In the following six months, he continued to assign tasks to An Yuping, and An Yuping handled them properly every time.
On the day An Yuping was transferred, none of the ministers objected.
Because of the emperor's words, knowing the hierarchy, everyone was speechless, fearing that if they said anything, they would get into trouble.
Under normal circumstances, they would definitely chatter non-stop, saying that they had endured so many years to get to this point, so how could they allow a country boy to climb so fast.
It's just that His Majesty the Emperor has something on his side.
The eunuch knew that the emperor cared a lot about the An family, so he tried to test the waters. Sure enough, the emperor pressed the issue, and the eunuch continued respectfully, "Your Majesty, Lord An's elder brother has opened a guest house in our capital, Anxin, specifically for traveling scholars from all over the country to stay."
"Tell me in detail." The emperor urged.
"This Anxin Guesthouse is similar to an ordinary inn on weekdays. After the imperial examination date is announced, it will become a place dedicated to candidates and will no longer accept other guests."
"All the candidates who come to live here must provide a certificate of being a candidate, otherwise they will not be allowed to stay."
"Anxin Guest House has a courtyard that can accommodate more than a dozen people, houses for several people, and group dormitories."
"Oh? What is this dormitory?" The emperor, who had lived in a big palace in the imperial palace all his life, had never heard of a dormitory even when he was a prince.
"A dormitory is a place where everyone lives. It has wooden bunk beds, so many students can live together."
The emperor frowned. "Wouldn't this affect their studies? How can they study peacefully with so many people living together?"
The eunuch patiently explained, "Your Majesty, you may not know that the dormitory is not the same as the study area. The dormitory is only a place to live and sleep."
"There is also a place called the study room, which is dedicated to students' reading." He gave a brief introduction to the study room.
He also took the initiative to introduce the place for recitation.
The Emperor was surprised when he heard this and said: "This is a good idea. If we all live together, we can supervise each other and ask each other for advice."
"The areas for memorizing and writing are separate, so we don't have to worry about disturbing each other. There are also places for meals and washing."
"Wonderful, wonderful, it's really wonderful!"
"Yes, Your Majesty, everyone is now praising Your Majesty's good name."
The emperor was surprised and asked, "What does this have to do with me?"
"The boss behind Anxin Guest House is An Lord's brother, An Jingzhi."
"According to what he said, it's not easy for candidates traveling back and forth. Your Majesty appreciates talent and has ordered the government to provide accommodation, but the government office has limited space."
"Lord An was able to serve in the court because of the emperor's grace. He also wanted to help Your Majesty solve problems and worries, so he opened the Anxin Guest House so that the scholars can live in peace."
The emperor laughed out loud when he heard this. There were many people who flattered him, but few of them could touch his heart, and even fewer could do so without making him feel disgusted.
"I can't believe that he, a commoner, would have such thoughts, hahahaha."
The emperor bowed his head and wrote four words, "Make it into a plaque and send it to me."
The eunuch looked down and replied.
…
An Jingzhi's actions affected the interests of many people. There are many inns in the capital. How could it be possible for them to be so big without some people behind them?
A group of innkeepers whose interests were damaged gathered together to discuss.
"Many scholars are now prioritizing staying in safe guest houses. They are even willing to stay in those makeshift, shabby houses rather than our fine guest rooms."
"I don't understand why they said they were heading to the study room. With so many people writing there, how could it not be noisy? How can I concentrate on writing?"
"Although he rented the house, he also signed a five-year contract. We can't use this as an excuse, otherwise it will give Censor An a handle, and the master behind the scenes will definitely not let us off."
"How about we try it on the food? They're going there because they think there's someone in charge of food safety and a study room there, right?"
"We can also build a study room ourselves. We can put something in the food that will give them diarrhea, but it won't kill them. Then everyone will definitely think it's unsafe there, and we'll have business, right?"
"They only have two inns now, and both have taken on so much business. After this year is over, what will we have to do with the next imperial examination? They must have made a lot of money this year, so buying a few more inns won't be a problem."
The others felt depressed after hearing this, and some people who had originally not taken it seriously also began to take it seriously.
Although An Jingzhi's two Anxin Guest Houses attracted hundreds of juren, compared with juren from all over the country, it actually did not encroach on too much of their interests.
However, his reputation for safe guest accommodation was so good that many scholars would rather live in the temporary houses he had built nearby than go to the inn.
They are also wary of the growth potential of An Xin Ke Ju.
Anxin Keju was making a lot of money and was so busy that it had to invite people from many surrounding villages to help with the work.
Of course, we also sent special people to keep an eye on several large inns to prevent them from doing anything without us knowing.
During his daily inspection, An Jingzhi saw some candidates writing essays with their heads down in the study room. He silently asked someone to add some water for them and did not go in to disturb them. He then went to watch the students reciting. Everyone was mumbling to themselves and it was difficult to hear what they were saying.
Yes, everything was just as he had imagined.
The reputation he had carefully cultivated before played a significant role.
Most of the people who didn't pass the exam before came back this year, and even brought a lot of people to find An Jingzhi.
An Jingzhi successfully arranged for them to stay at Anxin Guest House. Then word spread from one person to another, and many people who had already stayed at the inn packed up their bags and came to Anxin Guest House.
Later on, Anxin Keju no longer needed to solicit guests outside, as the scholars would come to him on their own.
After the inspection, An Jingzhi, who was about to go home, suddenly met someone from the palace who came to deliver a plaque.
He brought his servants to meet the emperor. A eunuch who was delivering the emperor's orders stood at the front, with four large gold-plated characters behind him: "Live a peaceful life."
"Your Majesty has instructed that the An family has shared my worries. I have dedicated this plaque to you, hoping that you will continue to work hard."
An Jingzhi thanked him respectfully.
Upon hearing that His Majesty was coming to present the plaque, even the students in the study room ran out to watch.
An Jingzhi's accommodation fee was not low, but it was still cheaper than those in the city, at least 20% off, and the service was even more considerate.
"Even His Majesty knows that An Xin is staying away from home?!" One of the candidates was surprised.
"How could Your Majesty not know? Anxin's residence is for the sake of us candidates. It is truly the best place to prepare for the exams."
"Haha! It seems we really don't have to worry about living here! Now even His Majesty knows about this place."
Most of the onlookers were either surprised or delighted, only a few had faces as pale as paper.
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