July 29th, Mao hour.

Wu Zongrui and his party set off for Yingtian Mansion.

Liao Wenru took ten of the strongest guards to escort Wu Zongrui and his party to Yingtian Mansion in South Zhili.

Because I brought my family with me to the appointment, the main route I chose was the official road, starting from Anyuan County, passing through Fuzhou, Nanchang, Nankang and Jiujiang Prefecture, entering Anqing under the jurisdiction of South Zhili, and then passing through Luzhou and Hezhou.

Arrive at Yingtianfu.

Nanzhi belongs to the most prosperous and prosperous place in the Ming Dynasty, especially Nanjing, Suzhou and Yangzhou, where more than 60% of the merchants of the Ming Dynasty were concentrated. The sprout of the commodity economy in the late Ming Dynasty also originated from this area.

One of the more influential aspects of Nanzhili is that it is a gathering place for scholars with high status.

In the Imperial Examination of the Ming Dynasty, scholars were selected based on regions in the north and south. This was also because the scholars in the south were so good. If there were no quota limits, scholars in the north would not have much hope in the joint examination and the imperial examination. However, even if the quotas were divided into regions,

, first-class and second-class scholars are also mostly occupied by scholars from southern Zhili, Jiangxi and Zhejiang.

The Ming Dynasty's cabinet has been controlled by southerners for a long time, especially in the late Ming Dynasty. Zhou Yanru, Wen Tiren, Kong Zhenyuan, Xue Guoguan, Chen Yan and other chief ministers of the cabinet were all from the south. Emperor Chongzhen reigned for seventeen years

, the cabinet's chief ministers changed fifteen people successively, and Zhou Yanru and Wen Tiren held the position of chief ministers and ministers for eight years.

Not to mention the Liubu and the Supervisory Yuan, there are censors on the left and right of the Liubu Shangshu and the Supervisory Yuan, and most of them are from the south.

This situation further highlights the importance of the south in the Ming Dynasty.

It is a pity that the emperor in the late Ming Dynasty failed to realize this and did not take into account the mentality of southern scholars who desperately defended their family interests after taking control of the government. Even if the court was stretched to the point of being stretched, it was not willing to increase the number of southern scholars.

Taxes, especially trade taxes.

On the tenth day of August, Wu Zongrui and his party left Jiangxi and entered southern Zhili.

The bustling atmosphere can be faintly felt, and the terrain is flatter.

What Wu Zongrui focuses on is the lives of ordinary people.

The situation in Jiangxi has not changed much. The situation in Nankang and Jiujiang is not very good. Although the autumn harvest season has arrived, there are not many happy smiles on the faces of farmers, and there are actually a few in Nankang.

of refugees.

After entering southern Zhili, the number of caravans increased significantly, and the official road was quite lively.

Wu Zongrui's team attracted some attention. Wu Zongrui, Liao Wenru, Liu Ning and the guards were all on horseback, while Chen Lingyan and others were riding in carriages. Although the number of people was not large, the momentum was still quite large.

On August 15, the team entered Hezhou.

Hezhou is less than two hundred miles away from the capital city of Nanjing, and it is all on flat official roads. Calculated in terms of time, it can be reached in about two days at most, and the closer you get to Nanjing, the more people there are on the official roads.

Wu Zongrui felt that Liao Wenru and others no longer needed escorts and could go back. Besides, he was only promoted from the sixth-grade Yingtian Mansion, so it would not be a good thing if the momentum was too big.

There were still five days left before he took office, so he had enough time. According to Wu Zongrui's plan, the first thing he did after arriving in Nanjing Fucheng was to rent a house. He didn't know the specific price, and it probably wouldn't be too cheap. Fortunately, he brought money with him.

It's enough, don't worry about not having enough money.

The sky was getting dark, and Chen Lingyan and others were resting in the inn.

Wu Zongrui and Liao Wenru walked out of the inn, followed by Liu Ning and two guards. Neither of them rode horses.

"Wen Ru, you will return with your escort tomorrow. Thank you for your hard work on this journey. This place is less than two hundred miles away from the capital of Nanjing. There are official roads along the way. There are many people coming and going, and there are also many caravans. I want to come.

There’s no problem anymore.”

"Brother, I think it's better to send it outside Nanjing. That's safe."

"No, if you arrive outside Nanjing, it is definitely not appropriate for you not to go to Fucheng to have a look. If you enter Fucheng, it may take a lot of time. I don't have to worry about money. The key is that there are many people to see...

"

Before Wu Zongrui finished speaking, Liao Wenru spoke.

"Brother, I understand what you mean. There are still many people paying attention to our team along the way. I have noticed it. Brother, you have always been low-key and don't want to be noticed. But I think sometimes you even want to be low-key.

, I’m afraid I won’t be able to do it either.”

"Oh, Wen Ru, please explain carefully what is the reason for this."

"Actually, I also learned from you. I always keep everything in my head. A few days ago, Liu Ning talked to me a lot, about the palace examination. You are the youngest among all the Jinshi. This may cause

I paid attention, and when I was around you, I felt your vigor. You appear calm on the surface, but in fact you are arrogant on the inside. This kind of character of yours has already been shown when you were in Tengwang Pavilion..."

Wu Zongrui looked at Liao Wenru with a smile on his face.

"Wen Ru, I can't believe that in less than a year, you have made such great progress and are able to analyze many things. You are right. These words of yours also reminded me that sometimes, you can't do things too much.

Keep a low profile, otherwise some people will think that I have a weak personality and can be bullied at will."

"Brother, I'm not worried about anyone daring to be rude to you..."

Wu Zongrui shook his head.

"There are too many literati in Nanjing Fucheng. I have never seen these people in any form before. They are all arrogant and arrogant masters. They are not so polite in their words and deeds. Besides, the newly established Fushe is said to be very popular in Nanjing Fucheng.

The fire has also attracted the attention of Nanjing Six Ministries and the Supervisory Office. Jiangxi Yuzhang Society has become a part of the restored society. If I meet the people who are restoring the society, if I show too much humility, I will be asking for trouble."

"Brother, why don't I send you and your sister-in-law to Nanjing Fucheng?"

"No, you should go back earlier. Guards need constant training. It's hard to say whether the Luo brothers can hold their own if you've been away for such a long time. There are many things that we need to think more about, Wu

Whether there are people in the family who are keeping an eye on the escort team, whether there are people who want to get involved, are all things we must think about. I am really worried about you not leading the escort team."

"Brother said so, then I'll rush back right away."

"Go back early tomorrow morning, Wenru, you must remember that the security team is our greatest asset. I always feel that this world is not very peaceful. The security team we have spent so much energy training will one day come in handy.

"

Before dawn, Liao Wenru left with ten guards.

Wu Zongrui stood by the official road until he could no longer see any of the guards, then turned around and returned to the inn.

Chen Lingyan and others had already prepared.

"Husband, have Wenru and the others gone back?"

"Well, this place is less than two hundred miles away from the capital of Nanjing. We can arrive in two days at most. Besides, this is all an official road. There are many people coming and going on the official road, and there are many caravans.

, there is no problem, let Wenru and the others leave early so that they can go home as soon as possible."

"Husband, I have heard before that when you take up your post in Yingtian Mansion, can't you live in the inn?"

Wu Zongrui looked at Chen Lingyan with a wry smile on his face.

A few months ago, such a situation existed. Officials who were on their way to their posts could rest at the post station. The post station provided free food and accommodation. Under special circumstances, post guards would be sent to guard it. Unfortunately, Yunnan Dao Yushi Mao Yujian and

During the incident, Hu Ke wrote to Liu Mao respectively, saying that the cost of the post stations in various places was too high and became a burden to the court. The emperor approved the two memorials and began to clean up and abolish the inns in various places in March. Most of the inns were abolished.

Li Zicheng, the leader of the peasant uprising army who then entered Beijing directly, was a postman at the Shaanxi Post Station. He joined the rebel army because the post station was abolished by the imperial court and he could no longer survive.

"Madam, we don't stay at any inn. We are much more comfortable on this journey. By the way, we can arrive in Nanjing Fucheng tomorrow. You, Yuhuan and Qiuye, check into the inn. Liu Ning and I will look around to see if there is anything we can rent.

's courtyard."

"Husband, I can just do these things myself, why should you worry about them?"

"You have never traveled far, and the long journey is already very tiring. When you arrive in Nanjing, take a good rest and recharge your batteries, then walk around and take a look. Liu Ning and I can do the other things."

Nanjing was once the capital of the Ming Dynasty. Zhu Di took the throne from his nephew Zhu Jianwen and moved the capital to Beijing. Nanjing served as the companion capital, retaining central bureaucracies such as the Six Ministries and the Supervisory Office.

The six bureaus in Nanjing, except for the Ministry of War and the Ministry of Household Affairs, have little power. Even the Ministers of the Ministry of War and the Ministry of Household Affairs in Nanjing were mostly sent to Nanjing because they encountered exclusion in the capital.

Strictly speaking, in terms of income, the income of a doctor of the sixth rank in Nanjing is not as good as that of a magistrate of the seventh rank. A magistrate of the seventh rank can get a lot of other money and food by virtue of his power, but the doctor of the sixth rank of Nanjing does not have any.

No matter what kind of power there is, it is impossible for anyone to curry favor with you.

The Nanjing Ministry of Household Affairs is in charge of a lot of money and food. After all, Nanzhili is rich, but it does not dare to spend the money and food at will. Some of it needs to be escorted to the capital, and the other part needs to pay for the salaries of many officials in South Zhili.

This gave rise to a strange phenomenon. The wealthy gentry and some wealthy scholars were intoxicated with the life of Nanjing. Whenever they had the opportunity, they flocked to Nanjing to enjoy the prosperity here. However, officials from the Sixth Department of Nanjing and the Supervisory Office

, the mood is generally not high, no one wants to stay here, they all hope to return to the capital to serve. Of course, they are reluctant to let the officials of the Six Ministries of Nanjing go to other places to serve, unless they are promoted to serve as chief envoys in various places.

, governor and other official positions.
Chapter completed!