Bringing the Railway to Daming

Chapter 19: Imperially Granted Mansion, Officials and Slaves [Please Read]

Zhao Cheng smiled and said, "This mansion covers an area of ​​more than 15 mu, divided into five entrances and thirteen courtyards, with a total of 128 rooms."

Liu Kuan was surprised when he heard this. "So many rooms?"

Zhao Chengdao said, "This corridor counts as more than a dozen rooms. It's not uncommon for such a large mansion to have more than a hundred rooms."

One corridor counts as more than a dozen rooms?
After listening to Zhao Cheng's words, Liu Kuan realized that the meaning of the "room" mentioned by people at that time was somewhat different from that in later generations.

He then said, "Then please ask Zhongguan Zhao to take me around and explain the functions of each house?"

Liu Kuan didn't know how to address Zhao Cheng, and since the other party didn't point out his mistake in using the term "Eunuch", he continued to use it.

Zhao Cheng smiled and nodded, "This is what a jack of all trades should do."

Then, Zhao Chenggong took Liu Kuan around the mansion and introduced the courtyards, rooms and other buildings.

After a round of tour, Liu Kuan discovered that even without counting the fake rooms like the corridors, this mansion had seventy or eighty rooms.

In addition, there are screen walls, corridors, rockery, ponds, pavilions, towers, exotic trees and flowers.

The overall structure of the mansion is: the five courtyards in the middle face north and south, and are connected by corridors, moon gates, and central gates.

There are four side courtyards on each side of the east and west.

In addition to the main gate and the back gate, there is also a side gate on the east and west sides.

The front yard and the two side yards on the south side are for your male servants and guards to live in, and the stables are also included.

The second courtyard is where the living room, flower hall, warm room, family study, etc. are located, which are mainly used for meeting and entertaining guests.

The two corresponding side courtyards in the east and west are guesthouses for guests to stay overnight.

The third courtyard in the middle is the main courtyard, where the master and mistress live.

The two corresponding side courtyards are prepared for the master's sons.

The main part of the fourth courtyard is the back garden, which is not only the residence of the owner's concubines and daughters, but also the owner's daily leisure place.

The two corresponding side courtyards are also reserved for female relatives.

As for the last large courtyard in the middle, it is where the kitchen, woodshed, warehouse, cellar, etc. are located. It is also the residence of the house's rough-working women and maids.

When Liu Kuan visited, many places were still being cleaned, or even not cleaned yet, and there was a lot of dust, fallen leaves, etc. accumulated, but he was still quite excited after seeing it - before traveling through time, he never thought that he could own such a big mansion.

Then Liu Kuan felt that if he were given a chance to travel back to the modern era, he might hesitate to leave the Ming Dynasty.

After all, in the future, he is just an ordinary person, and even if he works hard all his life, he may not be able to live in such a luxurious house.

As for the opportunity to display one's "talents" using the country as a stage, it is even more difficult to obtain.

So, traveling to the Ming Dynasty is also an adventure for him, isn’t it?
"Mr. Liu, are you satisfied with this mansion?" Zhao Cheng asked with a smile after leading Liu Kuan around the mansion.

Liu Kuan nodded, "Satisfied, very satisfied."

"As long as you are satisfied." Zhao Cheng's smile became even more intense. He liked nobles like Liu Kuan who were easy to serve.

He continued, "The Emperor has also granted Young Master Liu a manor outside the city. When Young Master Liu is free someday, I'll find someone to take him there for a stroll."

"Then I'll trouble you, Lieutenant Officer Zhao."

Zhao Cheng smiled and said, "This is the emperor's order. Don't say it's not troublesome. Even if it is troublesome, I will do my best to complete it."

Liu Kuan gave Zhao Cheng a thumbs-up and said, "With such a positive attitude, Eunuch Zhao will surely gain more trust from His Majesty."

For eunuchs, nothing is more important than gaining the emperor's trust.

Zhao Cheng was quite pleased to hear Liu Kuan's auspicious words. He asked, "Then how about I introduce to Master Liu the male and female servants that the Emperor has bestowed upon him?"

"Are they coming?" Liu Kuan asked.

"They are among those who clean the mansion."

"Then I'll trouble you, Lieutenant Zhao."

Soon, all thirty-two people gathered in the open space in the front yard.

After Zhao Cheng's introduction, Liu Kuan realized that these servants were all useful.

The male servants were divided into: ten handymen, three grooms, three doormen, two page boys, and two stewards.

Among them, the two stewards, the groom, and the doorman were all older, with gray hair. Then there were the two servants who looked only about ten years old, maybe twelve.

The remaining male servants were young and middle-aged, but they all looked honest.

The female servants were divided into two old women who did rough work, four maids who did rough work, one cook, one embroiderer, and four handmaids.

After Zhao Cheng finished his introductions, he raised his voice and said, "From now on, Master Liu Kuan will be your master. You must serve him attentively. Do you remember that?"

"I remember." The male and female servants agreed in unison.

"Why don't you quickly bow to Master Liu?"

More than thirty people immediately knelt before Liu Kuan and said, "Greetings, sir!"

This time the voices were more uniform.

Liu Kuan was a little uncomfortable, and replied awkwardly: "No need to kneel, everyone please stand up."

Zhao Cheng reminded him, "Master Liu, these people are slaves bestowed upon you by His Majesty. There's a distinction between master and slave, and etiquette must be upheld." Liu Kuan was a little speechless, but he had no intention of openly challenging Ming customs. He said, "Then let them perform the Yi and Fu rituals, right?"

Zhao Cheng smiled and nodded, "That's fine."

Liu Kuan breathed a sigh of relief, then pulled Zhao Cheng aside and asked in a low voice, "Zhao Zhongguan, where did all these servants come from? Does the Ming Dynasty allow the trafficking of human beings?"

Zhao Chengdao said, "It is clearly written in the Great Ming Law promulgated by the Emperor that the buying and selling of human beings is not permitted in the Great Ming. As for these people, they are all government slaves."

"Official slave?" Liu Kuan probably understood.

Zhao Cheng explained, "These people are prisoners or their families. Because their crimes were not punishable by death, they were reduced to slavery to atone for their sins. They are now the property of the imperial court."

Liu Kuan then asked, "So they will always be slaves?"

Zhao Cheng smiled, "That depends on Master Liu. I've also brought the indentures of these official slaves and have placed them in the study in the main courtyard."

"If you wish to release a slave from his bondage, you only need to bring that person and their bond to the Yingtian Prefecture government office to find an official who can help you remove their slavery."

"But I advise you to be cautious in this matter. Firstly, most of the servants here deserve their punishment, and secondly, you always need servants in your household. Is that right?"

"Maybe." Liu Kuan said vaguely.

As a person from later generations who traveled to ancient times, it was a bit difficult for him to immediately accept the existence of slavery.

He would not immediately take these people to the government to free them from slavery, but he would not hold on to their indentures forever either.

If a slave behaves well in the future and the timing is right, he would not mind releasing the slave from his slavery and giving him freedom.

As for the manpower needed for various chores at home, he can hire people to do them.

However, the way of ending slavery that Zhao Cheng mentioned made him understand that in many film and television dramas, the scene where the master takes out the slave's indenture, tears it up, and then says that he has restored the slave's freedom is fake, or too symbolic.

In the actual process of doing this, the most critical step is to take the slaves to the government to eliminate their slavery.

Liu Kuan was not surprised that the Ming Dynasty did not allow human trafficking - he had already known this through online novels and later materials.

However, for the gentry and landlords of the Ming Dynasty, slaves were necessary, otherwise they would not be able to maintain their affluent lives, so some people came up with the idea of ​​adopting godsons and goddaughters.

Of course, it was still the early Ming Dynasty at that time. Perhaps some people obtained slaves by adopting godchildren, but they did not dare to be as blatant as in the middle and late Ming Dynasty.

Therefore, the main way for the powerful and wealthy to obtain slaves at present is still through the emperor's rewards or by purchasing them from court officials.

In addition, most of the gentry, landlords, and wealthy businessmen are still quite respectful of the "Great Ming Law" and most of them use hired servants...
After explaining the servant's affairs, Zhao Cheng continued, "If there is nothing else, I will go back to the palace first. The banknotes and silks that the emperor gave to Master Liu have not been delivered yet. I will go and get them."

Liu Kuan said, "Then I'll have to trouble Zhongguan Zhao."

"That's fine. By the way, Zhao You will stay here for a few days. If Master Liu needs anything, he can run errands or deliver messages. Although he's young, he's quite clever."

Liu Kuan glanced at Zhao You and said hesitantly, "He is a eunuch after all. Wouldn't it be inappropriate for him to stay here and work for me?"

Zhao Cheng smiled and said, "This is the emperor's order, so he is not working for Master Liu, but is carrying out an errand according to orders."

Liu Kuan suddenly realized, "I see. Then I feel relieved."

Although Zhao Cheng was a eunuch, he was quite capable in speaking and doing things. He left after he finished speaking.

Liu Kuan didn't know what to do for a moment, so he asked Zhao You with a hint of curiosity: "How old are you?"

"My Lord Liu, I am fifteen years old this year."

According to later customs, he was only fourteen years old, most likely a junior high school student.

Liu Kuan looked at Zhao You's ordinary appearance again and felt that if he were alive in the future, he would most likely be given the title of Class Grass.

He then asked again: "How did you enter the palace?"

Zhao Youdao: "In the early years, my family had no food to eat, so my father sent me to the palace to give me a way out."

Liu Kuan was quite surprised to hear this. He didn't expect that it was Zhao You's father who sent him into the palace.

He didn't ask any more questions, but first said to the officials and servants in front of him: "Go and do what you are supposed to do. As long as you don't be lazy or slack off, I won't blame you for no reason."

"Yes, sir."

This time the servants agreed more unanimously.

As official slaves, unless they had special circumstances, they would never be free in their entire lives, and even their descendants would be slaves - of course, most slaves, especially men, had no chance to have children.

Therefore, the more normal expectation of these slaves is to meet a master who is easy to serve.

This way, not only can one avoid being punished and scolded less, but life can also be slightly better. If one is lucky, there is even a chance to escape slavery.

The slaves had few sources of information, so they did not know Liu Kuan's origins.

When I first met Liu Kuan, I was very nervous to see that he had short hair and short clothes, and looked like a foreigner. I didn't know whether it was a blessing or a curse to meet such a master.

But after the contact just now, they found that Liu Kuan was not only easy-going, but also did not seem to discriminate against them. Now they felt less uneasy and more proactive in doing things.

After letting the servants leave, Liu Kuan went to the central courtyard, ready to take a closer look at his bedroom, study and other living quarters.

After arriving at the central courtyard, he found that not only Zhao You had followed him, but also four young maids were following him.

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(End of this chapter)