After two days of rest, Wang Xian and others left Zhengzhou. There was a handsome young girl in the team, Miss Long, who took the initiative to join the team. In fact, everyone was quite critical of taking this girl on the road, but Wang Xian saw Erhei's heart.
With a dazed expression, he finally agreed.
A few days later, the team left Henan and entered Shanxi. Shanxi lived up to its name, with mountains and ridges all visible at a glance. Fortunately, the official road at their feet was fairly flat, which did not affect the team's progress.
As soon as you enter Shanxi, in addition to being filled with mountains, you can also feel the atmosphere here that is different from other places. All passes are under strict guard, all states and counties are stepping up inspections, and arrest warrants for the White Lotus cultists can be seen everywhere.
You can see groups of men and women being escorted into the city by the army. This is a reasonable and unexpected phenomenon, which is quite surprising.
Finally, when he arrived in Gaoping County, he learned that the magistrate of Zhou who came to greet him was from Hangzhou. While talking about his hometown, Wang Xian asked the question in his heart. The White Lotus Sect caused rebellion in Guangling, in the north of Shanxi Province.
The county is thousands of miles away from here, so why is it so tense here?
"Are you sure you are not making a big mistake..." Zhou Zhixian smiled bitterly and said: "I don't know what I know. The White Lotus Sect is all-pervasive in our Shanxi Province. Which state or county does not have their altar and Xiangtang? Over there in Guangling County now.
The commotion was so severe that the White Lotus followers elsewhere were also deeply encouraged. If one day our White Lotus followers imitate Liu Zijin and kill officials to rebel, our own lives will be at risk and our relatives at home will be implicated."
The county magistrate has the responsibility of guarding the territory. Once the city is captured, sometimes even if he dies for the country, his whole family is still in danger of being exiled.
"I see." Wang Xian felt that what he said was reasonable, so he stopped delving into it and asked instead, "What's the situation in Guangling County now?"
"It is said that the armies of Datong and Xuanfu trapped them in Guangling from both sides." Zhou Zhixian sighed: "But Guangling County has nothing but mountains and rivers. They can escape into Hengshan Mountain at any time and then go up to Taihang Mountain. They are afraid of the official
It will be difficult for the army to clear them out."
The two sighed for a while, and Wang Xian asked a few more questions about the Jin vassal, but it was obvious that Zhou Zhixian did not want to talk in depth, and seeing that the friendship between fellow villagers was of no more use, he had no choice but to shut up and talk about romance.
Zhou Zhixian was also a little embarrassed, but he seemed to have a lot of worries. When they parted, he whispered to Wang Xian: "You should go back as soon as you finish your errands. Shanxi is not a place to stay for a long time." After saying that, he cupped his hands and hurried away.
Wang Xian looked at his back, thoughtfully.
After half a day in Gaoping County, the team suddenly saw smoke and dust billowing in. Mo Wen said in a deep voice: "It's a large team of people."
"Be on guard!" Xu Huaiqing shouted, and the well-trained soldiers quickly occupied the nearby hillocks, watching with full vigilance the approaching cavalry group.
, immediately looked solemn, knelt down on one knee and said: "The last general Shanxi Dusi Yamen Qianhu Shiying has been ordered to come to greet the imperial envoy."
"Thousands of households with a lot of work." Wang Xian nodded and asked with a smile: "I wonder which master the thousands of households are serving?" Everyone is a thousand households, but Wang Xian's thousand households are a thousand households with brocade clothes, and they have
The aura of the imperial envoy is naturally greater than that of the other party.
"Of course it's our Lord Dutai and Lord Fantai." Shi Ying said: "The last general was ordered to go to the provincial border to greet the superior. I didn't expect the superior to come so quickly. Please forgive me."
"What's wrong with a thousand households?" Wang Xian smiled and said, "Then I'll bother you with the trouble of thousands of households."
"This is what the general should do." Shi Ying said respectfully, and ordered the large group of troops to turn around and escort Wang Xian northward. With the local snakes at their side, Wang Xian and his companions' journey was much more comfortable. Everywhere they arrived, the local officials
He and the post house had already prepared hot soup and rice for the guards, and had tidied up their accommodation. Wang Xianhe was smart, so he naturally had a good meal of wine and food, and the accommodation conditions were also good.
After dinner that day, Wu Wei and several others went to Wang Xian's room for tea. Although it was already dark, there were lamps hanging from the beams of the spacious north room, lamps sitting in the corners, and books on the desk.
Lamps, dozens of lamps were lit at the same time, making the room as bright as day.
"Tsk, tsk," Xu Huaiqing stood in the middle of the room, looking up and down, left and right, and said, "Who said Shanxi is a poor place? The posthouses I have been living in these days are more luxurious than the others."
"What's your look?" Wang Xian scolded with a smile: "I can't tell that the furnishings in the room are all new.
"Yes." Wu Wei, who knows the goods, nodded and said: "The furniture in this room is all made of huanghuali, and the bookcase is made of sandalwood. The paper, pen, ink and inkstone on it are all high-quality products from Huizhou. The tables and coffee tables are of the highest quality.
The fine porcelain bowls, these vases, and hanging paintings are actually antiques from the two Song Dynasties."
"Calculate how much the furnishings of this room cost." Wang Xian said to Wu Weida.
"At least 30,000 taels of silver." Wu Wei made an estimate and said, "The most expensive one is this authentic work of Su Dongpo, which costs no less than 10,000 taels of silver in the capital."
"Which post house can use such expensive furnishings?" Wang Xian said with a smile: "They are obviously specially replaced for us.
"Tsk, tsk, this treatment," Xu Huaiqing said with a smile, "Imperial envoys are just different."
"The treatment is good, but on the other hand, they guard me like a thief." Wang Xian sneered: "Before we passed Gaoping County, we could still see some real things, but after we came up from Shi Qianhu
, we are isolated by them, we can only see what they want us to see, and we can only listen to what they want us to hear, and this is a nonsense case."
Everyone was convinced, Xu Huaiqing said: "No wonder in the play, the imperial envoys and ministers have to pay private visits incognito. Sir, how good would it be if we also paid private visits in private?"
"Do you think we are acting?" Wu Wei spat.
"There are rules for the behavior of imperial envoys. When crossing state or county borders, they must notify the local officials, and state and county officials must come to pay homage." Mo Wen explained: "If you don't show up, people will immediately know that we are doing something small, and they will be incognito."
How about a private interview?"
"Then the drama is all fake?" Xu Huaiqing said regretfully.
"It's not always the case. It still depends on the situation. Sometimes we have no choice but to take this extraordinary step." Wang Xian said with a smile: "But we are thousands of miles away from Taiyuan? I am incognito now. Isn't it a little early?"
"That's right. If you are caught by the government on the way, it will be a shame for the old man." Xu Huaiqing nodded.
"By the way, where is Erhei?" Wang Xian asked.
"He's following Miss Long around." Xu Huaiqing said with a smile, "Why would Miss Long roll her eyes at him? He's like a dog-skin plaster that sticks firmly to her butt."
"Hahaha..." There was a burst of laughter in the room. It was just a laugh. Wang Xian said to everyone seriously: "Then leave him alone. We can't just let people blindfold us. Although I can't leave, you are
Okay." He said, looking at Xianyun and Wu Weidao: "You two find an opportunity to leave the team quietly and go to the tomb of King Jin before me to see if you can secretly see Zhu Jixi. I think he can do something for us.
Give me some pointers.
"Yes." The two of them responded solemnly.
"If you can't see anyone," Wang Xiandao said, "just wait to meet me in Taiyuan."
"Yes." The two of them accepted the order.
The others were also looking forward to Wang Xian, but they saw him waving his hand and saying: "Everyone go to bed."
Protected by the guards and escorted by the local officials, Wang Xian had not heard as much flattery in the past ten years as he had heard along the way. In this way, Shi Shiran arrived in Taiyuan, the provincial capital of Shanxi, for more than ten days.
.
Taiyuan, known as Jinyang in ancient times, also known as Dragon City, sits on the back of the world, is the fortress of the four fortresses, and controls the capital of the Five Plains. Since ancient times, it has been an important town for kings to fight for the world. Its city is tall and powerful, no less dense than the imperial capital, and it is densely populated.
It is luxuriant, and several species are found in the south of the Yangtze River.
On the day Wang Xian arrived in Taiyuan, officials on the ground in Shanxi held a grand welcoming ceremony. Zhang Chun, Shanxi's chief envoy, Zhou Yan, Shanxi's capital secretary, He Zhucai, the prefect of Taiyuan, and others all greeted the imperial envoy ten miles outside the city. Amidst the sound of rituals and music, Wang Xian
Xian Xian accepted their great courtesy on behalf of the emperor, and then he hurriedly bowed and returned the courtesy and said: "I pay my respects to you sirs."
"Don't be too polite when you're on duty," Zhou Fantai, who was in his sixties, had a wrinkled face, and spoke in Henan Mandarin, said: "It's been a hard work coming all the way, I've prepared a banquet at the government office to wash away the dust for the superior."
"It is better to be respectful than to obey orders." The chief envoy is a high-ranking official of the second rank. Before the appearance of the governor, he was the highest local governor and the rumored feudal official. Wang Xian is a fifth-rank military attache. Although he has the title of imperial envoy,
But he didn't dare to show off in front of the other party.
The banquet was held at the Chief Envoy's Yamen. Most of the officials in Taiyuan were present, as well as the gentry and elders from the provincial capital. There were more than a dozen Eight Immortals tables filled with a dazzling array of dishes. In addition to Yellow River carp, there were also
Rare things like abalone and sea cucumbers, even though it is the cold season of winter, the melons and fruits are still piled up in mountains, Fenjiu, bamboo leaves and green leaves are full of fragrant fragrance. There is also a theatrical troupe, performing some kind of play, the gongs and drums are sonorous, the silk strings are lingering, making people laugh.
People feel as if they are in a peaceful and prosperous age.
If it were in the past, Wang Xian would naturally enjoy it. His character as a small official would make him quite complacent. He never imagined that I would be here today. I would drink with him all over the province, and all the gentry in the province would be there to accompany him. It was so cool.
But this time, when he looked at the people in the hall, drinking wine and meat, he always saw in front of his eyes the appearance of the people he saw along the way who were hungry and fell to the ground, which made him feel like he was sitting on pins and needles.
The local officials in Shanxi over there were all looking at him coldly. Seeing the imperial envoy's distraught appearance, they secretly laughed, thinking that this young boy was confused by today's grand welcome scene and didn't know why.
After the banquet, Zhou Fantai wanted to send Wang Xian to the imperial envoy in person, but Wang Xian firmly refused. Wang Xian said a lot, he was flattered today, and he must not kill the boy again, so Zhou Fantai had no choice but to stay and let the Taiyuan magistrate
Send him back.
The imperial envoy's journey prepared by the Shanxi government for him,