Chapter 84
Beijing
After the Wenshi exam, he had more time to wander around the capital.
As the weather grew increasingly hot, he ate and drank his fill at noon and went to a famous bookstore in the capital to buy some books for himself.
Previously, he rarely read books unrelated to scientific research, for fear of being distracted, but now that everything is over, he has nothing to worry about.
Regardless of his ranking, he will be a Jinshi (a successful candidate in the highest imperial examinations) this time, and he is just waiting for the Ministry of Personnel to assign him a position.
Wen Shi wandered through the bookstore. There were quite a few customers. He browsed through the large mahogany bookshelves on the right, many of which were books he had never seen before.
He carefully selected a travelogue. The author of this travelogue had traveled all over the world and spent nearly ten years traveling abroad. The book mainly describes the local customs and culture of various places.
He glanced through it; the set of books was quite thick, consisting of five volumes. Wen Shi felt he needed to take a look, and even if it wasn't cheap, he would buy it.
After that, he selected several sets of famous history books and some classic works. His teacher had told him about some of the classic articles and events, but it's always good to read more good books.
Besides books, the bookstore also had some writing brushes, ink, paper, and other reading supplies. Wen Shi picked out two nice calligraphy brushes and bought some Xuan paper. He couldn't just sit idle; he could read in the morning and copy books in the afternoon and earn some money that way.
"Brother Wen."
A familiar voice rang out, and Wen Shi turned around to see Hu Yong'an.
"Brother Hu."
"What a coincidence! The capital is quite large; it's fate that we met."
Hu Yong'an's gaze naturally fell on the books and calligraphy brush in Wen Shi's hands. Of course, this was nothing special to him; he had seen them before and had even had someone explain them to him.
His family has a large library. He came today to buy some good ink sticks and some high-quality Xuan paper. These things were usually done by servants, but he had only been in the capital for a short time and had been focused on the imperial examinations. Now that they were over, he wanted to go out and have some fun on his own.
“Brother Wen, we are from the same prefecture, so we are from the same place. We have come all the way to the capital to take the imperial examination. Why don’t you come and sit at my house?”
Hu Yong'an was quick. His family was rich, so he only bought the most expensive and best things. He didn't need to pick and choose at all and finished taking everything in no time.
Wen Shi glanced at him, somewhat puzzled. The two went to the counter to pay. Just as Wen Shi was thinking about how to refuse politely, Hu Yong'an added another sentence.
"After the exam, I moved out of my relatives' house. It's not convenient for me to stay there permanently. I bought a house on West Street in Beijing. I'm bored living alone now. Come to my house for a cup of tea and let's chat."
"How about next time?"
After Wen Shi paid the bill and was carrying his things, he was surprised to find that Hu Yong'an had snatched the things from his hands and gotten into the carriage without saying a word.
The coachman was very respectful, but since his family was wealthy, hiring servants was a simple matter for him.
"Brother Wen, come on up. I'll take you back later. It won't take up much of your time."
He sighed upon hearing this, and then boarded the carriage.
The carriage was soft and comfortable. Although Wen Shi was not as learned as him, he was a good person. Hu Yong'an remembered his family's advice before he left to socialize more. He was willing to associate with Wen Shi, at least he was a respectable scholar.
The carriage moved quickly, and the roads in the capital were smooth and wide. When they arrived at their destination, the two got off the carriage and looked around. This area was a residential area, with each house having its own courtyard and servants guarding the gate. Some houses had two servants standing at the gate, while others had four.
The people living in this area must be wealthy. Even a mansion this big in the prefectural city costs a lot of money, let alone in the capital.
The house that Hu Yong'an bought even has two imposing stone lions at the entrance, and a large plaque hangs on the heavy and grand black wooden door, with the words "Hu Residence" on it standing out prominently.
"Brother Wen, please come in."
The gate was opened by the servants, and Hu Yong'an was very happy. Wen Shi followed him and went straight in.
Needless to say, the interior of the house was a typical large mansion, not much different from the mansion his teacher had built when he was studying in the prefectural city.
“I fell in love with this house at first sight, and it’s also because of this garden. Brother Wen, look, isn’t it beautiful? The garden has everything: artificial hills and ponds. If you look from this side, you can see there’s a lake over there.”
Spring is in full bloom, it's a beautiful time of year. Hu Yong'an led Wen Shi through a series of long corridors, directly to the boundary between the front and back yards. There was a large garden there, the scenery of which was mostly man-made, but it was still very beautiful.
Wen Shi looked at him with a very calm expression.
He wasn't envious or jealous at all. There's always a generation that needs to work hard. The Hu family has a history of wealthy ancestors.
"Brother Wen, come, let's sit in this pavilion, enjoy the scenery and talk."
"Butler, brew some good tea and bring some pastries."
"yes."
The housekeeper followed them from the moment they entered the house. Wen Shi didn't pay much attention to it, nor was he that surprised, since he had already seen it back in the prefectural city.
The two sat in the pavilion on the artificial hill, enjoying the gentle breeze. Looking down, they saw lively red koi swimming back and forth in the pond.
"This house is nice, isn't it? I really spent a lot of money when I bought it. My house is even bigger than this. My parents spent less than 10,000 taels of silver to build it. This house is in the capital, in a good location, and the layout inside is excellent. I even consulted a feng shui master, who said it would be beneficial to my career in the future. That's why I bought it. It cost 30,000 taels of silver."
Hu Yong'an seemed very confident, certain that he could stay in the capital. Wen Shi wasn't one to discourage others.
Besides, the person in front of him had a completely different starting point. Even if he didn't take the imperial examinations, he would still live a life of luxury with fine clothes and a constant stream of carriages and horses.
There's nothing to envy. He just needs to work hard in the future, and he'll achieve his goals.
"This house is quite nice, spacious and grand."
Wen Shi picked up the teacup and took a small sip. This tea was Longjing, which he had drunk several times before at his master's place.
Afterwards, he calmly put down his teacup. The pastries on the table were exquisite. He picked up a small piece and slowly chewed it, thinking of his delicious-tasting son.
"Brother Wen, have you made any preparations for the future? The results will be released soon."
Hu Yong'an looked at Wen Shi. Wen Shi was dressed respectably, but not luxuriously. He guessed that Wen Shi's family was not wealthy.
He had been studying for many years, but he had always stayed at home and had not had much contact with people. His family was afraid that he would go astray and become distracted, so they rarely let him go out. Before, when he went to take the exam, someone always accompanied him.
"I'm currently staying at an inn; I'll wait for the Ministry of Rites to release the results."
When you hear something, tell it truthfully.
"I was a little nervous during this imperial examination and felt that I didn't do very well. After returning, I thought about it a lot. I knew I had no chance of getting first place, but I could get second place. I also asked my relative, and he said I was almost certain to stay in the capital."
This is also why Hu Yong'an later chose to buy a house; his family had the means, and there was no need to compromise himself.
In the capital, residences have always been in high demand and short supply.
"Brother Wen, do you know how much silver a house near the palace costs?"
Wen Shi shook his head. Most of those houses were probably owned by royalty, so the price was hard to say, but it would only be high.
He recalled the streets he passed on his way to the imperial examination that day, and how the mansions there must have been even larger and more luxurious.
“My family is considered well-off and has savings, but a mansion like this in the palace costs at least 100,000 taels, and even a smaller one costs 70,000 to 80,000 taels.”
"To be honest, the annual salary of a first-rank official is only 1,500 taels of silver. The lower the rank, the less the salary. If we rely solely on the salary, then we newly appointed officials will only receive a little over 100 taels a year, which is barely enough to make ends meet."
Wen Shi nodded, but everything is difficult at the beginning. The capital is so big that you can count the number of first-rank officials on one hand. Of course, once you reach a certain rank and are valued by the emperor, no one will simply live off their salary.
They would almost always receive royal rewards, and even more during festivals, so officials lived a very comfortable life.
As long as you accumulate experience and develop skills, things will get better. The emperor is not stingy; just the other day, I heard that the emperor rewarded an official with a mansion in the capital.
Building a fortune takes time and effort. Some people are smart enough to make money work for them, and it's possible for their wealth to double in ten years.
Wen Shi thought of his wife. If he could live in the capital with Yingxiang in the future, she would definitely be very happy.
And then there are the children. Needless to say, the private schools in the capital are definitely much better than those in the provinces. With his official position, his son will also benefit.
"Brother Hu, you don't need to worry about that. You've already bought a house. Will your family be coming over?"
Hu Yong'an nodded.
“My whole family will come. Our ancestors were originally from the capital, but they went out to make a living. My grandparents have been thinking about it.”
"That's fine."
With connections and money, their family's life in Beijing will definitely be very smooth.
"Brother Wen, I think you are very composed and will have a bright future."
Wen Shi smiled and nodded; of course, he wanted to do the same.
“We’ve been sitting here for quite a while. Let me show you the back.”
Hearing this, he stood up and did not refuse.
Ministry of Rites
The most important task at present is to review the examination papers. Several officials from the Ministry of Rites reviewed and evaluated the papers together, and finally selected the best articles for the emperor to personally select the top three in the first class.
The rest is up to them to rank themselves.
“I remember that during the palace examination that day, His Majesty praised the scholar sitting at the very back, saying that his handwriting was excellent. This is his essay; perhaps we could send it to His Majesty as well.”
Officials have selected more than ten of the best articles. Wen Shi's is not bad, but compared with these, there is still a gap. He is not among the top ones.
An official suddenly said something that made everyone in the spacious room look at each other in surprise. After thinking about it carefully, they realized that it made sense, and the emperor praised him.
Finally, everyone nodded in unison.
"Bring it here; perhaps His Majesty will like it. Let's send it over together."
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