The journey of the only child of a peasant family to take the imperial examination

The next morning, just as Zhang Ping'an and others got up and washed up, the prefect of Guazhou came to pay them a visit with a group of his subordinates from the yamen. General Xu, who had greeted them the night before, also followed behind.

The prefect mentioned vaguely that he did not sleep well the whole night after receiving the news. He brought people here early in the morning and did not even have breakfast.

What he meant was that he attached great importance to Zhang Ping'an and his group's visit and did not neglect them. He also wanted them to stay and have dinner together.

In someone else's territory, you have to give face. Zhang Ping'an understood the elegant intention of the music and happily invited everyone to stay for breakfast.

After a good rest last night, Zhang Pingan woke up this morning feeling refreshed, all the fatigue of the past few days gone, and his mood improved a lot.

Naturally, I also like this prefect a lot more.

Speaking of which, this Prefect Liao and Prefect Cao are brothers-in-law, so they are somewhat related. He is also very similar to Prefect Cao in personality, smart and cautious.

However, compared to the wealthy appearance of Prefect Cao, this man has a more rugged and heroic air, which is probably related to the fact that he has stayed in Guazhou for too long.

After breakfast, after many twists and turns in the relationship, the two sides had invisibly narrowed the distance between them, at least on the surface.

It only takes half a day to get from Guazhou City to Guazhou Camp, and the wind and snow have not stopped yet.

Therefore, Zhang Ping'an did not want to stay in the city for long, and said bluntly: "Thank you for the hospitality of Governor Liao today, but I have important matters to attend to, so it is not appropriate for me to stay for long. It is snowing heavily now, and it is getting dark early. I am afraid that the heavy snow will block the roads and make transportation inconvenient. I must set off for the Guazhou camp immediately. I would like to ask Governor Liao and General Xu to help arrange some good guides for us."

"I don't deserve it. This is my duty. I dare not delay the important work of you gentlemen," said Prefect Liao politely with a bow.

After a moment's hesitation, he suggested, "If we're talking about familiarity, General Xu is the most familiar with the route and is also quite skilled. How about letting him lead the way?"

Zhang Pingan nodded and agreed: "Well, that would be the best."

After saying that, he nodded to General Xu behind him and said, "Thank you for your hard work, General Xu!"

General Xu smiled heartily, stood up and said, "Then I will go down and prepare first!"

Although Zhang Ping'an and his group still had supplies, they had to reorganize them when they arrived at a new supply point in Guazhou. After all, no one wanted to keep gnawing on biscuits and dried meat that were as dry as stones.

After eating, he followed General Xu with great tact.

Taking advantage of this opportunity, Prefect Liao ordered someone to deliver the prepared gift.

"Cyclosalgia songaricum" is a specialty of Guazhou. This precious Chinese medicinal material can only be harvested from winter to early spring. There has always been a saying that "Cyclosalgia songaricum in the 39th day of the lunar month is better than ginseng".

In winter, the earth is frozen, and Cynomorium songaricum is growing in the permafrost. In addition to glass, carpets, spices and other items brought by traveling caravans, Cynomorium songaricum can be said to be one of Guazhou's most representative winter specialties. It is very precious and rare, and very difficult to collect.

Not to mention that the boxes of medicinal herbs sent by Prefect Liao were of excellent quality, thick and strong, and who knows how many years they had grown. They were definitely worth a fortune.

It's a really generous gift.

Zhang Pingan thought for a moment and then accepted it. "Thank you very much for your kindness, Governor Liao. If there is a chance, I will host a banquet for Governor Liao when we get to the capital."

"Then I will accept your kind words, sir!" Prefect Liao stood up, bowed and said with a smile, not taking it too seriously.

But he also felt relieved. It seemed that Zhang Ping'an and his group were easy to deal with. What his brother-in-law, Prefect Cao, said was true.

Qian Jie knew what Zhang Ping'an was thinking. He put down his teacup and followed his words, then said with a smile, "I've always heard that the northwest is bitterly cold, but on this western tour I've discovered that it's indeed true. However, under the governance of Lord Liao, the people of Guazhou City are living quite well. They live and work in peace and contentment, which is truly rare! Well, I remember that Lord Liao and my father seemed to be Jinshi in the same year, right? I wonder if I'm mistaken?"

Upon hearing this, Prefect Liao's smile faltered, and he nodded awkwardly, "Yes, Lord Qian has a good memory. I am indeed the same age as your father. However, I am ashamed that your father is now a high-ranking official and the Grand Tutor of the Crown Prince, while I have been living in Guazhou all this time. We are so different, there is no comparison!"

Speaking of this, Prefect Liao did have some regrets, but people cannot be compared. He did not have a prominent family background to support him, so it was already very good that he could be a prefect in Guazhou.

Moreover, Guazhou is located in the frontier, and not only is it bitterly cold, but the situation is not much simpler than that in the capital. In order to secure his position as prefect, he racked his brains and expended a lot of energy.

"Lord Qian is right. In fact, based on Lord Liao's achievements in Guazhou, he should have been moved long ago. It's such a pity," Zhang Pingan said casually while drinking tea.

When Prefect Liao heard this, his heart warmed up. Although he knew that there was no such thing as a free lunch, he couldn't help but show a bit of eagerness on his face.

If possible, who would be willing to stay in Guazhou until death?

Even if it's not the capital, it would be fine if he was transferred to Shandong, Hebei and other places. At least there would be a gathering of scholars there, and the people would know etiquette and morality, and they wouldn't have to deal with rough men every day!

During these years in Guazhou, Governor Liao often forgot that he had once passed the imperial examination. His various skills were almost useless here, which made him feel spiritually lonely as if he was talking to a deaf person and his talent was not recognized.

After thinking for a while, he still tried to probe a few times: "Well... well... the court has its own considerations. I am of low status and have little influence. I am also old. It would be nice to be able to enjoy my old age in Guazhou!"

"Hey, Master Liao, what are you talking about?" Qian Jie said with a look of disapproval. "An old horse in the stable still has ambitions to run a thousand miles. My father always said that people reach their prime at fifty. Magistrate Liao is still strong and vigorous at his age. If he can seize a good opportunity, there is no need to worry about not being able to reach a higher level."

"Well... hehe... then I'll take advantage of your kind words," Prefect Liao rubbed his hands. "I'll offer you a cup of tea instead of wine. I hope you can speak well of me in front of Your Majesty in the future. I will never forget your kindness. Feel free to ask for anything you can do!"

"No problem, no problem!" Qian Jie smiled.

He knew that Prefect Liao was also a cautious man, and it was impossible to get him to do anything with just a few words.

But the bait has been laid. As long as he still wants to be promoted, it is only a matter of time before he takes the bait.

Zhao Renzhi was drinking tea and observing the people around him calmly. He had become completely quiet in the past two days. He also realized that he had been a little reckless in the past few days and was completely different from his previous self.

Although he only maintained a face relationship with Zhang Pingan and Qian Jie.

He was still not prepared to fall out with the two of them. When he arrived at the Guazhou camp, he still wanted to ease the relationship with them. After all, the affairs of Guazhou could not be done without their help.

Just like that, at half past the hour of Si in the morning, General Xu escorted Zhang Ping'an and his party to the Guazhou camp in the west.