The Zhengxifang area outside Zhengyangmen was an important route for goods from Yanjing to the west in the previous dynasty. The Tonghui River ran along the imperial city root to the north and connected to the Haizi River, from the coast of the Tonghui River to Guangning.

The street outside the gate became an important trading place, and the mules and horses kept coming all day long.

In the Yong Dynasty, Emperor Chengzu expanded the imperial city and simply filled in half of the stretch of Tonghui River along the imperial city. It was only used as a moat for the imperial city. Boats were no longer allowed. The Haizi River was also blocked and divided into two parts.

, the middle part was even filled with soil to serve as a rice field.

As a result, the southern goods that came down from the Tonghui River and wanted to Yanjing had to disembark in Tongxian County in the east before entering Yanjing. On the contrary, the market in the east became lively. Zhengxifang was almost destroyed for a time, but then

As the imperial court began to recruit scholars, more and more officials were working in Yanjing City. The monarchs of all dynasties always lived in Xiyuan some days a year. The mansions and houses that rewarded nobles naturally came around Xiyuan. Gradually,

Yes, all the government offices were moved to Xicheng. Civil and military officials wanted to move easily and built residences in Xicheng. Zhengxifang, a place where merchants used to gather, gradually became favored by officials because it was convenient to enter the court from Zhengyangmen.

place.

And because Guangning Waijie Street near Zhengxifang is still an important trade route from Yanjing to the west, the area around Zhengxifang is still mixed with officials and merchants, unlike Xuanwu Gate, which has been occupied by ministers.

In Zhengxifang, it is common for the front door of a fifth-grade official's house to face the courtyard wall of a merchant from the south of the Yangtze River. A banquet was held at the house of a Shanxi merchant who traded sheep and horses, and the sound of silk and bamboo could disturb Zheng, who was taking advantage of Xiu Mu to appreciate calligraphy and painting at home.

A foreign minister from the Ministry of Industry.

There is a house on the west side of the river from Pomegranate Lane to Zhengyangmen. It is said that the two houses on the left and right cannot be sold for a high price because the house is noisy every day, even day and night. Whether it is an official or a businessman,

No one wants to live with this family.

When the sun sets, you can hear the noise inside through the two black oil doors. A young man wearing a silver squirrel cloak has a square scarf on his head, warm ears hanging on both sides, and deerskin gloves on his hands. He sits on a horse and looks up.

After looking at the plaque on the door, he nodded slightly.

"So this is Shen's house."

The servant who leads his horse is also dressed as a man, wearing a round hat and a half-sleeved cotton robe. At first glance, he is a servant of a wealthy family.

"Sir, I'm going to call the door right now."

"No need." The young man sitting on the horse stopped his servant, "You don't need to call the door. Since we are here to collect debts, we naturally have to break down the door to be dignified."

After saying that, he waved his hand, and the seven or eight strong men following behind him immediately got off their horses and stood in a row.

"Look at that door and kick it!"

"yes!"

The men shouted in unison, raised their feet and kicked the door hard.

The black oil door was kicked with a loud bang, which was so powerful that it really shook the earth.

The noise in the yard suddenly stopped.

Then I heard a hurried sound from inside the door, and someone shouted through the door and asked: "Who is outside? My house is the former co-organizer of the university, Mr. Shen's house, and there is no room for idle people to run wild!"

"I am looking for you Shen Zhai!"

A strong man shouted loudly and kicked the door again.

The brass ring on the door jingled, and the people inside were so frightened that they didn't speak for a long time.

"Your family owes our master five thousand taels of silver. Please pay back the money quickly! Otherwise, your house will be smashed inside and outside today!"

After saying that, the strong man went to kick the door again. His feet were huge and wide, just like a stone pier. He kept hitting them one after another without losing his strength, and he almost kicked down the door and the frame.

At this time, another person spoke in the door: "There are only two brothers in the Shen family now, both of whom are law-abiding scholars. My brother is still a prison student studying in the Imperial College. There is absolutely no debt that he will not pay back. The brothers outside But you found the wrong person?"

"There are only two of you in your house? Isn't Shen Juren who is in Zaoye'er Hutong outside Andingmen your cousin? Open the door quickly, or we will smash whatever we see when we go in. My master said, that Shen Juren He ran away after owing money, and now he just wants to vent his anger and ask us to just spend enough five thousand taels of silver to settle the bill!"

There are countless wealthy families in the city of Yanjing, but it is not without some arrogant people. It is rare to see someone who can behave like this.

Shen's house became quiet again. After a while, his head poked out from the courtyard wall. A young man on a horse held a pair of copper balls in his hands. Upon seeing this, he directly smashed them over. There was only a loud noise. The man who climbed up the wall to spy dropped to the ground and wailed his eyes.

"Don't wait, break the door."

The man sitting on the horse said lazily, waved his hand, and took out the ax from under the saddle and threw it on the ground.

"Break down this door for me!"

"Bang." The door of Shen's house, which had been battered today, was finally opened from the inside, and a man wearing an ocher-colored hood over a dry yellow leather robe and a small hat on his head came out cautiously:

"Shen Shouru, I am the nephew of the former great scholar Shen Shao. I wonder how I would call this distinguished guest?"

"The surname is Zhao and the given name is Die."

The servant holding the horse quickly tried to help him dismount, but saw him jumping off the horse.

Although I stumbled a little, I stood firm.

Shen Shouru has been in Yanjing City for many years and has some knowledge. He saw that this man was wearing fine ermine skin, lambskin soap boots on his feet, and the deerskin gloves on his hands were also very exquisite. People's origins are definitely extraordinary.

Although her appearance is somewhat gentle, she has an evil aura that makes people afraid to look directly at her.

Shen Shouru quickly took a step back and said with a smile, "Do you still want to invite your distinguished guest to come in for a chat?"

He also knew that what he said was just to save some face for himself.

Two rows of strong men opened the way. This fierce young man who called himself "Zhao Die" rolled up his sleeves and walked straight in. He didn't even give him a look.

After passing the screen wall, the young man smiled:

"We openly gather for gambling in broad daylight. This is the innocent family you talk about? No wonder Shen Yan, that loser, lost five thousand taels of silver to me. It turns out he learned it from you."

The yard was in a mess, and the doors and windows of each hall were closed, but even so, people could see the dice boxes scattered on the ground, the black and white horses, the ivory cards, and the copper kettles placed in the yard.

"Dice, Shuanglu, Pai Gow, pot throwing... you have a lot of tricks to play."

The big man who had just taken the lead in calling the door had already walked to the main hall, kicked the door open, and pulled out a chair amidst the exclamations of several men in silk robes.

The brocade shawl spread on the chair was in tatters, and there were melon seed peels hanging on and stained by tea water. The young man who had led the horse hurriedly walked over and pulled it off, and spread a piece of leather felt on it.

The young master just sat down and was playing with a sapphire pendant in his hand.

When Shen Yan first entered the capital, Shen Shouru touched all the cash and valuables on his body. Naturally, he recognized the sapphire pendant that Shen Yan always kept with him, and his expression immediately changed.

"Mr. Zhao, I wonder where my cousin is right now?"

"Zhao Die" only looked at him and sneered, but did not speak to him. He just waved his hand again:

"Search around and find everything valuable."

A group of big men suddenly drove in like vicious dogs, and soon they picked out all the people hiding everywhere.

Some of them looked like servants of the mansion and were too scared to speak. Others were wearing silk and satin, and they looked like they came to Shen's mansion to gamble...

In addition, hundreds of taels of scattered silver and several treasure notes were found, adding up to nearly a thousand taels.

Looking at the things in front of him with dissatisfaction, "Zhao Die" heard another noise in the backyard. Soon, two of his men escorted a tall man from the backyard.

This man has similar facial features to Shen Shouru, except that Shen Shouru looks thinner and shrunken, but this man wears a dark green straight brocade robe with dark patterns, an ivory sachet hanging from his waist, and a headband. Wearing a square scarf that scholars usually wear, it has a nondescript look of wealth and domineering. One look at it and you can tell that it is Shen Xianru, the second son of the Shen family.

Shen Shouru was asked to meet someone, but he hid in the backyard. When Shen Xianru met "Zhao Die", he became extremely arrogant:

"Do you know where you smashed the place? My uncle is the co-organizer of the university, Shen Shao! His disciples' old friends are all over the government and the public! This is his old house! My sister married into the uncle's house. You can leave some money to help us retreat quickly. Let bygones be bygones!"

"Tsk." Zhao Die held his temples with his fingers through Nuan's ears, "The bully is still arrogant in front of me? Tong Wu, beat me! If you break a finger, it's worth a hundred taels of silver. You can get it from him first. Come back with one thousand taels of silver."

"Yes, Master!"

The strong man who had just led someone to break down the door immediately stepped forward, kicked Shen Xianru to the ground with his big foot.

With a scream, Shen Xianru seemed to suddenly realize that the person in front of him was a tough guy. He immediately changed his tone and began to plead, as if the person who was so arrogant just now was a dog.

Shen Shouru also quickly begged for mercy.

Zhao Die sneered and thought that these two people were just two lost dogs.

"Where does the finger of this piece of trash refer to one hundred taels of silver? Twelve taels a piece, Tong Wu, you broke it all for me!"

The two Shen brothers screamed together. At this time, a man in the silk robe who was watching the excitement stood up:

"Why is this brother so impatient? These two brothers owe you money and let them find a way to pay it back. Why bother shouting and killing? Even if the Shen brothers don't have enough money, this house is still worth some money. "

"Zhao Die" raised his eyes slightly and looked at the person who spoke: "This is a good idea. Hurry up and get the deed of this yard. If you dare to deceive me, I will immediately break the legs of you people. "

Shen Xianru, who was lying on the ground, suddenly raised his head and said: "This is our uncle's inheritance, how can we give it to someone so easily? Besides, this house is only a few thousand taels..."

Glancing at the piles of silver and treasure notes on the ground with disgust, "Zhao Die" looked around. He had to say that even if it was messed up by others, the Shen family's old house could still be seen as an excellent yard. Not only The pillars are all made of fine wood, and the sycamore trees in the courtyard are still in excellent condition even if their leaves have fallen out. It is not difficult to imagine how comfortable it would be to sit in the courtyard and enjoy the cool air when the trees are lush in the summer.

The yard is square, but each corner has its own layout. A bunch of dry vines are climbing on the shelf, which still retains a bit of the leisurely look of the old days.

"This yard is nice."

Zhao Die said he liked it.

Shen Shouru and Shen Xianru secretly exchanged glances, and Shen Xianru said loudly:

"The price of this yard is seven thousand taels, and I will definitely not give it to you at a discount!"

"Brother Shen, this young master seems to be someone of the same kind as you and me. In my opinion, you might as well make a few bets with this young master and use this yard as a bet... Young Master, since you have taken a fancy to this yard, why not Just give these two a chance, and those of us present can bear witness for you. If you can win and take away this courtyard, wouldn’t it look much better than if you shout to fight and kill?”

Zhao Die thought for a moment, leaned back on his chair and looked sideways at the people kneeling and standing.

"If I don't take the bet, it will look like I'm afraid."

This is the answer.

Within a moment, two exclamations came from the yard.
To be continued...