Chapter 1167 Postscript 23·The seventh-rank official in front of the prime minister's door
Xie Yan walked under a street lamp and stood on tiptoes to find out what kind of fuel was used.
Not gaslighting!
With the current chemical level of the Ming Dynasty, it was impossible to create the high-temperature resistant gauze cover required for gas lamps.
This is a kerosene lamp. Like those traditional oil lamps, it also relies on a wick to burn and illuminate.
It is brighter than traditional oil lamps, but its brightness is limited as a street lamp. It can only barely meet the lighting needs of urban roads. The first street lamp in Chinese history was a kerosene lamp that was lit in Shanghai in 1843.
Daming has been exploiting oil and has a primary oil smelting industry. Its main uses are: lighting, washing, lubrication, ink making, anti-corrosion, traditional Chinese medicine, building materials, military, etc.
Most of these uses actually appeared in the Northern Song Dynasty, and oil was even used for lighting as early as the Han Dynasty.
"May I ask, what kind of lamp is this?" Xie Yan asked the vendor near the street lamp.
The hawker's eyes revealed his contempt for the bumpkin, but he could not offend potential customers, so he smiled and said: "This is a kerosene lamp, burning kerosene. What would you like to eat, sir?"
Xie Yan asked again: "Do people in Luoyang also use kerosene lamps for lighting in their homes?"
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?"
"Thank you." Xie Yan said goodbye with his hands in hand.
After he walked away, the hawker muttered: "The ignorant foreigner has come to Luoyang again."
If Xie Yan was born in the 1970s, he must have seen this kind of kerosene lamp, which was still used by many rural families in the 1980s.
The address my father gave me is in the city, so I'm sure I won't be able to get in at this late hour.
Although the Ming Dynasty did not have a curfew policy, the city gates still had to be closed at night. The nightlife of Luoyang people was also divided into inside and outside the city. No one was allowed to enter or leave the city gate, not even the emperor's relatives!
That night, they stayed at an inn outside the city.
This inn is also a six-story brick and wood building. The stairs and floors are all made of wooden boards. Especially the stair boards will sink when you step on them.
Xie Yan climbed all the way to the fifth floor, playing on the wooden boards along the way.
He was thinking about going to the cement factory one day to have a look at the cement process at this time and see if he could improve the cement.
Maybe we can build the building to more than ten floors!
There is also a kerosene lamp placed on the table in the guest room.
The store clerk was afraid that they wouldn't be able to use it, so he demonstrated it himself: "Sir, please see, this knob can adjust the wick. When the light becomes dim, adjust the wick longer. Kerosene and wicks are limited, and you can only burn so much for free every night.
If my husband wants to stay up late and read at night, he can go to the counter to add money and ask for kerosene and wicks."
"I know." Xie Yan nodded.
It seems that kerosene is not cheap, and the inn has to supply it in limited quantities.
But it’s not particularly expensive, otherwise there wouldn’t be some available for free.
There is also a toilet in the guest room, as well as a flush toilet with a ceramic wooden ring. However, because the floor is too high, there is no running water. There is a water tank hanging above the toilet, and water must be filled manually.
There is no separate bathroom either. If you want to take a bath, you have to go to the bathhouse on the first floor.
With a high-precision scale beside him, Xie Yan did not go to the night market and would wait until he settled in the city tomorrow.
Nothing happened all night.
I got up early the next morning, rested my belly on the street, called a carriage and headed straight for the city gate.
"My young husband is the nephew of the Minister of the Ministry of Industry?" The coachman took the initiative to chat, because the address Xie Yan gave was the official residence of the Minister of the Ministry of Industry.
Xie Yan answered ambiguously: "He is considered a junior."
The coachman was at a loss for words and asked: "Is this your first time in Luoyang, isn't it?"
Xie Yanxiao asked: "How do you know?"
The coachman said: "My husband, before he got on the bus, was looking around the streets and alleys. After getting on the bus, he opened the curtain again and took a look."
"Your family has lived in Luoyang for generations?" Xie Yan asked.
The driver's tone was quite proud: "My family is from Luoyang. I used to live in the suburbs of the city, but later the land was occupied and the builder who repaired the house lost two houses."
Xie Yan was surprised: "So those buildings outside the city were built by merchants and sold?"
The coachman said: "There are also some that are self-built and rented out."
"When a businessman buys land to build a house, does the government take care of it?" Xie Yan asked.
The coachman replied: "It doesn't matter at first, as long as you pay the tax. There was a big incident a few decades ago. Farmers in the suburbs thought the compensation was too small and refused to move away. The merchants hired gangsters to make trouble from house to house, and finally
There were lives lost, and there were more than one life. Many farmers were afraid and swallowed their anger and moved away obediently. But there were a few who were not afraid of death and went to beat the drums together."
Xie Yan said: "Did the imperial court take action?"
The coachman said: "The late emperor was furious and ordered a thorough investigation. All the governors of Luoyang were imprisoned. It was said that they had received benefits from businessmen. After that, they changed the rules and built houses for sale in cities and suburbs. Government approval was required before buying land.
, the deed tax for real estate sales has also been increased.”
Xie Yan asked again: "Does the house have a public stall?"
"What is a public stall?" The driver was puzzled.
Xie Yan explained: “The exterior walls, corridors, and stairs are also taken into account, and the size of the house is divided equally for the buyer to bear.”
The coachman smiled and said, "Isn't that a lie? It's weird if the house can be sold."
Xie Yan continued to ask: "If I can't afford a house, can I get a bank loan?"
The coachman thought for a while: "There may be such people, but I have never seen them. There are quite a few who borrow money from relatives and friends to buy a house."
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 pre-sell it to the people when they start building a 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 was built." The coachman thought that 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.
Oh, forget it.
I want to be a great scientist who will be famous throughout the ages. Cutting leeks has such a bad reputation, so I should leave it to those shrewd 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 again." 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. Official residences were occupied.
There are more and more people, so the new officials have no house to live in, so they have to rent private houses by themselves."
"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 repeatedly requested to be released to the outside world. He even gave 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 want to work abroad? Is it to make money in the local area? The young Beijing official 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 do not dare to take corruption or bribery.
Only when I can’t survive can I think of letting myself go.”
"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 the capital 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 so? 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 cabinet live is the official residence. No one dares to occupy this thing. They have to move out immediately after leaving office. Because the front hall is 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 tattoo and said: "Please pass the message that Xie Yan is here to see me."
Menzi was a little old man with a very big nose, and he put down his famous thorn 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 is currently living in the house."
To be continued...