novelAbuy Chapter 118 The new house was moved to Luzhou not long after.
Chapter 118 The new house was moved to Luzhou not long after.
The third year of the Qingtai era, the second day of the seventh month, the day of Wuzi.
Fan Yanguang, the commander-in-chief of the Tianxiong Army and the prefectural governor, reported to the emperor that he should lead his army to Yedu to attack the city. The mutinous soldiers numbered less than two thousand, but Fan Yanguang attacked with ten times the strength, and the fall of the city was imminent.
On the same day, Shi Jingtang's sons, Chongyin and Chongyin, were executed, and their families who had been hiding were also exterminated.
Shi Jingtang's younger cousin, Shi Jingwei, served as the Third Right Commander of Zhangsheng and concurrently as the Prefect of Changzhou. Upon hearing that his elder cousin had raised an army in Taiyuan, he said to others, "Everyone is born to die; who can escape death? My brother is undertaking a great undertaking; I cannot live a life of shame and become a laughingstock."
He then committed suicide.
The fifth day of the seventh lunar month, Xinmao day.
A report from Yizhou states that Shi Jingtang's younger brother, Shi Jingde, the Commander-in-Chief of the Cavalry and Infantry, killed his wife and daughters and fled; he has been captured and executed.
The ninth day of the seventh lunar month, the day of Yiwei.
The imperial court issued a decree appointing Gao Xingzhou, the former military governor of Zhangwu and commander of the Imperial Guards, as the military governor of Luzhou, while retaining his position as the pacification and troop deployment commander of Taiyuan, and concurrently holding the title of Chancellor; Huangfu Li, the former military governor of Luzhou, was reassigned as the military governor of Huazhou.
This order to relocate the town was issued so hastily that it left many people bewildered.
Why was Huangfu Li, a former official of the late emperor, suddenly transferred away during the height of the Taiyuan campaign? There must be a hidden reason behind it.
Currently, An Jinquan's second son, An Shenqi, is in the expeditionary force, while his third son, An Shentao, serves as the deputy transport commissioner for Huai, Meng, Wei, and Xing prefectures, undertaking the important task of supplying provisions to the Taiyuan army.
Luzhou was precisely the route that grain could only be transported through.
I have only recently learned that Huangfu Li’s daughter married An Shentao’s son, An Shouren, and that the two families were originally related by marriage.
If An Shentao and Huangfu Li collude and change their stance... they can immediately cut off the supply lines to the front lines and put the punitive expeditionary force in a desperate situation!
Even if the possibility was slim, the imperial court dared not take the risk. Didn't An Shentao's cousin, An Shenxin, lead his troops to defect to the enemy? Even more critically, An Shenqi's elder brother, An Shenhui, was currently the military commander of Hedong and was under the command of Shi Jingtang! (Note 1)
After this incident, Li Congke no longer dared to place complete trust in the An family, and even the An family's in-laws were added to the list of those who needed to be wary of, hence this appointment.
This sudden appointment disrupted the Gao family's life.
"What? I just bought this house, and I haven't even lived here for a few days, and I have to move again?"
Since moving to Luoyang, Madam Gao has been busy looking for houses and acquiring properties, planning to settle there permanently.
A familiar noblewoman advised her that the current situation was unstable, and some wealthy merchants were selling off their properties, so why go against the tide?
"It's precisely at times like this that we can negotiate a discount. Otherwise, with my husband's salary, we simply can't afford a house in the capital."
Mrs. Gao believed that the situation would eventually return to peace, and that she should seize the opportunity to buy at the bottom while people were still in a state of panic.
Gao Huaide didn't know exactly how much his father's salary was until his mother took care of buying a house.
"As for your father's income, it's all managed by your mother. The annual salary of a military governor is 300,000 coins."
"So little? I spend several coins of my allowance every month. Isn't that a waste of money?"
Gao Huaide was anxious. Thirty thousand coins sounded like a lot, but it was actually only three hundred strings of cash. How could that amount of money be enough for the whole family's expenses?
Shortly after his birth, Gao Xingzhou was appointed Prefect of Jiangzhou and governed the region. He never experienced poverty and was therefore unaware of the hardships faced by the common people.
A laborer toils all day and earns only fifteen coins, barely enough to make ends meet. If one has a skill, the wage can reach over a hundred coins. Even so, an ordinary person, even if they work tirelessly all year, would only earn a little over thirty thousand coins, just one-tenth of Gao Xingzhou's salary.
"Son, don't worry. Besides your salary, there are also expenses for supplies, lessons, and miscellaneous items. All together, it's a good 500,000."
Salary is money, and stipend is rice. In addition to money and rice, officials also receive various extra subsidies. Although their income may seem low, they actually receive quite a lot in hand.
"That's not much."
Gao Huaide was still not satisfied. Five hundred strings of cash was a huge sum of money for ordinary people. For a family like his, with hawks, dogs, musicians, courtesans, tutors, stewards, gardeners, and dozens of servants and maids, they would inevitably be in debt after a year.
"You're still young, there are some things you don't understand."
Madam Gao secretly told her son the key point: "The current dynasty's tax system is divided into three parts: tribute, goods sent to envoys, and goods kept in the prefectures. Tribute is for the imperial court, goods kept in the prefectures are kept there, but who are the goods sent to envoys?"
"Send it to the military governor's office?"
"That's right, you're such a clever son of yours. A third of the state's taxes, even if a little slips through our fingers, isn't enough for all our needs?"
"So my father was a corrupt official too."
Gao Huaide felt that his father's once upright and incorruptible image had suddenly collapsed, and he was quite unhappy.
"Hey, how can you talk like that? Which military governor doesn't act like this? Your father doesn't levy many extra taxes and levies; he's already considered an honest and benevolent official."
"All right."
"That's why everyone wants to be sent to remote military governorships. Apart from those positions in the capital where you can accept bribes, there's not much else to be gained by officials in the capital."
Madam Gao was actually not very satisfied with her husband becoming the commander of the Imperial Guards, which meant he would lose his extra income.
"The appointment is not a formal one; the position of Chancellor is merely a temporary post without a salary. It's a pity that your father's title of Grand Tutor was just an honorary one indicating his rank. If the title of Grand Tutor were removed and it were made a substantive appointment, he could have earned an extra two million coins every year." (Note 2)
Gao Huaide asked his mother how much wealth she had accumulated, but Madam Gao refused to say. She said it was enough for him and his brother to get married, and also enough for his sister's dowry.
"If it weren't for the opportunity to negotiate the price now, I wouldn't be willing to buy this house."
Madam Gao was extremely pleased with the deal, and she held up a finger and shook it: "The original price was over a million coins, De'er, guess how much it actually cost?"
Gao Huaide didn't really like listening to these trivial matters, but his mother always protected him when his father was angry, so he had to rely on her. He put on a smile and asked with an innocent look, "How much did it cost?"
Madam Gao made a cutting gesture: "Less than 500,000 coins, isn't that a good deal?"
Unfortunately, what was once a profitable deal quickly became a difficult problem to deal with once the imperial court issued a decree.
"Can we talk to the seller and say we don't want to buy it anymore, and just get a refund?"
"The deal with the government involved confiscated goods from some traitorous official in Hedong. The official seal is already affixed; how can you go back on your word? Violating the contract will result in your father being impeached by the censor."
Madam Gao took out a piece of red paper, called a red deed, which is a special format for buying and selling land and houses.
"On the 25th day of the sixth month of the Bing Shen year, Gao Xingzhou, the commander of the Imperial Guards, who was without a house, bought a few houses belonging to Zhao Ying, a rebel from Hedong, which were originally registered under his name and had no proper dwelling..."
Gao Huaide glanced at it and saw that the contract precisely recorded the dimensions of the house and its boundaries in all four directions, such as "the total length of the foundation in the east and west, and the total length of the foundation in the north and south." It also specified the east boundary to the street, the south boundary to the bend, the west boundary to whose house, and the north boundary to whose house. The ownership was clear and the boundaries were distinct.
Once the price is agreed upon, a contract must be drawn up, recording the names of both parties, property information, price, payment terms, rights, and other terms, as well as important guarantee agreements.
The seller should have guaranteed clear ownership, that their property and land were complete and free from debts, pledges, or disputes with other parties. Since it was an auction by the imperial court, there were no such concerns.
Gao Huaide thought to himself, "Could it be that Zhao Ying is going to come knocking on my door to take it back?"
Unbeknownst to him, Zhao Ying's house changed hands several times over a decade later, eventually ending up in the possession of someone his father had recently dealt with—but that's another story.
At the end of the contract, in addition to the buyer and seller signing their seals, witnesses and neighbors also had to sign and seal their seals to witness the transaction, indicating confirmation of the boundaries of the house, and also signifying the knowledge and recognition of the four neighbors on the left and right, accepting the Gao family as a member of the neighborhood.
Lady Gao did not choose a neighborhood where high-ranking officials and nobles lived, such as the one where Song Yanwo and Princess Yining resided. Those neighborhoods closer to the capital would have more than doubled in price, and even then, there were few buyers.
However, given Gao Xingzhou's status and position, he could not live in a place like Jiama Camp, which was reserved for lower-ranking officers. Considering the convenience of getting up early for court and the price, he ultimately chose a place that was neither too far nor too close.
After payment and delivery, it is still necessary to report to the government.
According to the Tang Code, the sale of land and houses required the application to the relevant government department and the payment of deed tax, which resulted in a red deed to distinguish it from the white deed signed by private individuals.
The mansion that Madam Gao purchased from the government was directly deed in red, stamped with the official seal. (Note 3)
Who would have thought that after all the trouble and hassle of moving into a new house, they would have to move again soon.
Li Congke's decision was also out of necessity. A siege could not be accomplished in three or five days, and the strategically important city of Luzhou could not be lost.
Luzhou is located between Taiyuan and Luoyang, more than 400 li away from both places. It is also related to half of the eight passes of Taihang Mountain, making it a vital place connecting Hedong and Hebei.
The Jingxing Pass on the north wing leads to Zhenzhou, and the Fukou Pass leads to Yedu; once the Mengmen and Taihang Passes on the south side are breached, they can cross the river and threaten Hulao and Bianliang.
Throughout history, Shanxi has been able to control Hebei and thus the vital passage between the two provinces, all because of its superior location and advantageous geographical position.
Jinzhou and Luzhou could serve as strongholds for attacking Jinyang, or as northern gateways to protect Luoyang. They needed to be entrusted with reliable personnel. Only by appointing Zhang Jingda as the military governor of Jinzhou and entrusting Luzhou to Gao Xingzhou could Li Congke feel at ease.
"Well, Luzhou it is then. Consider it an opportunity to see a new place."
Gao Huaide consoled himself.
Unbeknownst to him, the original owner of the mansion, Zhao Ying, had already traveled from Taiyuan to Khitan territory.
The tenth day of the seventh lunar month, the year of Bing Shen.
When Shi Jingtang, the military governor of Hedong, was attacked by his master, he sent Zhao Ying, a judge under his command, to the Khitan Southwest Route Pacification Office to seek help from Lu Bugu, the Grand General of the State.