After a while, Xu Sanlang packed up his luggage and hung them on the horse one by one.
After the meal, Xu Qin and Zhang Leping explained some matters and then mounted their horses and returned to the city.
Running wildly all the way, when it got dark, they had reached the outskirts of Liuhe County.
"Young Master, there is an inn ahead of us. Why don't we stay here for one night? We'll leave at the fourth watch anyway."
Xu Sanlang, who was clearing the way in front, had sharp eyes and shouted.
"Okay, let's not go into the county town. We'll just stop at this ancient road station so we can leave early tomorrow morning."
With that said, the two entered the ancient road station and handed over the customs clearance documents.
When the postmaster saw that he was a fourth-rank Beijing official, he immediately ordered the postmen to get busy. Those who cooked cooked and those who fed the horses fed the horses.
The inn is not too small. After all, it is close to the capital and Liuhe County. It is estimated that there will be more messengers coming and going.
At present, the information transmission in the Ming Empire is still smooth and developed.
These stations had to handle the transmission of military information, the transportation of horses, military supplies and the movement of soldiers.
In addition to military mail, there is also private letter delivery, but the speed is slow and special mail carriages are used.
These mail carriages were also accommodation stations along the way.
There are so many people coming and going, even if the post station is built small, it will not work.
This is the first time in Xu Qin's life that he has settled in an ancient road station.
The conditions and environment here are still very different from those high-end inns in the city used to receive officials.
It is equivalent to the difference between a five-star hotel and an ordinary hotel in later generations.
Looking from a distance, I thought this was a farm.
But it was winter, the weather was cold, and it was a relatively leisurely time for the ancient road station.
Of course, this is only relative.
A postman was one of the lowest-level handymen in the Ming Empire.
To describe their situation as miserable is not an exaggeration.
Except for the postmaster, who is a minor official and receives monthly salary from the government office, the other postmen here receive no remuneration.
They belong to the corvée stipulated by the court, which lasts for six months to one year.
Corvee is a kind of voluntary labor that is rigidly assigned by the yamen.
It's free of charge, the station only provides food and accommodation.
The postmen are usually busy and raise a lot of sheep, pigs, chickens, ducks and other poultry.
There are also large vegetable fields cultivated around the inn.
A scene of self-sufficiency and hard work.
Although the air smelled of poultry, pigs and sheep, Xu Qin felt at ease.
It's a bit like returning to my hometown in my previous life. The remote mountainous countryside is similar to this.
A fourth-grade Beijing official checked into such a low-level inn, which made everyone in the inn really nervous.
Of course, Xu Qin will be received with great hospitality.
The postmen ran back and forth, carrying tea and water, as humble as refugees and prisoners.
Xu Qin naturally stayed in the best wing.
Among the officials of the fourth rank who come and go in such low-level inns, he is considered a rare and noble race.
Xu Sanlang's current public identity is that of a guard of the East Palace. He has no job, no good grades, and can only live in an ordinary wing.
This is an official inn, and its rank and rank are reflected in every aspect.
The two of them ran for a long time, and after washing up, they felt hungry.
Soon, the food was delivered, and a large pot of turbid wine was brought up at the inn.
The military laws of the Ming Dynasty stipulated that soldiers were not allowed to drink alcohol in the post station, mainly because they were afraid of causing trouble after drinking and missing their official duties.
But Xu Qin belongs to the civil service system and enjoys special treatment.
Wine and food, including accommodation, are all free in the inn. This can be regarded as a benefit enjoyed by Ming officials when they go on patrol or run errands.
This is somewhat like a popular saying in later generations called "eating from the public family" at a certain period.
If you don’t eat, you won’t eat for free!
A small pot of braised mutton, pork vermicelli and cabbage soup, and several plates of stir-fried vegetables, all freshly picked and very fresh and delicious.
To be honest, this meal was more comfortable than the high-end restaurants in the city.
After a while, several more groups of postmen and sergeants came to the inn, and the number of residents gradually increased.
After having enough wine and food, Xu Sanlang began to yawn profusely.
This guy is heartless all day long and only knows how to eat and sleep soundly.
"Go away and go back to your own room to sleep."
Xu Qin snorted angrily.
"Hehe, I am indeed a little sleepy, then... I will go to bed first, young master."
After saying that, he wiped his mouth with his greasy and dirty hands from left to right, wiped them on his clothes, turned around and left with a silly smile.
I really convinced him.
I told him many times that this guy could never change his bad hygiene.
It is estimated that it will be difficult to achieve elegance in this life.
Xu Qin glanced at Xu Sanlang's back and murmured in his heart.
After a while, he finished his meal and went to a small courtyard behind the station.
This is the upper wing where he lives.
The small courtyard is quiet and very simple.
A bedroom with a small garden outside.
No one will bother you here.
In the courtyard, he used the hot water brought by the postman to wash his face and feet before entering his bedroom.
The furnishings in the bedroom are very simple, except for a wooden bed and quilt, a small wooden table and two low benches.
There is also a teapot on the table.
The tea is freshly brewed.
After taking a sip, it must be Kuding tea grown by the station itself.
Finally, the fatigue of the day came over me.
He blew out the candles, took off his robe, climbed into bed, and fell asleep.
It was almost late at night when I woke up from my sleep.
In the dark room, the moonlight shines in through the skylight and wall windows, and it is still possible to distinguish the direction.
The branches outside the house rustled in the cold late night wind.
Under the cool moonlight, the shadows of the trees reflected on the window lattice were like ghosts, baring their teeth and waving their claws.
Xu Qin opened his eyes suddenly.
He slowly sat up from the bed like a ghost.
The sound of rustling sounds kept coming from outside the hospital.
He didn't think it was a wild cat or dog causing trouble.
Damn it, are there still thieves in such a low-end inn?
Um?
It seemed like several people.
Want to commit a home invasion?
He got out of bed quietly, wearing only a single underpants, and walked barefoot on the ground, which felt cool.
After looking at the clothes and long leather robe two steps away, he subconsciously reached out and touched the ancestral Chixia Sword lying beside the clothes.
When I touched it, it was empty.
Oops!
His Chixia sword hung on the saddle.
Xu Sanlang took away the sword and the items as well as the saddle and put them in his room.
Oh shit, this idiot didn’t even think of sending it to me.
This heartless bastard!
He was very vigilant. He never thought that there would be thieves at Liuhe Station at night?
After dinner, I knew I would go back to my room and lay out my body.
Xu Qin felt anxious and started to curse.
He was just short of scolding his eighteen generations of ancestors.
But I can't curse either.
This silly family also has the surname Xu, which is the same clan as my own.
Fortunately, there is also a wrist-breaking knife in the pocket of the leather robe, which is equivalent to the military dagger of later generations.
It is convenient to cut big meat and eat it when drinking.
Taking out the wrist-removing knife from the pocket of his leather robe, Xu Qin gently took off the sheath and walked quietly among the shadows in the room, as if he had blended into it.
He listened to the noise outside.
In the yard outside the wing, there must be a lot of people surrounding me.
More than five or six...seven or eight...perhaps more...
Guessing the number doesn't make much sense now.
