Looking at the gang boat in the Yellow River, Du Zhongxiao was a little distracted. After crossing the Yellow River, it is the Huazhou of Jingxi Road, not far from the capital. He has been on the throne for more than ten years, from a small county official, to the current handsome all the way, with countless military achievements, which can be described as brilliant. It's just that he has been an official outside for more than ten years, and he is really not familiar with the affairs of the central court. It doesn't matter when he is a petty official, as soon as he enters Beijing, he is the middle of the imperial history, and he feels a little hesitant.

After the current emperor ascended the throne, he strengthened the status and functions of the Imperial Historical Observatory, and now it is one of the three pillars of the bureaucratic system, which is not subordinate to the Zhongshu and the Privy Council. However, the current Yushitai does not supervise hundreds of officials, and most of them impeach officials, and rarely hold them accountable. Du Zhongxiao pondered that if he wanted to make achievements, he should greatly strengthen the functions of the Imperial Historical Observatory, but he didn't know what the emperor thought in his heart.

After crossing the Yellow River, Mei Zhi, the governor of Huazhou, waited at the ferry with officials to greet Du Zhongxiao. Look at the sky is getting late, I can only take the train to Kaifeng Mansion tomorrow, and stay in Huazhou today. Huazhou is the crossing of the Yellow River, connecting the north-south railway, which has developed rapidly in recent years, and the market is extremely prosperous. However, due to the need to control the Yellow River, it is customary to belong to Jingxi Road, which is an enclave of Jingxi Road.

went ashore, saluted with Mei Zhi and others, and was sent to the post house by Mei Zhi. That night, he was in the post house, set up a wine feast, and received Du Zhongxiao.

Early the next morning, as soon as Du Zhongxiao got up, a soldier came to report that a member of his family had come outside and was waiting there.

After freshening up, Du Zhongxiao ordered people to be invited in. When I saw it, it turned out to be Luo Jing, and hurriedly ordered to sit down.

Du Zhongxiao said: "How did you get here?" I just arrived yesterday, and you came looking for me this morning. ”

Luo Jingdao: "It was Madame who ordered me to come." Knowing that the officials were going to take the train here, I had been waiting here for a few days. Last month, when my wife arrived in the capital, she was lucky that someone was short of money and bought a house. I was afraid that the officials would arrive in the capital and not know where to live, so they sent me over early. ”

Du Zhongxiao nodded: "I see." I heard that the houses in the capital are very expensive now, and it is difficult to buy, but I didn't expect such a good fate. ”

Luo Jingdao: "Where is the fate of the good, it's just money." ”

Du Zhongxiao has been away for many years, and he has saved some money by himself, so he asked, "How much did you spend?" ”

Luo Jingdao: "Eight thousand feet." seems to be an official, and the residence in the capital is not cheap. In the past two years, there have been some deficiencies in copper coins on the market, and the money is heavy and light, otherwise I heard that it will be more expensive. And it's all cash, and it's not to be on credit. ”

Du Zhongxiao couldn't help but sigh when he heard it. When I was in the capital more than three years ago, the top mansions in Kaifeng Mansion were only 5,000 yuan, and no matter how much they were, they were generally the residences of the top people of the princes and nobles. In the past two years, industry and commerce have developed rapidly, and paper money is reserved for copper coins, which has actually been deflationary. I didn't expect the housing prices in the capital to rise so much.

Shaking his head, Du Zhongxiao said: "Spending so much money to buy a house, is the family still rich?" ”

Luo Jing said with a smile: "Officials don't need to worry about the lack of money at home, over the years, the master's family has been doing business everywhere, and it is really a lot of money." ”

Du Zhongxiao smiled and stopped asking. In the first year of Luo Jingjinshi's fall, he suffered from having no money, and after his son became a jinshi, he devoted all his attention to making money. The Du family's sugar business has become an industry, and there are several large plantations in Sichuan. After Di Qingping Nong Zhigao, together with several big businessmen, listened to Du Zhongxiao's words and went to Guangxi to open up a sugar plantation. With Du Zhongxiao's background, business is going smoothly and he has made a lot of money over the years. The current Du family does not rely on Du Zhongxiao's fortune at all, and he is also a rich man who makes money by himself.

After having breakfast with Luo Jing, Du Zhongxiao and his entourage boarded the train and headed to Kaifeng Mansion. It is less than 200 miles from Huazhou to Kaifeng Mansion, and it will take a few hours. I got off the train at Kaifeng Station, and it was not yet dark.

Du Zhongxiao looked at the red sun on the horizon and sighed: "At this time, when I was in Shengzhou, the sky was already cold. I didn't expect to come to the capital, but it was still very hot. The difference between the north and the south is really huge. ”

Luo Jingdao: "I heard from the master's family that when I went to Guangxi to open a sugar plantation the year before last, it was hot. In many places, the miasma is so severe that outsiders do not dare to go at all, so they can only choose land near the state capital. However, after the war, the land is extremely cheap, and it has started to make money this year. ”

Du Zhongxiao said: "It is the humid and hot geography that is a good place to grow sugarcane. Guangxi has few roads and many people, and opening a sugar plantation there is bound to make a lot of money. It's just that the transportation is inconvenient, and it is not easy to transport the sugar out. ”

Luo Jing smiled: "Sugar will not perish, where would you be afraid of these." They were all transported along the river to Guangzhou, and then transported to Mingzhou by sea ship and to the Central Plains by railway. Since the railway to Mingzhou, this road has gone smoothly, and now it is very lively. ”

Du Zhongxiao nodded. This is the emergence of sea and railroad, and with the waterway, the market has suddenly expanded a lot. In recent years, the Song Dynasty has only been exploring, but it has not yet adapted, and it has developed rapidly every year. There are many rivers and lakes in the south, especially the two lakes are not fully developed, and the time is not ripe for the construction of railways. The current railway is mainly north of the two lakes, and the southernmost is to Myeongju and Gangneung. Elsewhere, it will be transported by water.

The newly developed territory in the north is also due to the fact that the two lakes have been developed, and a large number of people have moved south. If the two lakes and the two guangzhou are not developed, the population in the north will be a problem, and there are not so many people in the Song Dynasty.

When foreign officials arrive in the capital, they must first live in a post house outside the city, and only after they have an edict can they enter the city. Du Zhongxiao has a special identity, Yicheng waited at the station early, welcomed him to the post house, and arranged a place to stay. When you arrive at the post house, you can go to the chapter, and the imperial court will arrange the time to enter Beijing.

At this time, it was getting late, Du Zhongxiao washed up, changed into his regular clothes, and said to Luo Jing: "The city is so prosperous now, it must be lively." It's been more than three years since I left Beijing, so if you go around with me, let's take it as a distraction. In the few days I lived outside the city, nothing happened. ”

Luo Jing naturally agreed, and together with Du Zhongxiao, he took a few entourages out of the post house.

In fact, there are still officials in the post house, but Du Zhongxiao is not familiar with it, and would rather go out with Luo Jing. Yu Shi Zhongcheng has a special status, Du Zhongxiao does not look for others, and others dare not look for him. This inn, for Du Zhongxiao, is just a transit hotel.

There are grass markets outside several gates of Kaifeng City, and with the development of grass markets, it has become a prosperous place as much as the city. The jurisdiction of Kaifeng Prefecture is not only within the city, but also includes these urban areas outside the city. The outer gates will be closed, but they will be closed late.

For the first time in years, walking down a busy street surrounded by people I didn't know. Du Zhongxiao only felt that his body and mind were completely relaxed today, and he psychologically let go of the burden of the border marshal. When I was in Katsuju, even if there was nothing to do, the whole person was tense and ready to deal with unexpected things at any time. It's a frontier land, and there are always all kinds of strange people and strange things.

It's summer, and it's crowded at night. There are all kinds of food stalls on the roadside, shouting loudly. There are also fruit vendors carrying baskets and weaving through the crowd. There was also a juggling stall not far away, which attracted many people to watch.

Du Zhongxiao looked at it and said to Luo Jing: "This is the scene of a peaceful and prosperous era, unlike the border land, even if the business is prosperous, it makes people feel a little nervous." I've been in Hequ Road for a long time, and looking at these again, it's really like a world away. ”

Luo Jingdao: "Officials are officials in the border areas, and over the years, my wife doesn't know how much I miss them." Send a letter into the city to-morrow, and Madame will surely come out to see you. At that time, the family reunion was peaceful. ”

Du Zhongxiao said with a smile: "Although what you said is reasonable, but I am an official in the border area, isn't it so that more families can be reunited." I can't go into the city these days, what is the reason why my wife is going out of the city? You don't have to send a letter, just wait until you enter the city to inform your family. ”

Luo Jing hurriedly said: "What kind of system is that?" Madame has instructed her to let her know as soon as you arrive in the capital. ”

Du Zhongxiao thought for a while and said, "You send someone to inform the family, so they don't have to go out of the city." Officialdom has its own rules, and when officials from other places arrive in Beijing, they have not received an edict, which is actually equivalent to not arriving in Beijing. When the family comes to see and spreads the word, maybe something will happen. ”

Luo Jing said yes. Du Zhongxiao has been away for many years, and he has become such a big official when he comes back this time, and the family doesn't know the rules, so he can only follow what Du Zhongxiao said. Over the years, Du Zhongxiao has made military achievements, and his family is of course happy to hear it, and they want to ensure that nothing happens to him.

Looking around, Du Zhongxiao said, "There is a small wine shop there where you can drink outside." There was nothing to do, so we went over to drink two glasses of wine and see the customs of the capital. Go back and wait for the edict slowly, and there is no need to rush when you arrive in the capital. ”