Chapter 90

Chen Qing's new residence was located north of the Three Bridges in the Western Market of the city, with its courtyard wall adjacent to the Yongjin River. The house had been newly constructed a few months ago.

The next morning, Chen Qing took Huyan Tong, Zheng Ping, and others to take possession of his new residence.

The person handling the transfer was a middle-aged eunuch steward, who was rather plump and quite courteous.

"This is a private residence of the imperial family, not an official residence of the court. There's a significant difference, General Chen, so don't confuse them."

"What's the specific difference?" Chen Qing asked with a smile.

"The biggest difference is ownership. The ownership of an official residence belongs to the court, and you can only live in it. When you are dismissed from office, retire, or return to your hometown, you must return the official residence to the court, and your descendants cannot inherit it. However, since this private residence is a reward, it is given to you, and the ownership belongs to you, which can be passed down to your descendants."

"Are there many private residences of the imperial family?"

"About forty, all newly built. They were originally reserved for the royal family, but now they are rewarded to relatives of the imperial family and meritorious officials. So far, sixteen have been rewarded, and General Chen's residence is slightly smaller."

Chen Qing nodded and followed the eunuch steward into the main gate. Zheng Ping whispered to Chen Qing, "My house was also a reward from the emperor. I heard that Zhang Jun, Liu Guangshi, Han Shizhong, and Yue Fei also received rewarded residences."

The residence had three courtyards, no garden, and was exquisitely built with carved beams and painted rafters, black tiles, and white walls. Without a garden, the land was used very efficiently, with over seventy rooms of various sizes.

Although the rooms were well-built, they were all empty, with no furniture or household items. In the central courtyard stood a two-zhang-high apricot tree, its branches laden with green apricots.

"How do you like it, General Chen?" the eunuch steward asked with a smile.

Chen Qing nodded and smiled, "It's much better than I expected!"

"Of course, it's a new residence!"

The eunuch steward was straightforward, asking Chen Qing to sign a document, then handing him the house deed and land deed, completing the transfer. He then left with several young eunuchs.

"What's next for the transfer?" Chen Qing asked, puzzled.

Huyan Tong shook his head with a smile, "It seems you really don't know anything. After getting the land and house deeds, you need to go to the government office to complete the transfer, but you don't need to run around. Just give the deeds to a real estate agent, pay them a few strings of coins, and they will handle everything for you."

Chen Qing suddenly understood, "So they are like real estate agents?"

He hesitated and asked, "Do these agents handle other things besides real estate?"

Huyan Tong looked at him with disdain, "Where did this boss come from? He doesn't know anything!"

"In the Song Dynasty, there are agents for every industry. As long as there is a transaction, you need to find an agent. When you first arrive in the city, you need to find an agent to rent a house, find a job, or make various transactions. Even for weddings, funerals, or lawsuits, you need an agent. After the transfer of this house, you need to buy furniture, household items, hire servants, and even have someone plant some flowers. If you need repairs, you can't do it all yourself. Just give it to the agents, and they will handle everything for you, saving you time and money. If you need it, I can have Uncle San introduce you to some agents with wide connections."

Chen Qing waved his hand, "No need to trouble Uncle San, I'll find an agent myself."

Zhao Xiaoyi pointed to a two-story building across the street, "That's the agent's office!"

Chen Qing turned around and saw a large sign on the front of a two-story building, which read "Tongji Agent's Office" in black ink.

......

In the Song Dynasty, agent's offices were like modern intermediaries, found everywhere, but they were not limited to real estate. Song agents were involved in almost every industry.

This was because the commodity economy in the Song Dynasty was highly developed, but the information industry had not kept up, leading to the emergence of a large number of agents specializing in information services.

Tongji Agent's Office was once one of the largest agent's offices in Tokyo Bianliang. The main office across from Chen Qing's residence had moved there last year and had over a hundred branches in Jiangnan, with more than twenty in Lin'an alone.

A steward greeted Chen Qing politely, "Sir, please rest assured. The most important thing for us is credibility. Without credibility, we can't do business. You can entrust everything to us, and we will handle it perfectly."

Chen Qing handed the house and land deeds to the steward and asked with a smile, "How much is this house worth?"

The steward examined the deeds carefully and was surprised, "So this is a rewarded residence from the imperial family. Sir, I apologize for not recognizing you earlier!"

"No need to be polite. Can you tell me the market value of the house?"

"The land in the Western Market is worth about 2,000 strings of coins, plus another 2,000 strings for construction costs. The market value of your house is around 8,000 strings of coins. The location is excellent, next to the Yongjin River and the Three Bridges. In the future, it will be hard to find such a house. Even if you sell it for 10,000 strings of coins, there will be many buyers."

"If I entrust you to sell the house, can you sell it for 10,000 strings of coins?"

The steward blinked and smiled, "Sir, are you joking?"

"I'm not joking."

"Many merchants are looking for houses, and your house will be gone as soon as it's listed."

Huyan Tong and Zheng Ping, who had come with Chen Qing, were suddenly alarmed. Huyan Tong quickly pulled Chen Qing aside, "Are you crazy? You won't be able to find a house in this area again."

Zheng Ping also urged, "Commander, this is a rewarded residence from the imperial family! How can you sell it?"

Chen Qing sighed, "I received a letter from Yang Yuanqing a few days ago. The soldiers who died at Arrow Pass did not receive any compensation."

Zheng Ping's eyes widened, "Why?"

"Yang Yuanqing went to Nanzheng County to ask Qu Sima. Qu Sima's reason was that Guanzhong was occupied by the Jin army, and they couldn't distribute the compensation to the families of the fallen soldiers in Guanzhong. They considered it as the soldiers giving up, and the Consolation Envoy had signed off on it."

"Bullshit! How can it be considered as giving up?"

Huyan Tong sneered, "Just an excuse. The court probably gave too little reward money, and it wasn't enough to distribute. The living soldiers can't even get enough to eat, so who cares about the dead?"

Chen Qing nodded, "I think that's the reason. There were 30,000 soldiers in the Dasha Pass campaign, but Zhang Xuan's army has 50,000 soldiers. The court only gave 30,000 strings of coins as a reward, so what about the other 20,000 soldiers? If they don't get anything, they won't be satisfied, so the reward money wasn't enough."

Chen Qing was right. The reward money was far from enough, and many soldiers in Bashu had rebelled because they didn't receive their rewards.

After suppressing the rebellion, to prevent further unrest, Zhang Jun diverted all the compensation for the fallen soldiers to reward the troops in Bashu and Hanzhong.

The compensation for the fallen soldiers at Arrow Pass was also lost.

But the court had already distributed the compensation, and it was an internal distribution issue of the Western Army. Chen Qing couldn't ask the court for more, nor could he ask Zhang Jun, as the money was already gone. Zhang Jun could only comfort Chen Qing and explain his difficulties.

To compensate the fallen soldiers, Chen Qing had to find a way himself, as did the other armies. As Huyan Tong said, the living were already struggling, and the dead were even more neglected.

Zheng Ping still found it hard to accept, "But... how can the commander pay out of his own pocket? What kind of situation is this!"

"It's not about the money!"

Chen Qing shook his head, "Not just them, but also the soldiers who drew the death lots to intercept the Jin army, and those who died at Erlangzhai, Phoenix Ridge, and Jingzhao City. They also didn't receive any compensation."

Chen Qing's eyes were filled with sorrow, "Yang Yuanqing wrote that many families of the fallen soldiers fled to Hanzhong. Later, over a hundred elderly people came to him to inquire about their sons, but the compensation originally intended for them had been given to other soldiers. The military couldn't apply for it twice, so Yang Yuanqing could only watch as these elderly people left in tears."

Chen Qing's eyes welled up with tears, and he pointed to his chest, "1,340 soldiers died at Arrow Pass, and their families received no compensation. As the commander, I, Chen Qing, am getting promoted and enriched, but my heart aches, Old Zheng!"

Zheng Ping muttered, "The court stipulates that a fallen soldier receives 30 strings of coins as compensation. That would be at least 40,000 strings of coins, but... even selling the house wouldn't be enough!"

Chen Qing looked at Huyan Tong, who understood Chen Qing's meaning and nodded, "I'll talk to Uncle San and have him return the 3,000 taels of silver to you. We'll cancel the investment."

Chen Qing thought for a moment and said, "The court rewarded me 500 taels of silver for winning the archery competition, plus the rewards from the new soldier competition and the suppression of Zhang Kui. Altogether, I have about 5,000 strings of coins. That makes 30,000 strings of coins in total. I'll give a portion first, but I'm a bit worried about how to transport the money."

"That's easy!"

Zheng Ping, from a merchant family, knew what to do, "We can use a money cabinet. Baoji Money Cabinet has a branch in Chengdu. We can deposit the money in the Baoji Money Cabinet in Lin'an and withdraw it in Chengdu. That's how merchants do it."

Chen Qing patted Zheng Ping's broad shoulder, "Alright! I'll entrust this to you. You, Xiao Yi, and Yang Yuanqing will be responsible for compensating the families of the fallen soldiers at Arrow Pass."

Zheng Ping nodded and took back the house and land deeds, "I'll buy this house. I'll convince my father to buy it for 15,000 strings of coins."

"No need, 10,000 strings of coins is enough."

Zheng Ping smiled, "He won't lose. In a couple of years, this area might not be available for 15,000 strings of coins."