When Wang Yuan arrived in Beijing, it was already the twenty-seventh day of the first lunar month, and it took 89 days on the way, and there were only 10 days left before the examination.

The outer city wall of Beijing in the Zhengde period, with its east, west and north sides, roughly coincided with the second ring road of Beijing in later generations. As for the south side, it was only built to the front gate area of the later generations, and the outer city wall further south was built by the Jiajing Dynasty.

Wang Yuan's first impression of Beijing was the dense and chaotic dwellings outside the southern city wall. There was no systematic planning at all, and the people spontaneously settled outside the city, and they were built one after another for hundreds of years.

Of course, since the population has increased and the market has formed, officials must be appointed to manage it.

For those buildings that seriously disrupt the city's appearance or are prone to fire, the authorities will definitely carry out forced demolition.

Hubu Gongyuan is located in the southeast corner of Beijing, and the surrounding houses have been rented by scholars from all over the world.

Nanzhili, Zhejiang, Fujian, Jiangxi and other places on the same road raised people, and they ran to the hometown hall one after another, but they chose to rent a private house because they couldn't live in it. The scholars in Yunnan, Guichuan and other places have no guild hall to take refuge into, so they honestly look for houses along the street.

Due to the need to raise horses and donkeys, Wang Yuan, Jin Wei and Zou Mu all lived in the inn.

It is a large inn, and although it is located outside of Beijing, it usually has plenty of customers. Because entering the city is the yamen of various ministries, many officials from other places who go to Beijing to do business choose to stay here, and there are also many businessmen.

Zhang Yun couldn't afford to live in a high-end inn, and he didn't have the face to let Wang Yuan help him anymore, so he found a private house outside the city.

In just the past two days, Zhang Yun was cheeky and came to the inn to borrow money from Wang Yuan.

"What's wrong?" Wang Yuan asked.

Zhang Yun swallowed: "It's really ...... It's hard to talk about. ”

Wang Yuan was speechless and said, "Someone cheated out of money? ”

"Well," Zhang Yun said with a swollen face, "Yesterday, I went to the bookstore with my fellow Anhui Juzi to see if there were any good books. As a result, I met a boy in brocade, he talked to us, and learned that we were all deputy Banggong students, so he said that he had a way in the household department and could help us buy officials. ”

"You still believe it?" Zou Mu was surprised.

Zhang Yun said with a depressed face: "I didn't believe it at first, but he was sitting in a blue sedan chair, and there were a few healthy servants around him, and those healthy servants were wearing silk robes. Halfway through, another Guozi prisoner came, and spent three hundred taels of silver to buy Huaiyuan County Cheng. This man is very good at talking, and he has been talking to us for half an hour, and we have become confidants. He said that he was the nephew of Liu Zhong, the secretary of the ministry, and he admired our talent and learning very much, and he only needed to give us a little money casually, and he could arrange for us to be the head of a county. ”

Wang Yuan, Jin Wei and Zou Mu looked at each other, and even Zhou Chong and the other entourages almost laughed.

I don't blame Zhang Yun for being too stupid and naïve, I just blame the liars in the capital for being too professional.

The blue sedan chair is an official sedan chair, and these scammers not only violate the rules to sit in the official sedan chair, but also dare to pretend to be the family members of the official secretary. And there were actors joining in the middle, pretending to be Guozi prisoners, and spending 300 taels on the spot to buy officials.

Where have Guizhou scholars ever seen such a thing?

was immediately deceived, and thought that he was unlucky, and actually made friends with the nephew of the official department.

Wang Yuan held back a smile and asked, "How much have you been deceived?" ”

"The money on my body has been cheated out, and there are only two pieces of broken silver left," Zhang Yun hung his head and could only find comfort from others, "The Anhui scholar who was with me was even worse, and he was deceived of twenty taels of silver!" ”

Zou Mu asked curiously, "How do you know that you have been deceived?" ”

Zhang Yun scratched his head and said, "When those scammers are gone, the bookstore owner will blame us." It's really foolish to say that he's been making eye contact with us, and that we're still stupid and being deceived. ”

Wang Yuan thought for a moment and asked, "Where is that bookstore?" ”

Zhang Yun pointed to the east and said: "Not far from Chongwen Gate, there is a Shizi Street, which specializes in pen, ink, paper, inkstone, books, calligraphy and paintings. ”

"Don't blame yourself, I'll help you get the silver back," Wang Yuan comforted him, and then said to Jin Wei, "Brother Jin, please cooperate with a good show." ”

Jin Wei asked, "Why me?" ”

Wang Yuan smiled: "Because you are wearing a brocade robe, you look more like a wronged head." ”

With Jin Wei's character, he won't help, and even thinks that Zhang Yun deserves to be deceived, who made Zhang Yun think about going crooked? But at this moment, Wang Yuan spoke, and Jin Wei actually agreed, and honestly went to Chongwenmen to fish for liars.

Moreover, Jin Wei also took the initiative to buy a golden crown and hosta, and he didn't even wear a square scarf, just to look more like a wronged head.

The next day, Wang Yuan went out with Jin Wei.

Zou Mu stayed to review his homework, after all, he would only try it in a few days, and he was completely unsure that he would be able to pass the Jinshi exam. Zhang Yun didn't go out, for fear of being recognized by the scammer, so he waited in the rented house uncertainly.

Jin Wei rode Wang Yuan's Shuixi horse, dressed up in great wealth, and shook a folding fan in his hand.

Wang Yuan and several scholars, who are responsible for playing the entourage of Jin Gongzi, are also wearing satin clothes.

They wandered around Shizi Street and had no results all morning, and it is estimated that the scammers did not dare to show up for a short time. Anyway, I bought a lot of things anyway, and when I met people, I boasted that Jin Gongzi was a deputy list tribute student, and this time he would definitely be able to pass the deputy list Jinshi!

……

Outside the eastern city, a private house.

Near noon, a young man dressed as a small maid ran quickly to the courtyard: "Master Chu, I found a big fat sheep!" ”

"Oh?"

Chu Ye was exercising, put down the stone lock and asked, "What fat sheep?" ”

The little guy smiled: "A son-in-law who wears gold and jade, claims to be a deputy Banggongsheng from Yunnan. When he meets people, he boasts that he is good at learning, and he will definitely be able to enter high school, what use do you say he can do if he wins the deputy list of jinshi? They are all natives who have never seen the world, and they feel strange when they see anything, so they bought several scrolls of calligraphy and painting this morning. ”

"Have you ever found a place to stay?" Chu Ye asked.

"Liu San followed, and I came back to report the news." The little guy said.

After a while, Liu San, who was in charge of tracking, ran back and said with a smile: "Master Chu, that fat sheep lives in the Longxing Hotel, and I have been following them into the guest room before coming back." ”

Chu Ye thought for a moment and said: "This time, let the second child sing the leading role and play the role of a rich son who went to Beijing to visit relatives." Identity, it's the nephew of the Ministry of Literature, and I'm looking for an opportunity to contact the fat sheep this afternoon. If you can get a big vote, don't work again this month, and the fat sheep is likely to report to the official. ”

"Hehe, these outsiders, they don't even know which way to open the yamen." Liu San said with a smile.

These swindlers were known as "city sticks" in the Ming Dynasty, and there were many in the capital.

The high-ranking city sticks also have a temporary official status, often as a secretary.

If an official in the capital goes out, it is nothing more than calculating money and food, moving and writing manuscripts, etc., and the scholar disdains to do such chores himself, so he has to temporarily hire a scribe to accompany him.

And these high-level city sticks, although they have no official status, are better than being able to write and calculate. As soon as they heard that there was an official going out of Beijing to do business, they competed for employment in a variety of ways, and swaggered out of Beijing with the official. When he arrived in the locality, he frantically defrauded money, and even accepted bribes and helped people tamper with official information.

Ordinary city sticks often lurk in the capital, and when they encounter officials who have entered Beijing to do business, or deputy leaders who have entered Beijing to take the examination, they will set up bureaus in groups to deceive. often falsely claims to be the family of an official in the ministry, and can help people make arrangements, and coax people to pay money stupidly.

And even if the victim realizes that he has been deceived, he does not dare to speak out, let alone report to the official. Because they have a meritorious reputation, this thing will ruin the future!

For example, Gao Gong, the first assistant of the cabinet of the Longqing Dynasty, had countless cheap nephews and cheap cousins in the capital, which made Gao Gong's reputation very bad. was so angry that Gao Gong personally investigated the micro-service, arrested a large number of liars and sent them to the Criminal Department for severe punishment, and even asked Emperor Shangshu to rectify the security of the capital.

Zhang Yun's luck was very good, and he was set up in Beijing just a few days ago.