From Changting County to Fuzhou, the provincial capital, there are two official road lines by land, South Road and North Road, and the North Road is directly through Yanping Mansion, and then crosses the Minjiang River from Minqing and enters Fuzhou City in the east.

As for the South Road, it is a detour to Zhangzhou Mansion, and then through the north of Quanzhou Mansion and into Fuzhou Mansion.

Compared with the north and south roads, the distance of the north road is shorter, but there are many water systems of the Minjiang River along the way, and it is often necessary to cross the river by boat, and it takes time to cross the river by horse-drawn carriage, so from Changting to Fuzhou, it is generally the south road, although it is a long way, but the road along the way is generally smooth, and there are fewer bandits on the road.

On May 29, seventeen days after departure, the group of two carriages finally arrived at Fuzhou City, the residence of the Chengxuan Political Envoy in Fujian.

Fuzhou Prefecture used to be the largest state capital in Fujian, but after Funing County was promoted to Funing Prefecture, the jurisdiction of Fuzhou Prefecture was reduced from 13 counties to 10 counties, and it is still the administrative core of Fujian.

Fuzhou City is located in the coastal area of eastern Fujian, in the early years of the Ming Dynasty to the opening of the sea in Longqing for nearly two hundred years, Fuzhou became the national shipping center, this is mainly due to Zhu Yuanzhang promulgated the "ban on foreign traffic order" after the implementation of the sea ban, Ryukyu is one of the few countries that can freely travel to and from the Ming Dynasty for overseas trade.

The Ryukyuan people imported silk, silk, porcelain, lacquerware and medicinal materials from the Ming Dynasty, and transferred them to Southeast Asian countries, where they exchanged them for pepper, sumac, spices, and ivory, and then returned to Fuzhou to sell them for huge profits.

Therefore, during this period, Fuzhou was not only in the trade exchange with the Ryukyus, but also in the overseas countries to carry out commodity trade activities, this transit trade was very prosperous, so that Fuzhou Port became one of the four major ports in the Ming Dynasty and the largest port in Fujian, and once became the center of overseas trade in the Ming Dynasty.

The connection and transportation between Fuzhou Prefecture and various parts of the province mainly rely on the water transportation of the Minjiang River, which is the transit station for the transfer of goods from Fujian and Guangdong to the Jianghuai River in the north, and the trade is very developed.

Tingzhou Chamber of Commerce two years ago, under the coordination of the then governor An Rusheng, set up a branch of the Chamber of Commerce and a silver branch in Fuzhou City. Take more care of the four uncles and nephews of the Shen family.

When I entered the city that afternoon, the first thing I did was to find an inn to settle down, Shen Mingwen had been to Fuzhou City many times and was quite familiar with the city. He had to live in an inn called "Jidi" in the east of the city, which was a good omen, not only to raise people, but also to enter the Shiji in the future.

Shen Xi has long been accustomed to Shen Mingwen's unreliability.

Shen Mingwen brought a lot of trouble along the way, and his party originally entered the city from the west of the city. But he had to go to the east of the city to stay, Shen Xi didn't know why he favored the "Jidi Inn" so much.

When I arrived at the place, as soon as I entered the door, the innkeeper greeted with a smile: "Yo, isn't this Master Shen?" You came to Fuzhou quite early this year. ”

Shen Mingwen immediately looked arrogant: "Shopkeeper, come to three good guest rooms." ”

Shen Xi seemed to understand something, Shen Mingwen came to this inn, mainly because the shopkeeper had a sweet mouth and would compliment people, and as soon as he came in, he called "Master Shen", as if Shen Mingwen had already passed the township test.

Shen Xi glanced at it. found that the wooden sign behind the counter read: 100 Wen a day in the upper room, and quickly pulled Shen Mingwen's shirt: "Uncle, the three of us can't sleep in three rooms." ”

The shopkeeper originally thought that there were big customers, and there were still more than two months before the township test started, and there was still a period of time before the candidates entered the peak season when the major inns in the city were overcrowded, Shen Mingwen opened three rooms at once, and he had to get three hundred yuan a day, and he would have to live until August, and in the middle of seventy or eighty days, the inn could generate more than twenty taels of silver. How can you not be happy?

But when he heard Shen Xi's words again, the innkeeper's face was slightly unhappy: "Master Shen went out for the exam and brought his nephew?" ”

Shen Mingwen's face darkened a little, but he obviously didn't want to introduce Shen Xi to the innkeeper: "Shopkeeper." He didn't count, he opened three Tianzi rooms for us. ”

Shen Xi insisted: "If you open three rooms, then the uncle will live by himself, and the third uncle and I will go to find an inn to live in somewhere else." ”

Shen Mingwen was a little anxious when he heard this, because the old lady was afraid that he would have another farce of running away from home, and he would be penniless along the way. Whether it is eating, drinking or staying in the hotel, Shen Mingtang is in charge of the accounts.

Fortunately, there is one point, Shen Mingtang is obedient to him, even if he really has some unreasonable demands, Shen Mingtang basically meets them.

If Shen Xi takes Shen Mingtang away, there will be one less person to pay the bill.

Shen Mingwen said with a dark face: "Third child, what do you think?" ”

Although Shen Mingtang was illiterate, he did a good job of settling accounts, pinching his fingers, the little silver on his body was not enough to pay for the house in the past few months, and hurriedly said: "Big brother, we still live in two less rooms, and three people are crowded...... Either change places, even if you squeeze the Chase Shop. ”

When the innkeeper heard Shen Mingtang say that he lived in a "big shop", his face suddenly turned cold, I will treat you as a big man when you live in the upper room, you live in a shop, and I will treat you as an inferior person.

Shen Mingwen said angrily: "I'm the eldest brother, I'm up to me here, if you don't want to live, leave the money and live wherever you like!" ”

Shen Mingtang hesitated: "Mother said ......"

The shopkeeper interjected: "Master Shen, do you live or not?" How many rooms do you have? ”

Shen Xi said: "Shopkeeper, your house here is too expensive, I think the house with the name is good, can it be cheaper?" ”

In the "and the first inn", the room of the day is 100 Wen a day, the room of the ground is 40 Wen a day, and as for the Chase Shop, it only costs 15 Wen a day.

For the general candidates, half a month in advance to enter the provincial capital to prepare for the exam, live in a local room, although not too spacious, there is no scenery outside the window, and even the window may be facing the stable or thatched house, but how to say that there is also a separate space of its own?

No one disturbs you when you read, you can also pick up the lamp to read at night, and the room fee costs six or seven dollars of silver, plus you don't need one or two to eat and drink every day.

In this way, the exam is held once every three years, plus the travel fee is only two taels of silver, the test is also examined, and the provincial capital has also come, and you can still bring some local products back when you go back, and the small family can accept it.

But Shen Mingwen is like this, he went to the provincial capital more than two months in advance, and as soon as he entered the city, he had to directly open three upper rooms, which was simply a trip to enjoy life!

Shen Mingwen said coldly: "If you want to live in the number room, open an upper room for me, I don't care about them." ”

Shen Xi didn't talk nonsense with Shen Mingwen, and directly pulled Shen Mingtang out of the door: "Third uncle, let's find another inn, I always feel evil in this inn." ”

Shen Mingwen chased out of the door in a rage, and said angrily: "What are you doing? Who is in charge of the three of us? Little son, don't give you a shame! ”

Shen Xi thought to himself. It's not your money that is spent on feelings! The old lady was mean, and before they set off, she and Hui Niang advanced Xie Yun'er's salary for the next thirty taels of silver and the dividends of the pharmacy for their exam, but in fact, in the end, she only gave Shen Mingtang fifteen taels, and the remaining fifteen taels The old lady took back to Ninghua.

The old lady thought very clearly. In the past, Shen Mingtang and Shen Ming had brothers who went to the provincial capital to take the exam, and gave them ten taels of silver, so that they could make a night in the Qinglou Chu Pavilion, and in the end, Shen Ming had a scandal of missing and missing. Now the three of them are in the city, and the carriage is provided by the Chamber of Commerce. Fifteen taels of silver is definitely more than enough, and no matter how much it is, something will definitely happen.

This time, the three of them are tantamount to taking Xie Yun'er's hard-earned money to prepare for the exam, Shen Xi doesn't think about others, but also for his own wife, it's best to have some left, and go back to Xie Yun'er. But he knew in his heart that this silver had been carried down by Hui Niang or his own wife.

Shen Mingtang hurriedly said: "Big brother, our silver is really not enough, if we live here, we can't even afford to eat before the exam!" ”

Shen Mingwen saw this appearance and knew that it was not good to play the prestige of the eldest brother. Instead, he frowned and reasoned: "Do you know, the people in this provincial city are the most snobbish, first respect Luo Yi and then respect people, if we don't eat and dress well, and don't live well, how can we get along with the scholars in the provincial capital?" ”

Shen Xi asked in surprise: "Uncle, mingle with the scholars of the provincial capital...... What does it have to do with our exams? ”

Shen Mingwen said in the tone of a forerunner: "You don't understand this? Only when you have a good relationship with the scholars in the provincial city will you become famous, and when the internal curtain official reads the papers, he will remember you as a person. The odds of winning are much greater! ”

Shen Xixin said, you are stupid to me?

The township examination is divided into an inner curtain officer and an outer curtain officer, and the inner curtain officer has one main examiner plus six same examiners, who are responsible for writing questions and marking papers. The Exterior Curtain Officer is responsible for supervising the examination room.

The power of the inner curtain official seems to be very great, but in fact, except for the township examination of the north and south of the direct subordination, the chief examiner and the same examiner of the local township examination are all selected in the way of "external hiring", mainly based on the teachings of the local famous Confucianism and the Confucian Education Department, but the outer curtain official is the official of the provincial political envoy department.

This results in a "heavy on the outside and light on the inside". Even if the imperial court clearly stipulates that the outer curtain officials are not allowed to interfere with the work of the inner curtain officials, because the inner curtain officials have no power, they sometimes have to bow their heads.

If you want to say that there may be drawbacks in the township test, it is often on the side of the outer curtain officials, who will put pressure on the inner curtain officials. As far as the internal curtain official marks the papers, it doesn't matter who the names of the candidates who are graded are or who they are, or whether they are local celebrities, or whether they are roosters and dogs, it has nothing to do with them.

Shen Mingwen said that he wanted to have a good relationship with the scholars in the provincial capital, nothing more than to find an opportunity to go out to eat, drink and have fun, and living in a room would help him show his identity, and it would be easier to get close to some scholars with good family backgrounds, eat well and have fun, but the corresponding silver would cost a lot, after all, no one would invite you in vain.

Shen Xi said: "Our silver is really not enough, does the uncle want us to live in the room first, and then when the exam is approaching, we will sleep on the streets, eating and drinking and hungry?" ”

Shen Mingwen smiled and said, "That's not the case, isn't there a chamber of commerce in this provincial capital?" When the time comes, we can go over and ask them for some money and turn it around. ”

Shen Xi frowned, how shameless this uncle is to come up with such a bad move! If you are really desperate to borrow some silver, as a fellow villager of Tingzhou Mansion, the people of the Chamber of Commerce may still pity you, but it is better for you to ask others directly, and when the Chamber of Commerce is opened by your family?

This time, it was Shen Mingtang who opened his mouth to object: "Big brother, it won't work...... My mother said that we have to rely on ourselves when we go out, and we must not get too close to the Chamber of Commerce. ”

The Li family did not let Shen Mingtang and Shen Mingwen get close to the Chamber of Commerce, because they were afraid that the ninth-rate people in the Chamber of Commerce would bring her precious son and grandson and let the two purest scholars of the Shen family be contaminated with copper stench. Now it seems that the old lady's trick has some effect, at least so that Shen Mingwen can recognize the reality and not think nonsense all day long.

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PS: Sixth Update!

The Son of Heaven is really fighting, after seven o'clock in the morning, he has been coding words until now, dizziness, swelling, body aches, his arms don't look like his own at the moment, and the whole person feels very bad!

But in order to fight for the monthly ticket list, the Son of Heaven is out!

It's sad to think about it, others easily send one or two chapters, and then a single chapter, and then there is an increase of hundreds of votes and thousands of votes, the Son of Heaven is honest and honest, but in the end it is still growing at a rapid pace!

Don't let honest people suffer, how?

Cry blood and beg for subscription! Pass! (To be continued.) )