The Prosperous Era of Longwan

Wei Guangde was surrounded by Lao Kan and others and entered the Jiujiang Guild Hall. However, when they stepped into the door of the guild hall, several people dressed as butlers came out of the crowd nearby, all holding famous cards in their hands and chasing after Wei Guangde.

Well, Wei Guangde had already expected this when he was in the car, but he didn't expect that they were already waiting for him outside the gate of the club.

After he respectfully accepted these famous cards, before he could sit down after entering the guild hall, several more people got up and walked in the lobby of the guild hall. They were all famous cards sent to their respective masters, inviting Wei Guangde to stop by the house when he had time. .

Such a formation immediately confused Lao Kan and others.

A few days ago, many officials also sent people to send famous cards, most of them were from Jiangxi Province. Wei Guangde, Lao Kan and others also took the time to visit several houses.

What happened today? Wei Guangde sent so many post invitations when he came back.

Are Shujishi so popular?

Wei Guangde has already respectfully accepted the invitations. He has always held the concept of "it is better to offend a gentleman than a villain", so even if the other party's master's official position is not high, the person who sent the invitations is just a housekeeper or something like that. People, he will not lose his etiquette.

Now he has nothing but a famous name on his head.

By the way, there is also a newly released title of Shujishi.

After sending them off, Wei Guangde already had more than ten name cards in his hand. It is estimated that the news has not spread yet. I am afraid that more people will send name cards in the afternoon and tomorrow.

There is no doubt that this is inseparable from Emperor Jiajing's inexplicable promotion of Wei Guangde.

But by this time, Wei Guangde had no intention of thinking about what was going on with Emperor Jiajing. Lao Kan, Xia Kefan and others had already pulled him into the back yard.

Judging from the official positions of the people who sent the posts, they have changed from the previous sixth and seventh grades to the third and fourth grades. This span is too big and they cannot help but take it seriously.

Back in the house, Xia Kefan couldn't help but ask: "Guangde, what happened today?"

Well, Wei Guangde went to the Ministry of Rites today and apparently asked him about his experience there.

Looking at the concerned eyes of the three people, Wei Guangde shook his head and sighed: "Hey, don't mention it. I'm so dizzy right now that I don't understand what's going on."

Although he said this, Wei Guangde still told the three of them about the matter.

"When I went to the Ministry of Rites this time, I was received by Mr. Yan Neyan, the right minister of the Ministry of Rites. As you guessed, what he gave me was a note to go to the Hanlin Academy to serve as a concubine."

After Wei Guangde sat down, Zhang Ji brought tea. Wei Guangde felt thirsty, so he picked it up and tested the temperature of the water. It was slightly hot. He must have asked the store to prepare it after he came back with Wei Guangde and saw that he was waiting for those people in front. of tea.

The tea lid gently scraped away the floating tea leaves, and Wei Guangde took a small sip of tea to moisten his throat.

Seeing that the three people were still staring at him intently, Wei Guangde had no choice but to say: "Shilang Yan told me something that you might not have expected."

Wei Guangde planned to give it a try, but when he saw the cannibalistic look in Lao Kan's eyes, he immediately stopped thinking and continued: "Jinke, it is said that the Hanlin Academy has no intention of selecting common people."

"Um?"

"ah."

All three of them exclaimed in surprise.

"Then why did you say you got a note to go to the Hanlin Academy?"

Lao Kan just frowned, remembered Wei Guangde's previous words, and immediately asked.

"How could I know? From what Shi Lang Yan said, it was the emperor who ordered me into the Hanlin Academy. Like you, I have only seen him twice. I am not standing near the Tao Pavilion."

Daoting was named after Lao Kan. Wei Guangde did not do well in the general examination, so he naturally stood far back, so he didn't say anything nonsense.

"You mean, you're the only bastard in Imko? There's no one else?"

Xia Kefan thought of something and immediately asked.

"Why doesn't Jinko choose a sage? It's strange that the imperial court can still do this?"

Zhang Ke's focus was obviously not on the number of Shujishi, but on why Shujishi were not selected and what the rules were.

But before Wei Guangde could speak, Xia Kefan said: "There was no imperial examination in the twenty-nine subjects of Jiajing. I remember who counted it at that time. Speaking of the establishment of the dynasty, there have been 52 imperial examinations. The selection was only conducted 34 times, but I don’t know if Guangde entered the Hanlin Academy this time, so it counts as one selection."

After saying this, Xia Kefan, Lao Kan and others all looked at Wei Guangde.

In response, Wei Guangde could only shrug and said helplessly: "How could I know this?"

In the afternoon, when Lao Kan came back from the Ministry of Rites, he was naturally attracted by Zhang Ke and Xia Ke. Wei Guangde was watching from the side. He also wanted to know which yamen Lao Kan was sent to watch politics.

For new Jinshi, basically the yamen where they watch politics is likely to be the place where they will be awarded officials in the future, unless the superior evaluates them very poorly during the internship and recommends changing their positions.

In fact, new scholars have to prepare fifteen articles written in the past and five latest articles as well as imperial examination papers so that the court can judge the direction in which the scholar is suitable for being awarded an official. It is not just about judging the scholar's literary talent.

"I'm going to the Ministry of Justice to observe the government."

Lao Kan didn't show any concern and directly told him where he was going.

"The Ministry of Punishment observes the government? This is the path of censorship and inspection."

When he heard that Lao Kan was sent to the Ministry of Justice to observe government affairs, Wei Guangde's first thought was of these two yamen.

The Inspectorate and the Ministry of Punishment are actually pretty good departments, among which the Inspectorate is naturally the best because of its lenient management.

Knowing Lao Kan's whereabouts, Zhang Ke and Xia Kefan no longer need to continue to surround him. Now they are both guessing where they are going and guessing that the Ministry of Rites will give them a note on where to go.

In the evening, Wei Guangde called Zhang Ji into the room and began to ask about his experience of looking at houses in the capital these days.

Before, although Wei Guangde also asked Zhang Ji to go out to look at the house, it was not very urgent because the Guanzheng Yamen had not yet been assigned, and Wei Guangde was not sure about his final possible official position. He was also considering whether to buy a house near the Yamen. .

But things are different now. The Hanlin Academy has been on the bench for three years now.

After three years, Wei Guangde felt that he should consider buying a courtyard near the Hanlin Academy to live in. He could not delay it any longer.

Although the Jiujiang Guild Hall would never drive Jinshi like them out, living here was always inconvenient due to the crowds and distractions.

Hearing Wei Guangde ask about the house, Zhang Ji also became energetic.

Before, he almost broke his legs while following the people from Yaxing. He looked at several courtyards in the inner city and even more in the outer city.

The shopkeeper of Jiujiang Guild Hall introduced Yahang. Their Yahang has also been doing business with Jiujiang merchants for a long time, so they are very familiar with it.

"Master, are you talking about buying a house near the Hanlin Academy?"

Zhang Ji listened to Wei Guangde's request, which was very simple, it was a house near the Hanlin Academy.

"Master, there is Nanxunfang to the east of Hanlin Academy, and there is a courtyard over there, right behind Zhan Shi's Mansion."

Zhang Ji traveled all over Beijing during this period and saw many houses, but there were fewer houses for sale in the inner city.

Fortunately, Wei Guangde's place was the Hanlin Academy, which was on Chang'an Street in the east of the inner city and close to the Imperial City. After Wei Guangde became a high official, it was very convenient to go to court.

However, since it is in the inner city, there are naturally some flaws. At least Zhang Ji did not fancy this courtyard at the beginning. It was too small.

Seeing Zhang Ji's expression, Wei Guangde became curious, "Tell me, what's wrong with that yard?"

"Master, that yard isn't actually a big problem. It's just that it's a little too small. There are only seven rooms, four in the front yard and three in the back. The price is very expensive, costing one thousand five hundred taels of silver."

"Seven houses, one thousand five hundred taels of silver?"

Wei Guangde was shocked when he heard that the price was a bit expensive.

As for the house in the outer city where they live now, there are eleven rooms in the courtyard of Jiujiang Guild Hall. The shopkeeper said that the market price is only more than a hundred taels.

"How big is the yard? Is there a big garden?"

Wei Guangde thought that it was normal for a house in the inner city to be more expensive than the outer city. Even if it was doubled, the yard should not be as big as the one they lived in now. The asking price was so high, maybe it was the same as the house he bought in Jiujiang, right? There is a big garden.

If you have a large garden, the higher point will be higher. You can build a few more rooms in the garden if needed in the future, which is not bad.

"The yard is only one acre in size, but there is a rockery and a pond. The garden is not big."

Zhang Ji recalled.

"It's only one acre in size? Isn't that not as big as this yard?"

The yard where Wei Guangde and the others live now covers an area of ​​at least one and a half acres, with a large garden in the middle. In later generations, the green space ratio is over 50%.

"The yard is a bit compact, but everything is in good order. There is a small stable outside the yard, so there is room for our carriage."

Zhang Ji is still recalling what he saw in the courtyard of Nanxunfang he visited, "I remember that there are two entrances to the courtyard, four rooms on the outside and three rooms on the inside. There is a rockery pond on the right side of the inner courtyard. If we don't have this pond, , but we can build another house."

Hearing Zhang Ji still chattering there, Wei Guangde was curious, what kind of house dared to ask for 1,500 taels of silver?

"Stop talking, you go to Yaxing early tomorrow morning. If it's suitable, take me over to see the yard. We'll discuss the price then."

Wei Guangde interrupted the nagging Zhang Ji and said.

"Master, that yard is valuable, one thousand five hundred taels. For a yard in the outer city that is about the same size as that yard, a hundred taels of silver would be enough."

Zhang Ji heard that Wei Guangde wanted to see the yard. Having followed Wei Guangde for more than ten years, he naturally knew that this man would not bargain. As long as he liked it, he would just buy it. It didn't matter if it was expensive.

In Wei Guangde's words, if the young master is rich, noble people buy expensive things.

"I want to see what the yard that dares to ask for a thousand taels looks like? Is it made of gold?"

I wanted to persuade him again, but I saw that Wei Guangde had already waved his hand to stop him from continuing. Thinking that the things Wei Guangde likes usually require big things, no matter how big they are, I guess the young master may not like that house.

I lowered my head and thought about the other houses in the inner city. It seemed that none were better than Nanxunfang. The other houses in the inner city were concentrated in Chaotian Palace West Square and Jinchengfang. There was a house not over there, in Lingchunfang. But there is a courtyard nearby. According to people from Yaxing, it is the cleansing room, where eunuchs are cut off.

It was unlucky to think about it. Zhang Ji would naturally not tell Wei Guangde about the house, and it was not close to the Hanlin Academy. It obviously did not meet the requirements of the young master, so it was better not to tell him.

After Zhang Ji went out, Wei Guangde walked to the desk, flicked the wick of the oil lamp, and illuminated the tabletop more brightly. Then he took out a pen and paper and began to sharpen ink.

Today, his arrangements have been made, and he has to live permanently in Beijing. Wei Guangde is going to write a letter back about his situation in Beijing.

Early the next morning, Zhang Ji left the Jiujiang Guild Hall after breakfast and went to find someone from the dental shop to contact him to check out the house.

It was already April, and the weather in the capital began to warm up in March, so it was already possible to go out for activities in the morning. Wei Guangde also resumed his living habits in Jiujiang Prefecture, doing a boxing session in the yard when he got up in the morning.

After coming to the capital last year, Wei Guangde originally planned to persist, but after going out a few times, he was forced back to the house by the cold of the Ming Dynasty's Little Ice Age. Since then, he has given up the idea of ​​boxing.

Now that the weather is getting warmer, in March, Wei Guangde procrastinated for a few days and slept for a few days before getting up.

Indeed, as long as you are lazy, it will be difficult to be diligent.

Just like boxing, when he was in Jiangxi, Wei Guangde had to get up and box when he should get up in the morning, even if he was out.

But in this city of Beijing, even if I haven't gotten up early for three months, I have become somewhat accustomed to the days when I don't have to box or exercise, and I like to stay in bed.

When Wei Guangde came out, Zhang Ke and Xia Kefan had already gone to the Rites Yamen. After all, this was their big day, and their future would depend on what note they got today.

Sitting at a table with Lao Kan, drinking tea and chatting, waiting for Zhang Ke and others to come back.

After a while, Zhu Shilong, who had gotten up even later, came out.

"How long did you play cards last night and you got up now?"

"Hey, don't mention it. I lost a lot of money last night."

Zhu Shilong responded to Wei Guangde.

"The money you threw away is enough to buy a house in Beijing."

Lao Kan smiled and shook his head.

"Meng Xian is also out."

At this moment, Duan Mengxian also came out. He had just gotten up and was not in good spirits. He said hello to a few people he saw.

"Have Zhang Ke and Xia Kefan gone to the Ministry of Rites to get a note?"

After sitting down and seeing that there were only Wei Guangde and Lao Kan, Duan Mengxian guessed it.

"Yes, the two of them ran very fast. They were afraid that their cabinet positions would be taken away by the same year, so they left home early in the morning."

Lao Kan smiled.

"hehe."

What he said was interesting, and the others laughed.

"Come out first and hear what house you are talking about? Daoting, do you want to buy a house?"

Duan Mengxian asked curiously.

"Whatever house I buy, I will only watch the government for half a year. I can't say what will happen after that."

Lao Kan smiled and replied, "I mean you are fooling around with money. The money you have spent all these years can be used to buy a big house in the capital."

"At least the outer city should be enough."

Wei Guangde added.

I heard from Zhang Ji yesterday that in the outer city, a small courtyard with a few rooms only costs more than a hundred taels of silver.

"By the way, don't talk about us. Where are you going to buy a house in the capital?"

At this moment, Zhu Shilong asked with a serious expression.

"I haven't thought about it yet. I'll wait until the government is over and I'm awarded the official position. But Guangde can consider it."

Lao Kan smiled and shook his head, pointing the finger at Wei Guangde.

"I'll go take a look later. Zhang Ji said there is a small courtyard in Nanxunfang, and the price is not cheap. I'll go take a look later."

Wei Guangde smiled.