Chapter 248: Farewell to Liang Zhou at the Changting Pavilion in the Suburbs of Beijing
After the hustle and bustle of the Enrong Banquet, everything happened just as Zhu Chao had said. After paying homage to the chief academic officer of the Imperial College, Zhu Lan and other new scholars finally completed the tedious etiquette process.
Xiao Wan and Qiao Youyou had already been registered with the Ministry of Revenue because of the Mathematical Society's affairs. Now that they had successfully passed the imperial examination, they were naturally selected by the Ministry of Revenue to work together as Yuwenlang in the Duzhi Division.
The fireworks Zhou Da made with gunpowder had already become popular in Daliang a few years ago. Yan Yuze still misses the "big firecrackers" Zhou Da mentioned when they first met. Therefore, as soon as the results of the palace examination came out, Zhou Da was directly recommended by Yan Yuze to the Ministry of Industry's Armament Department to continue his research and development.
In May, the willow catkins in the capital are like flying snowflakes, but strangely, the willow trees in the suburbs of Beijing are bare and lifeless.
In the long pavilion outside the capital, everyone gathered to see Liang Zhou off.
As soon as he arrived, he was surrounded by a group of vendors. They opened the burlap bags in their arms and showed the willow branches inside to everyone.
"Washed willow branches, ten cents each, do you want any? I see there are quite a few of you, so I'll charge you eight cents each!"
"I'm cheaper than him, seven cents a stick, how about that?"
Qiao Youyou sighed in her heart, can this also become an industry?
These vendors looked like they were not going to leave unless they bought something, so Qiao Youyou had no choice but to pay since it wasn't expensive anyway.
At this moment, several vendors saw something and their faces changed suddenly. They no longer wanted Qiao Youyou's money, held their bags tightly, turned around and ran away, leaving Qiao Youyou standing there in a daze.
Everyone looked back in confusion, and Chang Yunxiao's tall and thin figure appeared in their sight. In the sunlight, his face was thin and so pale that it seemed as if he was rarely exposed to the sun.
He was wearing the official robes of the Dali Temple, no wonder those vendors ran away.
Chang Yunxiao walked into the crowd, silent as usual, and just nodded slightly to Liang Zhou as a greeting.
At this time, except for Gu Chaoyang, Qin Yuwei and Xu Shiming who were far away in the border, everyone else was present.
"I heard that an official from the Ministry of Personnel contacted you privately two days ago. Are you really not considering staying in the capital?" Zhu Lan asked Liang Zhou who was carrying a bag.
Qiao Youyou nodded continuously at the side, "Yes, even if you are a ninth-rank official in the capital, it is better than a seventh-rank county magistrate outside."
"Well." Liang Zhou smiled nonchalantly.
"The people from the Ministry of Personnel came to me because of my uncle's face. After all, my cousin is the imperial concubine and my cousin is the third prince. It is not difficult for me, a third-class Jinshi, to stay in the capital.
But what Dad said is right. Our family is now like a chicken and dog that has risen to heaven. If I stay in the capital, even if I don't get involved in those things, others will assume that I am the Third Prince's person. Then I will have to be on guard against being used as a gun by others. How boring it is."
Liang Zhou stretched lazily in the sunshine, "It just so happens that the position of Yunzhou County Magistrate is vacant, and I heard that Yunzhou's mutton is good, so it's a good opportunity to go and try it.
By the way, isn't Xiao Ding also in Yunzhou? And Chaoyang, the Northern Frontier Camp is not far from Yunzhou City, maybe we can go out for a drink together. It's so comfortable to be far away from the emperor!"
Zhou Da patted his shoulder and said, "Okay, brother, as long as you think it through. But are you really not going to wait for Shi Ming and Qin Yuwei to come back and see them before leaving? The East Palace is hosting a banquet today, and it will be over soon."
"Forget it," Liang Zhou shook his head and said, "They are now people from the Eastern Palace. If they come to see me at this time, they might get into trouble. It's better not to meet them - please tell them that I'm leaving!"
Liang Zhou said, and suddenly came close to Zhao Sicheng and teased: "I hope that next time we meet, I can drink at your wedding!"
Xiao Wan's cheeks turned slightly red, and Zhao Sicheng beside her smiled with a big mouthful of white teeth, "Of course, of course!"
Zhu Lan also smiled, stretched out his hand and high-fived Liang Zhou to say goodbye, "I wish you a safe journey to Yunzhou."
Liang Zhou grinned and high-fived everyone in turn, saying goodbye, and managed to turn the sad atmosphere of farewell into a festive one.
Chang Yunxiao looked at Liang Zhou, who came to him last, with his hand raised, but he did not extend his hand. On the one hand, it was out of professional habit, and on the other hand——
"I just finished my work. I'm short on time and haven't washed my hands yet."
Even if you wear gloves, you must clean them thoroughly with vinegar after work.
Liang Zhou was so moved that tears welled up in his eyes, "Lao Chang, you really love me."
Chang Yunxiao: ...
Everyone gathered around Liang Zhou and gave him a few more words of advice, and finally it was time to really part.
Liang Zhou turned and walked towards the carriage not far away. He waved to everyone with his back to them and walked lightly. "No need to see you off. I will go ahead. I wish you all a bright future!"
It was spring and the scenery was bright and beautiful. The carriage creaked as it went south amidst the fluttering willow catkins.
…
After Liang Zhou left, everyone began to prepare for their official career.
Zhu Lan officially entered the Hanlin Academy as an editor, but at this moment, she still faced a serious problem - that was where to stay in the capital.
It was impossible to wait for the court to allocate a house. As an official in the capital, in addition to the more than 80 taels of salary that could be received each year, the court also thoughtfully allocated a part of the housing subsidy, but...
The subsidy for this year was less than three taels of silver.
"Is this court... serious?" Qiao Youyou's mouth twitched after receiving the advance salary certificate.
You have to know that this is the capital city. Not to mention the east and west of the city where dignitaries gather, even if you want to buy a small courtyard, you can't do it without seven or eight hundred taels.
After not eating or drinking for ten years, I was able to save enough money.
Zhu Lan felt a little embarrassed when looking at the numbers on the disc, but it was not because of the low salary. His group of people really had no shortage of money now. Not to mention that Qiao Youyou's family was a Hu merchant, his own Zhu family was already well-off with just the income from the dividends from the Yuxiang Pavilion.
Buying a house in Beijing is not a difficult thing for them now.
Qiao Youyou pouted, threw the disc on the table, and said sullenly: "With this salary, it's not enough to buy a toilet in the capital... Humph, I'll write a letter to my father to ask for support."
Zhu Lan rubbed his brows worriedly. "The emperor advocates frugality. We have just entered the officialdom, and you are in such a sensitive position in the Ministry of Revenue. I am afraid that buying a house as soon as we arrive in the capital will be too conspicuous. Before we gain a firm foothold in the capital, it is better to keep a low profile."
"What should we do then?" Qiao Youyou asked with blinking eyes.
Zhu Lan thought about it and said, "How about... sharing the rent?"
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