"Sir, we have arrived at Zhending Mansion." Mr. Liu caught up from behind.
When the sedan stopped, Xu Tong opened the curtain, took a look outside, and immediately asked: "How long until we reach the capital?"
Mr. Liu thought for a while and said: "At our current speed, it will take at least five or six days to reach the capital."
"Too slow." Xu Tong frowned.
Mr. Liu said with an apologetic smile: "Sir, it's not too slow. We came back from Datong this time and brought a lot of luggage, and the servants also brought a lot. It's already very fast to reach the capital within six days."
"Hmph." Xu Tong snorted and said with dissatisfaction, "If there are too many people, we will get rid of them. Many people will not be needed when we get to the capital. Let us get rid of them now, and we will not delay the trip on the way."
As long as the servant you take with you follows you for one day, it will cost you one day.
Now that he is no longer the governor of Datong, he will most likely be criticized by the court when he returns to the capital this time. The money earned during his tenure in Datong will eventually be used for management.
His idea is that if there is one less servant around him, the expenses will be reduced.
Mr. Liu said with a bitter face: "Sir, we must not get rid of these servants brought from Datong. The luggage of several ladies alone has more than ten carts. Including the luggage brought by the Lord from Datong, the total is thirty There are so many cars and so much luggage that the servants can’t even carry them away if there are not enough people.”
Hearing this, Xu Tong frowned and said with dissatisfaction: "Women have many things to do, so there is no need to carry so much luggage."
Mr. Liu stood aside speechless.
Xu Tong, the wives in the car, could say that if one of his staff said anything about his wife, no matter what he said, it would be inappropriate and would inevitably arouse Xu Tong's disgust.
"Has your accommodation been arranged for the night?" Xu Tong asked.
Mr. Liu replied: "There is a post station five miles ahead, and the students have sent people to prepare in advance."
"That's it, continue on the road and rest when you reach the inn." After saying that, Xu Tong lowered the sedan curtain.
The team moved on.
It took more than half an hour to arrive after a journey of more than five miles.
When the last big car arrived outside the inn door, it was already dark.
The sedan was carried directly into the post station. After getting off the sedan, Xu Tong stepped in.
As a staff member, Mr. Liu was busy at the inn.
First, arrange meals for everyone. The station is only a little big in total, and there are not many people. It can only cook meals for a dozen people at a time. Except for Xu Tong and a few wives, the rest of the people have to eat separately.
After arranging meals, he also had to arrange accommodation for his servants.
The inn had limited rooms, so dozens of servants and coachmen could only sleep outside, either in the stables or in the woodshed, and some servants slept in the carriages.
This time Xu Tong brought a lot of luggage back to Beijing, which contained a lot of valuables and gold and silver. Someone needed to keep watch at night, and Mr. Liu, an aide, had to arrange these things.
After arranging everything, Mr. Liu had time to accompany his wife back to the room for dinner.
Although there were not many free rooms in the inn, as a staff member of a second-rank official and a distinguished scholar, the inn also arranged a room for him.
While I was eating, the postman from the post station came to the door.
"Mr. Liu, Mr. Xu asked you to come over." The postman at the post station said politely.
Mr. Liu nodded and said, "Go and tell the adults that I will come over right away."
The postman retreated from the room and closed the door behind him.
Mr. Liu put down the bowls and chopsticks in his hands, stood up, straightened his gown, and walked out the door.
Madam Liu, who was sitting at the table, shouted: "If the governor has anything important to do with you at this late hour, why don't you go after dinner."
Mr. Liu turned around, looked at his wife, and said, "Master Xu has just resigned from the position of governor of Datong, so at this time, I should be more cautious."
"Then we won't eat?" Mrs. Liu said with dissatisfaction.
"It's not too late to come back and eat." Mr. Liu waved his hand, then opened the door and walked out.
The room Xu Tong lived in was the best room in the inn, but it couldn't compare with his mansion in Datong.
When he came to the door of the room, Mr. Liu pressed his right cheek against the door and shouted in a low voice: "Sir."
"Come in!" Xu Tong's voice came from the room.
Mr. Liu then opened the door and walked in. When he saw Xu Tong who was sitting in the room drinking tea, he bowed and said, "Student, I have met you, sir."
Xu Tong nodded slightly, picked up the tureen in his hand and took a sip of tea.
Seeing this, Mr. Liu stepped aside.
After taking a sip of tea, Xu Tong put down the bowl in his hand and said to the postman in the room: "Tell Mr. Liu again what you just told me."
"Yes." The postman in the room agreed respectfully, turned to look at Mr. Liu, and said, "The bridge ten miles away from the post station collapsed. We can only wait for the bridge to be repaired before we can cross the river."
Mr. Liu frowned and asked, "How long will it take for the bridge to be repaired?"
"It's hard to say." The postman said, "It depends on when the government will send people to repair the bridge. Even if the bridge is repaired now, it is the flood season recently. It is not easy to repair the bridge until the flood season is over. It doesn't take half a month. I’m afraid I can’t cross the river.”
"Sir, half a month will definitely be too late." Mr. Liu looked at Xu Tong and said, "It will definitely delay your schedule."
Xu Tong nodded.
When he returns to the capital to report on his work, he naturally cannot waste time on the road at will. If he cannot rush back to the capital within the specified time, he will be punished.
Mr. Liu turned to the postman and said, "If we don't take the bridge, is there a way around it from other places?"
"It's possible." The postman hesitated and said, "You can also cross the river from the lower reaches, but you have to walk more than fifty miles."
"Are there any inns along the way?" Mr. Liu asked.
The postman shook his head and said: "From the post station, we can go downstream to cross the river. There is no post station in the middle, and there are remote roads all the way. It will definitely be difficult for adults to walk with so much luggage. Fortunately, there are two people along the way. You can rest in the village without worrying about sleeping in the wild.”
"We can't cross the river downstream, it's too far." Xu Tong objected to taking a detour and crossing the river downstream.
One day's delay would cost another day's money. There was no way station along the way, and he had to pay for all the expenses himself. He couldn't bear it in his heart.
Mr. Liu said to the postman: "Besides walking downstream and crossing the river, is there any other way to cross the river?"
"Other ways..." The postman frowned, looking thoughtful.
Mr. Liu added: "How do the people nearby cross the river? We can't make a detour of dozens of miles every time we cross the river."
The postman thought for a while and said: "There is still a way to cross the river, but the adults have brought too many things. It will be very troublesome to cross the river."
"What can I do?" Mr. Liu asked.
The postman said: "Five miles away there is Tianhe Village. There are boats in the village. If you are in a hurry to cross the river, you can cross the river by boat."
"Sir, what do you think?" Mr. Liu turned to look at Xu Tong.
