Guide to traveling through the Northern Song Dynasty

As merchants brought more and more supplies, except for rice and wheat, which were subject to purchase restrictions, other commodities were liberalized a few days before the Lantern Festival.

The entire city is visibly rejuvenated.

"As expected of the Imperial Capital, it's really extraordinary." Old Bai was sitting on the carriage outside, admiring it through the opened curtain.

Bai Chongwen said worriedly: "It's windy outside, so let's put down the curtain."

"It's okay," said Old Bai, who was quite free and easy. "I don't have much time, so I just need to take one more look. There will definitely be no next time when I come back to Tokyo. I just hope you don't die here."

Bai Chongwen hesitated to speak, but finally stopped trying to persuade him.

The street scene slowly passed by, and the old member Bai muttered: "It's a pity. When I was young, I dared to gamble and fight, but I didn't meet the real dragon. Now I can only benefit from my son. In this life, one depends on life, and the other Depend on luck and the rest depends on ability.”

"The second brother and the third brother are both lucky and capable." Bai Chongwen said.

Old Bai shook his head and said: "Your second brother's eyesight is too short-sighted. He is very capable of scheming and scheming within the yamen. He is also in charge of official documents and account books. But it is difficult for him to be in charge of the government, let alone what to do in the government." You can call the wind and rain in the temple. Your third brother is too ambitious. He seems to have made some progress in the past few years. How far he can go depends on the future."

Bai Chongwen cursed in his heart: You know how to talk on paper, but your eyelids are not as good as those of your second brother.

Neither of them knew the road, so the carriage arrived at Dutingyi in a daze.

This used to be a place to receive envoys from the Liao Kingdom, but now it is temporarily used as Shi Yuangong's intelligence office. As soon as they went over to inquire, someone immediately led the way and led the two of them straight north.

The official who led the way was also responsible for the introduction: "On the west side of this street are the Kaifeng Mansion Yamen and the Yushitai. Now the Yushitai has been renamed the Inspectorate. To the east of this street is the Xijinling Palace, where the old Song emperor's tomb has been moved out. , the south side will be demolished and sold to merchants to build shops, and the north side will be temporarily used as a residence for officials without their families. To the north of Jinling Palace is the Ao Temple, where the Zoroastrian statues were chopped up to make firewood, and the monks' houses are temporarily used as residences for some officials in the East Palace."

Old Bai felt it was too shabby: "Even if we don't give you a mansion, the officials of the East Palace won't have to live in Fanmiao, right?"

The lead officer explained with a smile: "The Ao Temple is close to the East Palace. Go north at the cross street and walk along Gaotou Street for a while to reach the Donghua Gate. Although the Ao Temple has been abolished, the Zoroastrian novices inside have nowhere to go. It just so happens that Do some chores for the officials, like setting fires and cleaning."

Member Lao Bai was surprised: "Why is there a temple sandwiched between a bunch of government offices and the imperial city?"

The official who led the way said: "In the early years, there was a Persian nobleman who lived in Kaifeng with his tribe. The nobleman's family was given a house outside the imperial city, and a temple was built on the site. The nobleman's tribe was resettled in the north of the city and lived in Wazi area in the north of the state. , there was also a coat temple there, but I don’t know when it was demolished later. There are so many people in Tokyo that it’s difficult to identify several generations of intermarriages.”

"That's it." Old Bai was greatly enlightened.

The officer who led the way followed the words and said: "In the early years, there was an Indian prince who came to Tokyo. He heard about the exquisite Buddhism and kept visiting Taiping Xingguo Temple. The Indian prince also brought Buddhist treasures. Every time he gathered to give a lecture, hundreds of people came to listen. .The big mung bean from India that has been spread over the past few decades is the bean seed brought by the Indian prince."

Old Bai nodded and said: "I know about big mung beans. I have grown them at home. The taste is not as good as local mung beans, but unexpectedly a prince brought them."

The officer who led the way added: "The Ao Temple is not big, and there are many officials living in it, so there is no free space. The old gentleman can go to Taiping Xingguo Temple to live temporarily. Although it has been abandoned, the monks' houses are still there. There are no ultimatums. Monks, after returning to secular life, stay in the temple and receive visitors from all over the world. The monk's house is simple and quiet, and the vegetarian meals include meat and vegetables, which is especially suitable for retirement and relaxation. "

"Then go and live in the monk's residence at Taiping Xingguo Temple," Old Bai said to his son. "Your grandmother is a Buddhist, but I will help her live there."

After a short walk, we arrived at the Ao Temple.

Knowing that it was Bai Erlang's father and brother who were visiting, Menzi welcomed them in enthusiastically.

It is true that Bai Chongwu's abilities were limited. When he was in Sichuan, he could still assist in managing the military's money and food transportation. When he arrived in Xiangyang, he changed his position to full-time as the military secretary.

Now he has broken away from the military system and completely turned into an official of Ju Ming's East Palace.

The rank has gone up, but the actual power has gone down.

But it is better to be noble!

"Why isn't there even a sweeping woman?" Old Bai said in disgust.

Bai Erlang's wife and children are still in Xiangyang, and now he is an official in Tokyo alone. The house behind the temple where he lived was the residence of the exiled Persian nobles. It was assigned to several East Palace officials as dormitories, and the servants were all mixed-blood Zoroastrian monks who returned to secular life.

It was getting dark in the evening, the Bai family and his son had finished their meal, and Bai Chongwu just came back from get off work in the East Palace.

Bai Chongwu was particularly happy to learn that his father and brother had arrived, and he pulled other East Palace officials to introduce him.

After some small talk, the outsiders left one after another.

When only his own family was left, the old official couldn't help complaining: "I'm not given a house, I don't have a maid, and I'm late at home. As an official, I can't do as well as I did in the county government."

Bai Chongwu smiled and said: "Your Majesty has sent people to Luoyang to check the situation of the palaces there. Anyone with a discerning eye knows that the capital will definitely be moved. What is the use of giving a house in Tokyo? If you want to give it, I will wait for the house in Luoyang. I am busy with official duties at this time. Except for breakfast, we all ate in the East Palace and only came back here to sleep."

Old Bai Yuanwai suddenly became interested: "The food in the palace is full of delicacies...forget it, with Zhu Xianggong's simplicity, he will definitely not eat as well as that Hunjun."

"Food control and purchase restrictions mean that the palace is not wealthy," Bai Chongwu said. "The prince's meals are the same as when he was in Xiangyang. He usually eats with us, eating while working. Don't think I am an official of the East Palace. , but I often have contact with the Generalissimo's Mansion, and I am still in contact with the Ministry of Revenue recently. I don't want to ask about specific matters, it's not convenient to talk about it."

"Official affairs are confidential, I know that. As long as you work hard," Old Bai asked, "What rank of official are you now?"

Bai Chongwu said with a proud look on his face: "The rank is not high, only the sixth rank, and the prince is less responsible. But among the actual officials in the East Palace, I am the biggest. Except for the Grand Marshal's Mansion, which has no control over it, all other official documents entering and leaving the East Palace are I have to take charge personally. The prince asked me to make my own choice. If I choose to go abroad, I should at least work for a magistrate. He also said that if his political performance is qualified, he will be promoted along the way."

"How can you compare to being an official in the East Palace? You should stay in the East Palace!" Old Bai Yuanwai said.

"I thought so too." Bai Chongwu smiled.

After chatting for a long time that night, Bai Chongwu sent his father and brother to Taiping Xingguo Temple and chose several monasteries to settle down temporarily.

Don’t think it’s too shabby. The jingshe of Taiping Xingguo Temple used to be used to receive foreign guests and dignitaries.

Those monks who were forced to return to secular life were all top receptionists!

After waiting for his father to go to bed, Bai Chongwen followed his younger brother on a night tour of the temple with a candle: "Second brother, you and third brother are both successful as officials. I also want to get an official position. Can you say something nice in front of the prince?"

Bai Chongwu couldn't help but roll his eyes: "Let's wait until you figure out things in the village one day."

Bai Chongwen said angrily: "Don't look down on me. I take care of my family's property in an orderly manner. Now I have a high prestige in the countryside. If there are any disputes in the four villages and towns, I will be asked to coordinate and resolve them."

Bai Chongwu said: "That's because they know that you are one-minded and more fair when mediating disputes. But as an official, it's not enough to just be fair and reasonable. It's not easy for my father to come to Tokyo. You should accompany him to have a good tour, inside and outside the city. Let's all go and take a look. The property of my hometown will be handed over to you from now on. Your sons can't study well, so let them have grandchildren as soon as possible."

"What does it mean to have a grandson early?" Bai Chongwen said angrily, "I can still have a son. If I have more sons, one of them will be a high official!"

"Okay, give birth to more children." Bai Chongwu said.

Bai Chongwen said: "Bai Er has not studied for a few days. Is he no longer an official?"

Bai Chongwu said: "Bai Sheng has been studying these years, at least he can understand the official documents. He is now a close servant of the prince. He is quick-thinking and cautious. He is no longer the country gangster he used to be. You really can't do his job. Come on, many people wouldn’t be able to do it.”

"What's so difficult about being a bodyguard?" Bai Chongwen asked disdainfully.

Bai Chongwu said with a smile: "Inside and outside, civil servants and generals, Bai Er has to deal with them all. You can't be too close, you can't be too far, you can't talk nonsense, and you can't not talk. There are some things that the prince cannot express clearly, and Bai Er has to. Observe your words and communicate them at the right time. The twists and turns here are just to make it clear to you. You don’t know what to do when something happens. But Bai Er has never made any mistakes so far. Do you know how difficult it is? "

Bai Chongwen suddenly became speechless.

Bai Chongwu said: "The most trusted military officer by the prince is not Zhang Guangdao or Li Bao, nor Zhang Bor or Yang Zhi, but Bai Er, whom you look down on! That guy is almost a sperm. He has been with the prince for more than ten years. I haven't learned much about other skills, but it has become a roundworm in the prince's belly. Sometimes the prince says a few words casually, and I can't understand them for several days. I just need to ask Bai Er to find out."

Bai Chongwen also gave up the idea of ​​seeking an official position, and said unspeakably: "I heard that there are many old ministers in Tokyo who are down and out. Is it possible to find a woman of noble birth? I want to marry her back home as a concubine. A daughter from the clan is the best, even a widow is a good candidate. , it doesn’t matter whether you are beautiful or not, as long as you are not old, I just value that identity.”

"roll!"

Bai Chongwu cursed.

"Forget it if you don't help, why are you scolding me?" Bai Chongwen muttered.

Bai Chongwu said angrily: "In Tokyo and Luoyang, eldest daughters are everywhere. You can find them yourself. What are you thinking about all day long?"

They are really everywhere, and some of them have even been common people for a long time, and are not even qualified to be included in the genealogy.

Bai Chongwen had no other thoughts. He just wanted to take a noble girl from the former dynasty as a concubine so that he could show off to others after returning to his hometown. This was already the most honorable thing for him.

(Some people say that the benefits of titles are too low. In addition to the crazy kindness of their descendants, the Zhu family and his son learned from the Song Dynasty. Don’t think that they only have that little food, town, and salary. When you are awarded a title, you will receive an idle official position, and you can also receive a salary according to your official rank. . The wife will definitely give her a royal decree, and the royal decree will also come with a salary. The first title will also grant a house and land, which are also their source of livelihood and can be passed on to their children and grandchildren.)