Tang Dynasty Xie Lu Lang

Chapter 328 Pingkangfang Mansion

Li Linfu looked thinner than he had a few years ago, with slightly sunken eyes and a somewhat sinister appearance, especially as he glared at Zhang Dai with venomous eyes. He had previously been considered handsome, but now he appeared rather menacing.

This shows that the soil and water south of the mountains are not very fertile. After all, it has not yet been fully developed like in later generations, and it cannot be compared with the comfortable life in the two capitals.

Accompanying Li Linfu were several others, including Yuan Jie, son of Yuan Qianyao, the Prefect of Jingzhao, and Li Zhaodao, Li Linfu's cousin and the Junior General. In addition to these three, there were seven or eight servants, each carrying some items on their horses, presumably on their way to visit someone.

Zhang Dai knew he had many enemies, none of whom were benevolent men or women, so in recent years he had always been accompanied by at least a dozen followers when he went out, so he was not weak in terms of manpower.

As he observed Li Linfu and his group, he began to ponder the matter.

Although Yuan Qianyao was dismissed from his post as prime minister in the fifteenth year of the Kaiyuan era due to his son Yuan Fu's involvement, the political power of their faction did not decline as a result. Yuan Qianyao himself returned to Chang'an to serve as the Prefect of Jingzhao, and he also had many relatives and friends serving as officials in the court.

In particular, last year, while serving as the governor of both the powerful prefectures of Weizhou and Bianzhou, Yuwen Rong successfully transported over one million shi (a unit of dry measure) of disaster relief rice from the Jianghuai region to Hebei in a timely manner, greatly alleviating the disaster situation in Hebei and saving countless lives. For this achievement, Yuwen Rong returned to the capital and continued to serve as the Vice Minister of Revenue.

Li Linfu has spent three years in Junzhou, Shannan, and now that his term of office is over, he is returning to the capital. He will undoubtedly want to make some moves to find a new position. As for Yuan Qianyao and others, they are not currently in charge of personnel, so they will probably have to leverage their connections from the old money families in Guanzhong to achieve their goals.

Li Linfu reined in his horse and glared at Zhang Dai for a while without saying a word. After his companions caught up from behind, they continued north together.

Zhang Dai didn't chase after them to pursue the matter further, simply assuming it was bad luck that he'd been bitten by a dog while walking down the street. The slave trader, however, seemed unaware of their feud; he led the way while glancing around cautiously, as if wary of other slave traders following them, displaying a strong sense of secrecy.

Before long, the group arrived at Pingkang Ward, entered through the west gate, and walked east along the ward street. Near the crossroads, Zhang Dai saw Li Linfu, whom he had seen earlier, standing in front of a large mansion on the south side of the street. The owner of this mansion was none other than Pei Guangting, the then Vice Minister of War!

Li Linfu was with his cousin and others, so it couldn't have been a daytime meeting with his old lover; they must have been visiting Pei Guangting.

Pei Guangting is now a highly senior and influential figure in the court. If Li Linfu wants to obtain any important position, securing Pei Guangting's support would undoubtedly make things much easier.
Although Zhang Dai was also quite concerned about Li Linfu's future, it wouldn't be appropriate to directly visit him to inquire. So he temporarily put the matter aside and focused on resolving his own affairs.

"Young Master Zhang, this is the place! This is the west wing of the former residence of Lord Li Song, bordering Bodhi Temple to the south and facing Sanqu to the north. Are you satisfied with this location, Young Master Zhang?"

After walking past the crossroads and turning south, the broker pointed to a tall courtyard on the east side of the street and said to Zhang Dai with a smile.

Upon hearing that the two neighbors were to the north and south, Zhang Dai was immediately delighted. Good heavens, this way he could enjoy himself without any problems, and also recite scriptures and worship Buddha. To the north were lustful demons, and to the south were sages and Buddhas. How could he not be satisfied with this location?

This courtyard is located in the northwest corner of the residence of Li Lingwen, the Duke of Song. A side door opens into the south-facing curve, and the broker, who carries the key, simply opens the door and leads Zhang Dai inside.

Upon entering the courtyard, one is greeted by a screen wall. Beyond this wall lies a spacious courtyard, roughly two acres in size, with a smooth surface bearing the marks of tamping. It appears to be a small drill ground. However, due to a lack of maintenance, many weeds have sprouted from the ground.

A dozen or so locust and willow trees were planted around the drill ground, and two corridors, one horizontal and one vertical, intersected in the northeast corner of the small courtyard.

After passing through the corridor, there are two rows of buildings facing north. To the north, there is a courtyard covering four or five acres. The main building is a two-story pavilion. To the west of the pavilion, there is a small artificial lake. Due to neglect, there is a lot of debris floating on the lake.

"There is another partitioned area to the east, which was originally a flower garden and orchard. The fruit trees were all cut down by the Ministry of Agriculture, and several warehouses were built to store materials. After the warehouses were demolished, houses can still be built. Including the kitchen and other areas in the backyard, the residence is about seventeen acres. If Young Master Zhang still finds it too cramped, he can expand it to the southeast by a few more courtyards."

The servant followed closely behind Zhang Dai, explaining as he walked.

Since this area is not the main residential area, the buildings here are not particularly impressive. If one were to actually move in, they would all have to be demolished and rebuilt. Therefore, Zhang Dai did not care much about these buildings.

He mainly looked at the size and shape of the plot of land, as well as whether the terrain was low-lying. There were many buildings in Pingkang Ward, and if a residence was located in a low-lying area, it would become damp and stuffy in the summer and autumn, making living there feel like torture.

The land is quite nice; the previous owner probably raised it by adding soil, making it higher than the rest of the house. As for the size, Zhang Dai is also quite satisfied; sixteen or seventeen acres is more than enough to build a three-courtyard residence with a front hall and rear living quarters.

Moreover, the shape of this plot of land is quite good, with an area extending to the southeast that can be used to build stables without affecting the overall appearance of the mansion. Zhang Dai didn't resort to nitpicking to lower the price; he immediately asked the broker, "How much is this plot of land worth?"

“Pingkangfang is a strategically important and prestigious area in the capital, and land prices are already high. Moreover, it is a piece of vacant land suitable for building a mansion, so the price is higher than that of other wards.”

The broker first laid out some groundwork, then continued, "The price for one mu of land here is 120 guan. The cost of the house frame, timber, bricks, and tiles will be calculated separately. Since this is official land, there is also a land grant fee of 30 guan per mu to the Jingzhao Prefecture. For more than ten mu, an additional 1,000 guan will be required..."

Even though Zhang Dai was mentally prepared, he still gasped when he heard the land price. Based on the seventeen mu of land, the land price alone would be more than three thousand, nearly four thousand guan.

As for the buildings on the land, don't be fooled by their dilapidated appearance. In the Tang Dynasty, especially in the sale of mansions like these, the value could easily be several times higher than the land price. Take that small lake behind it, for example; it could be worth hundreds or even thousands of strings of cash, and you wouldn't be able to argue with that.

However, considering that I will be living in Chang'an for several decades to come, and that the next two or three decades will still be a prosperous era with housing prices only going higher and not lower, I think it's better to buy early and enjoy it sooner.

Therefore, after pondering for a moment, Zhang Dai asked in a deep voice, "How much would it cost to acquire these seventeen acres of residential land?"

"A total of 26,300 strings of cash is required, which can be paid in full within six months of the land purchase."

Seeing that Zhang Dai's intention to buy was quite strong, the broker immediately replied with a beaming smile.

Upon hearing this figure, Zhang Dai couldn't help but frown. Twenty-six thousand strings of cash wasn't the total price; it was merely for acquiring the land. To officially move in, all the existing buildings would need to be demolished and rebuilt according to one's own wishes.

Everything in the capital was expensive, and construction labor and materials were even more outrageously expensive due to high market demand. A single piece of blue brick and gray tile cost hundreds of coins, a single piece of timber cost several strings of cash, and large beams and pillars cost hundreds or even thousands of strings of cash. To build a magnificent central hall, one would need at least several thousand strings of cash.

To put it simply, even the Ten Princes' Residences built on the south side of Daming Palace were constructed primarily of rammed earth.

Because a royal residence cannot be built too shabby with bricks, tiles, wood, and stone, the cost of a single royal residence would easily be tens of thousands of strings of cash. This is even with the court officials procuring the materials and providing free labor. If it were an ordinary family, it would likely cost at least tens of thousands of strings of cash.

The emperor is not yet at the level of being so wealthy as to hate money during the Tianbao era. Considering his many sons, he naturally has to save money wherever possible.

Zhang Dai was building his own house for himself, so he couldn't just make do with rammed earth. After buying the house, he would need to prepare at least tens of thousands of strings of cash for construction. All things considered, to settle down in Pingkangfang, he would need to spend tens of thousands of strings of cash.

Seeing that Zhang Dai remained silent, the broker immediately added, "The price is still negotiable. I will try my best to get you 25,000 strings of cash, but I can't go any lower. After all, Pingkangfang is such a valuable place, and such a fertile property, it is never short of suitors."

"It would be best if we could save on the price, as such a large sum of money still needs to be raised. I am very satisfied with this land, and I will arrange for my family to raise the money later. I would also like you to lobby the Jingzhao Prefecture again."

After thinking it over, Zhang Dai made his decision; price wasn't a major issue for him. Although he had added a significant amount of money and goods for relief along the Yellow River last year due to the ongoing disaster, the Bianzhou flying money system was already operating smoothly.

Even with profits to share with other merchants and the expenses of maintaining the fleet, Zhang Dai still receives a considerable share of the profits each year. The disaster has passed this year, so there's no need to set aside too much money for famine relief. Around early March, a sum of 80,000 strings of cash will arrive, more than enough to purchase a property.

If he didn't still plan to cultivate tea on the entire Zhongnan Mountain, he could have easily taken over the whole mansion without much trouble. However, if he did that, it would be rather conspicuous, and the censors would scrutinize him with a magnifying glass, preventing him from receiving his next season's stipend.

"Young Master Zhang, please rest assured, I will definitely do my best!"

When the broker heard that Zhang Dai had finalized the purchase intention so quickly, he was overjoyed. If the deal could be completed, he would at least receive several hundred strings of cash in commission!
Looking up, Zhang Dai saw that the sun was already setting in the west, so he decided not to linger any longer. He arranged for his family to take the broker home to get five hundred strings of cash to settle the matter, while he himself had to return to his office to work.

They had just reached the crossroads when they saw Li Linfu and his entourage leaving Pei Guangting's house. Pei Guangting's son, Pei Zhen, saw them off. Li Linfu's expression was rather unpleasant, suggesting the talks hadn't gone well.

(End of this chapter)