Outside the window, the night is as cool as water.
The house was dimly lit.
A piece of moonlight shines in front of a couch.
The young county magistrate sometimes stood up to check his luggage for tomorrow's departure; sometimes he lay down and counted sheep with his eyes closed.
Tossing and turning, it was almost dawn before he fell asleep.
Sleeping very lightly.
The rising sunlight shines through the paper window and shines on the slightly frowning sleeping face. It is warm, and Ouyang Rong suddenly wakes up.
After only two hours of sleep, he stared at the empty room for a while, then silently got up, put on his clothes and shoes, and opened the door.
"Junior sister, Dalang, what are you doing here?"
In the courtyard, there are figures of Xie Lingjiang, Li Fusu and Li Baoer quietly sunbathing.
"Tanlang, you're awake!" Li Fusu stood up happily.
Ouyang Rong looked at them and asked softly:
"Didn't you say that the afternoon boat to Xunyang City is ahead of schedule?"
Li Xian and his wife first went to Xunyang City to "recuperate", while Li Dalang and Li Guo'er stayed in Longcheng to sort out the relocation of the Su Mansion.
It happened that Ouyang Rong was about to take up the post of governor of Jiangxi Province.
The two parties agreed to take a boat together this afternoon and set off to Xunyang City, the capital of Jiangzhou.
"The boat hasn't moved ahead, it's still afternoon."
Xie Lingjiang jumped off the swing, held his sword and shook his head, explaining:
"However, in order to celebrate the senior brother's promotion, as well as the exemption of mediocrity and the adjustment of the second tax in the county, led by Diao Xiancheng and some squires, the scholars, farmers, industry and merchants in the county organized a promotion lunch for the senior brother at Yuanming Building.
feast."
She laughed and said:
"In the morning, Senior Brother did not go to the county government office, so County Magistrate Diao asked me to convey that you, the protagonist of the lunch, must be present."
Ouyang Rong patted his forehead and said, "I'm confused." He walked over, fetched a bucket of well water, and washed his face.
Li Fusu looked at his friend's face and said with a smile: "Tan Lang, I'm tired and can't sleep, so I'll take this jujube kernel soup."
"..."
Ouyang Rong's mouth twitched.
After washing up, he passed by the three of them and strode out:
"Let's go."
Xie Lingjiang and the others quickly followed.
On Luming Street, at the gate of Meiluyuan, a long-awaited carriage slowly started and drove towards one of the largest restaurants in the county.
"Congratulations to Tan Lang for being promoted to Jiang Governor!"
In the carriage, Li Fusu smiled broadly and looked happy.
"My father and mother are also very happy. They are waiting for Tan Lang to give him a promotion gift..."
Li Fusu, who was sitting upright, and Li Guo'er, who was wearing a veil and nodding lightly, talked about how to celebrate the gift after returning to Xunyang City.
Even though the Li family and the Tianhuang nobles are down and out, they still have a lot of rules. This is the top lintel.
Ouyang Rong looked out the window, slightly distracted and didn't listen much.
He moved closer to Fusu and lowered his voice:
"Tan Lang, my father is over there in Xunyang City. It's a bit difficult to pretend to be sick. The female officials and doctors are guarding the area. The effect of the elixir is strong, but it is really powerful. No one can see the clues.
"Now my father is looking forward to the stars and the moon every day, waiting for us to deliver the antidote..."
Ouyang Rong nodded: "I'll bear with you a little longer, thank you for your hard work, uncle."
"This is not considered hard work." Li Fusu shook his head: "Without Tanlang's clever plan, my father and we are still shrinking in the Dragon City and trembling in fear. How could we dare to hope to restore the title of King Xunyang."
"Brother is right."
Li Guo'er looked at Ouyang Rong with a pair of wonderful eyes and said crisply:
"With the restoration of this royal status, and the attention from my grandmother, Wei Shaoxuan and his ilk will no longer dare to blatantly threaten us. At least we are safe in Xunyang City."
"Yes." Li Fusu and Ouyang Rong looked out the car window together with longing on their faces:
"My father's palace is in Xunyang City, and Liang Han happened to be promoted to a state official and went to Xunyang City. We can be together again and we won't be separated!"
"Oh, that sage will arrange official positions."
Ouyang Rong nodded lightly.
He looked at the lively street scene outside the window for a while, then suddenly turned back:
"After the luncheon, when will the boat scheduled to go to Jiangzhou in the afternoon leave?"
"The first moment of the unitary hour."
Ouyang Rong pursed his lips, it was already around five o'clock.
After finishing the luncheon, it was probably two or three o'clock, and I still had to leave the city to rush to Xindu Port to catch the boat. My schedule was tight... I wanted to do anything else, but it seemed too late.
"Elder brother, why do you ask this?"
"fine."
Ouyang Rong rubbed his face.
…
The promotion luncheon at Yuanming Tower was even grander than Ouyang Rong imagined.
There were so many visitors that the three-story building was packed to the brim.
Diao County Magistrate and other county government colleagues, more than a dozen local gentry and wealthy people, famous Longcheng scholars, and famous clan fellows and sages from various towns and villages in Longcheng.
Not to mention the people who spontaneously came from all over Dragon City to celebrate and have a feast.
The building was so crowded that there was no room for even an extra bench.
Ouyang Rong didn't expect everyone to be so enthusiastic.
At the main table at the top of the first floor, he raised his glass to greet everyone, drank heavily, and toasted guests from all over the world...
After nearly a corner of the drink was consumed, Ouyang Rong sat down on the chair.
Diao County Prime Minister raised his head and smiled:
"There are so many people in Mingfu... No, I have to change my title. Now I am Lord Changshi. I have admired you for a long time."
"I also have to change my title." He took a package from the junior sister's hand and handed it to the old county magistrate.
The latter opened it and saw that there were light green official uniforms, official seals, ribbons and other items inside.
Ouyang Rong was slightly drunk and said with a smile: "I will have to call you County Magistrate Diao from now on. I will add another piece of uniform for the four seasons. Magistrate Diao is disrespectful and disrespectful."
Diao County Magistrate quickly waved his hand: "Hey, where are you? Master Chang Shi, please don't laugh at me."
With a humble mouth, the old county magistrate could not suppress the grin on his lips, and his face was full of joy.
Ouyang Rong was promoted to the governor of Jiangzhou, and because of his contribution to flood control and the auspicious bonus of being the first to report, he was promoted from the eighth-rank county magistrate to the seventh-rank county magistrate.
The only pity is that he is too old, otherwise he would have great potential in the future due to his political achievements... But Diao Xiancheng is already satisfied.
Diao Xiancheng sighed with emotion: "Sir Chang Shi...forget it, let's call him Mingfu for now. It's easy to pronounce. Well, if I can always follow in your footsteps, it would be great to be a subordinate of Mingfu."
The old county magistrate's tone was joking and somewhat self-deprecating.
After all, there is no doubt that Ouyang Rong will be promoted faster than him in the future. If this sentence is true, wouldn't he also be promoted quickly?
But for now, this statement is quite correct.
Jiangzhou has jurisdiction over more than a dozen counties. The governor of Jiangzhou manages state affairs and is naturally the immediate boss of each county...
Previously, due to the Jiangzhou Jimincang corruption case, the two important positions of the previous Jiangzhou governor and chief history officer had been suspended.
Later, Wang Lengran parachuted in as the governor of Jiangzhou, but the position of chief governor was still vacant. The governor took over the power on his behalf, making him have no sense of existence.
At present, Ouyang Rong was promoted at the right time to fill this position.
At the subsequent luncheon, Ouyang Rong found that the people who came to toast him looked at him differently.
It is reverence and admiration.
In the officialdom, in addition to the big threshold from local official to capital official, the sixth grade to the fifth grade is also an important threshold, which makes many scholars turn their heads.
Ouyang Rong crossed over easily.
To be honest, the speed is a bit fierce...
After serving as the Dragon City Order for a year, Ouyang Rong was deeply impressed by the vast power boundaries of such local officials.
Among the ten roads in the world, in terms of fertility, Jiangnan Road is located in the middle and upper reaches, which is the hinterland of the southern country.
There are only a few Shangzhous on Jiangnan Road, and Jiangzhou is one of them. There are a lot of floods, but it is also accompanied by developed water transport trade routes, which control the lifeline of Jiangnan transportation.
Jiang Governor Shi who is about to take office... doesn't know how many resources he can mobilize and how much profit distribution he can control.
I remember a long time ago, during the Dragon Boat Festival grain price war, a certain big grain merchant who was domineering was said to have a long history from Hongzhou next door. It can be imagined that he had a lot of face.
After a good meal, the luncheon was over.
After bidding farewell to the enthusiastic crowd, Ouyang Rong temporarily returned to Meilu Garden to pick up his luggage.
The Li brothers and sisters have vacated the Su Mansion. On Luming Street, there are ten carriages carrying luggage and dozens of maids and slaves waiting.
Ouyang Rong said goodbye to the concierge, took his backpack and went out lightly.
The two parties met up and drove away from the county town to Zheyi Canal on the outskirts of the city.
There was too much luggage and Penglang Ferry was too small, so everyone chose to take a boat at the spacious Xin Ferry.
But he had just left the city not long ago.
"This is……"
Ouyang Rong opened the car curtain and looked at the crowded crowd on the official road ahead, his face slightly stunned.
There is a pavilion one mile away from the official road on the outskirts of the city.
In front of me, for ten miles outside the city, there were long pavilions where people gathered spontaneously to eat pots of juice and see someone off.
Previously, Ouyang Rong specifically did not say that he would leave today and planned to leave quietly.
It was only at the luncheon that I had a temporary conversation with Diao Xiancheng and others.
Ouyang Rong saw the figures of Diao County Cheng and others in front of the pavilion, as well as many lunch guests, seeing them off together.
He looked helpless: "Master Diao, you guys..."
"In the Ming Dynasty, it wasn't all summoned by the lower officials. The villagers came spontaneously. The people in the whole county are paying attention to your movements in Meiluyuan."
Ouyang Rong fell silent immediately.
Xie Lingjiang, who was sitting next to him, took away his luggage and said with a smile:
"Elder brother, you'd better go and say goodbye to the people of Dragon City."
"Tanlang, let's go." Li Fusu couldn't help laughing.
"What about you?"
Li Guo'er withdrew her eyes from the expectant faces of the people outside the window and made arrangements softly:
"Let's take our luggage to the pier first and wait for you by the boat. Go ahead, Ouyang Lianghan, and say goodbye well."
Ouyang Rong was silent for a moment, then nodded, "That's okay."
On the official road, the carriage team continued to set off.
Ouyang Rong took the reins handed over by his junior sister, carried only the sword box, turned on his horse, and never looked back:
"Wait for me at the dock."
"Um."
Ouyang Rong rode behind the convoy and rode alone to meet the people of Longcheng who were enthusiastically approaching from the front.
The strong wind blew his long hair, like colorful prayer flags fluttering in the wind.
Ouyang Rong suddenly remembered that he was like this when he first went to Longcheng.
One man and one horse, he came alone, with empty hands and nothing but his official body.
Now that we are leaving, he is empty-handed.
But it's not nothing.
After serving as an official, what did you leave behind?
Disaster relief, flood control, justice.
What else did you take away?
A sword that is hard to distinguish between right and wrong, but vows to cut off all right and wrong in the world.
Ouyang Rong suddenly smiled and rode forward.
In the ten-mile long pavilion, the people of Longcheng ate pots of pulp, called Magistrate Luobo cordially, led their horses and grabbed their sleeves, and young men with backpacks drank wine step by step, and they did not refuse anyone who came.
Ten miles outside the city, all the willow branches are broken, and there is a scene of reluctant farewell...
While he was still drunk, Ouyang Rong faintly heard the melody of a certain ballad:
outside the pavilion,
Beside the ancient road,
The grass is green and the sky is green.
The evening wind blows the willow flute,
The mountains outside Sunset Mountain...
evening.
Zheyi Canal, Tanlang Ferry.
The name of the new ferry has not yet been decided, but the people of Longcheng have privately called it Tanlangdu, and the county officials did not stop it, and it has gradually become a custom.
Tanlangdu is now a prosperous scene, which vaguely exceeds the bustling scale of Penglangdu.
On the official road, there was a skinny horse, carrying a young man who was lying down drunk and sleeping. It slowly drove into the ferry, getting closer and closer to the dock.
The golden sunset covered the slender body of the drunken young man like a cloth.
The thin horse was walking through the busy city, and suddenly there was a voice:
"They are selling cakes~hot sesame cakes baked right out of the oven~don't miss it if you pass by..."
Ouyang Rong opened his eyes drunkenly, got off his horse, staggered closer, and looked down at the steaming sesame cakes in the pot.
The man selling sesame cakes warmly welcomed him: "The cakes are still warm, would you like to eat them?"
Ouyang Rong stared at the sesame cake with drunken eyes, his face was red from drunkenness, and he was slightly in a trance.
He stretched out his fingers and touched the body of the cake, which was so hot that he flinched.
Wake up slightly.
"Alas, don't touch it with your hands!"
Ouyang Rong stopped his hand and looked around. The hustle and bustle of the busy city made the drunken look in his eyes disappear a lot.
"Where have I been..." he said to himself.
"This is Tanlangdu. Are you drunk?"
"Tanlang ferry?" The young man with a box-carrying nickname, Tanlang, took a deep breath and mumbled:
"Tan Lang knows that the boat is waiting in front, and there are people waiting in front. Tan Lang has to move forward and look forward. Isn't this how he taught Ah Qing before..."
After looking at the young man with a backpack who was mumbling nonsense in his sleep, the cake seller was curious:
"You are dressed like this, are you going to travel far?"
"Um……"
The vendor was curious: "Look at you, do you know my stall? Are you a regular customer in the past?"
Ouyang Rong nodded and shook his head.
"Well, this stall belongs to my old man. I took over last month. It's normal that you don't know me.
"Then you should know that our oil and sesame cake is a time-honored brand in Longcheng. It is not comparable to that of new foreign merchants like Tanlangdu. It was already well-known in Penglangdu."
The cake seller boasted and suddenly asked:
"Does the guest know that Liu Ashan, the flood control hero in our county who bravely fought against bullies? He was the hero specially enshrined by Luobo County Magistrate."
Ouyang Rong raised his eyelids and nodded towards him.
The pancake seller's chest thumped loudly: "I heard from the old man that this good man bought pancakes from us... Our pancakes are also loved by heroes and heroines. Do you want a piece of this, please? Don't try it before you leave."
Once I tasted it, it was such a pity.”
Ouyang Rong slowly raised his head, stared at the cake seller, and asked, "Is it really a pity?"
"Of course, don't leave with regrets!"
The young man who had just woken up from drunkenness took a deep breath and suddenly nodded vigorously:
"OK."
…
Several city officials on duty in Tanlangdu received the news and hurried out.
But after waiting outside the pier for half an hour, a certain young county magistrate was nowhere to be seen.
"It's strange, where has the lord gone? Didn't there just be news that the lord has arrived? Where is the person?"
"It seems like someone saw Mingfu coming just now."
A city official came from the rear pier, wiped his sweat and told:
"Master Xie, there is no sign of the Ming Dynasty on his side. Master Xie has ordered the ship to postpone its departure, and now we have to wait for the Ming Dynasty."
Several city officials looked at each other and turned around to search around in the busy streets of Tanlangdu.
At a cake stall that a city official passed by, a vendor touched three pieces of silver in his arms and smiled.
Three sentences, let the customers buy up all the cakes... The vendor suddenly felt bright about the future of selling cakes in Xindukou. He was very motivated and thought about changing the Hitachi brand and carving a sign of "Haohan Cake" on it.
The peddler looked in the distance toward the county seat and couldn't help but mutter:
"Hey, it's strange. Isn't this distinguished guest on a boat for a long journey? Why is he munching cakes and rushing back?"