Taichang Ming Dynasty

Chapter 775 Hexi Wushui Post Station

On a summer afternoon, a layer of even, dark clouds hung over the Hexiwu canal wharf. Raindrops, like silver threads cut by scissors, fell sparsely and obliquely, hitting the black awnings of the canal boats, splashing up tiny water droplets, which then meandered along the corners of the awnings into trickles, dripping into the turbid canal.

Two cargo boats, adorned with bright yellow official flags, were slowly approaching the shore. The flags drooped slightly in the rain and mist, yet their imposing presence remained undiminished. The boatmen, their backs hunched, the thick hemp ropes leaving deep red marks on their shoulders, trudged along the slippery shore with a dull creak as they steadily pulled the boats to the narrow boardwalk.

As soon as the boat approached the shore, the sailors leaned out, swung their arms in an arc, and threw the thick mooring rope toward the bank. The damp end of the rope slammed onto the pier with a "thud." Several laborers in short tunics immediately stepped forward, their dark hands grabbing the rope end and quickly tying it tightly around the stone pillars on the bank. The knot was so secure that even as the river water lapped against the boat, it only swayed slightly.

As soon as the boat stabilized, two servants lifted the partition behind the cabin door, revealing the heavy wooden planks glistening damply in the rain. Then, a gangplank about two feet wide was placed between the boat and the walkway, rainwater pooling in the grain of the wood, reflecting the gray sky.

He Xiaokui stepped onto the gangplank first. He was wearing a blue constable's uniform with the sleeves rolled up to his forearms, and his steps were as steady as if he were nailed to a wooden board. After getting off the gangplank, he immediately turned around, put his hands in front of him for support, and looked up at the boat and called out loudly, "Master! Please slow down."

Gao Shiming slowly emerged from the cabin. He wore a fifth-rank eunuch's robe embroidered with dark patterns. The dark fabric was slightly damp from the rain, clinging to his somewhat thin shoulders. Even though the canal boat was moving smoothly, his face was still somewhat pale, and his fingers, which were gripping the cabin door, were also slightly white.

When Gao Shiming stepped onto the plank with He Xiaokui's help, his steps were a little unsteady. After standing firmly on the plank, he clutched his chest and bent over, retching.

He Xiaokui quickly patted his back gently, his voice filled with concern: "Master, how about we go to the pharmacy by the dock and get some medicine to relieve dizziness?"

Gao Shiming waved his hand, and after his breathing calmed down a bit, his voice was a little hoarse: "No need, I'm not that delicate, I'll be fine in a little while."

He Xiaokui helped him walk ashore, and was about to turn back to help Gao Fengqiu, who was following closely behind, when he saw that Gao Fengqiu had already gotten off the gangplank by himself. Gao Fengqiu was wearing a royal blue long robe with a leather belt around his waist. He was tall and straight, and his steps were light when he landed. He showed no signs of seasickness. Seeing that Gao Shiming looked unwell, he stepped forward and asked softly, "Godfather, are you alright?"

Gao Shiming shook his head, about to say something, when he saw two people walking towards him from the gangplank of another cargo ship not far away. The one in front was Fang Zhenghua, a seventh-rank clerk from the Western Investigation Bureau, wearing a black investigation uniform and a waist knife that was more decorative than practical. His young face always wore a forced coldness. Behind him was Pang Tianshou, a sixth-rank deputy director of the Audit Bureau of the Inner Palace, wearing a purple official robe and with a hint of the restraint typical of a mid-level eunuch.

The three groups met under a rain shelter on the riverbank. After exchanging a few pleasantries, they saw several post station workers escorting a man dressed in a blue post station official's uniform walking briskly towards them. The man was about forty years old, with a copper post station official's badge tied around his waist. He had a cautious smile on his face and was none other than Tao Jinlai, the post station official of Wushui Post Station in Hexi.

Tao Jinlai approached, immediately cupped his hands in a respectful bow, and said in a very low voice, "This humble servant is Tao Jinlai, the postmaster of Hexi Wushui Post Station. May I ask which eunuch is the imperial envoy from the palace?"

Gao Shiming took a step forward, straightening his posture slightly, and gave Gao Fengqiu a wink. Gao Fengqiu immediately took out the postal token from his pocket, presented it to Tao Jinlai with both hands.

"I am Gao Shiming, the newly appointed Director General of the Customs Administration." Gao Shiming introduced himself first, then raised his chin towards Fang Zhenghua, "This Eunuch Fang is an inspector from the Western Depot's Foreign Affairs Department."

"Fang Zhenghua." Fang Zhenghua clasped his hands in a gesture of respect at the opportune moment.

Then, Gao Shiming pointed to Pang Tianshou, saying, "This eunuch Pang is the deputy director of the Audit Bureau of the Imperial Household Department."

"Pang Tianshou." Pang Tianshou also bowed with a smile.

Gao Shiming withdrew his hand and softened his tone: "We are going to Tianjin for an inspection. Afterwards, we may stay in Hexiwu for two or three days to check on the situation at the customs post. We hope that your post station will arrange our food and lodging according to regulations."

Tao Jinlai took the postal token and glanced at it. The smile on his face faded a little, and he showed some difficulty. However, he still quickly bowed and said, "This humble servant greets Director Gao, Inspector Fang, and Deputy Director Pang."

The three men returned the greeting briefly and gestured for him to stand up.

"May I ask Director Gao, how many people are in your group?" Tao Jinlai straightened up, took half a step forward, and asked cautiously.

After a moment's thought, Gao Shiming casually replied, "Besides us, there are about ten clerks and servants accompanying us. Just prepare three empty courtyards for us."

Tao Jinlai's expression grew even more troubled, and he forced a smile: "Director Gao, I'm truly sorry, but my post station only has one empty courtyard left. Please..."

"Insolence!" Before Tao Jinlai could finish speaking, a young eunuch behind Pang Tianshou suddenly shouted, "We are from the palace. Do you expect us to cater to others?"

Although Gao Shiming and Fang Zhenghua didn't speak, their brows furrowed slightly, revealing obvious displeasure on their faces. Tao Jinlai shrank back in fright and hurriedly explained, "If they were ordinary officials or other people staying at this post station, I would never dare to wrong you imperial envoys! But those staying at our humble post station are also imperial envoys from the palace, and their backgrounds are quite impressive." He originally wanted to say, "Their backgrounds are even more impressive than yours," but he swallowed the words back and only dared to gloss over the matter.

"Oh?" Gao Shiming raised an eyebrow, his tone tinged with inquiry: "Hexiwu is no small place. Who could possibly occupy your entire post station, leaving only one courtyard?"

Tao Jinlai swallowed hard and whispered, "I wonder if Director Gao knows Eunuch Liu from the Ceremonial Office of the Directorate of Ceremonial Affairs, and Eunuch Yang from the Secretariat?"

"Eunuch Liu from the Ceremonial Office and Eunuch Yang from the Document Office?" Gao Shiming pondered for a moment, his eyes flickering slightly, and asked in return, "You must be referring to Liu Kejing and Yang Shunchen, right?"

Tao Jinlai nodded repeatedly: "That's right, that's right. I was referring to these two eunuchs!"

"So, the delegation that went south to choose a wife for the young master has all come back together?" Gao Shiming said.

"Exactly!" Tao Jinlai hurriedly replied, "Including the two eunuchs, the ladies to be selected and their parents, plus the guards, servants, sedan chair bearers, coachmen, and grooms who accompanied them, there were nearly three hundred people and dozens of animals. Although our post station is somewhat large, it is really too crowded. Everyone is busy from top to bottom."

Gao Shiming then asked, "Did they also arrive today?"

"No, no," Tao Jinlai shook his head, "They arrived the day before yesterday afternoon. However, many in the group fell ill, whether from the change in environment or from being caught in the rain in the south. The main problem is that Eunuch Liu is also unwell, so the group has temporarily stopped here. In the past few days, we haven't dared to entertain any of the small inns that have been using our services; we've only kept one courtyard open to serve our distinguished guests, but now three of them have arrived, which is really..."

"Alright, I understand the situation." Gao Shiming nodded slowly. "Does Commissioner Tao have any thoughts on this?"

"What can I do about this?" Tao Jinlai said with a wry smile. "The three eunuchs, as well as the eunuchs Liu and Yang who arrived earlier, are all noble people from heaven. All I can do is try to mediate and discuss it to see what to do."

Gao Shiming thought for a moment, then turned to Fang Zhenghua and Pang Tianshou. "Gentlemen, as the saying goes, first come, first served. Since they've already settled in, we don't need to be bothered to fight over this little bit of space. Why don't we find an inn near the post station to stay in?" Fang Zhenghua naturally agreed: "I'll leave it to Director Gao's arrangements."

"You two can make the decision." Pang Tianshou nodded in agreement.

Gao Shiming then turned around and looked at Tao Jinlai, a faint smile on his lips: "Director Tao, how about this, you find us an inn to stay in, that shouldn't be a problem, right?"

This was precisely the perfect solution Tao Jinlai had been planning, but his official position carried little weight, and he dared not bring it up first. Now that Gao Shiming had spoken up, he immediately nodded repeatedly, his apprehension vanishing, and said eagerly, "Your Excellency Gao is truly magnanimous! This humble servant will have someone book an inn outside the station for you all to stay in, according to the standards for picking people up from the station!"

"Thank you for your trouble." Gao Shiming nodded slightly, then asked, "Innkeeper Tao, are Eunuch Liu and Eunuch Yang at the inn now?"

Tao Jinlai was taken aback, then asked, "Is Eunuch Gao going to see them?"

“After all, I come from the Directorate of Ceremonial, and I have a working relationship with Eunuch Liu and Eunuch Yang,” Gao Shiming nodded and said. “Since we’ve run into each other, we should at least pay them a visit.”

"Then please come with me, I will take you to them." He then turned to a courier behind him and solemnly ordered, "Immediately book me a top-class inn. Reserve it for three days. Have the inn prepare the best food and wine; do not neglect these gentlemen!"

The courier quickly clasped his hands in acceptance of the order, hurriedly rushed into the drizzling rain, and soon disappeared into the crowd at the dock.

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The rain fell slantingly. Gao Shiming and the other two each held an oil-paper umbrella. The umbrellas were a deep, dark color, and the tassels hanging from the edges swayed gently in the wind. Occasionally, raindrops slid down the ribs and dripped onto their shoes. Tao Jinlai walked at the front, leading the way. His steps were hurried, and a small patch of the back of his blue postmaster's robe was wet from the rain.

The post station was located near the canal wharf. After turning a corner with an old locust tree, the plaque for "Hexi Wushui Post Station" came into view.

As I stepped through the gate, I was immediately greeted by a flurry of activity—people were constantly moving about. A courier in short clothes was carrying firewood, which was damp on his shoulders; a maid in silk was carrying a food box and hurrying toward the inner courtyard; and I could even hear the neighing of mules and horses coming from the backyard, mixed with people’s voices and the clatter of dishes, creating a noisy and bustling scene.

Gao Shiming, holding an umbrella, scanned the courtyard. He saw several bundles of unopened hay piled in the corner, many wet clothes drying under the eaves, and even the usually clean and tidy stone steps were covered with patches of wet mud. Just as Tao Jinlai had said, the entire post station had been thrown into chaos by that delegation of three hundred people.

Just then, a middle-aged man dressed in a gray cloth courier's uniform hurried over from the corridor, clutching a crumpled piece of paper in his hand. Upon reaching Tao Jinlai, he immediately bowed deeply, his voice tinged with urgency: "Master, someone from the kitchen has come to report that the flour is all used up, and there's not much soybean oil left in the oil vat."

Upon hearing this, Tao Jinlai frowned immediately. Before the other person could finish speaking, he impatiently interrupted, "Where do I have time to find you flour and soybean oil right now? If you don't have any, just replace them with something else. Don't we have brown rice and millet? Can't we just feed the people below for a couple of meals?"

The courier looked somewhat troubled, but still forced himself to continue, "You're right. But the cook said that we'll probably have to slaughter another sheep tonight. The nobles are having roasted mutton for dinner, and the half that's hanging in the well might not be enough."

"Oh well, so be it!" Tao Jinlai waved his hand impatiently. "What's there to say? Can't you see I'm entertaining our honored guest?"

"Yes," the courier shrank back, his face embarrassed, and quickly lowered his head to reply, "I'll go arrange it right away."

"Wait!" Tao Jinlai's voice suddenly caught up, and the courier stopped and turned around. He saw that Tao Jinlai's expression had softened, even becoming somewhat obsequious. "It's fine if other people's meals are makeshift, but you must keep a close eye on the food for our distinguished guests. If the post station doesn't have any ingredients on hand, take two people to the shops on the street and buy them with silver. Don't neglect it!"

The courier quickly stopped, turned around, and replied, "I'll remember that!"

"Go on." Tao Jinlai waved the postman away, then turned around and, with a hint of apology, cupped his hands to Gao Shiming and the other two: "I'm sorry to have made you three eunuchs laugh. The post station has been too busy these past few days, and the staff have lost their composure and even forgotten the rules. This way, please. Eunuch Liu's courtyard is just ahead, not far away."

Gao Shiming shook his head, a faint smile appearing on his face under the umbrella: "It's normal to be a bit busy when we have to entertain three hundred people at once, so Tao Yicheng doesn't need to worry about it."

Tao Jinlai quickly smiled and led the group forward. The rain hadn't stopped, and the oil-paper umbrellas occasionally bumped together, making a soft "tap" sound.

At this moment, Fang Zhenghua, who hadn't said much, suddenly asked, "Director Tao, judging from what that postman said just now, is your post station short of food?"

Upon hearing this, Tao Jinlai slowed his pace, gently moving from behind Gao Shiming to Fang Zhenghua's side. Still smiling, he shook his head and explained, "Eunuch Fang is joking. How could we really be short of food? Two or three hundred people may seem like a lot, but they'll only be staying for a few days. Our inn's warehouse can hold out. We have plenty of all kinds of grains and coarse grains. It's just that refined grains, like wheat flour and rice, are being used up a bit faster."

"I see."

As they spoke, the group arrived at a courtyard. The courtyard gate was vermilion, with two ram's horn lanterns hanging on it, each bearing the character "驿" (post station). Although not particularly ornate, it appeared more orderly than the other courtyards.

“Gentlemen,” Tao Jinlai said, pointing to the closed courtyard gate and bowing to Gao Shiming, “this is the courtyard where Eunuch Liu is staying.”

Gao Shiming looked up at the courtyard gate and asked, "Where does Eunuch Yang live?"

Tao Jinlai raised his hand and pointed to a courtyard with a similar layout diagonally opposite: "Eunuch Yang's courtyard is over there, only a few dozen steps from here."

Gao Shiming glanced in the direction he pointed, then looked away and said to Tao Jin, "Thank you for leading the way, Master Tao. We'll go on our own from here on out. You go ahead and get busy, don't delay things at the post station."

Upon hearing this, Tao Jinlai quickly stepped aside and bowed deeply: "Then this humble servant will take his leave. If you gentlemen have any instructions, just send someone to inform me, and this humble servant will come immediately."

"Okay." Gao Shiming nodded.

"Farewell." Tao Jinlai bowed again before turning and hurrying towards the kitchen. His blue figure quickly disappeared around the corner of the corridor.

(End of this chapter)