At dusk the next day, Ruan Yuan arrived at Yangzhou Pier by boat. Seeing that the ship had been moored, Ruan Fu was about to get off the ship and went to his home in Yangzhou to inform Jiang Er about Ruan Yuan's journey south. But just as Ruan Fu was about to land,

Ruan Yuan suddenly stopped him.

"Fu'er, don't go back tomorrow. This time, we have to return to Guangzhou as soon as possible."

"Dad, what's going on over there in Guangzhou?" Ruan Fu asked in confusion.

"Yesterday in Huai'an, Li Zonghe left me a Beijing Newspaper. I just read it. It was about Guangzhou." Ruan Yuan also explained to Ruan Fu: "Just when we were going south, the emperor sent a letter to Kang Zhongcheng.

An edict was issued asking him to go north to serve as a minister. It is estimated that the edict will be sent to Guangzhou in a few days. It is inconvenient for Kang Zhongcheng to stay in Guangzhou for a long time, so we can only go back as soon as possible. If we miss important things in Guangzhou, we will not be held accountable.

Is it still daddy’s responsibility?”

"This... dad has just left the capital, is the emperor going to transfer Kang Zhongcheng to the position?" Ruan Fu asked in confusion.

"Yes, having said that, Kang Zhongcheng has been the governor of Guangzhou for almost four years. His transfer to the capital is just an ordinary move. I think it is just a coincidence. It is already dark today, so I will rest here for the night and continue sailing tomorrow.

Let's do it." Ruan Yuan thought that official business in Guangzhou was important, and since Jiang Er was in charge of Yangzhou, it seemed that there wouldn't be any trouble, so he gave up the idea of ​​landing.

At nightfall, Ruan Yuan also walked onto the bow of the boat and looked at the brightly lit Yangzhou Pier. Seeing that Yangzhou was as prosperous as ever, he returned home this time, but could no longer stay, and felt a little melancholy in his heart. However, at this moment, on the side of the river,

, the sound of two people talking was heard;

"Dad, tell me, do we really want to...sell those ten acres of land?"

"Son, they have paid two hundred taels of silver, which is enough for us to use for several years. We have no money and no power. This price is not bad. If you change the landowner to come and buy our land, it may not be enough."

That’s the price you can ask for.” It seems that the two people talking here are just farmers working nearby and are considering selling their land.

"Dad, but we...we spent twenty years trying to redeem these ten acres of land from Squire Wang?"

"Son, you don't understand. Although Squire Wang is a wealthy family, no one in his family is an official, and I haven't even heard of him having any honors. Secondly, I heard that there are only two shops in the city.

I don’t know any of the real rich people, and they mainly live by collecting rent from us. To farm under his name, we not only have to pay the government’s share of money and food, but also have to pay him a lot of rent. Nowadays,

This household is different. You see, the rent is reduced by one-third. What's more, didn't everyone tell you? The eldest son of this household is a well-known person in the imperial court, and he is in Beijing.

, I can talk to many high-ranking officials, and I heard that the emperor likes this old man very much. In other words, as long as someone invites the county magistrate to have a cup of tea, the county magistrate can deduct the money and grain collected by the court from the fields.

Twenty-three percent. You farm your own land, and you are not related to the county magistrate. If the county magistrate doesn't pass on the money and grain that others should pay to you, just thank God. Can you still get a 30% reduction in money and grain? Even if it is 20%,

In fact, we have made more money than we did before! My child, don’t just think about whether you have land or not. How can you live a cost-effective life? You have to understand?"

"Who has status in the imperial court? Who is so unscrupulous, buying land and saying they have to pay less for food? Rongzhuang, Boshen, their fields are also near Yangzhou? It seems that we still have to call Uncle Yun tomorrow, and follow them

He said, even Rongzhuang and Boshen can't indulge them too much?" Ruan Yuan listened to the words of the two farmers and thought that this "official" was probably Shi Zhiyan, or even Wang Yinzhi, although

When it comes to purchasing land and even intentionally paying less money and food, I am just a teacher, so I shouldn't be too demanding. However, this is always a matter of competing with the people for profit, so I don't want the two of them to bully me. Fortunately, at this time,

The magistrate of Jiangdu is Chen Wenshu, a student he recognized when he was in Hangzhou. If he could be prepared, maybe things wouldn't get worse.

Thinking of this, Ruan Yuan's mood was waning, and he was about to go back to the cabin to sleep. He never heard the subsequent conversation between the two farmers.

"Dad, do you think that person is really reliable?"

"Of course, haven't they all said it? If you don't believe it, go to Yangzhou and ask about Second Master Jiang. Who doesn't know the name of Second Master Jiang? Dad has also asked the tenants nearby in the past two days, and they all said

Mr. Jiang's promise will never be false, so what are you worried about? If someone else comes here, he might not be as reliable as Mr. Jiang."

…

As expected, Ruan Yuan did not set off immediately the next day, but temporarily called Chen Wenshu to board his boat. Ruan Yuan also knew that if Shi Zhiyan and Wang Yinzhi's family members were really unwilling to pay the full amount of money and food, it would be difficult for Chen Wenshu to negotiate with him.

When the two resisted, they only told Chen Wenshu that when collecting money and grain from the fields of Jiangdu officials, even if the whole collection could not be done due to human favours, as long as there were no floods or droughts, at least 80% would be collected. If the person who refused to pay the money and grain was

His student wrote to him, and he had a detailed discussion with him. After explaining to him for most of the day, Ruan Yuan continued his journey south to the Yangtze River.

The Anhui River was also in turmoil this year. Although Ruan Yuan exchanged his own "Cangjiang Red" and traveled south, he did not arrive in Ji'an, Jiangxi until the beginning of July, and temporarily borrowed the Tianhou Palace outside Ji'an to live. Ji'an

We were not far from Guangdong, it was July, and it was extremely hot and humid. Ruan Yuan often felt sluggish when walking on weekdays. What was worse, Ruan Yuan's right leg also began to hurt.

"Second Young Master, great, you are already here!" Unexpectedly, on the day Ruan Yuan checked into the Tianhou Palace, a servant of the Ruan family also went all the way north to Ji'an. The servant met Ruan Yuan who had arranged to greet him at the door.

Ruan Fu was overjoyed and said to Ruan Fu: "Second Young Master, I came here from Guangzhou. On the other side of Guangzhou, Kang Zhongcheng has prepared to go north, but now Wei Fantai is also... Second Young Master, please hurry up and give it to me."

Take a look at this letter."

"Fu'er, just open the letter and help me see what's going on first." Ruan Yuan had finished settling down, but he felt a pain in his right leg that couldn't be relieved for a while. He also heard the noise outside, so he felt a little impatient, so he immediately

He asked Ruan Phuc to open the letter directly.

"Yes, dad." Ruan Phuc opened the letter and read it while walking back to Ruan Yuan's bedroom. However, when Ruan Phuc entered, Ruan Yuan found that his son was already surprised. Ruan Phuc also handed the letter to Ruan Yuan and said:

"Dad, my mother over in Guangzhou is urging dad to go back quickly. She said that Wei Fantai has been appointed governor of Jiangsu and is about to take office. Dad, what's wrong with the emperor? Why hasn't dad returned to Guangzhou yet? This Kang Zhongcheng

and Wei Fantai, were all transferred away in just two months?"

"What, Wei Fantai..." Ruan Yuan heard that Wei Yuanyu was also leaving Guangzhou. He was confused for a moment and hurriedly took the letter and read it twice. Unknowingly, the pain in his right leg gradually became more severe. Under the severe pain

, even Ruan Yuan’s hands while reading the letter began to tremble.

"Dad, the emperor has appointed two high-ranking officials in Guangdong in the past two months. What... is he going to do?" Ruan Fu looked at his father with indescribable anxiety.

"No, it's nothing...Fu'er, don't think so much. Kang Zhongcheng has been the governor of Guangdong for four years. Wei Fantai was in the Yamen when I came to Guangzhou. It's just...an ordinary transfer." Ruan Yuan

But I still hope that reality is another better possibility.

"Dad, it's just that these things happened so suddenly, but the child is also thinking, could it be...could it be said that in the eyes of the emperor, dad is the same as Shang Fan back then?" Ruan Fu recalled what he saw and heard when he entered Beijing and went south.

, also worried about Ruan Yuan. The so-called "Shang Fan" refers to Shang Kexi, the king of Pingnan who was granted the title of Guangdong in the early Qing Dynasty. Due to the unstable rule in the early Qing Dynasty, Shang Kexi once held all the military and political power in Guangdong. Although Shang Kexi did not

He was disloyal to the Qing court, but after his death, Shang Zhixin, who succeeded King Pingnan, once participated in the "Battle of the Three Feudatories" provoked by Wu Sangui, and was finally completely annihilated by Kangxi. The Qing Dynasty had just begun to perfect its rule in Guangzhou. According to this time

In terms of the Qing system, the governor, governor, land and sea admirals, generals, and chief envoys of Guangdong Province all performed their respective duties, and the Guangdong Customs Department could balance the financial power, thus eliminating the possibility of Shang Kexi and his son appearing again.

However, Ruan Yuan had been in Guangdong for a long time and had contacts with Kang Shaoyong, Wei Yuanyu, Da San, Meng Zhu and others. Moreover, they had cooperated seamlessly in the eradication of opium. This may have made Daoguang think of the result that Ruan Yuan did not dare to think about.

.

"Fu'er, don't say too much. Now that the country's dynasty system is complete, dad is not Shang Fan, and there is absolutely no way he can become Shang Fan!" Ruan Yuan immediately scolded Ruan Fu: "You think too much about the court affairs, so

It is harmful rather than beneficial. I... I just want to serve in Guangzhou. As for the other governors and vassals, no matter who comes to Guangzhou, as long as they are not intentionally obstructive, my father is willing to work with him. I... Now that the Tianhou Palace is here

, we can’t forget to pay our respects, right?” But at this point, Ruan Yuan’s right leg was already experiencing severe pain, piercing his heart, and if it didn’t stop, Ruan Fu couldn’t help but worry about his father.

"Dad, what are you..."

"It's nothing. I always have to do what I need to do. I..." Ruan Yuan said while resisting the severe pain in his legs and slowly walked out the door. However, Ruan Yuan walked out of the living room door just two steps away.

When he took a step forward, his right leg could no longer support him. When he thought about taking a breath and moving forward, he suddenly realized that his chest was already stagnant, and he fell to the ground with a "bang"!

"Daddy, daddy!"

In this way, because of the pain in his right leg, Ruan Yuan had to temporarily stop his journey south and stay in the Queen's Palace for treatment. Ruan Fu also called a doctor from Ji'an Prefecture. After the doctor's diagnosis, Ruan Yuan was suffering from an attack of dampness on his right leg due to the heat.

His legs were weak, and he was afraid that he would suffer all kinds of inconveniences when traveling later. Ruan Yuan had to temporarily find a walking stick and learn to use it as a substitute for his feet. After staying in Ji'an for five days, Ruan Yuan continued southward by boat until July 26th.

Then he returned to the Governor's Hall in Guangzhou.

After a few more days, Ruan Yuan was able to go to the main hall with his cane and resume his official duties. On this day, he finally returned to the inner house with his cane. For a moment, he thought about trying to throw away the cane and walk independently with his right leg again, but his right foot could only do so.

After two steps, I felt sore, then my eyes went dark, and I couldn't help moaning.

"Master, Master!" Kong Luhua looked at Ruan Yuan's pain from the side, and felt even more sad. She quickly stepped forward to support Ruan Yuan, and while pressing his right leg, she also advised Ruan Yuan: "Master, you...
Chapter completed!