Twenty-fifth year of the Heavenly Sage, late November. Pen × fun × Pavilion www. ｂｉｑｕｇｅ。 ｉｎｆｏ

Less than a month after returning to Haiping's hometown, Zhou Ming, who had just attended the launching ceremony of the "Battleship No. 1" warship that day, was hurriedly called back to Tianjiazhuang Dock Fort by his subordinates.

The Divine Decree has come.

"Fengtian presented a metaphor, the emperor said, I heard that there is a strange person in Qingzhou, Tian's character is Chinese, his literary talent is excellent, and he is famous all over the world...... I want to announce it, I wonder if Mr. Zihua would like to see me?"

After reciting the holy decree, the eunuch Ma Dexi was full of emotion in his heart, in order to find the erratic Mr. Zihua, he first took people to Liangzhou, and he did not find it in the sea of people for more than half a month, and then went to Youzhou according to the news.

In the end, there was really no way, he could only come to Mr. Zihua's hometown and complete the task of reading the holy decree first.

Unexpectedly, this Mr. Zihua actually returned to his hometown, and he had just finished his marriage.

"Father-in-law Ma, now that the weather is freezing and the road is difficult to travel, can you wait for me to spend the New Year at home, and then enter the Beijing Saint?

The emperor summoned him by decree, and Zhou Ming was definitely going to Luojing, the imperial capital.

However, the weather outside is so cold, he has only been at home for a few days to live a comfortable life, and he is about to set off to Zhongzhou Miansheng, three thousand miles away, Zhou Ming must be unhappy in his heart.

At least I have to finish the New Year and leave again in the spring.

"Okay, okay, our family will spend the New Year with you at your house, and then enter the Beijing face saint with you, Tian Zihua, don't run away blindly, in order to find you, our family has bones, but I almost ran away. ”

Ma Dexi pulled Zhou Ming's robe and said with a complaining face.

"Haha, Father-in-law Ma, you can have a good time in my Tian family this year, and take care of your scattered body and bones here before leaving!"

Zhou Ming smiled and asked the housekeeper to arrange the guest room, and Haosheng settled Ma Gonggong and the others who came to read the holy decree.

So, the eunuch Ma Dexi and the four guards lived in Tianjiazhuang for more than a month.

For more than a month, they ate and drank well, each of them gained a few pounds, and received hundreds of filial piety, learned to play poker and mahjong, and lived extremely happily.

"Mr. Zihua, this year is over, and spring is also beginning outside, why don't you set off early and go to Beijing with our family?"

On this day, seeing Zhou Ming, who came back from a trip outside, Ma Dexi, who had turned a single chin into a double chin, pulled him and said.

"Okay! Ma Gonggong, let me burn incense and bathe for five days to show respect for His Majesty the Ming Emperor and the Queen of Heaven, and we will set off early in the morning of the sixth day!"

"Good, that's good!"

……

Six days later.

In the twenty-sixth year of the Heavenly Sage, the twenty-second day of the first month, one morning.

Zhou Ming, Li Dazui, several classmates, a hundred clan soldiers, as well as Ma Dexi's father-in-law, four guards, plus a convoy of fifty four-wheeled heavy-duty carriages, carrying a large number of books and gifts, headed in the direction of Zhongzhou.

As for the family members and daughters, except for his sister Tian Jiao, who insisted on following, Zhou Ming didn't bring any of them.

His wife Cui Rou and concubine Chu Jingling wanted to go with him, but now that they are both pregnant, it is inconvenient for them to travel long distances, so Zhou Ming did not agree to follow them, and when they give birth to the child, it is not too late to go to Zhongzhou together.

Moreover, this trip to Zhongzhou has both benefits and risks, and he has to be cautious.

The advantage is that you can enhance your reputation and expand the influence of "Mr. Zihua".

The risk is unpredictable, as the saying goes, the closer to the political center of the feudal dynasty, the greater the probability of causing trouble, of course, Zhou Ming will not take the initiative to cause trouble, what he is afraid of is that villains and disasters take the initiative to come to the door, try their best to dig traps, eye medicine, it is impossible to prevent it, one wrong step, it is possible to fall into the abyss, death has no place to be buried.

Therefore, this time, he brought a hundred clan soldiers, all equipped with breech-loading rifled guns, and was ready to escape by killing a bloody way when the situation was not good.

……

On a journey of 3,000 miles, the huge team traveled at a speed of forty or fifty miles a day, stopping and stopping for more than two months, and arrived at Qinghe County, which was less than 100 miles away from the imperial capital Luojing.

Walking so slowly, it's not that Zhou Ming deliberately slows down the speed, and he doesn't have the sincerity to enter the capital to face the saint.

But along the way, I learned that "Mr. Zihua" was coming, and all the counties along the way seemed to have exploded, and countless local celebrities and celebrities stopped in front of the convoy and said that they wanted to see Mr. Zihua.

There are also those hosts who set up the banquet, folded the bed quilt, and invited him to come to the door for a day and stay for a night, Zhou Ming was not too easy to refuse, so he had to go.

Because these people who kept him as guests were all famous and famous families in the local area, many of whom had stood for thousands of years, and they couldn't help but give that face.

The enthusiasm of these families also surprised Zhou Ming, in addition to giving all kinds of expensive gifts, just the beauties, they received dozens of them, and they could almost form a "Night Moon Forty-Eight" song and dance group.

The most exaggerated thing is that those wealthy businessmen in Zhongzhou who are rival the country and have countless family fortunes learned that Mr. Zihua was coming, and around Mr. Zihua's team, they launched a jaw-dropping "fight for wealth" competition.

There was a silk merchant surnamed Shi, in order to welcome Mr. Zihua, he laid a thirty-mile-long silk carpet on the official road for people and horses to trample, and he didn't care.

There was a gold and silver mine owner surnamed Zhao, who took out a million gold and silver, sprinkled it on the ground, and paved a half-mile-long "gold road".

There is also a slave trader surnamed Shi, through various channels, brought 108 women from different countries, even whites and blacks, and set up a "108 National Niang Star Array", saying that it was to be given to Mr. Zihua to enjoy, and Zhou Ming directly asked the clan soldiers to drive all these women away.

In short, the closer to the imperial capital, the more exaggerated and bizarre the welcome scene Zhou Ming encountered, all kinds of eye-catching and eye-opening.

Of course, Zhou Ming also understands that the purpose of these wealthy businessmen, extravagant and wasteful, welcoming themselves, and trying their best to make big news is not to prove how generous they are, nor is it for them to be vassals and elegant, admiring Mr. Zihua's talent.

If he really falls into the trap of these wealthy businessmen and becomes their "mouthpiece" and "spokesperson", there are benefits, but there are also infinite harms.

Therefore, Zhou Ming still distanced himself from these wealthy businessmen, attacked the west, broke away from the large army and acted alone, and played a game of hide and seek, so that the speed of the team's march was slightly accelerated.

Qinghe County, a county close to the imperial capital Luojing, can reach the imperial capital in one day at most.

Before entering Beijing and Miansheng, Zhou Ming and his entourage stayed in Qinghe County for a few days, and were guests at Cui's house in Qinghe for a few days.

Qinghe Cui clan, the main branch of the Anping Cui clan, can also be regarded as Zhou Ming's distant relative.

After ordering someone to put up a post, Zhou Ming was given a grand welcome at Cui's house in Qinghe, and Cui Jing, the head of the family, was personally entertained and called "virtuous nephew". The young talents in the Cui family, all "cousins and cousins" shouted enthusiastically, surrounding him with a look of enthusiasm, and Zhou Ming gave him the gifts he brought in a timely manner, especially after the set of beautifully printed and signed comic books was delivered, which attracted a cheer and scream.

For a while, the etiquette and reserve cultivated by the big family for many years in these young talents of the Cui family disappeared.

"Hehehehe, I haven't seen you for many years, cousin Zihua, he is still so free and uninhibited. ”

Seeing this scene, Cui Yunhua, who was holding a baby in her hand and dressed as a woman, covered her mouth and chuckled, quite emotional.