Chapter 2623
One early morning in September 1655, a motorcade was slowly traveling on the official road leading to the Beijing-Hangzhou Canal. This convoy was guarded by a team of armed cavalry at the front and rear, and people on the road moved to the side of the road in advance for fear of disturbing the important man's schedule.
Tao Hongfang saw Bai Letong looking out the car window and joked with a smile: "When things come to a close, are you reluctant to leave?"
Bai Letong shook his head and replied: "That's not true. Anyway, we will move the capital in the future, and we will come back again. I am just thinking back on my experience during this time in Hangzhou, and taking stock of the pros and cons."
Bai Letong was full of fighting spirit when he came and wanted to show off his professional abilities in Hangzhou. However, when he arrived here, he slowly discovered that the situation was not what he expected, and there were too many things that were beyond his control. The acting style of the local government was also contrary to his understanding. It even made him doubt whether the direction of the Donghai Region was consistent with that of Fort Victory.
Of course, the facts he has observed so far have proven that Shi Diwen is indeed superior. Compared with the fairness of the imperial examination that Bai Letong has been struggling with, Shi Diwen's arrangement for Zhu Zian fully utilized the influence of the imperial examination. This is not an effect that can be achieved by changing the examination question plan or catching a few more fraudsters.
After Bai Letong calmed down, he had already figured out the stakes. What he cares about now is no longer the trivial issues related to the imperial examination, but what experiences and lessons he has worth learning in the process.
Seeing that his mood was as normal, Tao Hongfang did not continue the topic. The biggest beneficiary of this rural examination is sitting on another carriage in the motorcade, and for the next period of time, they will look up and not look down every day. Tao Hongfang also hopes that Bai Letong can adjust his mentality early and be able to Get along normally with Zhu Zian.
In another carriage, sitting in front of Zhu Zian were Shi Chengwu and Wang Anguo. This carriage was Shi Chengwu's special car. The soft spring seats and large transparent windows in the carriage, as well as the shock-absorbing system under the carriage to alleviate road bumps, were all new things that Zhu Zian had never been exposed to. Of course, these gadgets are not produced locally in Hangzhou. In fact, the entire carriage was customized in Sanya and then shipped to Hangzhou. The freight during the period alone was enough to buy four or five ordinary carriages locally.
This kind of treatment is not something that a clerk can enjoy. Other attendants in the mission can only ride in a large caravan with ten people per car. The two young men opposite him were similar in age to him, but the power they held in their hands was far beyond Zhu Zian's. Although he was not ashamed of himself, he could not help but be a little envious of each other.
Zhu Zian's face was a little uneasy, because he knew very well that his mission on this trip was not just a document-taking job. He would be a participant in all the talks between the mission and North Korea and Japan. Play an indispensable role.
When Shi Diwen secretly summoned him the day before yesterday, he had already made it very clear that Haihan hoped to use his identity to let North Korea and Japan understand that the transfer of power between Ming Dynasty and Haihan had been completed. Han cooperation.
If you have to face such a task as a member of the Ming Dynasty royal family, you will inevitably feel a little uncomfortable, but for Zhu Zian, there is not much psychological burden. Ever since the Qing army destroyed Jinan City, the Dewang lineage only had one vassal title left, and had long since lost the standard of living that a noble should have.
And Zhu Zian's life basically has nothing to do with good food and clothing. The salary from Prince De's Palace was stopped several years ago due to the financial constraints of the court. The only thing the family can provide him is educational resources, so that he can worship a few more people. An elder with profound knowledge can serve as his teacher, so that one day he can go to Beijing to meet the saint, and he can leave a good impression on the person in the Jinluan Palace and gain a chance for a comeback for the King of De's lineage. But what is disappointing is that the trend of Ming Dynasty has been declining, and it has no resistance to the rise of Haihan. In order to save the last face, it even had to surrender to Haihan. As a result, the King De's lineage naturally had no chance to come forward.
If Haihan hadn't taken the initiative to seek cooperation, Zhu Zian's future life would probably have been dependent on collecting rent from the few fiefdoms left by his ancestors. Although he could ensure food and clothing, he would at best be a country rich man. , glory and wealth are already out of reach, let alone Yinze's descendants.
But now there is another choice before Zhu Zian. As long as he stands up and cheers for Haihan as a descendant of King De, he can become an official in the new dynasty and become a master again. Whether it was for the sake of his family or his own future, Zhu Zian could not let go of such an opportunity.
As for what the man in the Forbidden City thought of this, Zhu Zian actually didn't care. Since that man had abandoned Prince De's Mansion a long time ago, and now apart from the fact that everyone is named Zhu, there seems to be no more connections, so why bother to save face for him.
Regarding the treatment he received after arriving in Hangzhou, Zhu Zian thought it was pretty good. Although he was not treated as an honored guest by the Donghai Region, he did not experience the situation that he was worried about. He was shouted around and even humiliated in person by the Haihan people. kind. Generally speaking, the people in Haihan were quite polite to him and took very good care of him in terms of daily life. They would also discuss details with him on cooperation matters and gave him enough respect.
As for the provincial examination, in his opinion, the questions were not too difficult. Even if he did not disclose them in advance, he was confident that he would be able to pass them smoothly, but whether he could get the position of Jieyuan was another question.
Regarding the identities of Bai Letong and others, Zhu Zian only knew that they were the children of high-ranking officials from Haihan Capital, just like Shi Chengwu and Wang Anguo sitting in front of him. But those people obviously had different views on the arrangements for the provincial examination. Zhu Zian clearly felt hostility when he met them last time in Shifu.
Of course, Zhu Zian could roughly understand where this hostility came from, but he didn't have any good solution to it. After all, the rural examination was arranged by Shi Diwen, not his own intention. He had no choice but to follow the instructions, but the entanglement made it difficult for him to defend himself. And now that he has to go on an overseas mission with these people, Zhu Zian is still a little worried about whether he can get along well with them.
"Zhu Zian, are you worried that the people in the other car will cause trouble for you?" Shi Chengwu noticed that his expression was a little awkward, so he took the initiative to say: "They are only dealing with the matter and not the person. You just need to catch them." If you have the opportunity to show off your abilities, I believe they will soon change their view of you.”
Zhu Zian quickly raised his hands and responded: "Thank you, Brother Shi, for your guidance!"
(End of chapter)