In order to take Shen Yue with him on the way, Xu Xun first told Wang Shikun that it was inconvenient for so many people to travel in one boat, so the Duke of Wei chartered a large boat to come down, while he asked Wu Shouzheng to find another boat. Except for a few important boatmen and sailors, The others were replaced by Huitong's men, so Shen Yue and his party were not alarmed when they quietly boarded the ship from Gaoyou at night under the escort of Huitong. Li Qingniang and Ruyi pretended to be Huitong who came to express their support to Xu Liang. The servant girl was found, but she was dressed in men's clothes. Within two days, everyone on the ship knew that Xu Liang's nephew had been raised as a daughter by the family since he was a child, and he had a reputation as a sissy.
It is late summer now, and the canal running through the north and south is naturally extremely busy. Under the bright sun, we can only see the constant traffic of watercrafts and passenger ships on the river. Although this is not the time of spring when the canal has just thawed, there are still some siltation problems. Or in places where there is headwind and water, it is still necessary to have trackers pull the boat before it can move forward. In addition, there are cash checkpoints at various places along the road. If a merchant without access to the road sells goods from the south to the north, the tolls will be almost as high. The value of the cargo is several times higher.
Since heading north from Jiangdu, Xu Xun has passed six or seven checkpoints in just one month. If the ship in front had not carried the flag of the Duke of Wei, no one would have dared to board the ship for inspection. Even slower. But looking at the group of more than a dozen barefoot trackers on the shore who were shirtless and wearing only crotchless pants, Xu Xun had no complaints at all.
At first, Shen Yue was interested in lying down at the porthole and looking at the scenery on both sides of the Taiwan Strait, but after more than ten days, she lost all interest. Especially those trackers who looked almost naked from behind, she didn't even take a look at them. Dare. Seeing that Xu Xun was concentrating on looking only that way, she couldn't help but said angrily: "Hey, you've been looking at it for so long, what's so good about it?"
"I didn't see anything, I just thought that this hot day was really hard on them."
"That's right. We've been gone for a month, and we've hired trackers three times at least. It's really hard to do it for them with their bare feet under the hot sun. When you give money later, you might as well give them two more." The little girl looked to see if they would return. I dared to look at it, but I was already burning with heat on this boat. I kept eating mung bean and lily soup and so on. Thinking about people struggling to survive down there, I nodded repeatedly, then frowned and said, "I heard that from Tianjin. The journey from Wei to Tongzhou is even more difficult, with headwinds and currents, so it will take five days."
"If it were just us, we wouldn't be able to walk so slowly, but it would be a big loss if we had to go to Beijing so easily without a lot of cargo in the hold. At that time, we were loading ships at the Nanjing pier. At that time, there were only a few boxes of various gifts prepared on the ship of the Duke of Wei, but there were at least dozens of boxes of silk and groceries. The weight was no less than that of those five-hundred-stone watercraft. How could it go so fast? "
At a young age, Shen Yue knew how to use her house money to open a rice bank for Li Qingniang. On this trip to the capital, she just transferred the rice bank to Xu Xun according to Xu Xun's instructions, which shows how shrewd he is at heart. Although the abacus was not at hand, she stretched her hand into the void and her eyes suddenly brightened, and she immediately stared at Xu Xun.
"Big liar, don't just talk about Wei Guogong, isn't there anything on your ship?"
"Of course I brought it."
Xu Xun smiled slyly, but he stopped pretending to be profound. Seeing that the little girl was so angry that she was pestering her for a long time, he said slowly, "But I didn't bring any cloth or silk. It’s just a batch of inconspicuous gadgets, and the water is not that deep, so if it weren’t for the fact that the boat from Wei Guogong’s Mansion was too slow, our trip should have been faster.”
"Then what exactly did you bring?"
Seeing Shen Yue staring at him with a look of disbelief on his face, Xu Xun explained: "I only brought a lot of bamboo and wooden things with wonderful workmanship, and they are not worth much together. There are valuable things, but they are all It was given by Eunuch Fu. I have already deposited it on the Gonglu ship in the state of Wei. There are many guards there. In addition, Eunuch Fu’s people also have two guards there. I am not afraid of anyone thinking about it. But these people are celebrities from Nanjing Shilin. , for example, Zhang Da Sicheng, Zhang Fuhua and several other newly-composed poems and famous lines were engraved according to the original ones. I made them a month in advance and paid more money before they were properly customized and brought to the capital to be presented as a perfect gift. ."
"People give gifts and silk, but you give these worthless things?" Shen Yue almost stared out of her eyes, but she suddenly woke up the next moment, pointed at Xu Xun and shouted, "You big liar, you This is to build momentum for those old gentlemen in Nanjing City, and I am also using them to build momentum for you! You are so naughty!"
"Thank you for the compliment, ma'am!"
Xu Xun nodded with a smile, not caring at all that Shen Yue called him a liar and a slippery man: "For those father-in-laws who love money and things, Eunuch Fu has prepared all the gifts for me. As for some Civil servant, it’s not a good idea not to give him something if he’s left behind. In this case, since the courtesy is light but the affection is heavy, it’s not the most appropriate thing for me to give you a pen holder with poems engraved on it by Qian Weng.”
In the cabin on the upper floor near the bow, a pair of young children were bickering; in the cabin on the same floor near the stern, two old friends were also having an argument there. Xu Liang and Huitong were friends for decades. Therefore, even though Huitong was almost convinced of Xu Xun, he still couldn't help but persuade Xu Liang to leave a way out for himself. As a result, one night like this, Xu Liang couldn't help but think of the dug-out building. His face turned dark immediately, and he suddenly opened up old scores.
"How did I know that Xu Jin was a lunatic and could actually do this?" When Hui Tong was told this, his face became a little awkward, and he immediately slapped the table and said, "I'm not doing it for you two. , those few people in the eldest house will definitely become a disaster one day, so it is better to use this plan to wipe out the whole family. When Eunuch Fu is angry, none of them will end well. This is an accident, do you know about the accident? Besides, , if it hadn’t been for such an accident, would you be as comfortable as you are now?”
"How can I feel so comfortable? My son's Chuan..." Half of Xu Xun's words suddenly got stuck in his throat, and he sneered in anger, "If it hadn't been for such a coincidence, I wouldn't have settled the score with you!"
"That's it, good things come out of bad things. If you hadn't found that the coffin was empty, even if you two recognized each other as father and son, you would still have grudges in each other's hearts. Now, it's all settled. I want to say that you should thank me. Yes!" Hui Tong, who was unreasonable and unforgiving, saw Xu Liangqiang turning his head and ignoring him. He suddenly slapped the table again and said, "It's only me who suffers! According to his seniority, that kid should call me that. Uncle, it turned out well. Last time I did something bad with good intentions, and I apologized humbly to him, the world has really turned upside down!"
"Who made you almost ruin his big event?" Xu Liang snorted, and then turned his head, "I can tell you, the rules are the same as before when you get to the capital, you give way to me
Those little guys, be honest and don’t think that you can beg for help when you arrive in the capital. There are still many people who knew you before. Even if the news has passed long ago, and even if the West Factory really has to reopen in the future, you will not be able to wash it so easily and skillfully.
A clean record.
"You don't need to say this. If it weren't for this, I would have chosen the other path that boy gave me. I would follow Ye Guang to run Tui to finish my work!" Huitong picked up the tea cup and drank it in one gulp.
After doing it, he smiled and said, "Even if I really want to make a comeback, I really don't bother to do it unless I get an official who is bigger than the general banner!"
When the two sides were talking lively, people all over the ship suddenly felt the ship shake, and then it slowly stopped. After a while, several people came out of the cabin. Xu Xun, who was leaning on the railing, poked his head.
Looking, I saw another customs customs in front of me. A dozen tax collectors couldn't help but stopped many boats, many of which were even official boats. Seeing that they could not move for the time being, Xu Xun was thinking about what was going on. After waiting for a long time, the people ahead
The ship came over with a long plank and said that the prince invited him to talk.
Along the way, Xu Xun was originally worried that Wang Shikun could not bear his temper and would come over. Unexpectedly, Wei Guogong's brother-in-law actually got seasick on the most stable Cao River. He was vomiting in the first few days, but now he is gradually feeling better.
, but still couldn't move it casually. At this moment, Wang Shikun, who was placed on a deck chair and carried to the bow of the ship, saw Xu Xun walking steadily on the swaying board, and soon jumped to the stern and walked quickly, he
For a moment I couldn't help but sigh.
"God, this is really unfair. Why do you have to hum in the cabin while you are so active and have nothing to do?"
After complaining fiercely, he saw Xu Xun handing over a bag of pickled plums with a smile. He reluctantly took one and chewed one. Then he lowered his face and said, "I just sent someone to ask.
It is said that Eunuch Du, the tax inspector who was in charge of customs clearance, had some friendship with Jianning Hou Zhang Heling, so he won the favor of the empress, and then he got this position. He was a new official and had a stern face. He would not sell anyone's face, ship materials and goods.
The tax is determined by him, and no one can escape. Several official ships have been blocked in front of us, what do you think we should do?"
“How much should shipping materials and cargo taxes be?”
"According to the rules, at most a few dozen taels will be enough. I'm afraid that damn eunuch will go crazy...!" Wang Shikun's trip to the capital was finally won by his eldest sister. Now the former dandy
He actually put down his arrogance, and when he said this, he paused and then said, "The important thing is that the influence of the Duke of Wei in Linqing is limited, so we can't make a big fuss yet."
Xu Xun pondered for a moment, and then said: "In this case, you first have people go find out who is on the official ships ahead. When we pass the customs, you and the Fourth Young Master don't come forward, I will deal with it."
Xu Xu, the fourth young master of Duke Wei's family who was traveling with him, also came out at this moment. Hearing what Xu Xun said, he raised his eyebrows and stepped forward and said: "If Brother Xu can't handle it, so what?"
"If you can't cope with it, you can't cope with it. When the time comes, you won't be able to let your brother-in-law's name out." Wang Shikun stood in front of him without saying a word, and then looked at Xu Xu with a half-smile but said, "How about brother Xu, go and leave."