A month later, he was on the road, and it was Zhou Dingcheng who accompanied him.

The two went directly to the post station of the official mansion to rent the head, that is, the horses, and then went on the road quite majestically.

Besides, he can ride a horse, and he often rides an old horse pulling a cart at home when he is a child, but in recent years, he has been in Suzhou and rarely does horse sports.

The relationship between the ancients and horses was much closer than that of today's people, there were people who specialized in raising horses, and large families would also raise horses themselves, and the drawings were similar to the cars in today's homes, which belonged to long-distance transportation.

The reason why renting a post station instead of renting private horses is because the official post station is the most developed, integrating accommodation, food and transportation, which was originally used exclusively for government personnel to come and go, and later it was also open to private people, earning some silver taels to make up for the lack of funds.

"Boy, I said let's rent a carriage, can you really stand the bumps and bumps on this mount?"

Zhou Dingcheng looked at the seemingly weak body bones and persuaded kindly.

"Senior Zhou, don't worry, I won't fall behind you." And full of confidence.

With Zhou Dingcheng by his side, Zhong Zhong was really relieved, and he didn't even send it, just checked the patient's pulse in the house. Only Guo Yuzhu was sent out of the door with tears in her eyes, so reluctant, in fact, she wanted to follow.

"Brother, you have to come back early, there are fun and beautiful things outside, bring some back for me." That's what she was thinking.

"Don't worry, go out empty-handed, and when you come back, a car will be full for you." Besides, he gestured with his hands.

The situation broke into laughter, which diluted the desolation of parting.

Zhou Wenbin's brothers, Wen Zhengchen and other cadres have been sent to the post station, and they practiced for the two of them at the post station, and Zhou Wenbin was the east. He was embarrassed to say publicly that in fact, there were shares of his family in the post stations of several provinces in the south of the Yangtze River.

This kind of business, which is open to private individuals, is generally started by a joint venture of several businessmen, borrowed in the name of the public. Therefore, half of the money spent by Zhou Wenbin will still flow back to his own account.

"Persuade the gentleman to be more, more, and more of a pot of wine, there is no one, no one, no reason outside the city of Gusu." Someone at the table drank too much, raised his glass, and said with his tongue wide open.

Zhou Wenbin stepped forward and interrupted: "Don't worry about this, my uncle knows all over the world, and as long as my brother reports to the house, it is estimated that he doesn't know much." ”

Before leaving, Zhou Dingcheng proposed that this trip would not take a tael of silver on the road, and the post station would sign all the bills, and then the Zhou family would pay the bill.

Zhou Dingcheng said proudly: "I want to test whether I can go out empty-handed and finally return with a full load." ”

Besides, when he said this, he suddenly became excited, and he really threw the fifty taels of silver given by his father, as well as some broken silver and copper plates, at home.

Seeing that this was about to go on the road, I was a little uneasy in my heart.

"Senior Zhou, let's go far away, isn't it too risky to go without silver?"

"Don't worry, you just wait to carry the silver to me along the way, you don't care how much it costs, when you come back, ten words, ten paintings, the same is not less." Zhou Dingcheng seems to be confident.

Besides, he reminded, "Okay, the rest of the silver belongs to me?" ”

This was an agreement reached between the two, and Zhou Dingcheng was responsible for all the expenses along the way, in exchange for giving him ten calligraphy and paintings as a reward when he returned.

"It's all yours!" Zhou Dingcheng said with a smile.

Zhou Dingcheng went out - penniless, which was almost a nickname of Shilin in the capital and the south of the Yangtze River.

It's not that he's stingy, just like this, used to it. It is said that Ruan of the Western Jin Dynasty has to hang a string of copper coins on his cane to make wine money, and Zhou Dingcheng is even exempt from this.

Everyone thought that he had a habit of cleanliness in terms of money, and showed a ruthlessness that regarded money as dung, but it was not. He has a problem, he is allergic to gold, silver and copper coins, as long as he touches it, it is like touching an unclean object, and he is uncomfortable up and down.

When I went out to buy something, I picked it all out, let the store deliver it to my home, and then the family paid for it, and I was familiar with it when I went to the restaurant, and he was allowed to pay on credit, and then it was settled in January.

It is more troublesome to travel, and he also has a way, he has friends everywhere, so his friends pay the bills, and then either pay back the money, or leave calligraphy and paintings to top the account, where there are really no friends, he can also come up with various ways to let the store pay on credit.

The ancients were more troublesome to travel, and often had to treat it for a few days or even ten days and half a month. Dressing is to prepare a bag, which should be packed with luggage, clothes, some dry food, drinking water, and some even need to bring food and carry a pot, because not everywhere on the road can find a place to stay and eat, and it is necessary to prepare for cooking in a pot on the spot.

Only officials traveling on official business are the most convenient. Since the Sui and Tang dynasties, China's highway traffic has been very developed, post stations are built everywhere, prosperous areas, every five miles, ten miles there is one, remote areas are generally twenty miles, even in the mountains, there is a post station in thirty or fifty miles.

During the time of Tang Dezong, several powerful eunuchs in the palace went on a business trip, and enjoyed the highest treatment in each post station along the way, not to mention the delicious food in the world, and there were gifts and special silver coins from officials at all levels.

Once, when they passed through a deep mountain, the post station could only supply vegetable dumplings mixed with wild vegetables and rice bran, and a few pampered eunuchs could swallow it, thinking that the post station intended to treat the holy envoy badly, so they beat the post station staff badly, and took those vegetable dumplings back to complain to the emperor.

Tang Dezong still knew about the people's suffering, and reprimanded them, saying: "It's already very good to have this to eat in the deep mountains." What else do you want? "The matter is over.

This shows that in the Tang Dynasty, even in remote mountain villages, there were post stations of government offices, but the supplies were not satisfactory.

The post house not only has accommodation rooms, canteens for eating, but also horses raised by the government and stagecoaches. However, in order to enjoy this one-stop service, you need the approval of the imperial court, and the officials who hold the approval document enjoy the treatment stipulated by the imperial court according to their grades, such as how many servants can be brought by several officials, what level of room can be lived, what covers, tables and chairs are used, and so on.

In ancient times, there was a proper noun for this: multiplication and transmission.

Chuan is the meaning of a post station along the way.

In this way, officials can not only spend a penny, but also enjoy a certain level of subsidies. The only thing needed is approval. Without approval, you can only pay out of your own pocket.

As long as the relevant departments give the approval document, the post station can use this as a voucher to write off the expenses to the household department. As for private matters such as going home to visit relatives and funerals, if you want to pass it on, you need special approval from the emperor.

It is not difficult for Zhou Dingcheng to get the approval of the government, he just disdains it, and besides, it is not impossible to afford it at his own expense, it is enough to paint a few paintings along the way, so why bother with those twists and turns.

"Uncle Zhou, I heard that when you left the capital, you didn't take anything with you, only riding a green donkey, but when you arrived in Suzhou, you earned more than 2,000 taels of silver." Wen Zhengchen was also very curious about Zhou Dingcheng.

"What is there to boast about." Zhou Dingcheng smiled and disdained to answer.

"But, Uncle Zhou, aren't you reluctant to touch the money? How do you bring silver? "What Wen Zhengchen doesn't understand is this.

"Send it as you go, and send it back to the capital."

Oh. Everyone sighed, and they didn't know what it meant.

"So, besides, you are ready to contribute this time, two thousand taels of silver, enough for you to carry." Zhou Wenjie patted Besides's shoulder and said.

"I only earn enough to eat, drink, shelter and travel, you think I am his fortune boy." Zhou Dingcheng said with a smile.

Besides, he pretended to cry and said with a sad face: "Don't, Senior Zhou, I still make a fortune on this trip." ”

"It's beautiful, I'll be both a bodyguard and a nanny for you, and a slave for you to make money? The emperor didn't do that. Zhou Dingcheng scolded with a smile.

Everyone eats, drinks and laughs, because of Zhou Dingcheng's company, no one thinks there will be any pain and difficulty, Zhou Dingcheng is a person who lives all over the world, even in the deep mountains and old forests, he has his way of survival, and he can have a taste.

Besides, my heart gradually relaxed, and I didn't seem to want to go to a foreign place and hike deep into the mountains to collect medicine, but I felt like I was going to the suburbs in spring.

Although Zhou Dingcheng talked and laughed, he was actually not relaxed in his heart, he understood that this trip was different from any previous one, full of various unpredictable risks. Only on the day of a safe return to Suzhou will it be considered a complete achievement.

After the banquet, there were already two groups of people waiting in the living room of the inn.

A group of people were the officials of Suzhou Prefecture, holding Lian Daning's handwritten book and some food on the road. Lian Daning asked the official to tell him that no matter where he encountered difficulties, he could take his handwritten letter to the local government for help, and whether he needed manpower or money, there should be no problem.

The other group was a family member of Chen's family, who brought a letter from Chen Musa, along with a list of names and addresses of all Chen Musa's friends, confidants, and protégés in Jiangsu and Jiangxi provinces. In the letter, the teacher told him that if he encountered difficulties, he could go to these places at any time.

Besides, my heart warms, with this list, I can really go on the road without a penny. At the same time, I also understood why Zhou Dingcheng dared to travel thousands of miles penniless, the list in his hand must be even larger, and it can be connected into a tight network.

Not only that, but seeing this list, he realized the great potential of Chen's science course, and the protégé disciples were by no means a few people, nor dozens of people, but the sum of several generations of the upper and lower generations, there were hundreds of people in the two provinces alone.

However, after he became Chen Musa's closed disciple, except for the two senior brothers, he really didn't see any other senior brothers, and it can be seen from this list that the two senior brothers were just compared to him, but they were actually younger.

The eldest of Chen Musa's disciples is already over seventy years old, and the real senior brother can almost be his grandfather.

Besides, he accepted the letters and gifts, thanked the people, and then got on the horse and left with Zhou Dingcheng in the crowd of everyone.

Out of Suzhou City, seeing the scenery of the suburbs, and his heart was excited, he had not been out of Suzhou City for a long time, and in recent years, he has spent almost all of his studies and studies at home.

Perhaps because of the upheaval of his early years, he felt very comfortable at home, warm and peaceful, away from the cold and danger. But after too much time, rust will grow in the heart again, and you need to go outside to polish it.

Walking out of the ten-mile road, it was another post station, and the two walked through.

The two walked all the way, saw special scenery and places, Zhou Dingcheng told him, there are legends or stories in the places they pass through, and they have a strong cultural background.

Besides, I listened to it with relish, and the ancients said that reading 10,000 books and traveling 10,000 miles is true. The knowledge in books is really limited.

When I walked to one place, my mind wandered, and I suddenly heard Zhou Dingcheng say in a low voice: "Don't look back, don't look around, just go forward." ”

Besides, his heart suddenly hung in his throat.

He didn't see anything, let alone feel anything, but when Zhou Dingcheng said this, he immediately felt as if a poisonous snake was lying on his back, sticking out his tongue at the back of his neck.

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