Chapter 173 Arrival in Kyoto
Five days later, Liu Ye's carriage was stopped at the gate of the capital city. The soldiers guarding the city refused to let her in, telling her to go back to where she came from. The reason given was that she did not have a pass, which was a certificate issued by the government office. Without it, she was not allowed to enter the city.
She had no choice but to drive the carriage into the nearby grove. Damn it, no one told her she needed proof to enter the capital. It was her fault for being careless. She would have asked around when she came out. But she still had a way to get into the city. It was just a pity about the carriage. She waved her hand and put the carriage into her spatial storage. Then she strolled over to the city gate and stood not far away to watch.
At the city gate, there were many horse-drawn carriages and oxcarts coming in and out. Without exception, they all had to stop for inspection. Wen Die was able to enter the city smoothly. She only needed to sneak into a carriage to follow them in. At this moment, more than a dozen horse-drawn carriages drove up from not far away, followed by a group of nurses on horseback. The carriages happened to stop in front of Liu Ye. She saw this as an opportunity and thought, "Here comes my chance!"
She reached into her sleeve pocket, pulled out a handful of loose silver coins, and threw them on the ground: "Hey, whose silver coins did you drop?"
"It's mine, it's mine!" Pedestrians and guards on horseback jumped down to pick up the silver. After they finished picking up the silver, it was time for their carriages to enter the city.
The Su family's carriage slowly drove into the capital. In the carriage at the front sat Su Qingfeng, the third sister of the Su family. She was the daughter of the current Prime Minister Su, as well as a favored concubine in the harem and the younger sister of Consort Su. Su Qingfeng would go to Bodhi Temple to offer incense on the first and fifteenth of each month, and today she had just returned to the city after offering incense.
Willow Leaf, who had been hiding under the carriage, also successfully entered the capital. She threw a handful of silver on the ground and, while the people and guards were scrambling to grab it, quickly rolled out from under the carriage and hid in a nearby alley. Only after the convoy had slowly gone far away did she emerge from the alley.
Look, she's already inside. However, she can't go looking for Brother Bai rashly yet. Brother Bai is secretly working for King Xuan, and this can't be known by others. She'll settle down in the capital first and find Brother Bai later.
She looked at the bustling capital city, where pedestrians were dressed in fine silks and satins, their bright colors dazzling. The fabrics looked smooth and comfortable, and when the wind blew, their clothes fluttered. Even in thick cotton coats, they didn't look bulky; they looked quite good. Unlike Xiangshan Town, where everyone was dressed in drab gray shorts. Even during the New Year, she didn't see many people wearing new clothes on the street.
Looking at the houses, she couldn't take her eyes off them. The buildings were all made of blue bricks and gray tiles, some even two or three stories high. The walls were decorated with exquisite patterns, and the wooden window frames were carved with flowers and birds. They looked sturdy and beautiful.
Especially those tall buildings that can be seen everywhere, some are restaurants, some are silk shops, with vermilion doors wide open and colorful banners hanging at the entrances, rustling in the wind. Lanterns hang under the eaves, and even though it is daytime, she can imagine how beautiful they will be when lit up at night.
Liu Ye walked along the street. The pavilions in the distance were even taller, with upturned eaves, as if they were about to fly into the sky. People came and went on the street, and the wheels of carriages rolled over the bluestone pavement, making a "clattering" sound. Mixed with the shouts of vendors and the laughter of people, it was so lively that she wondered if this was a movie theater.
So this is the capital city. It's really different from Xiangshan Town. If she had known the capital city was so good, she would have settled here and avoided all this trouble.
As she strolled around, Liu Ye spotted a brokerage ahead and went inside without a second thought. To her surprise, she was greeted by a young woman named Erxi, the brokerage's owner: "Excuse me, miss, are you looking to buy a house or a shop? I just received a batch of new ones."
After thinking for a moment, Liu Ye said, "I want to buy a house, a good house, and a shop in a good location."
Selling the shop was a decision she had just made. There were many wealthy people in the capital, and she decided to open a fruit shop so that Brother Bai might be able to see her.
Erxi handed Liuye a booklet and gestured in it for a while: "I just acquired this house yesterday. You must have heard that Li Shilang was corrupt and his whole family was exiled to Ningguta. This is the Li family's house. You don't need to worry about the quality of the house. The second young master of the Li family likes garden design, and he designed the Li family house to be very beautiful. It has the style of Jiangnan everywhere. It's just a bit expensive. I bought it for 30,000 taels and I'm selling it for 32,000 taels. I can't sell it for less than that."
Liu Ye didn't mind the price; as long as it was comfortable to stay at home, she was fine: "By the way, I'm not from Kyoto; I'm from Xiangshan Town. Can I transfer ownership of this house?"
Erxi smiled and nodded: "Of course you can. As long as you can enter the capital city, whether you are from out of town or a local, you can transfer ownership of any building, land or shop you buy."
Liu Ye immediately agreed: "Okay, I'll take this house. Now, can you help me pick out a shop? I'd like to buy a bigger one."
Erxi glanced at the ledger and said, "You want a bigger shop? There aren't any left on Peony Street. All the streets in Kyoto are named after flowers. Peony Street is the main street in our Kyoto. There is a big shop on Peony Street behind it, but the owner had an accident a few days ago, and it was just put up in my shop yesterday. The shop area is 100 square meters, with a courtyard in the back. I think there are also servants in the courtyard, but I haven't seen it yet. The courtyard and the shop together are 360 square meters. The owner is asking for 5,200 taels, and I'll round it down a bit at most."
Liu Ye also thought it was alright. This was Kyoto, so it was only natural that shops and houses were expensive: "Okay, let's settle the bill and transfer the property together. I brought the money with me."
Erxi quickly processed the paperwork for Liuye. After Liuye paid the money and completed the transfer of ownership, Erxi took her to the newly purchased house. The house was very beautiful, with a tall gatehouse, two large red-lacquered doors with copper nails on them, and a stone lion on each side. The neighboring houses on both sides were also large houses like this.
Upon entering the courtyard, Erxi whispered, "Miss Liu, the people living here are no ordinary people. Your left neighbor is Prime Minister Su, your right neighbor is the Prince Xuan's residence, your front neighbor is the Princess's residence, and your back neighbor is the Minister Zhang's residence. In short, everyone living in this area is either an official or a member of the imperial family. You must be careful when you come and go, and be sure not to offend them, or we'll be in deep trouble."
"Especially Princess Ruyi across the street. She is the emperor's most favored daughter and is notoriously arrogant and domineering. Human life is nothing but ants in her eyes. You must not offend the Su family either. The eldest daughter of Prime Minister Su is the emperor's most favored Consort Su. Let me add one more thing: even the servants in the Su family are more powerful than their masters..."
Liu Ye nodded gratefully, "Thank you for reminding me, Miss Xi. I understand now."
Erxi smiled and nodded: "Everything inside the house is yours too. The Li family left without taking anything with them, but there's nothing valuable left. The valuables were all taken away when the government raided the house, leaving only some worthless tables, chairs, and benches."
"By the way, the shop you bought used to be a pharmacy, and the owner was a doctor. The things inside were not taken away, and they all belong to you now. You can sell the things you don't need. There are people in our capital who specialize in buying these things."
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com