Chapter 131 Chapter 131 Entering Beijing (2)
The luggage and dowry from the ship were moved one by one to the carts that Zhao Jian and Feng Youcai had rented in advance. It took twelve mule carts to load everything. Zhao Jian and Asheng walked at the back to escort the carts, while Liu Shi led her family to head towards the capital under Mao Neng's guidance.
The carriage swayed and bumped along, and after half a day's journey, they arrived in the capital. Liu Shi held Rui Rui in her arms, lifted the curtain, and gazed absently at the familiar yet unfamiliar scenery outside.
After four years, she finally returned to this place.
Thinking back to four years ago, when he was living a peaceful life in his secluded mansion, everything changed in an instant. He was kicked out of the capital in a sorry state, and both he and his wife fell seriously ill. They thought they wouldn't make it back. But when they returned four years later, not only had they established themselves in Biyang County, but they also had a little son who was both annoying and lovable.
Holding her son's soft little hand, Liu felt a sweet warmth in her heart. Her son, Qi, was about to get married, and she could have been preparing to be a grandmother, waiting to hold her grandchildren. Who would have thought that she, in her thirties, would have given birth to another child, and whose personality was completely different from her elder brother's? Moreover, her husband predicted that this younger son would definitely not be suited for studying, so they would have to save up more money to leave him. They knew that apart from the house given to them by Third Master Meng, they didn't even have a place to stay in the capital…
I wonder how the housing prices in Beijing are doing after four years? Qi Ge'er is getting married, so let's finally get him a new house. We may not have a lot of money, but buying a small courtyard near the west side of the city is still very necessary. If he ranks high in the imperial examination, he can enter the Hanlin Academy; if he ranks low, he might enter one of the Six Ministries to observe politics. He will stay in Beijing for several years. Are we really going to live in the east side of the city and commute two hours every day?
Perhaps after Meng Liniang's wedding, she should look for a suitable small courtyard. It doesn't matter if it's small, since her family isn't large, it'll be enough for them...
She was lost in thought the whole way when the carriage stopped. Mao Neng's voice came from outside the carriage: "Madam, we have arrived."
The carriage curtain was lifted, and Mao Neng placed a small stool under the carriage. He then helped Liu Shi down from the carriage. Rui Rui didn't want to move and reached out to Liu Shi, saying, "Hug—"
Mao Neng quickly stepped forward: "Young master, let me carry you down."
Rui Rui, however, was shy and didn't want him to hold her: "Mommy, hold me."
Li Xiaoxiao and Meng Guanqi also came down. Aze sat with them. Seeing his little brother standing on the carriage, shivering from the cold, Aze felt a little sorry for him and immediately ran over: "Little brother, let me carry you down."
Rui Rui obediently stretched out his little hand, and Aze hugged his chubby body and lifted him down from the carriage.
The two brothers held hands and followed Liu into the courtyard.
Liu had already heard Mao Neng say that the courtyard was a bit small, but when she entered the gate, she found that it really was small. It was said to be two courtyards, but in reality, it was only about half the size of their back office in Biyang County. It was more like a slightly larger courtyard that had been forcibly divided into two courtyards. The open space in the second courtyard was only the size of a palm, and there wasn't even a single tree planted. It was bare, and the soil in the middle was frozen solid.
Liu brought almost her entire family with her, and as soon as they entered, she wanted to arrange accommodations.
She lived in the main house with Rui Rui and A Ze, Aunt Luo lived in the left side room with her maid Tao Xiang, Granny Qi lived in the right side room with Liu Zhi, Meng Liniang lived in the east wing with her maid Xing Ge, Li Xiaoxiao lived in the west wing, Xiu Mei and her daughter Xiao Yan Yue lived in the room on the left side of the back room with Zhao Jian, Mao Neng's family lived on the right side, and the empty room in the middle was used to store Meng Liniang's dowry.
Meng Guanqi and Asheng were arranged to live in the side rooms on either side of the study in the front yard, and another gatekeeper lived in a partitioned room next to the main gate.
After everyone's rooms were assigned, the luggage carts arrived one after another. The servants were busy putting Meng Liniang's dowry into the empty room in the back seat, which was so crowded that it almost couldn't fit everything.
Liu gave a reward to the helpers who pulled the cart and also gave red envelopes to Feng Youcai and the others who came to help.
Feng Youcai accepted the reward generously. Knowing that the Liu family was in a lot of trouble, he did not want to cause any more trouble. He bowed and said, "Madam Meng has arrived safely. I will go home and report to my husband and wife to put their minds at ease."
Liu hurriedly said, "These past few days have been hectic at home. I'll take Liniang to visit Madam Min when I have some free time."
Upon receiving confirmation, Feng Youcai repeatedly agreed, bowed, and left with his entourage.
After seeing Feng Youcai off, the whole house instantly became chaotic. Luggage had to be put away everywhere, familiar items had to be found and put away, and since it was so cold in the house that people couldn't stand, all the kang beds in the rooms had to be heated.
As a result, problems were discovered as soon as the kang (heated brick bed) in several rooms was lit; they were all blocked. It must have been because the kang hadn't been renovated before the New Year, and the smoke couldn't escape. Now, the kang was unusable, and they could only use charcoal fires.
Zhao Jian arrived only two or three days earlier than Liu and his family. He had not pre-ordered charcoal, so he did not buy much. Therefore, he had to wait for Liu's instructions on how to distribute the limited amount of charcoal.
Liu was overwhelmed with troubles upon arriving in the capital. She could only distribute the charcoal evenly to different places, hoping to get through today and then go to the market to buy firewood tomorrow.
All the adults in the house were busy packing up, and the house was so small that you would bump into someone if you turned around, so Aze, Rui Rui, and Xiao Yan Yue from Xiu Mei's family were all kicked out of the house and stood in the yard.
The ground in the courtyard was frozen white, and stepping on it would bounce back and hurt your feet. Rui Rui didn't like it here. Liu Shi even asked him to come out and play with his brother, but he wanted to play tag with his brother, but there was nowhere to run around here.
Aze wasn't used to it either. He thought that Xiaoxiao's house in Biyang County was small enough, but at least there was a front yard where he could put toys and play obstacle courses with his younger brother. But this place was much smaller than he had imagined. Moreover, not a single blade of grass grew in this tiny patch of land. If he fell, his knees would definitely be scraped.
He muttered, "This place is no fun at all, it's too small."
He shouldn't have said anything, because as soon as he did, Rui Rui's little mouth pouted, and she burst into loud sobs, "I want to go home! I don't want to be here!"
He had a particularly strong voice, and when he cried, it was deafening. Before Liu could even rush out of the house, someone next door was already asking, "Whose child is crying so hard? Aren't you going to comfort him?"
The sound was clearly audible.
Mrs. Liu was stunned. She hadn't expected her neighbors to live so close by; even a child crying could disturb others. She quickly hugged Rui Rui, saying, "Rui Rui, don't cry. Are you too cold? It's alright, Granny Qi is already starting a fire. It'll be warm once the charcoal is burning..."
But Rui Rui wasn't crying because he was cold; he was crying because the place was too small and there was nowhere to play. So Liu's words couldn't comfort him, and he kept crying.
Li Xiaoxiao also felt that the place was far too small. Now that she was Meng Guanqi's fiancée, she naturally couldn't live with the servants anymore, so Liu Shi let her live in the west wing. To be honest, this west wing was not even as big as the side room she lived in in Biyang County.
Moreover, things were in a flurry of activity right now. Some were starting fires, some were cleaning, some were fetching water, and some were looking for their luggage. People were coming and going, making the small courtyard seem even more crowded and inconvenient. Then Xingge said that there was no water. She asked Mao Neng, who actually said that there was no well in the courtyard and that she needed to go out and call someone to bring water. A bucket of water would cost two coins...
Seeing Rui Rui crying because she couldn't adapt to the weather and the sudden shrinking of the house, A Ze was also unhappy. Xiao Yan Yue was too scared to speak and kept trying to burrow into Xiu Mei's arms, but Xiu Mei didn't have any hands free to take care of her...
Li Xiaoxiao wondered if she had masochistic tendencies. Why would she choose to live in such a cramped house instead of a big one, and look how aggrieved the child is?
She came out of the house, took Rui Rui, who was crying uncontrollably, from Liu's arms, and then took Aze's hand: "Madam, I'll take them out for a walk."
Mrs. Liu breathed a sigh of relief and said gratefully, "Thank you for your hard work. This child has never suffered much hardship since he was little. You know, it's extremely difficult to have a house of this size in the capital..."
Although the house is in the east of the city, it is a small courtyard with two courtyards and a decent location. It is right next to the bustling main street and would cost at least three or four thousand taels of silver. Moreover, they have not spent any money. It was given to them by Third Master Meng. They are already grateful to have a place to live. How could they complain that it is too small?
She was anxious because the children weren't used to it. Now that Li Xiaoxiao was willing to take them out to play and distract them, she could focus her energy on tidying up the house.
Li Xiaoxiao held Rui Rui in her left arm and held A Ze's hand in her right, then walked towards the front yard.
Aze followed her without hesitation, not even turning his head.
Li Xiaoxiao found Meng Guanqi, who was tidying up the study, and Asheng, who was making the bed: "You two stop tidying up and come out with me."
Seeing that she had two children with her, Meng Guanqi asked in surprise, "Where are you going?"
Li smiled without saying a word, and gestured to Ah Sheng: "Go and catch a carriage."
After Ah Sheng drove the car out, Li Xiaoxiao directed him to head towards the west of the city. Meng Guanqi then realized, "You want to go and take a look at the house in the west of the city?"
Li Xiaoxiao blinked: "Why would you choose to live in a small house when you have a big one?"
A sense of powerlessness rose in Meng Guanqi's heart: "Xiaoxiao, that's a house bestowed upon you by the Crown Prince..."
How could he live in his fiancée's house?
Li smiled and said, "But it's only a quarter of an hour's journey from there to the capital!"
Meng Guanqi said, "We are not married yet. Even if we were married, it would be unreasonable for me to take your dowry."
Li smiled and said, "But it's only a quarter of an hour's journey from there to the capital!"
Meng Guanqi said, "My parents won't agree."
Li smiled and said, "But it's only a quarter of an hour's journey from there to the capital!"
Meng Guanqi was speechless; the reason was simply too compelling.
Li Xiaoxiao argued vehemently, "Did you hear the Crown Prince say that the house was for me alone? No, right? We rescued him together. He rewarded me with gold and you with precious books. Doesn't that even things out? Why is there an extra land deed? It means it was given to us to live in. He already knew we would get married. Where would we live after we got married? Where else could we live as glamorously as living in the house he bestowed upon us?"
Meng Guanqi was dumbfounded. The reason she came up with to get his family to move in was...
Li Xiaoxiao complained, "Isn't the place we're staying now a gift from someone else? Since it's all a gift from someone else, why do you insist on living in a small place instead of a big one? I don't understand why you're forcing yourself to suffer."
She got more and more excited as she spoke: "Besides, do I need to live in such a big house by myself? Three courtyards! I even spent two hundred taels of gold to have Madam Pang help with the renovations. If I were to live alone, why would I need to renovate all three courtyards at once? I could just renovate one room. Do you think I would sleep in every room for a night just because it's new?"
She squatted down on the carriage seat: "You'll be taking the imperial examination in three months. The imperial examination is in the capital city. Are you planning to set off to queue up at midnight? Wouldn't it be better to sleep near the imperial examination? If there's traffic, it won't take long to walk there!"
Meng Guanqi shamefully fell for him.
Li Xiaoxiao patted his shoulder, delivering the final blow: "You dared to marry me, but you don't even dare to live in a house?"
Meng Guanqi stared intently at her, spitting out each word through gritted teeth: "I, here, will, move, in."
Li Xiaoxiao was satisfied and pinched his earlobe: "That's a good boy."
Meng Guanqi trembled slightly, her face instantly turning bright red. She glared at her in a panic and whispered, "The child is here..."
Li Xiaoxiao burst into laughter.
The east side of the city is quite far from the west side. It took half an hour for the carriage to arrive. Ah Sheng listened to the two of them arguing inside, and it took him a while to realize that His Highness the Crown Prince had bestowed a three-courtyard mansion upon Sister Xiaoxiao.
Ah Sheng had forgotten how to write the word "envy." A three-courtyard mansion, a three-courtyard mansion in Chang Le Fang near the palace, wouldn't it cost ten thousand taels of silver per house? And His Highness the Crown Prince just bestowed it upon Sister Xiao Xiao like that?
Oh no, Sister Xiaoxiao said it was a gift for her and the young master, but in any case, she has already persuaded the young master to move in.
The carriage turned a corner and finally entered Chang Le Fang. After walking along the street for four houses, Li Xiaoxiao called out, "Stop!"
Ah Sheng looked up and saw the two large characters "Pang Mansion" written above. He exclaimed in surprise, "Is this the place?"
This gate is so imposing! So it's called the Pang Mansion?
Li Xiaoxiao patted Asheng's head: "What are you thinking about? This is Pang Shi's house. Our house is a little over there next door, but I don't know if the house has been repaired yet. I'll go ask Madam Pang now."
Hearing that Li Xiaoxiao had returned, Madam Qi arrived quickly. Upon seeing her, she smiled and said, "Young Lady Li, I guessed you would be arriving in the next few days, and you really are here—"
Her gaze shifted and suddenly stopped on the boy who was holding Li Xiaoxiao's hand. Her expression immediately changed, and she said in a trembling voice, "This, this is, His Highness the Crown Prince?" She hurriedly bowed to him.
It had been a while since anyone had shown him such a grand gesture, so he paused for a moment before replying in a deep voice, "No need for such formalities, Madam Pang, please rise."
Qi Shi's beautiful eyes welled up with tears: "Your Highness, you're finally back! Do the Crown Prince and the Empress know?"
Aze turned his head away: "I haven't had a chance to say it yet. I want to go with Sister Xiaoxiao to see the yard. Sister Xiaoxiao, please take us to see it quickly. I don't want to live in the small house in the east of the city anymore."
Aze clearly didn't want to continue this topic in front of Qi Shi, and Qi Shi immediately realized that she seemed to have said something wrong, so she quickly said, "Alright, alright, I'll take you to see if you're satisfied with the courtyard renovation."
She took Bitao's hand and led the way, saying as they walked, "The courtyard has been repaired for about a month now. In addition to the newly made furniture, some of the renovated furniture has been coated with tung oil. I asked the craftsmen to open the doors and windows to ventilate it. After almost a month, there is no smell anymore, so it's fine to move in now."
In less than fifteen minutes, they arrived at the main gate. There was nothing hanging on the gate, and a large brass lock held it firmly in place. Bitao took a bunch of keys from her waist, found the largest one, and used it to open the door.
Li Xiaoxiao asked curiously, "Is the original gatekeeper gone?"
Qi said, "The original gatekeeper has been transferred to guard other properties of the Crown Prince. This house has already been bestowed upon you, so the gatekeeper should be someone you arranged."
As soon as the gate opened, Li Xiaoxiao's eyes lit up. The dusty screen wall had been renovated and looked very pleasing.
Passing the screen wall, a completely new look unfolds before your eyes. The pillars with peeling paint have been repainted, all the weeds have been cleared away, the evergreen trees have been trimmed neatly, and the broken floor tiles in the yard have all been replaced with new ones. Open any room at random, and you'll find that the furniture has either been replaced or refurbished. The basic bed, bedside table, wardrobe, table and chairs are all there, but soft furnishings and decorations are missing.
Qi pointed to the large kang (heated brick bed) in the room and said, "The underfloor heating in every room has been renovated. As long as you light firewood, the kang will be warm, so you won't be afraid of the cold weather. When are you planning to move in? You haven't prepared any firewood or coal, have you? I've prepared a lot. I'll send some over to you first, and when you have some free time, I'll have the steward tell you where to buy it cheaper..."
Since entering the first courtyard, Rui Rui has taken the initiative to get down and walk. The first, second, and third courtyards, as well as the back garden, are more than twice the size of his home in Biyang County. In particular, there is a huge open space in the third courtyard where he can play however he wants.
Qi took Li Xiaoxiao and Meng Guanqi to see the house, and he held Aze's hand and ran around the house, having a great time.
Finally, he got a little tired from running and pointed to the kang (a heated brick bed) in the main room of the three-courtyard house, saying, "Brother, go to sleep."
It means he wants to sleep in this room with his brother.
Aze was very satisfied. Such a big courtyard is the kind of place where people should live, especially the big kang (heated brick bed) here, which can sleep ten people sideways!
Unlike Rui Rui, who was born in the south, Aze is from the north and knows that once the earthen stove is lit, the whole house will be warm, unlike the cold courtyard in the west of the city.
He nodded solemnly: "Yes, we'll sleep in this room. I'll sleep with you tonight."
Hearing that Qi had firewood to give away, Li Xiaoxiao didn't stand on ceremony and immediately asked her to help heat up the kang (heated brick bed) in the house, as she was moving in today.
Qi gave the order, and the servants from the Pang family quickly came over with firewood and began to heat the kang (a heated brick bed) as instructed by Li Xiaoxiao.
Meng Guanqi walked around the courtyard, reached out and gently picked a withered leaf from the dry flowers and trees in the corridor, then turned to ask Madam Qi, "Madam Pang, I haven't spent a winter in the capital for four years now. Is November in the capital as bitterly cold as it is now in previous years?"
Is it just his imagination? Has he been in the south for too long and is no longer used to the northern weather?
Speaking of this, Madam Qi also asked with doubt, "It's not that Young Master Meng is mistaken. This winter is indeed exceptionally cold. Even the price of firewood and charcoal is more than 10% higher than in previous years. I heard from my husband that Jizhou and Huzhou in the north have experienced snow disasters of varying degrees, and the Emperor is extremely worried about it."
When the officials of the prefecture reported the disaster, the imperial court had to find a way to provide relief. Each relief effort required funds from the national treasury, and it was only November; the coldest months of December and January were yet to come.
Next February will be the triennial imperial examination. The examination halls need to be renovated, the exam papers need to be printed, and the examiners and their accompanying invigilators need to be settled. They are all eagerly waiting for the court to allocate funds. It would be strange if the emperor wasn't furious.
Meng Guanqi asked, "Has the Imperial Observatory made any predictions about how long the cold winter will last?"
Madam Qi was taken aback: "I haven't heard of that before."
Li Xiaoxiao immediately realized: "Are you worried that the cold wave won't have passed in February?" The imperial examination is on February 19th, and it's not even March yet. Cold snaps often occur in spring. If it were to snow heavily overnight, all the candidates in the examination hall would probably get sick from the cold.
Meng Guanqi recalled: "The special imperial examination held in the second year of Jian'an was during a winter that was the worst in thirty years. The cold wave did not subside until March. More than ten candidates who participated in the examination froze to death, and more than five hundred suffered from frostbite and illness, resulting in a tragedy known in history as the Xin Gui Tragedy. At that time, the new emperor intended to benefit all the candidates by holding the special imperial examination, but unexpectedly, due to the excessively long winter and the rigidity and inflexibility of the chief examiners of the Ministry of Rites, many candidates died..."
Because the examinations were extremely strict, candidates could only wear a single layer of clothing, no quilted or woolen garments were allowed, and no more than five layers were permitted. They had to bring their own food and oil lamps. Candidates were allowed to bring charcoal that met certain standards to heat their water, but no more than seven pieces could be brought in per exam session. However, the candidates that year intended to use the charcoal to heat their water to avoid getting diarrhea from eating cold food, which would affect their exams. Unfortunately, the weather was too cold, and the charcoal couldn't be saved for heating the water; it was all used to heat the ink that had frozen solid…
After the tragedy, the people were outraged and angrily accused the chief examiner of the Ministry of Rites of disregarding human life. Emperor Jian'an had no choice but to punish the chief examiner to appease public anger. However, changing the rules of the imperial examination was no easy task. The court debated for several years without reaching a conclusion. The next imperial examination happened to fall during a warm spring, and the matter was left unresolved.
For more than twenty years afterward, no winter as severe as that of the second year of Jian'an was encountered, and the incident was gradually forgotten by the world. However, Meng Guanqi remembered this history very clearly when he read it in the history books. This was because he was forced by circumstances to pass the imperial examination this year, so he paid special attention to anything that might affect his exam.
Li Xiaoxiao's expression changed slightly: "How cold was it back then? Was it colder than it is now?"
Meng Guanqi said, "I once asked the headmaster about this matter. The headmaster said that on the day of the first examination, the wind was howling and it was raining and snowing. Everyone in the capital was so cold that they stayed at home and didn't go out. The streets were covered with ice shards..."
Sleet! Li Xiaoxiao recalled the day when the Crown Prince was being chased by assassins. If it weren't for that dilapidated temple, they probably would have frozen to death on the way. The candidates in the second year of Jian'an were really unlucky. The examination cells were so small, and it happened to be raining and snowing. It was no wonder that they froze to death or suffered frostbite.
That was more than twenty years ago. Hopefully, he won't be so unlucky as to run into that situation again next year. Not being allowed to wear more than five layers of clothing, how can Meng Guanqi handle that?
Li Xiaoxiao stepped forward solemnly, squeezed Meng Guanqi's arm, and then pressed his chest, as if she had made a decision: "Don't worry, leave it all to me!"
She made a decision: over the next three months, she would build up all his muscles so that he wouldn't freeze to death in the examination hall due to his weak constitution.
In her opinion, these ancient people were really inflexible. Rules are rigid, but people are flexible. Those who could enter the imperial examination hall were all successful candidates in the provincial examinations, having overcome numerous obstacles to get there. And they just froze to death? Isn't that unfair? Is it easy for them to train a successful candidate in the provincial examinations?
They were all successful candidates in the imperial examinations, and they had come all the way to the capital to take the exams. Did they really need a few taels of silver? Couldn't they have each paid for a fire pit to put under their feet? If they were worried about cheating or smuggling, wouldn't it have been easier to check them carefully when they brought them in? They just stood by and watched the successful candidates freeze to death on the spot. I don't know what kind of hearts those examiners had.
Meng Guanqi was taken aback. What did she mean by "give to her"? But Li Xiaoxiao kept him in suspense and refused to tell him. Instead, she went inside and touched the kang (heated brick bed) in the room. It was already starting to warm up. She clapped her hands in satisfaction and said, "Come on, let's go and bring Madam and the others over. We won't stay there anymore."
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