Guide to traveling through the Northern Song Dynasty

Chapter 1180 Postscript Thirty-six: The invitation letter from the Grand Princess has arrived

The shopkeeper accompanied Xie Yan downstairs, and kept flattering him to attract customers: "Mr. Xie, our store can settle accounts monthly or annually. With Mr. Xie's status, he can keep accounts with just a word, so why bother moving to another place?"

Xie Yan smiled and said, "I really have no money, I'm afraid I can't pay it back. When I have money in the future, I will definitely come to your store to spend money."

Xie Yan really has no money, and the bonus from the Ministry of Works has not been issued yet.

As for the status of a royal scholar, not only does he not have a salary to receive, but he also has to pay a membership fee every year.

When he left Huangzhou Prefecture, his parents only gave him 300 guan. With the price of this clothing store, buying a few more clothes can spend all his living expenses!

The shopkeeper's attitude was very good. Even if Xie Yan didn't buy anything, he would personally send him all the way out of the store.

The female clerk who accompanied him throughout the whole process watched Xie Yan go away and muttered: "Although this scholar Xie is handsome, he is not a straightforward person. He didn't buy anything after shopping for a long time."

"It's good to have a good relationship with him," the shopkeeper returned to the store and educated his niece, saying, "He is sincere and free and easy. He doesn't feel short-tempered because of financial difficulties, but speaks out openly. People with such a temperament are not ordinary people, not to mention that he is a 17-year-old scholar of Furong."

The female clerk smiled and said, "I don't care about his temperament, I just know that he is handsome and talented. If I were the eldest princess, I would definitely choose him as my husband."

"Don't say this casually." The shopkeeper warned him, but he didn't take it seriously.

As a commoner in Luoyang, how can we not talk about royal gossip?

When bragging, one is more exciting than the other.

In the carriage.

Li Dunshi confirmed again: "Really not buying in a good store?"

"No money." Xie Yan said.

Although Li Dunshi was an honest child, he was also deeply influenced by his father. He felt that when a person's status rose, his food, clothing, housing and transportation should also match accordingly. A young genius like Xie Yan should wear good clothes.

They took a car out of the city and chose a store in the adjacent street. The price was cut by half, cut by half, cut by half, cut by half again, and finally became something he could afford.

Small profits but quick turnover, this store obviously has more customers.

Daiyu and Baochai each chose two sets of skirts, and each of the four followers chose one set. They also went to the cloth shop next door and bought a piece of silk cloth and a piece of cotton cloth, so that the two girls could sew their own underwear.

There was also a jewelry store in the adjacent market, and Xie Yan picked a few more accessories.

They were not expensive.

Eight sets of clothes, a piece of silk cloth, a piece of cotton cloth, and four pieces of jewelry, a total of only 75 strings of cash.

Compared to the rich, it is really not expensive.

During the Qingli period of the Northern Song Dynasty, when Zhang Fangping was the Chief Censor, he commissioned Yang Yi, the judge of the Ministry of Revenue, to hire a maid. He spent 100 strings of cash just to buy clothes for the maid.

Why did this spread?

It was not because the maid's clothes were too expensive.

But from hiring the maid to buying clothes for the maid, Yang Yi was the one who paid for it. Zhang Fangping, the Chief Censor, refused to pay the maid after receiving her.

This guy is the head of the censors and the boss of the Censorate!

During the Xuanhe period of Emperor Huizong of Song, a rich woman in Kaifeng City, a pair of socks and a scarf, was equivalent to more than two months of military pay for a senior soldier of the imperial guards.

Back home.

The four male followers quickly put on their clothes and walked around in the yard to show off.

Daiyu and Baochai also went back to their rooms to change, and wore their newly bought hairpins. Unfortunately, they didn't have their ears pierced, so they couldn't wear the earrings they just bought.

"My dear, do I look good?" Baochai jumped and turned in the yard, her skirt swinging like a flying butterfly.

Xie Yan smiled and said, "I look good."

Daiyu was more calm and quiet. She clasped her index fingers together and hung them at her waist. She lowered her head shyly and stood two steps away from Xie Yan without saying a word. She stood there for more than ten seconds, then secretly raised her head, wondering if her dear was looking at her.

Alas, the three hundred strings of cash I brought with me when I left Huangzhou were used up on the way by car, boat, food and hotel, renting a house and hiring a maid, and today I went shopping and spent a lot of money. I've almost used up half of it!

If the Ministry of Industry doesn't give out the academic bonus again, Xie Yan will have to write a letter back to Huangzhou and ask the two old men at home... well, ask the two old men to send the money.

Li Dunshi stood outside the yard and hesitated for a long time, and finally couldn't help knocking on the door.

Seeing that he was having a hard time speaking, Xie Yan asked, "If you have something to say, just say it."

Li Dunshi stammered, "I have two good friends who wanted to visit Xie Xueshi and ask for advice. I didn't dare to agree, so I came to ask..."

"What do they do?" Xie Yan asked.

Li Dunshi said, "They are both sons of gentry in the suburbs of Luoyang. One is studying in the inner dormitory of the Imperial College, and the other is trying to take the imperial examination."

When Xie Yan heard that they were sons of gentry nearby, he guessed that Li Minqiu was bragging everywhere.

Xie Yan said, "Since they are all scholars, let's invite them."

Li Dunshi asked, "How about tomorrow?"

"Okay." Xie Yan nodded.

Li Dunshi was a little embarrassed and wanted to do his best to make up for it by being a good host: "Has Xie Xueshi ever visited the Longmen Grottoes? I'm very familiar with that place, and it won't take long to walk there."

"Let's go for a walk in the afternoon." Xie Yan was bored staying at home.

After lunch, the two girls were left at home, and Xie Yan asked them to practice writing from one to ten.

After everyone left, Daiyu practiced calligraphy seriously.

But Baochai couldn't calm down. She ran to look in the mirror while writing, and she was so fascinated by herself.

Daiyu scolded: "How could you do this?"

Baochai asked, "What's wrong with me?"

Daiyu was particularly angry: "My husband is so kind to us. He bought us new clothes and jewelry. We should listen to him honestly. My husband asked us to practice calligraphy, but you only look at yourself in the mirror."

Baochai knew that he was wrong and could not refute, so he came back to practice.

As she was writing, she lay on the table and stopped again. Holding the pen in his right hand and holding his chin in his left hand, he said to himself: "I really want to go out and play with my husband. I would be happiest if I could be by my husband's side all day long."

Daiyu ignored her and practiced calligraphy seriously.

"You're a boring gourd, it's not fun at all." Baochai muttered.

After writing for a while, Baochai suddenly ran out.

Daiyu shouted: "Where are you going?"

Baochai stopped at the door: "Go and wash the clothes that Mr. Lang changed yesterday."

Daiyu said: "The Li family's servants can wash the clothes."

"Hey, they are so rough, don't ruin your husband's clothes. I know how to wash clothes at home, and I will wash your clothes from now on." After saying that, Baochai ran out without looking back.

Daiyu commented in a low voice: "This idiot!"

…

Li Dunshi took Xie Yan to the Longmen Grottoes. After walking around for two or three hours, he felt that it was not interesting anymore.

“There is Longmen Academy over there, which was established when the Ming Dynasty first moved its capital,” Li Dunshi introduced. “After graduating from the official school, if they failed to pass the imperial examination and failed in the imperial examination, many Luoyang scholars would enter Longmen Academy. "

Xie Yan asked: "How does it compare with the Meng family's Tuxiu Academy?"

Li Dunshi shook his head: "It's not as good as Tuanxiu Academy."

Li Dunshi continued to lead Xie Yan around: "There used to be a garrison there, and a Forbidden Army was stationed near Guyi Que Pass. Later, the garrison moved south, but there are many descendants of the Forbidden Army in Longmen Town."

Xie Yan pointed to the east: "The village over there also belongs to your family?"

Li Dunshi said: "They all belong to the Li family, but some members of the clan have split their households, and their household registrations have long been separated from mine. They also have land, but not much."

"Do you have a factory?" Xie Yan asked.

Li Dunshi said: "It's not really a factory. There is a quarry that has been reducing production in the past few years and is not far from stopping. After all, it is not a big mountain. There is also a cement factory and a ceramics factory."

Xie Yan smiled and said: "That's right. They are all building materials. With Luoyang as our backing, we don't have to worry about sales."

"The scale is too small, it can only be said to be passable," Li Dunshi said. "It is said to be a ceramics factory, but in fact it mainly produces pottery. Porcelain can only produce some coarse porcelain. In the high-rise buildings outside Luoyang, many people have ceramic bowls, The porcelain bowls and water jars were made at my home.”

"Go and have a look." Xie Yan suggested.

In the area of ​​Liu Kiln, Diao Kiln and Li Kiln in later generations, there was only one Diao Kiln Village at this time. Like Liyao Village, it was moved here by Zhu Yuanzhang.

The ceramic firing here can only be described as a small matter.

The real ceramic production area in Luoyang is from Beimang Mountain to Gong County, where there is even kaolin.

If villagers in Beigedang Village and Diaoyao Village want to work, their first choice is the Li family's three small factories. Although it is small, it feeds a lot of people.

The cement factory is at the bottom of the mountain.

Not only is the scale small, but the technology is also primitive.

The cement technology has long been out of patent, and Li Dunshi did not hide it: "In the past, limestone and clay were mixed and calcined. This technology has regional restrictions, and not all limestone contains clay."

"Later, someone improved the technology and mixed clay and limestone in a ratio of 1:2, added water, stirred it into mud, then precipitated it, and then put it into a kiln and fired it at high temperature."

"The buildings outside Luoyang use this kind of cement. But this artificially mixed cement is actually not as good as the cement made from calcined limestone that naturally contains 20% to 25% clay."

Xie Yan visited all the manufacturing links of the Lijia Cement Factory, squatted outside the lime kiln and began to meditate.

The compulsory course "Civil Engineering Materials" for civil engineering dogs covers the preparation of various cements.

Xie Yan still remembers some.

Although I haven't actually done it yet, it should be close to ten.

It was already getting very late. We would wait for another day. Xie Yan strolled back.

Li Dunshi asked: "Bachelor Xie plans to improve cement?"

"I have this idea." Xie Yan said.

Li Dunshi shook his head and sighed: "Alas, many scholars and craftsmen are trying to improve cement, but there has been no big progress."

It was already dark when we returned to Li's house.

As soon as they entered, Li Minqiu came over in high spirits and said, "Scholar Xie, the servant of the Princess's Mansion has been waiting for a long time. He came all the way from the Minister's Residence of the Ministry of Industry to ask."

Princess?

It won't really develop in that direction.

Xie Yan was a little nervous, but more excited.

He soon met the manservant sent by the princess. He asked a few questions and the manservant handed him a letter.

Xie Yan was very poor and was still waiting for a bonus, so he only rewarded the messenger with a hundred dollars.

When he returned to the study to open the letters, it was the princess who asked him about molecular theory.

He also said that the hot summer was coming. While the early summer was not too hot yet, the princess wanted to organize a polo match and asked Xie Yan if he had time to participate.

Xie Yan had never ridden a horse, but when he heard that he could play polo, he immediately wrote back to the princess.