The husband's son-in-law

Zhaozhou.

The words on the stele have been blurred by the wind and the sun. After careful identification, the bodyguard said it.Sweating all over his face, his expression was relaxed, and he went back to talk to Mr. Gu, "If I remember correctly, I can walk forward for more than half a day to get there."

That is twenty miles away.

Zhaozhou is different from other places. The general inland states are surrounded by two or three prefectures and counties in the center, while Zhaozhou is a little bit to the north. There are five prefectures, one is next to Nanyi, and the other is Next to half of Nanyi and half of the sea, the remaining two coastal areas, one close to the sea and next to miasma forests.

Today is different from modern times. Modern coastal cities are more prosperous and lively. Now, the further down the coast, the poorer and sparsely populated. Naturally, it is better to stay far away from city-level cities like Zhou.

Anyway here it is!

I hope that in front of you, everyone is enthusiastic about the journey, and they don't stop to rectify. If you encounter difficulties, get out of the car and push the cart to walk. Anyway, you have gotten used to it in the past few months, and everyone has rich experience.

"Tell Li Xia not to come down." Li Zhouzhou told Li Chun and Meng Jianyun.

The more Li Xia went south, the road was not acclimatized, he had a stomachache, and he had a few times of fever. On the way, he invited a local doctor to show him and took the medicine. Take care of a few more.

From a distance, the city gate of Zhaozhou can be seen.

Although it was a bit dilapidated, looking at it in Gu Zhao's eyes, ah, how simple and simple!

It's hard to hide the excitement in my heart, no matter how you look at it.

After a few miles away, Gu Zhaoxian changed his clothes. He came all the way, and the weather was getting hotter and hotter, so he didn't care about the official airs. He just put on a layer of cotton and linen shorts. It was very refreshing, and he asked Zhou Zhou to change it too.

Fubao was very hot, so when he was in the carriage on weekdays, Gu Zhao changed Fubao into short-sleeved trousers.

Li Zhouzhou didn't hesitate at all, the fleshy arms and legs that love Fu Baore are all red, put on Shu Tan, the child is still young and is not afraid of any rules, and besides, they all come outside.

When Li Da saw that the couple agreed, he didn't say anything, and felt sorry for Fu Bao's loss of weight.

This meeting is about to enter the city to meet Shangfeng, so you can't just enter like this casually, it doesn't look like it, the whole family of Li's family has changed their robes.Li Zhouzhou changed into Fu Bao's unlined clothes and opened the curtain, allowing some wind to come in.

"Wait, we'll be there soon."

Fu Bao looked out of the car with round eyes curiously, "Is there a surprise?!"

"Yes." Gu Zhao also had a smile on his face.

Arrived.

The group of them is both a carriage frame and an escort. It looks like foreign faces and unfamiliar accents. The soldiers guarding the city gate are also wrinkled and lifeless. If this pedestrian is not too eye-catching, they must be too lazy to go. Ask before.

"In the car is Mr. Gu, the Tong Zhi of Zhaozhou sent by Jingzhong." Said the bodyguard.

The pawns guarding the gate suddenly regained their spirits, and greeted those who were dozing next to them, and their salutes were uneven.The team leader who guarded the gate stepped forward to answer, clasped his hands towards the carriage, and said in a localized way: "Greetings, Mr. Gu, the transfer letter from the superior came down early, and Mr. Chen sent us to wait here."

Gu Zhao heard the general idea, but luckily he was walking slowly, as the road went south, there were more voices, so he listened and learned, and now he lifted the curtain and let the front lead the way.

Into the city.

Shangfeng’s surname is Chen, and Shanzi’s name is Ning. He was a fellow Jinshi in Kangjing’s 26th year. He was waiting to be assigned an official position. He went all the way to the south. First, he became a county magistrate in the Central Plains. He worked for four years. I wanted to be transferred to Beijing, but no one thought I could get it. Beijing was fine, and I was immediately assigned to Zhaozhou, the southernmost city.

When I first arrived in Zhaozhou, I was not Zhizhou, but an adjutant from the sixth grade. Later, I worked hard, and the Shangfeng people had their own connections and made connections. One batch, Kang Jing only sat in Zhizhou of Zhaozhou in 40 years.

Master Chen has been an official in Zhaozhou for 31 years.

As the carriages and horses enter the city, Gu Zhao doesn't take the car anymore. He gets down and walks while looking at the scene. There are two gates in Zhaozhou City. The gate like Gu Zhao's from north to south is still a bit prosperous. Look at a lot of desperation.

Chengmenlouzi is almost the same as that in Ningsong Town.

But after walking through that bustling area, it became deserted again. Gu Zhaoneng thought that this north gate is connected to the commercial channels of several prefectures, counties, and cities in the upper city. Some merchants will deliver goods to Zhaozhou City, and basically live at the gate of the city. Nearby inn, go back after delivering the goods, no longer go deep.

So after passing the radiation area near the gate of the city, it is deserted.

The messenger who led the way bowed his waist and replied, meaning that there is a big place, some people go, please Mr. Gu get on the carriage.Gu Zhao got into the carriage and headed all the way to the center. Zhaozhou City is a city-level city after all, and it was independent. It must be bigger than Ningping County, not much.

In terms of overall prosperity, it is not as good as Ninh Binh County.

Gu Zhao said before that there are a total of thirteen chief secretaries and seven military command posts in Dali.Zhaozhou is nominally under the Chief Secretary of Nanjun County, but because of Zhaozhou's remote location, mountains, and poverty, the Chief Secretary of Nanjun County has always ignored it and regarded it as no state.

So Gu Zhao is a deputy mayor from the transfer documents, but Zhaozhou is almost as large as a small province, and its real power is about the same as that of the deputy governor.

The center of the city is almost lively, but Gu Zhao compared it with the surrounding suburbs, they are all empty, the houses are also low and uneven, the streets are also dirt roads, and the clothes and mental outlook of the people are not like those of the provincial capital. Following Ning Song The town's consumption level is about the same.

Comparing a state with a prefecture or county, one can tell that Gu Zhao has set his psychological expectations much lower.

But in the end it was worse than expected.

Gu Zhao: ...It's okay to cheer yourself up.

The yamen is in the center, and the roads in Zhaozhou City are not like a checkerboard pattern in Beijing. They are horizontally and vertically square and symmetrical. The main street of Zhaozhou City leads to small streets, extending in all directions. Their team must be confused.

As soon as the convoy arrived at the gate of the yamen, the two doors of the yamen were closed tightly and the paint was mottled.

The soldiers went up and knocked on the door, but before they knocked twice, a person came hurriedly from the other side of the street, and the two communicated in the local dialect, speaking too fast and too hastily, Gu Zhao didn't understand the truth, but the person said a few words, He trotted over to his carriage and saluted, and he was able to speak a bit of official language.

Having revealed his identity, he is Mr. Chen's master, and he was specially sent to pick Mr. Gu up to rest in Chen's mansion first, and then settle down.

The carriage detoured back and walked for about ten minutes along the main street to the Chen Mansion.

White walls and blue tiles, two majestic black-painted gates, and two stone lions squatting in front of the gates.The door was already opened, and the servants of the housekeeper of the Chen residence stood in a line to wait. When they saw the person coming, they saluted, and then greeted him.

Gu Zhao saw that Mr. Chen's behavior did not seem like someone who made things difficult for him, but he hadn't seen it yet, and he was not sure. After entering the gate and walking around the screen wall, he saw Mrs. Chen Ning and Mrs. Chen in a single robe.

Mr. Chen has a goatee, and looks not much different from his actual age. He is in his fifties and sixties, his hair is tied up in one piece, and a few strands of hair hang down on his temples. He looks like he just changed his clothes, and he looks a little loose , the human skin is slightly dark, about 1.7 meters tall, a little fat, with a round belly, and a golden tooth showing when he smiles.

Gu Zhao: ...

Mr. Chen really doesn't look like an official, but rather a rich man in business.

When I saw him, I greeted him with a smile, held his hand and said enthusiastically, "Come on, Xiao Gu, your transfer letter arrived more than a month earlier, and I have been waiting for you."

Gu Zhao: ...

Gu Zhao couldn't figure out his new ascension to the peak for a while, he also held Master Chen's hand, and said humbly, "There are a lot of people in my family, and there are children all the way from Beijing, so please forgive me for being slow. "

"You have arrived in Zhaozhou, and you will be your own person from now on, so what are you saying to forgive me?" Master Chen put his thick palm on Gu Zhao's shoulder, and said with a smile: "It's good that you come, it's good. "

Gu Zhao couldn't help but meet a lot of adults - he had attended the Longevity Festival in the capital for a while, and he had seen all the officials above the fourth rank in the entire capital during the banquet in the front hall of the palace, but he had never seen them. The type of Mr. Chen.

Let's talk about enthusiasm, but it's different, let's talk about intrigue, and it's very simple.

Gu Zhaozhen could see from Mr. Chen's eyes that he had a real desire for him, and he was really looking forward to his coming.

If Mr. Chen was not old enough to be his grandfather, Gu Zhao would have almost lost his mind, stopped immediately, introduced his family members, and after exchanging pleasantries, Gu Zhao wanted to ask about the house—his family had to buy it and settle down.

"...Where does the previous colleague live? If it is convenient, my family can buy it."

Mr. Chen said: "You are talking about Xiao Zhao, the yard of his house is more magnificent than mine, I didn't say that Xiao Zhao dislikes me, stay away from me, I think Xiao Gu, if you buy it, you can buy this piece. We can chat and talk from time to time."

Gu Zhao: ...I have a little understanding of why Xiao Zhao bought it so far.

Mr. Chen is so enthusiastic that it is hard to understand.

"No rush, please settle down in our residence first, take your time." Mr. Chen asked the housekeeper to settle down, and then said, "I'll pick you up at night, and let Da Lang run errands if you need anything."

Da Lang is Master Chen's eldest son, who is over 40 years old.

Master Chen called Da Lang, and Gu Zhao saw a little helplessness and embarrassment on the face of Master Chen's eldest son.

Dalang Chen settled them down and led the way at the front while introducing the place in the mansion. The houses in the south were not like the square and symmetrical courtyards in Beijing, so Gu Zhao couldn’t say how many times they came in and out. Anyway, their family settled in front. The courtyard is a courtyard with a lotus pond.

The Chen Mansion is quite big.

"...my father wants to go back all his life, Mr. Gu is not afraid to hear Jingyin's kindness." Dalang Chen said.

Gu Zhao said with a smile, "I'm not afraid, your father is very hospitable, my family is bothering you." After he finished speaking the hypocritical polite words, he saw 'another polite' on the face of Mr. Chen, and immediately: ...Silence.

The Chen family father and son are quite interesting.Gu Zhaowanzun laughed twice, changed the subject, and asked how much is the house in Chen's residence?

"This is my house? Or what is the name of the Zhizhou above? I have forgotten it after a long time, it doesn't matter anymore. Four courtyards are not too expensive..."

Gu Zhao: This is simply cheap! ! !

According to Chen Dalang's description, there are seven courtyards in the front and back of Chen's mansion, as well as gardens and stables, which are placed in the capital, which can be enjoyed by officials above the fourth rank. government.

In the area of ​​the Lin family, such a house costs at least tens of thousands of taels.

Of course, the decoration of the Lin family's yard is also luxurious and exquisite.The Chen Mansion looks big, but the maintenance is not enough. It is quite beautiful at first glance, but you can't look at it carefully. It looks like a lotus pond. The lotus leaves are broken and there is no salvage.

The carved beams and painted columns are mottled in color and can’t be seen clearly. Some of the steps of the stairs are missing a corner. The green belts passing by are mostly weeds and have not been repaired. Vase calligraphy and painting these.

The maintenance cost of a big house is not cheap.

Looking at it this way, at least Mr. Chen doesn't look like a corrupt official.Or he was greedy for money and didn't use it for the house, Gu Zhao couldn't say for sure, he was new here, so he looked around as he walked.

After settling down, servants of the Chen residence brought hot water to wash and wash. It was getting late, and after a short rest, the butler of the Chen residence came to invite him, and it was time to eat.

There are not many diets, mostly light seafood, such as fish and shrimp.

Li Da is not used to these things, and always feels a fishy smell, but Gu Zhao misses them quite a bit. These seafood are stored in modern food stalls—not to mention high-end restaurants, but today’s food is at least a thousand dollars less up.

Fu Bao was very happy to eat.

The drink is green plum wine, which is a specialty here.

The Chen family does not have as many rules when eating in Beijing. The two tables opened by the female relatives are next to each other. The whole family eats, drinks and talks, and there are children, but they are all older than Fubao, and the youngest is more than eight years old. Fu Bao didn't understand, so he sat obediently in Father's arms, watching curiously while eating.

Gu Zhao was talking to Mr. Chen here. Mr. Chen drank a few cups and became even more enthusiastic. When he held his hand, he burst into tears, and the same few words went back and forth. Looking forward to it, you can count it as coming, Xiao Gu, come here Yes, such warm words.

"...I'm getting old, I'm 56, and I wanted to quit. Once Xiao Zhao left, there was always a shortage of deputy positions. I was tired, and my skin was tanned. It's good that you are here now. I will take care of the yamen. Here you go."

Gu Zhao:? ? ?

What does this mean?

Let him take care of it all?

But Mr. Chen is drunk now, and Gu Zhao didn't dare to take it seriously. He said that he came to take office as his deputy, and that he was here to solve his problems and make Zhaozhou better.

"Zhaozhou is doing well now. It's almost done without drowning and starving to death." Mr. Chen said drunkly: "I have worked in Zhaozhou for 31 years. I don't know. I was poorer before. You didn't See, how good it is now, with shoes to wear and clothes to cover the body, although it is still a little poor, but it is not to the point of selling children and daughters."

Gu Zhao naturally praised Master Chen for his hard work.

"It's quite tiring, and I can't move around." Master Chen held Xiao Gu's hand and said, "It's already very good now, you can take care of it, and it's not a lot of hard work. I'll just take a rest." rest."

Later, Chen Dalang's sons helped Mr. Chen who was drunk to go back to rest.

The welcome banquet is over.

When he woke up the next day, Gu Zhao and his family discussed buying a house first, as it was not convenient to live in the Chen Mansion, and he had to send escorts, and he could bring some Zhaozhou specialties and letters when he returned.

"I'm afraid my sister-in-law is about to give birth, and I don't know the boy or girl she will give birth to." Li Zhouzhou said.

Gu Zhao didn't know that his sister-in-law was due to give birth in June, and the family was on their way to Zhaozhou at this time.

"At that time, I will send another Zhaozhou gift." Although his family had already given the unborn child a full moon gift in advance.Now there are ready-made escorts carrying letters, and souvenirs don't cost much.

People do not blame.

He didn't dare to buy a house, Li Da stayed to watch Fu Bao, and there were four escorts.Gu Zhao brought two of them.As for the servants at home, as well as the Su family, they all stayed in the Chen residence to rest and organize their luggage.

After all, he was an official, and he was still the deputy in command. In Zhaozhou City, Gu Zhao could walk sideways—naturally, he was not so arrogant.What I said is that buying a house is very convenient, and it is faster than buying a house in prefectures and counties or in Beijing.

One is that if the people do not compete with the officials, they naturally cannot.For example, in the city center of Chen's Mansion, there is a government office in front of it, and the common people are afraid in their hearts. In the past, in Ningping Prefecture, the people used to take detours, let alone Zhizhou Yamen.

The houses in this area vary from big to small, and they are all the 'family quarters' of officials in the yamen. The small ones are about the size of the second courtyard in Beijing, but they are not symmetrical courtyards. Basically, the layout is the front yard for entertaining guests, and the middle residence , with this small garden at the back, compact.

Those who live in this kind of house are all with official ranks, such as eighth rank and ninth rank.

There are also larger ones, that is, the yard is large and the garden is large.

The ones without official rank are the small courtyards in the prefectures and counties, and most of them are government servants who live in the government.This is an alley, the geographical location is slanted to the back, protecting the officials and gentlemen in front.

Second, there are not many houses to choose from.The above-mentioned types of houses and courtyards are very popular, and there are no vacancies and no one is selling them. The Zhaozhou Yamen has not been transferred for more than ten years, so the houses are all occupied, and the two vacant ones are near the Chen Mansion.

Choose one of the two, or it is in the outskirts of the city - the home of the former colleague Xiao Zhao.

Gu Zhao wanted to make it easier for him to run errands. He used to be unable to live in a ring in the capital, so he got up early and spent all his time on commuting. Now it takes only ten minutes to drive a horse-drawn carriage to reach the Yamen. Why buy the suburbs?

Are you stupid?

One is bigger than the Chen Mansion, and the layout is also similar.The other building is slightly smaller and is a compact mansion. There are two yards and two gates in the front, and three yards in the back belonging to the back house. Of course, the main yard is the largest and most complete in functions. It has a large garden and occupies an area Gu Zhao estimated. Next, there must be more than 2000 square meters.

There is the incense hall, a place dedicated to offering sacrifices.

Gu Zhao thought it was a good place, so he asked about the price of 500 taels.

The Chen residence is too big.

But Gu Zhao asked, and that was 50 taels more.Gu Zhao once again sighed that the prices are cheap, but when the prices are cheap, it is difficult to make money, and the consumption level of the local people is not high.

In the end, I bought this small one, which was enough for their family and very comfortable.In addition, this house is a little newer, and there is a yamen in the middle of Chen's house, and the two houses are not too close to each other.

But to Mr. Chen, tears welled up in his eyes, and he held Xiao Gu's hand affectionately, saying that Xiao Gu was good, that the two families were close, and he did not dislike him.Xiao Gu: ...

After a long time, Gu Zhao felt that he would definitely be able to get used to such an emotional and enthusiastic social cow like Mr. Chen.

The mansion was bought, but it needs to be repaired, and the supplementary furniture is so broken that it can't be used anymore, so it can't be wasted if it is chopped up and given to the stove house as firewood.The tiles of the house were checked one by one. It is rainy here in summer, and the eaves are flying feet. The tiles have been checked to prevent them from falling and hurting people, and the water is also done well.

These Li Zhouzhou took over the management, let Xianggong go on errands, don't worry about it.

First tidy up the yard of the main house, and take the rest slowly. Fortunately, the escorts have not left yet. Li Zhouzhou spent money to take care of it, and even hired local masons to do the work. After doing so, it really settled down Yes, it's already early August.

Gu Zhao has been sitting in the Yamen office for more than half a month. In the past half month, he has seen the historical harvest and grain taxes of the five prefectures in Zhaozhou, as well as the records of officials, the number of villages, and so on.During the period, the local gentry and rich men invited him to drink flower wine, and Xiao Gu kept a straight face - he remembered all these people in his eyes. It seemed that these few were rich and flexible gentry and wealthy households.

The refusal was naturally a refusal, and those people also came to touch the temper of the new official Mr. Gu. After being rejected, it spread in the business circle. The new young Mr. Gu is serious and serious.As for the false prudence or the real one, we will know in the future.It was the same with Mr. Chen when he first came up, but later Xiaojing also accepted, and concubines were also accepted. Officials are all the same.

Gu Zhao turned around and made a show of merit to Zhou Zhou. He refused to invite him to drink flowers and wine. want.

"...Mr. Chen also teased me with words. I know what it means. We just arrived here. Mr. Chen seems to be easy to get along with, but he hasn't touched the root yet. Now everyone in Zhaozhou City is staring at our house, thinking If you touch your temper, I believe you, even if you go to drink flower wine, you will be bluffing."

Gu Zhao clings to his wife, "Zhou Zhou, if you're not jealous, does that mean you don't love me?"

Li Zhouzhou smiled happily, changed his husband's clothes, and said, "I like it."

The joke is over, the husband and wife actually know each other's intentions.

"Master Chen has been an official in Zhaozhou for 31 years, but I got along these days and went to ask for information every few days. Later, Master Chen thought I was annoying and asked his master to follow me. I don't think Master Chen is a big deal at present. A villain is just a foolish official." Gu Zhao didn't dare to say too much.

Mr. Chen is the embodiment of most officials nowadays. They all say that they are not deaf, dumb, or family members. When they go to the localities, no matter how poor they are, there are ways to make money. There are also local gentry and rich people. Most of the officials are open-minded With one eye closed, he became an official in a muddleheaded way.

There are also two types of foolish officials. One is the greedy and foolish officials who only accept money and ignore the people.One harm is the people of a place.

There is another kind of person like Mr. Chen.

Gu Zhao checked Zhaozhou’s taxation situation for 50 years. It was really pitiful at the beginning. The entire state didn’t even pass the lowest level of the government’s grain tax. Food, tax, money and tax are not too serious.

After that, it improved year by year, at least the accounts looked good.

Gu Zhao intends to conduct a physical investigation to see whether Mr. Chen is a general official who has really done things for the people, or is he just doing superficial work. Once he goes to the field and asks the people, they will know.

"The information is almost gone. After I went to the prefecture and county, and the surrounding villages, I must be away for ten days and a half months. The bodyguards will stay here to protect the family. You and Dad stay more." A heart." Gu Zhao said.

Li Zhouzhou nodded, "I know, if Xianggong goes, he will bring his own people, and I won't worry about the yamen."

"I know. Thank you for your hard work."

Gu Zhao went out and took Meng Jianyun and Su Shiyi with him. Meng Jianyun, a kid, remembers Lu Zhun. When he came to Zhaozhou, sometimes he had to go around the mountain, and the bodyguards would go the wrong way. They went around at night, saying that ghosts hit the wall , but Meng Jianyun was able to tell the direction carefully. He just passed by, but he didn't go this way.

The bodyguard was very appreciative, and wanted to poach Gu Zhao's corner and recruit Xiaomeng to be a bodyguard.

Before Gu Zhao could speak, Meng Jianyun said that he belonged to the Li family and had a master, so he quit.Later, Gu Zhao thought, if Xiaomeng didn't have this special skill, it would be impossible for her to travel from Ningxi Prefecture to Beijing safely. She survived the snow disaster, either because of luck or human ability.

After his brother left, Xiao Meng actually had some cynical hatred in his bones.

Now it’s not like being in a prefecture or county. Gu Zhao has a lot of time to go to school, and he can still cook a chicken soup for Zheng Hui’s rigorous letter to persuade his classmates to turn around. No, Gu Zhao saw that Xiaomeng's face was cold on weekdays, and he also listened to what he, Zhou Zhou, and his father said, and even Fu Bao could instigate Xiaomeng, so he ignored it.

Su Shiyi is Dagao, who is strong and strong, but he is honest and obedient, and does what he is asked to do.

Gu Zhao said that he was going to visit the five prefectures and counties, Master Chen was quite happy to hear that, and said, "Go, let Xiao Gu see, I have been an official for so many years, and I am not just idle. "

"By the way, we have brought all the manpower. The side of Minzhang Prefecture is close to the forest. After so many years of treatment, the side next to the miasma forest still has a lot of house robbers. If you go to bring a doctor, you just came from Beijing. If you come here, even if you are far away, I guess the smell will be tricked, and when I went there, I almost died." Chen Ning said.

Gu Zhao responded and led his men out of the city on horseback.

No matter how poor Zhaozhou City was, it was still a provincial capital, and it was still possible to make do with ten horses. Riding a horse was faster than a carriage, and Gu Zhao was able to ride it after practice.Su Shiyi was more hip-stretching, stumbling, and nervous and frightened sitting on the big horse. The boy Meng Jianyun turned over and dexterously got on.

"Don't be afraid, let's ride slowly." Gu Zhao said to Su Shiyi.

the other side.

Li Zhouzhou stayed in the city, with four bodyguards at home, and took two of them out when he went out. Fu Bao basically stayed at home and his father watched him. He wanted to recruit workers, and he needed to recruit local people for some rough jobs at home.

I have been to prefectures and counties before, and I have been to Beijing. They are all unfamiliar places. Li Zhouzhou and Li Da have not been cautious and unsteady this time. Why, because both of them can listen to what people from prefectures, counties and Jingli say Understand.Not to mention prefectures and counties. Wannan Prefecture is in the Central Plains. People from Xiping Village have a slightly different pronunciation when they go to prefectures and counties.

But all the way south, each place is sometimes separated by a village, and the words are different.

Not to mention Zhaozhou City, the accent of the city is full, and Li Zhouzhou speaks too fast, and Li Zhouzhou can't understand it even though he listens carefully. Under such an environment, he seems more lonely and unreliable.

Li Xia and Li Chun brought along with him, when he was in Beijing before, Li Zhouzhou was still worried about letting the two of them be alone with Fu Bao, but now, Li Zhouzhou is more trusting of the person he brought.

Because in the eyes of Li Xia and Li Chun, he saw the fear, the fear of the remote area of ​​the strange city, the two of them were eager to rely on their Li family to live.

Even if they were given a hundred courage, they would not dare to betray the Lord.