HLnovel Chapter 651: Still Down
Chapter 651: Still Down
This time, the emperor and his civil and military officials returned to the capital mainly by water, starting from Lin'an, passing through the Jiangnan Canal, turning into the Cangwu River, and arriving in Yangzhou. Then, they went north to the Huaiyang Canal, passed through the Huitong River in Shandong, and finally arrived in the capital.
Not opened.
This saved the officials in Kaifeng the trouble of meeting the emperor along the way.
The main advantages of water transportation are large carrying capacity and less bumps, which are suitable for transporting large numbers of officials, troops and bulk materials.
Moreover, it is spring now and the flowers are blooming. The scenery on both sides of the river is beautiful, and you can enjoy the scenery along the way by boat. Taking the water route is a very correct choice.
Mr. Huang in Kaifeng was excited every day looking forward to the emperor's return to the capital so that he could go to Beijing to meet the emperor and be promoted.
I am so restless every day that I almost have no time to concentrate on handling official business.
At this time, Zhang Ping'an received a letter from Liu Shuisheng.
The letter stated that after the emperor returned to the capital, he would also go to the capital in early April.
Then the two of them can meet in the capital.
Not only that, the letter also mentioned that the Wu family is likely to compete for the imperial merchant and help the court develop maritime trade. If things go well, then he might settle in the capital for a long time.
The excitement and joy are evident in the words.
Zhang Ping'an was happy for him after reading it. The Wu family's business was developing more and more smoothly, and Shuisheng would naturally be able to rise with the tide.
Seeing that the world is at peace and the people and friends around him are getting better and better, Zhang Pingan is also looking forward to the day when he can return to his hometown.
In the blink of an eye, more than ten days had passed. The emperor had arrived in the capital and led civil and military officials to worship heaven, earth and ancestors in the ancestral temple.
The whole country began a five-day grand celebration.
The Great Zhou Dynasty announced that its capital would officially return to Beijing!
After the celebration, Zhang Ping'an handed over the official duties at hand and took Mr. Huang and other officials of Kaifeng with sufficient ranks to the capital.
As the carriage drove on the road, Lord Huang saw that the sky had become bluer and the wind had become softer. Everything looked very pleasing to the eye and he was in a very good mood.
He even shook his head and hummed a little tune, thinking that when he arrived in the capital, if he could be appointed as an official, he would buy a house in the capital, and then marry two beautiful concubines, and slowly gain seniority. Wouldn't life be wonderful!
After hearing this, Zhang Pingan smiled and shook his head. He didn't respond and just drank his tea quietly.
"Isn't it? This is what it means to be a successful man!" Lord Huang said with a smile.
"Keeping too many maids and concubines will easily cause disputes, and if a loving couple cannot stay together, how can I bear it? Anyway, I will never take a concubine in this life, so you should take it easy!" Zhang Pingan said gently.
This was only possible in ancient times. Otherwise, if someone like Mr. Huang, who already had a lot of grandchildren and great-grandchildren, took a concubine, he would definitely be scolded to death.
It is disgraceful both from a legal and moral perspective.
Master Huang disagreed after hearing this and smacked his lips, saying, "This is a symbol of a man's strength, yet you don't cherish it. What a pity. However, it does make the inner chamber a lot quieter. I don't deny that. It seems that Miss Qian is still a blessed person!"
"Having a wife and a son makes my life complete. One should not expect too much," Zhang Pingan replied with a smile, feeling a rare sense of relaxation in his heart.
The willows are swaying and the spring breeze is blowing on your face, making you feel very comfortable!
"Brother Ping'an, I just asked around. We are almost in Langfang. There is a government post station ahead where we can rest. Should we stop there or walk further?" Xiaohu came back excitedly with his men on horseback and reported to everyone.
"Okay, then let's rest at the post station ahead!" Zhang Ping'an replied.
Since we are almost there and it is still early before the appointed time, there is no need to rush.
"Hey, okay," Xiaohu nodded in response.
Then he talked about the interesting thing he had just seen: "Oh, by the way, I just saw a lot of swallows building nests over at the post station. I wonder if it's the same back home now. In previous years, there were rows of swallow nests under the eaves at this time, and baby swallows were born!"
"Of course there is," Zhang Pingan said with a smile.
"Shaanxi is gradually being pacified. After I meet the emperor in the capital, I'll see if I'm still serving in Kaifeng. In any case, I have to ask the Ministry of Personnel for leave to visit my family. Then I'll go back to Lin'an to pick up my family. I can also take a detour to my hometown in Ezhou Prefecture to pay homage to my ancestors. You can come with me."
"That's great!" Xiao Hu said excitedly, "If our hometown is peaceful, my father will definitely take my eldest brother and the others back to live there. It would be great if we could go back first. No matter what, the county will definitely give you some face, Brother Ping'an."
"If you don't return home in glory, it's like walking in brocade clothes at night. Of course you have to go back! Let alone the county, even with Ping An's current official position, the prefecture and the province have to give him some face!" Lord Huang stroked his beard and continued with a smile.
"Moreover, when officials of higher rank returned to their hometowns to visit their relatives, there was a reception ceremony. Officials of the third rank and above could ride in official sedan chairs, hold up signs signaling 'Silence' and 'Avoid', and have their attendants ring gongs to clear the way. The county magistrate would lead the gentry to the Ten-Li Pavilion outside the city to greet them. Officials of lower rank could also bring servants, and there were corresponding official ceremonies.
Once approved, the vacation is usually more than three months. Opening an ancestral hall, compiling genealogies, and erecting monuments are all glorious! Decades of hard study and the ups and downs of officialdom are all for this moment of glory. Alas, it’s not easy to get to this point!
Mr. Huang sighed as he spoke.
Although Xiao Hu knew that returning home after becoming a high-ranking official was no easy task, he had never imagined it would be this complicated. Upon hearing this, he scratched his head, expressing his deep appreciation. He praised, "Master Huang is truly worthy of being a scholar. He's also a high-ranking official, and he knows so much!"
"Of course!" Mr. Huang did not act pretentiously in front of Xiaohu.
He laughed at himself and said, "I am just a vulgar person. Unlike my cousin, you spend all day drinking toilet water, which makes others look so vulgar!"
"Hey, hey, I haven't even told you that you're showing off, but you're blaming me for being aloof," Zhang Ping'an said, feeling both amused and helpless.
While the two were chatting, they arrived at the post station.
After entering, a waiter from the post station soon came to greet everyone.
On the way, he took the horse to the barn nearby to feed it with grass.
Zhang Ping'an looked around and saw obvious signs of renovation. It wasn't shabby, but it looked very ordinary.
The good thing is that it is kept very clean and the food is delicious.
After everyone finished their meal and washed up, they went to bed quickly.
When they woke up in the morning, everyone looked brand new, even Xiaohu put on his newest and best clothes.
Everyone was busy washing their faces, rinsing their mouths, and combing their hair.
Mr. Huang was even more exaggerated. His head, neck, and hands were all covered with jewelry, and there were dark patterns on his clothes. However, they were not made of gold, but mostly precious jade. He had some taste and showed low-key luxury everywhere.
Zhang Ping'an didn't want to be too conspicuous, nor did he want to be too shabby, so he picked out a moonlight white brocade robe of medium quality to wear, and then added a jade pendant as decoration, and that was it.
She only wore a simple hairpin of the same color as the jade pendant on her head.
He looks clean and noble, not like an official, but more like a reclusive scholar.
Even Mr. Huang couldn't help but praise it when he saw it: "It's a good dress like this, it makes you look noble, unlike me, who looks like a local rich man!"
"I see you have a lot of luggage, why don't you change?"
"Forget it, forget it. My foundation is just like this. No matter how hard I try, it's useless. I'm still not as energetic as you young people," Lord Huang waved his hand.
After breakfast, everyone headed north. Not far north, they reached the capital.
The guards following behind him also straightened their shoulders.
The capital city has a kind of magic for ordinary people, as if people who come here are nobler than others.
Xiaohu and Chibao and the others also started to speak in a more literary manner.
Zhang Ping'an corrected it several times but it was useless, so he just ignored it.
Once they get used to it, they will realize that the capital is no different from other places.
Everyone has one nose and two eyes.