The road in front of me is flat and wide, and in the era of the Ming Dynasty, naturally only the official road can have such conditions.

Due to the footsteps of pedestrians and livestock over the years, this official road is becoming more and more solid and flat, which can be said to be dustless and rainy. Compared with later generations, such a road is not worth mentioning, but in the era of the Ming Dynasty, it is a rare good road.

There is a square courtyard next to the official road, with two or three brick houses, a thatched house and several cow and horse sheds.

Although the building is a little simple, it looks very clean and tidy, and a flag is hung on a high wooden pole at the door, and a post word is written on it.

Here is the Baili Station located in Yinchuan Bailigou, from here to the south twenty miles to the road is the county seat, to the north fifteen miles is the Yinchuan Station, the conditions are several times better than here.

This Baili Post is hanging in such a place, and the location is also a little awkward. If it weren't for sheltering from the rain on rainy days, resting on hot days, and asking for directions to inquire about the news, the officials on this official road would never have stopped at this Baili Station.

Although the conditions of this 100-mile post station are not very good, but it has the name of an official post, and the errand here naturally eats the imperial grain, and it is the emperor's errand.

The post station was a very important institution in ancient times, not only to assume the military role of flying military newspapers, transmitting documents, and transporting materials, but also to receive officials of all sizes running around on the official road.

The Ming Dynasty is very strict in the management of the post station, the post station and the transfer station are equipped with post guards, and the horses, donkeys, cows, boatmen and sedan chair drivers used in each place are set up according to the specific situation.

According to the regulations, 80, 60, and 30 horses are generally required for important places; Twenty, ten, and five for non-important places. In addition, each post station should also have sufficient food for the people passing through.

However, Baili Station does not have this condition, this post station is said to be a government post station, but if you are familiar with this place, you will know that this post station is only a small branch of Yinchuan Station.

This Baili Station is just a small means used by the adults of Yinchuan Station to save money and accumulate money, although this Baili Station has the name of an official post, but there is no establishment in the court to leave them.

The post station is very small, there are only five people, one is a small post officer who has survived for half a lifetime, boiled all the people on the head to death and then took over the post, and four are the post guards of this official post, two sedan chair drivers, a boatman and a cook are all the people of this post station.

Now that the court is changing, the atmosphere of this small post station is very harmonious, and the officials who are running around on the official road disdain to stay at this post station in poor conditions.

This post station is naturally different from Yinchuan Station, although they are also a branch of Yinchuan Station, but they are not listed on the official documents, and the supplies given by the imperial court to the post station will naturally not be issued to them.

Not only did the imperial court not have the proper supply, but the Yinchuan post they were attached to didn't care much about their life and death, and the rice and grain they should have every month were always not enough.

The old king, who had worked hard for half a lifetime to ascend to the throne, followed the advice of the later life and built a shed in front of the door, moved the table in the bedroom, and sold a large bowl of tea.

There is no shortage of tea, although there are not many merchants selling tea on the official road, but it has never been broken, and the big bowl of tea can not use good tea, and a little tea foam is batched from their hands, and there is a spring not far away, and a bowl of yellow-orange-orange tea comes out like this.

The money from selling tea was all used on the post station, and the original post man lived a hungry and full life, and the perennial gruel and wild vegetables were just barely surviving.

Now that there is an additional input, the people of the post station can be regarded as being able to eat white rice porridge every once in a while, and the white rice is not daring to think, at least they don't have to eat those brown rice with teeth all year round.

Old Wang Tou sat outside the post station and looked at the tea stall, and next to him squatted a young man in his twenties, with his hands in his sleeves, smiling.

This young man's surname is Li, his name is Hongji, and his nickname is Huang Laier. It was his idea to Lao Wangtou that gave Bailiyi an extra entry.

Lao Wang Tou glanced at the young man, knocked the cigarette bag pot in his hand on the soles of his feet, and said seriously: "Zao'er, I know you want to be transferred to the big post of Yinchuan Station, but the treatment of Yinchuan Station is good, but it is not up to me to decide whether it succeeds or not." ”

Li Hongji was seen through by the old Wang, his face was slightly red, and he said: "Uncle Wang, I don't have to entrust you to do this, you and my father are brothers, and you grew up watching me grow up." What do I have in mind, don't you know yet? ”

Lao Wangtou knocked Li Hongji on the head with a cigarette pouch pot, and said angrily: "I have liked to dance with knives and guns since I was a child, and now your little nephew who is teasing you is not learning well." ”

Li Hongji smiled innocently and said flatteringly: "Uncle Wang, I don't have to be transferred to Yinchuan Station, but you don't agree with the method I proposed, your nephew and daughter-in-law just passed the door, I see her, it doesn't seem to be a person who has lived a hard life......"

The old king snorted and said, "This woman! ”

Li Hongji touched the back of his head and smiled, and the old king said with a straight face: "Zao'er, you are a person with a way, but your method will not work in us." ”

Li Hongji paused for a moment and asked, "Why?" ”

The old king said: "Although the people on our Baili Post don't care, but the work assigned to us is the same, and it is the limit to support such a stall in front of the door, even if it is really according to what you said, our post station has also been changed into an inn, so that those business travelers can live in, do you think the big men will agree?" ”

Lao Wang Tou glanced at Li Hongji, saw his puzzled look, and explained: "The supply for us from above is not in place, and it makes sense for us to set up such a stall, but if the Baili Post is changed to a Baili Inn at that time, it won't be messed up?" Those old men are all famous people, Shinong Gonggong, you let the big man live with the untouchables who are doing business, don't you make them angry? ”

Li Hongji muttered in a low voice, and the old king said solemnly: "Since the completion of this Baili Station, there has only been one passing master for more than ten years, or because the road is difficult to walk on rainy days, so I have to come to us, but the big man is a name for exquisiteness, how can the things of the court be used by others?" ”

The old king took a puff of cigarette, and then said: "Besides, even if the eldest lord turns a blind eye and doesn't care about us, do you think this benefit can fall into our own hands?" Why can't we stay in Yinchuan Station and come to this Baili Station? Don't you have a little in your heart? ”

Li Hongji's face suddenly drooped after hearing this, and when Lao Wang saw his dejected appearance, he sighed and said: "Young man, don't cry with a sad face, don't you like to dance with guns and sticks?" I'll clean up and let go of this old face, and see if I can ask for a place for you in Yinchuanyi! ”

Li Hongji raised his head suddenly when he heard this, the old king has been boiling in the Yinchuan Station for decades, and the people around him have changed wave after wave, that is, he is still eating the royal meal steadily.

He knew that the thing he didn't like the most about Uncle Wang was fighting, and not fighting was the secret of his Uncle Wang, but Uncle Wang, who had never argued, was going to fight for him today!

Li Hongji was a little moved in his heart, and the old Wang Tou stood up from the stool, sighed and said: "Hey, who made me owe so much affection to your father back then, let's talk about it first, I don't know how much my old face can be worth in front of Shangguan, I ask for the best, and it should be a matter if I don't ask for it." ”

Li Hongji said happily: "It's okay, Uncle Wang, as long as you ask, no matter whether it works out or not, I don't have anything else to think about!" ”

Lao Wang pointed to the tables and chairs on the tea stand: "Clean up your things, finish cleaning up and eat early." And when he had finished speaking, he went into the courtyard with his hands behind his back.