Chapter 640 Yongtongfang
Facts have proved that money really works. Qin Yao and her family safely passed the identity check and entered the city smoothly.
Walking out of the long corridor, the first thing that caught the eyes of the family of eight was a straight and wide road leading to a towering palace - Ziwei Palace.
Awang, the only one who knew something about the capital, became the tour guide. He pointed to the tall palaces that amazed the whole family and explained:
"That is the tallest building in the city, the Ziwei Palace. It is the palace where His Majesty and the civil and military officials hold court and discuss matters. All major events in the world are reported to the emperor by officials from various places through this gate."
"There are 112 markets in the capital, as well as four major markets in the east, west, south and north. The Yang River under the Ziwei Palace is the boundary. Inside the river are the residences of the saints, princes, and the eunuchs and ministers in the palace. Outside the river are the residences of the court officials and the people."
The family of eight walked, looked and listened along the way, and felt that the capital was so huge that they could not see the end of it. When they looked up, they saw that most of the buildings were three-story high, with flying eaves, carved beams and painted pillars, and even the doors and windows were so exquisite that they looked like works of art.
Occasionally, you can see a few very prominent high-rise buildings with fairy bridges built on top of them, connecting one high-rise building to another. People come and go on the buildings, dressed in flowing and celestial clothes, like immortals in heaven.
The architecture here is completely different from that of Zijing Mansion. Two-story buildings are rare in Zijing Mansion, and the houses are mostly simple and elegant in ancient style.
Three-story buildings can be seen everywhere in Kyoto, especially in the main commercial streets, with tall buildings on both sides, beautifully decorated. Each building has its own characteristics and is mostly painted in bright colors, which are very eye-catching. It really feels like a hundred flowers blooming.
All the beauty in the world should be concentrated on this main street in the capital. You don’t have to go to the south of the Yangtze River or the north of the desert to experience the cultural characteristics of various places.
The three brothers and sisters of Dalang were stunned as they looked over. Walking in the bustling crowd, they felt for the first time how accurate the term "numerous living beings" mentioned in the book was.
Blending into the crowd of Kyoto, they felt that they were just one of the countless living beings, so small that if they were a step slower, they would be drowned by the crowd.
It was not until they walked out of the main road and headed towards the southeast market that they occasionally saw some two-story courtyards. The clothes of the people walking on the street gradually changed from gorgeous and dazzling to plain and simple. The four brothers and sisters then felt a little bit of the reality that this was still the human world.
The entire capital city, with many Hu people on the west side, is a gathering place for foreign guests.
The north is the real foot of the emperor. The further north you go, the more expensive the market is. It is the location of the ministers of the court and the palaces of princes and princesses.
The south of the city is home to many merchants and is the most prosperous area in Kyoto, with shops, restaurants and eateries everywhere.
The East City, which is close to the South City, is where ordinary people live. In the eyes of the nobles, people who live in the southeast-facing market town are not to be looked down upon.
There are all kinds of people in the southeast market, all kinds of people are here.
But in this market towards the southeast, there are different levels. Those living in the southeast corner are all wealthy businessmen, while those living in the south corner are the poor who are still struggling to make ends meet.
Those who live in the east market town are either yamen clerks or minor officials in the capital. In any case, there are farmers, merchants, and scholars, each occupying a corner, and usually no one bothers anyone else.
Qin Feng's house is in Yongtongfang, a wonderful place, facing southeast, right next to the east city wall.
There is a 'gate' there, and although it is far away from the main city of Beijing, it is very convenient for entering and leaving the city.
It was their first time entering Beijing and they were not familiar with the route. Qin Yao's family of eight entered the city through the main gate and crossed the entire city, taking a full hour to arrive.
In fact, if you go through the small corner gate of Tongmen, you can enter Yongtongfang in less than a quarter of an hour.
Among a family of eight, Awang is considered a half-native of the capital, but even Awang has never been to such a remote market.
He said: "Those fugitives who are trying to evade arrest would not hide in a place like Yongtongfang where no one comes."
But to be honest, the houses here are indeed the most cost-effective. You can buy a large two-story house with a private entrance and yard at a relatively reasonable price.
Qin Feng's house is easy to find. Just ask anyone in Yongtongfang and they will immediately point out the location of the "Qin Mansion".
The reason is simple, simply because this is the only house with a attic among the bungalows in Yongtongfang.
The carriage stopped in front of the gate of the only two-courtyard house with an attic. Looking at the surrounding bungalows with broken walls and leaking tiles, Liu Ji asked a sincere question:
"My uncle bought a house here, aren't you afraid of being robbed?"
As Awang got off his horse, he explained expressionlessly, "Just take care of the clerk in charge of this area."
To put it bluntly, as long as the money is in place, everything will be easy.
In Qin Yao's eyes, Yongtong Lane was a bit off the beaten track, but it was still several blocks away from the really chaotic gathering place for all kinds of people, so it was a quiet place.
Moreover, it is located right under the east wall. Once anything big happens in the city, the city defense will always be the first to respond and be able to prepare the fastest.
Even if you want to run for your life, there is a gate here that leads directly out of the capital, which is definitely the fastest escape route.
It can be seen that Qin Feng had certain considerations in choosing this place.
Under the expectant gaze of her family, Qin Yao took out the key and opened the green door of the Qin Mansion, which had been closed for at least half a year.
The wooden bearing slowly turned, making a teeth-grinding creaking sound, and a safety guard wall came into view first.
A smell of dust from a place that had been uninhabited for a long time wafted towards her. Qin Yao fanned her hands and was about to step into the gate, but Liu Ji had already rushed in impatiently.
Then, the mansion he had been looking forward to did not appear, and the front yard was not even as big as the front yard of his Liujia Village.
The house has two entrances, and the main door is on the right. When you walk in from the main door, there is a protective wall in front, and a small ear room on each side, which are the residences of the doorman for reception and housekeeping.
You have to go around the retaining wall to enter the main courtyard.
Opposite the main courtyard is a hall with two rooms on each side. Through the corner doors on the left and right, there is a corridor with a storeroom on the left and a kitchen on the right.
Continue walking inside and you will reach the second courtyard, which looks much more spacious than the front courtyard. There are five or six rooms and a small two-story attic. At the bottom of the attic is a waterless rockery.
It can be seen that Qin Feng has hardly lived here. The furniture and bed inside look like no one has used them. They are bare without any fabric or plant decorations.
Si Niang saw the attic at a glance, ran to Qin Yao and asked excitedly: "Mother, I want to live in the attic, can I?"
Qin Yao was still supervising Awang and Yin Le moving their luggage. Upon hearing this, she simply asked everyone to stop what they were doing and gather in the front yard.
"It's getting late, let's allocate the rooms first, prepare some food and rest. We can arrange anything tomorrow." Qin Yao said.
Everyone had no objection and waited expectantly for her to assign rooms.
Liu Ji ignored his daughter's wary look and flirted with Qin Yao madly, "Attic, attic, my lady, I want the attic!"
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