Mount Mang, also known as Mount Pingfeng, Mount Taiping, and Mount Jia, isn't particularly tall, with an altitude of only about 300 meters. However, it is quite long, stretching hundreds of miles from east to west, possessing a majestic presence, deep soil, dense forests, and located north of Luoyang City, on the south bank of the Yellow River. It is a remnant of the Qinling Mountains and a branch of the Xiao Mountains.
Mount Mang has both mountains and water. The Yi and Luo rivers flow from west to east through Luoyang City, making this area a major place of activity for the descendants of the Yan and Huang emperors. Since ancient times, the Yan and Huang have settled here, multiplied, and developed continuously.
The Cui Family built a manor at the foot of Mount Mang, nestled against the mountain.
During the Han Dynasty, aristocratic families liked to build manors, often using them as important strongholds for family inheritance. The Cui Family was no exception. The construction began during the time when Cui Lie, a member of the previous dynasty, held the official position of Situ. Now, Cui Yi and Cui Hou are still constantly adding and renovating, making the scale quite large.
Fei Qian estimated and sized it up, noting that the entire piece of land was at least twenty basketball courts in size, and he could also see craftsmen coming and going behind the manor. In ancient times, you could really build as big as you wanted. If this were in modern times, it would cost at least hundreds of billions to acquire such a large piece of land.
Cui Hou also had a proud look on his face as he introduced the layout of his entire manor to Fei Qian.
Although called a manor, it was actually more like a fortress.
Cui Family Manor, well, it could also be considered Cui Family Fortress, built against a cliff on Mount Mang. Many cave dwellings were carved into the cliff face, all closed off with wooden fences and guarded by some guards, presumably used for storing supplies. At the foot of the mountain, thick walls were built, enclosing a large area of land. Mountain streams were channeled through the fortress, and a deep ditch was dug outside the walls, serving both as a defense against enemies and as a water reservoir.
The entire fortress is divided into more than ten sections, including the main residence area within the fortress, ordinary residential areas, ancestral hall area, workshop area, vegetable garden area, garden, warehouse area, market area, etc., each with its own function, complete planning, and full functionality.
After crossing the drawbridge is the narrow fortress gate. The entrance of the entire manor is comparable to a city gate, thick and solid, with main walls on both sides of the entrance. Inside the gate, there is also a shooting platform modeled after a city wall watchtower, with several guards carrying bows and arrows patrolling the top of the platform.
The streets inside the fortress were deliberately built in a winding and crooked manner to resist foreign enemies, with many forks. If Cui Hou wasn't leading the way, unfamiliar outsiders would definitely not be able to find the main family's courtyard for a while.
Fei Qian clicked his tongue in wonder, generously giving a lot of praise.
Cui Hou waved his hand modestly, while even more enthusiastically introducing how it was built at the beginning, how many people were used, etc...
Indeed, it was built very well. Half of the walls on both sides of the street are made of stone, and half are made of yellow mud, combining convenience and sturdiness. In addition to the mountain stream flowing through the fortress, there are also many large water tanks to prevent fires, after all, houses in the Han Dynasty still used wooden beams and wooden doors as the main structure.
The main area where the Cui Family lived was almost a hybrid of a garden and a military fortress. The outer walls were all made of blue bricks, obviously setting it apart from the houses of ordinary people living on both sides of the street. Brick carvings, stone carvings, and wood carvings filled the area, with exquisite craftsmanship and diverse styles. Three-story corner towers were also set up at the four corners of the courtyard, with slanted eaves upturned.
It was not easy to build such a manor, which shows the Cui Family's wealth.
The agricultural structure of the Han Dynasty was basically the same as the Cui Family's manor. Usually, the manor served as a trade market, a place to exchange goods. Most of the people living in the manor were property owners, while farmers or hired workers usually lived in thatched huts built outside the manor. If enemies invaded, they would all gather in the manor and defend based on the fortress walls.
The model of a small Cui Family Manor is actually the epitome of the entire Han Dynasty, and even the longer Chinese feudal agricultural era. Except for a few dynasties, such as the Han, Tang, and Ming dynasties, which had the ability to send troops to defend against enemies outside the country, most of the time they were constantly defending, allowing nomadic peoples to ravage outside the walls like locusts.
After entering the Cui Family's residence, Cui Hou did not take Fei Qian to the side hall, but instead took Fei Qian to the small hall in his own courtyard, where they sat down as host and guest.
The corners of Fei Qian's mouth curled up slightly, the effect of exchanging the collection of books for the protection of the head of the household was showing.
The Han Dynasty was an era that emphasized etiquette and equality.
The place corresponds to the person and specifications. Fei Qian was not qualified enough for the Cui Family's main hall, and even if he was taken there, Fei Qian would not dare to be so rude.
Originally, Fei Qian was worried that Cui Hou would take him to the side hall, which would mean a formal family banquet, with Cui Yi attending. Fei Qian would have to face Cui Yi directly. If the elder asked questions during the banquet, according to etiquette, he would have to leave his seat and stand up to answer, which would not only be uncomfortable in terms of etiquette, but more importantly, he would be in an extremely passive position, which would be very troublesome.
Now that Cui Hou brought Fei Qian to his own small courtyard hall to entertain him, it meant that Cui Hou was the host today, and the elder of the Cui Family, Cui Yi, would not appear. The scale of the banquet was reduced to a more casual and equal banquet between friends, rather than a formal banquet that emphasized etiquette.
Originally, the Cui Family planned to have Cui Yi come forward, firstly because Cui Yi had the status of an elder, and secondly because he was an official of the previous dynasty. The plan was to politely ask Fei Qian to hand over the secret method of carving glass, but unexpectedly, the Cui Family received a letter from Fei Min.
The Cui Family previously thought that Fei Qian was just a branch of the Fei Family and had not received much attention from the main family, so such a powerless and insignificant branch family could not cause much trouble.
However, unexpectedly, Fei Min's letter, in addition to greetings, also specifically mentioned and thanked the Cui Family for inviting and hosting Fei Qian, and expressed that he would have the opportunity to invite the Cui Family to visit.
Although it didn't explicitly state the meaning, Fei Min's letter revealed that Fei Qian was not the insignificant figure, ignored by the main family, as the Cui Family had previously assumed. Pressuring Fei Qian further would be akin to disrespecting Fei Min, turning it from a personal matter into a conflict between the Cui and Fei families.
The position of Counselor was not higher than the Three Dukes, but Fei Min held a current office, while the highest-ranking official in the Cui Family, Grand Tutor Cui Lie, was a former official from a previous dynasty, and deceased. This comparison gave them little advantage.
Weighing the pros and cons, Cui Yi decided not to appear directly. Instead, he had Cui Hou host Fei Qian, presenting it as a purely friendly invitation.
In this small courtyard and hall, there was no need for the formality of a formal banquet. Cui Hou took off his headgear and placed it aside after sitting down, gesturing for Fei Qian to do the same.
Interesting, very well, so this is a hatless banquet for more casual conversation? Fei Qian smiled, removing his headgear as well, thinking to himself, 'The ancients were quite amusing. Such a simple gesture of removing one's hat actually implies that today we'll just eat, drink, and not discuss other matters.'
Sure enough, as dried fruits, pastries, wine, fruit juices, and various beef and mutton dishes were brought out, Cui Hou avoided any serious topics, only mentioning trivial matters and humorous anecdotes to entertain him.
The Cui Family is not simple. The profits from colored glaze are huge, but the Cui Family has not been blinded by greed to do anything reckless. Instead, they know when to let go, like now, without showing any awkwardness or other negative emotions. To the unaware, it truly seems like sincere and warm friendship.
The banquet lasted from afternoon until dusk, with everyone well-fed and satisfied.
Although the wine of the Han Dynasty was like the sweet and sour fermented rice wine of later generations, with a low alcohol content, drinking too much would still cause intoxication. Fortunately, whether it was because Fei Qian's original body had a strong alcohol tolerance, or because he had honed his drinking skills in the office after transmigrating from later generations, despite his flushed face, slurred speech, and swaying gait, in reality, Fei Qian was mostly pretending.
As the banquet drew to a close, Cui Hou summoned a maid to prepare a guest room for Fei Qian to rest.
In the Han Dynasty, a proper banquet would typically last from midday to sunset, and then the guests would usually rest at the host's house for the night, thus completing the banquet in a satisfactory manner.
Eating well and sleeping well was considered proper hospitality. Guests would generally not rush back home at night, as doing so, like leaving the banquet midway, would cause the host to lose face.
Fei Qian, staggering with every step, was helped by the maid towards the guest room. After taking only a few steps, he swayed back, took out a silk handkerchief from his bosom, and placed it in Cui Hou's hand, slurring, "Brother treats little brother… not, not, not badly. Little brother, will soon… soon leave Luoyang. This is a, a little, a little thing I, I obtained by chance… specially giving it to you as a farewell, a farewell…"
Before he could finish the word "farewell", Fei Qian collapsed to the ground, falling into a drunken stupor.
Cui Hou, enduring the effects of the alcohol, forced his eyes open and examined the silk handkerchief. Instantly, his drunkenness dissipated by eighty or ninety percent. Surprised and uncertain, he called Fei Qian's name several times, but seeing that Fei Qian was truly unconscious from drunkenness and could not be awakened, he had no choice but to repeatedly emphasize that Fei Qian should be well taken care of. Then, taking the silk handkerchief, without even changing his clothes, he went directly to see Cui Yi.
Cui Yi was accustomed to sitting quietly for a while during the evening. Being disturbed by Cui Hou, and seeing Cui Hou covered in wine stains and looking disheveled, he was immediately annoyed and wanted to reprimand Cui Hou.
"Father, please hold! Please examine this item first!"
Cui Yi took the silk handkerchief and glanced at it briefly. His sleepiness vanished instantly, and he frowned, saying, "How did you obtain this item?" Was this kid stealing it from Fei Qian while he was drunk?
Cui Hou hurriedly recounted what had just happened.
"This boy is not simple!" Cui Yi stroked his beard. "If this method is true, alas, it makes my Cui Family look inferior… Very well, the Cui Family will accept this favor!"
"After I have a copy made, you quickly summon the master craftsman in the family to test this formula and see how effective it is." Of course, such a precious original document had to be carefully preserved. Cui Yi directly gave instructions, starting work that very night, regardless of sleep.
Without mentioning Cui Yi and Cui Hou's busyness, Fei Qian, being supported by two maids as he went to rest, swayed along, the corners of his mouth slightly raised. The same thing, brought out in different situations, would have different effects.
If this formula had been taken out under duress, not only would he not have received any reward, but he would also have been ridiculed. The law of the jungle among aristocratic families had no warmth to speak of.
Now, under the care of Fei Min of the main family, Fei Qian had temporarily obtained a position equal to Cui Hou's. Regardless of how long this temporary position would last, bringing it out under these circumstances meant it was a gift of friendship, and the Cui Family had to follow the rules of reciprocity between aristocratic families, or they would lose their reputation among the aristocratic families.
Aristocratic families were such contradictory yet unified groups.
Since he was about to leave Luoyang, the cleaner the ends, the better. Moreover, the formula Fei Qian gave to Cui Hou was only slightly better than the colored glaze recipes of the Han Dynasty. It was mainly that the lead material was purer, so the colored glaze produced would be more lustrous and translucent.
Fei Qian even thought that if the Cui Family could continue to research further and discover a better formula ratio, that would be the Cui Family's ability. With the intoxication somewhat affecting him, Fei Qian, while thinking, allowed the maids to support him as he staggered towards the guest room. Suddenly, a line of red light in the sky reflected in his face. Fei Qian blinked uncomfortably, and with half-closed eyelids, looked outwards.
At this time, the setting sun was like blood, reflecting Luoyang City in a blood-red hue.
