Hongwu twenty-seven years of the "Huanyu Tongqu Book" records that the road in the early Ming Dynasty is 10,900 miles longitudinally, 11,750 miles horizontally, after more than 200 years of development, the post road centered on the post station has been extended in all directions, there is a post station in the land route in general forty or fifty miles, the waterway post station is a little far apart, there will be one in seventy or eighty miles, the land post has a carriage and horse, a donkey and a mule, a porter, a boat and a boat, a sailor, can be used, whether it is a land post or a water post can provide food and lodging, and all this is free, However, the general public can enjoy the convenience of not being able to post a station, which is for officials to enter Beijing or to Shi, the imperial court and the border towns to report the military situation -- in the early Ming Dynasty, the water horse post delivery symbol was relatively strict, after Jiajing, it was abused, the royal descendants, officials have the post delivery of the big survey card, the right to requisition two horses, ten people, two boats, to go to the country to the prison, the official house also has the right to use the post delivery card, take the carriage, horses, boats, and accommodation for free, those high-ranking officials of the royal descent travel, where are the two horses, ten people, so often exceed the regulations, Horses and people requisitioned too much, so it was enough, many officials also gave the survey card to relatives and friends to use, and the post station was sent to usher, exhausted, and now the eunuch Zhong gave the small survey card of the weaving yamen to Zhang Yuan to use, which is a very common thing today, and it is not strange - Zhang Yuanxin said: "Or my brother-in-law Shang Zhou Zuo is honest and upright, and he uses his own boat to take his family into Kyoto." ”

It is said that another important reason for the fall of the Ming Dynasty is that Chongzhen cut the world post station in the second year, Li Zicheng was originally a Yinchuan post station, and the post station was reduced, Li Zicheng was unemployed, and there was a famine, and there was no food to eat, so he reversed - Zhang Yuan said: "Thank you father-in-law for borrowing the small survey card, but how can I stand this thousand taels of silver!" ”

Eunuch Zhong smiled: "You solve problems for Qiu Qiancheng, how can you not stand it?" Qiu Qiancheng said, Zhang Gongzi's thank you gifts are all here, so our family will share a thousand taels with you, what's the matter, are you too little? ”

The water is clear, there is no fish, and there is no disciple when people are observed, of course Qiu Qiancheng will not say that the thank you gift to Zhang Yuan is all here, Qiu Qiancheng did not put Zhang Yuan in his eyes at all, and Eunuch Zhong gave Zhang Yuan silver is not too much money to be impatient to send out, this lies in a kind of alliance of interests, if Zhang Yuan does not accept the cash, there will definitely be a barrier, and if he receives it, it is collusion, and everyone's friendship will go further, through this calculation Qiu Qiancheng, Eunuch Zhong has seen Zhang Yuan's resourcefulness, and more importantly, Zhang Yuan's eight-strand essay is well written, It is inevitable to enter the official position through the imperial examination, so Eunuch Zhong thinks it is necessary to befriend Zhang Yuan, and doesn't he have a vision when he knows people and is cheap?

Zhang Yuan bowed down and said: "This is given by my father-in-law, Zhang Yuan accepted it shyly, and I hope that I can repay my father-in-law in the future." ”

Eunuch Zhong nodded with satisfaction, picked up the teacup and said: "Drink tea, drink tea, this is the Longjing of West Lake, if Zhang Gongzi likes it, our family will also give you two catties." "It's not a cup of tea, it's a really casual conversation.

Zhang Yuan said: "The father-in-law supervised the construction of Hangzhou, which is really enviable, the beauty of this landscape alone, edification at night, a few people can enjoy it." ”

Eunuch Zhong smiled, suddenly smiled, and said solemnly: "Although it is said that the beauty of lakes and mountains, our family is still worried, Zhang Gongzi is very smart, I don't know if he can solve the confusion for our family?" ”

Zhang Yuanxin said: "Eunuch Zhong shouldn't be full of warmth and silver and want to grow JJ again, I can't help you." said: "I don't know what worries my father-in-law has, although Zhang Yuan is young, maybe he can also help his father-in-law with a staff officer or two?" ”

Eunuch Zhong pondered for a while and said: "Our family will not stay in Hangzhou for a long time, and our family will return to Beijing the year after tomorrow, this has been outside for a long time, and it is really uncomfortable to return to the palace on an errand, Zhang Gongzi can have any way to let our family stay in Hangzhou?" ”

Eunuch Zhong was also emotional, casually asked, did not expect Zhang Yuan to really come up with a way to let him stay in Hangzhou, although Zhang Yuan was smart, after all, he was young, and he did not understand the complicated situation in the palace - but he heard Zhang Yuan say: "The father-in-law is outside, the appointment is in the hands of the emperor and the eunuch in power, there is no other way than to ask someone to go back to give gifts and dots, the kid thinks that the father-in-law has only learned people and is loyal to the emperor, even if he is the eunuch of the master of ceremonies and the eunuch of the pen, he also does it, and he is the eunuch of the pen, and he naturally raises his eyebrows." ”

Eunuch Zhong shook his head and said: "Our family is an internal official supervisor, in charge of the palace, the construction of the mausoleum and the use of makeup utensils, although we have been procuring outside for a few years, we have to be in the internal official supervisor this time, although the internal official supervisor is also good, but it cannot be compared with the celebrant eunuch." ”

Zhang Yuan thought to himself: "It is now the forty-first year of Wanli, and the Wanli Emperor still has six or seven years to live, once a son of heaven and a courtier, if Eunuch Zhong wants to enter the center of the inner court, he must get the trust of the crown prince Zhu Changluo in advance, but Zhu Changluo is a short-lived emperor, will the Red Pill case happen as usual, what role can I play?" Wei Zhongxian is now by the side of the emperor's eldest grandson, Zhu Youxiao, right? Gonggong Zhong is a good person, how can I give him some guidance? ”

Seeing Zhang Yuan's frowning and contemplative appearance, Eunuch Zhong smiled and said, "It's not difficult for you, our family is just talking about it casually." ”

Zhang Yuan said sincerely: "Gonggong Zhong, in the next bold words, the most important thing in the palace competition is to follow the right person, if the father-in-law wants to stand out among the many internal officials, he must follow the right person, and take a long-term view, those eunuchs who are currently in power do not need to make too many friends, because there are too many people who befriend them, and it is easy for you to make enemies when you go to compete for favor, the emperor's eldest son, the emperor's eldest grandson's internal officials, if the father-in-law can, he should be more close." ”

Eunuch Zhong's expression froze, Zhang Yuan's words can be described as far-sighted, how could this be what a sixteen-year-old boy wanted, but obviously he really thought about him, and said in a low voice: "Long live Lord Fu favors King Fu, so far he has not let King Fu go to Luoyang, and he doesn't treat Chitose Lord very well, I'm just afraid-" The latter words were not clearly stated.

Zhang Yuan said: "King Fu is about to become a vassal, either this year or next year, this is the general trend, Gonggong Zhong looks good." ”

Eunuch Zhong stared at Zhang Yuan and asked, "Do you know the Ib Horoscope?" ”

Zhang Yuan smiled and said: "Why do you need to occupy it, Gonggong Zhong has been in the palace for many years, and he must also know that the emperor and the ministers have been fighting for more than 20 years over the country's capital, who won the battle?" ”

Eunuch Zhong suddenly said: "You mean that the courtiers can force King Fu to go out of Beijing and become a vassal?" ”

Zhang Yuan smiled and said nothing.

Eunuch Zhong looked Zhang Yuan up and down, and asked in disbelief: "Why did you see such old and sharp at such a young age?" ”

Zhang Yuan said: "Without him, it's just studious and thoughtful." ”

Eunuch Zhong was amazed, but said: "If King Fu really goes out of Beijing next year, our family will obey you, and our family will obey you in the future." ”

Zhang Yuan said solemnly: "Father-in-law, this is a secret room between you and me, and you must not say it to others, otherwise you and I will be felonies." ”

Eunuch Zhong nodded again and again: "Our family knows this, our family has been in the palace for many years, if we don't even know this little bit of interest, we won't be able to live now." ”

…… Eunuch Zhong sent Zhang Yuan out of the Weaving Department at night, Eunuch Zhong still sent a carriage to send Zhang Yuan back to the canal port, a total of 100 ingots of silver in a suitcase and carried on the carriage together, as well as two catties of Longjing tea and two altars of palace wine "Hantan Spring" - Eunuch Zhong and Zhang Yuan said goodbye, watched Zhang Yuan get into the car, until the carriage drove away before turning back, the weaving department's long entourage, servants, and disciples were surprised to see that Gonggong Zhong treated this young scholar so politely, that is, the political envoy, the commander envoy, According to the inspector, the head of the three divisions, Gonggong Zhong, has never sent each other like this!

…… When he arrived at the port of the canal, Zhang Yuan got off the car, Mu Jingyan took the suitcase and put it on the boat, the box of seventy or eighty catties was as light as a feather to him, a yellow-bearded wrestler, Wu Ling and Lu Dayou also came ashore and helped carry the two jars of wine to the boat - Qin Minping got off the red-headed camphor boat, and saw the carriage of the Weaving Department going back, and bowed his hand to Zhang Yuan: "Zhang Gongzi, what else does Gonggong Zhong have to order?" ”

Zhang Yuan said: "It's nothing, it's just that the ancestral hall should be hurried, since Gonggong Zhong said that he would only let you give 1,000 taels of silver, you shouldn't give more, but you must ask Gonggong Zhong for more instructions, don't make claims." ”

Qin Minping said again and again that the eunuch Qiu extorted three thousand taels at the beginning, and later sent five thousand taels to the eunuch Qiu and did not accept it, this time they brought 15,000 taels of silver to prepare to rescue Ma Qiancheng, but they met Zhang Yuan in Hangzhou, and it only cost 1,000 taels of silver to basically resolve the crisis, Zhang Yuan is really the lucky star of their Shizhu people!

After talking with Qin Minping on the shore for a while, the two said goodbye, Zhang Yuan went to the Sanmingwa white canopy boat, and handed over the small survey card of the Hangzhou Weaving Department lent to him by Eunuch Zhong to Lu Dayou to collect, and Lu Yin was also there with Lu Dayou, Lu Dayou was well-informed, and said happily: "Okay, this is the survey card, good, good, our ship can be unimpeded, in this way, we don't have to worry about not being able to catch up with Qingpu before the seventh day of the new year." ”

There are quite a lot of checkpoints on the canal, there are tax supervision checkpoints, there are state and county checkpoints, all of which have to collect taxes from passing passenger ships and merchant ships, and often a delay is more than an hour, with this survey card, then there is no need to pay any taxes, and the waterway and land routes are unimpeded, which is the greatest convenience of the survey card - Zhang Yuan said with a smile: "Tomorrow will leave early in the morning, and strive to arrive before dark on the fifth day of the new year, my sister and brother-in-law must be in a hurry." ”

Zhang Yuan asked the boat lady to prepare water for bathing, and Mu Zhenzhen put the clothes that the young master had changed into a bamboo basket and went to the stream on the other side of the canal to wash, saying that the water in the canal was not clean - Zhang Yuan read a few pages of "The Complete Book of Surnames" under the cabin lamp alone, and copied half of Zhu Zhishan's "Former Chibi Fu", and suddenly heard the sound of more drums in the distance, which seemed ethereal and quiet in the quiet night, sounded three times in a row, stopped for a while, and sounded three more times - it was already the third watch in the middle of the night, Zhang Yuan closed his eyes, enjoyed the fun of the bell to the passenger ship in the middle of the night, but stood up suddenly:

Why hasn't Mu Zhenzhen come back yet, she won't fall into the water when she goes to do laundry in the dark!

(To be continued)