disrespect" if he offended officials or the empress dowager in his words and deeds.
However, Xu Huai did not believe that the current emperor would send assassins to hunt down Wang Zhen. If he really wanted to kill him, there was no need to bother. Thinking about it carefully, Wang Zhen should have offended a powerful figure in the court and was caught and driven out of Bianjing.
Although most of the memories in his mind have been forgotten, Xu Huai can think about the problem like this now, and he doesn't think this should be the thinking of a sixteen-year-old boy.
Maybe I am really a lonely soul from later generations who came to the present world inexplicably?
After thoughtfully leading the horse to the stable and adding fodder, Xu Huai returned to the front yard.
At this time, it was just after noon. Xu Xin'an had already taken Wang Zhen and others to a small side courtyard in the northeast corner of the post house to rest. Cheng Yizheng, the post chief, was instructing an old postman to arrange meals for Wang Zhen and others.
"Do you want some wine?" the postman asked reluctantly.
Different officials passing by the post have corresponding reception standards:
When people with high power and positions pass through the border, local officials, squires and wealthy families will come over to hold banquets to curry favor with them. Those who are exiled and demoted will stay in the post house. In addition to having a full meal of coarse grains, they can add at most a small bowl of pickles to go with the rice.
The lunch that Cheng Yi arranged for Wang Zhen and others included a bowl of bacon, a bowl of vegetables, and half a fat goose, but also a jug of warm wine. How could the old soldier not be surprised?
Xu Huai also knew that the funding for the post came from the Biyang County government. He usually had no other expenses, so he had to withhold some money to feed Cheng Yi drinking. At this time, Wang Zhen was received beyond the standard. No wonder the people below were reluctant.
"Xiangong Wang offended the Privy Council and Cai Qing was demoted to Tangzhou. All the scholars in the world felt sad. You are such a scornful bastard, but you are stingy with a bottle of wine? Come on, at worst, I will give up drinking for two days, so that you can
The accounts have been wiped out." Cheng Yi scolded.
Cheng Yi was a low-ranking official, but he was among the scholars.
Official correspondence from various places had to be delivered through the post house, but he knew the situation of Wang Zhen being demoted to Tangzhou better than low-level warriors like Xu Wujiang.
Privy Councilor Cai Qing?
Only then did Xu Huai know who Wang Zhen had offended and was demoted to Tangzhou.
Xu Huai was not familiar with the affairs of the current dynasty, but he heard Xu Wujiang and the inspectors bragging about it, and occasionally heard from hearsay that he knew that the privy envoys had the same respect as the young prime minister and the grand prime minister, and that Cai Qing was in power at that time.
Chao is definitely a powerful person.
And Cai Zheng was in charge of the court, military and state affairs, and he really wanted to use brutal methods to eradicate political opponents. The dead soldiers he could use were definitely more abundant than the prime minister.
No wonder Deng Gui left the military camp in a hurry.
Deng Gui, the inspection envoy, usually works in the Huaiyuan Inspection Department under the control of Tangzhou and Biyang County. However, all inspection envoys in the country are selected and promoted by inspection envoys and other military attaches.
Directly controlled by the Privy Council.
In other words, under normal circumstances, Deng Gui would not be able to compete with a figure like Cai Zheng. But if Cai Zheng notices because of his closeness to Wang Zhen, he can transfer Deng Gui to the position with a stroke of a pen.
Serving in any place where there are poor mountains and rivers, bandits or border dangers is enough to make his life worse than death.
Deng Gui left in a hurry. It turned out that he didn't want to have anything to do with Wang Zhen.
In contrast, Cheng Yi, as Yi Cheng, was an official in Biyang County and was not affiliated with the Privy Council system. He respected Wang Zhen as a person and did not hesitate to treat him favorably.
"Why hasn't Uncle Seventeen come here yet?"
Xu Xin'an came from the side courtyard at this time and asked Xu Huai in confusion.
Xu Huai spread his hands and expressed how he knew.
Where in Huaiyuan Town could there be a girl with Wang Xuan’s exquisite appearance and unworldly temperament?
Xu Huai could see that Xu Xinan was a little obsessed, but he couldn't find an excuse to stay here, so he anxiously asked Xu Wujiang's whereabouts, right?
Xu Huai spread his hands, but Xu Xin'an didn't expect him to answer anything, and complained: "Deng Langjun told us to entertain Wang Xianggong and the others, why didn't the Seventeenth Uncle see anyone?" He pulled Xu Huai on his tour.
The prosecutor's office went to find Xu Wujiang...
(Eleven new leaders have been added, thanks to Shengtaoyu, Kuyou, Bremen's Musicians, Willful, Bianhuang Drunkard, Li Qilu, Banzhe, Bulilanshan, Watermelon, Lenghan, Xopen, Feikun
, Xin Ming Shi Xie, steel, national treasure panda, bacon, curiosity, moonlight, savage, Yue Lin, Luo Haijun, Xu Yeyue and other brothers support...)
