Chapter 52
Having slept poorly that night, Fang Yu rose rather late the next day. By the time he opened the door, the sky was already bright. After washing up quickly, he had breakfast at the inn and hurriedly began another day of travel.
This time, setting out from Huining, the number of scholars encountered along the road was several times more than on the route from Yuncheng. Some traveled in twos and threes, others rode in ox carts or donkey carts. In short, the entire official highway was filled with scholars rushing to the examinations.
Fang Yu had memories from the original owner's two previous attempts at the provincial exams. Although the pursuit of scholarship had always been the revered path to family advancement for the common people, and scholars had always been numerous, with the increasing status of scholars in recent years, he could clearly sense a significant rise in the number of participants for this year's provincial examinations. As the number of candidates increased while the quota for passing remained fixed, the competition was visibly intensifying.
"Brother Sheng Jia!"
The morning air was fresh and cool. Fang Yu, holding the carriage curtain aside, was admiring the scenery along the road when he spotted the person he had met at the restaurant the previous day by the side of the official road. It wasn't that Fang Yu had purposely sought him out; it was simply that Sheng Jia was darker than the average person, making him particularly conspicuous among a group of fair-faced scholars.
Seeing no carts or horses nearby, and that Sheng Jia had traveled all this way on foot—departing at an unknown hour and already covering over twenty li (10 km)—Fang Yu, feeling the solitary journey was rather tedious, invited Sheng Jia to join him in the carriage. After all, traveling alone was one way to go, and traveling together was another.
"Brother Fang, where are you from? Your family must surely have a profound scholarly tradition."
Fang Yu passed him a cup of tea. "You flatter me. I am from Yuncheng, not from any great lineage. It's just that my family worries about the hardships of my journey for the exams, so they specifically arranged for a more comfortable carriage. As for other expenses, it's fine to be frugal."
Sheng Jia nodded. "Quite true."
"I have often heard of Yuncheng, a prosperous county under Yongjiang Prefecture. Merchants occasionally come to Linya County from there to do business, all said to be from Yuncheng. The brokers also prefer to buy people in Linya and resell them in Yuncheng." His tone revealed a sense of longing. "It's a pity I have never had the chance to visit Yuncheng and see its sights."
Fang Yu smiled. "After the provincial exams this autumn, if you achieve success, Brother Sheng, you could reward yourself with a trip to Yuncheng."
"Indeed. I pray nothing unexpected happens this time. However, having met such a fortunate person as Brother Fang on this journey, I am sure I can catch some of your good luck."
Fang Yu was somewhat puzzled. "Unexpected events?"
Sheng Jia sighed. "This is my third time coming for the exams. The previous two times, I never even made it into the examination hall. Brother Fang, you must be very careful when you reach the prefectural city. There are many students rushing for the exams, but not everyone has taken the sages' teachings to heart."
"Brother Sheng, you make the prefectural city sound like a den of thorns and snares."
"Brother Fang, don't disbelieve me. On my first attempt, with the examination date approaching, I suddenly fell violently ill from bad food at an inn just before the gates. Vomiting and diarrhea, I was sent straight to a medical hall and completely missed the exams. After traveling a thousand li to the prefectural city, I didn't get to take the exam but did get the chance to be treated by a prefectural physician." Sheng Jia shook his head. "I originally thought it was my own carelessness and gluttony that caused the illness. However, I wasn't the only one in the city; over a dozen or twenty candidates suffered the same fate."
"Everyone had their doubts, but the explanation given was acclimatization sickness. Although the diet in the prefectural city differs somewhat from other places, it's mostly just local specialties. Coming from a poor family, when would I have had the means to sample local delicacies? I ate simple, ordinary meals every day."
Fang Yu frowned. The situation certainly did seem suspicious.
"Brother Fang, when you reach the prefectural city, don't be tempted by its bustle. Try to stay in a small courtyard in a residential alley. You can study peacefully for a few days to adjust to the environment and also avoid the mixed crowds of inns."
Fang Yu nodded. The painful lessons of those who came before had to be heeded.
"For my second attempt, I made many preparations and took precautions. However, I encountered a landslide and flooding on the road, forcing a detour of several hundred li. By the time I reached the prefectural city, the exams had already started, and I missed them once again." Recalling the past, Sheng Jia also felt a pang of regret. "Since passing the county-level exams, I have not managed to take the provincial exams even once. This year, I met with another misfortune—those bandits are truly despicable. What wealth does a poor scholar like me have that they would resort to such viciousness?"
[1 li = 500 meters]
Not only did Sheng Jia feel his examination journey was fraught with hardship; Fang Yu too was taken aback. If the provincial exam journey was this difficult, then the journey to the capital for the metropolitan exams must be even more challenging. He comforted Sheng Jia, "Fortunately, the bandits did not harm your life. Having survived great danger, great fortune must follow."
"I'll borrow your auspicious words, Brother Fang. No matter what, this year I am determined to enter the examination hall. Even if I don't pass, it will at least fulfill a long-cherished wish of mine."
The two conversed pleasantly along the way. Sheng Jia shared many interesting stories about scholarly life with Fang Yu. Having company made the time pass much more easily. At nightfall, they found a village to rest together. Setting out again early the next morning, they arrived at Yongjiang Prefectural City precisely at noon, much earlier than expected.
Heeding Sheng Jia's advice, no matter how enthusiastically the inn attendants in the city called out or boasted about the comfort of their inns, Fang Yu remained unmoved. Following Sheng Jia, he went to the residential alleys, expending more effort on foot to find a quiet civilian courtyard. Accounting for the examination period and the time afterwards to check the results, he rented it for a month and a half.
The landlord charged eight taels of silver. Splitting it between them came to only four taels each.
Fang Yu exclaimed in surprise, "It's actually this affordable!"
The residential alley was located in the middle section of the prefectural city, only about the time it takes to burn an incense stick's walk from the examination grounds. Moreover, the courtyard was large enough to accommodate seven or eight people. With each taking a room and one for the coachman, there would still be empty rooms. Apart from the spacious yard, it was also clean and tidy, with all necessary utensils in the kitchen.
While tidying his belongings, Sheng Jia said, "Actually, it's not that affordable. It's just that Huining County is too exploitative, making the prefectural city's expenses seem low. If prices in the prefectural city exceeded norms and were reported, it could lead to imprisonment. The prefect issued a proclamation early on, forbidding any merchant or shop in the city from raising prices and exploiting scholars during the provincial examination period. Naturally, merchants don't dare act recklessly. Therefore, expenses in the prefectural city are only slightly higher than in small counties, but not outrageously so."
Fang Yu couldn't help but wonder, "Since the prefectural city has such a proclamation, why does a crucial place like Huining County dare to raise prices so brazenly?"
"Huining County is remote, after all. It's not that no one has reported it to the government office before, but it's already a case of collusion between officials and merchants. They wouldn't even lend me a bit of travel funds; why would they care about merchants raising prices?"
"Brother Sheng, you are truly a well-informed scholar."
Sheng Jia laughed. "It's just because I'm short on money, so I end up inquiring about more things. Brother Fang, you should rest early today. After several days of travel, it's quite tiring. Recover your energy sooner, so you can write better essays when you enter the examination hall."
"Brother Sheng speaks wisely."
Returning to his room, the coachman brought hot water. After washing up, Fang Yu, taking advantage of the relaxed moment, wrote a letter home to report his safe arrival, informing them of his address before resting.
Around noon the next day, he went out to South City Tower to find Li Yun and Ji Yunlu. Originally, they had planned to travel together to the prefectural city, but the two had left earlier, so they couldn't journey together. They had agreed beforehand to meet up at a restaurant in the prefectural city once everyone had arrived.
...
While Fang Yu toiled on his examination journey, Qiao Hezhi had no leisure at home these days. The early autumn harvest had begun, with grain being delivered to the shop. Although there were established procedures for these matters, as it was the first time, the proprietor still needed to devote some attention and personally go to the shop to check and receive the goods.
Besides the autumn harvest, the task of selecting manuscripts, which Fang Yu had previously handled, also fell upon him. Fang Yu's trip would last over a month, but the publication of the Book and Tea House could not stop. Having assisted Fang Yu multiple times in selecting manuscripts before, these tasks, though labor-intensive, were not beyond his capabilities.
However, staying in the study at night, with only a few candles lit, the figure that used to bury itself in work at the desk was absent, making the study seem much emptier.
Standing alone by the window, he heard the chirping of insects and croaking of frogs in the garden—the noise was quite loud. Calculating the days, Fang Yu should have reached the prefectural city by now. It had only been two or three days since he left, yet it felt like an eternity had passed.
Lost in thought for a moment, and remembering the manuscripts still needed selection, he sat down in the seat Fang Yu often occupied and began sorting through the submissions.
Just as he was making progress, a sudden gust of wind arose. The window, left unlatched, blew several manuscripts to the floor. He hurriedly bent down to pick them up and, upon lowering his head, unexpectedly discovered a hidden compartment under the desk.
Qiao Hezhi was quite surprised. He often accompanied Fang Yu studying here but never knew about this hidden compartment. He suppressed a chuckle, "He must have hidden his private savings here."
Let's see exactly how much family wealth he had stashed away. He secretly opened the compartment, and with a click, a stack of heavy items fell out. "There's this much!"
But when he took them out, he was greatly disappointed. The hidden compartment didn't contain any silver notes or land deeds, but several blue-covered books.
He glanced at the covers: one was called Lian Xiang Ban (Companion of Fragrance), another Xiu Ta Ye Shi (Unofficial History of the Embroidered Couch), and something like Die Shuang Fei (Butterflies Flying Together)... They appeared to be play scripts. Yet why hide such scripts so carefully, and keep them from him?
Qiao Hezhi snorted lightly. He opened a page and immediately widened his eyes—the book contained pictures of little figures entangled together. He quickly closed it and tossed it aside, then flipped through the other two books. They contained similar content.
His heart pounded wildly. He stood up abruptly, his face flushed red.
Who could have imagined that Fang Yu would secretly hide such books in the solemn place that was the study? The thought that in his absence, this man was likely perusing them filled him with indignation. "So distracted in his studies, with such improper thoughts! If he fails the provincial exam, just see if I don't fling these books right in his face!"
He stormed out of the study, completely disinterested in selecting manuscripts now. But upon reaching the doorway, he suddenly stopped.
Glancing back at the desk, his eyes moved thoughtfully. Pressing his lips together, he lowered his head and quickly walked back. With a flushed face, he sandwiched those few books among some other poetry books, hugging them all together, and scampered back to his own room like a thief.
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