Transmigrated to the Northern Song Dynasty as a County Magistrate (GL) - Chapter 12

12: Taking Stock of the Original Body’s Current Assets

Tian Qingyi despised the practice of treating women as commodities to be bought and sold, but she also understood that this was a limitation of feudal times—something irreversible by human effort. No matter how much she disliked or loathed it, there was nothing she could do to change it.

The matchmaker was enthusiastically promoting her wares on the side. Yun Jingchu listened carefully as she made her selection. The matchmaker would elaborate more on the younger, prettier girls, while the older or less attractive ones were dismissed with a single remark.

After hearing the matchmaker’s introductions, Yun Jingchu asked a few of them some questions and eventually chose a round-faced fifteen-year-old girl and four women in their thirties.

Li Yan praised her choices, clearly satisfied. Seeing this, the matchmaker quickly smiled and quoted the prices: the young girl was 106 guan, each of the women was 38 guan, totaling 258 guan. After verifying the calculation, Li Yan had her personal maid escort the matchmaker to the accounts office to collect the money.

A living, grown woman was worth only 38 guan—just a little more than two months of the original body’s pocket money could buy a person. This horrifying fact shocked Tian Qingyi to the core! Was human life so cheap here?

In the original body’s memories, government or private slaves like these, also known as “low-status slaves,” were entirely the property of their owners, to be bought, sold, or exchanged like goods. Another category consisted of those hired through brokers under employment contracts, with agreed-upon service periods and wages, either paid monthly or in a lump sum.

About half of the Jiufang family’s servants were government or private slaves, such as Wei Shier and the maids around Fan Zhuzhu—these were of low status. The other half were hired, like Qingyu, Ruoshui, Liu Yuanshan, and Zhou Ba. Though they were also servants, they were of commoner status.

After leaving two guards behind, the matchmaker had the lead guard take the remaining women outside the gate to wait for her. She then thanked Tian Qingyi, Li Yan, and Yun Jingchu with a smile before following a servant to collect her payment, accompanied by the two guards.

Once the matchmaker and her group had left, Li Yan took Yun Jingchu’s hand with a pleased smile and said, “Sister-in-law, once their contracts are processed, I’ll have someone send them over to you. There’s a lot of miscellaneous work in the household, so I’ll need your help from now on.”

“Thank you, sister-in-law. I’ll be at your service from now on,” Yun Jingchu replied with a smile, appearing unbothered by the trouble. Li Yan still had other matters to attend to, so after a few more words, she took her leave. Yun Jingchu personally escorted her out of the courtyard.

Seeing that Yun Jingchu and Li Yan got along well, Tian Qingyi was satisfied. Since Yun Jingchu was new here, the more people she knew, the more ways she’d have to pass the time. After instructing Qingyu on a few things, Tian Qingyi headed to the study.

Once in the study, Tian Qingyi dismissed Wei Shier to rest and closed the door. Following the original body’s memories, she began rummaging through the cabinets and drawers, eventually unearthing:
– 125 taels of silver ingots
– 11 taels of broken silver
– 12.5 taels of gold ingots
– 9 gold leaves
– 1 ordination certificate
– A red envelope from Fan Zhuzhu containing a 10-guan “flying money” note

No matter the era or place, wealth was the foundation of survival. Since she had decided to live well here, she needed to clarify her current assets.

What surprised her was the shape of the silver and gold—they weren’t the familiar ingot shape but rather a narrow-waisted, flat slab with wider ends. Their color wasn’t as shiny as depicted on TV either, especially the silver, which could even be considered ugly.

Both the “flying money” and the ordination certificate were paper-based, official instruments. Not only were they highly valuable, but they were also easy to carry. In the Song Dynasty, they were hard currency—usable for trade, exchange, or even as direct payment.

Aside from these liquid assets, the original body had also collected two replicated artworks: Wu Daozi’s Heavenly King Sending His Son and Empress Wu Zetian’s small-regular script Diamond Sutra. Though they were replicas, their skillful execution and age made them worth over 100 guan combined.

Tian Qingyi took them out to admire. The paintings were indeed exquisite, with lifelike figures, and the calligraphy was flawless—elegant and noble, blending feminine grace with imperial dignity. No wonder it was the work of Empress Wu Zetian. She instantly fell in love with it and couldn’t bear to put it down.

After gazing at it repeatedly, Tian Qingyi decided to keep the calligraphy for herself. The painting, however, could be gifted to Ma Zhusege as originally intended. After all, it was just a replica, not the original. It could serve as cultural exchange, laying the groundwork for future national unity.

Collecting famous artworks wasn’t part of the original body’s mission, but Ma Zhusege’s fondness for them had led her to cater to his tastes, sending him one or two pieces every year.

Here, one tael of gold was worth about 10 guan, and one tael of silver was roughly 1 guan. Excluding the flying money and other notes gifted by elders, the liquid assets amounted to only 351 guan.

The original body’s income included:
– A monthly allowance that grew annually until adulthood
– Proceeds from the Liu family’s asset sales
– Earnings from a small tavern
– A monthly salary of 700 wen as a low-ranking official
– Gifts from elders during holidays

In other words, the original body’s current assets amounted to less than a year’s income—yet she had been in the Song Dynasty for ten years!

When the original body turned eighteen, Fan Zhuzhu had tried to give her the 500+ guan from the Liu family’s asset sales. At first, she refused, but after repeated insistence, she reluctantly accepted half—still over 200 guan.

Jiufang Xin had known about Fan Zhuzhu acquiring the Liu family’s wealth, but at the time, he held a high position and wasn’t short on money, so he didn’t care about such a small sum. Over time, he forgot about it.

Fan Zhuzhu’s money was spent either on revenge or on herself and the original body, so even if she had savings, they wouldn’t be much. Today, she had given both Tian Qingyi and Yun Jingchu flying money notes, meaning her reserves were likely nearly depleted.

Though the original body frequented entertainment districts, less than a tenth of her spending was on herself. The remaining nine-tenths went toward training assassins—buying over a dozen orphans in secret and raising them. Only four succeeded.

Aside from providing food, clothing, and shelter, the original body also hired tutors to teach them to read and personally disguised herself to train them in martial arts. Ruoshui’s proficiency in Liao language was a result of the original body recognizing her talent and arranging special lessons.

The ordination certificate was quite valuable here—a New Year’s gift from Jiufang Xin, worth about 130 guan. In the original body’s memories, ordination certificates could also be held or traded as securities, though their value fluctuated based on time, region, exchange fees, and other factors.

By this calculation, Tian Qingyi’s liquid assets amounted to about 500 guan—a modest fortune. But compared to Yun Jingchu’s dowry, it was a drop in the bucket. From what Fan Zhuzhu had mentioned, Yun Jingchu’s dowry included:
– A manor with 500 mu of land
– Two commercial shops
– 3,000 guan in cash

As for jewelry and the like, Tian Qingyi had seen it herself—glittering piles filling the bridal chamber, nearly blinding her.

But did Yun Jingchu’s dowry mean it would also belong to her now? Not a chance! In the original body’s memories, a dowry in the Song Dynasty was a woman’s exclusive private property. Without her consent, even her husband couldn’t touch it.

Besides, Tian Qingyi was a “fake husband.” Though it wasn’t her intention to deceive, the fact remained that she had. She would eventually have to divorce Yun Jingchu, so she wouldn’t touch a single coin of that dowry—not because she didn’t love money, but because she didn’t dare spend it!

After setting aside five gold leaves, Tian Qingyi stashed the rest of the gold, silver, and artworks back in their hiding spots. As she did, she couldn’t help but silently praise the original body—truly an elite spy, hiding money in multiple places without leaving a trace.

The study didn’t just conceal wealth—it also held various materials the original body had collected. That was why the study had always been a forbidden zone in Yuzhu Residence. Without the original body’s permission, even Qingyu couldn’t enter. Cleaning was only entrusted to Qingyu or Ruoshui.

This forbidden study unexpectedly suited Tian Qingyi’s needs. She suddenly realized that handwriting was another major issue—her calligraphy would undoubtedly differ from the original body’s. Until she could imitate it convincingly, she couldn’t let anyone discover this secret, not even Qingyu or Ruoshui.

Retrieving a pouch from beneath the bookshelf, she placed the five gold leaves inside and fastened it to her waist. She then planned to rest for a while before practicing calligraphy. She had only briefly attempted to copy the Preface to the Orchid Pavilion Collection, with poor results.

The original body’s handwriting was robust and elegant, while Tian Qingyi’s brushwork wasn’t even fit to carry its shoes. It seemed she’d have to practice in secret, mimicking the original body’s style until it at least appeared similar.

Fortunately, the original body had left behind many copybooks from her three years of exam preparation, which would come in handy. But before she could start practicing, Wei Shier returned and announced loudly outside:

“Second Young Master, someone just delivered an invitation, saying it’s urgent. I didn’t dare delay and brought it straight to you.”

In the Song Dynasty, invitations were like modern-day cards, often paper-based, similar to name cards. Both were essential social tools for scholars.

“Bring it in,” Tian Qingyi said, momentarily unable to guess who might have sent it.

Wei Shier entered, bowed, and respectfully handed over the invitation. Tian Qingyi examined it—it was quite elegant, with well-written characters. The content, however, was unexpectedly concise, though the traditional characters, classical prose, and right-to-left reading order felt strange to her.

The invitation was from the Qiji Office, summoning her to a gathering at Taiping Xingguo Temple at noon the next day.

Tian Qingyi casually placed the invitation on the table and said, “Arrange the carriage for me. Tomorrow… at the hour 9–11 AM, I’ll go to Taiping Xingguo Temple.” She nearly slipped up and said “what time” but caught herself in time.

“Yes, I’ll make the arrangements at once,” Wei Shier replied before leaving.

Calligraphy practice was urgent, and time was tight. She had to make every second count, copying the original body’s copybooks while recalling her writing habits and techniques. Once she put brush to paper, she realized just how daunting the task was.

She practiced until dinnertime. If Wei Shier hadn’t called out to her, she wouldn’t have noticed how late it was. By the time she walked into Yuzhu Hall under the setting sun, dinner was already served. Seeing Yun Jingchu about to bow, Tian Qingyi quickly stopped her:

“I dislike excessive formalities. From now on, unless outsiders are present, skip these rituals.”

“Yes,” Yun Jingchu replied, sitting back down. Truthfully, she disliked such formalities too. In preparation for marrying into the Jiufang family, she had been forced to study etiquette for half a year—just thinking about it annoyed her. She ignored the maid, Wu Ma, who kept shooting her meaningful glances.

After wiping her hands clean with a towel handed by a maid, Tian Qingyi saw that dinner consisted of six dishes and one soup—three meat and three vegetable dishes, all well-presented. The only disappointment was the lack of chili peppers. Faced with the reality that chili peppers hadn’t been introduced yet, she could only console herself that she’d get used to it eventually.

Misinterpreting Tian Qingyi’s lack of enthusiasm as disdain for the meal, Yun Jingchu grew even more disdainful. The three meat dishes used high-quality lamb, and the three vegetable dishes were carefully prepared seasonal greens. If such food didn’t meet his standards, he truly was a spoiled noble who knew nothing of hardship!

Hungry, Yun Jingchu ignored Tian Qingyi and began eating. Wu Ma’s scolding words died on her lips when she saw Tian Qingyi’s displeased expression. She dared to boss around Baoqin and lecture Yun Jingchu, but she wouldn’t dare offend the new imperial examination graduate and Fourth Son-in-law.

Only after Yun Jingchu started eating did Tian Qingyi pick up her chopsticks. Yun Jingchu ate elegantly, chewing slowly and making little noise even while drinking soup, forcing Tian Qingyi to mind her manners and eat slowly as well.

The two ate in silence. Despite her low spirits, Tian Qingyi finished two bowls, while Yun Jingchu, who had started first, only ate one. After setting down their chopsticks, maids brought tea, a rinsing bowl, and towels—the tea for rinsing their mouths, the bowl for the rinse water, and the towels for drying their lips and hands.

This wasn’t unique to the original body or the Jiufang family—wealthy households and merchants in this era were equally fastidious. Extravagance and hedonism were rampant; anyone with power or money adhered to such customs. The truly luxurious noble families even used silver tableware.