Chapter 1167 Epilogue 23 The Seventh Rank Official in Front of the Prime Minister

The 11th Seventh-Rank Official in Front of the Prime Minister

Xie Yan walked to a street lamp and stood on tiptoe to know what fuel was used.

It's not a gas lamp!

With the current chemical level of the Ming Dynasty, it is still impossible to produce the high-temperature resistant gauze required for gas lamps.

This is a kerosene lamp, which, like those traditional oil lamps, relies on the wick to burn for lighting.

It is brighter than traditional oil lamps, but as a street lamp, its brightness is limited, and it can only barely meet the lighting needs of urban roads. The first street lamp in Chinese history was the kerosene lamp that lit up in Shanghai in 1843.

The Ming Dynasty was already mining oil and had a primary oil refining industry. Its main uses are: lighting, washing, lubrication, ink making, anti-corrosion, Chinese medicine, building materials, military, etc.

Most of these uses actually appeared in the Northern Song Dynasty, and even as early as the Han Dynasty, oil was used for lighting.

"May I ask, what kind of lamp is this?" Xie Yan asked the vendor near the street lamp.

The vendor's eyes revealed contempt for the bumpkin, but he couldn't offend potential customers, so he smiled and said, "This is a kerosene lamp, which burns kerosene. What would you like to eat, sir?"

Xie Yan asked again, "Do the people in Luoyang also use kerosene lamps for lighting?"

The vendor replied, "The price of kerosene has dropped a bit in the past two years, and more and more people use kerosene lamps. What would you like to eat, sir?"

"Thank you." Xie Yan bowed and said goodbye.

After he walked away, the vendor muttered, "An ignorant foreigner has come to Luoyang to show off again."

If Xie Yan was born in the 1970s, he would have seen this kind of kerosene lamp. Many rural families still used it in the 1980s.

The address given by his father is in the city, and he definitely can't get in so late.

Although the Ming Dynasty did not have a curfew policy, the city gates had to be closed at night. The nightlife of the people in Luoyang is also divided into the city and outside the city, and no one is allowed to enter or leave the city gates. Not even the royal family!

That night, they found an inn outside the city to stay.

This inn is also a six-story brick and wood building, with wooden planks on the stairs and floors. Especially the stair planks, which sink when you step on them.

Xie Yan climbed all the way to the fifth floor, stepping on the wooden planks along the way.

He thought about going to the cement factory one day to learn about the cement technology at that time and see if he could improve the cement.

Perhaps, the building can be built to more than ten floors!

There is also a kerosene lamp on the table in the guest room.

The shop assistant was afraid that they would not know how to use it, so he demonstrated it himself: "Sir, please look, this knob can adjust the wick. When the light gets dim, adjust the wick longer. Kerosene and wicks are limited, and only so much can be burned for free every night. If you want to read by lamplight, you can also go to the counter to pay for kerosene and wicks."

"Got it." Xie Yan nodded.

It seems that kerosene is not cheap, and the inn has to supply it in limited quantities.

But it is not particularly expensive, otherwise it would not be provided for free.

There is also a toilet in the guest room, and there is also a ceramic wooden ring flush toilet. But because the floor was too high, there was no running water, and there was a water tank hanging above the toilet, which had to be filled manually.

There was no separate bathroom either, so if you wanted to take a bath, you had to go to the bathhouse on the first floor.

With a high-precision scale, Xie Yan did not go to the night market, waiting to settle down in the city tomorrow.

Nothing happened overnight.

The next morning, he got up early, ate something on the street, and called a carriage to go straight to the city gate.

"Is the young master the nephew of the Minister of Works?" The driver took the initiative to talk, because the address Xie Yan gave was exactly where the official residence of the Minister of Works was.

Xie Yan answered ambiguously: "Is he a junior."

The driver made small talk: "Is the young master's first time in Luoyang?"

Xie Yan asked with a smile: "How do you know?"

The driver said: "The young master looked around the streets before getting on the car, and opened the curtain to look after getting on the car."

"Has your family lived in Luoyang for generations?" Xie Yan asked.

The driver said proudly: "My family is from Luoyang. We used to live in the suburbs, but later the land was occupied and the businessmen who built the houses paid two houses as compensation."

Xie Yan was surprised: "So those buildings outside the city were built by businessmen to sell?"

The driver said: "Some also built them to rent out."

"When businessmen buy land to build houses, does the government intervene?" Xie Yan asked.

The driver replied, "At first, they didn't care, as long as they paid taxes. A few decades ago, something big happened. Farmers in the suburbs thought the compensation was too little and refused to move. The merchants hired hooligans to cause trouble from house to house, and finally killed more than one person. Many farmers were scared and moved away obediently. But there were a few who were not afraid of death and went to beat the drum to report."

Xie Yan said, "Did the court take action?"

The driver said, "The late emperor was furious and ordered a thorough investigation. The prefect of Luoyang was imprisoned. I heard that he accepted benefits from merchants. After that, the rules were changed. Building houses for sale in cities and suburbs requires government approval before buying land, and the deed tax for real estate transactions has also increased."

Xie Yan asked again, "Are there public areas in the house?"

"What are public areas?" The driver was puzzled.

Xie Yan explained: "It means taking the outer walls, corridors, and stairs into account, and spreading them out into the size of the house so that the buyer will bear the cost."

The driver laughed and said: "Isn't that a lie? It would be strange if the house could be sold."

Xie Yan continued to ask: "If I can't afford the house, can I get a loan from the bank?"

The driver thought for a while: "There may be such people, but I haven't seen them. There are many people who borrow money from relatives and friends to buy houses."

Xie Yan asked again: "Are there any businessmen who, when they are short of money, first seek a loan from a bank to buy land? Then they pre-sell it to the people when they start building the house, and then use the people's money to pay for the house to repay the loan?"

"Only a fool would buy a house before it's even built." The coachman thought Xie Yan was mentally ill.

After listening to this, Xie Yan felt that the real estate market in Ming Dynasty was still a green sea of ​​leeks.

Alas, forget it.

I want to be a great scientist who will be famous throughout the ages. This kind of cutting leeks has such a bad reputation, so I should leave it to those smart businessmen.

The carriage drove into the middle gate of the East City and headed west along the main road.

The buildings in the city are different. There are also five- and six-story brick and wood buildings like those outside the city, but the number of such buildings is obviously much smaller.

It is estimated that demolition in the city is too difficult, and businessmen would rather invest in real estate in the suburbs.

"Hey, there are more buildings in this area." Xie Yan said in surprise.

The coachman explained: "This area was the residence of the officials of the Jing Dynasty. Emperor Taizong rented it to the officials at a low price. Later, many officials did not move out even after they retired. The whole family stayed in the house and occupied it directly. Occupying the official residence There are more and more people, so Xinguan has no house to live in, so he has to rent private housing. "

"It was demolished later?" Xie Yan asked.

The coachman spoke like a treasure trove: "Decades ago, there was a young official in the capital who asked for release many times. He even sent secret documents to the late emperor. The late emperor was so annoyed by him that he summoned him to the palace to ask questions. The late emperor asked, you became a Jing at a young age. Official, why do you always think about going out to make money? The young official in Beijing replied, the rent in the capital is too expensive, and there is not much left after paying the rent. I am as honest as water and don’t dare to take bribes. I only want to go out when I can’t survive.”

"The late emperor is angry again?" Xie Yan asked with a smile.

The coachman nodded and said: "The late emperor was furious and ordered a thorough investigation. All those who had not been officials for a long time but had been occupying official buildings were driven away. All the original two-story official buildings were demolished and rebuilt into six stories. The official in Beijing finally has a house to live in."

Xie Yan said: "The late emperor is really a good emperor."

The coachman shook his whip fiercely: "Isn't that right? The late emperor did a lot of good things! People often say that the late emperor was fatuous in his later years, but that fatuousness is nothing. We ordinary people know very well... Hey, we are here!"

The place where the important ministers of the Ministry of Cabinet live is the official residence. No one dares to occupy this thing. They must move out immediately after leaving office. Because the front hall belongs to the office area and the backyard is the living area, the crime of occupying the official residence can be beheaded if seriously investigated!

Xie Yan came to the side door of the backyard of the official residence of the Minister of Industry, handed out his famous thorn and said: "Please pass the message, Xie Yan comes to see me."

Menzi was a little old man with a very big nose, and he put down his famous tattoo without even looking at it: "You can come back another day."

Xie Yan knew that this person wanted to collect money, but he refused to give it: "My brother currently lives in the house."

Menzi finally remembered this matter, looked at the assassin carefully, and said angrily: "Just wait a moment, I'll have someone report it."

With that said, he closed the door.

Xie Yan waited and waited for more than an hour before the courtyard door was finally opened again: "Your brother has gone out. Come back another day."

Hearing this, Xie Yan felt a little like an emperor and couldn't help but get angry.

The entourage grabbed Xie Yan and said, "Liu Lang, the seventh-rank official in front of the prime minister's door, give him a few silver coins before he can do anything."

Xie Yan said: "I can give it, but he can't ask for it!"

"He didn't ask for it either," the attendant said.

When Xie Yan used to go out for takeout, whenever he was blocked by community security, he would smile and hand over cigarettes to ask for accommodation.

After time travel, his identity changed and his temper gradually grew.

In other words, he has long disliked the doorman, and now he has the right to lose his temper.

Just outside the side door of the residence of the Minister of Industry, Xie Yan sat down cross-legged: "Wait slowly!"

From morning until evening, some followers went to buy food and came back.

Xie Yan was not idle either, sitting on the street reading and reciting the Analects of Confucius.

During this period, someone also came in and out of this door. They looked at Xie Yan curiously and then reminded him not to get too close and block the way.

Just a reminder, not a scolding.

Because Xie Yan is not like ordinary people, he is accompanied by four armed servants.

As it gets later and later, the courtyard door opens again, and the concierge's tone becomes much softer: "Come in and wait."

"No need." Xie Yan knew that his brother was coming back soon, and he would probably come back with the nobles of this mansion.

The old concierge smiled apologetically and said, "Why do you have to be angry with me, an old man?"

Xie Yan was too lazy to pay attention to him and instead recited "The Analects of Confucius".

The old concierge became anxious.

Naturally, he didn't take Xie Yan seriously. Even Xie Yan's eldest brother stuffed money into his house.

The real problem is that Xie Yan's eldest brother went out today to attend a cultural gathering with the minister's husband!

The old concierge said: "Master, come in quickly, I have already asked someone to make some good tea."

Xie Yan continued to read "The Analects of Confucius".

The old concierge persuaded him for a while, but the more he talked, the more anxious he became, and in the end he could only stand there with him.

After a while, a carriage came, with attendants in front of the carriage and behind it.

Two young men got out of the car, one of whom was Xie Yan's eldest brother Xie Hong.

Xie Hong felt strange when he heard the voice reciting "The Analects of Confucius". Before he could get closer, he saw four healthy servants stepping forward to salute: "Well done, Dalang!"

Xie Hong nodded in response, finally recognizing his younger brother: "Liu Lang, why are you sitting here?"

The old concierge said quickly: "The young man from the Xie family insists on waiting outside the door."

Xie Yan put away the Analects and said with a smile: "I have been waiting since this morning, and finally I see you, brother."

After saying this, Xie Hong's face did not change, and he just glanced at the old man at the gate.

But the young man behind him was a little angry.

Xie Hong laughed and began to introduce: "Sixth brother, this is the grandson of Minister Chen, Chen Duan (Zi) Zongli, the tenth son of the Chen family. Brother Zongli, this is my sixth son Xie Chaozong."

Chen Duan bowed and said: "I have heard of your great name for a long time, and today I finally see you, the sixteen-year-old Jade Scholar."

Xie Yan bowed in return: "I don't deserve it. I will bother Brother Chen for the next period of time."

Chen Duan smiled and said: "We are all brothers, let's not talk about that. My dear brother, you have been traveling all the way, please go inside and rest."

A group of people went in with laughter.

The old man at the gate was frowning, as uncomfortable as if he had eaten a fly.

Xie Hong came half a month ago. He was very polite and gave the doorman ten silver dollars. He entered very smoothly.

The doorman asked around and found out that the Xie family was just an ordinary gentry, and they had some relationship with the Chen family in a roundabout way. This relationship was not close, and they were not considered big shots.

Since they were not big shots, they could be manipulated.

But he did not expect to meet a young man like Xie Yan who was stubborn and could not be influenced by anything. Chen Shilang was obviously embarrassed.

The doorman sat for a while, feeling uneasy. Suddenly, a servant from the inner courtyard came over and said, "Pack your bags and go back to your hometown. You should go back to hug your grandchildren at your age."

The doorman was thirsty and wanted to say something but couldn't.