Chapter 965: Buying a House
In the eyes of many within the Daoist Order, Qi Xuansu was already regarded as the Fourth Prodigy, one of the potential candidates for the future Deputy Grand Master.
At this time, this outstanding Daoist prodigy was certainly not worrying about affairs of state or problems of the world. Rather, he was occupied with a personal lifelong matter—buying a house.
That was because to get married, he would first need a house.
Qi Xuansu did have a house, an old residence in Haichan Place. Zhang Yuelu did not look down on him either. However, their marriage was not merely between two individuals, but between two families.
Before the prestigious thousand-year-old Zhang family, his current house in Haichan Place was somewhat unpresentable. Besides, this old house would not be fitting for them as newlyweds.
Strictly speaking, all houses in Jade Capital were centuries old. Even the Grand Master or Deputy Grand Master lived in residences that others had occupied before. Yet in most people’s perception, a newly purchased house was considered new. At worst, one could simply renovate it.
Thus, Qi Xuansu now had this problem to deal with.
Qi Xuansu’s income was now fairly substantial, about 10,000 Taiping coins a year. In the past, he would not have dared imagine such wealth. After all, his bribe to Sun Yongfeng had once cost him a mere 200 Taiping coins.
But even so, buying a house in Jade Capital was no simple matter.
Jade Capital was unlike any other place. It was the ancestral seat of the Daoist Order. Technically, no one could truly purchase a house there. In name, all buildings in Jade Capital belonged to the Daoist Order and were overseen by Tianji Hall.
This was akin to the practice of “one field, two owners.” A piece of land could be divided into its land and its surface. The land and surface grants could be held by different people, each functioning as separate and non-interfering parts that were freely bought, sold, mortgaged, or gifted.
The landholder could not farm and could only collect rent. To farm, they would have to buy the ownership of the surface. Meanwhile, the surface holder could farm but must pay rent. They could also freely sell or transfer the surface grant or even build houses or graves upon it with no interference from the landholder. If the surface holder defaulted on rent, the landholder might seek repayment in other forms, but could not evict the former unless the surface holder sold the surface. This was the “one field, two owners” system.