The purpose of getting a receipt is to confirm that these secret messages are delivered to the correct recipient. This obviously means that Wang Yuan cannot be trusted, so an additional insurance measure must be added.
How could Wang Yuan not understand the meaning of this method? He snorted coldly but did not dare to say anything more. Spending more time with Zhu Zhongyun would make him feel more uncomfortable. He just hoped that after completing this errand, he could send this god of plague away from Hangzhou as soon as possible.
The next day, Wang Yuan, who had not slept well all night, got up early, had breakfast, and ordered his servants to prepare the carriage to leave the city.
Before leaving home, Wang Yuan specifically asked his family not to disturb Zhu Zhongyun's wing.
"Take the Fengshan Gate to leave the city."
After Wang Yuan finished instructing the driver, he boarded the carriage.
Fengshan Gate is located in the south of Hangzhou City. Not far from the city to the south is the Qiantang River. Although it was just dawn, there were already many cars and horses on the main road in and out of the city, and there was even a slight congestion.
Nowadays, there are many infrastructure construction sites inside and outside Hangzhou, and a large number of people and building materials need to be transported in and out every morning and evening. Therefore, although the city gates are open for much longer than during the Ming Dynasty, congestion will inevitably occur during the morning and evening traffic rush hours.
"Master, the road ahead is blocked. It looks like we have to wait for a while."
Wang Yuan couldn't help but sigh when he heard the coachman's voice.
Last year, Shi Diwen originally wanted to demolish all the city gates in Hangzhou City and widen the roads in and out of the city, but the local gentry strongly opposed it, believing that doing so would affect the safety of the residents in the city.
The opposition was so loud that Shi Diwen had to compromise and only selected some of the city gates for reconstruction.
Wang Yuan was more inclined to support Shi Diwen. Now that Haihan had occupied Hangzhou and it was impossible for the Ming Dynasty to fight back, what was the point of keeping the city walls and gates?
Moreover, he heard that none of the cities built by Haihan built walls, even the capital city of Sanya. This meant that he had absolute confidence in his own force and was not afraid of invasion by foreign enemies at all.
Haihan is working hard to build a new city by the West Lake in the west of the city. It is said that it will be the future office of the executive committee and various ministries. Since no city walls have been built to surround such an important place, why is the old city still so tightly guarded?
After waiting for a stick of incense, the congestion finally eased and the carriage slowly moved forward.
When the carriage arrived at the city gate, it encountered a card check. It turns out that the reason for the congestion in and out of the city today is not that there are too many cars and horses on the road, but that the inspection at the city gate has suddenly become stricter. Even people riding horse-drawn carriages are required to get out of the car and be inspected.
Although there is no need to search one by one, this kind of inspection has become a rare phenomenon in recent times.
Although Wang Yuan was a little puzzled, he also knew not to put on airs in front of the Haihan Army and got off the car on his own.
The officer commanding the inspection at the city gate happened to know Wang Yuan, and he greeted him with a cupped hand: "Master Wang, are you leaving the city so early?"
Wang Yuan took a look and saw that this man used to be a captain in the city defense army, nicknamed Zhang Bazi. Now he had joined Haihan, and he was still doing his old job. Although Wang Yuan has resigned, Zhang Bazi still calls him "Master Wang" as before.
Wang Yuan responded: "My relatives from my hometown asked someone to bring some things over, and they are waiting on the boat on the river to pick them up... By the way, I usually don't check when entering and leaving the city. What kind of regulations are there today?"
Zhang Bazi responded: "Master Wang, you don't know yet, do you?"
"What do you know?" Wang Yuan asked in shock.
Zhang Bazi made a gesture to ask Wang Yuan to come closer, and then lowered his voice and said: "The adults of the executive committee will be in Hangzhou tomorrow. This must not be a pretense to scare those who want to cause trouble!"
Wang Yuan suddenly said: "Oh...that's it."
It is no longer news that senior officials of the Executive Committee will visit Hangzhou in the near future, but the specific time when they will arrive in Hangzhou is information that is difficult for ordinary people to know.
The nature of these big shots' visits to places is equivalent to the emperor's tour of the world, so the security work must not be careless. During the reign of the Ming Dynasty, civilians were not allowed to enter and exit the city for a long time. The whole city of Hangzhou has not yet been under martial law, and the atmosphere can be said to be quite relaxed. It is said to be an inspection, but in fact it is just a casual look. Only those who feel suspicious will check it carefully. Zhang Bazi's soldiers opened the curtain and took a look. When they were about to get into the carriage to check, Zhang Bazi stopped them.
"Master Wang is one of our own, so there is no need to investigate so carefully."
Wang Yuan smiled, thanked Zhang Bazi, and then returned to the carriage. In the past, when Haihan's goods were shipped in and out of Hangzhou, Zhang Bazi also received benefits from Wang Yuan. Knowing that he had been working for Haihan for a long time, he naturally regarded him as a person who had taken refuge in Haihan.
All the way to the Qiantang River, Wang Yuan found a awning boat docked on the shore according to the location mentioned by Zhu Zhongyun.
"I'm here to collect a letter."
Wang Yuan took the initiative to express his intention to the ship's boss, and the ship's boss made a gesture for Wang Yuan to get on the ship and talk.
The boss of the ship took Wang Yuan into the cabin and asked: "Whose letter should I take?"
Wang Yuan responded: "Get Zhu Zhongyun's trust."
Chuanlaodao: "Do you have a token?"
Wang Yuan took out half of the Haihan note that Zhu Zhongyun had given him last night and handed it to the ship boss.
The boss of the ship also took out half a banknote and closed it accordingly, which happened to be a complete banknote.
After verifying the token, the ship's boss leaned down, opened the secret compartment on the deck, and pulled out several four-foot-long narrow wooden boxes from inside. It looked like they were quite heavy, and he didn't know what they contained.
Wang Yuan waited until he finished taking the box and stood up, then asked: "Where is the letter?"
The boss of the ship pointed to the wooden boxes and said: "These are it."
Wang Yuan said in astonishment: "Didn't you say I would send a few letters?"
The boss of the ship lowered his face and said, "Just do it if you are asked to do so. There is so much nonsense!"
Wang Yuan said angrily: "Who are you, and you dare to point fingers at me?"
The boss of the ship snorted coldly and said: "If you don't want to run errands for Zhu Zhongyun, then go ahead and see if he will settle the score with you!"
Wang Yuan took a deep breath and suppressed his anger. Zhu Zhongyun had something to do with him. If he fell out, he would not be able to explain to Zhu Zhongyun when he returned, and the consequences would be serious.
Wang Yuan suddenly understood why when he asked Zhu Zhongyun for a letter last night, the other party vaguely claimed that the letter was not convenient to carry with him.
The size of these wooden boxes in front of me would be damned if they could be carried around.
At that time, Zhu Zhongyun deliberately ignored this detail and did not mention it. He was obviously trying to trick Wang Yuan. If he had said it at that time, Wang Yuan would probably find a way to turn down the job. Now that others are here, it is too late to regret it.
Seeing that he was silent for a long time, the captain of the ship urged: "I see your carriage is parked on the shore. Do you move the box yourself or should I move it for you?"
Wang Yuan said angrily: "Do you think I am someone who does such rough work?"