There is an endless stream of people at the city gate, and the whistling yellow sand fills the air, but it does not reduce the majesty of this capital in the slightest. The simple city walls stand proudly, and even the spirit of the ordinary people is somewhat stronger than other places.
Lu Zhuo was forced to cover his mouth and nose with a scarf, wore a cotton coat, opened the curtains, and saw the city of Beijing sideways, and couldn't help but admire it.
"Hahaha, Brother Lu, this is too much."
Jin Wen shook his head and laughed, pointed a paper fan at the person, turned to the silent Yu Chenglong and said: "Beiming, when it comes to the taste of yellow sand, how can it be as good as our Shanxi?"
"Brother Jin, what you said is also wrong." Yu Chenglong reacted, stretched out, relieved some of his fatigue, and couldn't help but smile:
"The difference between Shanxi and Beijing yellow sand is nothing more than a jar of old vinegar. If Brother Yue wants to try it, I just happened to bring a few jars."
"Okay, you two join forces to mock me."
Lu Zhuo spat, lowered the car curtain, and the noise was isolated, forming a quiet boundary.
"However, it is worth it to come to Beijing in this life."
Sitting down, Lu Zhuo was overwhelmed with emotion.
Yu Chenglong, Jin Wen and others naturally knew what it meant. If they hadn't passed the provincial examination and learned about the county magistrate, they would not know what year or month it would be when they took the general examination.
After a while, the carriages lined up in a long queue, passed the city gate and entered the outer city.
"Why is this outer city so dirty and the roads broken?" Lu Zhuo asked puzzled.
"Look at the people who are working hard. They must be building roads, so they look dilapidated."
Yu Chenglong observed very carefully and found the key immediately.
While walking around, I noticed that although the population of Beijing is less than half of what it used to be, it is still bustling and lively, far better than Taiyuan City.
The convoy arrived in front of the Shanshan Guild Hall, and the doctor who led the way said bluntly:
"Next year is the Spring Festival, and there are many scholars in the guild hall now. You can only stay here temporarily for a few days. You can feel more relaxed after the guild examination is over."
Yu Chenglong and others looked up and saw that the several-foot-high flag was extremely conspicuous, and the broad and imposing house number made people feel proud.
This is the second largest guild hall in Beijing, second only to Southern Zhili. This is evident from the wealth of Shaanxi merchants and Shanxi merchants.
The guild hall jointly built by Shanxi and Shaanxi was established by the gentry and businessmen of the two provinces and was specially used to entertain scholars rushing to take exams in their respective provinces.
The guild hall mainly receives businessmen from all over the world.
"How many guild halls do you know in Chang'an? Singing and feasting are everywhere in Shaoxing" is the best portrayal of the large number of guild halls in the Ming and Qing Dynasties.
The prosperity of commerce and the popularity of imperial examinations have made Beijing as numerous as stars, with hundreds of guild halls in total.
The rise of guild halls has also promoted cultural exchanges. Historically, when Hui troupes came to Beijing, they performed in guild halls and won great acclaim.
In addition, the guild hall is also responsible for managing officialdom, gathering with fellow villagers, providing relief to fellow villagers, litigating lawsuits, as well as charity, warehousing, salary collection, letter express delivery and other businesses. It can be said to be a semi-official organization.
"Everyone, please hurry up and take a seat."
The leader was very polite. He greeted me at the door and bowed his hands politely. His cheeks were red from the cold. It was obvious that he had been waiting for a long time.
He is a middle-aged man who looks very smooth, wearing a cotton robe, neatly dressed, and elegant, but he does not have the arrogance of a scholar, which makes people feel good.
"That's polite."
Yu Chenglong and others hurriedly bowed their hands and saluted, not daring to show off.
There are many connections in the guild hall. God knows which official this year is a relative of, and he got this good position.
The guild hall is composed of the chief minister, the chief minister, the prime minister and the guest general. These managers are elected by the gentry and the government from various provinces.
Since the person greeting and seeing off in the guild hall was either a scholar or an official, it can be said that the network of people is very wide, and this is a good opportunity that is rare to come by.
"Although it's spring next year, our Shanxi and Shaanxi provinces suffered a lot during the Chongzhen period, and we didn't have many children. It's more than enough for everyone to move in..."
The chief minister smiled and led the way. The twenty reserve bureaucrats looked a little stunned. The conditions of the guild hall were really good.
There are rockeries, trees and flowers, each room is as spacious as an inn, and there are even many separate courtyards for the residence of high-ranking officials and their families.
"Although our Shaanxi Chamber of Commerce covers an area not as good as that of Nanzhili, the internal environment is even better. We don't need money to provide food and accommodation..."
After saying this, he had everyone's luggage delivered to the room one by one, and asked about food and health, showing his utmost concern.
"I heard that some of them are good friends, and these three rooms happen to be adjacent to each other——"
When Yu Chenglong looked at this person, he couldn't help but feel warm in his heart. He was really relying on his fellow villagers!
"Walk--"
Lu Zhuo laughed loudly and moved in with his entourage.
Just after dinner, a scribe came to the guild hall.
The chief directly introduced: "This is the scribe of our writing shop. He is from the Yamen. He will register you and apply for temporary residence permits."
"With this certificate, you can live in Beijing for three years."
The words shop and temporary residence permit made them a little confused.
Immediately, the first assistant began to introduce.
It turns out that after the Fangxiang system became outdated, the city of Beijing implemented the Zipu system last year.
Since the characters of the Thousand-Character Classic do not repeat, each character is used as a representative, and the entire city of Beijing is divided into a thousand-character shops, each of which manages two hundred to three hundred households.
This shop is responsible for a series of low-level tasks such as household registration, fire fighting, and burglary. Each shop is composed of a clerk, two policemen, and a number of white laborers (temporary workers) who work voluntarily.
"As for the temporary residence permit, it is your identity number plate. It is set up by the imperial court to manage the foreign population in the capital. You do not need to apply for it within seven days, but you must apply for it after seven days."
"Otherwise, he will be imprisoned for three days before being released."
After hearing the end, everyone was in awe.
Of course they don't care about the ten cents it costs to apply for the certificate.
In almost two-quarters of an hour, Yu Chenglong received his temporary residence permit, a palm-sized square of mulberry paper.
Submission: Temporary residence permit for "Wen" shop in Daxing County, Shuntian Prefecture.
At the bottom is the address, Shanshan Guild Hall.
On the north side, his name is recorded.
Yu Chenglong, whose courtesy name is Beiming, is from Yongning Prefecture, Shanxi Province. He is seven feet one inch tall, has a thin cheek, a short beard, and bright eyes...
Finally, he left a signature: "文", written by the scribe, Zheng Zhou, diary of October 13, the third year of Shaowu.
"That's very polite of you." Lu Zhuo said with a smile, "It's hard to come to the clubhouse to register us."
"That's because our identities are different."
Jin Wen sighed: "I will be an official in a few months, and I will be much better than them."
Yu Chenglong also sighed with emotion.
However, such a strict household registration system is a good thing for the capital.
A few days later, all the successful candidates in the provincial examinations (county magistrates) from all over the country arrived in Beijing, and the official government inspections began.
It lasts for half a year, and I live in each of the six ministries for a month to observe the government. As the saying goes, it is cheap labor.