It was good to sleep that night, and Li Ling didn't wake up until midnight, and then he heard a noise outside, which made people feel a little surprised.

Although the inn is near the Luoyang government office, the courtyard he owns is inside after all, and the noise on the street is not clearly transmitted. He opened the door with a strange look, without asking the two followers guarding the yard, and saw a guest checking in at a glance in the courtyard next to him. The noise was made by them and the servants who led the men.

Seeing this, Li Ling was a little stunned, and then smiled meaningfully: "It's really fast enough to move. Can't you even wait for a day?"

Last night, Wan Shenji reported to Li Ling about his group being followed. He didn't take it seriously. He knew that he had a lot of friction with high-ranking officials and powerful people in the capital. Once he knew that he was coming, he would inevitably be paid attention to it. However, thinking that he had an official position under the feet of the emperor in the capital, he was not afraid that they would really dare to do anything to him.

But I didn't expect that the person was moving so quickly and was so careless that he actually sent someone to stare at him. It was really funny and helpless. At this time, Wan Shenji also walked over with a serious expression: "Sir, these people are afraid that they are also coming to us."

"That's obvious. When we checked in, there were no guests here. After a night, there were people living in the yards around. Can't we explain the problem? But without paying attention, they can't do anything." Li Ling still smiled calmly, "By the way, are you going to the Imperial City Department later?"

"That's right, what are the instructions for the Lord?"

"Then let's talk to Lu Dusi for me first. After I report my duties at the Ministry of Personnel, I will go to visit them." Li Ling also had his own considerations. After giving a few instructions, he went back to the room to wash up, then went out of the room and clicked out. Then, under the gaze of many around him, he left the inn and took a bus to the Ministry of Personnel.

This time I came to Beijing to report my work, so of course I had to do the main business first.

The so-called performance report is to report to superiors in the words of later generations. If you are a local official at the level of governor, you will naturally meet the emperor and report one by one when you go to Beijing to report your performance. However, Li Ling, a small prefect, would not be so troublesome, just go to the Ministry of Personnel to report to the relevant officials of the examination department, and then hand over the sorted files and documents, and wait for the other party to approve it.

Of course, the duration of this report is different. High officials must wait until the emperor has time to meet him. A first-level prefectural official like Li Ling needs to wait for the Ministry of Personnel to review and review the documents of the file, and it will take ten days and half a month to see the results.

However, compared to the more difficult emperor to meet, it is much easier to have a meeting with the doctor or the Yuanwailang of the Ministry of Personnel Examination. At least when he went out today, Li Ling thought so, and even planned to wait for news in the next few days while walking around the capital and meeting some of his former bosses and colleagues.

Then he hit a wall in the office of the Ministry of Personnel...

"What did you say?" Looking at the little official in front of him who looked like he was doing business, Li Ling thought he had heard it wrong: "None of the three adults can meet me?"

"Don't you understand this? Both Xue Langzhong and the two officials have not seen the foreign officials for the past two days due to their busy official duties. If you have anything to do, come again in two days." The man frowned slightly and refused very simply.

"But this is a major event in the report, how can you delay it..."

"Are you so idle when you think my Ministry of Personnel? You are just waiting here to do things with you and the officials who are out of here? I am busy with official duties on weekdays. Adults have to handle various official duties in a few days. How could I deal with small matters like you? Let's go back first and come in two days."

Seeing that the other party refused simply, Li Ling opened his mouth and didn't know what to say. Then, he felt a little moved. After several years of leaving Beijing, he forgot about the unspoken rules of asking for help in the officialdom. He immediately took out two ingots of silver weighing ten taels from his sleeve and stuffed it into the other party's hand: "I hope this lord will be able to make peace and report it to me. As long as the matter is done, Li Ling will report it later."

The heavy silver hand made the official's face finally have a smile on his face. He calmly put it into his sleeve, and then said: "Master Li, I naturally understand the difficulties of you, but the rules are rules. I am just a minor official from the Ministry of Personnel. How dare I break the rules? You should wait a moment, anyway, it won't take long."

His attitude was a little better, but the problem was still not solved, which made Li Ling frown again. As if this little money had worked, the man thought about him and said, "Master Li, why not like this, give me an address. When the adults get free, I will send you a message. If you come again, you will be able to get things done. How about it?"

The other party said this, so Li Ling naturally couldn't insist on it anymore. He couldn't make trouble in the Ministry of Personnel because of this. He was not the naughty man he had at the time, and he still had this kind of conscience. So he smiled again: "It would be a labor..."

"The surname of the Xiaguan is Wu, Wu Ciren."

"Then it's going to be a blessing for Lord Wu." Li Ling said, and stuffed another ingot of silver into his hands, and then he left the Ministry of Personnel helplessly.

The King of Hell is very difficult to deal with. Whether it is the ones who are really busy with merit exams, or the people below are taking the opportunity to get benefits, anyway, this report still requires more patience. Fortunately, when he came to the capital, he had already planned to stay for a few more days, so he didn't care too much. At worst, he would solve the trivial matters first and wait for news from others.

Li Ling didn't know that after he turned around, Wu Ciren, who had originally smiled at him, turned into ridicule on his face, and then he soon went out and saw a man waiting outside.

"Is the matter done?"

"A small matter, it's not easy to drag him for a few days?"

"I'm working hard. Don't worry, as long as this time the matter is done, my master will definitely not treat you badly." As he said that, a silver bill was handed over, which was as much as 100 taels. Wu Ciren saw it, his eyes were full of greed. This silver bill would be worth his monthly salary. He really made a profit today. If he had just stopped himself, he would get 100 taels of silver, and there were many benefits later.

If you can climb up to that noble person, it will naturally be of great benefit to your future...

...

After the Ministry of Personnel hit a wall, Li Ling simply stopped looking for his former colleagues and superiors, but asked the carriage to go directly to Zongheng Bookstore.

I haven't come back for several years, and when I arrived at the bookstore, even Li Ling couldn't help but be amazed. The appearance of this store has really changed a lot.

The bookstore, which had already been placed on the left and right shops, has now had a double-large storefront than before, and has expanded to the scale of five or six stores. The wall decorations outside are completely renewed and have the elegance of literati and poets. Especially the plaque with the four words "Zongheng Bookstore", is even more flying and phoenix, which makes people look very skillful.

When Li Ling looked at the signature again, he smiled again, and it was "Sun Pu's handwritten". Sun Pu is the brother of the current emperor, the name of King Huai. Not to mention these words, it is indeed good. As long as you have some knowledge, you can know its weight. King Huai is one of the few people the emperor trusts and is closest to. Even if he is just a idle prince and has no real power, he is still a big shot in the capital that no one dares to offend.

Therefore, with his handwritten plaque, it naturally made Zongheng Bookstore a person who almost no one dared to provoke in the business community in the capital. As long as he did not make mistakes, no official or gangster would dare to come to fight for Qiufeng and feel uncomfortable.

When Li Ling Shiran entered the store, all the arrangements in front of him made him laugh.

Before, he wondered why the store had such a big front, but when he came in, he found that they had copied the business methods of the bookstore in Hengzhou. In addition to selling their own printed books and newspapers, a wine table room that can be opened for people to have a drink and talk to, but is quite elegant.

Each table is covered by a screen, which has a certain degree of independence and concealment. Then guests can read books, newspapers, or write pens and essays here. When they are tired, they can drink and eat something. The wine and food they serve are naturally extremely exquisite and high-quality food.

On the other side, there was a woman in the palace dress sitting in the corner, plitting the zither in front of her. The sound of the jingle ding dong dong made the entire environment in the bookstore more extraordinary.

Even though it is still a while before noon, more than a dozen private rooms are full, and more than ten people are sitting there, but they are quieter than the reading room of later generations, and no one is talking and laughing loudly.

Well, looking at it like this, the entire bookstore's grades suddenly increased. It's so high-end.

Li Ling was looking around, and a friend came up and asked with a smile: "If you want to read a book, buy a newspaper or eat something..."

"I'll just take a look." Li Ling replied with a smile, but surprised the other party. He was about to refuse and asked this unstoppable guest to leave. An old man at the counter had changed his expression and rushed over with surprise: "Boss, you are here..."

"Do you recognize me? Are you?" Li Lingben wanted to "come privately" on a private tour, but when he saw someone recognize him, he smiled.

"Little Zhang Wu, I got a reward of 100 taels of silver from my boss a few years ago. The boss is here to invite him, and the younger one will come out..." He was quite excited, his voice could not be controlled, and he became louder, which made everyone who read books frown. Then he understood what was going on. Everyone looked at Li Ling, looking at the strange boss who suddenly appeared.

Then, without Zhang Wu coming to the inner room to invite someone, the shopkeepers greeted him with a smile on his face: "Boss, you are here quickly. The young people all thought you would not come to the store in two days."

"You guys are here, please come and prepare the refreshments and get the best tea leaves in our store, which is the can that the prince gave before..."
Chapter completed!