HCB Chapter 320 Entering the Duke’s Mansion for the First Time
Chapter 320 Entering the Duke’s Mansion for the First Time
While talking, Shen Zhiqiu was still giving everyone some scientific knowledge. Some of them were from the mansions of ancient celebrities that he had visited in his previous life, as well as some palaces that he had visited. They were the kind that charged admission, and there were small signs marking which door belonged to which person.
Some of them were what he had read in books and travel notes in his life. He integrated the memories in his mind and said, "The gate of the Duke's Mansion can only be opened when distinguished guests arrive.
Or it is only opened during important festivals, weddings and funerals. If the gate allows people of low status to enter and exit at will, it would be a disgrace to the family. So the gate is not opened at other times.
"What? A door this big, almost as wide as several of our houses, is not a main door? What does a main door look like?"
Shen Zhiqiu recalled the line "The rich have wine and meat, while the poor are frozen to death on the road" from Du Fu's poem "Five Hundred Words on the Way from Beijing to Fengxian" in the Tang Dynasty. The word "red gate" refers to the red gate of the rich and aristocratic homes.
He said, "The main door is painted red, with colorful flowers on the beams and green glazed tiles. For a Duke's Mansion, there are 63 golden nails on the door.
Moreover, in places like the Marquis' Mansion, there is a screen wall opposite, but here in the Duke's Mansion, there should not be one opposite. I didn't see what it looked like just now, so I don't know. But there should be a response office opposite."
The people behind him opened their mouths wide, as if they were listening to a divine book. They remembered Shen Zhiqiu's sixty-three golden nails and also remembered these words.
But I just can’t imagine that scene. What kind of door would it be that has sixty-three golden nails on it?
Da Hu asked Li Quan, "Grandpa, have you ever seen the gate of the Duke's Mansion?"
After settling down, Da Hu and Er Hu changed their way of addressing Li Quan to Grandpa.
Li Quan shook his head. This was his first time coming to the Duke's Mansion. After all, he was just an ordinary soldier in the Fu Family Army at that time. However, Brother Li had been here before, and he was a personal guard.
Then Erhu asked, "Does the young general usually use the car door?"
Shen Zhiqiu shook his head. He really didn't understand clearly, so he sighed: "It should be through the middle door."
"That means there are still many doors and we haven't even seen the middle door?"
Shen Zhiqiu nodded: "The middle door should be a building-style door with a door opening, and there are several layers of doors. Think about what we just saw, with upper and lower door piers, it should be the car door, because there is a small gatehouse next to the wall.
As for the corner gates, there are many. The East Corner Gate and the West Corner Gate are used by officials, mainly because the Duke's Mansion is too high-ranking.
Few officials could be on an equal footing, so generally those who came to pay their respects were lower officials, who went through the east and west corner gates.
As they were talking and walking, they actually passed by the East Corner Gate. Judging from its grandeur, they knew that this was not a place they could pass through. They continued walking forward and finally found a Back Corner Gate. There were maids walking around there, so this should be it.
To be honest, if Fu Huaian had not been kind to them, and if he had not known that the ancient father-in-law was still talking about the old Duke Fu in Uncle Li's ear before his death, Shen Zhiqiu really didn't want to come to this noble compound.
It feels solemn and a bit oppressive, not suitable for those of them who yearn for freedom.
Of course, you can't just go through this gate whenever you want. Before you go in, there is a manager who is specifically guarding this corner gate to register who has entered and left today.
Someone gave something to someone, or someone's relative came to see someone, whether they were going out to meet someone or bringing something with them.
All of them had to be recorded, of course Shen Zhiqiu and others were no exception. He took out the token and did not plan to bring anyone else in, only Li Quan and Dahu and Erhu.
Leave Shen Mazi and others waiting outside, and don't tell them not to talk too much, there are many rules here.
Since A Chi had instructed the other gatekeepers, he must have also instructed the corner gatekeeper. The gatekeeper did not make things difficult for them, but found another manager to take Shen Zhiqiu and others in.
The kudzu root powder and the package containing rubber shoe soles also landed on Dahu and Erhu.
In this way, the four of them followed the steward into the Duke's Mansion. The servants they met along the way had all undergone years of training, so no one looked at them as if they were curious, and no one gathered around them to point fingers.
And this is the person the old man wants to see. Do you know who the old man is? The contributions the old man has made to the North are unmatched for the time being.
If we have to single one out, it would be their master, the current Duke Fu, who is also Fu Huaian's father.
So when many servants and maids saw the four of them, they would stand aside, with their heads slightly lowered as if counting ants, and wait until they passed by, then raise their heads and continue walking forward.
But the Duke's Mansion is really big. As for how big it is, the first thing that comes to Shen Zhiqiu's mind is the "Wei Liaozi" written by Wei Liao, a man from Wei: "The emperor's house is a thousand acres, the princes' houses are a hundred acres, and the houses of officials and below are nine acres."
Another time when I was visiting Confucius’ residence, I saw that the architectural layout of the front and back buildings of Confucius’ residence was: “The front gate has three rooms, the second gate has three rooms, and there is a ceremonial gate inside the second gate.
There are five main halls to the north of the ceremonial gate, ten east and west office rooms each; five back halls, a hall connected to the main hall, five retreat halls, five east and west corridor rooms each, the left one is the east study room, and the right one is the west study room;
To the southeast of the retreat hall is the family temple, where your great-great-grandfather, the Fifth Generation Yansheng Duke, is enshrined; behind the retreat hall is the inner residence, with so many pavilions and rooms that it cannot accommodate all of them.
The Confucius Mansion (not the Confucius Temple) has a layout of three roads and nine courtyards, covering an area of approximately 111 acres, which is in line with the standard of a princes' mansion covering an area of acres.
Although they had come all the way here and were inside, they did not know the true appearance of the Duke's Mansion, but they thought that its area was about the same as that of the Confucius Mansion.
Actually, Shen Zhiqiu was wrong, because the old Duke married the younger sister of the Prince of Yan, and although the Prince of Yan still called himself the king,
He is not an emperor, but he has already lived in the imperial palace. Of course, the same goes for the other four princes. After all, his is the largest within the scope of his territory.
So although the princess was marrying down and not seeking a son-in-law, and the old duke was also a great warrior,
Therefore, his mansion covers an area of more than 500 acres, comparable to a prince's mansion, and there is also a large garden lake at the back door within the scope of his mansion.
Of course, this is not something that Shen Zhiqiu and his group can see. After all, it is the backyard and outsiders are not allowed to enter.
It took them nearly an hour to walk around the Duke's Mansion before they arrived at the old Duke's study. Shen Zhiqiu and the other three and the steward were waiting outside the door, awaiting a notification from the steward of the courtyard.
Shen Zhiqiu sighed as he walked along the road. To be honest, walking in such a big yard without a car was not a pleasure at all; it was simply torture.
After all, there are sightseeing buses for visiting parks in modern times. Of course, she also knew that a distinguished guest had come to the Duke's Mansion.
Or maybe when their masters travel between each other, they should ride in sedan chairs at home, but that really wouldn't be much faster, after all, they were a group of people fleeing famine, so their legs and feet were quite fast.
Just as Shen Zhiqiu was muttering in his heart: "When can he buy a few large courtyards with mountains and rivers for his daughter and son? They don't need to be this big. It's too hard to walk. Half of this courtyard,
Oh no, a quarter of the size will do, it’s like buying a small park for your daughter or son.”
When I think about it this way, oh, it’s really a bit stressful!
It was at this time that the messenger asked him and Li Quan to go in.