The Tang Dynasty: Wu Zetian made me her imperial tutor

In Jiang Qianshi's hands were a certificate of land survey and a certificate of land grant from Luhun County.

The former was part of the welfare benefits for officials in the Tang Dynasty, while the latter was the land that was legally granted to men who had reached the age of eighteen and were considered middle-aged men.

Two hundred and fifty mu of official land is no small amount. At six dou, the annual rent would be one hundred and fifty shi!

They were granted 80 mu of new land and 20 mu of permanent land, plus the original 23 mu of land... Their annual harvest was around 100 shi, and they could also grow mulberry trees.

With monthly salary and allowance included, the financial burden of renting a place and covering food and clothing expenses in the capital city becomes much less.

However, something was very wrong.

Lu Jun became wary, stared at Jiang Qianshi for a moment, and then glanced at the people behind him.

Jiang Qianshi maintained his smiling face, but the county magistrate's eyes flickered, and he turned his head away.

"My lord, may I speak with you in private?"

Lu Jun took a dozen steps forward and asked in a low voice, "Has Your Excellency been to the Divine Capital's Benevolent Encouragement Ward?"

"Quanshanfang? There isn't one... Why does Shiyi ask such a question?" Jiang Qianshi looked bewildered.

Quanshanfang is where Wu Chengsi's residence is located. His expression doesn't seem fake; he probably genuinely hasn't heard of it.

Lu Jun then asked, "As far as I know, the official land is allocated based on the availability of land in each county. How could it be such a coincidence that I was assigned to Luhun County?"

"So that's what Shiyi was worried about..."

Jiang Qianshi reached into his robes and pulled out another piece of paper, which was a yellow hemp talisman issued by the Wenchangtai to the local area.

"The local official ordered the county to handle the matter at its discretion. Although there is no shortage of official land in Luhun, it can be exchanged with Lushan County."

"The rent collected from the official farmland was sent to the capital city by the government. Although some people were transferred to Lushan as a result, it didn't matter..."

"Furthermore, official land and private land are registered separately, so the government will not seize the land that is rightfully given to the people. You can rest assured about the missing land."

Lu Jun understood; the local official had someone giving him special treatment.

Official land was cultivated by people hired by local officials, and the rent collected was subject to official guidance, not exceeding six dou per mu.

However, it was customary in the Tang Dynasty officialdom that officials could negotiate privately with tenants. If they were arranged to stay in their hometowns, they could easily negotiate higher prices with the tenants because they were familiar with the land and knew the weather.

Jiang Qianshi must have assumed that he had extensive connections, which is why he was so attentive, even personally making arrangements for the Qingming Festival holiday...

It has a very sensitive nose.

But... I don't know anyone from the Earth Official's family!

They wouldn't show him kindness for no reason. Even if they wanted to curry favor, they wouldn't do Jiang Qianshi any favors. Instead, they would secretly try to curry favor with him and claim credit for themselves.

In addition, according to the laws of the Tang Dynasty, the assessment and granting of allotted land and permanent land in each county began in October each year, but it is only March now.

Luhun is a narrow town, and it has always been only allocated 30% of the land. Where can we find a hundred acres of land ready to be allocated to us?

There's definitely something wrong!

Lu Jun pondered for a moment: "My lord, who suggested the idea of ​​changing official land grants and allocating land to you?"

"Ah? I didn't mean anything by it, I just wanted to..." Jiang Qianshi's face turned slightly red.

Lu Jun waved her hand, interrupting, "So, it's true that someone did mention it to Magistrate Ming?"

Jiang Qianshi parted his lips slightly, as if he wanted to say something, hesitated for a moment, and finally nodded.

At the end of the year, a man in the county passed away, and a batch of old land was reclaimed. This was not considered an encroachment on the people's land, but the practice of allocating land in March was indeed inconsistent with the system.

His original intention was to please Lu Jun, but after hearing her question him repeatedly to his face, he began to feel that something was wrong.

"Is this the Zanfu Palace?"

Jiang Qianshi nodded again.

Lu Jun immediately said, "My lord, I will pretend I didn't hear about these two matters. I will not accept them. You had better cancel them immediately, otherwise Luhun County will be the end of your career..."

Jiang Qianshi came from a poor family. He studied hard for ten years and passed the imperial examination, but because he had no powerful connections, he wandered around the country for many years.

He had assumed that it was common for colleagues to take care of each other and that there wouldn't be any major problems.

Hearing Lu Jun's words, he vaguely realized something.

He wanted to raise his hand to wipe away the cold sweat, but fearing being seen, he asked in a low voice, "Then shall I ask Magistrate Dong?"

"Don't ask. If you can't afford to offend the person behind this, you'll only be demoted in vain," Lu Jun replied calmly.

Jiang Qianshi realized his mistake and bowed deeply: "If it weren't for Shi Yi's guidance, I would have almost gone astray!"

He was extremely grateful and thought to himself, "Since there is no one in his family, I should often send servants to offer sacrifices to his ancestors on his behalf to repay his kindness..."

Lu Jun returned to the group and smiled at them:

"This matter is against the rules, and I have already informed the magistrate. Thank you all for your kindness."

"Furthermore, I have just paid respects to my ancestors and am filled with sorrow, so I will not attend the banquet and spoil your enjoyment."

I've never heard of anyone inviting people to a banquet during the Qingming Festival.

Jiang Qianshi and the others' faces were flushed red, and the county magistrate's eyes revealed a hint of regret.

The horse-drawn carriages by the roadside, originally intended to carry distinguished guests into the city, could only make one empty trip.

Jiang Qianshi looked back from his horse and saw Lu Jun's figure getting smaller and smaller. He recalled what had just happened and admired her even more.

I increasingly feel that this young man has a bright future ahead of him.

Perhaps today wasn't entirely fruitless...

The next day, Lu Jun left Uncle Zhong at home to tidy up the old house, while he returned to Shen Du ahead of her.

I'll rent the house while I still have a few days of vacation left, so I won't be too busy to take care of it.

Zhang Shuo is now a proofreader in the Eastern Palace's Bureau of Classics. He has already taken up the post, but his work is easy, requiring him to attend to matters only for half a day.

He was indeed a native of Luoyang, well aware of the advantages and disadvantages of each neighborhood in the capital, especially the residences of high-ranking officials, important ministers, and famous scholars, and diligently advised Lu Jun on them:

"The main street leads directly to the imperial city, and the road is wide, making it very convenient for people to travel between the various neighborhoods along the street."

"Starting from the south is Mingjiaofang, where Song Jing, the county magistrate, and Cui Rong, one of the Four Friends of Literature, both lived..."

"In Anyefang, there is the residence of Li Huaiyuan, the Vice Minister of Ceremonial, and the mansion of Xue Yuanchao, the former Prime Minister. His son, Xue Yao, serves as an Assistant Minister of the Ministry of Personnel..."

"Xiuwenfang, during the Xianqing era, was the residence of the former Crown Prince and Prince Yong. Now it is the Hongdao Temple..."

"Shangshanfang is closest to the imperial city, and many high-ranking officials have built their villas here, including the residence of the Minister of War and the residence of Princess Taiping..."

"Lehefang has the residence of the Grand Councilor, the residence of Qi Xuan, the Assistant Minister of the Ministry of Finance, and the residence of Li Shi, the County Magistrate of Yishi..."

"The residence of Doulu Qinwang, the Minister of Rites, and the residence of former Prime Minister Li Yiyan in the Xiuxingfang..."

He recounted the situation of each neighborhood in detail, as if he knew it by heart.

Not only nobles and high-ranking officials, but even newly appointed officials and those with some literary reputation, such as Song Jing and Li Shi, knew about him, showing that he had a very wide circle of friends.

Lu Jun consulted him for a long time and then spent three days running around the capital, finally getting a general idea of ​​the rental prices in various places.

My chest feels cold and damp.

Even in ordinary locations, such as Guide Lane and Renhe Lane, which are right next to the southern wall of the city, a house with a few rooms and a front and back yard can cost more than a thousand coins a month.

Zhang Shuo's family lived in Kangsu Ward, which was only one ward north of Guide Ward, and the rent had already risen to 1,500 coins.

If you want to rent a house by the Luo River, which is just across the bridge to the capital, the monthly rent is over three thousand coins.

With Lu Jun's abilities, she could rent it in her dreams.

His salary and benefits consist of four parts—

The first is rice.

Fifty shi (a unit of dry measure) are distributed annually, twice a year, in spring and autumn, with each distribution being twenty-five shi.

He was appointed to his post in early March and is currently on paid leave. He will soon be able to receive his salary for three to six months, totaling sixteen shi and six dou.

The second is the monthly salary.

The basic salary plus food and miscellaneous expenses totals 1,850 coins, paid at the beginning of the month. New employees can also receive the month's salary retroactively.

The third are servants.

Starting from the first year of the Guangzhai era, officials of the eighth rank in the capital were assigned three servants each year, who were arranged by the court to take turns serving in their homes.

If the other party does not want to come, they can pay a fee instead of paying the fee. Nowadays, the people in the capital region are still living a decent life and are unwilling to work as servants for officials. Almost all of them choose to pay the fee instead.

The market price is 200 coins per person per month, totaling 600 coins for the three of them, which is a considerable supplement to their monthly salary.

The fourth type was the official land, which was delivered by government employees after the tenants paid their rent, and the land was only available after the grain harvest.

The fixed monthly allowance was the monthly salary plus the taxes paid by the servants, totaling 2,450 coins.

The pressure of renting a place is immense.

Even in the most ordinary locations, half of one's salary would be spent, not including the commuting costs of renting a carriage.

If the property is in high demand, the landlord may require a quarter or six months' rent to be paid in advance, after which rent will be paid monthly...

Lu Jun had been staying at Zhang Shuo's house for the past few days. Knowing that Lu Jun's family was poor, Zhang Shuo warmly invited him to stay for an extended period, but Lu Jun politely declined.

He has a thick skin and strong connections, but he has his own plans and needs some private space.

Even if it's in a more remote area, they'll grit their teeth and try to rent a detached house with their own yard.

Seeing this, Zhang Yue did not press the matter, but suggested, "Brother Chu Yu, if you want to rent a house, you can go and collect your salary for this month first."

The next day, he took Lu Jun to the Wenchangtai in the East City to find the celestial official in charge of collecting his salary.

At this time, the monthly salaries of officials in the capital and local governments were obtained from the interest collected by the public funds. The salaries of officials in the capital were deposited in the national treasury and were transferred at the beginning of each month by the Ministry of Personnel and distributed by the Ministry of Treasury.

Officials would come to the Heavenly Court to collect their monthly salary. As for rice, they would go to the Hanjia Granary at the beginning of the year or the beginning of the seventh month to load it onto carts.

The Imperial Censor was none other than Li Zhiyuan. Upon seeing Lu Jun approaching, he smiled and rose to wave.

"Left Remonstrance Official, I've been waiting for you for ages!"

"The Empress Dowager has granted you double salary and double reward this year. I have already adjusted the amount, and this month's total is 4,900 coins."

"The stipend for the first half of the year can also be received, totaling thirty-three shi and three dou, which will be transported back to the mansion by horse-drawn carriage from the Jiachang granary."

"Wait a moment, I'll have someone bring your salary first, and I'll also give you the deed for the stipend."

He was previously a junior official, and was just promoted to senior official a few days ago. In fact, he has a direct relationship with Lu Jun.

Therefore, he felt naturally close to Lu Jun and was very polite to her.

Zhang muttered under his breath, "Brother Chu Yu, this Imperial Physician is an upright man, proud of his lineage from the Li family of Zhao County. When I came to collect my salary, he was always serious and unsmiling..."

He comes from a wealthy family, and although he envied his friend's special treatment, he didn't care that much.

But seeing Li Zhiyuan's enthusiasm was a complete surprise, and he secretly marveled at Lu Jun's unfathomable connections.

When Lu Jun heard about the double salary and double benefits, it was as if the heavens had sent timely rain, and her eyebrows seemed to be caressed by a spring breeze.

He repeatedly thanked Li Zhiyuan, saying, "Boss is so generous... no, I'm so grateful to Lord Li for arranging things for me in advance."

A monthly salary of 4,900 coins is higher than that of a seventh-rank official and almost equivalent to that of a sixth-rank official.

The Empress Dowager is actually a very nice person.

However, Lumi is in a bit of a predicament...

Thirty-three shi (a unit of dry measure) amounts to several thousand jin (another unit of weight). Even if we want to sell them in the future, we'll have to rent a house to store them first.

Hmm... After receiving my monthly salary, I'll go to Guide Lane first to reserve a small house that I like, so it won't be rented out.

That house was ten steps wide and twenty steps deep, with an area of ​​eight and three-tenths of an inch. It had two courtyards, two main rooms, and four side rooms, making it the most cost-effective house.

The rent is 1,200 cash, which is acceptable.

It's a bit far...

Carving the character "早" (early) on the table might work.

Just as they were about to leave Wenchangtai, they saw a palace attendant dressed in a light green robe walking quickly toward the Heavenly Official's Office.

He saw Lu Jun, raised his arm and shouted, "Is this Lu Shiyi? This humble servant was ordered by the Empress Dowager to deliver a message. Now that I have seen Shiyi, I can speak to him in person..."

He was the eunuch on duty when Lu Jun presented his memorial at the Luocheng Palace last time, and he recognized what Lu Jun looked like.

I have a very deep memory of this brilliant and knowledgeable top scholar.

He was overjoyed to have bumped into the person in question, pulled Lu Jun aside, and lowered his voice:

"The Empress Dowager has bestowed further rewards..."

"Lu Shiyi was rewarded for his meritorious advice with one hundred bolts of silk, ten catties of silverware, one imperial horse, two maids, one cook, and three servants."

"Please tell me the location of your residence, Master Lu, and I will immediately send someone to deliver it to your residence."