Chapter 248 248. Silver Handcuffs and Uniform Temptation
no sooner said than done.
Lei Li really went to Zhongchuan, taking Zhou Yi and his whole family to travel to Zhongchuan Prefecture.
The Lei family not only has several fine horses, but also several large ships, which are used to transport goods between several prefectures.
Most of the items transported are grains, vegetables and fruits, because the "Yijia" series are almost all restaurants. They use their own ships to avoid middlemen making a profit from the price difference, and the quality is guaranteed.
There are many rooms on these large ships. In addition to the rooms for the captain and crew, there are still many rooms left. When loading and unloading cargo, laborers from the port dock can be hired.
So every year, wherever the Lei Li family goes to play, they always take their own boat to go back and forth. Not only is it safe and secure, but it is also convenient to bring back whatever they like.
The Lei family is already familiar with the route to Zhongchuan.
Lei Li also bought a house in Zhongchuan, but it also had two courtyards. The price was several times more expensive than Lei's house in Qingmi County, but the area was much smaller.
But the advantage is that it has all the necessary furnishings and is exquisitely decorated, with gardens of all sizes, corridors, etc. The location is also good, not too far from the downtown area, making it convenient to go out and quiet.
However, because they seldom live here, there is only a pair of housekeepers in the house who are responsible for daily cleaning and housekeeping, and they don't keep any horses or carriages.
Lei Li planned to stay in Zhongchuan for a month, so he naturally wouldn't treat himself badly.
He sent the steward to the pawnshop to pick out some temporary workers, including a few maids and servants, as well as two skilled cooks, and rented two spacious and comfortable carriages.
The house is usually taken care of by the parents-in-law who manage it. Although some corners have not been taken care of and are covered with weeds, mosses, fallen branches and leaves, and dust, it is generally clean and tidy.
After the new maids and servants took their places, within two days the whole house looked brand new. The weeds and fallen leaves in the corners were gone, and the gate was no longer guarded by only an elderly steward.
The kitchen was also filled with fresh vegetables, meat, fruits and melons. Two cooks were busy in the kitchen. The sound of cutting vegetables could be heard from time to time, and smoke curled up from the chimney.
I came to Zhongchuan just to have fun.
During this month, Zhou Yi basically didn't cook, he just went out with Lei Li to eat, drink and have fun.
The Lei family divided into several teams to go out and play. Liu Ye'er and Lei Dashan were old and didn't like running around. They preferred to go to teahouses to drink tea and listen to operas and storytelling.
Lei Jingsheng obviously liked to play more. She pulled Qingzhi around Zhongchuan and was the latest to go out and the latest to come back. Fortunately, Qingzhi was watching over them and they didn't stay out all night.
Lei Shengjiang and Miao Yurui travel in a normal way as a young couple. They go to bookstores or beautiful scenic spots, and eat some delicious food along the way. It is also more suitable for taking Lei Zhouzhou with them.
Although Lei Zhouzhou doesn't like reading very much, the picture books and stories in the bookstore are quite attractive to him.
Lei Li likes to visit many places, both serious and not serious.
Eat Zhongchuan’s special tea cakes and Zhongchuan’s “official banquet”. This “official banquet” is said to be modeled after the banquets held by the prime minister in the previous dynasty to entertain guests. The standard is so high that only wealthy businessmen can afford to eat it.
Because the meal was always the same and very delicious, the prime minister continued to use this meal to entertain guests after he abdicated, and the guests were reluctant to leave it, so the "official banquet" became famous.
Of course.
It was called an official banquet, but in fact the food used was what ordinary people could eat, just very expensive, such as top-quality venison and rare seafood.
I also liked Lei Li very much after trying it once, and I have to eat it every time I come to Zhongchuan.
But this thing requires an appointment. If it wasn’t the “official banquet” that Meng Luo had booked, we wouldn’t be able to eat it this time. Meng Luo came with his family.
Even though Lei Li had a close relationship with the Meng family, he couldn't bring his family along, so only he and Zhou Yi got to eat there. However, they had made a reservation last year, so it would probably be their turn in the fall, and they could bring their family along then.
Lei Li and Zhou Yi also drank Zhongchuan's best wine and most famous cold water. The wine had been tributed to the palace since the previous dynasty. The longer it was brewed, the more mellow it became. However, Zhou Yi did not have much of a taste for it and he passed out after drinking one glass.
The kind that allows you to sleep right through to the next morning.
The cold water is the licorice ice cold water that Lei Li must drink every time he comes to Zhongchuan. When eaten with their own spicy hot pot, the taste is simply amazing!
Lei Li liked it himself and wanted others to like it too, so he collaborated with the cold water store that sold licorice ice cold water.
He launched a "hot pot + cold water" set meal in "A Hot Pot Restaurant", and promoted it every summer. It eventually became a classic of the hot pot restaurant and was called "Ice and Fire Double Heaven".
Although Zhou Yi thought the nickname was a bit rustic, Lei Li thought it was very appropriate and liked it very much.
In addition to eating and drinking, the couple also visited the most beautiful attractions in Zhongchuan and saw the most beautiful boys and girls -
The husband who likes to look at beautiful women not only receives the beautiful women's seductive glances, but also the resentful eyes of a certain husband.
He strolled around the Qianfang River, the most famous river in Zhongchuan with the most beauties, and threw away the white silver again and again. Lei Li even booked a pleasure boat with fluttering gauze and fine wine and delicious food to try out his husband's new skin.
Military green, sky blue and white military uniforms each have their own seasons.
Some gold chains and tassels jingle, some silver pendants and metal badges complement each other, and the black or white scabbards are adorned with gems and engraved with simple or elaborate patterns, which are very different from the traditional swords of the Daiyou Dynasty.
In addition to the gorgeous and luxurious military uniforms, there are also simpler military uniforms and modern-style suits and shirts.
Zhou Yi even made a replica of a pistol, which was only beautiful in appearance, and a pair of silver handcuffs that could actually be buckled.
Real silver platinum silver.
Very expensive.
But each one fascinated Lei Li.
Especially the silver handcuffs, Lei Li was very interested in this kind of restraint gadget. He used them on Zhou Yi on the day he got them and had a lot of fun playing with them all night.
When he finally left Zhongchuan and returned to Qingmi County, many of the clothes Zhou Yi had customized were wrinkled and could not be worn, and only a few sets survived.
However, Lei Li packed up and returned to Qingmi County. After all, the wrinkled and damaged military uniforms had their own unique charm.
After returning to Qingmi County, Lei Li has no plans to go out for the next two years except for a trip to Zhongchuan in the fall to attend an official banquet. After all, Lei Shengjiang will take the provincial examination next year, so he must study hard and not be distracted by other things.
After Lei Shengjiang passed the examination to become a scholar at the age of thirteen, he went to the county school. The teachers in the county school were all successful candidates. At that time, Meng Yao was still the magistrate of Qingmi County, and he often tutored and checked Lei Shengjiang's homework.
After Meng Yao was transferred, the new magistrate heard that the previous magistrate was tutoring Lei Shengjiang, so he also volunteered in a roundabout way and gave Lei Shengjiang special lessons.
The new magistrate came from a family of officials. Although his ancestors did not hold high positions in the court, they were not low either. He had much richer insights into officialdom and human nature than Meng Yao, so he could naturally teach Lei Shengjiang many unspoken rules of officialdom.
He was able to become an official, and his first official position was as magistrate in the wealthy Qingmi County instead of in a remote and poor area. This shows that he was well-educated and had connections at home. Teaching Lei Shengjiang was really a waste of his talent.
However, he wanted to establish a good relationship with Lei Li, and also wanted to do Lei Li and Lei Shengjiang a favor. After all, if Lei Shengjiang really passed the exam and had a successful career, he would have an extra helper in the court.
To put it another way, if Lei Shengjiang didn't have this fate, and failed to pass the exam or became a low-ranking official, it wouldn't have much impact on the new magistrate. Anyway, the Meng family would be stable as long as they didn't join the Lei family, and Lei Shengjiang's career would also be stable.
As long as Lei Shengjiang doesn't do anything stupid, he will basically be rich all his life.
In short, with the guidance of the county school teacher, the imperial examination books, notes and articles left by Meng Yao, and the special tutoring given by the new county magistrate, Lei Shengjiang passed the provincial examination when he was seventeen years old.
The youngest juren in Qingmi County.
The provincial examination was held in Xiling Prefecture.
On the day of the results announcement, Lei Li and Zhou Yi were overjoyed to see Lei Shengjiang's name appear on the red list and ranked at the top.
Lei Shengjiang was also foolishly happy when he saw this. He pestered Miao Yurui like a puppy seeking credit, and laughed every time Miao Yurui praised him.
Liu Ye'er and Lei Dashan were so overjoyed that they cried. They had never imagined that at their age, they would actually see a juren from their family! And even ranked in the top three! This was a great achievement!
Lei Jingsheng was so happy that he held Qingzhi's hand and laughed, "I really want to go back to the village right away and announce this great news to everyone in the village: my brother Lei Shengjiang has passed the imperial examination!"
The Lei family was filled with joy.
When the news reached Qingmi County, the entire county was proud of it, and the people of Sanlihe Village and Silihe Village were even more delighted.
When my elderly grandparents found out about this, they were so happy that they decided to have a grand celebration with a three-day banquet.
As soon as Lei Li and his companions returned from Xiling Prefecture, the buffet banquet was held.
This buffet was even more grand than the one held for Lei Li's 40th birthday. There were eight meat dishes alone, only one vegetarian dish and one soup, symbolizing perfection and smooth sailing.
After the buffet, Lei Li began to prepare things for his trip to Beijing.
"In order to avoid the boss, we haven't been to Kyoto City in recent years."
Lei Li was slightly worried, but couldn't help but smile. "Now that Jiang has passed the imperial examination, it's time for her to go to Beijing. Meng Yao said he wants to go there early and rent a nice house so that Jiang can study peacefully and prepare for next year's spring exam."
"Indeed."
Zhou Yi comforted him, "The boss wanted us to go to Kyoto City to help him back then, but we didn't get involved. There hasn't been any movement from the boss over the years, so they probably don't even remember us."
"The court is now stable and the world is at peace. The higher-ups probably won't need us anymore, so there's no need to worry too much."
"I know."
Lei Li nodded.
They never went to Beijing because it was the capital of the emperor's territory and there were many powerful people there. They were afraid that the emperor would be petty and remember them, and they were also afraid that they would offend others accidentally because of their low status and influence, which would bring disaster to their family.
After all, they rejected the emperor's recruitment back then.
However, after so many years, the emperor and the nobles tend to be forgetful and should have forgotten about them long ago. Jiang is going to Kyoto City to take the Spring Examination, and their fathers have to go over to take care of him to prevent him from being bullied.
Besides, Lei Li had never been to Beijing or seen the imperial palace in his life. He heard that the palace was magnificent and golden, and that if you threw a brick in Kyoto, one out of ten would hit an official.
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