When Wang Yuan arrived in Beijing, it was the 27th day of the first lunar month, and it took 89 days on the way, and there were only ten days left before the examination.

The outer wall of Beijing during the Zhengde period, its east, west and north sides roughly overlaps with the second ring road of Beijing in later generations. As for the south, it was only built to the front gate area of ​​later generations, and the outer wall further south was built in the Jiajing Dynasty.

Wang Yuan’s first impression of Beijing was that outside the southern wall, the densely packed chaotic houses were not systematically planned. They were all the people who settled outside the city spontaneously and built one after another over the past hundred years.

Of course, since there is a large population and the market has also been formed, officials must be appointed to manage it.

For buildings that seriously disrupt the city appearance or are prone to fire, the official will definitely carry out forced demolition.

The Ministry of Revenue Gongyuan is located in the southeast corner of Beijing City, and the surrounding houses have been rented almost by scholars from all over the country.

Juren from Nanzhili, Zhejiang, Fujian, Jiangxi and other places on the same road went to join the fellow villagers' guild halls, but they chose to rent private houses if they couldn't live there. However, scholars from Yunnan, Guizhou, Sichuan and other places had no clubs to join, and they were honestly looking for houses along the streets.

Because of the need to raise horses and donkeys, Wang Yuan, Jin Ju and Zou Mu all lived in the inn.

This is a larger inn. Although it is located outside Beijing, it usually has sufficient passenger flow. Because when you enter the city, you will find a government office in various departments and officials who go to Beijing to do business, many of them choose to stay here, and there are also many merchants.

Zhang Yun could not afford to live in a high-end inn and had no shame to ask Wang Yuan to help him. He found a private house outside the city.

Just two days later, Zhang Yun was shameless and came to the inn to borrow money from Wang Yuan.

"What happened?" Wang Yuan asked.

Zhang Yun hesitated: "It's really...it's really hard to say."

Wang Yuan said speechlessly: "Has someone cheated on money?"

"Well," Zhang Yun said with a flushed face, "Yesterday, I went to the bookstore with my fellow Anhui Juzi, who was staying with me, to see if there were any good books. As a result, I met a young man in brocade. He talked to us and learned that we were all deputy tribute students, so he said that he had a way in the Ministry of Revenue and could help us buy an official position."

"Did you still believe it?" Zou Mu said in surprise.

Zhang Yun said with a depressed look: "I didn't believe it at first, but he was sitting in a big blue sedan chair, and there were a few more healthy servants around him. Those healthy servants were all wearing silk robes. A student from the Imperial College came from the middle of the journey and spent 300 taels of silver to buy Huaiyuan County Magistrate. This man was very good at talking and chatting with us for half an hour. They had already become confidants. He said that he was the nephew of Liu Zhong, the Minister of Personnel, and he admired our talents very much. He just needed to give some money to arrange for us to be the chief clerk of a county."

Wang Yuan, Jin Ju and Zou Mu looked at each other, and even Zhou Chong and other entourages almost burst into laughter.

It’s not that Zhang Yun is too stupid and naive, but that he only blames the liars in Beijing for being too professional.

The blue sedan chair is an official sedan chair. These scammers not only illegally sit in the official sedan chair, but also dare to pretend to be the family members of the Minister of Personnel. In the middle, an actor joined, pretending to be a student of the Imperial College and spending 300 taels to buy an official on the spot.

Where have scholars in Guizhou seen such things?

I was immediately deceived and thought that my luck was so great that I actually made friends with the nephew of the Minister of Personnel.

Wang Yuan held his laughter and asked, "How many have you been cheated?"

"The money on his body was cheated, and only two pieces of silver were left," Zhang Yun was dejected and could only find comfort from others. "The Anhui scholar who was with me was even worse. He was cheated of twenty taels of silver!"

Zou Mu asked curiously: "How do you know you have been cheated?"

Zhang Yun scratched his head and said, "The bookstore owner only blamed us when the scammers left. He said that he had been winking at us, and we were foolishly deceived. He was really obsessed with it."

Wang Yuan thought for a while and asked, "Where is that bookstore?"

Zhang Yun pointed to the east and said, "Not far outside Chongwen Gate, there is a Shizi Street, which specializes in pen, ink, paper, inkstone, books, calligraphy and painting."

"Don't blame yourself, I'll help you get the money back," Wang Yuan comforted him and said to Jin Yu, "Brother Jin, please cooperate with you to act in a good show."

Jin Yu asked: "Why me?"

Wang Yuan smiled and said, "Because you are wearing a brocade robe, you look more like a sucker."

With Jin Yu's personality, he would not help, and even thought that Zhang Yun deserved to be deceived. Who made Zhang Yun think about taking a wrong path? But at this moment, Wang Yuan said, Jin Yu actually agreed and went to Chongwen Gate to catch a scammer.

Moreover, Jin Gu took the initiative to buy golden crowns and jade hairpins, and he didn't even wear square scarves, just to look more like a sucker.

The next day, Wang Yuan took Jin Ju out.

Zou Mu stayed to review his homework. After all, he only had a few days to take the exam. He was completely unsure of being able to pass the Jinshi. Zhang Yun did not go out, for fear of being recognized by the scammer, so he just waited in the renting house in a state of uneasy.

Jin Ju rode Wang Yuan's Shuixi horse, dressed up in great wealth, and was shaking a folding fan in his hand.

Wang Yuan and several book boys were responsible for playing the role of Mr. Jin, and they were all wearing silk clothes.

They wandered around Shizi Street and did not gain anything all morning. It is estimated that the scammers dare not show up for a short time. No matter what, they bought a lot of things and brag about Mr. Jin as a deputy tribute student when they meet everyone. This time they will definitely be able to pass the deputy jinshi!

...

Outside the East City, there is a private house.

As noon approached, a young man dressed in a servant ran to the yard quickly: "Mr. Chu, I found a big fat sheep!"

"oh?"

Mr. Chu was exercising and put down Shi Suo and asked, "What fat sheep?"

The servant smiled and said, "A young man wearing gold and jade, claims to be a deputy tribute student from Yunnan. He boasted about his good knowledge when he met everyone and would definitely be able to pass the Jinshi. What's the use of him being a deputy jinshi? They are all natives who have never seen the world. They find it strange to see anything. They bought several scrolls of calligraphy and paintings this morning."

"Have you ever found a place to stay?" Mr. Chu asked.

"Liu San follows me, I'll come back to report the news." The servant said.

After a while, Liu San, who was in charge of tracking, ran back and said with a smile: "Mr. Chu, that fat sheep lives in Longxing Hotel. I kept following them into the guest room before coming back."

Mr. Chu thought for a moment and said, "This time, let the second brother play the leading role and play the role of a rich young man who went to Beijing to visit relatives. As for his identity, he is the nephew of the doctor of the Ministry of Personnel's Wenxuan Department. He will find an opportunity to contact Feiyang this afternoon. If he can make a big vote, he will not work again this month, and Feiyang will probably apply for an official."

"Hehe, these outsiders don't even know where to open the yamen." Liu San said with a smile.

These scammers were called "market sticks" in the Ming Dynasty, and there were many in the capital.

Senior market sticks and temporary official identities are often used as clerks.

If there are officials in the capital, they will be nothing more than calculating money, grain, transferring manuscripts and other matters. Scholars do not want to do such miscellaneous things themselves, so they will temporarily hire a clerk to accompany them.

Although these high-level market sticks do not have an official position, they have the advantage of being able to write and calculate. Once they find out that there is a special official who has left Beijing to do business, they will compete for the recruitment through various methods, and follow the official out of Beijing in a swagger. When they arrive at the local area, they will frantically defraud money, even accept bribes, and help others tamper with official information.

Ordinary market sticks often lurk in the capital. When they meet officials who come to Beijing to do business, or deputy juren who come to Beijing to take the exam, they set up a group of tricks. They often call themselves the family of an official from the Ministry of Personnel, and can help others to make arrangements and pay money stupidly.

Even if the victims realize that they have been cheated, they dare not make a statement, let alone report to officials. Because they have fame and fortune, this matter will ruin their future if it is spread!

For example, Gao Gong, the chief minister of the cabinet of Longqing, had countless cheap nephews and cousins ​​in the capital, which made Gao Gong's reputation very bad. Gao Gong was so angry that he personally investigated in a very secret manner, arrested a large number of scammers and sent them to the Ministry of Justice to severely punish them, and even submitted a memorial to the emperor to request rectification of the security of the capital.

Zhang Yun was very lucky and was set up after just a few days after coming to Beijing.
Chapter completed!