Chapter 2234 Living Next Door
Before Ren Ergou could recover from the shock of his boss being the emperor, the postmaster came in with a smile on his face and saluted from a distance. "Excuse me, my lords, please forgive me. I just went out on business and didn't have time to greet you. How can you sit here? Ergou, please invite me to the main hall..."
Bai Shan and Man Bao looked at each other, stood up, and did not follow the postmaster's words to go into the main hall, but stood aside with an aloof smile. Mr. Zhuang, who heard the sound, came out of the main hall, and General Nie, who had had two cups of tea, followed behind.
The postmaster's gaze shifted from Bai Shan and the others to Mr. Zhuang. Seeing General Nie behind him, wearing a sixth-rank military uniform and carrying a sword, he couldn't help but frown. However, he remained calm and approached Mr. Zhuang enthusiastically. After saluting, he asked, "What's your name, sir? Where are you going on business?"
Mr. Zhuang nodded slightly and said in a distant tone, "My surname is Zhuang. I'm going to the Western Regions. This is a post station, right? I wonder if you can arrange for us to stay there?"
He pointed at Bai Shan and the others and said, "They are all family members accompanying us. Where can you arrange them?"
"It's you, Master Zhuang," the postmaster said with an embarrassed look on his face. "Your Excellency should have seen that this post station has been in disrepair for a long time and is truly uninhabitable. Alas, it's also because of our incompetence. We don't have many connections in the government office, so we always fail to apply for repairs. To be honest, Master, I was just going to the county government office to handle this matter, which is why I'm so late and have been delayed in welcoming you, Master."
The postmaster said, "Your Excellency is on official business. Although our post station is small and shabby, we cannot let you down. So, I will recommend an inn for you. When the time comes, we will settle the bill with the county government. You only need to pay the excess..."
"This is simply outrageous," Mr. Zhuang said angrily before he could finish. "I never thought there would be such a derelict county government in Shazhou. The post station is in such a state of disrepair, yet they're still holding back your repair money."
The postmaster's words were cut short, and he could only nod and continue to cry poor, "Yes, but you all know that we are insignificant officials and have no say in the affairs of the elders."
"That's okay," Mr. Zhuang said. "When we meet the Shazhou governor, we'll definitely speak up for you. Maybe we can even bypass the county government and send the funds for the repairs directly to you."
The postmaster's eyebrows twitched violently, and he began to feel uneasy. He looked up at Mr. Zhuang and asked, "Master Zhuang, do you know our governor?"
Mr. Zhuang didn't say he knew her, nor did he say he didn't know her. Instead, he said, "I'll definitely come visit you. Don't worry, I'll definitely mention it when the time comes."
If they want to leave the country, can they not see the governor?
As they were talking, Manager Li came back quietly. However, because the Postmaster was standing nearby, he couldn't go up to him and whisper in his ear, so he just nodded at him.
Bai Shan understood what was going on. Before the postmaster could continue the conversation, he stepped forward and said respectfully, "Sir, Manager Li has already booked a room for him. Sir, you've been traveling so long, why don't you go and rest first? We can talk to the postmaster later. It's not too far away anyway."
"Okay," Mr. Zhuang nodded, turned around and said to General Nie, "Let's go."
General Nie couldn't help showing his teeth, and smiled as he led his men to escort Mr. Zhuang, Zhou Man and others out.
Bai Shan stayed behind, smiled and nodded to the postmaster, saying, "My master has always been a man of his word. If he says something, he will definitely do it. Don't worry."
The postmaster opened his mouth wide, wanting to say that he didn't have to do it, but the Bai family's guards had already escorted Bai Shan out, and the soldiers and guards also escorted the carriage out.
Dayu and the others looked at the postmaster's face curiously, then chased after him with a smile, their mood strangely improving.
Manager Li didn't book a room at all, but it wasn't difficult to find a place to stay. It was just a matter of a word. If you have money, why would you worry about not having a place to stay?
The shopkeeper and his clerk next door were standing at the door. When they saw a group of people rushing out of the post station, not heading towards the other side, but towards them, they saw that the person leading them was the steward who had come to question them earlier. They immediately cheered up and greeted them with a smile, "Come in, come in, guests, you want to stay at the hotel, right? Come on, vacate the two courtyards at the back for us..."
By the time the postmaster and Ren Ergou chased out, Manbao and his companions had already entered the gate of the inn next door. The first carriage followed the waiter's instructions and entered an alley, which led directly to the two courtyards at the back.
Yicheng opened his mouth and looked for a long moment before turning back to stare at Ren Ergou, "What did you tell them?"
Ren Ergou hadn't recovered from the shock of his boss being the emperor—and the postmaster being so cautious in front of Bai Shan and the others—when he was asked this question out of the blue. He said blankly, "I didn't say anything. I just said I have four brothers and I need to save money to get married..."
"Okay, okay," the postmaster interrupted him, frowned and thought for a moment. Although he wanted to pull the man out, he knew it was impossible.
Not to mention that stealing customers in this way is a taboo in the industry, and the people behind Yunlai Inn don't allow him to steal customers without scruples.
The postmaster frowned and thought for a long time, then turned to ask Ren Ergou, "Did they tell me that I opened an inn across the street?"
Ren Ergou is naive, but not stupid. Although he didn't say it directly, but...
That should mean something, right?
He lowered his head tightly, not daring to look up, and could only say vaguely: "I never said that..."
The postmaster breathed a sigh of relief, but thinking that the person was next door, Manager Zhang would probably bring it up on his own initiative.
He frowned and asked, "Did they say they would stay here for a few days?"
This was not mentioned, so Ren Ergou shook his head firmly.
The postmaster left with a frown on his face. Really, why are these officials so picky? The post station is so shabby, shouldn’t they even be allowed to enter?
It would be much better to just stay at the inn, but they actually seem to want to get to the bottom of it.
Although it was troublesome, the postmaster was not panicked. He had encountered such things before, but they were all easy to solve. Those officials on official business would not stay and sue him for such a small matter, so most of the time the matter was left unresolved.
For the few things that couldn't be resolved, he would just give some gifts and say a few nice words and the matter would be settled.
The postmaster left with his hands behind his back, while the innkeeper Zhang at the Yunlai Inn carefully arranged their accommodation. Two courtyards, the remaining upper rooms, and the rooms downstairs were all prepared for them.
He said that even if he had to rent a room, he would not cram too many people in. In a room with twelve beds, he would only arrange for ten people to stay, and the room rate would be the same.
Hot water is provided free of charge, as well as hot soup, etc.
Because they had actually stayed at his inn after the postmaster arrived, he felt they had a connection and shared the same ideals, so he treated them warmly along the way and said, "Dear guests, if you want to dine here, I will treat you tonight to a table of shredded radish, which is our inn's appetizer and is very delicious."
Manbao and his friends, who were planning to go out to eat after resting, immediately decided to have dinner here tonight after hearing this.
So Shopkeeper Zhang smiled and told his waiter to prepare the meal.
See you tomorrow
(End of this chapter)
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