Ji Guangming obviously attached great importance to his son's imperial examination, and specially invited Mr. Feng Shui to be optimistic about the auspicious day as the day when Ji Qingwen set off for Beijing.

On the day of departure, Ji Guangming specially bought tens of thousands of cannons with silver, and put them in front of his house for half an hour, so that passers-by who did not know the truth thought that the son of the Ji family had returned to his hometown in high school and in fine clothes.

However, such a lively atmosphere could not make Ji Qingwen's mood relax at all, because he knew that it would be a shame to go to Beijing to catch the exam this time, but if he did, he might lose his life - he had really been put in a dilemma and a dilemma.

Ji Qingwen was full of concerns, but his father Ji Guangming was proud, and he kept escorting his baby son out of the door, pointing to a carriage lane parked at the door: "Qing'er saw it, right?" This carriage was newly made for you by my father, and the two horses that pulled the carriage were also bought from Mongolia by the trustees, so as to ensure your success! ”

Ji Qingwen looked up, and saw that there was indeed a cart and two horses parked at the door - although this carriage was not gorgeous, it was neatly mortised and tenon-jointed, and the paint was flat and bright, and it was carefully made by skilled craftsmen at first glance; And the two horses, though not very tall, were muscular and eye-catching, and were obviously good horses of the first class.

Seeing this, Ji Qingwen sighed, and said to himself: "It seems that it is not possible to go, only to take one step at a time......

Ji Guangming was close at hand, and after listening to Ji Qingwen's muttering, he asked, "Good son, what are you talking about?" ”

Ji Qingwen frowned and said, "Dad, although I have gone through Wei Zhongxian's path this time, I am not sure that I will be able to go to high school." If I fail in the imperial examination, will I come back as I am? ”

Where did Ji Guangming know Ji Qingwen's thoughts, but he didn't have confidence, so he said: "Qing'er, don't worry, Lord Dai gave me a guarantee two days ago...... But don't worry if you don't pass the test, it's like a turtle eating a tiger - if you really eat a tiger, it's the first time you have ever experienced it; If you can't eat a tiger, you shrink your head and become a turtle - what's the big deal? Isn't it? ”

Ji Guangming's words amused Ji Qingwen, and suddenly thought of his father before the time crossing, the scene of decompressing himself the day before the college entrance examination, his nose suddenly soured, and he almost shed tears.

When Ji Guangming saw Ji Qingwen's appearance, he hurriedly comforted him, and shouted loudly: "Lao Jiu, why don't you come to help the young master get into the car?" ”

As soon as the words fell, a man in his forties came out of the canopy of the carriage, promised to walk quickly to Ji Qingwen, and said to Qian'er: "Young master, please rest assured, this time the master sent me to serve the young master into Beijing, and keep it all the way so that the young master will be like at home, all the way to Beijing comfortably and smoothly, and when he comes back, he will be the master of Jinshi!" ”

Ji Qingwen was a little surprised, wiped his tears with his sleeve, and asked, "Huh?" Why did Jiugong send me to Beijing? What about your son's little many? ”

Jiugong didn't answer, but Ji Guangming grabbed the conversation and said, "This is what I arranged." If I let Xiao Duozi go to Beijing with you, and the two of you play lawlessly, what else do you have to think about going to the exam? It's better to let Lao Jiu send you to Beijing. ”

This "Lao Jiu" is the father of Xiao Duozi, the second in the family, but in order to appear prosperous in the clan, he is counted from his cousins, but he is the ninth in line, so most of the younger generations call him "Duo Jiugong".

is this "more than nine dukes", who has been helping in the Ji family's mansion since he was a child, has traveled south and north for so many years, and has accumulated rich experience in the rivers and lakes that no one can match, and he is the first talent in the Ji family who can stand alone.

Letting Duo Jiugong escort Ji Qingwen into Beijing shows Ji Guangming's attention to this matter from another side.

However, Ji Qingwen didn't think so, he just felt that it was not a pleasant thing to travel all the way back and forth for half a year, and it was really not a comfortable thing to walk with a man who looked much older than his actual age.

So Ji Qingwen begged: "Dad, you see that I and Duo Jiugong will go to the capital, and it will be boring along the way, can you take one more person with you?" ”

Ji Guangming asked rhetorically: "Who do you mean, are you going to take it?" Could it be that you want to take Xiaoduozi with you? ”

Ji Qingwen scratched his scalp and said, "Daddy didn't let Xiaoduozi go, I don't dare to say it again, I just want to ask Xing'er to go with me, there is a woman on the road to serve, and many things are convenient......"

Ji Qingwen's thoughts, Ji Guangming knew it clearly, and immediately refused: "No! How could anyone take a girl to Beijing to catch the exam? No way! ”

Ji Qingwen didn't really want to go to the capital, but now he heard Ji Guangming refuse so decisively, so he simply played a little temper and said: "Come on, this doesn't work, that doesn't work, I'm in a bad mood, and it's useless to go to the capital, so I just won't go!" So saying, he was about to go into the house.

Ji Guangming's beloved son was so heartfelt, he really couldn't resist Ji Qingwen, so he had to reluctantly agree, and repeatedly explained countless words to Duo Jiugong and Xing'er, who were on the road together, and then sent the three of them out of Xi'an City.

Ji Qingwen has been active near Xi'an City since he crossed over, and has never been far away, leaving Xi'an City today, just like a little bird released from the cage, the original uneasy mood has disappeared in a blink of an eye, and he wants to enjoy the great country of the Ming Dynasty.

However, in the last years of the Apocalypse and the early years of Chongzhen, although it can barely be called a "big" word, it has no connection with the word "good".

I saw that dozens of miles away from the boundary of Xi'an City, is a piece of yellow-brown land, the sparse crops growing on the land, because of the lack of sufficient water and appear to be powerless, a gust of wind blowing, blowing these plants to the east and west, by the way, raising a puff of smoke and dust, choking people cough incessantly.

Seeing such a scene, Ji Qingwen, who was sitting on the carriage, couldn't help asking: "Jiugong, there is no harvest in these fields at a glance, shouldn't it be my family?" ”

Duo Jiucheng sat outside the canopy to catch the car, looked around after listening to the question, and said: "Young master, our Ji family's fields are all on the edge of the Yellow River, although we have encountered drought in the past few years, they have not done it like this. The fields here are all newly opened wasteland, and the poor peasants can plant them casually, and it is good to be able to collect a few grains, and the wasteland does not have to pay the imperial grain or tenant rent anyway. ”

In the previous "negotiation and tenant dispute", Ji Qingwen insisted on holding on to the tenant rent, and he was a little unbearable at first, but now when he heard the introduction of Duo Jiugong, he felt better, and asked: "I see that the grain yield of these lands is not high, and the land price should not be expensive, why doesn't my father buy it and rent it to the tenants to plant, even if the tenant rent is less, it is better than nothing!" ”

Duo Jiu replied without replying: "It is easy to buy land, but it is difficult to rent it out." The tenants rented ten acres of land, and the grain they had grown after a year of hard work could not support themselves even if they did not pay the tenant rent, so who would waste this hard work? ”

Ji Qingwen said: "There is truth in Jiugong's words. It would be better to think of a way to make use of these wastelands, and then my family will be rich again. ”

Duo Jiugong replied absentmindedly, "Which is so easy? Unless the Yellow River water is diverted to irrigate here. But the Yellow River is so far away from here, the canal is not useful if it is narrowed, and I don't know how much silver it will cost to build and widen. If we could really use these wastelands, it would not be the same as it is today. ”

Ji Qingwen was talking, but he was thinking in his heart: In fact, the use of land does not necessarily mean that you have to grow crops...... However, although he has such a modern consciousness, he has no specific method after all-he can't take these wastelands and build commercial houses and sell them, right?

In this way, Ji Qingwen and his entourage walked for three days before leaving Shaanxi and entering Shanxi Province.

The ground in Shanxi is slightly better than that of Shaanxi, after walking for a day, you can see the green farmland, and the blood on the faces of the pedestrians on the roadside is also much better.

With one more means of making a living, the people's lives are naturally much better, and the whole province is also a little more angry, and even Ji Qingwen and his entourage, who were on the road at the border of Shanxi, are in a much better mood, and the words along the way have gradually begun to increase.