Let's say that Li Xian released the magistrate of Pinghu County, said goodbye to his friends, and prepared to take office. The master and servant rode out of Beijing, went to Tongzhou Wharf, found a large cargo ship that transported leather goods and pine wood directly to Hangzhou, discussed with the shipowner, paid 30 taels of Sichuan money, and brought people and horses to Hangzhou.

The owner of the boat was so happy to be a favor, and he had thirty taels of silver to get, so he led Li Xian on the boat with a smile and divided into two small cabins.

Li Xianzhi sent Jin Shun'er and Han Chu'er to buy some grain, rice, and forage on the ship. Soon, sail down the wind and head south along the Grand Canal. Jin Shun'er was in charge of lighting the fire and cooking all the way, Han Chu'er was in charge of drinking and feeding the horses, and Li Xianzhi was either studying in the cabin or enjoying the scenery on the deck - his style was becoming more and more like an official master.

More than ten days passed suddenly, and when I arrived at the Hangzhou wharf, I thanked the owner for going ashore and rode to Hangzhou City. After entering the city, I found a place to settle down, and the next morning, I finished bathing and changing clothes, and brought the official document to the governor's yamen.

In front of the Fuya Gate, he had to look at some ugly faces, and used some silver to enter the door, so the door took him to the entrance hall to wait, and turned the document in.

It was not until after noon that the governor summoned him. Li Xianzhi went inside to worship hungry. The governor ascended to the throne, and Li Xianzhi knelt down and saluted. The Governor asked slowly, "Are you a Jinshi of the new department?" ”

Li Xianzhi replied: "Exactly." ”

The governor asked again, "How many are you on the list?" ”

Li Xianzhi said: "The lower officials are not talented, and they are ranked 30th among the top three." ”

The governor said again: "Do you know Zhou Chunren and Zhou Langzhong in the household department?" ”

Li Xianzhi replied: "When Xia Guan entered the school, it was Zhou Langzhong who supervised the school and was taught by many people. ”

The governor breathed a sigh of relief and said, "Zhou Langzhong once wrote a letter to strongly recommend you in front of this official. The official and Zhou Lang have a friendship of the same year, and the official will not listen to what he says, but only one person in this officialdom is not enough to recommend, and you still need to experience the twists and turns. ”

Li Xian's way: "The teachings of adults, the lower officials keep them in mind. ”

The governor filled in the paperwork, and said: "Here, let's go to the Yamen of the Political Secretary to visit and visit, and don't go to the other Yamen for the time being, I will send someone to inform you one by one, so as not to make you troublesome." The most important thing is that your parents are in Jiaxing Mansion, so that you can get along well with each other and make it easier for you to act in the future. ”

Although the governor didn't say much, and his face was not very kind, Li Xianzhi could still hear that it was still towards him, and he naturally knew that this was the role of Zhou Langzhong's letter. It wasn't until a few months later, when the governor was dismissed by the eunuch party on the charge of "the party attached to Donglin", that Li Xianzhi knew that he was also a "fellow believer".

When the governor had finished giving his instructions, he got up and went into the inner hall.

Above the lobby, only Li Xian was the only one left, who also got up, picked up the document stamped with the governor's seal, and was led out of the door. After leaving the governor's hall, he returned to his apartment, and got up early the next day to visit the Yamen of the Political Secretary. Speaking of which, this political envoy is an official rank from the second rank, and the governor is only the fourth rank, but because the military and political wealth of a province are all owned by the governor, the power of the political envoy is becoming weaker and weaker, and it has gradually become idle. Therefore, the governor sent someone to inform him, and the political envoy was happy to be a favor, and after some leisure, he filled in the paperwork and went in.

Li Xianzhi returned to his apartment and stayed for another day, recalling the deep meaning of the governor's last sentence, thinking that the prefect must be a person who is not easy to get along with, and his heart was full of anxiety. I thought I had to prepare a generous gift. He grew up in a huge rich family since he was a child, and he will never be stingy with money, but since he entered the Beijing Imperial Examination until now, the thousand taels of silver he brought with him have been exhausted, and there are only less than 100 taels left, and he has to provide food for the three masters and servants.

After thinking about it for a long time, Li Xianzhi thought of a way, which was to sell the three horses - Jiangnan Port was vertically and horizontally, and he could sail when he went out, and the horses were of little use. Thinking of this, he summoned the shopkeeper and asked him to find a horse seller.

In the afternoon, the shopkeeper came to him, and the deal was closed in a short time. The two horses that Jin Shun'er and Han Chu'er rode were each sold for fifty taels, and Li Xianzhi rode a good horse and sold for one hundred and fifty taels.

The silver and goods were in order, and the tooth led the horse away. Li Xianzhi weighed five taels of silver and thanked the shopkeeper. The shopkeeper took the money and went happily. Li Xianzhi handed over four large silver ingots of fifty taels to Jin Shun'er and Han Chu'er, and asked the two to buy some high-quality silk brocade and Longjing white chrysanthemum in the city. After preparing the gifts, I left for Jiaxing Mansion.

Jiaxing Mansion is not far north of the provincial capital Hangzhou, Li Xianzhi rented a small boat on the road, arrived in less than a day, went ashore, hired a porter, picked up things, that night, lived in the post station outside the city. When he got up the next day, he did not dare to venture into the city to visit, and sent Jin Shun'er to the mansion with his name.

Jin Shun'er entered the city, inquired left and right, and soon arrived in front of the highest and solemn mansion in the city, which was where the Jiaxing Mansion was located. At the head of the door, the two soap officers in the uniforms dozed off with a water and fire stick.

Jin Shun'er stepped forward, called softly, and the two soaps woke up together, held the water and fire stick tightly in their hands, and asked alertly with open eyes, "Who are you?" ”

Jin Shun'er took out the name card from her arms, handed it over and said: "The little one is the newly released Pinghu County master's house slave, and he came to post it on the order of the master." ”

The two soaps looked up and down, looked at each other, and no one would answer the post. Jin Shun'er knew what it meant, so she took out two pieces of broken silver that Li Xianzhi gave him in advance from her sleeve, handed them to them together, and said, "A little meaning, the two of you will take it to drink tea." ”

The two soaps immediately smiled at the corners of their mouths, stretched out their hands together, and one took a piece, raised his hand, and leaked into his sleeve to hide. One of them took the post and said, "You wait here, I'll go and inform the prefect." With that, a puff of smoke went in.

came out for a long time and said: "The prefect has accepted the post, but there are many people who want to see it, and your lord is in line the day after tomorrow, so he will come and wait early." ”

Jin Shun'er hurriedly bowed, thanked him, turned back, and told the prefect about the summons the day after tomorrow. Li Xianzhi wrote a gift list to present when he was summoned. After writing, I thought for a while, and then took off a piece of jade pendant worth a thousand taels that I was carrying, found a brocade box, and added it to the gift list.

On the day of the meeting, Li Xianzhi changed into a cyan embroidered Xiyi round-necked official robe, wore a black gauze hat, wore foundation soap official boots, went out and hired a horse, and let the porter still pick things, Jin Shun'er and Han Chu'er followed into Jiaxing City.

As soon as he entered the city, he went straight to the mansion, and when he got off the sedan chair in front of the door, Jin Shun'er stepped forward with a gift list. The soap who guarded the door recognized him, took the gift list, and went inside to report.

After a short time, Soap Li came out, followed by two servants dressed in gray cloth shirts and trousers and scarves, who did not look like tolerances, but like the prefect's cronies. Sure enough, the two servants came over, and without speaking, they walked towards the gift load in a daze, lifted it, and entered through the small door beside it.

The soap Li bowed and said, "Master Li, the prefect is meeting guests in the flower hall." "Let's lead the way. Li Xianzhi left the two scholars in the foyer and went in to see the prefect by himself.

Soap Li led Li Xianzhi to the outside of the flower hall and said: "The prefect is inside, Master Li went in by himself, and the little one retired." With that, he withdrew.

Li Xianzhi entered the door of the flower hall lightly, and saw a person sitting on the couch in front of him, only to see a gauze hat buttoned on his fat head, his wide and fat face was flushed with red oil, he was wearing a red official robe, and the cloud goose was embroidered on his chest, and the gold belt was almost squeezed to his chest by the wide belly, and his legs were stretched forward, supporting the hanging belly.

This person is Hao Shijun, the prefect of Jiaxing from Sipin, who was ordered by the imperial court. Li Xianzhi saw the funny dignity of Governor Hao, and the boss reluctantly paid homage.

Hao Zhifu waved his hand and said with a rough voice: "Li Zhixian, please hurry up, how dare you be an old man." ”

Li Xian thanked him and stood aside. Governor Hao let Li Xianzhi sit down, and asked someone to serve tea. After a cup of tea, Hao Zhifu said: "At the beginning of your county's getting off the bus, you will give heavy gifts, which really makes the government panic." ”

Li Xianzhi said pretendedly: "The lower officials have heard that the adults are incorruptible, and they don't dare to make mistakes, only a few vulgar and trivial things for the adults to appreciate." ”

Governor Hao smiled and said: "Guixian is serious, such a hand is already very big. I heard that your county is the official of the new science and technology jinshi? ”

Li Xianzhi replied: "What the adults said is not bad, the lower officials are not talented, and they are in the thirtieth place in the top three." ”

Hao Zhifu said enviously: "The first middle school jinshi, he let go of the real shortage of the seventh grade, it is really good official luck." I want to be in the imperial examination of the original government, but I was also in the top three, but I was not allowed to give an official, and I waited for three terms, a full nine years, before I was appreciated by Wei 9,000 years old, and I was released to the seven-rank promotion official, and I was promoted to the prefect for several years. ”

Li Xianzhi heard Hao Shijun say it so plainly about the eunuch party, and even had some proud expressions, and couldn't help but feel disgusted in his heart. But at this time, the eunuch party was in full swing, and there were still three years before its demise, and it was absolutely impossible to offend, at least not to be seen on the surface. He pretended to smile and said: "The prefect is talented and elegant, he is not worried about not being an official, and he is not afraid of being promoted. ”

A few words of flattery, the prefect Hao who listened to it smiled happily and said happily: "I accept these good words from you, I just want to be able to be the prefect of Taiping for a few years, and I will be satisfied." ”

As soon as he finished speaking, a man came in from outside the door, about forty years of age, short and sturdy, and wearing a fine linen cloth. didn't report it, walked straight to Governor Hao's side, whispered a few words, and retreated.

Li Xianzhi took the opportunity to get up and said: "My lord has something to do, and it is inconvenient for the lower officials to disturb him, so I will leave first." ”

Hao Zhifu said: "It is entangled in mundane things, and it is inconvenient to keep guests, so please take care of yourself in your county." After speaking, he filled in the paper.

Li Xianzhi took the text and walked out without stopping, and met two servants carrying a box, followed by a person, also wearing a seven-grade official uniform, presumably also here to give gifts.

Li Xianzhi and the seven-rank official met each other, bowed their heads to each other, and then hurriedly fled from the prefect's yamen, returned to the apartment to pack their luggage, changed into civilian clothes and went out of the city, and rented a boat to Pinghu County to take office.