Being an emperor is not something he can do, so he can only rely on his connections.

Chapter 335 Beisha Station

The carriage had already left Yunzhou City, its wheels creaking as they rolled over the snow on the official road. The sun was faint in the evening, its afterglow casting a shimmering orange-red glow over the distant mountains. Zhang Jingwei sat in the carriage, opened the curtains, and gazed toward Yunzhou, feeling a sense of melancholy.

"Master! Master!" Suddenly, a rough voice came from behind, accompanied by heavy footsteps.

Zhang Jingwei stuck his head out and saw Mu Tou, carrying a huge axe, striding after the carriage. His face was covered in sweat, and his clothes were soaked with sweat and stuck to his body.

"It's the sound of wood!" Zhang Jingwei said with a smile.

Huangfu Ling sat on the shaft of the cart, glanced back, and raised the corner of his mouth slightly: "This guy has quite the strength on his feet!"

Mu Tou caught up with the carriage, panting, and grabbed the wheel. He was breathing heavily, his chest heaving violently, as if he would fall down at any time.

Zhang Jingwei looked at him and couldn't help but teasing him, "You went to get this big thing so early in the morning?"

Mu Tou panted heavily and said intermittently, "That's right... I had left it in the blacksmith shop before, and only remembered it when I was packing up today!"

Zhang Jingwei shook his head and said helplessly: "You are so careless that you actually forgot! By the way, this broken axe costs so much money?" He remembered that Mu Tou had advanced a lot of silver just to make this axe, and he couldn't help feeling curious.

Huangfu Ling reached out and knocked on the axe blade, making a dull sound. He raised an eyebrow and said, "This must be about fifty or sixty kilograms, right?"

Mu Tou straightened his back, patted the axe, and said proudly, "This is fine iron, weighing 68 kilograms!"

Zhang Jingwei raised his eyebrows and asked with a hint of doubt, "Can you dance?"

Mu Tou grinned, revealing his white teeth: "I can dance!" As he said that, he was about to swing the axe on the spot to show off.

Zhang Jingwei quickly waved his hand to stop him: "Alright, alright, let's get on with our journey!"

Mu Tou finally gave up, shouldered his axe, and jumped onto the carriage. With him, Liang Dahai now had someone to talk to. The two of them sat in the carriage, chatting casually, with occasional hearty laughs echoing.

As the sky darkened, Zhang Jingwei's mood grew increasingly gloomy. He had originally expected his closest friends in Yunzhou, Ma Tianmao and Gao Jiong, to come and see him off, but even after the carriage had left the city, he still hadn't seen them. He deliberately slowed down his pace, even lingering briefly at a tea stall outside the city, but still, they weren't there.

Huangfu Ling seemed to see through his thoughts and said softly, "Your friends are probably still drinking in the brothel. They are just drinking buddies, not many of them are close friends."

Zhang Jingwei felt even more depressed after hearing this. He leaned against the carriage, staring out the window at the gradually darkening sky, and remained silent.

At this time, Zhang Liu's voice came from the front: "Master, there is a post station ahead. Let's rest there tonight."

Zhang Jingwei came back to his senses, looked at the sky, and said, "It's still early, why don't we go to the next post station to rest."

Zhang Liu shook his head, his tone filled with worry: "It may take a while to get to the next post station. The road will be difficult to travel after dark."

Zhang Jingwei sighed and nodded, "Then let's listen to Sixth Uncle."

Zhang Liu responded and then said, "Then I'll go find out." He turned to look at Liang Dahai and waved, "Haier, follow me!"

Liang Dahai quickly jumped out of the car and quickly followed: "Godfather, I'll lead the donkey for you!"

Soon, the posthouse clerk learned that it was Zhang Jingwei who had arrived, and he hurriedly straightened his clothes and came out to greet him in person. The postmaster was a lean man in his forties, with an attentive smile on his face. He walked quickly to the carriage and bowed.

"Zhang, the county magistrate, are you going to Gaoyang to take up your post?" The postmaster's voice sounded familiar, but his eyes flickered.

Zhang Jingwei got off the carriage and looked at the postmaster carefully. Suddenly, his brows furrowed. "Yeah, eh? Why do you look familiar to me?"

The postmaster chuckled dryly and whispered, "I used to be the warden of the detention center, and I once guarded you!"

Zhang Jingwei's expression changed slightly when he heard this, then he smiled awkwardly: "Oh, hey, then you've been promoted! Postmaster, you're now a ninth-rank official."

The postmaster waved his hands hastily, his tone tinged with self-mockery: "After the civil service reform, I'm now a ninth-rank postmaster at Beisha Post, barely scraping by."

Zhang Jingwei nodded, looked around, and asked, "There are still vacancies, right?"

The postmaster rubbed his hands, looking troubled. "It's all empty! It's just that the horse feed is gone. All we have is some moldy grain. How about I go and dry it up and make do with it?"

Zhang Jingwei waved his hand and said with a smile, "You are so thoughtful, Postmaster. I brought some oats. The horses in my mansion are not used to eating grass."

The postmaster breathed a sigh of relief and said quickly, "Then I'll send someone to clean the room. The snow has melted these days, and the roads are a bit muddy, so please bear with me!"

Zhang Jingwei waved his hand nonchalantly: "No problem, no problem."

A postman, lantern in hand, led the group inside the inn. While the gatehouse wasn't grand, its paint was fresh. The stone steps in front of the gate were still covered in unmelted snow, making it appear particularly desolate. The inn's layout was quite compact. Upon entering, there was a narrow corridor flanked by low-ceilinged side rooms. At the end of the corridor was a slightly larger hall, and beyond that were the upper rooms.

Zhang Jingwei looked up at the gate plaque and murmured to himself, "Beishayi... I've been along this road before, why haven't I seen it before?"

The postman leading the way explained, "Master Zhang, you may not know that this posthouse has only just opened. The furniture inside is still new."

Zhang Jingwei nodded and said with a smile, "That's right, just looking at this facade gives me a sense of vigor and vitality."

The postman smiled and pointed to the rooms in the inn: "Master Zhang, you and your wife can stay in the upper room, and the servants can only stay in the side rooms."

Zhang Jingwei looked back at Huangfu Ling and saw that she looked calm, so he said, "Let's use the side room. It's getting late. May I ask if you have any food left?"

The postman nodded quickly: "Yes, I will serve the food to you right away."

The postman led the group into the inn, where Zhang Jingwei and Huangfu Ling were assigned to the upper room. Located deep within the second floor, the upper room was simply furnished but tidy. Due to the deep corridor, the room was exceptionally quiet. A carved wooden bed, covered with plain bedding, sat against the wall. Beside the bed sat a square table and two chairs. On the table sat an oil lamp, its wick flickering, casting a swaying shadow.

Mu Tou and Liang Dahai were taken to the side room. Although the room was small, it was warm. The window of the side room was very small, and almost no light could penetrate. The room seemed a bit claustrophobic. Mu Tou leaned the axe against the corner of the wall, sat on the edge of the bed, and whispered to Liang Dahai, "Why does this place feel so dark and gloomy?"

Liang Dahai nodded, looked around, and whispered, "Yeah, I always feel like something is wrong."

……

In the lobby of the inn, several people were sitting around a table eating.

The postman brought a few simple meals: a plate of pickled vegetables, a bowl of hot soup, and a few steamed buns. Zhang Jingwei looked at the food on the table and said with a wry smile, "The food at this post station is pretty much the same as what we used to eat at the detention center."

Zhang Liu picked up his chopsticks and said calmly, "When you're out and about, it's good enough to fill your stomach."

Zhang Jingwei nodded and was about to pick up his chopsticks when he heard the rapid sound of horse hooves outside. He put down his chopsticks, walked to the window, lifted the curtain and looked out.

A postman rode a horse into the backyard, tied up the horse first, drank a few sips of water, and then the postmaster gave him some dry food. Then the postman changed to another horse and continued on his journey.