The south of the outer city of Kaifeng is divided into the left military compartment and the right military compartment.
The right military compartment and the left military compartment are separated by an imperial street.
Zhang Yue first went to Zuo Junxiang to look at the house. Zhang Yue was very familiar with this place. This is where the Imperial Academy is, and Zhang Yue has studied here for three years, so he knows it best.
Originally, the terrain here was low-lying and was often flooded by the Bianhe River.
However, after Ding Wei became prime minister, he bought his house in Dunjiaofang here. He first dug a pond for the Xixi Temple, then used the discarded soil to raise the nearby terrain, and then asked the court to build Baokangmen Street. thoroughfare, so Dunjiafang, which originally suffered from waterlogging in the Bianhe River, suddenly became a prosperous place in Bianjing.
Ding said that he was the prime minister and offended the officials of the Manchu Dynasty, but he was indeed talented.
Later generations often said that his move was for public benefit, but they did not see the real good things done by the people of Bianjing. The opposition just criticized his character.
I have to mention another thing. When Wang Anshi learned about Jinling, because Xuanwu Lake was silted up and in order to implement the farmland water conservancy law, he asked the court to drain the Xuanwu Lake and turn the lake into fields. There are two advantages to this. Once a lake is drained, the fish and shrimps in it can be enjoyed by the people. Secondly, tens of thousands of acres of farmland can be acquired in one fell swoop.
At that time, others also praised Wang Anshi's move, which indeed made it easier for the people to obtain land.
However, after Xuanwu Lake was filled in, Jinling has been flooded during rains and has nowhere to get water during droughts. Later generations teach us not to be greedy for temporary gains, act without discerning the situation, and do things that seek short-term benefits but miss the long-term goal.
It was not until two hundred years later that the Ming Dynasty established Jinling as its capital and Zhu Yuanzhang ordered Xuanwu Lake to be dug again.
When Su Shi learned about Hangzhou, West Lake was also facing the problem of siltation, but Su Shi and Wang Anshi were different. He did the opposite and used work-for-relief to mobilize 200,000 migrant workers to dredge the West Lake with only a hundred yuan of ultimatum. Just look at Su Di to see what happened next.
Therefore, Zhang Yue admired Ding Wei for building a house. But looking at the high housing prices in Dunjiafang, it was difficult for Zhang Yue to say thank you to Ding Wei.
In addition to Ding Wei, the famous general Di Qingzhaizi is also here.
However, Zhang Yue looked at Zhang Shi's look and knew that he liked this place quite a lot. After all, Zhang Qiu was studying in Taixue. If he bought the house here, Zhang Qiu could go home often in the future.
But Zhang Shi saw that any one building cost more than 2,000 guan, or even more than 3,000 guan, so he held back and did not speak.
Zhang Yue noticed a house with a single courtyard, but he did not tell anyone about it. Instead, he and Fang Yadao went to the right military wing in the south of the city to have a look.
The Youjun Xiang in the south of the city is located in the southwest corner of Kaifeng. It is also the only Xiangfang in the west of the city in Kaifeng County.
It is not far from the south garden of Yiqiumen where Sansu and his son live. Zhang Yue has been to Sansu's mansion. There is a flower garden in the residence, and there are children planting vegetables every day. It is very interesting. There are many locust trees in the house. The ancient willow tree looks like a mountain dwelling, quite wild.
When Zhang Yue saw this house, he sighed that Sansu and his son were still very rich. It was not easy to buy a house like this in the outer city.
When Zhang Yue Zhangshi came here, he was nearby Mingfu Temple, Yanzhen Temple and Qingfenglou Zhengdian. There was only an imperial street across from Taixue.
Zhang Yue looked at Zhang Shi's expression and knew that he liked it very much.
Zhang Yue also felt that it was good. Although the neighborhood of Taixue was nice, it was surrounded by a red light district. Many students who came to Beijing stayed here, so it was crowded and mixed.
But across the imperial street, it was much quieter.
This place is surrounded by Caishui River, which enters the city through Guangli Gate and leaves the city through Puji Gate. The nearby gardens draw water from Cai River, so many Bianjing literati and officials live here.
At that time, Empress Li also lived next to Taixue. Because Empress Li liked the scenery south of the Yangtze River, when building his house, he led Caishui into the garden, dug a large pond, and the system was like a palace.
Zhang Yue went to Cai River and looked at several houses, and they all seemed good.
At this time, a long procession of honor guards came along the roadside. Zhang Yue, who was not wearing official uniform, and Zhang Shi and Fang Ya stayed aside.
Zhang Yue listened to the discussions of the people on the sidelines.
It turns out that this team is owned by Cao Yi, the elder brother of Queen Cao.
Zhang Yue remembered that he met Cao Yi by chance when he was at Ouyang Xiu's residence. It is said that this uncle acted very appropriately. Although he made friends with officials, he did not mention military and state affairs at all in front of the emperor.
Unexpectedly, Cao Yi also lived here.
After Cao Yi's guard of honor passed by, Zhang Yue arrived near the house, but felt that the place was very quiet, and Cai River was not far away. There are many official residences along the river, while on the other side of the river there are dilapidated houses.
Fang Ya knocked on the door and asked, "Is Mr. Cheng at home?"
Zhang Yue heard this title and thought, is it still a doctor's residence?
Soon the door opened, and an old servant opened the door. Fang Ya said: "I am Zhu Fangya from Majia Lane. I am bringing a guest to see the house today. I wonder if Dr. Cheng is at home?"
The old servant looked at the Zhang Yue brothers behind Fang Ya, and then said: "At home, you wait."
After saying that, the old servant closed the door again. After a while, he heard people cursing and saying, "It's you Fang Ya again who show people around all day long, but no one can decide. I've told you before. , If you are not a high-ranking official, please bring me to this house. As for ordinary officials, they cannot afford it, and those merchants are full of the smell of copper. I will not buy it for any money, so as not to ruin my house. "
Zhang Yue and Zhang Shi were happy to hear this.
Soon the door opened, and a man in his fifties with gray hair and beard walked out of the room.
The man first looked Zhang Yue and Zhang Shi up and down.
Fang Ya said with a smile: "Mr. Cheng is a famous doctor in Bianjing and the sage of Xinglin. His ancestors have worked in the medical hospital for three generations and have diagnosed diseases for many princes and nobles."
Zhang Yue and Zhang Shi both said, "Mr. Cheng is so polite."
Doctor Cheng saw Zhang Yue's majestic appearance and asked, "What are you doing?"
Zhang Yue said: "It's just a minor official."
Doctor Cheng said: "Looking at how young you are, you should be the one who got it from Yin Guan."
Zhang Yue smiled without comment. Doctor Cheng had also diagnosed diseases for officials on weekdays and had met many dignitaries. Zhang Yue was so magnanimous that he looked like a scholar.
Doctor Cheng didn't ask in detail. Anyway, as long as Yin Guan's children were not dandy, they were very secretive about their backgrounds and would not tell them easily in front of outsiders.
Mr. Cheng would not ask any more questions. If the other party really wanted to buy his house, it would not be too late to inquire further.
There were officials everywhere in Bianjing City, and there were as many dogs as there were in the offices. Doctor Cheng had long been accustomed to this, so he walked towards the mansion with his hands behind his hands.
Fang Ya turned to Zhang Yue, and Zhang Shi smiled and said, "Two gentlemen, Dr. Cheng's house is really nice, but it's expensive. Please come in!"
Zhang Yue was about to leave when Zhang Shi asked, "How much will it cost?"
Fang Ya said: "Three thousand eight hundred and fifty strings."
Zhang Shi couldn't help but be speechless when he heard this, but there was no reason to look back when he got here, so he had to bite the bullet and follow Zhang Yue inside to view the house.
The first thing in the house is the gate, and behind the gate is the vestibule, and there is the gatehouse on the side. After the main door is the middle door. After entering the middle door, there is the atrium and the front hall.
There must be a middle door between the house door and the main hall, which is in line with the ritual system.
Behind the atrium is the main hall. In front of the hall, there are two steps on the left and right, namely the guest step and the main step.
When a guest comes to visit, the host must step down to greet him. The host stands on the main step and the guest stands on the guest step.
Cheng Langzhong stood on the main stage, Zhang Yue and Zhang Shi bowed to Cheng Langzhong on the guest stage, and then they all entered the hall together.
The two couplets in front of the hall are opposite each other, separated by walls on the left and right. This wall is called the preface. The main hall faces south and north. If you sit facing south, you are in the upper position. However, when entertaining guests, the host faces the east preface and the guests face the west preface. There must be no Wrong, this is also the origin of the word sequence.
After the left and right preface walls, there are the East Hall and the West Hall.
As for the back of the hall, there are rooms. The so-called room in the middle hall is the main bedroom. Therefore, there are front hall and back room, and the east and west rooms have their own rooms.
Zhang Yue looked at it and sighed. This house seemed to be quite old. Could it be that it was built in the Tang Dynasty? Because the main hall of the Song Dynasty was different from that of the Tang Dynasty.
Although the houses built in the Song Dynasty still maintained the layout of the front hall and the back room, this room was not used as a sleeping room, but as a place to change clothes or rest during the day.
Zhang Yue watched for a while, but saw a young woman walking out of the side of the hall without avoiding the man.
Doctor Cheng explained: "This is a little girl. Now she is a medical girl, but she does not avoid outsiders."
Zhang Yue suddenly realized that she was a medical woman who specialized in treating women in the boudoir, and she often came in and out of other people's homes without avoiding suspicion.
Zhang Yue saluted the other party, and the other party returned the salute.
The other party asked: "Dad, how do you feel?"
Cheng Yue said to Zhang Yue: "This is the main hall and the main sleeping area."
Zhang Yue nodded and asked: "This hall adheres to ancient etiquette, which is rare, rare."
Doctor Cheng was very happy to see that Zhang Yue was a knowledgeable person and said: "Finally, I met the Fang family. People who bought houses before thought it was inconvenient to have front halls and back rooms, but since the Spring and Autumn Period and the prosperous Tang Dynasty, the houses of officials were all Such a pattern.”
Zhang Yue smiled. Doctor Cheng was right. The front hall and the back room were ancient rituals. For weddings, the couple performed the ceremony in the main hall, and then lived in the room behind the hall, which was the main bedroom.
This room is the most private place in the family. Sima Guang once said that men do not stay in the private room during the day without any reason, and women do not peek into the middle door without any reason.
Men are not allowed to live in private rooms during the day when they have nothing to do, otherwise they will be considered to be sexually immoral.
However, the private room was placed in the main hall where guests could enter and exit, which was inconvenient to the people of the Song Dynasty. Moreover, the layout of the front hall and the back room has poor indoor lighting. It only relies on a small window facing the south for lighting, while the southeast and southwest of the room are relatively dark. The ancients called these two directions Ni and Ao respectively, and now they are combined together to extend the meaning. It means inscrutable.
Therefore, most of the houses in the Song Dynasty today are separated by a screen between the hall and the room, and the room behind the hall is not used as the main sleeping room. But the house outside Cheng Yuan still maintains the layout of the Tang Dynasty.
The hall and rooms of this house are also connected by a door. It is recorded in the Kaiyuan Rites of the Tang Dynasty that the door is the door of a room. The indoors are called rooms and the outdoors are called halls.
There are east and west rooms on the left and right of the room.
Zhang Yue looked at it and said to Doctor Cheng: "The doctor doesn't know something. During the prosperous Tang Dynasty, most of the officials were officials from generations to generations, and those who were polite meant that they were distinguished by their superiority and inferiority. The so-called courtesy is not inferior to common people."
"But this dynasty is different. Many of the officials in this dynasty have been promoted from poor families. This etiquette has been given to common people. Since we are common people, we cannot abide by the ancient etiquette as before. I am not afraid of the doctor's jokes, but I was born in a poor family. Although I know about this, I feel that it is not important in my heart. As for etiquette, we should follow the popular customs, otherwise it will be inconvenient."
After listening to Zhang Yue's words, Dr. Cheng felt uncomfortable at first, but after thinking about it carefully, he felt that this person's views were extremely wise and transparent.
As for the Cheng family doctor, she also nodded secretly and thought that the young man's experience was worthy of his appearance.
Cheng Langzhong looked at Zhang Yue again and said: "It is really rare for future generations to have such insights. This old king Xietang Qianyan flew into the homes of ordinary people. When he heard that the wife of the current prime minister was from the Cui family, he even put down his five surnames and seven hopes. The body is married to the Han clan in the imperial examination. My knowledge is indeed old, so please teach me."
"I don't dare to take it seriously. The doctor's words are too serious."
Fang Yazhang was also very impressed when he saw Zhang Yue impressed Cheng Langzhong at first sight.
Doctor Cheng said again: "But you claim to be from the Han clan, how can you be a descendant of Yin Guan?"
Zhang Yue did not answer when he heard this, but said: "Let's continue to see."
As he spoke, Zhang Yue stepped forward. Behind the central hall were the back courtyard and the north hall. The north hall also had the layout of a front hall and a back room.
As for the east and west courtyards behind the hall. Zhang Yue was very satisfied after seeing the east and west courtyards. From now on, he and his brother's family can live in one courtyard each.
Now that the house has been inspected, Doctor Cheng wonders whether Zhang Shi and Zhang Yue have the financial resources? The elder brother looked a little uneasy, but the younger brother was confident.
Zhang Shi pulled Zhang Yue aside to discuss: "Third brother, what do you think?"
Zhang Yue said: "I think...it's okay. I've been tired of walking these past few days."
It's not that good after all.
But Zhang Shi was taken aback and said, "Third brother, the money the Wu family gave us for building the land was only three thousand guan."
Zhang Yue smiled and said: "Brother, don't worry, I have saved a lot over the years."
Cheng Yuanwai saw the two brothers muttering for a while, but Zhang Yue walked up to him and asked, "How much does Cheng Yuanwai plan to sell this house for?"
Just as Fang Ya was about to speak, Cheng Yuanwai said directly: "Three thousand eight hundred and fifty strings, I won't give you any price. Several people bargained with me before, but I sent them all away in anger."
Three thousand eight hundred and fifty strings.
Zhang Yue read it again and said: "It's appropriate. I'll go shopping around first and ask Mr. Cheng to wait for us for a while."
Mr. Cheng calmed down and said, "Just please."
He suspected that this person was not just showing off. He said it was cheap but ran away with oil on his feet.
Zhang Yue went out, but Zhang Shi enthusiastically said to Member Cheng, "Commander Cheng, let's have a good chat."
Zhang Shi said it was just a chat, but his intention was to give the engineer a price for killing him in a subtle way.
Zhang Yue walked around the house and was very satisfied with the surrounding environment.
While he was looking at each other, a carriage and horses passed by and suddenly stopped. The carriage curtain lifted and the person inside asked: "Send it?"
Zhang Yue saw that it was Wen Jifu.
"Brother Zhou Han."
Zhang Yue smiled and clasped his fists.
Wen Jifu got off the carriage, held Zhang Yue's hand with both hands, and said very enthusiastically: "How can we meet again in life? My wife and I were leaving the uncle's house to pay respects, and unexpectedly we met you here. "
Zhang Yue suddenly realized that Wen Jifu and Fifteen Niang met him after returning from Cao Yan's house. Sitting in that carriage was the fifteenth mother.
Zhang Yue smiled and said, "I happen to have something to do here."
"Oh? If there is anything Wen can do to help, please help me. Don't be polite. From now on, you and I will be a family."
After finishing the article, Ji laughed loudly, his enthusiasm even stronger than before.
Zhang Yue smiled and said: "It's not a troublesome thing. I've been coming to Bianjing for so long and I want to find a house to stay."
"Oh, here? Is it a code? Is it a rental?"
Zhang Yue said: "It's to buy a house."
The fifteenth mother of the Wu family in the carriage had been listening to the conversation between her husband and Zhang Yue. She was really surprised when she heard that Zhang Yue was not renting a house or renting a house, but buying a house.
Although the Wen family had a mansion in Xijing, they did not buy a house in Bianjing. Even the dignified prime minister Wen Yanbo lived in a rented house. Now that Wenji was in Bianjing, the Wen family also paid for a house worth less than 3,000 guan near Suizaomen.
Can a husband who will be seventeen years old actually buy a house on the banks of the Cai River?
Isn't this kid from a poor family?
How come you have all this money?
The fifteenth mother couldn't believe it, so she decided that seeing is believing and got out of the carriage.
When Zhang Yue saw that it was the fifteenth lady, she quickly saluted and said, "I have met Madam Wen."
The fifteenth mother nodded. She was proud by nature and rarely treated others with pretense. However, she knew that her husband valued Zhang Yue, so she said gently: "I wanted to say hello earlier, but I have been feeling cold these days. It is really rude. I just heard from the official that the husband of the Zhang family plans to buy a house here?"
Zhang Yue knew that the other party was the sister of his future wife, so he said respectfully: "Exactly, I have just made up my mind."
The fifteenth mother raised her head and looked at the mansion and said to Wen Jifu, "Then let's go in and have a look too?"
Wen Jifu pretended to be scolded: "Madam, you really don't think of yourself as an outsider."
Zhang Yue said quickly: "I dare not say that. I would also like to ask Brother Wen and Lady Wen to help me with my advice."
The fifteenth mother glanced at Wenjifu, and Wenjifu smiled and said, "Then let's go in."
When the next group of people entered, Zhang Shi tried all kinds of methods on Mr. Cheng, but found that he couldn't be penetrated by needles or splashed with water. He was really helpless.
As for Zhang Yue, he could tell by looking at Zhang Shi's face that Mr. Cheng was even a rigid person and would never give in on the price. However, after seeing so many houses, he felt that the price of this house was indeed not random.
Zhang Yue immediately introduced Zhang Shi, but did not introduce Wen Jifu's identity. He knew that Wen Jifu was very low-key in front of outsiders and did not want others to mention his identity easily.
When Langzhong Cheng saw Zhang Yueduo bringing two people to see his house, he looked unhappy. He was thinking about adding fifty guan to make the young man sick, but he heard his daughter whisper to him: " Dad, do you know who that couple is?"
Doctor Cheng said: "I don't know."
Doctor Cheng said in a low voice: "I once went to Mr. Wen's house to treat the old lady and met the couple. This man is Mr. Liu Lang of Mr. Wen's house."
Mr. Cheng took a deep breath when he heard this. It turned out that this person had such a big background.
Doctor Cheng said: "Dad, not only that, you see that this young gentleman can be brothers with him, you know he is not an ordinary person."
After hearing this, the doctor couldn't help but look at Zhang Yue with admiration.
At this time, Zhang Yue took Wenjifu and Fifteenth Niang to look at the house. Wenjifu was very satisfied, and Fifteenth Niang was even more so.
After looking at it, she said to Zhang Yue: "It's hard to believe that such a house cannot be bought without four thousand guan."
Zhang Yue said: "The house belongs to Mr. Cheng, and he offered a price of 3,850 guan."
"So what do you think of Mr. Zhang's family?" Fifteen Niang asked in a nonchalant tone.
Zhang Yue said: "I think the price is quite appropriate."
