Idle courtiers

Chapter 165 Idlers
On the second day, Feng Chuan came over early and led Zhou Nan out to inquire about the price and view the house.

This is the first time that Zhou Nan has penetrated into the lives of ordinary citizens in the metropolis of this era, and everything feels so fresh, which makes him want to write an article "Analysis of Classes in the Capital of the Ming Dynasty".

Not counting the time when he was in Yangzhou before, as Tang Shunzhi's staff, he stayed in the courtyard all day and was so tired that his eyes were blurred.Even if I go out to have fun with my colleagues, I go to brothels, restaurants and scenic spots. In fact, I am still very unfamiliar with that big city.

Judging from the historical materials he has come into contact with in modern society, productivity was developed during the middle and late Ming Dynasty, and prices were actually very low, at least in the eyes of a modern person like him.

As far as the current prices in the capital are concerned, an official uniform costs sixteen or seven taels; a pair of good shoes costs seven taels of silver; a donkey costs 15 taels.Among them, the most fluctuating price is food, such as millet, which people in Beijing love to eat.According to the different grain production in Hebei that year, a stone of millet ranged from one tael to seven taels.

As for the basic necessities of life, housing prices in the Ming Dynasty were not high.As far as Zhou Nan knows, there is a family in Andong County, Huai'an who sells a house, with three main rooms, three side rooms, and three facades.A total of 50 taels of silver were obtained.

What is the concept of 50 taels of silver, which is 4 yuan.Nine rooms, more than 200 square meters, only 4 yuan, comrades!This is cheaper than houses in the post-90s of the twentieth century!

So, how much is the housing price in Beijing?

According to historical data, there was a small businessman in the capital during the Wanli period who sold the storefront houses on the side of the road. There were four houses in the front and back, a total of eight houses, and they sold them for 35 taels of silver.It is equivalent to an average of more than four taels of silver per room, which is no different from that in local counties.

At that time, Zhou Nan felt a little broken, and couldn't help thinking: It is equivalent to more than 100 yuan per square meter in modern times, this is really heaven!
That's why he wanted to buy a house for himself.

However, after walking around the city with Feng Chuan for a day, Zhou Nan was a little shaken by this idea—can this kind of house live in people?

That's right, housing prices in the capital are cheap and the area is large, but it is very dilapidated.Those courtyard houses are so bad that they are like the shantytowns of later generations. They are crowded together, not to mention dirty and smelly, and the transportation is not convenient.The narrow alleys are filled with the cries of vendors selling vegetables, sharpening scissors, chopping kitchen knives, and wrapping briquettes all day long.

There are too many people in the city, and the municipal construction cannot keep up.Garbage and feces are directly facing the street. I don't know how long it has been left without cleaning up. Grass has grown on the dung hills.

It's winter now, and I don't know what a terrible scene it will be in midsummer. No wonder the price of this house is so low.

A piece of quaint and simple courtyard alley seems to have a strong sense of history, but living in it may not be a pleasant experience.

Zhou Nan naturally waved his head.

After such a day, I didn't fancy a set.

Fang Yazi Feng Chuan was also in a hurry, so he invited Zhou Nan to have a drink with rare generosity, and asked Zhou Nan: "Master Zhou, is this house cheap? You know, in the market now, there are people who can cook for a while but can't buy it." The cook at the banquet has to pay ten taels. When you meet a virgin, who is good-looking, after 30 taels, why do you have any hesitation?"

Probably feeling that Feng Chuan was suffering, Zhou Nan was also a little embarrassed, saying that the house is cheap, but it is cheap, but it is broken and noisy, and it is not decent for me to live in it.

Feng Chuan shouted again: "Master Zhou, the officials in Beijing are miserable! If it wasn't for the fat vacancy or the chief doctor in charge of the six departments, it would only be a pitiful two or three taels of silver every month, and it would be the same for a year, and the whole family would have to pay for it." Eat and drink. Many adults buy and rent houses in this area..."

Speaking of this, his heart suddenly moved: "My lord, do you want to live in the inner city? It's so precious there? I've heard of a good place, why don't you visit it tomorrow?"

There are many officials in the capital, and the life of Beijing officials is hard.Seeing that Zhou Nan was only a ninth-rank sesame and mung bean official, Feng Chuan originally felt contemptuous in his heart.But now he suddenly realizes that this week, Mr. Zhou is really an old man from the countryside, and he can make a lot of money.

Zhou Nan is now a pedestrian in the pedestrian department. Although he doesn't have to go to work, he still has to receive his salary every month.The Pedestrian Division is in the inner city, and it would be more convenient to live in the inner city, so he nodded: "It doesn't matter if it's expensive, the key is to be clean, so please."

Another day passed, Feng Chuan came to lead Zhou Nan into the inner city.

This was the first time Zhou Nan saw the Forbidden City, Tiananmen Square, Beihai, Zhonghai, and South China Sea of ​​the Ming Dynasty. Seeing countless cultural relics and historic sites, he suddenly felt that his eyes were not enough.

Seeing Zhou Nan looking around, Feng Chuan urged: "Master Zhou, when you buy a house and live in the inner city, you can see these scenes every day. If you see a lot, it won't be so surprising."

The house Feng Chuan mentioned is located in the southwest of the inner city, not a few steps away from Xuanwu Gate. It is said that it was an estate owned by Wang Zhen, the great eunuch during the Zhengde period of the former dynasty.Later, he was not fined and confiscated into an official, and fell into the hands of an official.The official returned to his hometown when he was old and retired, and asked someone to sell it.

Looking at the house on the ground, Zhou Nan was taken aback, and then slightly annoyed: "Feng Chuan, are you trying to bury me?"

The house is really too big, with three black lacquered gates facing it, four courtyards, large and small, and more than 20 rooms, with a total area of ​​over 1000 square meters.Inside, lotus ponds were dug, rockeries were built, and grape trellises were built. It is very elegant, and it is simply a small park.This is already a luxury house, and it is located in the inner city, but the price is definitely astronomical, and I am afraid it is not something I can afford.

Feng Chuan was reprimanded by Zhou Nan, and said in a low voice: "My lord is a scholar at first glance, and you don't like the houses in the outer city. After thinking about it, this house is only suitable for you. It is indeed a bit expensive, more than 1000 taels... Otherwise, I will discuss it with the master to see if I can kill some more?"

"What, more than 1000 taels?" Zhou Nan whispered.

Feng Chuan: "My lord."

Zhou Nan "I bought it, I bought it." This sentence blurted out.

Feng Chuan was overjoyed: "I'll go to the master's house to finalize this matter."

Soon, someone came from the owner's house, and after a lot of bargaining, the deal was finally settled at 600 taels.After finding a guarantor and signing the deed, Zhou Nan became the new owner of the yard, and Feng Chuan also received 16 taels of agency fees, so happy that his eyebrows curled into crescent moons.

Feng Chuan felt a little regretful: If it were last year, the yard would have sold for two thousand, and I would have gained four taels more.

The yard is too big, the furniture has been removed, and it is a bit empty, especially at night when there is no light pollution.

Zhou Nan thought: I need to buy some furniture, and I need to buy some servants.

He asked Feng Chuan to help him buy some furniture, daily necessities and servants to come back tomorrow, and the surname Feng naturally had no choice but to agree.

Without a bed, Zhou Nan went back to the inn, looked at the house deed in hand on the light, and suddenly realized: having money really constrains my imagination, in fact, this house is quite expensive.

It turned out that ordinary farmers in the Ming Dynasty had very little income from the fields after deducting the imperial grain and national taxes throughout the year, and they would still be hungry in the lean season.As for urban residents, life is easier, but they can save three or five taels of silver at the beginning of the year.

After ten years of struggling in the urban situation, he could only buy a dilapidated small courtyard house in the outer city.Don't even think about this kind of mansion worth more than 1000 taels of silver.

It can be seen that in any era, housing prices are a mountain that weighs on the heads of ordinary people. This is true in modern society, and it was also true in ancient times.

Feng Chuan was indeed an old Beijinger, and he quickly brought back a lot of furniture, as well as two eleven or twelve-year-old boys and a cook in her early thirties.

After a calculation, the furniture cost 20 taels of silver.The two boys are simple and honest, from the Hejian family, the family is poor, they were sold to others by their parents, traveled hundreds of miles, and entered the human circulation market in the capital.The price is very cheap, one or two.

This has changed hands a few times, but I think how cheap it was when their parents sold it.These days, people are really worthless!
As for the cook, it is more expensive, ten taels.

Feng Chuan introduced: "It's not good, and the eyebrows are not good. If you like Beidi Rouge and are willing to pay for it, you can find another good one."

Zhou Nan: "Okay, I'm looking for someone who can cook and do housework, not a concubine. Who are you?"

There are three more servants in the family. It doesn't matter what their names were before. According to the rules of this era, they have to be named again after entering the Zhou family's door.

Zhou Nan named the two cooks Qinghua. As for the two boys, one was named Huangdou and the other Wotou.

After burning the earth dragon, I sat in the spacious and bright study room and read a few pages of "Mencius".There was catkin-like light snow outside, and there was peace in my heart.Zhou Nan sighed: I finally settled down, because I heard Luoxue in the capital, and I had to spend half a day free in my life.My lord has never lived such a leisurely life.As the saying goes, the greatest happiness in life is to be rich and idle. This is probably my ultimate ideal in life!
Just as he was looking into the alley, Wotou exclaimed: "Who are you, why did you break into my house? Master, master!"

Zhou Nan looked up, but saw a lot of yamen servants coming aggressively outside, and the leader was a seventh-rank official in a red official robe with embroidered 鸂鶒 on his chest.

As soon as these people came in, they took ropes and rulers to measure everywhere, and reported in their mouths: "The second entrance to the house, width XX feet XX centimeters, square XX feet..."

Every time a number is read, a class next to it writes a stroke on a booklet.

I don't know which court they belong to. Could it be the staff of the measuring tape department?

Zhou Nan suddenly felt that something was wrong.

Standing up hurriedly, he cupped his hands at the seventh-rank official outside: "Young official Zhou Nan, dare to ask who is the upper official and where does he work? Why did you break into my house?"

The official glanced at Zhou Nan and snorted coldly: "I am the manager of Shuntian Mansion Experience Department, my surname is Zhao, who are you?"

Zhou Nan thought for a while. He hadn't reported to the Pedestrian Department and hadn't obtained an official license, so he wasn't considered a pedestrian.He replied: "My next official, Zhou Nan, Governor of the Judicial and Criminal Department of Huai'an Mansion."

(End of this chapter)