I'm not a fortune teller.

Chapter 51 Winning over?

The capital of the gods, Jinghua, was transformed from Qingyang City, the former capital of Luzhou in the northwest. Taizu started his army in the northwest, but no one had ever thought that this farm boy with no background would eventually establish his capital in the northwest.

Many people were not optimistic about this place at that time, and countless noble families advised them to move the capital, but Emperor Taizu was a strong man. Not only did he never think of moving the capital during his reign, he also set down the ancestral teachings that even if the descendants of the Li family reached the point where they became the emperor guarding the country, they must not move the capital.

A thousand years ago, no one was optimistic about this capital city, and even many people were not optimistic about the new dynasty. But no one expected that the dynasty founded by this farm boy would prosper for a thousand years!
At the east gate of the capital, Zhang Rui and his family were dazzled by the thousand-year prosperity as soon as they entered the capital.

"Brother, are we going to live here from now on?" The fourth girl Zhang Meng grabbed her mother's sleeve tightly, looking at the lights of the world that were comparable to the Milky Way, her eyes full of stars.

She decided that she must marry here, live here, become a Kyoto citizen, and never return to her hometown even if she died.

Where is the countryside? Outside of Kyoto, it’s the countryside!!

"Son, this Kyoto is such a wonderful place!" The old lady was also dazzled. She had never thought that after marrying into the mountains, a peasant woman like her would one day be able to see the prosperity of the royal capital.

"Ah, it's a good place." Zhang Rui also nodded with a smile, feeling a little shocked.

In his previous life, he had traveled to many cities. He had seen countless big cities with bright lights since he lived in the CBD. However, compared with the city before him that formed a human galaxy with oil lamps and candles, the degree of shock was far beyond what he had seen in his previous life. How many people did Kyoto have?
Although the style is very different from the previous life, there is one thing Zhang Rui thinks will not change, that is the housing price.
As expected, Zhang Rui, who didn't want to live in the post station, just asked a little and scared the whole family so much that they couldn't eat.

"Master Zhang, you came at an untimely time." The postmaster of the post station was enthusiastic and patiently explained, "The rent in the capital city is not cheap at ordinary times, and it is even more expensive during this period. After all, the grand event only comes once every three years. As the saying goes, if you don't open for three years, you can enjoy the food for three years when you open. Who would miss such a good opportunity?"

"What if I rent a house farther away?" Zhang Rui's heart trembled as he looked at the houses reported to him by the postmaster. An ordinary house without a yard was now rented for thirty taels of silver a month, which was simply robbing money. He was a seventh-rank county official with a monthly salary of only twenty taels. He served in a remote place in the north and received an additional five taels of subsidy from the court every month, making a total of only twenty-five taels of silver. In the north, this amount of money could usually feed and drink a family of dozens of people and have some left over.

As a result, when I got here, I couldn't even afford to rent a private house, let alone those courtyard houses with yards. Now there are only my younger sister, my parents, the groom and others here. When my wife comes, plus maids, servants, and cooks, there will be at least twenty people, at least. How can they all live without a small courtyard?
It really cost me my life.

"Sir, the location I picked for you is already quite remote. The topography of the capital is flat and square, with the imperial palace as the center. The east, west, south and north are named after the four spirits. The west area is the White Tiger area, which is mostly occupied by military households. It sounds bad, but that area has many military personnel and strong yang energy. There are also many marquises and dukes sitting in formation, so there are few evil spirits causing chaos. Whenever there is an empty house there, many wealthy businessmen will rush to grab it, and ordinary people can't even think about it. The east is the Qinglong area, which is a well-known wealthy area. Most court officials are concentrated in that area. Officials of our dynasty above the fourth rank hold a morning court every five days, and the morning court is held outside the Qianqing Gate. Officials and men can only enter from the Qinglong Gate. It is too far to go around from other areas to the Qinglong area and then to the Qinglong Gate, so even clean officials will buy houses in the Qinglong area. On weekdays, houses in these two areas are not available for rent."

"The remaining north and south areas are where most outsiders can choose, and the southern area is more popular because Jingzhao Prefecture and the six ministries are located there. Many Beijing officials work there, and the people who come and go are more serious. This leads to higher rents and better public security. On the contrary, the northern area is much worse. In previous years, if there was a major natural disaster, most refugees from outside the capital would be resettled in the northern area first. This has also led to the accumulation of people over the years. There are the most mixed people there, and the public security is the worst. When you first came to the capital, you did not send anyone to settle in the house in advance, but brought your whole family to live in the post station. I knew that your family was too innocent, so the house I found for you is in the northern area, close to the city defense office. After all, there are officials on duty there, the public security is relatively good, and the cost-effectiveness is extremely high."

He paused and continued, "If it's worse, there are only places outside the northern district. There are a lot of people there, merchants from all over the world, and many gang members, and even many illegal residents. It's not suitable for you to bring your family with you."

The old lady was immediately torn when she heard this. She was reluctant to spend the money, but also didn't want her whole family to live in the place where the other party said illegal households gathered. After all, the fourth girl was not married yet, and staying in that place for a while might affect her reputation.

"Son, where did you live when you went to Beijing to take the imperial examination?" the old man asked curiously.

Zhang Rui didn't know how to answer for a moment. He had cheated and didn't know how he passed the exam. How could he remember where he lived when he took the imperial examination?

"Sir Zhang should have stayed in the Confucius Temple, which was granted by the court." The postmaster smiled and said, "The court also sympathizes with the scholars who come to Beijing to take the imperial examinations. It knows that not all candidates who come to Beijing can afford to rent a house in the capital. Since the time of Emperor Taizu, Confucius Temples have been set up in various places on the outskirts of the city. Abbots have been hired to manage the temples. As long as you can provide the certificate of honor given by the court, you can stay for free, and three meals a day are subsidized. This is to allow the candidates to take the imperial examinations with peace of mind. If the candidates who came with you today cannot rent a house tomorrow, I will recommend them to those Confucius Temples."

"There is such a place?" The old lady's eyes lit up. It was a place where scholars gathered and it was free. It was a good place. Not only could it temporarily solve the family's expensive rent, but she could also take the opportunity to find a good husband for her daughter.

"Madam," the postmaster said with a smile, "that place is specially prepared for candidates taking the imperial examinations. It is guarded by special imperial guards. Outsiders are not allowed to enter."

"Forehead"

The old woman felt sorry at once, but the fourth girl beside her was secretly happy. She didn't want to marry a poor scholar from outside. She wanted to marry a wealthy man in the capital and become a lady in the capital.

"Mother, how much silver did the lady give you when she came?" Zhang Rui asked, turning around.

The old woman curled her lips and sighed, "Your wife is generous, or she feels guilty and dares not be stingy. She gave me two thousand taels of silver, but how can this amount of money be enough to buy a house?" "Two thousand taels is not a small amount in other places." The postmaster smiled bitterly and said, "Even in a good place like Jiangnan, you can buy a big house, but in the capital, it is not possible to buy a house with a private house, even in the remote areas of the northern district."

Zhang Rui covered his face immediately when he heard this. No matter in his past life or this life, the houses in this imperial capital were really out of reach for ordinary people.

"Is Master Zhang here?"

Just when the postmaster was thinking about whether to introduce some cheaper places to this gentleman, a voice of inquiry suddenly came from outside. The postmaster was slightly stunned. The voice was sharp, but not a woman's voice. Only eunuchs had this unique duck voice.

Why is it that someone from the palace is looking for Mr. Zhang right after he arrives?

"Here." The postmaster did not dare to offend the eunuchs in the palace, so he hurried forward to open the door.

The person walking in front was a eunuch in green brocade clothes, and behind him was an acquaintance Zhang Rui had seen before, Qin Fang, whom he met in the painting market.

"How are you, Lord Zhang?" Qin Fang said with a smile, clasping his fists.

"Why is Lord Qin here?" Zhang Rui quickly returned the greeting.

I was a little confused. I heard that Qin Fang was a eunuch, but his voice was still a deep masculine tone. Could it be that the eunuchs who had practiced martial arts would sound different?
"The Third Prince asked me to come." Qin Fang walked in, took a look around and said, "This post station is small and crowded. It's not convenient for Lord Zhang to bring his family with him. The Third Prince specially prepared a house for you, near Qinglong Gate."

As soon as these words were spoken, the postmaster next to him was stunned. It was the first time he heard of a prince trying to win over officials. After all, the Crown Prince had a stable position and no prince dared to make trouble. Even though the Third Prince had a noble status, he had never been heard of winning over anyone, let alone such a poor young official.

The Zhang family's eyes lit up when they heard this. They were just worried about having no place to live, and now the prince actually sent them a house?
The old woman suddenly remembered and asked quickly, "Son, is the Third Prince the one you said you could help me with?"

Zhang Rui looked at his mother's expectant eyes, smiled bitterly and nodded. He didn't want to have anything to do with the Third Prince who liked the Queen.

"This is too valuable!" Zhang Rui waved his hand and said, "Please tell His Highness that I am just a casual acquaintance of yours. How can I accept such a valuable gift? I am ashamed to accept it!"

The postmaster next to him nodded secretly upon seeing this. This young Lord Zhang was a calm man. Ordinary people might have accepted it if they were troubled by the high housing prices in the capital. But now that the prince was supported by all the civil and military officials in the court, if he dared to accept the prince's solicitation at this time, if it were known, the wealth he received today would ruin his family.

Qin Fang was not surprised to see that the other party had cut off ties so clearly. Back when they were in the North Sea, the Third Prince had tried many times to win over this man. This gentleman deliberately avoided his own prince by using the Yuchi family, obviously not wanting to have too much entanglement with his own prince.

This choice is actually normal. Any person with ambition will not easily get involved in the fight for the crown prince. But after all, he has offended His Royal Highness the Crown Prince. If he does not vote for his own prince, how can he have any chance in the future?
Just as I was thinking about it, a voice came from outside again: "Is Lord Zhang here?"

The postmaster was even more surprised. It was the eunuch's voice again. It looked like they were not the only ones. Who was this Xiao Zhang? Was there more than one person in the palace trying to win him over?
Qin Fang also frowned. As soon as he heard the voice, he recognized that the person coming was Eunuch Yuan who was beside the Queen.

"Oh, Eunuch Qin is here too?" The visitor was a white-haired eunuch. He did not sound surprised when he saw Qin Fang. Zhang Rui even heard a hint of sarcasm. It seemed that the other party deliberately emphasized the word "eunuch"!
Qin Fang lowered his eyes slightly and said in a gentle voice, "Meet Eunuch Yuan."

"You are too polite, Eunuch Qin." Eunuch Yuan smiled and covered his mouth, "I am here to decorate the residence for Lord Zhang under the order of His Royal Highness the Crown Prince. I wonder why Eunuch Qin is here?"

Qin Fang did not speak, but looked at Zhang Rui. For a moment, the atmosphere in the whole room became a little weird. Even the old woman who did not know much about foreign affairs shut up at this time, thinking in her heart: What's wrong with my son? Why do so many big shots like him?
The postmaster was also surprised. Lord Zhang's family looked ordinary and not like those from reclusive families. How could the Crown Prince and His Highness be vying to win them over?

"What does Lord Zhang say?" Qin Fang looked at Zhang Rui and asked with a smile.

Zhang Rui: “.”

(End of this chapter)