After the new year passes, Shen Yi will prepare to leave for Jiankang.
Because his father Shen Zhang left in a hurry last time and couldn't bring anything back, this time Mrs. Shen specially prepared a lot of Jiangdu's specialties for Shen Yi to take to the capital.
Shen Laosan and Shen Ling were also very interested. On the third day of the Lunar New Year, they went out to find a team for Shen Yi so that they could go to Jiankang with the team.
In this era, it is very dangerous for a person to go on the road alone. Even in the capital region between Jiangdu and Jiankang, under the emperor's feet, it is difficult to say that there are no bandits at all. It would be nothing if Shen Yi went to Beijing and had his money stolen. If he takes the card test If something that proves his identity is stolen, then his work this year will be in vain, and he will have to go back to Jiangdu and wait for another year.
Therefore, people like Shen Yi who travel alone usually find a caravan to accompany them. If they have acquaintances, they can follow directly. If they don't have acquaintances, they can only give a few hundred Wen for tea money at most, and then they can go with the caravan.
Large caravans in this era always had "bodyguards" as security forces when traveling far away. However, there was no need to prepare security forces under the emperor's feet between Jiangdu and Gyeonggi. Generally, there were only five or six people traveling with them. Those thieves and thieves If you touch it, you won’t have a bad idea.
After all, Shen Sanlang had been hanging out in Jiangdu for many years, and soon found a reliable caravan for Shen Yi. This caravan would set off from the west gate of Jiangdu to Jiankang on the morning of the sixth day of the lunar month.
The day the caravan sets out also means the day Shen Yi sets out.
On the fifth day of the Lunar New Year, Shen Yi went to Ganquan Academy to say goodbye to Mr. Qin and Principal Lu of the academy, and at the same time received a "letter of introduction" from Master Lu.
This letter of introduction was written by Master Lu to several of his students, namely Shen Yi's senior brothers.
Once something happens to Shen Yi in Jiankang, he can use this letter to seek help from his senior brothers in Jiankang.
However, Shen Yi also knew in his heart that the best use of this letter was that after he became a scholar or even a scholar, he would take the letter to find his senior brothers and visit them one by one.
Before you are selected as a scholar, it is best not to trouble the seniors, let alone go to them if something happens, otherwise the "first impression" you will give to the seniors will not be good.
In the academy, Mr. Qin took Shen Yi and explained many things to pay attention to during the academy examination, and gave Shen Yi a copy of "examination materials."
This examination material is a collection of essays on academic affairs of Jiankang Prefecture.
Although Jiankang Prefecture is nominally at the same level as Jiangdu Prefecture, because it is the seat of the Emperor, Jiankang Prefecture has become the actual "Jingzhao Prefecture". Even the first constitution of Jiankang Prefecture was renamed "Jingzhao Prefecture" a few years ago. "Yin of Jiankang Prefecture", not the prefect of Jiankang.
In other words, Jiankang Prefecture has become a "provincial unit."
The academic officials of Jiankang Prefecture naturally became the academic officials of "Gyeonggi".
The "Academy Examination" in Gyeonggi Province was presided over by this academic administrator.
This kind of "examination data" is naturally very precious.
After staying in Ganquan Academy all day until the afternoon was approaching evening, Shen Yi said goodbye to Mr. Qin, Mrs. Lu, and Junior Sister Lu and left.
It gets dark early in winter. When Shen Yi returned to his home in Jiangducheng, it was already dark. At this time, Shen Heng had returned to the academy to study. Shen Yi was the only one left at home. Coupled with the cold weather, he seemed quite lonely. .
After lighting the stove, Shen Yi lay on the bed and fell asleep in a daze.
Because he had to leave early the next morning, Shen Yi didn't dare to sleep too much, so he opened his eyes around five o'clock in the morning.
Fortunately, the stove was not out at this time, and the room was still relatively warm. Relying on the stove, Shen Qilang bravely stood up from the bed and quickly got dressed.
After getting dressed, Shen Yi lit the candles at home, and then took a look at his younger brother Shen Heng's room.
Originally Shen Heng was going to stay to see him off today, but Shen Yi forcibly took him to the academy on the fifth day of the Lunar New Year.
After all, the child is still young. Only by staying in "school" can Shen Yi feel more at ease.
Because it was not dark yet and he got up too early, Shen Qilang was still a little confused at the moment. After sitting on the edge of the bed and relaxing for a while, he picked up the baggage he had prepared the night before and pushed it away. The gate of your own courtyard.
At this time, at the door of Shen's courtyard, a young man wearing thick clothes had been waiting for a while. After seeing Shen Yi coming out of the yard, this young man, whose movements were a little clumsy because of his thick clothes, Then he bowed his head respectfully to Shen Yi: "Master."
Shen Yi stood there and looked at the young man quietly for a long time.
After a moment, he sighed slightly: "I told you two days ago, just go to the west gate and wait at dawn today. It's freezing, how can you wait here like this?"
Although Xu Fu was wearing thick clothes, his face was a little blue from the cold. He smiled at Shen Yi.
"Sir, I'm very resistant to freezing. In previous winters, it was so cold that I would be fine even if I went out wearing single clothes. This year, I have thick clothes, so it's even better."
Shen Yi sighed and asked, "How long have you been waiting?"
Xu Fu lowered his head slightly: "Sir, I just arrived not long ago."
Shen Qilang shook his head slightly and stopped asking him questions. Instead, he picked up the bag and said, "Okay. Let's set off."
With that said, he walked towards the west gate.
The young man Xu Fu also carried a burden and followed closely behind Shen Yi.
Both of them can be regarded as young people. They walked slowly from night to dawn. When the sky became dim and bright, they finally arrived at the west gate.
The caravan that led them was the caravan of "Huitong Trading Company". Huitong Trading Company was a large trading company. Shen Yi quickly found the caravan with the flag of Huitong Trading Company at the west city gate. He took Xu Fu up and found it. The leader of the caravan.
The leader was a man in his forties with a somewhat thin build. After he asked Shen Yi's identity, he first glanced at Shen Yi, then at Xu Fu behind Shen Yi, and said in a deep voice: "Someone did come to fight earlier. He said hello and asked you to take Mr. Shen with you to the capital, but he only said that you would take Mr. Shen alone, and did not say..."
Without saying a word, Shen Yi took out a silver nugget of about twenty taels from his sleeve, handed it to the man, and said with a smile: "Uncle, you are accommodating. I have never been out, so it's okay to take someone with me on the road." A response."
The man calmly took the silver piece. He looked at Xu Fu, then at Shen Yi, with a smile on his face: "Mr. Shen, of course it's okay to bring more people, but does this young boy have a guide? ?Without a road to guide him, even if he is taken to the capital, he will not be able to pass through the city gate."
In this era, you need to have a certificate to go out. Shen Yi can go out with a license test, but Xu Fuyuan was a beggar at first and did not even have a household registration. Naturally, he did not go to the Yamen to get a guide.
On this point, Shen Yi had already thought of an excuse. He smiled at the leading man and said, "Uncle, he is my book boy. If he comes to Jiankang with me, he should be able to get in."
A book boy is actually a servant.
If Shen Yi can enter Jiankang, naturally his scholar can too.
"That's no problem."
The man nodded cheerfully, pointed in the direction of the two people, and said with a smile: "You two, just feel sorry for yourself and take the smaller carriage. Anyway, it's just over a day's journey in total, so we'll be here in just a minute."
The two of them looked in the direction of his finger.
There was a carriage there. It looked ordinary, but it was half loaded.
