xymnovel Chapter 40 The Journey
Chapter 40 The Journey
Since he was assigned a military post, he naturally didn't have a carriage to ride in. Wen Wuyin's official rank wasn't high enough, and his father was a third-rank official, so he couldn't ride in a carriage because of his father. Secondly, Yan Liben's own rank wasn't high enough either. So the three of them rode side by side behind him.
Yan Liben noticed that the willow trees on both sides of Baqiao Post Station had been almost completely broken off, and he couldn't reach the branches even after reaching out several times. He couldn't help but feel annoyed: "I just made an appointment with a friend yesterday morning to go to the South Wing of Pingkang Ward after sunset to paint figures, hone our skills, and exchange tips on how to hold the brush when painting figures."
"Unexpectedly, an hour later, my brother told me that we were going to Hebei. Which of you two brothers came up with the idea?"
Wen Wuyin's eyes nearly popped out of his head. Could such a thing even be said? Compared to Yan Liben, his previous excuses for going to brothels seemed far too unrefined. He really needed to learn from cultured people.
Having received the imperial decree, Shen Ce naturally had no inhibitions and spouted nonsense: "Originally, I had chosen my subordinate Liu Lushu to go yesterday, but when your brother saw him, he gave Liu Lushu a good beating and even doubled his salary afterward, thus snatching the candidate back from him. If you don't believe me, go back and ask your brother."
Yan Liben's expression was somewhat strange, and he seemed to be both believing and doubting. Why would the Crown Prince ask him to draw the current situation of the people along the way when he was sent to pacify Shandong? He wondered what the Crown Prince's intentions were.
Marching under the scorching sun was an arduous task. Although everyone was drenched in sweat, they dared not remove their armor. They would travel 120 li a day, setting off at dawn and covering 90 li by noon. They would rest for an hour at a post station at noon to avoid the scorching sun and arrive at the post station before sunset.
Shen Ce estimated the distance and saw that there were still about ten miles to go, so he sent someone on horseback to the post station where they were to stay to make preparations.
Just as he had said before setting off, Wei Zheng lay down in the carriage, leaving all the decisions to Shen Ce, and it seemed he had no intention of getting up until he reached Luoyang.
As we approached Weinan Post Station, the number of people on the official road began to increase. The inns along the road were small, consisting of two low thatched houses. In front of the inn, a shed made of scraps of cloth was used to provide shade, under which a few low tables and chairs were placed. A cloth banner hung on a large locust tree nearby, which read: "Rest and Meals Available".
Whenever someone passed by, the shopkeeper would shout at the top of his lungs, "Hot wine, freshly made hot wine, sweet and soft, one penny a bowl."
His speech was not fast, but it was quite penetrating, making people want to try it as soon as they heard it.
Upon hearing this, although everyone felt a surge of excitement, no one dared to step forward and buy a bowl. However, Cheng Chumo, who was on the carriage, jumped off and shouted to the shopkeeper, "Two bowls, please."
Seeing him jump off the carriage, Shen Ce spurred his horse and sped forward.
The horsewhip, over a foot long, landed precisely on the area not covered by his leather armor, causing Cheng Chumo to jump up suddenly, tearing the roof off with him.
Cheng Chumo stared wide-eyed, ignoring the pain in his eyes, and angrily turned around: "What? Can't I even buy a bowl of hot wine for the envoy to drink?" After saying that, he looked at Wei Zheng, who was struggling to stick his head out of the carriage, and kept blinking.
Shen Ce was astonished upon hearing this. As an old-fashioned person who knew the Tang law by heart, how could he not know that this was a private act and a breach of etiquette?
Unexpectedly, Wei Zheng said weakly, "I feel cold and need a bowl of hot wine to warm myself up. If the deputy envoy thinks it's not appropriate, then so be it."
Then he waved and surprisingly called Cheng Chumo back to the car.
Wen Wuyin then leaned closer and whispered, "What kind of bewitching potion did this kid give Wei Zheng, who is so stubborn,? In just one day, he's managed to get such an upright man to smooth things over for him."
"Go ask tonight."
"What do you mean?"
"It means you two will be sleeping in the same room tonight."
Wen Wuyin shook his head and said, "Can I pay extra to upgrade to a single room?"
"Money is useless; your position is too low, you're not qualified."
"And you?"
"As the deputy envoy, I am perfectly qualified."
Wen Wuyin: ......
The postmaster was waiting on the official road early in the morning. When he saw the caravan raising a cloud of dust from the road, he led the postmaster, postmen, and dozens of others to straighten their clothes and bow to welcome them on both sides of the road.
As they drew closer, they loudly proclaimed, "The postmaster of Weinan Post Station, along with his staff, respectfully welcomes the arrival of the angel."
Without the melodramatic scenes of dispersing the crowd and chasing away the peddlers and laborers, Wei Zheng, supported by Cheng Chumo, slowly descended from the carriage, holding his staff, and walked straight inside without paying any attention to the postmaster and the others.
Seeing everyone's confusion, Shen Ce explained to the postmaster in an annoyed tone, "The envoy is not feeling well, so prepare a proper meal for him, something light, and send it in."
Upon hearing that the envoy was unwell, the postmaster quickly asked in a low voice, "Doctor, have you checked if there is a shortage of medicinal herbs? If it is common herbs, I have some in stock here."
Shen Ce waved his hand impatiently: "Just boil two more bowls of hot wine and send them in."
Upon meeting the postmaster, Shen Ce didn't waste any words and said directly, "We are here on imperial orders to pacify Shandong. We cannot delay or postpone any matter or person along the way. Please make preparations as soon as possible."
The postmaster bowed and led the way, saying, "Food and lodging have been prepared for you, sirs."
Shen Ce ignored him and turned to the others, instructing them: "Zhou San, go to the backyard to select horses for tomorrow's ride. Qin Chuan, go and set up guard around the envoy's courtyard. The rest of you, pack your bags and documents. We'll eat in batches in a quarter of an hour."
When the chief official is absent, the deputy takes over; this has been the rule since ancient times. Wei Zheng's resignation was clearly a test for Shen Ce.
For someone like Shen Ce, who had long been involved in reception and inspection in the government sector, it was nothing. Moreover, he had professional staff under him. He only needed to give instructions, and the actual work would be done by others. He only needed to take a knife and a whip to verify the documents.
For minor mistakes, a light lash with the whip suffices; for major issues, the knife is the only recourse, whether internal or external.
Don't think there's anything wrong with this. If you make a mistake, you can get away with it by being whipped. For low-level officials, this is a great thing.
As the sun set, Wen Wuyin finally got his wish and moved into a double room. He was tormented by Cheng Chumo's deafening snoring all night, so he simply wore a pair of loincloths, went for a drive with his upper body bare, and stood on the second floor, leaning against the railing, watching Shen Ce below, still in armor, talking to the soldiers on night watch. He listened carefully as Shen Ce said, "Every hour and a half, shifts are rotated. No slacking off."
squeak
Both of them heard the jarring sound of the door opening and turned around to look. Wei Zheng also frowned as he opened the door and looked outside to observe the situation.
I don't know if it's because I drank too much hot liquor, but I'm too hot to sleep...
Seeing that neither of them had fallen asleep, Wei Zheng called out to them, inviting them in to talk.
Shen Ce and Wen Wuyin, each with their own thoughts, looked at each other and entered Wei Zheng's study one after the other.