Chapter 183 [VIP]
Wang Ying followed the broker in a carriage to Baihu Street. Along the way, they chatted and learned that the man's surname was Zheng. He was not a native of Kyoto, but his hometown was Xuzhou. He had been living in Kyoto for more than 20 years.
"Judging from your accent, you must be from out of town, right?"
“Our hometown is Jizhou. After my husband passed the imperial examination with top honors, he stayed in the capital to take up a post.”
Shopkeeper Zheng's eyes widened upon hearing this, "Top Scholar, your husband isn't that Scholar Chen?!"
Wang Ying nodded and said, "That's right."
"Oh my, this is quite something!" Manager Zheng's gaze immediately changed. Before, he thought he was a distant relative of Lord Liu's family, and he was thinking of giving him a small discount as a token gesture.
Upon learning that her husband was the top scholar in the imperial examination, the shopkeeper became even more amiable and planned to lower the price to the lowest possible level. Even if he didn't make a profit, he wanted to build a good relationship with her, since who knew she might rise to prominence in the future.
After a quarter of an hour's journey, the carriage finally arrived at White Tiger Street. White Tiger Street is located in the west of the city, and most of the residents here are ordinary people. The surrounding environment is quite good, but the roads are a bit narrow.
After walking into an alley, the carriage could no longer proceed, so Wang Ying got off and followed Manager Zheng on foot into the alley.
Because it had rained a few days ago, the alley was muddy and slippery, and the two of them walked across by stepping on bricks that someone had laid out.
Shopkeeper Zheng wiped the sweat from his forehead and said, "The road here is difficult to travel, which is why the prices are low."
Wang Ying nodded in understanding, but the road was really difficult to travel, and if they bought a house here, it would be a problem where they would park their carriage.
Upon arriving at the house they wanted to see, Manager Zheng took out his key and opened the door. A lush green jujube tree came into view, its branches laden with green and yellow jujubes, which should be fully ripe in another half month.
There are three rooms in the front row, which can be used as bedrooms for servants and a study for the master of the house. The courtyard behind the hanging flower gate is a little more spacious, with three main rooms and two side rooms, three wing rooms on each side, and a row of rear rooms for cooking and storing miscellaneous items.
"Take a look and see what you think. If you're not satisfied, you can look at other options."
Wang Ying looked around and said, "The house looks nice, but it's too cramped. We had to take two carriages to get into the courtyard."
"Let's go check out another street; it's more spacious there."
After leaving the alley, we boarded a carriage and continued westward. Before long, we arrived at another household that was selling their wares. This alley was slightly wider than the one before, and the carriage could fit through.
However, the courtyard was very narrow. After looking around, Wang Ying shook her head and came out, saying, "The courtyard is too small. There's not enough room to move around even if two carriages are parked there."
After visiting several more shops, none of which met her expectations, Wang Ying said apologetically, "Thank you for helping me look around for so long, Manager Zheng."
"It's alright, it's alright. Buying a house is a big deal, and it should go smoothly. Otherwise, it'll be awkward to live in a house that doesn't suit you."
That makes perfect sense.
Shopkeeper Zheng took out a handkerchief to wipe the sweat from his forehead and said, "All the houses on White Tiger Street are similar in layout, which may not suit your taste, young master. Why don't you go and take a look at a few other streets?"
"good."
On the way, Manager Zheng introduced him to the streets of Kyoto. Kyoto has four main roads, namely Azure Dragon, White Tiger, Vermilion Bird, and Black Tortoise, corresponding to the east, west, south, and north.
Xuanwu Street to the north is part of the imperial city, so we won't discuss that for now. Qinglong Street to the east is divided into three side streets: Changle, Changping, and Chang'an. Most of the residents here are powerful and wealthy officials, so the houses are naturally expensive due to the prime location.
To the west is Baihu Street, which we just visited. It is mainly inhabited by ordinary people and merchants. Because there are many people and little land, it is particularly crowded.
To the south is Zhuque Avenue, a commercial street where all kinds of shops, restaurants, and inns are gathered. Tongfu Inn, where Wang Ying and her group are staying, is located here.
Behind Suzaku Avenue is another street called Fangshi, which is the lowest rung of Kyoto. Brothels, acrobatic theaters, and slums where poor people live are all located here. The housing prices there are cheap, but few people go there to buy houses because the environment is too bad, thieves roam everywhere, and the people are treated worse than dogs.
Upon arriving at Qinglong Street, we first went to Changping Road. The road here was much wider than the place we had just seen, and the ground was paved with neat fine pebbles, so the carriage did not feel bumpy at all.
Wang Ying lifted the carriage curtain and looked outside. Seeing the rows of neat doors, she couldn't help but say, "This side looks much better."
Manager Zheng nodded and said, "That's right, but the price isn't cheap."
"How much would a two-courtyard house like this cost?"
Manager Zheng pondered for a moment and said, "The lowest price is eight thousand taels. I've already pushed the price down to the lowest possible level."
Eight thousand taels is still within my budget, Wang Ying said, "Then let's go take a look."
After getting off the carriage, the two walked towards a house not far away. This time, Manager Zheng didn't take the key and went straight up to knock on the door. After a short while, an elderly man opened the door.
"Uncle Fang, I've brought some people to look at the house."
"Hey, please come in quickly."
Wang Ying followed them into the courtyard. As soon as she entered, she was attracted by the huge stone screen at the entrance. The landscape painting carved on the stone looked very elegant, and the four characters "厚德载物" (Hou De Zai Wu, meaning "Great virtue carries all things") were also carved next to it.
Manager Zheng explained, "This family's surname is Fang. The owner of the house was formerly the Vice Minister of the Ministry of Works. He is related to me by a generation. I should call him my third maternal uncle. He retired last year and returned to his hometown of Xuzhou. Since his children are all there, the house was left vacant, and he entrusted me to help sell it."
Wang Ying looked around the yard and could tell that the previous owner had taken great care of it; there wasn't even a weed in the yard, and the doors and windows were all freshly painted.
Once inside, the house was fully furnished, though it showed signs of wear and tear from years of use. Overall, however, the house was more than twice as good as the one on White Tiger Street!
Uncle Fang brought over tea, and Wang Ying quickly thanked him.
"What do you think, my lord?"
"It's great, to be honest, it suits my taste better than the other houses I just looked at."
Shopkeeper Zheng laughed, "Young master, you have excellent taste. I originally didn't plan to sell this courtyard; I intended to keep it for my son's wedding. However, the boy thought the house was too old, and it wasn't worth renovating, so I decided to put it up for sale."
Wang Ying said, "Then I must thank Manager Zheng!"
"Hey, let's make friends. Who knows, I might need your help sometime in the future."
Wang Ying cupped her hands and said, "If it's of any use, I'll definitely help."
"If there's nothing else, let's settle on this. When do you have time to sign the contract, and then we'll take the household registration to the government office to transfer the ownership?"
"Tomorrow, I'll come to the brokerage to find you first thing tomorrow morning."
"become!"
After finalizing the price, Wang Ying returned to the inn, where Chen Qingyan had been waiting anxiously. "Why did it take you so long to come back?"
Wang Ying took the water glass he handed her, took a sip, and said, "We've looked at several places, but we weren't quite satisfied with the ones we saw before. This one is pretty good, so let's settle on it for now. You and I will go take another look tomorrow."
"Okay, how much?"
Wang Ying gestured an eight with her hand.
"Eight hundred taels?"
"Eight hundred taels is about right for a latrine, it's eight thousand taels."
Chen Qingyan's eyes widened upon hearing this, "How can it be so expensive!"
"These are still cheap ones. There are plenty of houses that cost tens of thousands or even hundreds of thousands of taels. Of course, there are also cheap ones, but they are so cramped that even a carriage can't fit in. I reckon you wouldn't like them after just one look."
"You can decide for me; your judgment is definitely sound."
Wang Ying smiled and said, "Where's Yuanbao? I haven't seen him."
"Chunsheng and Mutou are playing with him in the backyard of the inn. Just now, Lord Liu sent someone to deliver a message to me, saying that we should go to Guihe Restaurant for dinner together tonight."
"Is he Changyi's uncle?"
"Yes, that's him."
Wang Ying was incredibly curious about this legendary figure. She never expected that someone in such a high position would be so approachable, and that he would even invite them out to dinner.
In the evening, the family changed their clothes and took a carriage to Guihelou Restaurant. This restaurant was located at the intersection of Qinglong Street and Zhuque Street, and there were six or seven other restaurants and eateries around it, making it one of the most bustling areas in Kyoto.
When the carriages stopped at the gate, a waiter came forward to inquire and then took all the carriages to the back courtyard for storage.
Because Lord Liu had made a reservation in advance, they were led directly to a private room upstairs after entering.
When she arrived, Lord Liu hadn't arrived yet. Wang Ying, holding Yuanbao, sat somewhat awkwardly on the stool next to him. This was a second-rank official, equivalent to a national leader in later times, and she was actually fortunate enough to sit and dine with him...
After waiting for about the time it takes to drink a cup of tea, Lord Liu and his wife arrived, accompanied by two young men who were Liu Yaozhi's students. One worked in the Ministry of Revenue, and the other worked in the Hanlin Academy.
It just so happens that Chen Qingyan is about to enter the Hanlin Academy, so this trip is to introduce the two of them.
Upon seeing Lord Liu, Wang Ying immediately stood up and bowed.
"No need for formalities, please sit down."
Wang Ying sat down next to Madam Liu. Yuanbao still remembered Madam Liu and raised his hand to greet her, "Hello, Mother-in-law."
"Good child, look what your mother-in-law brought you." A maid behind Madam Liu handed over a basket containing various kinds of dried fruits from the south, which were not commonly found in the north.
"Please trouble you, Madam, to get him some snacks as well."
"They were all gifts from others. They were too sweet for my mother and me to eat. We don't have any children at home, so we thought Yuanbao would like them."
Little Yuanbao said sweetly, "Thank you, Grandma!"
"You're welcome. How was the house you looked at?"
"I've already found a place I like, it's on Qinglong Street, not too far from your home."
"That's wonderful. Bring the children here often when you have time, and I'll introduce you to some ladies and gentlemen in Kyoto."
Wang Ying smiled and said, "Thank you, Madam."
Meanwhile, Lord Liu also inquired of Chen Qingyan, "You're going to the Hanlin Academy in August. How well do you know about it there?"
"Uncle, we only arrived in Kyoto yesterday and haven't had a chance to go and take a look yet."
“That’s perfect. Li Bin is also an editor at the Hanlin Academy. I’ll have him accompany you there when you have some free time.”
Chen Qingyan quickly bowed to the man to show his goodwill, and the man returned the bow with a smile: "Scholar Chen, I have heard my teacher mention you before, and seeing you today, you are indeed a young talent! We have read your examination paper, and it is very profound. It is no wonder that His Majesty appointed you as the top scholar."
Chen Qingyan blushed at the praise, "Brother Li, you flatter me. I really don't deserve it."
During the meal, the group got to know each other. One of them was Liu Maoen, a distant nephew of Lord Liu and a former Jinshi (successful candidate in the highest imperial examination). He was currently serving as a censor in the Ministry of Revenue. He was a man of few words and somewhat introverted.
During the banquet, Lord Liu talked about the border war. "In early July, news of a victory came from the border. Marquis Wuping led his troops to detour and cut off the Turkic army's supplies. The enemy suffered heavy losses and had no choice but to retreat and defend Luntai."
Wang Ying was taken aback upon hearing this, "Marquis Wuping... wasn't it said that he had already died in battle?"
Li Bin said, "All warfare is based on deception, so it was probably a tactic. However, this battle was indeed fought brilliantly, easing the crisis on the border."
Wang Ying didn't understand what was happening on the battlefield, but she knew that Marquis Wuping was not dead and that her younger brother Sui didn't have to be sad anymore!
A note from the author:
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