Chapter 695 Finally Arrived in the Capital
After staying in Zhigu for two days, we continued north to Wuqingwei and Hexiwu.
We were forced to stop here again.
Hexiwu was an important town for grain transport to Beijing.
When we get here, we leave the capital and enter Zhigu.
Hexiwu is located at the throat of the Northern Grand Canal, connected to Xianxian and Tongzhou in the north, and Tianjin in the south.
Feng Menglong described Hexiwu in "Stories to Awaken the World": "Hexiwu is the main road for all provinces to enter and exit the capital. Boats gather here like ants, and the sound of vehicles and horses continues day and night."
It is known as the "No. 1 Town in Jingdong".
The imperial court set up more than ten government management agencies in Hexiwu, which are commonly known as "yamen" by the people.
For example, the Hexi Wuchaoguan (i.e., the Hufensi) was set up to collect ship notes and commercial taxes;
The Engineering Division dredged the river and built embankments;
The Patrol Inspection Department ensures local public security;
Shuntianfu Tongpan, specializing in litigation and cases related to rivers...
A small town is as important and prosperous as a city.
The "Southern goods" from Jiangnan, the "Guangdong goods" from Lingnan, and the "Sichuan goods" from Sichuan and Guizhou must all go through the "Chaoguan" (an agency set up on inland waterways specifically for collecting ship taxes, called the "Chaoguan") here in Hexiwu before they can enter Beijing.
The Chen family's merchant ships were also busy taking inventory and preparing for the final tax collection before entering Beijing.
Sun Shan calculated that there were more than a dozen customs offices on his way north from Guangnan. This time, if he followed the scholars who were going to Beijing for the imperial examination, he could get a lot of tariff concessions.
If merchants enter the checkpoint on their own, they will be exploited at every place they pass, and it will not be easy to do business.
Even if someone from the Chen family was an official in the court, they would be taxed a lot. If they were ordinary merchants, they would probably be taxed even more.
Doing business is not something you can do whenever you want. It is as hard work as studying.
After Butler Chen and Chen Dongling got the pass, they immediately boarded a boat north overnight. There were too many people, so it was better to leave early.
More importantly, the goods on their ship must be sold before the Chinese New Year. This period of time is the best for doing business in a year. If you miss the opportunity, you may have to wait until next year.
This is still considered good, just wait a while, but the goods are stuck in your hands and the losses are heavy.
So the Chen family merchant ship set off overnight, heading north overnight, trying to reach the capital as quickly as possible.
The merchant ship continued northward, passing through Xianghe County, and finally disembarked at Zhangjiawan in Tongzhou.
Sun Shan's steps were unsteady and he felt something was unreal.
He finally successfully set foot in the capital.
He looked at the sky and saw the dazzling sunlight. Then he looked at his shadow under the sunlight, proving that he had really arrived in the capital.
Of course, arriving at Zhangjiawan, the "first wharf" of the Grand Canal, does not mean that you have officially arrived in the capital. You need to continue walking before you can truly enter the capital.
Gui Ge'er looked at the endless stream of merchant ships at the dock, the rows of shops on the streets, and the constant stream of merchants. It was a very lively scene, and he pulled Sun Shan's clothes with a little fear.
Sun Dali and Sun Dingnan had dazed eyes and didn't know what to do. They clung to Sun Shan tightly, fearing that they would walk out and never come back the next second.
Zhangjiawan is crisscrossed with canals, with willows hanging down from the banks, small bridges over flowing water, and people living on boats, creating a scene reminiscent of a Jiangnan water town.
Sun Shan stared at it intently, his eyes were dazzled.
There are two ways to enter the capital after arriving at Zhangjiawan.
One way is to continue taking the boat along the river into the city, get off the boat near Shichahai or Houhai, and then each person will look for their own mother or father.
Another way is to go into the city by land, either by car or sedan chair.
Sun Shan and his group chose to travel by land and waited at Zhangjiawan Wharf for their relatives and friends to pick them up.
Sun Shan found He Shujun and asked, "Brother Jun, when are we going into the city?"
He Shujun looked around and told Sun Shan to be patient: "Ashan, wait a moment, I'll see where Grandpa's people are."
Before going to the capital, the He family had already written to the old man in the capital, saying that they would mention the capital.
If they receive the letter, the He family in Beijing will come and pick up the person according to their estimated date.
As for why Sun Shan followed He Shujun to the He family instead of looking for his eldest cousin, it was entirely because the He family were the elders.
After all, he is the grandson-in-law of the He family, so he will definitely visit them first when he enters the city.
Before Sun Shan went to Beijing, he also wrote a letter to his eldest cousin, telling him that he would go to He's house first and then to their house. He didn't know whether he received it.
But even if he didn’t receive it, as long as the He family received it, my cousin should know about it.
He Shujun asked the accompanying group of relatives and friends to look for the He family.
This time, there were only three students from the He family who followed He Shujun to Beijing for the exam.
One is He Shujun, and the other two are from the He family's side branches.
Sun Shan is a relative by marriage, and he is trying to establish a relationship with the emperor.
Sun Shan was waiting at the dock, but the He family didn't show up. Instead, the Chen family came to pick up Chen San Ge and other students.
After Chen Dongling and Manager Chen packed the goods, they came to say goodbye to Sun Shan and others and left first.
Later, fellow villager Lu Yuming also came over to say goodbye and left with the Lu family.
Before leaving, he said, "Brother Sun, wait until you're settled, and then we'll come out and get together."
Sun Shan nodded quickly and said, "Okay, Brother Lu, be careful on your way."
They already knew each other's addresses and how to contact each other.
One after another, the companions who had traveled on the same boat together had found their hosts and said goodbye to Sun Shan and the others one by one.
Sun Dingnan said a little fearfully, "Ashan, why haven't the He family come yet? Did they forget that we are going to Beijing?"
It was Sun Dingnan’s first time to visit the capital, and he felt very timid when he saw the bustling and prosperous scene.
There's no way around it. Country people are always insecure when they come to the city.
Sun Dali carried the luggage tightly, fearing that too many people might steal their luggage. If the luggage was lost, the scholar from Sunjia Village would probably have no choice but to perform on the streets.
He looked around nervously, lying motionless on his luggage, and asked in a low voice: "Ashan, I heard that there are many thieves in the capital, we have to be careful."
Sun Dali thinks everyone looks like a thief, so he not only wants him to be careful, but also wants his companions to be careful, to prevent someone from losing their belongings when their backs are turned.
Gui Ge'er tied a package to his chest. The things inside were priceless treasures, which were various documents that Sun Shan needed to take part in the imperial examination. If they were lost, he could only atone for his sin by dying.
Su thought that the important documents should be taken by Gui Ge'er.
Sun Shan was short and weak, so he would definitely be robbed if he encountered any robbery.
So Su asked Gui Ge'er to carry the valuable certificate with him.
If you lose money, you can still borrow money, but if you lose documents, it would be like going to the capital in vain.
Gui Ge'er was very nervous. He looked at the pedestrians and vehicles coming and going furtively and said nervously, "Brother Shan, don't walk around. Stay close to me. If you get lost, it will be hard to find you."
Sun Shan: ...
Sun Shan discovered that the Sun family gang seemed nervous as soon as they got off the boat and arrived in the capital, as if "there are always villains plotting to harm me."
He comforted her by saying, "Don't be nervous. The more nervous you are, the more likely others will think you have hidden treasures and the more likely they will try to steal your things. Relax, relax, and just act like normal."
As Sun Shan was talking to the three members of the Sun family, a voice suddenly came: "Fifth Young Master, I finally found you." Looking back at the route Sun Shan took to get to the city, it took him three months to get there.