After binding the loving mother system, I was so bad

Because there was no waterway connecting Hangzhou and Yunzhou, Su Yunting got off the boat when it arrived at Hezhong Prefecture, Hezhong County, and planned to buy a carriage in the market and go to Yunzhou by land.

Hezhong Prefecture has not yet recovered from the drought of the past few years. Even though it is the provincial capital of a county, there are fewer pedestrians on the streets than in other prefectures and counties.

After the other caravans that disembarked with Su Yunting stepped into the territory of Hezhong County, the relaxed atmosphere on the boat was swept away. Everyone had a heavy look on their faces and guarded the goods that were unloaded very closely.

Hezhong County is located in the central part of Da Zhou and is the only way to go north to Yunzhou, so many merchants will stop here temporarily.

"Su Jilang!"

As soon as Su Yunting got off the dock, he saw a very conspicuous carriage parked there. There were a dozen yamen runners standing around the carriage, and the people in the carriage were waving at him.

Su Yunting narrowed his eyes and took great effort to recognize who the man with a goatee was.

"Third brother, why are you here?!"

Li Mingde jumped off the carriage, circled around Su Yunting several times, and punched him in the chest: "You little bastard, if it weren't for the letter from Shopkeeper Yu of Baida Express, I wouldn't have known that you sneaked into the river!"

Li Mingde reached out to take the bamboo box from Su Yunting's hand, but he underestimated the weight of the box and almost sprained his waist.

"Oh my God, did you hide a stone in the box? Why is it so heavy?"

Li Mingde let go of his hand awkwardly and motioned the yamen runners behind him to come over and help.

The box was really heavy. The four yamen runners were so exhausted that their faces turned red and their necks became thick. It took them a lot of effort to lift the bamboo box onto the carriage.

Li Mingdra pulled Su Yunting to sit in the carriage: "Look at you, you are like a taciturn person. Since you are coming to Third Brother's territory, why didn't you tell him in advance? Do you look down on me?"

Su Yunting was confused by what he heard. Why did his third brother Li Mingde come to Hezhong? And judging from his behavior, he had obviously become a local tyrant.

"Third brother, why did you come to Hezhong County?"

Li Mingde lowered the car curtain, looked at Su Yunting's tanned face, and teased: "I haven't seen you for such a long time, you have turned into a little black man, why can't I come to Hezhong County?"

Li Mingde took out a small teacup and a teapot from the secret compartment of the carriage and poured a cup of tea for the two of them.

The windows on both sides of the carriage were open, and the hustle and bustle of the street could be clearly heard.

"Last year, my father found me a job as a clerk in Hezhong Prefecture, a low-ranking official. At the beginning of spring, my godmother became more powerful, and she spent some money, so I was able to find a job as a chief clerk."

As if thinking of something, Li Mingde chuckled: "Don't underestimate the small pond in Hezhong County. There are many turtles in it. Even though the drought that year led to the removal of a number of officials, those who were reassigned all have a background."

"But it's better this way. If they don't take the money, it will be difficult for us to send people to Hezhong County."

The government office of Hezhong Prefecture was destroyed by refugees during the last civil uprising, and the current Hezhong Prefecture is newly built.

The new government office was still magnificent, but Li Mingde did not live here. Instead, he lived in a small courtyard next to the government office.

The carriage stopped. After Li Mingde gave some money to the yamen runners, he and Su Yunting entered the courtyard together.

The courtyard is not big, it is a single-entry courtyard facing north and south.

There were not many servants in the courtyard. There was only the servant boy that Li Mingde brought from Kyoto. He bought an old woman from the local area to do the chores and cleaning, and an old man to guard the door and do odd jobs. He didn't even hire a cook.

"Let's put our things down first, and then I'll take you to the Baiwei Restaurant."

Su Yunting carried the box and put it in the east wing by himself: "Third brother, don't you usually cook at home?"

"Yes, there is a Baiwei restaurant here, which is cheap, affordable and delicious. Why should I cook?"

"Third brother, you are quite capable. A new official can command those yamen runners!"

Li Mingde patted his bulging purse and said, "In this place, nothing works except money! Even if you are promoted to county magistrate, you can't do anything without money. If the yamen runners can do one-tenth of what you ordered, it will be considered a real job!"

This official situation was beyond Su Yunting's expectations: "Wasn't it rectified a few years ago?"

Seeing that Su Yunting had packed up neatly, Li Mingde took Su Yunting out of the courtyard. Baiwei Restaurant was not far from the government office, and it only took half an incense stick of time to walk there.

"The poorer the place, the easier it is to be fleeced. Moreover, Hezhong County has disaster relief from the imperial court! Looking at the whole world, there are only one and a half truly poor places that have been able to develop. One is Yunzhou, and the other half is Nanjun."

As they chatted, they arrived at Baiwei Restaurant.

Baiwei Restaurant's business was extremely prosperous, and the entire first-floor lobby was packed with traveling merchants.

But Li Mingde is an old customer, and he is also a sworn brother of the owner Su Yunyan, so naturally he has his own private room on the second floor.

The two of them went upstairs and sat in a private room facing the street. They ordered a few side dishes at random and then closed the door.

"Yun Ting, please stay here for a few more days. When the brothers below come to Hezhong Prefecture, we can reminisce about the past together."

"Brothers?"

The waiter was serving the dishes at the time. After Li Mingde had waited for all the dishes to be served, he went over and locked the door of the room.

After finishing this task, Li Mingde and Su Yunting clinked glasses and chatted while drinking.

"In the past two years, we have spent a lot of money to place fellow students from Baichuan Academy in Hezhong County and Henan County as chief clerks. We have completely opened up the network of relationships between the two counties!"

Su Yunting was a little shocked. How much money would it cost?

At the same time, Su Yunting was also a little worried: "The official atmosphere in Hezhong County is not very good. Most of my fellow apprentices come from poor families. If they go to the local area, won't it be difficult for them to make a living?"

"We have to thank our Eleventh Sister for this! For those brothers who don't have much family wealth, the Eleventh Sister invited them to join the fruit wine agency. This not only gave the brothers some ways to make money, but also created conditions for fruit wine to be sold throughout the two counties."

When Su Yunting heard this, his eyes lit up brighter than the stars: "My little sister is so amazing!"

Li Mingde stroked the small mustache that he had finally grown and said, "Of course not! My ninth brother, the prefect of Song, was recognized by the Song family and has completely taken control of the Song family. He is considered a great figure in the entire Xiangzhou!"

"As for my eldest brother, don't just look at him as a person who lives in Kyoto and has only a small title and does not make any noise on weekdays. In fact, he has a very good reputation among the elite. In addition to Kyoto, Baichuan Academy has also opened branches in the other twelve states and counties."

Baichuan Academy is basically operating at a loss, but as long as those young seedlings grow up, they will be a steadfast and legitimate force.

"The seventh son, Jiang Guanghai, passed the imperial examination and became a first-class Jinshi last year. He is still filling in the vacancy. I heard from him that Censor Jiang has already made arrangements for him. It is estimated that he will be able to enter the Hanlin Academy this year."

"The tenth son, Chen Yixuan, is following his father. The last time I heard from him, he said he was getting engaged. His wife's husband is the director of the Yuheng Qingli Division of the Ministry of Works."