A Good Landlord in the Tang Dynasty: Starting from the Village Chief

Chapter 39 Silla Maid

Changshoufang in the west of the city where the Chang'an County Government is located.
Wang Lizheng's brother had bought a house in this block, not far from the Ministry of Revenue where he worked. Li Yi and the others left the Imperial City's Anshang Gate and walked five or six blocks west to reach the West Market. Two blocks south of the West Market was the Changshou Block.

"Let's go to the West Market to buy some things. It's not good to come empty-handed." When Li Yi heard that the famous Chang'an West Market was ahead, he said to the village chief Wang.

The East and West Markets of Chang'an were where people came to buy things.

It is said that the East and West Markets were extremely prosperous, occupying two blocks each. There were a wide variety of goods in the market, and there were rows of shops, warehouses, and temporary residences for traveling merchants.

There are 220 types of merchandise sold, and all categories are managed centrally.

"The street-cleansing drums have already sounded, and the market has already closed." Township Chief Wang laughed and said, "The East and West Markets only open for business at noon every day and close at dusk. If you want to visit the East and West Markets, you can go there tomorrow at noon."

This surprised Li Yi.
There were no street markets in Chang'an City, and all the shops were concentrated in the East and West Blocks, and they were only open for half a day every day.

"Then are we going to Wang Lingshi's house empty-handed?"

"I'm not a stranger. I'm his cousin. I'm going to his house to stay overnight. What's wrong with coming empty-handed?" Village chief Wang was very direct. Although he and Wang Lingshi were relatives of the fifth generation, because he, the village chief, often had to come to Chang'an City for duty, he also had frequent contacts with Wang Dalang, who was the money-collecting clerk in the Ministry of Revenue in Chang'an. In fact, their relationship was very close, so there was no need to be so polite.

In Chang'an City,

Like a huge maze,

Hundreds of thousands of houses are like a Go board, and the twelve streets are like vegetable plots.

Each block was enclosed by a series of high rammed earth walls, with only gates for entry and exit. The streets were truly only for walking, the dirt roads dusty and muddy, and even many of the street trees were reduced to stumps.

"Why were all these trees cut down?" Li Yi asked curiously.

"Speaking of this, there is a story called The Emperor Sells Firewood." Village Chief Wang was an expert on Chang'an, and he immediately told Li Yi the story of the trees being cut down on Chang'an Street.

In June of the previous year, Li Yuan raised his army in Taiyuan and quickly marched south, capturing Chang'an in November. From the start of the army to the capture of Chang'an, it took only a little over five months.

Although the military was going very smoothly, after entering Chang'an, Li Yuan faced the dilemma of lack of money. His purse was in Taiyuan. Liu Yijie, a meritorious official, came up with a plan to cut down the trees in the streets and palaces of Chang'an and sell them to the people of Chang'an to burn in exchange for silk and cloth, earning hundreds of thousands of dollars.

"This Liu Yijie is quite remarkable. He is originally from Jinyang, Bingzhou, and is a member of the Jihu tribe. At the end of the Daye period, he was appointed mayor of Jinyang Township. Recommended by Pei Jian, he joined Your Majesty and joined the uprising, becoming a founding hero. He is now the Right Guanglu Doctor, the Minister of the Imperial Household, and the Duke of Ge."

Wang Jixian is the township head, Liu Yijie is also the township head,

But the mayor of Jinyang Township last year is Duke Ge this year. Wang Jixian has been the mayor of Yusu Township for ten years and is still a mayor now. It has to be said that one has to compare himself to others.

Li Yi had no impression of this village chief Liu. He only remembered that there was a local tyrant in Hedong named Wu Shigui, who started out as a wood seller. Unofficial history even said that he sold tofu when he was young. At the end of the Sui Dynasty, Wu Shigui paid money to buy a captain of Yingyang Mansion, and then he was optimistic about Li Yuan and spent all his family wealth to help him, and he also became a meritorious official who followed the emperor.

"Uncle Wang, do you know Wu Shigui?"

"He's quite remarkable. He started out as a wood seller during the construction of the Eastern Capital during the Daye era. Now he's been promoted to the rank of Guanglu Dafu, Huangmen Shilang, and has been granted the title of Duke of Yingguo." Wang Jixian was full of admiration for Wu Shigui. A wood seller, with his amazing vision, had gotten to know the current emperor.
After the Taiyuan uprising, Wu Shigui was in charge of logistics. After entering Chang'an, Li Yuan rewarded him with 3 million yuan, 5,000 pieces of colorful silk, and a large house in the capital. After the founding of the Tang Dynasty, he also gave him 200 fine horses and 2,000 dan of millet.

"The current emperor is extremely appreciative of his subordinates. Those who originally rose up in Hedong and wished to remain in the capital were settled in the seven counties of Weibei and given fertile land. They were allowed to inherit the title from father to son and from brother to brother, and serve as the emperor's imperial guards for generations.

Even your Majesty's household slaves, such as Fan Xing and Qian Jiulong, were also granted the titles of Duke of the State or Duke of a County for their military achievements.

When the rebel army marched south, Your Majesty even released the captured Sui Dynasty soldiers and granted them the rank of fifth-rank official.

Li Yi was very impressed after hearing this. Li Yuan was indeed very generous in this regard. It could also be said that it was Li Yuan's generosity that allowed him to quickly win over many people's hearts.

In comparison, Yang Guang was much more stingy. When Yang Guang was surrounded by the army of Shibi Khan of the Turkic region in Yanmen, more than 10,000 soldiers under his command fought to the death to defend the city. Yang Guang offered generous rewards, but after the siege was lifted, he only rewarded about 1,000 people.

This also meant that when Yu Wenzhi and others rebelled in Jiangdu last year, the brave and capable imperial guards created by Yang Guang became the regicides.

After Li Yuan defeated the Sui army that came to resist him and captured them, he not only let them return to their hometown in Guanzhong, but also gave each of them a fifth-rank official position.

Although this official title was only a nominal rank and Li Yuan did not need to pay him a salary, after these captives returned to Guanzhong, they spread the news everywhere and everyone knew that the Duke of Tang was a good person. When Li Yuan entered Tongguan, not many people really resisted.

Longevity Square,
There are neighborhood guards guarding the gate, and there is a Wuhou shop on the corner of the street, with Wuhou soldiers on duty.

Li Yi felt that Chang'an City was very restrictive everywhere and he felt more comfortable in the countryside.

Village chief Wang took him straight to Wang Dalang's house and introduced the situation in the neighborhood to him along the way. The Chang'an County Government Office was in the southwest corner of the neighborhood.

The entire Changshoufang is a large, neatly-shaped rectangle, with a cross street in the middle, dividing the square into four large sections. Each section has a small cross street, further dividing it into four sections.

To the west of the north of the cross street is the Mansion of the Duke of Feng, formerly the Mansion of Prince Dai. Yang You, the puppet emperor whom Li Yuan supported after conquering Chang'an, lived here after his abdication and was demoted to the Duke of Feng.

"That's the Yan family over there. The Henan Yan family is a prominent aristocratic family in Guanlong. The late patriarch of the Yan family, Yan Pi, was the Junior Supervisor of the Sui Dynasty Palace and the Duke of Shibao County. His wife was Princess Qingdu, the daughter of Emperor Wu of the Northern Zhou Dynasty. Yan Pi's father was Yan Qing, the Grand Commander of Jingzhou, who was posthumously awarded the title of Sikong in the Sui Dynasty."

Li Yi listened to him talk about everything, but he had no impression of it at all.

"Yan Pi's two sons are now serving in the Qin Palace. The eldest son, Yan Lide, is a military officer in the Qin Palace, and the second son, Yan Liben, is a treasurer in the Qin Palace."

As soon as he heard the names of the two brothers, Li Yi remembered them, because they were both famous painters in the Tang Dynasty, and it seemed that one of them had even served as prime minister.

He couldn't help but take a closer look at the Yan family. The two brothers' current official positions were insignificant, but they would have a great future. Of course, the Henan Yan family was also a famous aristocratic family in Guanlong with a profound heritage.

Wang Dalang's family lived in the southeast of the block, next to the small cross street. The house was not very big, just a very compact corridor courtyard.

The door was knocked and a servant opened it. Seeing the familiar Village Chief Wang, he welcomed him in directly.

Coming to the hall in the front yard,
Wang Dalang was playing with his sons when he saw Village Chief Wang and hurried to greet him.

"This is Li Yi from Luojiabao. The Ministry of Personnel urgently summoned him to Chang'an today to receive an official report. As it's getting late, he came to stay with you for one night."

Wang Dalang was a little surprised and paused. "I heard Erlang talking about Li Lang last time. I wonder what official position he was given?"

"The prince's official name." Village chief Wang said to his nephew with a smile.

Wang Dalang was in awe, even with a hint of disbelief in his eyes.

He worked as a money collector in the Ministry of Revenue in Chang'an. In fact, his position was quite low, and he was just an official outside the imperial court.

He was very familiar with the official positions in the court.
Some of these officials were called clean officials and were given priority to scholars from prominent families, while many people from humble backgrounds could only serve as corrupt officials.

Officials are divided into clear and turbid types, which is difficult to cross.

The Crown Prince's Zhengzi and Jiaoshu, like the Zhengzi and Jiaoshulang of the Secretariat, were all upright officials, and they were the promotional steps for children of famous families.

How could it be awarded to this young man?

"Wuyi, quickly show your official report to Dalang. The old official from the Ministry of Personnel asked for twenty pieces of silk as payment for the report."

Li Yi took out the official certificate, and Wang Dalang unfolded it and looked at it carefully for a long time. He had to admit that this was a genuine official certificate.

This sixteen-year-old young man was truly a ninth-rank official bestowed by imperial decree, an upright official who was both honest and noble.

"Does Li Lang know His Royal Highness the Crown Prince?" Wang Dalang asked tentatively.

Li Yi shook his head.

"I didn't know anything about this before I came here, and I'm still confused."

Wang Dalang was a little more enthusiastic towards Li Yi. "You have received your official certificate, but not your official robe. You need to go to the Weaving and Dyeing Office of the Shaofu Temple to get the robe and crown. I will help you find out when you get there."

Village chief Wang said that Li Yi's fame must have spread to Chang'an. He said that Li Yi opened a primary school in the village, wrote the Three Character Classic, and had unique thin-muscled characters. Even Sun Fujia, Du Ruhui, Dong Xiucai and others praised him. It was normal for the news to reach the ears of the Crown Prince in Chang'an, and then he would recruit him to be an official in the Eastern Palace.

"Congratulations, Li Lang! This is truly a leap from a carp to a dragon. From now on, you will rise to prominence and have a bright future." Wang Dalang was quite envious. He had worked hard but was unable to escape the shabby bureaucracy.

Although officials outside the official system can enter the official system through the "Liuwai Quan" and become officials of a certain rank, it is really too difficult.

Even if you enter the mainstream, there won't be much future for you.

Li Yi, the Crown Prince, is different. He started his career with this official position and has a bright future.

He quickly asked his son to tell his wife and ordered the servants to prepare a sumptuous table of food and wine so that he could entertain his family well.

"Go and ask Luzhu to bring me the cake of Huzhou Purple Bamboo Tea that I have collected." He also asked his second son to call the youngest and most beautiful maid in the house to make tea. He even made up his mind to let Luzhu accompany Li Yi tonight.

Luzhu was young and beautiful, and she was very good at making tea.

Wang Dalang said to Li Yi with some pride: "Lüzhu is not actually from the Central Plains, she is a servant of Silla."

Silla maids were a famous type of slaves. They came from the Silla Kingdom in the south of the Korean Peninsula in the east of the sea. The maids here were famous for their beauty and docility, and were deeply loved by the nobles in Chang'an.

A Silla maid could often be sold for tens of thousands of coins or even more.

Wang Dalang is a small money collector in Chang'an, but he has a Silla maid.

This Silla maid originally belonged to a noble family in Chang'an, but was later imprisoned due to a crime. Wang Dalang later used his connections and spent tens of thousands of dollars to get this Silla maid back.

He originally wanted to keep her and give her to a nobleman in the future, but now he feels that Li Yi is that nobleman and it is worth giving Lu Zhu away.

"Wuyi, when you take up an official post in Chang'an, where are you considering buying a house? Do you need my help to find one? Just tell me what your requirements are. I have some connections in Chang'an City, and I will definitely help you find a suitable house, and I guarantee the price is right."

Li Yi's mind is actually quite confused.

How could he be appointed as the Prince's Secretary? He had just rejected Li Shimin's position as the Secretary of the Qin Palace. It would be inappropriate for him to accept the position of the Prince's Secretary now.

What if Li Shimin finds out and thinks too much about it?
After all, Village Chief Wang and Wang Fazuo only saw that Li Jiancheng was the crown prince, but they didn't know that the future ruler of the Tang Dynasty was Li Shimin.

(End of this chapter)