Although the palace is desolate and old, it is large and its construction is unique. Even if the King of Liang was not favored at that time, he was still a prince, so the palace has all the specifications that a palace should have, a pond, a mountain, pavilions and courtyards. If you look around carefully, you will find surprises everywhere.
It's just... too big.
Because it was so big, it was very troublesome to clean. Even so, Yang Haiyan was still not satisfied. Aunt Yu couldn't handle such a big place by herself. But there was also an advantage. The palace had a special yard for servants, so she didn't have to build one herself. When we were at the border, it was a bit of a stretch to carve out an area in Qianfu's house as a yard for servants.
Magistrate Yang said that the palace... the general's mansion had not been repaired in detail, but only roughly, such as the leaking places and the places overgrown with grass. However, the palace is so large that even a simple repair would probably take a long time.
By the time we had toured the palace, half an hour had passed.
Yang Haiyan thought: This palace is very big, and there are places that are not used. I can turn those unused places into vegetable gardens and orchards one day, and I am afraid that they can be turned into one or two acres of land. Of course, it is necessary to keep some gardens. With the conditions, leisure and leisure are naturally indispensable. Otherwise, where would the fun of life in ancient times come from
Thinking of this, Yang Haiyan asked Magistrate Yang: "Sir Yang, after we move in, can we make some improvements to this palace? For example, we may want to demolish some places, rebuild some places, etc." After all, it was once a palace, so Yang Haiyan did not dare to move it casually.
County Magistrate Yang said: "Of course, the court has designated this place as the general's residence, so you have this right. What areas does Madam Qin want to improve? If you need manpower, just come to the county government office and call for help." The labor force was the yamen runners.
Yang Haiyan said: "Thank you, Lord Yang, but we don't need them for the time being. You have two hundred soldiers under you, so that should be enough."
After Yang Haiyan said this, County Magistrate Yang did not say much. It was almost time for dinner, so he changed the subject: "When I left home just now, I had already asked my wife to prepare food. It is almost time now. Please invite Madam Qin to come over for dinner."
Yang Haiyan did not agree. She smiled and said, "Those people outside the city have just moved here. I guess there are still many things to do. Let's forget about it today. When the general comes back another day, my husband and I will send an invitation to invite Lord Yang and Madam to our house for a chat."
Upon seeing this, County Magistrate Yang joked, "Then my subordinate and I can wait."
After the group left the general's mansion, County Magistrate Yang took his men back, and Yang Haiyan also went outside the city to see the surrendered barbarians.
When they returned to the county government office, Mrs. Yang looked behind Magistrate Yang and asked, "Isn't the general's wife here?"
County Magistrate Yang said, "If she didn't come, then she won't come either." In fact, he knew Yang Haiyan would not come when he invited her, so he only invited her out of politeness. After all, people who follow the rules don't come. General Qin is not here, so it would be unruly for Mrs. Qin to come alone. Mrs. Qin came from the Taifu Mansion, and she knows the rules better than anyone else.
Mrs. Yang: "Then I'll go over there this afternoon to see if there's any need for me." Mrs. Yang married County Magistrate Yang when he was still a member of a prominent family. At that time, Taifu Yang was very powerful, and the Yang family was a prominent family. Even if County Magistrate Yang was out of the fifth mourning period, he was still a member of the Yang family. The wife chosen by the family was naturally selected. Therefore, Mrs. Yang was also the eldest daughter of an official. Even if she didn't have the power of the Yang family, her parents' teachings were good. People like this all pay attention to rules.
County Magistrate Yang said, "That's great. General Qin is not here, so it's not appropriate for me to go there. You are the right person to go there."
Mrs. Yang also meant this: "What is the character of the general's wife? Is she generous?" She also knew Yang Haiyan's background. She was afraid that the maid next to Miss Yang still had the habits of a maid, and she needed to be too accommodating to get along with her. It's not that she looked down on maids, but the general was born a maid, and she was born a lady of an official family. She always felt jealous when she had to be too accommodating to the other party. But she also understood that a woman follows her father at home and follows her husband after marriage. Husband and wife are one body, and General Qin's rank is higher than her husband, so she has no choice but to accommodate him.
This woman, when something happens, she has to accept her fate.
Magistrate Yang said, "You will know when you go there this afternoon." It is not a gentleman's behavior to comment on other people's wives.
After being married for so many years, Mrs. Yang naturally knew what he meant and understood his character. Hearing him speak so easily, she knew that the general's wife should not be a difficult person to get along with. If the other person is difficult to get along with, the husband will definitely say, you have to be careful.
There are some things between husband and wife that don't need to be said too clearly. If you understand, you will understand.
The tent outside the county town was only half built, and everyone was having lunch in full swing. It was already early April, and the weather was completely warm. Today's lunch was better than any other day in the past month, because it was right at the entrance of the county town, so it was convenient to buy food.
Today everyone's staple food is sweet potatoes and potatoes, but everyone has a bowl of cabbage with bones. Even if they bought it with their own money, everyone enjoyed the meal.
After lunch, everyone continued to work. Yang Haiyan brought servants, private guards, their families, and Niu Da's family back to the general's mansion. Along with them, they also brought back the furniture brought from the border. Fortunately, all the furniture was brought with them and could be used at any time, otherwise the empty general's mansion would need to purchase these things.
When they arrived at the general's mansion, because it was built according to the rules, each area was clearly divided. The private guards and their families lived in the same courtyard as the servants. Yang Haiyan let Niu Da and his family live there as well.
Although they all share the same courtyard, each household is independent. In ancient times, many noble families had their own children, and the whole family lived in the master's house. Therefore, the servants' courtyard needed such an independent small courtyard. Otherwise, if both men and women lived here, it would have a bad influence.
The first place everyone cleaned was the main courtyard. After that, they moved the master's furniture into the side rooms. Then they cleaned the kitchen, which was the most important room in the room.
There are two kitchens here, one is the small kitchen in the main courtyard, and the other is the large kitchen in the mansion.
While everyone was cleaning, Yang Haiyan was not idle either. She started planning the General's Mansion with Niu Da, and planned to demolish all the unnecessary places in her eyes: "Here... here... and there, turn them all into fruit trees, do you think it's okay?" There is a small river next to it where you can go boating, and there is also a rockery here, plus a pavilion, from which you can have a panoramic view of the entire General's Mansion. So Yang Haiyan thought it would be a good idea to turn this area into a fruit forest and a leisure resort. And then dig a hot spring, it would be even better.
After observing the soil here, Niu Da said: "You can plant things here. Although apple trees and pear trees have requirements for the soil, they both grow well." Moreover, this place used to be a royal palace, so naturally they chose a place with good geology.
Yang Haiyan was relieved after hearing what Niu Da said: "Then you can take a two-day break and go back to transplant the apple and pear trees. Then you can directly hire an escort agency and you can get here in ten days if you rush. In ten days, will the fruit trees die?"
Niu Da assured: "The weather is not too hot now, so if we sprinkle some water on the road, the fruits will not die." Moreover, the fruit trees that have been planted for a year are very hardy.
Yang Haiyan was relieved. "All the land here will be turned into orchards. Apples, pears, and watermelons will be planted here. A few of the side yards will be demolished and turned into vegetable gardens. By the way, when you come back, we will go to the countryside to buy some more land." Our family is rich now. Qin Fang's reward is five thousand taels of silver. "Buy some land for the military camp."
Niu Da heard it for the first time: "Military camp land?"
Yang Haiyan said: "My general said that there are 1,000 soldiers guarding the city, but only 200 were brought from the border. Even if the 300 barbarians are included, there are only 500. So there are still 500 soldiers to be selected here. A thousand soldiers naturally need food and drink." So she had to prepare. At present, the 15,000 taels of silver is a large sum of money. For the current soldiers, it is not enough to spend it all. Instead of doing this, they don't need to buy land for planting. In this way, the soldiers will at least have no worries about food. Then raise poultry, so that they can have meat and eggs to eat.
Besides, silver will be spent, but land will not be wasted. Also, poultry can be reproduced and their meat will not be eaten up.
Yang Haiyan had a plan in mind. Although these men were soldiers guarding the city, they were also Qin Fang's soldiers. She always hoped for the best.
Niu Da listened to Yang Haiyan's words and was moved: "Madam, what are the conditions for the general to select soldiers?"
Yang Haiyan was not a fool. After hearing what Niu said, she understood a little: "Why are you asking this?"
Niu Da confessed: "Madam, do you think my two sons can sign up?"
Yang Haiyan also anticipated what he was thinking, so she said, "Of course." If Niu Da's son entered the military camp, then Niu Da's family would be more loyal to them, and she wouldn't have to worry about Niu Da returning home. "Your son can try, but I can't guarantee that he won't pass. However, hope always comes to those who work hard."
Niu Dadao: "Yes." If his son could follow the general, it would be much better than farming.
"Madam... Madam..." Aunt Yu ran over breathlessly. From her appearance, she had been looking for Yang Haiyan for a while. When she saw Yang Haiyan, she bowed and said, "Madam, Magistrate Yang's wife is here."
Yang Haiyan was a little surprised: "Yes, you are welcome."
…
Because the general's mansion was being cleaned, there was no suitable place to entertain guests, so when Mrs. Yang came, Aunt Yu invited her to sit in the living room for a while. To be honest, there was not even any tea for guests.
"We are honored to have you here. Please forgive us for any inconvenience this may cause." Yang Haiyan said as she walked into the hall.
Mrs. Yang stood up and looked at the woman who came in against the light. She was extremely young and very beautiful.