kingnovel Chapter 1154 2 letter
Chapter 1154 2 letter
"Clang-"
Before Li Zhong could return the silver medal in his hand, he caught a glimpse of another medal, identical in style but made of a different material, being placed on the table.
Li Zhong's hands trembled, and he almost lost his grip on the silver medal.
"Copper, copper..."
Tongtong brand!
It's one thing to see three Buddha statues in a day, but to see two ordinary amulets in a day?
With these two tokens, let alone escorting a fifth-rank corrupt official, we could even escort a first or second-rank official...
Having lived for decades, Li Zhong finally understood for the first time what it meant to "use a sledgehammer to crack a nut."
"Lord Shen, if you need anything, please just give the order..." Li Zhong carefully placed the silver token back, bowing his head even lower: "This humble official is willing to serve Lord Shen to the utmost, even unto death..."
“Commander Li, it’s unlucky to talk about ‘death’ in front of someone who is about to embark on a long journey.” Shen Zheng interrupted his grand pronouncements, took out two letters from her bosom, placed them on the table, and said, “The escort team will not stay here overnight. They will set off after they have rested.”
Li Zhong secretly breathed a sigh of relief.
But before he could even catch his breath, Shen Zheng said, "I want you to immediately send people to the next post station to reserve a separate courtyard and prepare supplies. When the team sets off later, you also need to send people to accompany them until they arrive at the next post station."
Li Zhong was slightly taken aback upon hearing this, and subconsciously looked at the table.
For Lord Shen's two "requests" that are hardly even requests, is it really necessary to deploy two tokens?
Although he was puzzled, he still respectfully said, "These are all my duties. Please wait a moment, gentlemen, while I go and gather the men..."
"No rush." Shen Zheng raised her hand to stop him and pushed the letters on the table toward him. "Take these two letters first, and remember their purpose."
Li Zhongyi stiffened and carefully picked up the envelope. "Please speak, Lord Shen."
Shen Zheng pointed to the letter on the left in his hand: "This letter should be carried by the courier who sets off first to deliver the message. He should give it to the next station magistrate and also pass on the message that if the escort team does not arrive within the expected time, the magistrate should give the letter to the local prefect."
Li Zhong understood upon hearing this.
Lord Shen was taking precautions in case something went wrong with the escort team along the way.
But upon closer reflection, if the messenger were to meet with misfortune beforehand, then the next postmaster would know nothing at all...
Thinking of this, Li Zhong mustered his courage and said, "Lord Shen, I didn't mean to question you, but I'm just asking... what if something happens before the messenger arrives at the next post station?"
A hint of appreciation flashed in Shen Zheng's eyes as she looked at the other letter in his hand: "In that case, the second letter will come in handy."
Li Zhong looked at another letter, "Lord Shen, what is this letter about...?"
"Keep this letter safe for now. Once the messenger returns and reports back, send someone to deliver it to the next station manager."
"Oh...this, this..." Li Zhong seemed to understand but not quite.
He pounded his bewildered head and painstakingly analyzed, "If the messenger returns on time, it means the next station chief already knows the convoy is about to arrive and that a second letter will be delivered; if the messenger doesn't return..."
It's terrible that they couldn't make it back in time!
Li Zhong choked, not daring to think any further.
Shen Zheng said in a deep voice, "If the messenger has not returned by then, you should immediately report to the government office and send someone to the next post station to inquire about the situation of the convoy and the messenger along the way. In addition, after the escorting convoy arrives at the next post station, the escorting messengers will split into two teams. One team will return directly to deliver a message to the post station at the time of departure, while the other team will wait until the escorting convoy has departed before returning to deliver the message."
Only in this way can a multi-node response be formed in an environment without mobile phones, and the message loop be completed as much as possible to avoid the risks along the way for the escort team.
"Did you understand?" Shen Zheng asked.
Li Zhong hesitated for a moment, then glanced at the paper and pen on the table: "Lord Shen, may I take notes with paper...?"
He had memorized the process, but he still needed to sort out the logic behind it.
"..." Shen Zheng paused slightly, her tone tinged with disbelief, "This... also requires paper notes?"
She had just thought this person was intelligent and teachable.
Li Zhong's face flushed red, and he clutched his sleeve, saying, "This...this humble official's mind is far less quick than yours, sir. I hope you will forgive me..."
Shen Zheng sighed inwardly.
This seems to have transcended the question of whether one is quick-witted or not.
"Alright, I'll write down the general process, you can take a look." Shen Zheng picked up the ink stick and ground the ink while gathering it with her sleeves, saying, "For the messenger, remember to choose the most clever person in the station."
"I understand, I understand. I'll grind the ink for you!" Li Zhong seemed careful, but actually used great force to snatch the ink block. While grinding the ink, he asked, "Lord Shen, regarding the procedure for receiving and delivering letters... should I tell the messenger to pass it on to the next station master, and then have the next station master, after receiving the escort team, send someone to notify the station master of the next after that, and so on..."
After a long silence, Yu Shizhang couldn't help but ask, "Are you reciting a tongue twister?"
Li Zhong's hand, which was grinding ink, froze. He secretly glanced at Yu Shizhang and said, "This humble official is clumsy with words, please forgive me, Your Excellency..."
He had hoped to salvage his image in front of Lord Shen, but instead, he incurred the displeasure of the Marquis of Yongning...
What a crime.
Shen Zheng picked up her brush, dipped it in ink, and said without changing her expression, "If there is no real power to suppress them, it is already good enough that the other post stations remember to report to the authorities. You only need to have the postmen spread the message."
Li Zhong suddenly realized.
Yes, today, with the three great lords, Lord Yongning, Lord Shen, and Lord Yu, personally coming to his door, he has put in extra effort to make this task a success.
However, once the escort team leaves Liuyang Prefecture, the other postmasters may not necessarily respect the postmen who led the way.
In this situation, the only things that could truly intimidate the local post station were Lord Yu and... the token on the table.
Shortly after, Shen Zheng put down her pen and handed the completed procedure to Li Zhong.
Li Zhong accepted the document with both hands, examined it carefully for a moment, and then bowed and said, "Please have a seat, gentlemen. I will go and select the men now."
After Li Zhong left, Shen Zheng and Yu Shizhang simultaneously reached into their pockets, and in the next instant, two letters appeared in front of Yu Zhengqing.
Yu Zhengqing's face revealed the words "I knew it".
He picked up the two letters and crumpled them, then chuckled, "Let me guess... These two letters only bear the signatures and seals of the Earl of Yongning and the Assistant Minister of the Six Ministries; there's nothing else on them. Are you two... asking me to forge official documents?"
Yu Shizhang took a sip of tea and said irritably, "If you don't want it, give it back."