There wasn't even an inn in this place, so he could only live in a post station. Wang Yuan deliberately concealed his official status.
This is not a private visit incognito, nor is it an attempt to show off, it is purely to reduce the burden on the staff at the station.
The officials of the Ming Dynasty Station were part of the official establishment, and their salaries were paid by the court. However, the entertainment expenses of the Station were borne by the local finance, and all had to be borne by the common people.
Zhu Yuanzhang stipulated at that time that only those responsible for important national affairs could live and eat for free in the post station. But by the middle of the Ming Dynasty, as long as the official certificate was shown, you could eat, drink and live for free. How could the post station afford such a small amount of money?
?
Take Xu Xiake, the great traveler, for example. He was not an official himself, but he borrowed official certificates from his friends. During the trip, he stayed at inns and ate nothing but Overlord meals.
"Snapped!"
Throwing a silver dollar on the table, Wang Yuan shouted: "Get some food, prepare hot water, and give the horse some bean cakes."
"Hey, please come in, please." The postman was overjoyed.
The postman's name is Ma En, and he has two sons, one named Ma Fang and one named Ma Huai. His wife's family is responsible for cooking.
The whole family got busy and hot dishes were quickly served.
Wang Yuan asked casually: "Is there no Yi Cheng here?"
Ma En replied with a smile: "It is bitterly cold in Liaodong, and there are not many post officials. They are all treated by post soldiers."
"Are you an officer?" Wang Yuan asked.
Ma En replied: "Officers, my ancestors were from Shandong and came from Yongle Dynasty at that time."
There are three types of postmen: officially appointed, contracted officers, and forced to serve.
Stations with sufficient oil and water can be contracted to private parties.
In a post station where there is no money to be made, being a postman means serving, and you have to put in the money yourself.
As for the post stations in Liaodong, most of them were assigned by the imperial court, and more than 90% were exiled criminals. The imperial court gave the criminals five acres of land to farm near the inn, and also took care of the inn.
Many of the soldiers stationed in Liaodong were exiled criminals.
Wang Yuan asked again: "How are your days?"
Ma En replied: "We are barely living. If there are few officials, we can live on. If there are many officials, it will be hard to say. Look at how many people are dressed, but which one is the husband of the family?"
Wang Yuan smiled and said: "We are students from Shuntian Prefecture, and we have come to Liaodong to learn more."
"It turns out that they are all scholars and ministers, and ordinary people kowtow to them." Ma En immediately knelt down.
Wang Yuan said: "It doesn't have to be like this, please get up."
The family quickly left, and Wang Yuan ate with his entourage and disciples.
Zhang Mu whispered: "Master, something is wrong."
Wang Yuan smiled and asked, "What's wrong?"
Zhang Mu used to be a gangster leader in Hangzhou, and often dealt with various religions. He said seriously: "This man has an honest face, but his eyes are very evil. First he stared at our luggage, and then at our weapons."
"Is it still a black shop?" Wang Chong, the accompanying disciple, sneered.
Wang Chong is from Zhejiang. He is twenty-seven years old this year. His father died young (he was serving as a minister at the time of his death). Historically, he came in second place in the examination, but his essay in the palace examination was too outrageous, so he could only be reduced to the third list of Jinshi.
Why is it outrageous?
Because when he was studying in the Imperial College, he became a disciple of Zhan Ruoshui, believed in Ganquan Xinxue, and advocated reforming bad government.
This person's greatest achievement was planning and promoting the "Anda Tribute", which completely quelled Shanxi's border troubles. Until the fall of the Ming Dynasty, there were no major troubles in Shanxi, saving 70% of military expenditures for the Longqing court.
When Wang Yuan was an official in Hangzhou, he only accepted one student, and that was Wang Chong. Even if Wang Yuan didn't accept him, Wang Chong would still worship Zhan Ruoshui as his teacher, and he would have to practice mind learning anyway.
Zhang Mu said: "It's better to be careful."
Wang Chong patted his sword: "If you dare to come, I will kill you!"
In the history of Wang Chong, all the generals were afraid of the enemy, but he, a civil servant, dared to lead troops to attack on his own initiative. Qu Qu's black shop is nothing!
Another disciple, Fei Yuan, smiled and said, "My sword is also very fast."
Fei Yuan, whose ancestral home is Cixi, Zhejiang Province, came to Beijing to study with his father. His father is now the Prime Minister of Zuosi Temple in Dali Temple. This guy became a disciple of physics on his own, and his father simply followed him and joined him. This was regarded as a nail in the coffin for Wang Yuan in Dali Temple.
The disciples who can be brought to Liaodong by Wang Yuan must be qualified in martial arts.
A Confucian scholar who cannot chop people with a knife is not a truly outstanding Confucian scholar. A physics disciple who cannot fight is not a qualified physics student either. To follow Wang Yuan, you must learn to convince others with "reason"!
midnight.
The postman Ma En held a sharp knife and asked in a low voice: "Have you ever fallen asleep?"
The wife replied: "They are all fast asleep."
Ma En said excitedly: "The horses we ride are all good, and they are from rich families. Those few horses alone are worth my money. I woke up the boss and the second boss to do some work."
The whole family went out, just to kill people and get goods.
The boss, Ma Fang, said: "These rich people are carrying weapons, so they may not be easy to deal with."
Ma Huai, the second child, said with a smile: "They are scholars. What did they learn from traveling in Liaodong? Scholars can also fight? They just bring weapons to show off."
Ma En commanded: "There are two rooms. Your mother and I will take care of the one on the left, and you will take care of the one on the right. Once the deal is done, I will get you a wife and buy him dozens or hundreds of acres of land!"
Ma En inserted the knife into the crack of the door, gently opened the door latch, and tiptoed into the room. His wife also held the knife, followed suit, and quietly touched the bedside.
In the darkness, a spark suddenly lights up, and the spark turns into a flame.
But it was Wang Yuan who was blowing the fire sticks and slowly lighting the lamp, which shocked the thieves and the couple and they were stunned on the spot.
The lights are like beans, illuminating the guest room.
Wang Yuan asked with a smile: "Are you two here to bring foot-washing water? It won't be too late to come back tomorrow to get it and throw it out."
There were three other disciples in the same room as Wang Yuan, and they all sat up from the bed at this time.
Ma En quickly put the knife away and hid it behind his back, and said with an apologetic smile: "Yes, I am here to bring you water for washing your feet. I have disturbed your gentlemen's rest. You continue to sleep, I... I will leave immediately."
"ah!"
Suddenly, a scream came from next door, and the Ma En couple turned pale. It was the voice of their eldest son.
Wang Yuan used a knife to light the lamp, and the room became brighter. He smiled and said, "Since you are here, let's stay and chat."
"Ms. sir, have mercy on me!"
Ma En knelt down with a pop, already frightened.
Wang Yuan picked up the old saber (Dragon Bird Sword) without any effort, and could also use it to poke the wick. With his arm strength and control, he was definitely a master of swordsmanship. How could Ma En dare to rush in and commit murder?
Not long after, the two sons were all escorted over. One of them had already fainted from excessive blood loss.
"You were promoted to postmen, but you used the post station as a black shop," Wang Yuan asked, "How long have you been doing this?"
Ma Enlian said: "The first time, the first time!"
Wang Yuan knocked on the table, Zhang Mu slashed with his knife, and cut off one of Ma En's youngest son's fingers. The pain made the boy cry for his father and mother, and screamed.
Ma En could only tell the truth: "The fifth time."
Wang Yuan asked again: "How many people were killed?"
Ma En hesitated and said: "Ten...fourteen."
The wife knelt down and shouted: "Ms., spare your life, we can't live any longer. The imperial court has made us work as postmen for generations, but more and more people eat and drink for free with official certificates. The local government refuses to provide money. Last year, the imperial court gave us
More than ten acres of land have been occupied by military officers. What can we do? If we don’t kill people and rob money, we won’t have money to entertain the officials who pass by. Sooner or later, we will be questioned by the court. We are going to die, so we have to give it a try!"
"fart!"
Wang Yuan was furious: "If you can't entertain the officials, what crime can you be sentenced to? Your ancestors were originally sent to exile in Liaodong. Even if they are sent to prison again, where can they be exiled?"
Ma En cried sadly: "It is better to be a postman all the time than to be forced into the army and become a military household. The life of a military household is too low, and generations of ancestors have been unable to stand up. We would rather kill people and buy goods here."
Wang Yuan remained silent, and his disciples did not speak.
After a long time, Wang Yuan let out a long sigh: "Well, no matter what, since there are more than ten lives, it is impossible to spare them lightly. Let's kill them all and leave a note to explain the matter clearly to future travelers.
Go and report to the official."
Liaodong, a foreign land, is no better than Guizhou.