With three thousand anti-Japanese troops as guards, Shen Yi's journey was naturally uneventful.
He and Cheng Tingzhi shared a carriage. While on the way, apart from closing his eyes and resting, he spent most of the rest of the time chatting with the Fujian chief envoy.
Mainly talking to him about official matters.
The chief envoy is a third-grade civil servant. Even if this grade is placed in the central court, it can be said to be a high-level official. Some of his ideas and experiences will definitely be of some help to Shen Yi, a newcomer in the "career". of.
Fuzhou is about six to seven hundred miles away from Yueqing. Although the speed of carriages is much slower than that of horses, everyone took the official road, which was easy to walk and didn't delay things much. After walking for about ten days, they arrived in Yueqing. .
However, the anti-Japanese army was composed of infantry, and they did not have carriages. Therefore, most of the three thousand anti-Japanese army were still behind them. The ones who really protected Shen Yi were the 500 cavalry among the anti-Japanese army.
After the group arrived in Yueqing, it was already afternoon, and Shen Yi's carriage did not stop at the anti-Japanese army camp.
After all, there was a guest in his carriage.
His carriage stopped at the gate of Shen Garden.
After getting off the carriage, Shen Yi looked at Ling Su who was escorting them on horseback all the way, and then said: "General Ling, most of the anti-Japanese army brothers are still behind you. You have to work harder. Don't go back to the camp yet. Go back." Bring them back, remember..."
Mr. Shen said with a smile: "It's a good idea to restrain the soldiers. The New Year is coming soon. Don't cause trouble. Let them all go home safely and have a good New Year."
Ling Su respectfully clasped his fists at Shen Yi and said, "I obey my orders!"
Shen Yi thought for a while and continued: "You go here and there. When you come back, I will definitely no longer be in Yueqing. By then, General Ling and Xue Wei will take care of the anti-Japanese army camp. It is up to you to decide how long you want to sleep."
"This year is the end of the year. General Ling, you will probably go home to celebrate the New Year. Xue Wei is homeless and will probably spend the New Year in the camp. When the time comes, I will allocate some money to the two of you and let Xue Wei bring those who are also in the camp. Let’s celebrate the Chinese New Year together, brothers, and have a good New Year.”
Xue Wei is a military household.
And since he has inherited his father's position, it means that his father died early.
Xue Wei's life is relatively miserable. His parents are no longer alive and he is not married, so Shen Yi said that he is homeless.
As for Ling Su...
Although his father is gone, his mother is still there. She got married and had children early in Linhai, Taizhou. The eldest son is now in his teens.
Ling Su bowed his head respectfully and said in a deep voice: "Don't worry, Mr. Shen, my subordinates will make arrangements for our brothers."
Shen Yi nodded and said with a smile: "Then you can go back now and come back to Yueqing early. You have been busy for a year and you should take a good rest."
"yes!"
Ling Su responded loudly, then led hundreds of cavalrymen and rode back.
After explaining Ling Su, Shen Yi looked at Xue Wei, who was greeting Shen Yi near Shen Garden, with a calm expression: "You take the brothers back to the camp first, I will go there later."
Xue Wei silently lowered his head and clasped his fists.
"yes!"
After the anti-Japanese generals left one after another, Shen Yi turned around and led Cheng Tingzhi into Shen Garden. He said helplessly: "There are too many trivial matters, so the feudal lord has been waiting for a long time."
Cheng Fantai followed Shen Yi into Shen Garden and said with emotion: "If Bachelor Shen were not limited by his age and qualifications, there would be no problem in becoming the first constitution of a province."
Mr. Shen smiled and did not accept the flattery. Instead, he said: "This is the place where I stayed in Yueqing. It's called Shen Garden. I sent a letter to Yueqing two days ago. At this time, in Shen Garden, There is a friend waiting for you and me.”
Shen Yi had already mentioned this friend several times on the road, so Cheng Tingzhi followed Shen Yi into Shen Garden without asking any more questions.
Although Shen Yi didn't live in this garden for too long, it was designed by him himself, so there was no need to worry about finding the way. Soon, they arrived at the warm pavilion in Shen Garden.
Here, there is indeed a friend waiting for them both.
After Shen Yi entered the Nuan Pavilion, he cupped his hands to a little old man with slightly white hair in the Nuan Pavilion and said with a smile: "Master Zhongcheng, I haven't seen you for a long time."
At this time, Cheng Tingzhi also saw the true face of this "friend".
It was Zhou Yishan, the governor of Zhejiang.
He quickly stepped forward and saluted with his hands in hand.
"Cheng Tingzhi of Taizhou pays homage to Duke Deqing."
Zhou Yishan, courtesy name Deqing.
Zhou Futai was drinking tea. When he heard this, he immediately put down his teacup and stood up from his chair. He first glanced at Shen Yi, returned the favor, and then looked at Cheng Tingzhi behind Shen Yi.
Because he had some presbyopia, he recognized it after a long while and said, "Are you... Cheng Mingli from Fujian?"
Cheng Tingzhi smiled, nodded, and said, "It's rare that Duke Deqing still remembers me. Counting it all, the last time I had a quick visit to Jiankang was several years ago."
Zhou Futai and Cheng Tingzhi sat together. After exchanging pleasantries for a few words, he looked at Cheng Tingzhi and asked with a smile: "Brother Mingli, if you are not on duty in Fujian, why did you end up in Zhejiang?"
Cheng Tingzhi glanced at Shen Yi, and after seeing the latter smiling, he exhaled a breath and said, "I have been ordered to accompany Scholar Shen to the capital to meet the saint."
Having said this, he looked at Zhou Yishan and asked, "Who is Duke Deqing?"
Zhou Yishan lowered his head and took a sip of tea, and said with a wry smile: "It seems that the two of us are going to Beijing together."
"I also received the Holy Emperor's order and went to the capital with Academician Shen to meet the Holy One."
Zhou Futai smiled broadly, but his eyes flickered.
His Majesty the Emperor wants to layout the southeast. He knows this. If Shen Yi goes south to Fujian this time and brings the Fujian governor to Beijing with him, then he will not be surprised at all. But Shen Yi goes to Fujian this time and brings He felt a little strange that he went to Beijing with the right chief envoy.
As a governor, he naturally knows what the right chief envoy's status is in the province.
Even Zhejiang has only one chief envoy, and there are no left or right chief envoys.
The three of them sat together and joked for a while, then Zhou Futai turned to look at Shen Yi and said with a smile: "Scholar Shen, it's the New Year's Eve in about twenty days. Yueqing is not too close to Jiankang. Let's When will you leave for Jiankang?”
"Let Cheng Fantai rest in Shenyuan for the night today."
Shen Yi smiled and said: "We will set off early tomorrow morning."
"Um."
Zhou Futai stood up from his chair, cupped his hands slightly towards the two people, and said, "In that case, the three of us will meet at the north gate of Yueqing early tomorrow morning."
He looked at Shen Yi and asked, "How?"
Shen Yi naturally had no objection.
After all, if we only take the official road from Yueqing to Jiankang without taking shortcuts, we will probably have to walk more than a thousand miles. This distance, even if we travel faster by carriage, will take more than half a month.
In other words, when the three of them arrived in Jiankang, there were only a few days left before the New Year's Eve.
So, Shen Yi sent Zhou Futai away and arranged a place for Cheng Tingzhi to live in Shenyuan.
Then he went out and went to the anti-Japanese army camp, where he met Xue Wei.
After explaining some things to Xue Wei, Shen Yi didn't return to Shen Garden to rest until the evening.
Early the next morning, Shen Yi left the north gate of Yueqing and went straight to Jiankang with two court officials, one second-rank and one third-rank.
Although there were some twists and turns along the way, nothing major happened. The group finally arrived at Jiankang City at noon on the 26th of the twelfth lunar month.
At this time, they were still seven or eight miles away from Jiankang.
The group got off the carriage, sat down in a tavern on the roadside, and ordered a table of dishes. Shen Yi poured wine for the two local bosses and said with a smile: "After dinner, we will walk for half an hour. It’s time to reach Jiankang…”
"Are you two going to meet the Holy Spirit today or tomorrow?"
The two looked at each other, and both lowered their heads and took a sip of wine.
Zhou Futai was silent for a while, his voice a little hoarse.
"Let's do it tomorrow..."
Cheng Fantai nodded, and he also let out a sigh of relief, his tone full of nervousness.
"I also feel better tomorrow."
After saying this, he hugged his shoulders and shivered.
"This healthy winter..."
Mr. Cheng exhaled a breath of white air and couldn't help but sigh.
"Compared to the south, it's much colder."
Zhou Futai poured him a glass of wine with a smile, and said with a smile: "Drink a glass of the warm wine in the store to warm yourself up."
Cheng Fantai took it with both hands and lowered his head slightly.
"Thank you, Duke Deqing."
"Brother Xian, you are too kind."
At this time, the two local officials had some fears of meeting the emperor.
At this moment, the two of them were pouring glasses of wine to each other, and it seemed like they were cuddling together to keep warm.
(End of chapter)
