Rebirth: From being expelled from the imperial court to becoming a high-ranking official

"...Sir, aren't we going from Jingyi to Guping County and then to Yongding?" the coachman asked in confusion.

"If we don't go through Guping County, my brother is working there and needs to be avoided. See if you can find the most convenient way to get around Guping County."

The post carriage driver had been delivering people for a long time, so he understood immediately and said, "Okay, I understand. Let's go to Jingyi first, and then go to Gaoyi. The road there is not much farther than going to Guping County."

"Okay, thank you for the hard work."

He Sheng said, "Sir, can't you even pass by the Fourth Master's land?"

"No, I can't even not meet you."

Since there are rules, he should try his best to abide by them and not get himself into trouble.

"I haven't seen the Fourth Master for almost two years. It's so hard for me to pass by but I can't even see him."

Qin Yunhe also felt a little emotional.

He originally thought that his brother lived not far away and it would be easy for them to meet. However, he knew that it had been almost two years and they had no chance to meet.

"Wait until you come back from Henan Road, then take a home leave and go visit your brother."

Qin Yunhe lifted the curtain of the carriage and looked out. A group of soldiers followed on both sides of the carriage, and the accompanying clerk Wang He rode a donkey behind the carriage.

Qin Yunhe had met this clerk of King Jingcheng before, but the two were not familiar with each other, so he didn't know much about him.

Jingyi was not far from the capital, so the group rested for a while and arrived in Jingyi County in the afternoon.

After resting for a night at the branch office of the Censorate in Jingyi County and changing carriages, the group set out again towards Gaoyi.

"Driver, is this the official road?"

Originally, the bumpy ride in the carriage was within Qin Yunhe's acceptable range. However, after leaving Jingyi County and traveling for an unknown distance, the carriage gradually became extremely bumpy, almost making Qin Yunhe vomit.

"It's the official road, sir. The official road here looks a bit dilapidated and not very easy to walk on."

Qin Yunhe stuck his head out to look and found that this section of official road was full of potholes, and there were even signs of weeds invading some places. Even the willow trees on both sides of the road showed signs of being cut down.

"Why is this section of the official road so badly damaged?"

"I guess because there are more people leaving Guping and Fengyi, and fewer and fewer people leaving here, it has gradually become a bit abandoned."

"Even if there are few people using this route, it is still an official route. If there is urgent mail to be delivered, it will cause delays."

The driver naturally knew that Qin Yun was the Imperial Inspector, so he evaded the question and said, "This... I don't know either."

"Is this the ground of Gaoyi County?"

"Yes, sir, we should have entered Gaoyi County."

"Have you walked here before?"

"I seldom walk here. I only walked here once a few years ago. Although it was a bit run-down then, it wasn't this bad. It felt like it hadn't been repaired for a long time."

The driver also felt a bit miserable. If he had known the road was like this now, he would never have asked to take this way.

Qin Yunhe did not embarrass the driver anymore. He just kept silent and thought about this matter.

It was almost noon, and the driver asked if he should rest at the nearest government inn.

"Take a break, eat some food and feed the horses."

Qin Yunhe was tossed around for more than an hour and felt like he was falling apart.

He Sheng looked pale and didn't look much better, but the driver was fine.

Qin Yunhe felt a little shaky after getting off the carriage. He glanced at the post station and frowned.

This place is not far from the capital, so why does the post station look so dilapidated?

A postman saw the signs of the Inspector General and the Touring Official on Behalf of the Emperor and hurried out to greet them.

"The little man is here to greet you, Lord Patroller."

Qin Yunhe didn't want to show off, and he also wanted to keep a low profile along the way, but when he saw the state of the post station, he couldn't help but ask, "Where is the post station chief?"

The postman hesitated and said, "Sir, the postmaster... the postmaster has taken people to buy horses."

"Does the post station have any replacement horses now?"

"Yes, of course. My Lord, go in and rest first. I will arrange for a horse change right away."

"No need to change it, just feed it."

Qin Yunhe was invited into the post station, and it was indeed still dilapidated.

Another postman served tea to Qin Yunhe and prepared food for the group.

"How many horses do you have at your post station now?"

The postman said timidly: "We have three horses in the post station now, but only one can still run."

"Shouldn't your post station be equipped with at least four horses? Why are there only three?"

"Your Excellency, our post station has been here for many years. The horses are a little old and weak. We should have purchased new ones a long time ago. One of them died last year."

"Why aren't the old, sick, injured or dead horses replaced sooner? Don't these have to be reported?"

"There are fewer people coming here now, so the higher-ups may be unwilling to provide more..."

With a bitter look on his face, he said, "Sir... please... please don't embarrass me. I am just a postman who serves people."

Qin Yunhe didn't mean to embarrass the postman, and he didn't want to question the postman.

"I came in on my own accord, and I asked because I had to. Even if you didn't tell me, I could see it, and I won't make things difficult for you."

"Hey, thank you for your understanding."

"It is said that each post station will be allocated funds for repair and maintenance every year. Your post station," Qin Yunhe looked at the shabby desks, doors and windows of the post station and said, "Did you not receive the funds or did you embezzle them?"

If you want to keep it, repair it well. If you think it is useless, dispose of it. Why keep it without paying any attention to it?

It is probably because there is this post station that there is funding.

This sentence scared the postman. Didn’t he agree not to make things difficult for him?

"Sir, I am just a humble postman, and I cannot be involved in such a big matter."

"Please get up. I am only asking you a few questions. Tell me what you know and don't tell me what you don't know. It's not a big deal."

"Isn't there usually not many people using the official road in Gaoyi County?"

"Your Excellency, originally this side and Guping side official road were more frequently used. But later, another official road was built in Fengyi side, so this side is less used now."

"So there are fewer people traveling to and from the post station, and the official roads and post stations are all abandoned?"

The postman nodded awkwardly.

Qin Yunhe pointed to the official road outside and said, "When was the last time this section of the official road in Gaoyi County was repaired?"

"Uh..." The postman hesitated, his eyes wandering, and after a while he said, "About five or six years ago?"

Qin Yunhe slammed the table, and the postman was startled and knelt down and said, "My lord, I have only been in this post station for more than three years. I really don't know when the last time it was repaired was."

Qin Yun didn't want to embarrass the postman: "Get up."

Qin Yunhe looked outside and thought about this matter.

The main purpose of his trip was not to check the official roads and post stations. Now that he was on the road, he didn't need to go to Gaoyi County.

He didn't want to waste time on this.

It seems that we can only talk about it after returning.