Compete for the Song Dynasty

Linchuan is located at the junction of the Wuyi Mountains and the Poyang Lake Plain, where the Lin (Yihuang River) and Ru (Fu River) flow side by side; the Fu River runs through the north from southeast to northwest.In this land of magnificent mountains and criss-crossing rivers and ports, Linchuan City is built on the banks of the beautiful Fuhe River.A small hillside next to the Fu River is called Yanbu Ridge. Because the place where the salt is unloaded is at the foot of this hillside, this hillside is called Yanbu Ridge by people.

When Wang Pang and his party arrived in Linchuan, they had already walked for about a month.A group of people entered the county seat amidst the sound of Ma Tialuan's bell.In the front, there are two young gentlemen walking side by side, one of them is slightly muscular, with sharp facial features, and a white Zhaoye jade lion under his crotch shows his extraordinary temperament; the other beside him is Bi I heard that he was a little thinner, but he was also gentle.Behind them were a few followers, following two horse-drawn carriages through the county town.

Now it’s the twelfth lunar month, and it’s already past noon at this time. There are many people who come out to buy new year’s goods on the street. The passerby next to Wang attracted people to stop and discuss, and someone recognized him with his own eyes: "Oh? That’s not the eldest son of the Wang family." ?"

"Oh, isn't it? It seems that he came back for the New Year."

"I've been walking for several years and now I'm a big guy, who is that next to him?" [

"I don't know~"

"Have you heard that there is a second son of the Wang family who was a high-ranking official in the capital a while ago. Look at that young man's demeanor, could he be the second son of the Wang family?"

"It's really hard to say. It seems that the second son is rarely seen by anyone. Have you seen it?"

"No no"

Walking in the county town, the horses did not dare to go fast. Wang Pang heard people talking on the street, and thought that although he was a little famous in the capital, he was often recognized even when he walked on the street, but now when he returned to his hometown, no one would recognize him.In this era, there were no cameras, newspapers, and no TV networks. Many of them were legends, and no one knew what they looked like.Thinking of this, I feel that in ancient times, it would be quite fun to remain anonymous.

To the southeast of the county is Yanbu Ridge, which is also the highest place in the entire county. Yuan Ze pointed to a large house on the ridge: "Look, we're almost home."

This is Wang Anshi's home?To choose such a good house in a place surrounded by mountains and rivers?Now people in the city, who would have thought that living on the hill in the middle of the city can be quiet in the midst of the hustle and bustle, and you can have a panoramic view of the county town. "Our father really knows where to choose~" Wang Bang couldn't help but admire in his heart.

"Wow~, this is our ancestor's ancestral property. Brother, you see there are hundreds of acres of land on the slope, and that is also our family's."

"Good place, if this is old, there's nothing to worry about going back to the countryside. I said why our father insisted not to be an official. It turns out that he went back to his hometown to live a quiet life in this paradise." Wang Pang said so, still feeling a little bit in his heart I envy Wang Anshi.

"Brother, you are wrong. No matter how you say it, it is not as good as being an official and getting a salary. Anyway, brother, you have also been a high-ranking official. How much salary did you have in those few years? Don't talk about how much you earned in business. , Let’s talk about the salary issued by the imperial court, as well as the rice and wheat distributed throughout the year, silk, silk, silk, and winter cotton distributed according to the seasons in spring, summer, autumn and winter. Tea in summer and coal in winter. Which one you use to spend your own money. Other than that In addition, even the clothes are issued by the court. There are also various seasonal rewards, which are all clean."

When Wang Pang thought about his salary income over the years, he also twitched his lips. Yuan Ze's accounts were not confused: the prime ministers and privy envoys of the Song Dynasty had a monthly salary of 300 taels of silver, 20 pieces of silk for each of the spring and winter clothes, Thirty pieces of silk, one hundred taels of cotton, one hundred stones per month of millet; officials of local prefectures, county magistrates of large counties (more than 12 households) [-] taels per month, county magistrates of small counties [-] taels per month, five to three stones of millet per month .In addition to the regular salary, there are various subsidies, such as tea, wine, kitchen materials, salaries, artemisia, charcoal, salt, etc., as well as fodder for horses and clothing, food, and food expenses for accompanying servants, all of which are quite considerable.

In addition, those foreign officials were not allowed to bring their family members, and the alimony of the family members was provided by the government's finances, and daily necessities such as rice, noodles, and sheep were provided monthly.

Take Wang Pang as an example, not counting those dazzling subsidies every month, the salary alone is 200 taels. In the past few years when I was on the mission, I have received subsidies in my house. There is also "public money" (that is, hospitality fees). When going to Korea as an envoy, the public money can be as high as [-] taels, and there is no upper limit. In an official saying, it is called "renewal after exhaustion, no limit on years and months." ".

According to the purchasing power of silver at that time in the Song Dynasty: one tael of silver can basically buy about eight stones of rice. Calculated based on 66 kilograms of Song stones, one tael of silver is equivalent to about 1800 yuan. At 12 taels per month, his monthly salary is more than 12000 yuan.However, Wang Pang's salary is not a simple multiple. In the Song Dynasty, the salary changed greatly with the rank of official. Not only that, the standard of Beijing officials was much higher than that of local officials.Therefore, Wang Pang once made a rough calculation for himself. Take him as an example of a third-rank servant, not counting the living money, just talking about the fixed salary and subsidies, 200 taels of silver per month, and the subsidies are based on Renzong

600 taels of silver, fully fifty times that of a county magistrate!If Wang Bang didn't do business, he would only be an official for the past few years, and his net worth has exceeded one million, not to mention the rewards he received one after another.Then there is the public money that doesn't even have money.

It’s no wonder Yingzong agreed to Wang Pang’s request to resign so quickly. Thinking about it, there was nothing wrong with me starting with the reduction of funds. Thinking of this, Wang Pang laughed: “Brother, I don’t know, it’s called welfare.”

"It can be said that everyone wants to be an official, and being an official can make benefits. If it is as you think, you can raise a few fields. You are wrong. In the year of famine, you can guard The land has to be left to fate, not to mention the need to pay land rent and taxes, of course, if it is a job field, it is another matter." Yuan Ze said quite indifferently.

As he was speaking, he suddenly saw the commotion of the pedestrians around him, who followed behind him and yelled "Get out of the way, get out of the way". Go east.

Seeing these two people walking in a hurry, dressed as servants, the passers-by on the side of the road consciously stepped out of the way, and after the two people left, the passers-by on the side of the road began to whisper to each other.Wang Pang listened carefully, and heard someone say: "Is this another job arrest?"

"It looks like, look, isn't that heading towards Yuanwai's house?"

"I don't know if Mr. Chen has left?"

One of the old men said: "Hey, it's fine if you leave. Where will you go this New Year's Eve? I don't think Mr. Chen will have a good time this year." He shook his head regretfully as he spoke. .

A young man next to the old man tugged on the sleeve of the old man, and crossed his crossbow at the group next to the king, "It seems that there are benefits to being without money. If you have money like this, if you don't have power, if you do business at the stall, how big is it?" Three to five years ago, my family fortune was also emptied."

This young man probably saw a group of people next to the king. They were tall and well-dressed, and they seemed to be accompanied by family members. What's more, they used horse-drawn carriages that ordinary people could not afford, and the government would not allow them. Wealth is expensive, which also made Wang Pang's team more eye-catching in this not too big county.

Wang Pang was looking towards the voice, the young man saw Wang Pang looking this way, and hurried away.The people who spoke were also heading southeast, as if there was something exciting to watch.

They were also heading southeast. A group of people walked one or two streets, and when they approached Yanbu Ridge, they saw many people standing at the gate of a slightly larger house.

Some were talking and some were watching the excitement, blocking the originally not too wide street.Wang Pang and Yuan Ze sat on their horses and looked into the crowd. The gate of this courtyard was open. A man in his 50s was standing at the door. The two who were talking to him were the two who had just run past Wang Pang and the others. servants.

They were too far away to hear what was being said inside, so Wang Pang jumped off his horse and said, "I'm going to see what's going on."

Anyway, no one knows him now, and Wang Pang is full of curiosity about this place, Yuan Ze frowned, "Father and mother are still waiting at the mansion, don't mind your own business, you are not an official now, Even if you still have an official position, you can't take care of this matter." Yuan Ze seemed to see Wang Pang's curiosity, and he reminded Wang Pang in a low voice.

"En!" This is not in the capital, although it is his hometown, but it is very strange to Wang Pang, Wang Pang responded, handed the reins to Wa Zhuang who followed, and then leaned into the crowd.

The audience murmured, and Wang Pang guessed that this person might be the member surnamed Chen. He looked like a frail scholar when he was young. He wore a hair-cut official, a navy blue Confucian skirt inside, and a cardigan outside. He looked tall. It's a gentleman.He kicked in and out of the door, and he was carrying a package on his body. It seemed that he was about to go out, but he held the door to retreat.

One of the two guards, a thinner one, was pulling the arm of this Yuanwai Chen, while pulling and tugging, Yuanwai Chen begged: "You two officials, please tell the county magistrate, I really can't handle this job." gone."

"No!" The skinny guard said in an unquestionable tone, staring at Chen Yuanwai with his eyes wide open.

The thinner guard's tone was more relaxed: "If you leave, don't talk about us, even the county magistrate can't do business, why don't you go with our county government, and if you have anything, you can directly talk to the county magistrate. "The two guards seemed determined to take Chen Yuanwai away.

Someone in the crowd said: "The magistrate of the county can't do the job, so he has been assigned to Chen Yuanwai for so many years. Chen Yuanwai is a good person, so don't make things difficult for him." Lai said, "Who said this, or did you come out to do it for Mr. Chen?" As he spoke, his eyes fell on Wang Pang.