The Ming Dynasty took an unconventional approach

After three days, Feng Hongde estimated that Xue Wen could only reach Guangzhou Prefecture at most. A down-on-his-luck scholar with only a page and his eloped junior sister by his side, he could only stay in a private room in Chaozhou Prefecture with Feng Hongde's help, let alone Guangzhou Prefecture where prices were even higher.

If he wants to survive, he must do something.

Feng Hongde was confident that he could find the person as soon as he arrived in Guangzhou.

How dare you lie to him!
A dark glint flashed in Feng Hongde's eyes; he was determined to tear him to pieces and feed his corpse to the dogs.

The steward's stomach was still aching slightly, so he didn't dare to offer any further advice. Anyway, the master was familiar with the commander, so he could just find an excuse to get by.

It would be better if he just left home. He really can't take care of me anymore. These days are truly unbearable.

The master and servant were unaware that they had already been in Guangzhou for three days.

For Pan Yun, the journey from Chaozhou Prefecture to Guangzhou Prefecture took only an hour.

If it weren't for the constant exclamations from the Imperial Guards, and Pan Yun's vanity causing her to deliberately slow down, she could have compressed the time to within half an hour.

They boarded the tripod before noon and stopped outside the city gate of Guangzhou before 11 pm.

When Feng Hongde announced the list of those who passed the written test on the arena, but couldn't find Xue Shao anywhere, his group was already strolling through the streets of Guangzhou.

The city gates of Guangzhou were unusually strict, checking travel permits for people traveling to and from the north and south.

Pan Yun and his companions had rarely encountered such strictly controlled cities along their journey.

It is said that this was to prevent pirates from roaming inland through Guangzhou.

However, this did not stump the Embroidered Uniform Guards.

An Chen patted himself down and pulled out a travel permit.

He picked out two of them and gave them to Xue Shao and Pan Yun.

He didn't need to worry about the other Imperial Guards. Each of them checked their person and found a brand new travel permit with no problems. Their identities were all different, but they were all guaranteed to enter Guangzhou without arousing any suspicion.

Pan Yun glanced at the description of her appearance on the travel permit and was surprised to find that it looked remarkably like her. She couldn't help but ask, "Was this specially made for me?"

“No,” An Chen said, “Some conventional descriptions can downplay the seriousness of the matter. At a glance, eight out of ten people fit the criteria, while the other two who don’t are either extremely ugly or have obvious marks on their faces, so they don’t meet the standard.”

An Chen glanced at her and said, "If the Imperial Advisor wants to customize a travel permit, that's fine too, but it will take some time."

An Chen looked up at the sun and said, "It will take at least half an hour, because the completed road signs need to be aged, otherwise they will easily arouse the suspicion of the city gate guards."

Pan Yun shook her head repeatedly: "No need, I was just a little curious and asked casually."

If it's readily available, who would want to spend time waiting? It's not something they need all the time, and they didn't come to Guangzhou for leisure and sightseeing. They might even change their identities later, so the custom-made route won't be used more than a few times. It would be heartbreaking to think about.

Pan Yun said, "Use the time you've saved to eat. I've heard that Guangzhou has a lot of delicious food. Come on, let me treat you to a meal!"

You've already called yourself a humble Taoist priest, so who would actually let you treat them to a meal?

In the end, it was Xue Shao who paid the bill, because he was the richest man at that time. All the Jinyiwei, including Pan Yun, had less cash on hand than him.

Xue Shao, who was once so poor that he could only afford to have Pan Yun stay in his private quarters, made a net profit of 66 taels of silver after a poetry gathering at Piaoxianglou. He even sold the year-long personal package that Piaoxianglou had given him, and sold a plaque for 100 taels.

It is said that the person who bought the brand was a businessman who had always wanted to break into the gentry class, and he bought it for his son.

The day after Xue Shao sold the sign, his rich second-generation son went to Piaoxianglou wearing the sign. This connection was made by the landlord, who earned a five-tael commission from Xue Shao.

Pan Yun felt a pang of heartache just thinking about the 5% commission.

This money is enough for them to stay in the landlord's yard for 125 days. If it's a monthly subscription, Pan Jun is confident that they can stay even longer; with two rooms, it can be extended to at least half a year.

However, the man was introduced by the landlord. Before him, the regular customers of Piaoxianglou had always kept the price of the wooden plaque below thirty taels.

Xue Shao earned ninety-five taels, and the landlord earned five taels. According to the landlord, the rich second-generation successfully enrolled in the county school on the third day after receiving the wooden plaque. It is said that he went to Piaoxianglou Restaurant for a meal and used the wooden plaque to go up to the third floor, where he happened to meet the county school instructor.

The rich second-generation generously donated school buildings and a batch of books to the county school, and the instructor allowed him to study at the county school to prepare for the next year's imperial examination.

This deal can be described as a win-win situation, with everyone getting what they need.

Aside from the organizer, Piaoxianglou, according to the landlord, someone later heard a commotion in the backyard of Piaoxianglou, and could vaguely hear the words "refund".

Xue Shao was wealthy and always generous, so since he was going to treat everyone to a meal, he couldn't just choose any place.

The Imperial Guards were experts at finding routes and gathering information, and soon they found the most bustling and best-reputed restaurant in Guangzhou.

It's not the most expensive, but it's definitely the place with the most people and the best information.

An Chen stopped and asked, "Lord Xue, how is this place we found?"

Xue Shao nodded in satisfaction: "Not bad."

At that time, Guangzhou was not yet the international metropolis it would become in the future, and it did not have a wide variety of food. The dishes in the restaurants were mostly local flavors.

People in Guangzhou prefer milder flavors and value the original freshness and deliciousness of ingredients.

Unfortunately, most of them were from the north and preferred strong flavors, so they were a little unaccustomed to it, except for Pan Yun.

Pan Jun ate with relish, making excuses for himself: "I'm from Jiangnan."

“Changzhou Prefecture’s cuisine tends to be sweet, but you’re only from Changzhou Prefecture. You were born and spent your childhood in the capital, where the cuisine tends to be salty. Later, you went to Sanqing Mountain, where the cuisine in Jiangxi also tends to be salty and spicy. You were able to enjoy the food in Guangzhou Prefecture as well,” Xue Shao looked up at her and concluded, “I think it’s because you’re not picky about food.”

Pan Yun: "Isn't it good not to be picky about food? Like you guys, you'll all die before me in years of disaster."

An Chen looked around at the dishes on other people's tables and said, "There's quite a lot of seafood on the Guangzhou Prefecture's tables."

Pan Yun: "August and September are the season for eating seafood. If we don't eat it now, when will we?"

Pan Yun deliberately didn't lower her voice when she said this. The people at the next table seemed to have heard her, turned around and glanced at them, and couldn't help but laugh and say, "That's right. The seafood in Guangzhou is the best. Not only seafood, but also mountain delicacies are made very well. Are you here in Guangzhou to do business, or just passing through?"

Xue Shao and Pan Yun exchanged a glance and then smiled, saying, "We are just passing through on our study tour."

"Study abroad?" The people at the next table quickly looked the group up and down, their gazes soon settling on Xue Shao, and they became even more enthusiastic: "So you're a scholar, have you passed the imperial examinations?"

Xue Shao stated that he was a Juren (a successful candidate in the imperial examinations).

The people at the next table couldn't wait to sit next to Xue Shao.

Pan Jun quickly stood up to make room for him. Xue Shao invited him again, and Pan Jun declined slightly, but immediately sat down when Xue Shao invited him a second time, as if afraid that he wouldn't invite him a third time. (End of this chapter)