Ming Dynasty Detective 1546

Chapter 73: The Capital Welcomes You (Three more updates, please subscribe!)

Beijing city.

Zhengyangmen barbican.

Hai Yue, Hai Rui and Lin Daqin checked their study abroad certificates and moved forward step by step through the doorway that was wide enough for four grain carts to pass through side by side.

After landing in Tongzhou, the two sides separated. The Jinyiwei escorted the Annan delegation and escorted important criminals such as Zhou Xuan and Mo Zhengyong to the capital. Hai Yue and the other two followed the crowd all the way to the capital like normal students.

With the excitement of entering the city for the first time, everyone got up early, but when they actually arrived at the capital, there was still an endless stream of people.

The area that was initially congested was not even in the capital, but in the southern suburbs.

During the Ming Dynasty, Beijing originally did not have an outer city. The nine gates of the capital were the outer city gates. However, as the population grew, the capital could no longer accommodate everyone, and the southern suburbs of the capital gradually became prosperous. Countless homes and shops appeared, and now its scale is no less than that of the inner city.

This is the same as Bianliang in the Song Dynasty. Both cities could not accommodate the large population, so they expanded to the outer city.

Therefore, during the Jingkang Incident, when the Jurchens reached the city walls, even if they could not capture the capital, the people living in the outer cities would be trampled and ravaged, and the capital would become a purgatory.

The capital of the Ming Dynasty also has no outer city wall, and Yongding Gate has not been built.

Because the Gengxu Rebellion did not break out.

The people of the Ming Dynasty today probably could never have imagined that twenty years later, they would be killed by the Mongolian Tartars at the feet of the emperor, burning, killing and looting in the southern suburbs, and the prosperous outer city of the capital would be reduced to a hell on earth, while the emperor and his ministers in the court closed the city gates and huddled in the inner city, trembling in fear.

Haiyue thought of this and shook her head secretly.

The key point is that the Mongols during this period were actually quite weak.

When the Jurchens rose to power, they were truly powerful. The Central Plains dynasty encountered an extremely tyrannical enemy. It collapsed when the Northern Song Dynasty's territory reached its peak. It was inevitable that people felt regretful and hated the unjust and incompetent Emperor Song Huizong even more.

Now the Ming Dynasty has encountered the already weakened Mongolia and has been beaten to the gates of the capital. What can it say?

Can only sigh.

There is a huge gap between the first twenty years and the last twenty years of the Jiajing Dynasty.

Of course, there are traces of this.

Many roots of disaster were planted early on. By its middle period, the entire dynasty was like a huge and bloated machine. If the monarch and his ministers in the court were more motivated, it could still be run. But if they became slack, it would immediately become semi-paralyzed. Wouldn't it then be at the mercy of foreign enemies?

After sighing, Haiyue touched her face again and muttered, "The weather in the capital is so unbearable! It's so hot and dry! The wind blowing on my face is like a knife..."

Hai Rui and Lin Daqin agreed with this: "Yes! It's too dry here!" "Luckily, my brother left a basin of water in the house yesterday. I got up at night with a dry mouth and almost drank it..." "It must be boiled. Never drink raw water!" "Oh! Oh!"

Talking like this all the way, they walked north along Zhengyangmen Street and finally arrived outside the city wall.

It is even more crowded here because they have started to check travel permits and verify identities.

Fortunately, the scholar's fame was useful after all, especially Haiyue, who stood out from the crowd, dressed in a green robe and elegant. He took out the official certificate issued by the local government and shook it. The messenger at the city gate waved his hand and signaled him to enter the city.

Once you enter the doorway, the surrounding noise makes your eardrums swell. The crowd is crowded together, with all kinds of noise and spit flying everywhere. Tax collectors in black boots are standing on benches to check the goods, and they are poking the boxes with iron rulers in their hands. What follows is the communication of flattery and accommodation.

"call!"

After finally getting through this stretch of road, the view ahead suddenly opened up. Government offices and residential houses were lined up one after another, the streets and markets were crowded with people, and there were many carriages and horses. An unprecedented prosperous scene came into view.

This is the capital.

This is the absolute center of the Ming Dynasty.

The three of them walked into Qipan Street.

Qipan Street is a small square about 100 steps square between Zhengyangmen and Damingmen. It got its name because it is surrounded by stone railings and has a square shape resembling a chessboard.

For outsiders coming to the capital, this is almost always the first bustling market they experience, especially the book market. During the spring examinations, candidates from all over the country would gather here to take the exams.

"Come and see! Wu Dinghou personally engraved 'Water Margin'. The 108 loyal and righteous generals of Liangshan, conquering Liao! Conquering Fang La!"

"Romance of the Three Kingdoms, it has illustrations! Beautiful illustrations! Don't turn it over, don't turn it over, damn it! This guy ripped up the illustrations!"

"'Mo'e Xiaolu'! A secret book on alchemy! A handwritten copy that leaked out of the Great Shangqing Palace in Longhu Mountain. It contains the secret recipe for an elixir that can turn copper into silver! Turn copper into silver!"

"Sir, do you want the Flower Camp Brocade Formation?"

"What book is that?"

"Oh, it's obvious you don't understand! Follow me! I'll show you something!"

"Uh, this book can't be read, can't be read..."

Not to mention Lin Daqin's overwhelming curiosity, even Hai Rui was brimming with curiosity, nearly being dragged into an alley by a vendor selling pornographic pictures. Hai Yue, quick-witted, quickly grabbed her brother and said, "We'll have plenty of opportunities to come to the book market later. Let's find a place to stay first!"

Living in the capital is not easy.

This is a common thing throughout the dynasties.

As three country bumpkins from Lingnan who came to Beijing for the first time, their first task was not to see the dazzling splendor of the capital, but to find a place to live.

If they were staying for a short time, they could stay at an inn for a few days. If they were staying for a long time, they would have to rent a house. Haiyue and the other two were here to take the Imperial College entrance exam. If they were admitted, there would be dormitories within the Imperial College, so students wouldn't need to live outside. However, the exam date was uncertain, so they still had to rent a house.

You need a real estate agent to rent a house.

Haiyue led the two out of the crowd and breathed a sigh of relief. "Wenfu has previously introduced that the dentists in the capital are also divided into various fields, such as house dentists, human dentists, livestock dentists, silk dentists, and even 'foreign trade dentists'!"

Lin Daqin asked curiously, "'Foreign Trade Tooth'?"

Hai Yue smiled and said, "That's the name I came up with. Those smugglers usually hang out in the Huitong Hall, the reception center for foreign envoys. They are often fluent in Mongolian, Persian, and Portuguese. They not only act as translators, but are also responsible for smuggling!"

The two of them were amazed at what they heard. Hai Rui said, "Brother, let's go find a Fang Ya!"

"Let's go! Go to Xisi Pailou!"

Most of the house agents were active in the "house deed market" at Xisi Pailou. They would hold copies of land deeds and simple floor plans signed with charcoal, and would specialize in introducing houses and mansions in the capital.

But that was a large-scale business, and Haiyue and the other two only needed to rent a small courtyard to deal with it, so they found a dealer who was resting on the street.

Hai Rui and Lin Daqin both spoke with strong local accents, while Hai Yue had deliberately learned Mandarin. However, even though he was in charge of communication, he could still tell from a few words: "Where are you from, young master?"

"Guangdong."

"Oh! Guangdong is great, with outstanding people and beautiful scenery!"

Not only did the dealer not show any disgust, he became even more enthusiastic.

Haiyue knew that the other party was lying with his eyes open and was ready to make her bleed heavily.

All three of them were scholars. If they were in their hometown, they wouldn't have to worry about being harassed by a mere broker. But in the capital, a single brick could knock down a large number of successful candidates. When brokers tried to cheat such students who came from far away, they would never show any mercy.

Fortunately, before Haiyue left Guangzhou, she sent someone back to get some silver from her fourth brother, which should be enough for them in the short term.

Even Mrs. Xie gave all her savings to her son. They were always unwilling to take advantage of others, and even with brothers, they had to settle accounts clearly. Lin Daqin was the same, and he took the money he had saved from teaching with him early on.

Even so, when the broker named the price, the three were still shocked: "How much? Eight taels of silver a month for a private courtyard in the outer city? And I have to pay one-third of the deposit?"

Hai Yue's face darkened. "Last year, Shuntian Prefecture experienced a heavy snowfall, and the imperial court imposed a limit on the monthly rent for large courtyards, capping it at two hundred wen. Only this year has the rent gradually returned to the market price. Even if your courtyard is a private one, two taels of silver is already a high price. It's directly quadrupled. Isn't that inappropriate?"

"This southern barbarian is quite knowledgeable, isn't he?"

The broker was stunned, surprised, but forced a smile on his face: "That's different. The courtyard I introduced is associated with the noble Wenqu. Last year, a scholar who lived here was admitted to the imperial examination! If the three young men move in, I guarantee that they will pass the imperial examination next year and bring honor to their family!"

Haiyue shook her head and turned around. The agent was still yelling from behind, "My dear husband, if you can't sleep anywhere else, come to me!"

Haiyue ignored him and contacted a few more agents, but soon discovered...

black!
It's so dark!
In fact, before entering Beijing, he specifically talked to the Jinyiwei and learned a lot about the situation in the capital, but the problem was his background.

The group of brokers did not discriminate on the surface, but when they saw that the three people were from Lingnan, they tacitly asked for an exorbitant price.

It’s useless even if you know the market conditions. Just decide whether to rent it or not!

"Snob!"

After walking around, Haiyue felt a little angry.

Lu Bing originally wanted to arrange a mansion for him, but was politely declined. It was not because of lack of friendship, but because the Jinyiwei were under the attention of all parties in the capital, which was inconvenient after all.

Now it seems that if it doesn’t matter, you will have to spend a lot of money or reduce your quality of life.

"Well, let's go find a large compound in the outer city and deal with it first!"

The slums were where craftsmen, peddlers, and lower-class intellectuals lived, so the environment was naturally not good. However, Hai Rui and Lin Daqin were frugal people, and if Hai Yue hadn't led the way, they would have gone straight to the single room in the mansion. Now, if they didn't want to be taken advantage of, they had no choice but to go there.

As he was about to go out of Zhengyang Gate to the outer city, a boy of about twelve or thirteen suddenly jumped out and said, "Master Hai? Master Hai! It's really Master Hai!"

"Xiao Chuan?"

Haiyue looked at this handsome young man with bright eyes and was slightly surprised: "Why did you come to the capital?"

Xiaochuan said, "My brother and I are back! What a coincidence! I ran into Master Hai and the two young masters here! Hehe!"

"It's quite a coincidence~"

Hai Yue nodded: "Meeting an old friend in a foreign land is a good omen. Once we have settled down, I will get together with Brother Yan again!"

"Why wait until then?"

Xiao Chuan's eyes rolled around and he smiled brightly, "Master Hai, you want to rent a house, right? How about I recommend a yard for you? I guarantee it's cheap and comfortable!"

Haiyue's eyes moved slightly, neither refusing nor agreeing: "Is it a trouble?"

"No trouble! No trouble!"

Xiaochuan clasped his fists and said seriously, "My brother said that Master Hai is a chivalrous man. The capital welcomes people like Master Hai the most!"

(End of this chapter)