The first stop of this trip did not go well. Xu He no longer wanted to come to the door to apologize, so he simply said to Gu Hengbo: "Let's go, finally come to Huai'an Mansion. I will take Sister Gu to buy something!"
Although Gu Hengbo dresses in men's clothing when he goes out, he is still a woman. What woman doesn't like shopping?
When Xu He said he wanted to take her around, his eyes suddenly lit up.
In this way, Xu He led her, and when she saw a shop she was interested in, she walked in and took a look. The so-called money is a man's courage, and Xu He was considered a bold man in the Wei Dynasty.
Not long after, Wu Decao, who was following them, was carrying large and small bags until he was out of breath.
Just when Xu He was about to find another carriage to liberate Brother Yaochen, he unexpectedly met an acquaintance in a foreign land.
"Xiaohe, look, isn't that Shen Xuan?" Gu Hengbo reminded Xu He in a low voice.
Xu He nodded. At this time, Shen Zongqi was walking out of the Yamen of the Huai'an Salt Transportation Branch, followed by two or three officials.
After both sides said goodbye, Shen Xuan got into the carriage.
Seeing this, Xu He suddenly felt something in his heart. He called a little beggar on the roadside, gave him some money, and asked the child to follow Shen Xuan's carriage to see where it was going.
After waiting on the spot for about half an hour, the little beggar ran back panting and reported that the beautiful carriage had just entered a house next to the household branch. Someone said that it was the Shen family's villa. .
"Big dog!" Xu He thought to himself.
Then he took out some scattered copper coins and rewarded the little beggar.
Before the beggars gathered around, Xu He led the two people away quickly.
The three of them first found an inn to stay, settled their things, and after eating, they discussed tomorrow's itinerary.
First of all, we must get the inside story of this matter through the uncle's former subordinate, now Chief Guan Hong.
Only then can we prescribe the right medicine.
"You've been shopping for me today, but you're going to visit me tomorrow. You can't go empty-handed, right?" Gu Hengbo smiled.
Wu Decao has always been the most proactive about this kind of thing: "It's not dark yet, and there are still shops on the street that are not closed. I'll go buy some!"
Anyway, it was Hua Yamen's money, so Xu He didn't feel bad, so he took out a ten-tael silver note and handed it to Wu Decao.
When Wu Decao saw the banknote, his eyes suddenly lit up: "I'll go right away!"
Xu He nodded and said, "Go early and come back early!"
After he left, Xu He looked at Sister Gu next to him, and then said with a shy face: "Meisheng, let me go to your room to have a look!"
Gu Hengbo suddenly became alert and asked, "What do you want to do?"
Xu He immediately felt aggrieved and said, "What else can I do? I just want to see how the place is like. If it's not good, I'll give you a room!"
Gu Hengbo was embarrassed by his words and couldn't help but want to laugh, but she still deliberately glared at Xu He and said: "As I said at home, you should behave yourself when you go out, otherwise I won't be able to see my mother when I go back!"
Xu He was just joking, but when he saw that although she was not annoyed, he was serious about it, he stopped teasing her.
The two talked about the conversation, and then went back to today's matter. Xu He sighed: "Although the uncle's former subordinate was from the Caoyun Yamen, to be honest, his status was not high. If he could see Ma Liang through him, Bi, this is God’s blessing!”
"The key is that time waits for no one. If we waste a day here, the hungry people in Hailing County will go hungry for a day. If they are old and weak, their lives may even be in danger!" Gu Hengbo also frowned and said worriedly.
…
On the next day, Xu He took Wu Decao early in the morning and hired two carriages to visit him at his home while he was not at the government office.
Xu Song's subordinate is an old man in his fifties, surnamed Gong, and he looks like an honest man.
Come to think of it, Xu He has already retired from the position of Minister of the Ministry of Industry for more than ten years. This guy went from being an official in the Ministry of Industry to being the chief officer of the Water Transport Yamen.
But the good thing about this kind of person is that he cares about old feelings.
After reading Xu Song's letter, Director Gong was very enthusiastic.
"We haven't seen each other for many years, and the distance is not far. I should have gone to Hailing to visit, but I have no choice but to wear this official robe and it is inconvenient to travel far. It is really rude!" Manager Gong seemed to have remembered something, and his face was filled with sadness.
Xu He bowed and said: "Uncle told me that Chief Gong was his most trusted subordinate when he was at the Ministry of Industry. He said that you were diligent, down-to-earth and never boastful!"
In fact, Xu Song's original words when he mentioned this person were that he was very pedantic and did not know how to adapt to changes in his work. Even if he was so busy that no one would remember his good deeds, you can't be like him in the future and become an official or follower. Just like a human being, when you do something, you have to let others know that you have done it, otherwise it will all be a waste of time.
When Master Gong heard this, his eyes immediately became wet, and he lamented repeatedly that the imperial court did not use good ministers, causing Xiao Shigong to waste his years and stay in the countryside.
When he heard that Xu He turned out to be the junior Sanyuan of Nanzhili this year, the official's problem was repeated again. He didn't care about anything when people came to visit him. He hurriedly pulled out his son, who was almost thirty, and said that he wanted Xu He. He pointed out the article about the son of a member of the family.
Xu He had no choice but to read the middle-aged man's article patiently. He also showed some humility and pointed out a few flaws that did not make him look bad. Only then did Chief Gong feel greatly relieved and even praised Xiao Shi Gong for having a successor. .
Seeing the opportunity, Wu Decao quickly took out the fine pens, inks, paper and inkstones he purchased last night and handed them to Chief Gong.
Only then did Chief Gong pat his head and remember that Xu He came to visit because he had something to do with him.
He scratched his head first, and then said to Xu He: "It is impossible for me, a small official with a big nose, to ask the governor alone. However, our Caoyun Yamen has a criminal director stationed by the criminal department, whose surname is Hou. He has a good relationship with me, because he is from the Ministry of Punishment. Although he is under the control of the Governor, but fortunately for the sake of the Ministry of Punishment, he can always pass the message to Governor Ma. You go and prepare some gifts, and I will take them to you. Go and meet!”
Xu He felt a little tired of having to beat around the bush again to ask for help, but people had to bow their heads under the eaves. Xu He had no choice but to ask Wu Decao to go to the street to prepare a generous gift, and follow Chief Gong to ask for an audience with another Chief Hou.
The Director of Criminal Affairs represents the Ministry of Punishment, and there is a separate small yamen in Huai'an. However, the gatekeepers of this small yamen are also very high-minded. When they see Chief Gong bringing someone here, they are polite on the surface, but they don't mean what they say. They all require door packages.
Xu He had already arrived, and it was not too late. He handed over the door bag and waited for about half an hour before the chief judge called the three people in.
Xu He couldn't help but look at Chief Gong with admiration. He still looked calm after such a long time. He didn't even drink a sip of water after sitting in the concierge for such a long time. It was obvious that he had expected such an incident.
Well, seeing this, Xu He already understood that this trip was basically in vain. They were all the bosses. Our boss Gong was asked for help by his colleagues, and even after giving money, he had to wait outside the door for an hour. What's more, if Xu He was in his position, he would have turned against him long ago.
Sure enough, when I saw Chief Hou who was in charge of the punishment, he was as shrewd as a monkey. He only talked to Chief Gong. Moreover, when Chief Gong brought up business matters, he started talking nonsense. In the final analysis, he just didn't want to help. .
In the end, Xu He would have wanted to flip the table and leave if it wasn't for Chief Gong's sake.
Thinking that officialdom was like this, asking for help was like eating shit, Xu He suddenly lost motivation for the imperial examination!
Now, after leaving the Li Xing Yamen, Xu He spent a fortune on Hailing County's public funds, but in the end he couldn't get anything done.
Now, he is really anxious!
