Ji Mansion
There was a signboard hanging high above, and a large red door. However, it wasn't as big as he had imagined it to be. Pei Zi Yun asked, "This is Ji Mansion? The Assistant Minister of Revenue's Ji Mansion? "
The candied hawker laughed, "High Scholar, you're a foreigner and don't understand the rules of the capital."
"What do you mean?" Pei Zi Yun asked curiously.
"For officials in the capital, other than the officials who have their own residences, and the Prime Minister, the rest of the officials have to rent their own residences. Why do you rent?"
"Unless you're an old man, you won't be an official for long, right?"
"Not only will you not be an official for long, but you will also be promoted. Every time you get promoted, you have to move!"
"I know this official Ji. He used to live in Chun Shu Alley and rented four rooms. He then moved to Fruit Alley, before moving to Mian Alley. Now he's moved here. There are 28 rooms and a garden."
"When one becomes an official, the population increases, and the grandeur increases, how can they not move. That's why it's not worth it to buy a house. If you don't move, you will never be promoted."
Pei Zi Yun listened with great interest and praised, "That's a good idea. Here you go. Wait for me to come out and lead the way. I'll reward you handsomely!"
As he said this, he tossed a piece of silver to the hawker. This candied hawker had sharp eyes. It was obvious that this was silver that had been cut open. The color was white, and he knew that it was a high grade official's silver. He hurriedly smiled, "Alright young master, please enter."
Pei Zi Yun walked up and knocked on the door. A servant opened the door and handed him the letter.
Before he left, the Governor had informed him that Assistant Minister Ji was his cousin. Although they had more than one cousin, both of them were of similar age. They had played together when they were young and had a good relationship. Ji Ben Han's status could be of help in this matter.
However, Liao Ge was supposed to be in charge of these matters. Now that Liao Ge had been killed, he had to look for him himself.
After some time, the servant came out of the room and led Pei Zi Yun through the corridors and into a courtyard. He then stopped and bowed, "Master is waiting for you in the courtyard."
Pei Zi Yun was speechless. This Ji Mansion looked ordinary on the outside, but the inside was not bad at all. He crossed the moon door and entered the courtyard. He saw a middle-aged man with a fair complexion and a slight beard sitting beside a stone table. He was dressed in an embroidered robe and was looking at a wild flower by the wall, sipping tea. Without a doubt, this was Ji Benhan.
Pei Zi Yun stepped forward and bowed, "High Scholar Pei Zi Yun greets your excellency Ji."
This person had decorated his house in a very rustic manner. There was a pergola in the middle of the yard, and the vines on the pergola were half green and half yellow, drooping and drooping. The stone table was carved with complicated patterns. Hearing Pei Zi Yun's words, Ji Benhan retracted his gaze from the red flower. The cup in his hand was still raised, as if he had just noticed that someone had entered the yard.
Assistant Minister Li put down his teacup slowly and looked at Pei Zi Yun warmly, "Oh, you're the one with my brother's letter right? Since you're recommended by my elder brother, you're one of us. There's no need to be so polite. "
Pei Zi Yun then said, "Many thanks, your excellency!"
He then retrieved something from his sleeves and handed it over with both hands, "This is the official document, please take a look."
Assistant Minister Li casually extended his hands and looked at it before saying, "So it's about Free Cloud Sect. This isn't a big matter, but it's not a small matter either. My elder brother recommended you here because he has taken a liking to you and … Ai, why are you alone? Where's the official official?"
Assistant Minister Li flipped through the document and asked. Of course there was an official official involved in the exchange of official documents. Although a High Scholar was half one of them, it was still against the rules. Furthermore, it was written clearly that he was on official official business.
Pei Zi Yun's expression turned gloomy as he revealed a bitter smile, "Your excellency, to tell you the truth, the four of us met with a bunch of crazy people who dared to attack an official of the imperial court. Our official official, Liao Ge, and two of his soldiers were killed. Only this student managed to escape. I'm sure that within the next few days, there will be an official official reporting on this matter."
As Pei Zi Yun spoke, he sighed to himself. He didn't wish for this secret to be leaked, and for this trip to the capital city to become a massacre.
Assistant Minister Li's face revealed a look of astonishment as he placed his cup down, "There's such a thing?"
Pei Zi Yun sighed once more, "It's absolutely true."
Assistant Minister Li's face fell as he slammed the table angrily, "These scoundrels, how dare they attack an official."
"Pei Zi Yun, Pei Zi Yun …." Ji Ben Han repeated the name several times before remembering something, "Are you the Pei Zi Yun who wrote Bringing in the Wine, Top Scorer Pei?"
When Pei Zi Yun heard this, he clasped his hands, "That's me."
Hearing this, Assistant Minister Li's expression changed as he smiled, "So you're Pei Zi Yun. When I first saw you, I felt that you were extraordinarily handsome. Indeed, seeing you in person is not as good as hearing about you."
Assistant Minister Li looked at Pei Zi Yun and was full of admiration. Pei Zi Yun was originally skinny and weak, but now he was handsome and had a dignified demeanor. He was indeed not an ordinary person.
Assistant Minister Li was extremely enthusiastic, and Pei Zi Yun clasped his hands in respect, "Your excellency is praising me, this student doesn't deserve it."
Assistant Minister Li raised his hands and patted the document on the table, "Since you've reached me first, why don't I send this document to the Ministry of Rites on your behalf. It will definitely be faster than you sending it up. What do you think?"
Pei Zi Yun's face revealed a look of joy, "This is your excellency's praise. Many thanks to your excellency."
Ji Ben Han then said, "I've looked through this document, and there's no problem with it. However, you must understand that even with the Governor's recommendation, whether or not you can be conferred the title of True Sovereign is still up to the Emperor. As for this …. "
Seeing the expression on Assistant Minister Li's face, Pei Zi Yun paused and hesitated for a moment before asking, "Your excellency, please enlighten me."
Assistant Minister Li smiled as he picked up a cup and took a sip, "The Grand Princess and the Emperor share the same mother. Since he only has one younger sister, and she's the youngest, the Emperor has always doted on her. Hence, she was conferred the title of Grand Princess. It's just that the Grand Princess is of high status, and it's not easy to get her to agree."
Assistant Minister Li emphasized the word 'high'. How could Pei Zi Yun not understand this? He stepped forward and bowed, "Many thanks your excellency. This student has learned a lot. I hope that your excellency will recommend me to the Emperor in the future."
Assistant Minister Li smiled, "Of course."
Hearing this, Pei Zi Yun retreated out of the room.
Once he was out of the room, the candied hawker led the way to an inn.
Along the way, there were many people walking to and fro. Some of them were carrying goods, some were pulling ox-carts, and some were riding donkeys. Some of them were walking slowly, while others were walking in a hurry. When they arrived at a certain door, they would call out to a servant to retrieve the goods.
Very quickly, they found an inn on the street. The candied hawker said, "This is an old inn of the Shen family. It's always clean and comfortable."
The price was a little expensive, but Pei Zi Yun didn't mind. He entered the room and asked the hawker some questions before he understood.
It wasn't easy to be an official in the capital. Officials could not live like the commoners, and had to have a certain level of grandeur. Hence, the rent was very expensive. It started at 20 taels of silver a year, and some even cost 80 taels of silver. This was almost half of an official's salary.
If one were to say that he was corrupt, he would have power in his hands. For three years, the magistrate of the Qing Dynasty had 100,000 taels of silver. Most officials did not have such power, and thus had to be filial. According to the hawker, there were officials of the fifth rank who, in order to maintain their image, had to buy seven boxes of official robes. However, the crown jewels they wore were all fake.
After receiving the money and tipping the hawker, he dismissed the hawker. Pei Zi Yun was deep in thought. It seemed like the next step would be for the assistant minister and the Grand Princess to buy gifts.
This was strange. At first, he couldn't do it with money, because it was a matter of qualifications. No matter how much money he had, it wouldn't work. But now that he had passed the threshold, it was a matter of money.
How could he obtain a large sum of money? He took out the 900 taels of silver notes he had with him and fell silent.
Pei Zi Yun had never felt that money was insufficient. He did not gamble, nor did he seek prostitutes. These 900 taels of silver would allow him to live a luxurious life for a few years.
But now, he had to obtain a large sum of money.
Business? No, he only had a few hundred taels of silver. It was impossible for him to earn thousands or even tens of thousands of taels of silver. Even if he did, in a short period of time, he would be targeted.
Pei Zi Yun sighed and did not know what to do next. Was he going to be a gentleman? Pei Zi Yun thought to himself as he hesitated. Just then, he heard a knock on the door.
"Is Young Master in? The dishes you ordered are all here. " Pei Zi Yun listened to the waiter and walked out. The waiter then placed the dishes on the table. There was even a plate of golden pastry on the table. He then asked, "I don't remember ordering this dish."
The waiter smiled and said, "Young Master, it's just the new year. Our innkeeper has ordered the kitchen to make this golden pastry and give it to every guest in the inn. He wishes every guest in the inn a prosperous and prosperous year."
Hearing the waiter mention gold, Pei Zi Yun felt as though he had been electrocuted. In the memories of the original owner, there were many treasures. Later on, many of them were obtained by others and were passed down.
Pei Zi Yun then had an idea and smiled, "Not bad, not bad. This tael of silver is for you. Count it as a blessing. In the future, you should work harder!"
Pei Zi Yun then threw out a tael of silver.
When the waiter saw the tael of silver, he smiled happily and said, "Thank you Young Master for your reward. Young Master will definitely become a Grand Scholar this year. You will be rich and prosperous. You will be promoted step by step."
"Also, if you have any questions, feel free to ask me. I know you better than the candied hawthorn seller."
Hearing the waiter's words, Pei Zi Yun was elated, "You may leave. This matter ends here."
The waiter then left. Pei Zi Yun carefully searched through his memories. Apart from the golden pearls, there were many other places in the original owner's memories where he could obtain money. However, this society was not one where money mattered. Only with status could one obtain money. Without status, money would not only not be able to become a god, it could also lead to death.
Based on Pei Zi Yun's status, he owned a thousand mu of land. Ten thousand taels of silver was the most he could get. Any more and he would not be able to suppress his misfortune. Because of this, Pei Zi Yun had never thought about money.
As he searched through his memories, he was filled with regret.
'Perhaps it's too far away. Traveling a thousand li would not make it in time.'
'Perhaps it's near, but it's very troublesome. The largest amount of gold is from the previous dynasty. It's said that there were five hundred thousand taels of gold. All of it was cast into gold bars. However, we have to take a boat out to sea to retrieve it. It's too late now, and it would attract a lot of attention.'
'That's right. The original owner vaguely remembers that someone came to the capital city to take the imperial examinations. He rented a house and discovered a hidden gold deposit. There were tens of thousands of taels of silver. News of this was leaked, and the owner of the house fought a lawsuit.'
'Even if it was a High Scholar, he had to hand over half of it to the yamen. He only got twenty percent of it, and it was then spread around.' Pei Zi Yun then had an idea, 'Hehe, I have to have a new year. Money will flow in, and I will be promoted.'
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