Daming Yuanfu

Chapter 72
Previously, Gao Xiaozhuang and Gao Mo’s report to Gao Wushi only said that “the villa in the villa is quite big” and “quite magnificent”, and there were very few other expressions. The big money of the rich and powerful family.

Zhang Siwei presented Gao Yushi with the Jingxi Cherry Spring Villa, which was said to be Cherry Spring, but it was actually located near the Panlong Resort of the Later World Federation of Literary and Art Circles.In terms of terrain, this place is a peninsula formed by a few turns of the Yongding River. The villa faces south, surrounded by mountains and water, and is magnificent.

The other courtyard itself is built on a small mountain, which is rectangular from top to bottom. Not far from the main entrance at the foot of the mountain is the Yongding River.It was difficult for Gao Yushi to judge the size of this other courtyard at the moment, but at a random estimate, it was at least larger than the Humble Administrator's Garden he visited when he traveled to Suzhou.Of course, the styles of gardens in the north and south of China are different, and it is meaningless to compare the size alone.

The northern gardens are mainly distributed in the Gyeonggi area, among which the royal gardens are mainly represented. Compared with the Jiangnan gardens, they are usually much larger in scale.In the planning and layout of the garden, the central axis and the line of sight are used more, so the style of the garden is more solemn and serious.

Affected by geographical location, compared with gardens in the south of the Yangtze River, there is less rainfall in the north, and there are fewer lakes in North China, and there are not as many waterways as in the south of the Yangtze River. The source and quantity of water restrict the development direction of gardens in the north.

As far as Gao Yushi knows, among the gardens near the capital of the Ming Dynasty, the ones with better terrain are mostly occupied by the royal family and nobles. Of course, the royal garden is the most unique, with a large-scale water surface, followed by the princes and nobles.Some gardens are even dry gardens without water features.

Right now, there are two small ponds in this courtyard that belongs to Gao Shishi. One of them is located at the foot of the mountain, not far from the main entrance, just across the screen wall. It is probably slightly larger than a basketball court in later generations. It seems that it should It is a resting place for meeting guests and chatting; there is also one in the garden on the mountain. From the planning point of view, it should be used by the host's family to rest and enjoy themselves.

Compared with water, northern gardens are more inclined to the landscaping of mountains. Among the gardens, the mountains are majestic, and the height and magnificence are the beauty. The taller mountains are the symbol of the royal family. Among the natural mountains, to highlight the status of the owner of the garden.According to the rank of title, nobles usually rank lower.

According to Zhang Jin's introduction, this other courtyard was built by Wang Zhi, the great eunuch during the Chenghua period, but Wang Zhi didn't intend to enjoy it for himself, but planned to contribute it as a royal courtyard, but for some reason he couldn't wish.

In the Hongzhi Dynasty, this other courtyard was tossed and turned several times, and finally was bestowed by Emperor Hongzhi on Xie Qian, one of the famous ministers at that time and one of the "Three Worthy Prime Ministers".As soon as Xie Qian came back to this other courtyard, he went to the nearby Cherry Spring to see the scenery. After he came back, he called it the Cherry Spring Additional Courtyard, also known as the Cherry Garden.

The garden changed hands many times later, and finally Zhang Siwei bought it before he was appointed as an examiner in the 41st Jiajing Examination. He probably thought that calling Cherry Orchard was a bit like an orchard, so it was generally called "Cherry Spring Bieyuan".

Zhang Jin also introduced to Gao Wushi that the cherry orchard was somewhat dilapidated earlier, and Zhang Siwei had refurbished it once after buying it.However, the renovation plan is more tailored to local conditions, and some stones such as Taihu stone are not deliberately used.

Here I want to explain a little bit. In terms of stone use in northern gardens, Fangshan stone, Taihu stone, bluestone, etc. are mostly used. Tall but less used or smaller in size; similar to Taihu stone is Fangshan stone, known as North Taihu stone, which was produced in Fangshan District of Beijing in later generations. It is more convenient from mining to transportation, so it is widely used in northern gardens; Bluestone is also similar to Fangshan Stone, and its origin is relatively close.

Zhang Jin also said that in terms of trees in this other courtyard, Zhang Siwei had explained that only pine, cypress, poplar, elm and other tree species were kept in the garden, and some pagoda trees and willows were removed by his order .The shrubs in the other courtyard are mostly lilac, crabapple, peony, peony, lotus, etc., which are affected by the climate, so the scenery of the plants in the four seasons is quite different: everything recovers in spring, and the trees spit green.But it's winter now, so I can't see the flowers.

Gao Wushi laughed when he heard this: "I really like plum blossoms, and I also love snow scenes. If you have time, you can show me where the pagoda trees and willow trees were removed before. If it is suitable, I would like to plant some plum trees." His words are not just nonsense, Gao Yushi has always liked the poem "The sharp edge of a sword comes from sharpening, and the fragrance of plum blossoms comes from the bitter cold", so he has a special love for plum blossoms.

Zhang Jin agreed with a smile. Anyway, Zhang Siwei had explained before he came that he would be responsible for serving as a guest tour guide for Gao Yushi to help him understand the situation of this other hospital.

Gao Wushi looked at the architectural style of the garden again, and found that compared with some Jiangnan and Lingnan buildings he had visited in his previous life, the northern buildings in the Cherry Orchard were more massive, probably because they were affected by the climate and had to resist the cold climate. , to prevent wind and keep warm, and at the same time, the style of the roof should not only be able to drain water, but also take into account the snow accumulation in winter, so the scale of the beam frame is large, so it looks majestic.

Of course, it is also possible that Wang Zhi built this garden with the intention of gifting it to the emperor, so the style is more majestic.

Zhang Jin continued to introduce: "Actually, because the main entrance of this other courtyard is opened from the bottom of the mountain, and it is built all the way up the mountain, it is planned into a three-story staircase, and each floor has a different function."

Gao Wushi pointed to the top and said with a smile, "My residence is probably on the top floor?"

"Master Biao sees thousands of miles away." Zhang Jinjie said: "The top floor is your daily residence, with a radius of about [-] mu, including the north room (master's bedroom), wing room, study, tea room, The Zangshu Pavilion is fully equipped, and there are about [-] maids and healthy women on weekdays to take care of the daily life."

Gao Wu said honestly: To serve me alone, do you need to arrange twenty people?Oh, this should be Zhang Siwei's ostentation. I can't afford it and I can withdraw, at least I should be able to withdraw part of it. Just leave a few cooks and laundry... It is difficult to start a business, so save as much as you can.

Zhang Jin didn't care about Gao's pragmatic expression, and continued to explain: "The middle floor has an area of ​​more than fifty acres. The east side is mainly guest rooms and warehouses, and the west side is the guards' wing rooms and various warehouses. There are more than a dozen distinguished guests and nearly a hundred ordinary guests. The west guard room can accommodate about [-] guards, which is enough to accommodate [-] family members. As for the warehouse, it occupies a larger area anyway. How much can be placed? I didn’t really understand it.”

Gao Yushi secretly clicked his tongue: If I can bring this garden back to modern times, I will be developed. The first floor of the super villa where I live is as high as [-] square meters, and the courtyard on the lower floor is nearly [-] square meters for guests and guards. , and it's still within Beijing... How much is this worth?Don't dare to count, dare not count!

Zhang Jin continued: "In addition to the wide aisle in the middle leading to the upper two floors on the bottom floor, on the left and right sides are the residences of some peripheral servants, long-term workers, and poor tenants under the name of the other courtyard. There are about eight It is about ten acres in size, and there are currently about five hundred people living there."

Gao Wushi was stunned when he heard this: This is not a courtyard, this place can be transformed into a town completely!Eunuch Wang was really a big deal back then... Uh, but then again, my uncle is really rich!You bought such a big manor, but you didn't come to live there for a few days. Are you wasting it?
　That...Although I haven't asked for a ticket for a while, it doesn't mean I don't need it, friends!
　　
　
(End of this chapter)