Guide to traveling through the Northern Song Dynasty

In Kaifeng today, there are very few horse-drawn carriages and donkey-carts, but there are more and more sedan chairs.

This is because during the siege, all the livestock in the city were eaten up, and even the war horses died due to lack of fodder.

Ju Ming also encouraged riding in sedan chairs to increase employment and allow unemployed civilians to survive difficult times.

Cai Jing and Lu Yihao were both poor people. They had served as local officials all year round and had no property in the capital. When he became an official in Yanjing, the whole family was taken over by Medicine Master Guo. Although they themselves were released by the Jin people, their family members were taken back to the Kingdom of Jin by Wanyan Zongwang.

Now he is on standby and cannot even receive a basic salary. He relies on borrowing money from old friends to make a living. The servants are far away in Yanjing and do not know how to live or die.

"Ms. sir, would you like to sit in the sedan chair?"

As soon as Lu Yihao walked out of the alley, he heard a bearer shouting for customers.

It was a small sedan carried by two people. The sedan was quite shabby. I don't know where to get the wood, let the carpenter make a random pair, put some cloth on it for decoration, and dare to go out to do business.

"How much does it cost to go to Donghua Gate?" Lu Yihao asked.

The bearer replied: "Twenty coins."

"Expensive?" Lu Yihao felt like he was being ripped off. He didn't care about the money before, but recently he was very strapped for money.

The bearer said: "Except for the price of food, which has been suppressed by the government, the prices of other things have also increased significantly. Oil, salt, sauce, vinegar, cloth and charcoal are all expensive, and there are not many passengers carrying the sedan in a day. If the price does not follow the increase, life will be terrible. How can we survive?”

Lu Yihao thought it was right, so he got into the sedan chair.

The closed space made him extremely awkward, like a monkey in a cage.

Not long after walking, light snow suddenly fell from the sky. The two bearers began to chat about the weather, hoping that it would not be too cold this winter, otherwise they would not be able to afford charcoal for heating.

"Ta-ta-ta-ta!"

An officer jogged past on horseback and shouted along the street: "Thirty-two charcoal boats are coming to Beijing. Zhu Xianggong ordered the charcoal shops to sell them at a fair price. From tomorrow on, there is no need to worry about running out of charcoal to burn. Don't rush to buy charcoal when you line up!" "

The street quickly became noisy. Lu Yihao opened the sedan curtain and saw many people cheering.

The two bearers were also in a happy mood and seemed to have more strength to carry the sedan.

"The coal has finally arrived. How could the few ships used to transport it last time be enough?"

"It's good if you come, otherwise we won't even be able to make charcoal, and we'll have to split the door panel to cook."

"It will be fine after this year. The Hunjun has fled to the southeast. Next year, Mr. Zhu will be the emperor. Life will definitely be better than before."

"I said earlier that your brother-in-law signed up to go out of the city to farm. His ancestors all lived in the city. Do you know how to get a hoe?"

"Didn't you read the notice? Zhu Xianggong will arrange to persuade the agricultural officials, and you can also learn from the refugees. Anyway, I will definitely starve to death. I want to farm. As long as I am willing to move to the countryside, I will share a few acres of land."

"..."

Lu Yihao listened to the conversation of the two bearers. He knew where the land came from.

The imperial estates created from the fields in Xicheng, the private estates occupied by the eunuchs, the estates accumulated by the emperor's relatives, the temple fields of Buddhist temples and Taoist temples... A large number of them were confiscated, confiscated and redistributed.

Tenants who cultivated those lands were given priority in receiving land allocations.

However, due to war and famine, many tenants fled, so it was necessary to arrange for refugees to farm.

The soldiers of the old Song Dynasty who were forced to retire by Ju Ming could also be allocated some land.

The last step is to encourage the unemployed in Tokyo to go to the countryside and learn to farm.

Here, except for retired soldiers who were allotted land for free, the rest of the people purchased their land on credit. Their seeds, farm tools, and land were all obtained on credit, and they were repaid in installments after harvesting the grain every year.

No interest, low price, and you can get relief in times of disaster.

Basically, after ten years of hard work, all the debts can be paid off, and then the land will be completely yours.

The reason why the Zhu family and his son did this was not because they were greedy for the money, but to balance the mentality of the soldiers. They worked hard to fight and were given land. Why can ordinary people get it for free?

Lu Yihao closed his eyes and meditated in the sedan chair. After an unknown amount of time, the sedan chair gently landed on the ground, and the bearer shouted: "Sir, Donghua Gate has arrived."

Lu Yihao went out to pay and came to Donghua Gate.

The gatekeeper shouted: "Show me your badge!"

Lu Yihao took out a blank wooden sign. A lot of this kind of wooden sign had been issued recently. It was engraved with the mark of the Generalissimo's Mansion and was a voucher specifically for officials from the old Song Dynasty.

"Well, Mr. Lu!" A young official in his thirties handed over his hand.

Lu Yihao turned around and returned the greeting: "I don't know your surname?"

The young official said: "Chen Shiyin, the right Cao Yuanwailang of the Household Department of the old Song Dynasty."

"It turns out to be Official Chen Lang." Lu Yihao casually greeted him. He didn't know such a small official at all, although the official position was not small.

Chen Shiyin only greeted him politely and looked down on Lu Yihao.

Decades ago, his ancestors moved to Yingchuan to settle down. Although they did not have much contact with the main clan, the family tree must still match up. In terms of seniority, Marshal Zhu's teacher Chen Yuan is also his clan brother who just came out of the fifth server, so he will definitely be able to be reused in the future if the relationship continues.

While the two were talking, another sedan came over.

A man about fifty years old came out. His name was Su Ye, who was formerly the Minister of Rites. He took the initiative to bow and greet him: "I have met Mr. Lu. This little friend is also polite."

Chen Shiyin handed over his hand expressionlessly, and Lu Yihao turned away directly, as if he didn't like this person very much.

Su Ye and his brother Su Fei are both remnants of the Cai Party, and their reputation has become notorious.

When Su Feng was serving as the academic envoy to Huaixi, he actually tracked down the details of all the academic officials in Huaixi. He bought the provincial examination papers from previous imperial examinations and carefully read them one by one. He found the articles written by Ti Xue and the principal, and judged the political tendencies of these people.

Anyone whose stance is contrary to Cai Jing's will be reported immediately, and more than thirty academic officials will be killed in one go!

When the two brothers were imperial students, they once clung to Su Shi. Two people from Putian, Fujian, actually related genealogy to Su Shi, and they actually related...

Seeing that Lu Yihao was unwilling to communicate with him, Su Ye just smiled awkwardly, showed his badge and prepared to go in.

A luxury carriage arrived.

Li Bangyan got out of the car proudly, surrounded by more than 20 servants, and marched towards Donghua Gate.

Su Ye's eyes lit up, he bent over and trotted forward, bowing to the limit of his bow: "I'd like to pay my respects to Xianggong Li!"

Li Bangyan asked: "You are older than me, how come you were born late?"

Su Ye said: "Those who are wise come first. Xianggong Li's knowledge and knowledge are a hundred times better than mine, so he is naturally the master, and old age is just a matter of time."

"Although I like to hear this, my reputation is too bad, so don't try to get close to me again." Li Bangyan didn't give any face.

Su Ye backed away in embarrassment and began to regret not following the right person.

"I've met Mr. Li!" Lu Yihao and Chen Shiyin immediately stepped forward to greet him. They all regard Li Bangyan as Ju Ming's confidant. No matter how they viewed him in the past, they should treat him well in the future.

Li Bangyan liked this feeling and responded humbly: "Don't call me public minister. I don't even have a single horoscope."

Another carriage came over, and three people got out of it.

One is Yang Jie, the imperial physician who cured Song Huizong's stubborn illness and designated a surprise attack route for Li Bao.

The other two are a father and son, namely Xie Kejia, the minister of the Ministry of official affairs, and Xie Ji, the son of the state.

As soon as Li Bangyan saw Yang Jie, he immediately put on a smile and said, "I have met Mr. Yang."

"Ms. Li." Yang Jie returned the greeting with a smile.

Although Su Ye didn't know what was going on with Yang Jie, Li Bangyan was so enthusiastic that he also ran over and bowed respectfully: "I've met Mr. Yang."

"Haha." Yang Jie was still smiling, but he had no intention of returning the favor.

Now Yang Jie can deny face to anyone. He has long been Zhu Guoxiang's guest, and he also works part-time as the doctor for Zhu Guoxiang's family.

When he was in Hanzhong, Yang Jie brought several apprentices. Ju Ming also planned to open a medical school, with Yang Jie as the principal, and send military doctors to learn surgery and anatomy.

Chen Shiyin asked Lu Yihao in a low voice: "Who is this Mr. Yang?"

Lu Yihao shook his head: "I don't know."

Lu Yihao had been a local official for many years, but he really didn't know Yang Jie, who was a former imperial physician. He gave a polite greeting and went to see Xie Ke's family.

Xie Liangzuo, the uncle of Xie Ke's family, was a great scholar in Luoxue, one of the four masters of Chengmen, and the founder of Xinxue.

Xie Liangzuo offended Song Huizong and was imprisoned and removed from his post.

The Xie Ke family also offended Cai Jing and was banished to the outside world all year round.

Both uncle and nephew have excellent reputations.

Everyone was chatting outside the Donghua Gate but didn't go in, leaving the guards quite speechless.

During the exchange, another carriage came over.

Before the vehicle stopped, Li Bangyan ran over quickly, and Su Ye subconsciously followed after seeing this.

The car curtain opened, but it was Li Hanzhang.

Li Bangyan was stunned for a moment, then smiled back.

Li Hanzhang turned around and said, "Mr. Shi, I am here to welcome you."

In the dead of winter, Shi Yuangong got out of the car while waving his white feather fan, bowed his hands to everyone, and walked straight to Yang Jie.

Li Hanzhang arrived in Beijing in the past two days. He had resigned as the prefect of Xiangyang and was recruited by Ju Ming to serve in Kaifeng for another important purpose. It's a pity that these people in front of them are ignorant. They only know how to flatter Shi Yuangong and Yang Jie, but they don't understand that Li Hanzhang is Ju Ming's confidant.

"Please." Yang Jie raised his hand.

Shi Yuangong declined and said, "Mr. Yang, please go first."

The two walked into Donghua Gate side by side, with Li Bangyan following closely behind. Li Hanzhang was too lazy to fight and walked in slowly.

After walking for a while, Li Bangyan suddenly turned around and handed over to Li Hanzhang: "I don't know your surname."

"My surname is Li and my given name is Hanzhang." Li Hanzhang said.

Li Bangyan said: "It turns out to be Brother Hanzhang. I wonder where he was employed before?"

"Prefect of Xiangyang." Li Hanzhang said.

Li Bangyan instantly understood Guan Qiao and bowed to him immediately, for fear of offending Li Hanzhang.

When the territory of the Zhu family and his son only consisted of Chuanxia and Nanxiang, the real power consisted of a few prefects, and the jurisdiction of each prefecture far exceeded the normal scope. And Xiangyang is Ju Ming's residence. What does it mean for Li Hanzhang to be the prefect there?

Everyone was led to the Daqing Hall, where large-scale court gatherings were held.

There were already many people standing in the square in front of the palace, mostly officials from the old Song Dynasty who had not received their errands.

Today is the first time that the Zhu family and his son have summoned ministers on a large scale.

Everyone is thinking about positive performance, and the first task is to persuade people to come forward, hoping to get some credit for persuading people to come forward.

Zhang Gen stood at the front, bathed in countless envious eyes.

This old boy has chosen such a good son-in-law!