Guide to Traveling through the Northern Song Dynasty.

Chapter 1176 Epilogue : The gossip has spread to the Shangshu Mansion
On the fourth day after the opening ceremony, a general science conference was suddenly held and the report meeting originally scheduled for that day was cancelled and postponed.

The temporary conference mainly invites science scholars, but scholars in the humanities can also participate if they are interested.

The protagonist of the meeting is the balance!
"Mulang, it's time to get up."

Early in the morning, the attendant came to call for sex.

Xie Yan turned over and said drowsily, "Let me sleep a little longer."

The followers could only retreat silently.

I don't know how long I slept before my attendant came to remind me, "Liu Lang, Liu Lang... wake up, you're almost late for the meeting."

Xie Yan was very impatient: "Ten minutes, call me in ten minutes!"

After a discussion, the four followers decided not to wake Xie Yan up anymore, but sent two of them to go to the cafeteria to buy breakfast.

Young people are naturally sleepy, and Xie Yan was too tired yesterday.

From day till night, numerous scholars, teachers, and students came to visit and exchange ideas. Xie Yan had no way to get rid of them, and he kept talking for more than ten hours, until his throat was smoking and he kept drinking water.

Until the early morning, there were still a few students who refused to leave the dormitory where he temporarily stayed.

"Liulang, it's already past ten minutes. We bought back the buns and soy milk." The follower reminded again.

Xie Yan could only get up with his eyes closed, put on his clothes with his eyes closed, and go to the bathroom like a sleepwalker.

These dormitories have only one washroom and toilet on each floor. The school has its own water tower, which only supplies tap water on campus at different times.

After washing up, Xie Yan finally became more awake.

Time was running out, so he carried soy milk and buns and ran to the auditorium. Along the way, many students greeted him and bowed to him.

In the auditorium, the emergency meeting had already begun.

Lu Gai, the vice president of the Royal Society, was introducing the balance in detail and said, "Yesterday afternoon, I urgently contacted the Ministry of Works. The Ministry of Works promised to immediately dispatch 100 top craftsmen to make balances, which will be allocated to local societies and the Imperial College first. If scholars want to obtain them privately, they must pay to order them from the Ministry of Works... This thing was invented by Scholar Xie Yan. Since he did not apply for a patent, the Ministry of Works will give him a sum of money as a reward. On behalf of the Ministry of Works, the society and all the scholars, I would like to thank Scholar Xie Yan again for his contribution...contribution."

Having said this, Lu Gai paused for a moment because Xie Yan came in carrying soy milk buns.

"Mr. Xie, please take a seat in the first row!" The staff hurriedly led the way.

Lu Gai stopped speaking and waited for Xie Yan to take his seat first.

Everyone's eyes were on Xie Yan. He hurried to the first row and sat down. He nodded to the old president next to him, and then started to eat breakfast as if no one was around.

"Hahahaha!"

There was a burst of laughter in the auditorium.

Lü Gai was also amused, and he helped explain: "Mr. Xie Yan was very tired yesterday. He had been communicating from morning to night, and I heard that he was still discussing issues with scholars in the early morning."

Xie Yan quickly stood up, turned around and bowed to the back row, still chewing while doing so.

I'm quite hungry. I didn't eat much yesterday at noon and at night.

Lu Gai continued, "All kinds of experiments in physics and chemistry have to wait for more balances to be built. I'm sure everyone will be very busy in the next few years. Now that there is only one balance, everyone wants to use it first, and it's inconvenient for the society to make a decision."

"So for the scholars who are staying in Luoyang temporarily, the society recommends that you discuss privately first. You can work together in groups for similar experiments, and the results will belong to everyone in the group. Of course, this is entirely voluntary and you can decide for yourselves. As for the order in which this balance will be used, you can draw lots after you form groups."

This arrangement was quite reasonable and received applause from the audience.

Lu Gai added: "The old president was also very tired yesterday. He was communicating with scholars the whole time. Today, I will speak on his behalf. The old president said that Bachelor Xie Yan has made outstanding contributions, and it would not be excessive even if he was directly awarded Bachelor of Rose. However, due to various considerations, he was temporarily awarded the title of Bachelor of Hibiscus, and was specially recruited to study in the inner quarters of Luoyang Imperial College. Please invite Bachelor Xie Yan to the stage!"

Bachelor of Furong, bonus from the Ministry of Works, and inner-dormitory student of Luoyang Imperial College, these three are certainly not all the rewards.

There will be awards next year, and it will definitely be the highest award, and the title will be conferred at that time.

In fact, he was awarded the title of Jade Bachelor because of his discovery of the damping phenomenon, which led to Nie Qi's invention of the super-long-arm damping balance - of course, there was also the factor of the application prospects of damping in other fields.

He had already been rewarded last year for his contribution to the scale, so it would be a shame to raise his rank too high this year.

Xie Yan quickly drank the remaining soy milk in the cup, stuffed half a bun into his mouth, and then ran to the stage to receive the bachelor's badge.

With a smile on his face, Lu Gai stood side by side with Xie Yan, waiting for Xie Yan to finish chewing and swallowing the bun.

"Hahahaha!"

There was another round of laughter from the audience. Not only was Xie Yan eating, but his hat was also a little crooked because he was in such a hurry to go out.

Finally, Lu Gai held a hibiscus jade pendant in his hand and said to Xie Yan: "Congratulations, Mr. Xie, keep up the good work."

"Thank you, President Lu," Xie Yan asked suddenly while untying the jade waist badge, "Should you keep this jade for yourself or return it to the society?"

Lu Gai was amused and said, "Keep it for yourself. It has your name engraved on it."

The new Hibiscus Scholar's waist badge was made entirely of pink, top-grade Dushan jade. Even if nothing was carved on it, this piece of jade alone was worth a fortune.

The pattern on the jade pendant had been carved long in advance, and the craftsman engraved Xie Yan's name and number on it overnight.

With the pink Hibiscus Bachelor jade pendant on his head, Xie Yan felt that he looked more handsome. He then bowed properly towards the audience, but unfortunately his hat was worn crookedly without him realizing it.

Back to the stage, scholars in the front rows spoke out their congratulations.

The old president teased, "I was only a Hibiscus scholar at the age of thirty-seven, but I can't compare with you."

"I'm lucky to have met an old president who values ​​talent." Xie Yan flattered him.

The old chairman laughed and said, "I love hearing your flattery. I live in Jiangzuo Village, which is already in Yichuan County. If you don't mind the distance, you can come and visit more often."

Xie Yan said: "I will definitely come to ask for advice."

He took out the scales yesterday and was promoted to Hibiscus Bachelor today. It must be related to the old president, otherwise the speed would not be so fast.

Moreover, the old president also left his home address, indicating that Xie Yan was welcome to visit at any time.

This old man is quite good at choosing places. The name of Jiangzuo Village comes from Emperor Gaozong of the Tang Dynasty. When Emperor Gaozong passed by the place, he said, "The scenery of Jiangzuo is just like this."

Just by hearing the name of the village, you can tell that the scenery is beautiful.

The presidents of the physics, chemistry and other branches took turns to speak on stage.

The old president was too lazy to listen to what they were saying and asked, "Will you major in physics or chemistry in the future?"

Xie Yan said: "Do I have to choose one?"

The old president said: "Of course you can study everything, including mathematics, astronomy, geography, etc. But human energy is limited after all, so it is best to choose a main direction first."

"Then I'll choose physics." Xie Yan said casually.

The old president shook his head and smiled: "I thought you wanted to choose chemistry."

"Either is fine." Xie Yan said.

While they were chatting, the temporary meeting ended and Xie Yan received more than ten business cards.

Mingshi is an ancient business card, which is usually written on red paper. If you like to play with retro, you can also make it with bamboo or wood chips.

The more formal ones are called "men zhuang" and "ming zhuang", which are mainly used to visit important people. They are usually written with gold characters on red paper, but some are made of silk and brocade. You should be familiar with the term "tu ming zhuang".

Xie Yan carefully put away his business card. He received hundreds of them yesterday, even some students gave him business cards. Zhu Shirong called Xie Yan and said, "Chaozong, do you live in the Imperial College or rent a house?"

"Let's rent a house." Xie Yan said.

It was inconvenient to live in Minister Chen's house all the time, mainly because it was too far from the school and I had to take a bus to the Imperial College every day to attend classes.

He also didn't want to live in the Imperial College dormitory, otherwise he would have no peace and quiet, as he didn't know how many teachers and students would visit him every day.

The best way is to rent a house in the suburbs or nearby areas.

Zhu Shirong smiled and said, "I'll take you to see houses. The suburban districts are all full of buildings, especially those newly built in the past few decades, all of which are six-story buildings. Dozens of families live in one building, which is very inconvenient with too many people and eyes. The houses in the suburbs are the best, and many traditional courtyards are still preserved."

"The rent is very expensive, right?" Xie Yan asked.

Zhu Shirong said, "You can definitely get a discount if you move in. The landlord is very smart. Haha, if you only live here for a year or two, and don't have many servants, the landlord will not only provide free meals but also provide meals."

Xie Yan was surprised and asked, "My fame is so useful?"

Zhu Shirong said: "You are more valuable than you think. Seventeen-year-old Furong scholar, they can worship you as a Bodhisattva."

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"But you have to pay the rent." Xie Yan knew that the bargain was not free.

Zhu Shirong praised: "It's rare that you know this."

The place where Zhu Shirong took Xie Yan was called "Beigezhao Village", which belonged to Longmen Town, Longmen Township at that time. It was located between Longmen Town and Zhuge Town in later generations, probably near Longmen No. 1 Experimental Primary School in Luoyang City.

On the way, Zhu Shirong introduced: "The owner of the house is a descendant of the Prince of Longxi (Li Yanxian). The descendants of the Prince of Longxi are divided into four branches. The main branch lives in Luoyang City, one branch returned to Longxi hometown, one branch moved far away to Gaochang City, and one branch lived in Longmen Town in the southern suburbs of Luoyang."

"One team inside the city, and one team outside the city?" Xie Yan was quite confused.

Zhu Shirong whispered, "There was a falling out when the family was divided. The eldest son of the third generation was too greedy. But it was a blessing in disguise. The main clan living in the city participated in a coup a few years ago and was executed, imprisoned, and exiled more than a hundred people. Because the family was divided thoroughly, the Li branch outside the city was not affected. Instead, it took this opportunity to claim to be the main clan of the Li family."

As the carriage entered the territory of Beigezhao Village, Zhu Shirong said: "The entire Beigezhao Village and Diaoyao Village to the south, all the land of the two villages belongs to the Li family. The villagers are either descendants of the Li family, or tenants or hired workers of the Li family."

Xie Yan was shocked when he heard this, thinking that land annexation was indeed powerful.

Luoyang was the capital of the Ming Dynasty, and the suburbs were full of descendants of the rich and powerful. How could ordinary people resist the annexation? They didn't even have to use any means. There were always people who went bankrupt and sold their land. Over the past hundred years, the rich and powerful had accumulated more and more land.

Take Beigezhao Village as an example. The Li family owns all the land. However, more than half of the farming rights are still in the hands of tenants, and the landlord cannot transfer the land at will. When tenants are forced to sell their land to make a living, they often only sell the land ownership and hold on to the farming rights tightly.

At the beginning of the Ming Dynasty, after a series of rectifications, the separation of land ownership was no longer recognized. However, the landlords and tenants were willing to sign various illegal private contracts, which eventually forced the court to acquiesce and serve as evidence in lawsuits over land disputes.

The most troublesome thing is the demolition.

Whether it is demolishing to build commercial housing or demolishing to build factories, farmers hold the right of perpetual tenancy but cannot get compensation because they have no ownership, so they firmly disagree with the demolition. Such cases have emerged one after another in the past few decades.

The newly promulgated "Industrial and Commercial Law" last year supplemented the relevant laws and abolished the conflicting laws in the early Ming Dynasty. Merchants must compensate farmers who have tenant rights when demolishing their land!
Soon, a large house appeared.

Zhu Shirong handed over his business card and the landlord came out to greet him personally.

The owner of the house is named Li Minqiu, the sixth-generation grandson of Li Yanxian, and his life is not easy.

Although the Li family owned land in two villages, much of it had been distributed to descendants, and not all of it was controlled by one family. Some of the descendants of the Li family had even become self-employed farmers because of continued division of the family.

The descendants of the Li family who lived in the two villages in the southern suburbs had not been able to develop smoothly because they had long been suppressed by the main clan in the city.

Moreover, the Nanjiao army did not live up to expectations. Not a single one of them passed the imperial examination, and they only produced two mid-level officers through military school.

There is no business opportunity either. There is only a small quarry, a small cement factory and a pottery kiln in Diaoyao Village.

Let’s put it this way, even sending his son to study at the Imperial College at his own expense made Li Minqiu feel distressed by the various expenses.

Down and out.

But one still has to be ostentatious and preserve one's own face.

Especially since the main clan in the city was overthrown by a coup, Li Minqiu took the opportunity to claim himself as the patriarch of the main clan of the Li family. The court ignored this operation, and it was even more impossible to return the stripped titles to them.

This little family fortune cannot support the grandeur of the main branch of the Li family!
"Brother Tanzhi, long time no see." Zhu Shirong clasped his fists and said.

Li Minqiu laughed out loud: "You want to kill me too."

Zhu Shirong said to Xie Yan: "This is Li Minqiu, the sixth-generation grandson of Duke Long, whose courtesy name is Tanzhi. He studied hard at Yuxiu Academy when he was young, and he and I were classmates and friends."

Li Minqiu had seen the lotus jade pendant on Xie Yan's waist a long time ago and had guessed Xie Yan's identity. At this moment, he shook his head and smiled bitterly: "I am ashamed, ashamed, I have made no progress since I passed the imperial examination. I have made no progress in academic research and have not even become a medicine jade scholar. I can only retire to the countryside to farm and study for the rest of my life."

Zhu Shirong said: "This is Scholar Xie Yan."

"Excuse me," Li Minqiu said, hastily greeting him. "My son was also at the Imperial College yesterday. He came home in the evening and talked about Master Xie. His deeds were truly admirable."

"Lucky." Xie Yan returned the greeting.

Zhu Shirong said: "Mr. Xie also wants to study at the Imperial College and is looking for a house to rent."

Li Minqiu said, "You can just live in my house. I've made a yard for you. You can stay as long as you want. I won't charge you a penny."

Xie Yan said: "The rent still needs to be paid."

"Then just give me a few at random." Li Min begged.

Zhu Shirong said: "Then let's go by the market price."

The two sides quickly reached an agreement, and Xie Yan brought his entourage back to the Imperial College to move his belongings from the dormitory.

Then he went back to Minister Chen's residence and had to say hello to his master before leaving.

"Liu Lang, please come in!"

The new doorman at the residence of the Minister of Works seemed particularly enthusiastic today. It seemed that what happened in the Imperial Academy had already spread to the city.

It's mainly about the princess; purely academic matters are not that popular.

Minister Chen is working in the government office.

When the two old ladies knew he had returned, they immediately sent someone to invite him.

Madam Xia couldn't wait to ask, "Did Liu Lang get the Grand Princess's black hair?"

Xie Yan said: "Weigh it."

Madam Xia immediately smiled and said, "They are a perfect match."

Madam Zhang said, "The eldest princess is married after all, and Liu Lang is already a scholar at Furong. If he becomes an official, he will have a bright future. It's a pity."

"It's not a pity. As a prince consort, it's good for him to concentrate on studying." Mrs. Xia had different ideas.

Madam Zhang said, "Sister, you are right, but it's a pity."

Xie Yan asked curiously, "How did this get to the Shangshu residence?"

Madam Xia laughed and said, "Such a big thing, even the servants in the house know about it! Who else are you trying to hide it from?"

Alas, gossip spreads fast.

(I went to have dinner with a friend, so there is only one update today.)
(End of this chapter)