Although Gong Rong was very disgusted with this yard, he also knew that it was indeed a bargain, otherwise they would not have spent a whole day looking for such a house.
"Young Master, the tiles need to be repaired, the walls need to be repaired, and we have to buy the window paper ourselves." Gong Rong said after looking around.
"Okay, I'll leave these to you."
Gong Rong asked, "Master, when will you take that thing out from the Second Master?"
"Why are you asking so many questions? Why don't you go and get ready to repair this house and clean it up? Are you waiting for me to do it?"
After this place wins the ranking, there will be a special ranking list, but it will only be posted on the bulletin board. Only the top one is eligible to get a separate certificate. What An Jingzhi showed to the old landlady was the one issued by An Yuping from the government office.
The imperial examination was approaching, and the status of scholars at that time was still very high.
An Jingzhi was worried that things might not go smoothly and that he might run into some trouble, so he brought the note with him. He didn't expect that he would actually use it when bargaining.
The capital is big and it is not easy to live there.
It cost six taels to rent the house, three taels of which was the deposit.
Another two taels were spent to clean up the yard.
It took a day for the four people to move out of the inn.
After several turns, I walked into this alley.
The carriage stopped in the yard. An Yuping looked around and asked, "How much is the rent here? It shouldn't be cheap, right?"
He was not the kind of person who only cared about what was happening outside and devoted himself to reading books of sages. In the past few days, he had also inquired about the prices in the capital, and found that they were more expensive than he had imagined.
"It's only three taels of silver, but it's better than staying in an inn. It's also quieter here, so you can study in peace."
"Three taels of silver?" He turned and asked Gong Rong, "How much do we have left?"
An Jingzhi said: "Don't worry about it. If it really doesn't work out, can't you always ask your family for some? At worst, you can sell the land. After all, you can buy it back when you become an official."
An Jingzhi said it lightly, but An Yuping couldn't accept it calmly, and the burden on him felt even heavier.
He couldn't wait to read.
"Did your visit to the county magistrate's friend go smoothly?" An Jingzhi asked.
Gong Rong and his servant were packing their bags.
"Lord Xin is very kind," An Yuping said honestly. "Luckily, I only gave him a piece of paper, otherwise I wouldn't even be able to get in. Lord Xin is honest and self-disciplined, and he hates gifts the most."
"He knew we came from so far away and wanted to let me stay at his house, but I refused."
An Jingzhi nodded and said, "You are not that close to him, there is no need."
"Don't just study behind closed doors every day. Go out and ask the examiners about their situation. Communicate with students from all over the country and learn from their strengths."
Surprised by An Jingzhi's seriousness, An Yuping was dazed for a moment before saying respectfully, "I understand, big brother."
"By the way, I remember you brought a lot of articles you wrote before. Find them and give them to me."
"Brother, what are you doing here?"
"Of course I sell it."
An Yuping's first reaction was not to think that An Jingzhi had tarnished knowledge, because he was not a useless scholar who did not eat grains.
"Can it be sold? Those who can come to the capital to take the examination must be very knowledgeable."
"I'm not selling it to a scholar, so don't worry about how I sell it. Just give me the article."
After screening, An Yuping gave five articles to An Jingzhi and carefully annotated them.
The expenses in the capital were high. I spent 18 taels on rent and 15 taels on the road, leaving 17 taels out of 50.
It is estimated that An Yuping will have to inquire about news, attend banquets, and continue living for another half a year.
Seventeen taels, even if you add the ten taels he earned on the road and didn't use, it's still not enough. Should he sell his brushes, inkstones, and paper? Should he pay for social favors? What about the money for his trip home?
When I came here, my family gave me everything they could give me. If I want more, I have to sell my land.
But these lands were accumulated by Mr. An through his life's hard work. An Jingzhi would not sell the land unless it was necessary.
After careful calculation, he concluded that if he wanted to maintain his accommodation in the capital, he also had to consider interpersonal relationships and leave a way to return.
One hundred taels of silver is the basic amount.
The two of them were unfamiliar with the place and the only local they knew was the old lady landlady.
An Jingzhi went to the landlord's house and tried to sell her An Yuping's article.
"Old lady, you know my brother is a top scholar and will soon take the imperial examination. It won't be long before he becomes a Jinshi. It's just that we are short of money that we thought of selling the essays."
"Under normal circumstances, would it be easy to read the articles written by the Juren Master?"
"I've inquired about it. Doesn't your family have a grandson who is a scholar and has started preparing for the imperial examination? This article is perfect for your family. These are the articles my younger brother wrote before he passed the imperial examination. They are perfect for you."
"Your grandson will definitely pass the imperial examination after reading this article."
"Only eight taels of silver for one article!"
An Jingzhi's words completely captured the old lady's needs.
Although such highly educated scholars can be found everywhere in the capital, they have no relationship with her family, so it is impossible for her to show her essay to them.
"There are even annotations on it. Look, where can I buy such a thoughtful article?"
The old lady could read a few words, and what she valued most was her grandson's education. Otherwise, she would not have given up two taels of silver just because of An Yuping's title of Jieyuan.
"Wait a minute, I'll show it to my grandson. If he thinks it's okay, we'll talk about it later."
An Jingzhi handed over the article and waited outside.
Not long after, a handsome young man came out with the old lady following behind him.
The old lady had the idea of winning at all costs.
He just didn't show it on his face and wanted to bargain further.
"Eight taels of silver is too expensive. I can only give you two taels at most. Your article only has a few words in total and is not even as thick as a book. How can you sell it for as much as a book?"
"Is that book as valuable as this article?" An Jingzhi said with a smile, "Old lady, if you miss this opportunity, you'll never get it again. If you don't agree, I'll have to ask someone else."
The old landlady naturally knew the value of this article. Her grandson didn't even read the book and followed her out to stare at it. Wasn't he just trying to get the article?
There is no one like this who is willing to sell articles and annotate them in detail, unless they are his closest students.
Seeing An Jingzhi turning around to leave, the old lady hurriedly grabbed him and said, "You're selling them too expensively. I see you still have several more. How about I buy two from you and you give me ten taels of silver in total?"
"But I have to see if the quality is the same as this one."
An Jingzhi handed the other article in his hand to the young man behind the old lady, "Two articles for twelve taels of silver. Old lady, I've already given you four taels less. I can't get any cheaper."
When the old lady saw the young man nod and saw An Jingzhi's firm attitude, she knew that the price could not be lowered any further.
Reluctantly, he took out the silver and gave it to An Jingzhi: "I only earned three taels of silver from you, and now you have to pay twelve taels of silver."
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