Old Madam Mu shivered in the cold wind and nodded, "Your mother is right. There was a big fire last night, and there must be a lot of people staring at our house. We have to buy the house to save face."
Mother Mu continued, "We have no roots in the capital, so we should be extremely cautious with every step."
"Mother is right." Mu Nan said, "I'll send someone to the palace to ask for leave, and then I'll send someone to the pawnshop to find a house."
"No need to go to so much trouble," Mu's mother said. "I saw a house in West City yesterday. It's decorated very elegantly and is spacious and bright, making it a perfect place for a scholarly family like ours. It has three courtyards and costs only five thousand taels of silver."
"So expensive!" Old Mrs. Mu gasped.
"Mother, in the capital, people say the east is rich and the west is noble. The west is where the nobles live, so naturally the houses are more expensive." Mu's mother understood everything. "Being able to be neighbors with the nobles, I wonder how many people would want to squeeze in there. Houses in the west are not always available."
"The mansion you mentioned?"
"I agreed with the owner to give me three days. Even if there hadn't been this fire, I would have still planned to buy the house."
The other two families all cast envious glances at her. Li took the opportunity to teach her six or seven-year-old son: "You should learn from your second uncle. If you pass the imperial examination and become the third place in the imperial examination, you will have everything."
Her son said in a childish voice, "I know, mother. When I grow up, I will pass the imperial examination like my second uncle and marry you a princess."
Everyone laughed when they heard this.
Father Mu felt a little strange when he saw that Mu Nan had not expressed his opinion. If it were in the past, he would have generously paid the money.
"Anan, what do you think of the houses in West City?"
Mu Nan looked embarrassed, pursed his lips slightly, and seemed to be hesitant to speak.
Seeing this, Mu's mother hurriedly said:
"Don't worry about me. The house I've chosen is absolutely great. If any of you don't like it after I buy it, I can buy another one later. It's only about 5,000 taels of silver, so it's gone once I spend it."
Mu Nan was terribly anxious. What was going on with Princess Chaoyan? Didn't she know his house was on fire? Why hadn't he seen her personally deliver the banknotes and the deed after so much time had passed?
After Mu's mother finished speaking, she waited for a long time for Mu Nan to respond or agree, and asked doubtfully, "Son, do you disagree with me buying a house in West City? Or do you have your eyes on a more advantageous location somewhere else?"
Mu Nan shook his head and denied it: "No."
Mu's mother became even more confused.
Mu's father said to Mu Nan, "In that case, then just follow your mother's arrangements. It's freezing cold, and it's really uncomfortable for everyone to stand here. We should find a place to settle down as soon as possible."
Upon hearing this, the others nodded in agreement with Mu's father's opinion.
Mu Nan was a little embarrassed to speak: "I... I don't have that much money on hand right now."
When these words were spoken, everyone was stunned.
Mu Bei suddenly laughed: "Third brother, stop joking. Princess Zhao Yan gave you ten gold notes worth one thousand taels, and countless other gold and silver treasures. How is it possible that you can't even come up with 5,000 taels of silver now?"
He went to Beijing with Mu Nan to take the imperial examination. Unlike the other members of the Mu family who had just arrived in Beijing for less than half a month, he knew exactly how much wealth Mu Nan had.
"Ten thousand taels of gold is equivalent to one hundred thousand taels of silver. Third brother, you can't keep it for yourself." After Mu Dong said this, he looked at Mu Nan meaningfully.
Mu Nan couldn't help but frown when he heard this: "Brother, you don't believe me?"
"Anan, it's not that our Adong doesn't believe you, it's just that what you said is too outrageous." Uncle Mu said, "We've only been in the capital for a short half month, and we haven't spent much of your money at all. Now that we need money, you say you don't have any, we have to think twice."
"You'll need to live in the house after you buy it." Uncle Mu said, "If you don't pay us now, we can't just sleep on the street, right?"
Nian: "We are ordinary people and it doesn't matter to us, but you are the one who loses face in public."
Everyone was talking at once, and Mu Nan felt irritated. "I really don't have that much money. I only have two thousand taels on me right now."
"How is that possible!" Mu's mother asked in disbelief, "Where did you spend all the money?"
Mu Nan was unwilling to tell the truth and simply said, "Being an official requires connections and the careful management of the people in the palace. I haven't mentioned these to you, but they are all indispensable."
"It takes so much to open up the joints?" Mu's mother was shocked.
Mu Nan nodded solemnly: "The bigwigs in the capital are used to seeing good things. They don't like cheap things. I can only give them expensive things. Even if they don't like it, it's almost the same."
The Mu family members looked at each other, and no one spoke for a long time. Only the cold wind in their ears was still howling tirelessly.
Mu Jinhua shuddered, sniffed a few bubbles, and whispered, "What should we do now?"
Mu Nan said: "We can only buy a cheap one, or wait for Princess Chao Yan's people to send something over."
"Buy a house first." Mu's mother didn't want to be left behind, otherwise everyone would think her son was a gigolo.
It is obvious that Princess Chaoyan cannot live without his son.
Mu Nan nodded and told someone to call the pawnbroker over. However, after looking around, he found that the money he had could only afford houses in the South City and the North City.
Mu Dong complained: "They say the North City is poor and the South City is cheap. Have we fallen to this point?"
The houses in the north city were small and shabby, and were inhabited by the poor. On the other hand, the south city was a gathering place for all kinds of people, including wine shops, brothels, and theaters. The scholars, farmers, merchants, and artisans were the lowest class, so although it was prosperous and bustling, it was still looked down upon by the upper class.
Mu Nan preferred to go to South City, where the largest brothel in the capital, Qunfanglou, was located, but he knew he couldn't do that.
Seeking pleasure was one thing, but buying a house to live in was absolutely out of the question. He had finally made it across social classes, so how could he hang out with those at the bottom? What would the officials think of him if they knew?
Finally, he made the final decision: "We'll buy a house in North City."
…………………………
Yun Yuan slept soundly, and when she woke up, she saw Mu Nan buying a house.
[System, the plot has changed. Can I still modify it?]
[Yes, you can think of the plot as the future, but it is narrated in text form and can still be modified.]
Yun Yuan nodded and watched Mu Nan buy a three-story house in North City for one thousand taels and start the plot modification system.
Although the courtyard Mu Nan bought was in the North City, it was large enough. With three courtyards, it could house not only the entire family, but also over a hundred servants. Aside from its location, age, and run-down appearance, it didn't have any major issues.
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