The author said: I updated the post regularly every day during the Chinese New Year and was moved by my own spirit.
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The group traveled at night and slept in the morning, and walked for eight days from Guangyang to the southwest, finally crossing the borders of Yanzhou and Xingzhou and arriving at the bank of the Yellow River. On the other side of the Yellow River was Qingzhou, which was under the jurisdiction of Guannei Road.
If you want to save effort, you only need to board a boat at the bank of the Yellow River in Xingzhou, go downstream, bypass Qingzhou, land at Linzhou, and go west through Tongguan to reach the capital Luoyang. This way, you can cut through the bends and take a straight path, saving more than 200 miles. However, in recent years, the court has neglected to manage the Yellow River. During the summer flood or ice flood season, the Yellow River is densely covered with whirlpools and undercurrents, and even the most experienced boatmen dare not sail at this time.
Qiu Yizi and others were in a hurry and could not wait for the flood season to end and waste a month or two by the Yellow River to save energy. So they crossed the river at Xingzhou ferry and entered Qingzhou in Guannei Dao.
Just after crossing the Yellow River, Qiu Yizi saw a large town on the bank of the river, so he said to He Jiugong beside him: "This place inside the pass is indeed the foothills of the emperor, it is very prosperous. Look, there is a large town near the Yellow River." He did not ride a horse these days. He always sat side by side with He Jiugong in the carriage, listening to him talk about local customs and cultures in different places, so as to relieve the boredom and loneliness of the journey.
He Jiugong replied, "This town is called 'Anhe Town'. It was originally just a small village with only forty or fifty households. Ever since the Bohai people started trading with the Han people, more and more merchants have been traveling between Guannei and Youyan. My boss saw that Anhe Town is on the only way from Xingzhou to Qingzhou and is a good place for feng shui, so he connected several big merchants and built a restaurant and horse inn here to receive passing merchants. Merchants and people from the surrounding areas also gathered here to do some small business, and the town gradually prospered."
Qiu Yizhi originally thought that Zhou Cijing was just a mercenary peddler, but what he saw along the way made him admire this "uncle" even more, and he praised him: "Uncle has a really good eye, no wonder the wealthy merchants in Guangyang City all follow his lead!"
He Jiugong and the Zhou family share weal and woe. When he heard the adopted son of the King of Youyan praising the boss, he thought it was the same as praising himself. He said with a smile: "That's not right. Sir, please look ahead. The tallest restaurant called 'Qingguilou' is the boss's property. The boss has already ordered that we have dinner here today."
Qiu Yizhi looked towards Anhe Town and easily saw a four-story restaurant rising from the ground, much higher than all the surrounding buildings. Lanterns and colorful satin were hung on the top of the building, and it seemed that he could hear the sound of toasts and clinking of glasses from afar. It was undoubtedly a big place in Anhe Town. It was his first time to come to Guannei Road, and his youthful mentality had not completely subsided, so he left the group and rode slowly with Zhao Chengxiao to Qinggui Tower.
The two were halfway along the official road when they were stopped by two officials, one tall and one short, with spears in their hands. They shouted at them, "It is strictly forbidden to gallop and play on the official road. You two, get off your horses now!"
Qiu Yizi then remembered that he was not in Guangyang City and could not show off his status as the prince's adopted son. He quickly rolled off the saddle with Zhao Chengxiao, stood in front of the two officials, and waited for their orders.
The taller officer looked the two of them up and down carefully. Seeing Qiu Yi's bright clothes and riding a horse, he looked like a rich young master, and Zhao Chengxiao was obviously the young master's follower. He snorted and said, "Master, I know you are country bumpkins from Youyan Road. Let me tell you, this Guannei Road is under the emperor's imperial carriage, and there are many rules. It is a serious crime for you to ride your horses without reason on the official road. So, since it is your first offense, I will spare you the killing stick and fine you one tael of silver each." He stretched out his right hand and said, "Quick, give it to me."
Qiu Yizi thought, if the speed of riding a horse just now is called "galloping", then his rapid journey on the Youyan official road should be called "flying". But he remembered the old saying "people have to bow their heads under a low eaves", and hurriedly fumbled for silver on his body and in his sleeves. But it would have been better if he hadn't touched it. After touching it, he remembered that all his valuables were left in the carriage and he didn't bring them out. So he hurriedly clasped his fists and bowed to the official and said, "My lord, I don't have any silver with me, but just wait a moment, the carriage of the rear team will be here soon, and I can pay the fine then, okay?"
Another shorter officer laughed when he heard this: "I've only heard of people waiting for officers, but never heard of officers waiting for people. Today I've really opened my eyes. Let me tell you, I'm about to change shifts, and I don't have time to wait for you!"
Qiu Yizhi had never been treated so harshly since he became the adopted son of King Youyan. He suppressed his temper and said, "How about this? Let's choose one of us to go back and get the silver, and the other one will stay here as a hostage. I think it will only take half a cup of tea to deliver the silver. Please help us."
"Pah!" the short official spat, "We're giving you a hand, but who's giving us two a hand? You can go back and get the silver, but you don't have to stay here and get in the way. Just leave the two horses with me and you can redeem them with the silver."
Qiu Yizhi then realized that the two officials were interested in his two horses. However, the two horses under their crotches were a priceless Ferghana horse and a rare grassland horse. Yizhi thought that if the two officials started to cheat and refused to admit that they had seized his horses, he would be unable to defend himself. Now he could only argue with them for a few more words and wait for the large group of people to arrive and pay a few more taels of silver.
But Zhao Chengxiao had been bullied by the officials since he was a child. Seeing the two officials being so aggressive, he was indignant and muttered something. The tall official had good hearing, and when he heard it, he immediately got angry and picked up the spear in his hand and hit Zhao Chengxiao on the forehead. Zhao Chengxiao was quick-witted and stretched out his right hand to grab the spear with one hand; he had great strength, so he didn't use any force, just holding back his strength, and made the tall official hold the spear with both hands and couldn't move at all.
At this time, people gradually gathered around to watch the fun. Qiu Yizi saw that the situation was about to get out of hand, so he hurriedly wanted to go up and make peace. Unexpectedly, the short official who was talking to him just now quietly went to the side, took a horse stance, and thrust his spear into Zhao Chengxiao's waist.
Qiu Yi saw that if Zhao Chengxiao didn't die, he would be seriously injured. Without hesitation, she drew out the precious sword hanging from her waist and chopped at the spear head. This precious sword from the Western Regions cut iron like mud. Under the scorching sun, there was no trace of cold light. Everyone only saw a dark arc in the air without any stagnation. The nearly half-foot long metal spear head was gently cut off and fell heavily to the ground, making a crisp metallic sound. The two officials and the idle people around were stunned by this scene. They opened their mouths but couldn't say a word. The official road that was bustling just now was silent, without a single cough or gasp.
After a long while, the short official finally reacted and shouted strangely: "Good boy! Are you trying to rebel?" Then he threw away the spear with half of his head chopped off and rushed forward to grab Qiu Yizi.
Qiu Yizi was afraid that the officer would accidentally hit the blade of his precious sword and lose his life instantly, so he quickly put the sword behind him. Finally, the door was opened and the officer grabbed the collar and tried to drag him aside.
Zhao Chengxiao, who was still confronting the tall man, saw that the situation was not good. He grabbed the spear with his right hand and pulled it back hard, instantly taking the spear in his hand. He then stretched out his arms and threw the spear more than ten feet away. Then he stepped forward and held the wrist of the short official tightly with both hands, and his ten fingers were holding it tightly like a clamp used for torture. The short man's hands were pinched by Zhao Chengxiao so hard that he had already loosened Qiu Yizi's collar, but he couldn't get away. He could only open his mouth and scream "Yiyi Yaya".
Just as things were about to get out of control, an old man's voice suddenly rang out from the crowd of onlookers: "Isn't that Zhang Tou and Li Tou? Long time no see, how are you?"
Qiu Yizhi and Zhao Chengxiao followed the crowd's gaze and looked in the direction of the voice. The person who spoke was none other than He Jiugong, the driver. He jumped off the shaft of the carriage very skillfully, gently swung the whip over his shoulder, and just bowed to the two officials from a distance. He walked up to Qiu Yizhi and bowed deeply, saying, "Sir, you've come here in such a short while. The boss couldn't find you for a long time. It turns out you were talking to Zhang Tou and Li Tou!"
Zhao Chengxiao saw that the two officers, tall and short, knew He Jiugong, so he felt bad to offend them. He snorted and let go. The short man felt relieved and took several steps back. He wanted to punch him, but his wrists were so swollen and painful that he couldn't use any strength. Although he couldn't swallow this anger, he knew in his heart that even if there were seven or eight of him, he couldn't beat the black-faced guy in front of him. So he turned around and asked He Jiugong, "So it's He Jiugong. What's up? Do you know these two guys?"
He Jiugong seemed not to have seen the embarrassing scene just now, and replied: "This young man is the nephew of my boss. The boss came to the inner pass to do some business, so he just happened to bring the young man out to see the world."
"Oh! So Mr. Zhou has also come to our Anhe Town?" the tall officer on the side replied.
At this time, Zhou Cijing slowly leaned out half of his body from the carriage shed driven by He Jiugong, and said slowly: "What are you two officials talking about with my nephew? If my nephew has done anything wrong, please give me your advice."
What kind of person is Zhou Cijing? It is common for him to drink and have fun with the governor and county magistrate. How can these little yamen runners named Zhang and Li have the right to talk to him? The tall runner was a little more sensible. After hearing what Zhou Cijing said, he hurriedly said, "No, no. It's just a small misunderstanding between me and your nephew."
Zhou Cijing nodded slightly and said, "It's good that it's just a misunderstanding. He Jiu, go get two gifts and sell some wine to these two officers." After saying that, he slowly retreated into the carport.
He Jiugong replied loudly, "Okay," and took out two paper packages from his lapel and handed them to Zhang Tou and Li Tou. The two officials took the paper packages, weighed them in their hands, and felt that they were heavy - the paper packages must be pure gold, at least two taels, which could be worth twenty taels of the best snowflake silver, enough to equal their salary for most of half a year - they immediately smiled, as if they had forgotten all the humiliation they had just suffered.
Seeing the greedy and vulgar look of these two men, Qiu Yizi smiled contemptuously, put away the sword in his hand, led the horse, and continued to move forward with the carriage in which Zhou Cijing was sitting.
After half an incense stick of time had passed and there were no more people watching and pointing fingers, Zhou Cijing gently lifted the curtain on one side of the carport, revealing half of his face, and said to Qiu Yizi: "My dear nephew, since you call me 'uncle', I don't care whether it's true or not, I will give you some advice."
After this incident, Qiu Yizhi finally remembered the word "meticulous" that his adoptive father and master had repeatedly told him when he left Guangyang. He was reflecting on himself when he heard Zhou Cijing say this. He quickly replied, "Please give me some advice, uncle!"
"I have traveled all over the country for so many years and finally settled down in Youyan Road. Do you know why?" Zhou Cijing sighed and asked himself, "Alas, don't be fooled by the superficial glory of us businessmen. In fact, we are all dependent on others for our business. No matter how big my business is, as long as an official in the court says a word, I can go bankrupt. In order to protect this family business, I don't know how many times I have dealt with the government and how many dishonest things I have done. There are nearly a hundred prefectures in the ten provinces of Han. In my opinion, only the officials of Youyan Road are relatively honest, so I have made plans to operate in Guangyang City for a long time."
He seemed thirsty when he was halfway through his words. He took out two pieces of iced watermelon from the car, handed one piece to Qiu Yizi through the car window, took a bite of the other piece himself, moistened his throat and continued, "I also hope that Prince Youyan lives a long life, but... As the saying goes, 'A man without far-sightedness will surely have near worries', and Zhou must also have some long-term plans, so I have been racking my brains, hoping to rely on the remaining blessings of the prince and donate an official position, no matter how big or small, so that I can be on an equal footing with these officials. To be honest with you, my dear nephew, none of the younger generation of nephews and nieces in my Zhou family are engaged in business. We all hope that one of them can pass the imperial examination. It's a pity that these guys are all dandies, and there is not even one promising one..." (To be continued)