Prime Minister

Chapter 340 The price is right

In the south of the outer city of Kaifeng, it is divided into the left military chamber and the right military chamber

The right military compartment and the left military compartment are separated by a royal street.

Zhang Yue first went to the left military chamber to look at the house, where Zhang Yue was so familiar that he couldn't be more familiar.This is where the Taixue is located. Zhang Yue has studied here for three years, so he knows it best.

Originally, the terrain here was low-lying and was often flooded by the Bian River.

However, after Ding Wei became the prime minister, he bought the house in Dunjiaofang here. He first dug a pond for Jixiguan, then raised the surrounding terrain with spoiled soil, and asked the imperial court to build Baokangmen Street. As a thoroughfare, Dunjiaofang, which suffered from the waterlogging of the Bianhe River, suddenly became a prosperous place in Bianjing.

Ding said that he was a prime minister and offended the officials of the Manchu Dynasty, but he was indeed talented.

People in later generations often say that his actions are for the benefit of the public, but they have not seen any real good deeds for the people of Bianjing. The opposition just blindly criticize his character.

I have to say another thing. When Wang Anshi knew Jinling, because of the silting of Xuanwu Lake, and in order to implement the farmland water conservancy law, he asked the court to drain the lake and farmland, and asked the Xuanwu Lake to be drained and the lake to be converted into fields.There are two advantages to saying this. If the lake is drained, the fish and shrimps in it can be enjoyed by the common people.

At that time, others praised Wang Anshi's move, and it was indeed convenient for the common people to obtain land.

However, after Xuanwu Lake was filled, Jinling has been flooded during rainy seasons, and there is nowhere to get water when it is dry.The human way of the future should not be greedy for short-term benefits, act without discerning the situation, and do things that look at short-term benefits but lose long-term plans.

Until 200 years later, when Jinling was established as the capital of the Ming Dynasty, Zhu Yuanzhang ordered the re-excavation of Xuanwu Lake.

When Su Shi knew Hangzhou, the West Lake also faced the problem of silting, but Su Shi was different from Wang Anshi.He did the opposite, mobilizing 20 migrant workers to dredge the West Lake with only one hundred certificates of payment. Just look at Su Causeway to know what happened later.

Therefore, Zhang Yue admires Ding Zhi's house building.But looking at the high housing prices in Dunjiaofang, it is very difficult for Zhang Yue to say thank you to Ding Wei.

Besides Ding Wei, the famous general Di Qingzhaizi is also here.

But Zhang Yue looked at Zhang Shi's expression and knew that he liked this place quite a lot. After all, Zhang Qiu was studying in the Taixue, if the house was bought here, Zhang Qiu would be able to go home often in the future.

But Zhang Shi saw that any building would cost more than 2000, or even more than [-] guan, so he held back and didn't speak.

Zhang Yue paid attention to a detached house, but he didn't tell it. Instead, he and Fang Ya went to the right army quarter in the south of the city to have a look.

The Right Army Chamber in the South of the City is located in the southwest corner of Kaifeng, and it is also the only Xiangfang in Kaifeng County in the west of the city.

It is not far from the South Garden of Yiqiu Gate where Sansu and his son live. Zhang Yue has been to Sansu's mansion. There is a flower garden in the residence, and a boy grows vegetables every day. It is very interesting. There are many tall locust trees in the house. The ancient willow, like a mountain dwelling, is quite wild.

When Zhang Yue saw this house, he still lamented that Sansu and his son were very rich, and it was really not easy to buy such a house in the outer city.

When Zhang Yue Zhangshi came here, Mingfu Temple, Yanzhen Temple and Qingfenglou Zhengdian were nearby, and Taixue was only separated by a royal street.

Zhang Yue looked at Zhang Shi's expression and knew that he liked it very much.

Zhang Yue also thought it was good, although Taixuepang was good, but it was surrounded by red light districts, and many students who came to Beijing stayed here, so there were many people and miscellaneous.

But across the Royal Street, it was much quieter.

It is surrounded by Caishui. Caishui enters the city from Guanglimen and exits from Pujimen. The nearby gardens all draw water from Caihe, so many scholars and bureaucrats in Bianjing live here.

At that time, Empress Li also lived next to Taixue. Because Empress Li liked the scenery of the south of the Yangtze River, he guided Caishui into the garden and dug a big pool when repairing his house. The system is like a palace.

Zhang Yue went to Caihe to see several houses, and they all felt good.

At this time, a long procession of guards of honor came along the roadside, Zhang Yue didn't wear official uniform and Zhang Shi, Fang Ya avoided the road together.

Zhang Yue listened to the discussions of the common people who were on the sidelines.

It turns out that this team is owned by Empress Cao's elder brother, Cao Yi, the uncle of the country.

Zhang Yue remembered that when he was in Ouyang Xiu's mansion, he occasionally saw Cao Yi.The uncle of the country heard that he was very measured. Although he made friends with officials, he never mentioned military affairs in front of the emperor.

Unexpectedly, Cao Yi also lived here.

After Cao Yi's ceremonial ceremony passed, Zhang Yue arrived near the house, but felt that the place was very quiet, and Caihe was not far away.There are many official residences along the river, and on the other side of the river are dilapidated houses.

Fang Ya stepped forward and knocked on the door, "Is Cheng Langzhong at home?"

Zhang Yue listened to the name Xindao, is it still a doctor's mansion?

Soon the door opened, an old servant opened the door, Fang Ya said: "I am Zhu Fangya from Majia Lane, today I will take the guest officer to see the house, I wonder if Cheng Langzhong is at home?"

The old servant looked at the Zhang Yue brothers behind Fang Ya, and said: "At home, you wait."

After finishing speaking, the old servant closed the door again, and after a while, he heard someone swearing and came out: "It's you Fangya who show people around all day long, but no one can decide. I told you all before." If it’s not for the high-ranking officials, don’t bring them to my house, as for the ordinary officials, they can’t afford them, and those merchants are full of money, so they don’t buy them for any amount of money, so as not to ruin my house.”

Zhang Yue and Zhang Shi were delighted to hear it.

Soon the door opened, and a man in his fifties with gray hair and beard stepped out of the room.

The man first looked Zhang Yue and Zhang Shi up and down.

Fang Ya smiled and said: "This Langzhong Cheng is a well-known doctor in Bianjing, a master of Xinglin, three generations of his ancestors have worked in the medical academy, and he has treated many princes and nobles."

Zhang Yue and Zhang Shi said: "Mr. Cheng is very polite."

Seeing Zhang Yue's dignified appearance, Cheng Langzhong asked, "What are you doing?"

Zhang Yue said: "It's just a small official."

Cheng Langzhong said: "Seeing that you are so young, you should have been acquired by Yin Guan."

Zhang Yue smiled and was noncommittal. Cheng Langzhong had also treated officials and met many high-ranking officials and dignitaries. Zhang Yue was so generous, but he looked like a scholar.

Cheng Langzhong didn't ask in detail. Anyway, as long as the children of Yin officials are not dandies, they will keep secret about their background, and they will not easily reveal it in front of outsiders.

Cheng Langzhong would not ask too much, if the other party really wanted to buy his house, it would not be too late to ask.

In Bianjing city, officials walked all over the place, and there were as many yamen as dogs. Cheng Langzhong had long been accustomed to it, so he walked towards the mansion with his hands behind his back.

Fang Ya turned to Zhang Yue, Zhang Shi smiled and said: "You two gentlemen, Cheng Langzhong's house is really nice, but it's expensive, please come inside!"

Just as Zhang Yue was about to leave, Zhang Shi asked beside him, "How much is it?"

Fang Ya said: "Three thousand eight hundred and fifty guan."

Zhang Shi couldn't help being speechless when he heard the words, but there was no reason to turn back when he got here, so he could only bite the bullet and follow Zhang Yue into the house to look at the house.

The house is first the gate, behind the gate is the vestibule, and there is a gate hall on the side.Behind the gate is the middle gate, and after entering the middle gate, there is the atrium and the front hall.

There must be a central gate between the gate of the house and the main hall, which conforms to the ritual system.

Behind the atrium is the main hall. In front of the hall, there are two steps on the left and right, namely guest steps and main steps.

When a guest comes to visit, the host must descend to greet each other, the host stands on the main step, and the guest stands on the guest step.

Cheng Langzhong stood on the main stage, Zhang Yue, and Zhang Shi met Cheng Langzhong on the guest stage, and then they entered the hall together.

The two couplets in front of the hall face each other, separated by a wall on the left and right. This wall is called preface. The main hall faces south if you sit in the main hall, and if you sit facing south, you are in the upper position. Wrong, this is also the origin of the word sequence.

After the left and right sequence walls, there are East Hall and West Hall.

As for the hall and the back room, the so-called middle hall room is the main bedroom, so the front hall and the back room here have their own rooms.

Zhang Yue looked at it and sighed, this house looks a bit old, could it be built in the Tang Dynasty?Because the main hall in the Song Dynasty was different from that in the Tang Dynasty.

Although the houses built in the Song Dynasty still maintain the pattern of the front hall and the back room, this room is not used as a formal bedroom, but a place for changing clothes or resting during the day.

Zhang Yue looked at it for a while, but saw a young woman walking out from the side of the hall without avoiding the man.

Cheng Langzhong explained: "This is a little girl, and now she is a medical girl, but she doesn't shy away from outsiders."

Zhang Yue suddenly realized that it turned out that she was a medical woman who only treated women in the boudoir, and she often went in and out of other people's houses to avoid suspicion.

Zhang Yue bowed to the other party, and the other party also returned the salute.

The other party asked: "Daddy, how do you see it?"

Cheng Yuanwai said to Zhang Yue: "This is the main hall, and it is also the main bedroom."

Zhang Yue nodded and asked: "This hall abides by the ancient etiquette, which is rare, rare."

Cheng Langzhong was very happy to see that Zhang Yue was a man of knowledge, and said: "Finally, I met a Fang family. Those who bought houses before thought the front hall and back room were really inconvenient. Such a pattern."

Zhang Yue smiled. What Cheng Langzhong said was right. The front hall and the back room are ancient rituals. In terms of weddings, the husband and wife perform their etiquette in the main hall, and then live in the back room, which is the main bedroom.

This room is the most private place in the family. Sima Guang once said that men do not live in the private room during the day without reason, and women do not peep at the middle door for no reason.

Men are not allowed to live in private rooms during the day when they have nothing to do, otherwise they will be considered adulterers.

However, the private room is placed in the main hall where guests can come and go, which is inconvenient for Song people.Moreover, the layout of the front hall and the back room, the indoor lighting is not good, and only a small window facing south is used for lighting, while the southeast and southwest of the room are relatively dark. The ancients called these two directions respectively Lu and Ao. For the meaning of unfathomable.

Therefore, most of the houses in the Song Dynasty are separated by a screen between the hall and the room, and the room behind the hall is not used as a formal bedroom.But Cheng Yuanwai's house still maintains the layout of the Tang Dynasty.

The hall and the rooms of this house are connected by a portal.It is recorded in the Kaiyuan Ceremony of the Tang Dynasty that the door is the door of the room, the indoors are called the room, and the outdoors are called the hall.

There are east and west rooms on the left and right of the room.

Zhang Yue looked at Cheng Langzhong and said: "The doctor doesn't know something. In the heyday of Tang Dynasty, most of the high-ranking officials were officials from generation to generation, and those who are courteous are those who are distinguished and inferior. The so-called courtesy is not inferior to ordinary people."

"But this dynasty is different. Many of the officials of this dynasty have been promoted from poor families. This means that the etiquette has been lowered to the common people. Since they are common people, they don't abide by the ancient etiquette as before. They are not afraid of jokes by the doctor. I came from a poor family. Although I know about this, I think it is not very important in my heart, and as for etiquette, I should follow the prevailing customs, otherwise it will be inconvenient."

Cheng Langzhong felt that Zhang Yuezhi's words were unpleasant at first, but after thinking about it carefully, he felt that this person's views were extremely brilliant and transparent.

As for the Cheng family's medical girl, she nodded secretly and said, this young gentleman is worthy of his appearance after seeing him this time.

Cheng Langzhong looked at Zhang Yue again and said: "It is really rare for the younger generations to have this insight. In the old days, Wang Xietang's former swallow flew into the homes of ordinary people. Hearing that the wife of the current prime minister is from the Cui family, even the five surnames and seven Wangs have to let go Marrying with the imperial examination Han clan, the old man's knowledge is really old, I will teach you."

"Don't dare, the doctor's words are serious."

Fang Yazhang saw that Zhang Yue was overwhelmed by Cheng Langzhong at a glance, and he was also very impressed.

Cheng Langzhong said again: "But you claim to be from the Han clan, how can you be a descendant of a Yin official?"

Zhang Yue heard that he didn't answer, but said: "Let's continue to look."

Speaking of Zhang Yue, he stepped forward. Behind the middle hall is the back courtyard and the north hall. The north hall is also the pattern of the front hall and the back room.

As for the east and west courtyards behind the hall.Zhang Yue was very satisfied after seeing the East and West Second Courtyard. In the future, he and his elder brother's family can live in a courtyard each.

Now that the house has been inspected, Cheng Langzhong speculates whether Zhang Shi and Zhang Yue have such financial resources?The elder brother looked a little uneasy, but the younger brother was confident.

Zhang Shi pulled Zhang Yue aside to discuss, "Third Brother, what do you think?"

Zhang Yue said: "I think...it's ok, I'm tired of walking these days."

In the end it was not so good.

But Zhang Shi was taken aback and said: "Third brother, the money the Wu family gave us for laying the ground is only three thousand guan."

Zhang Yue said with a smile: "Brother, don't worry, I have saved a lot these years."

Cheng Yuanwai saw the two brothers muttering for a while, but Zhang Yue walked up to him and asked, "How much is Cheng Yuanwai planning to sell this house for?"

Fang Ya was about to open his mouth, but Cheng Yuan said directly: "Three thousand and eight hundred and fifty guan, I don't give a second price. There were several people who bargained with the old man before, and the old man sent them all together in a fit of anger."

Three thousand and 850 guan.

Zhang Yue repeated it and said: "It's appropriate, I'll go shopping around first, and ask Cheng Wai to wait for us for a while."

Yuan Cheng restrained himself and said, "Please do whatever you want."

He suspected that this person was not putting on airs, he said it was not expensive, but ran away with oil on his feet.

Zhang Yue went out, but Zhang Shi enthusiastically said to Cheng Yuanwai: "Let's have a good chat with Yuanwai."

Zhang Shi said that he was chatting, but his intention was to insinuate the price of Cheng Yuanwai.

Zhang Yue walked around the house, he was very satisfied with the surrounding environment.

When he was looking at each other, a carriage passed by but stopped suddenly, the curtain of the carriage was lifted and the person inside asked: "Du Zhi?"

Zhang Yue turned out to be Wen Jifu.

"Brother Zhou Han."

Zhang Yue smiled and cupped his fists.

Wen He just got out of the carriage and held Zhang Yue's hand with both hands and said very enthusiastically: "Duzhi, where in life do we never meet again, my wife and I are coming out from the uncle's mansion, but we meet you here by chance. "

Zhang Yue suddenly realized that Wen Jifu and Shiwu Niang met him after returning from Cao Yi's residence.Sitting in the carriage was Shiwu Niang.

Zhang Yue said with a smile: "I happen to have something here."

"Oh? There is something Wen can help with. Don't be polite. From now on, you and I will be a family."

After Wen Jifu finished speaking, he laughed out loud, his enthusiasm was three points higher than before.

Zhang Yue said with a smile: "It's not a troublesome thing, it's just that I have been in Bianjing for so long, and I want to find a house to rest."

"Oh, here? Is it a code? Is it rent?"

Zhang Yue said, "It's buying a house."

The fifteenth wife of Wu's family in the carriage had been listening to the conversation between her husband and Zhang Yue, and she was really surprised when she heard that Zhang Yue was not renting a house, nor a mortgaged house, but buying a house.

Although the Wen family had a mansion in Xijing, they did not buy a house in Bianjing, and even the dignified Prime Minister Wen Yanbo rented a house.Now that Wen Jifu is in Bianjing, the Wen family paid for a house of less than [-] guan near the jujubes.

The husband-in-law of the seventeenth future can actually buy a house by the Caihe River?
Isn't this son from a poor family?
How do you have all this money?

Shiwu Niang couldn't believe it, she decided to see the truth and got out of the carriage.

Zhang Yue saw that it was the fifteenth lady who hurriedly saluted and said, "I met Mrs. Wen."

Shiwu Niang nodded, she was pure and arrogant by nature, and she seldom treated others with false words.However, she knew how much her husband valued Zhang Yue, so she said gently: "I wanted to say hello earlier, but it's really rude to catch the cold these days. I just heard from officials that Mr. Zhang's family plans to buy a house here?"

Zhang Yue knew that the other party was the sister of his future wife, so he respectfully said: "Exactly, I just made up my mind."

Fifteen Niang looked up at the mansion and said to Wen Jifu, "Then let's go in and have a look?"

Wen Jifu pretended to blame: "Lady, you really don't think of yourself as an outsider."

Zhang Yue hurriedly said: "Don't dare to say that, I still want to ask Brother Wen and Mrs. Wen to help me as a consultant."

Fifteen Niang glanced at Wen Jifu, Wen Jifu smiled and said, "Then let's go in."

When a group of people entered the room, Zhang Shi tried all kinds of methods for Cheng Langzhong, but found that the other party couldn't penetrate the needle and pour water, so there was nothing he could do.

As for Zhang Yue, he could tell from Zhang Shi's face that Cheng Langzhong was even so rigid that he would never compromise on the price.However, after looking at so many houses, he also felt that this house really didn't bluff the price.

Zhang Yue immediately recommended to Zhang Shi, but did not introduce Wen Jifu's identity.He knew that Wen Hefu was very low-key in front of outsiders, and he didn't want others to mention his identity easily.

Seeing that Zhang Yueduo brought the two of them to see his house, Cheng Langzhong was unhappy, thinking whether to temporarily add fifty guan to make this young man sick, but he heard his daughter whispering to him: " Daddy, do you know who the couple are?"

Cheng Lang said: "I don't know."

Doctor Cheng said in a low voice: "I once went to Wen Xianggong's mansion to treat the old lady and met their couple. This man is Liu Langjun of Wen Xianggong's family."

Cheng Langzhong gasped when he heard the words, it turned out that this person has such a great background.

Doctor Cheng said: "Father, not only that, you can see that this young gentleman can call him a brother and brother, so you know he is not an ordinary person."

Hearing this, Langzhong Cheng couldn't help but look at Zhang Yue with admiration.

At this time, Zhang Yue took Wen Jifu and Shiwu Niang to look at the house. Wen Jifu was very satisfied, and Shiwu Niang was even more so.

After reading it, she said to Zhang Yue: "Such a house can't be bought without four thousand strings."

Zhang Yue said: "The house belongs to Mr. Cheng, and he asked for 850 guan."

"So what do Mr. Zhang Jialang think?" Shiwu Niang asked in a nonchalant tone.

Zhang Yue said: "I think the price is quite appropriate."

(End of this chapter)