The longer they traveled north, the colder the weather became.
After crossing the Minjiang River, the north wind howled and lashed their faces. Helpless, Xichun and the others dared not lift the curtain to look outside.
"Phew, young master, we've reached Yudu County soon," the coachman reported after parking the carriage.
"Oh, we've arrived at the capital so quickly?" Fu Changfeng lifted the thick curtain and looked at the wall at the city gate. It really was the capital.
"Great! Let's rest here for the night and set off again tomorrow."
Yudu was already under the jurisdiction of the capital, so it was not far from the capital at this time, about three days' journey.
"This capital is just a county town, yet it is already so much more prosperous than our Weinan County. I wonder what the capital city is like?"
Looking at the bustling crowds coming and going in Yudu County, Taozi couldn't help but sigh.
"We'll know in a few days. We've certainly seen it all on this trip."
I found an inn, which was full of people, mostly scholars.
Xichun finally had time to wash up properly. After crossing the Minjiang River, they traveled at the fastest speed possible to save time.
The leisurely pace of the past is gone, and meals are mainly dry rations, so this is a rare moment of leisure.
After getting some water and taking a long, refreshing shower, Xichun felt much warmer.
"Most of the people staying at this inn are scholars going to the capital to take the imperial examinations. I just asked Brother Zeng and Brother Xie, and they said that there are two top scholars in the inn right now. Next year's Jinshi (successful candidate in the highest imperial examination) will probably be one of them."
Fu Changfeng, who had been full of confidence, was now somewhat worried.
"Why worry so much? If that's the case, then every place has its own top scholar, so why should everyone else take the exam? Let them do it all."
The cruelty of the imperial examination is not new. Even if we fail, we can just treat it as a trip to gain experience.
"You're still young, what's the big deal about doing it again later?"
"My wife is right. I was the one who couldn't think straight. With you by my side, why should I worry about these things?"
Hearing this, Fu Changfeng finally breathed a sigh of relief.
The carriage continued its journey, and three days later, they finally arrived at the city gate of the capital.
"Wow, this is the capital city, right under the emperor's nose! It's really high up! The city gates are so much more magnificent than those back home!"
Taozi looked at the city gate with reverence, and even the soldiers guarding the city around him seemed to become more spirited, giving one a jolt.
"It's truly extraordinary to be under the emperor's nose!" Even Fu Changfeng echoed.
Although Xichun had seen the ancient city gate on TV before, the power she saw in person was still very impressive.
After some reflection and queuing for quite a long time, I finally managed to get my ID card and be ushered into the gates of Beijing.
This is the capital city, where officials are everywhere and powerful figures are as common as dogs. There are plenty of people like Fu Changfeng who have passed the provincial examination, especially in the days leading up to the metropolitan examination.
None of them had ever been to the capital before, and what they needed most at that moment was to find a place to stay.
"Let's find an inn to stay in first, and then move when we find a more suitable place to stay."
Fu Changfeng, Zeng Juren, and Xie Juren all made the same decision without prior agreement.
“Brother Fu, I think we should go look for a place tomorrow. If we find a secluded courtyard, we can rent it for a while. That would be more convenient than staying in an inn.”
The scholar Zeng approached Fu Changfeng to discuss his future accommodations.
"To be honest, Brother Zeng, that's what I was thinking too. Prices in the capital are high. Even a regular inn costs 100 cash a night. With so many of us, it's really too expensive."
"I'm relieved to hear Brother Fu's words. There are less than two months left until the imperial examination, so we can find a suitable courtyard."
"Sister Xichun, I couldn't sleep well all night because of the noise. I heard someone reciting a book in the next room. I'm afraid they didn't sleep at all."
Taozi, a young man, couldn't sleep because of the noise from the students next door, and came out with dark circles under his eyes.
"That's right, look at me, I heard someone reading aloud too." Xiaoyue also looked sleepy.
"It seems we should find a place to move out as soon as possible. We can't stay in this inn for long." Xi Chun didn't sleep well last night either. Although no one was reading, there was someone snoring loudly.
"Taozi, let's all go out in a bit and find a broker to help us look at the courtyards near the examination hall."
"Sister Xichun, brother-in-law, you've both gone out. I'm worried that no one will watch the luggage. Otherwise, I wouldn't go. I'll stay here and watch it. You can go."
Taozi thought about it. They had a lot of luggage, and he was worried that Xiaoyue would have to keep an eye on it, so he decided not to go.
In the end, only Xichun and Zhunian, along with the Zeng couple, went to see the house.
I spent a whole day looking around but didn't find anything suitable. The expensive ones were too expensive, the cheap ones were too bad, and the ones that were neither here nor there were any that I could find; they were all basically booked in advance.
"Let's see tomorrow. It will be more comfortable than staying at the inn. I didn't sleep at all last night, I just listened to people reading."
Sister Cao shook her head as she thought about what happened last night.
As soon as they arrived at the inn, they saw constables coming and going. Xichun was worried that something had happened, so she quickly asked the people around her for directions.
"I think I heard that someone lost something. Poor thing, these are all scholars, what valuable things could they possibly have? I'm afraid they were targeted by petty thieves as soon as they moved in."
"That's right. Those scholars from out of town thought there were no thieves around here, so they went out so freely. Now look what's happened!"
Fortunately, once they went inside, they learned that it wasn't them who had been robbed, but someone else.
"I saw some people loitering suspiciously downstairs today. With all my years of dealing with street thugs, I could tell who they were at a glance. Nothing was stolen."
Taozi chuckled and started eating the fried meatballs that Xichun had bought for him.
"Taozi was right. Everyone should be more careful from now on. When we go out, at least one person should be inside so that no one can take advantage of us."
"Young Master, we know."
Just as Xichun and the others went out to look for a house again, Xie Juren's servant thought the thief wouldn't come back. While he was out in the outhouse, the things in the house were stolen.
Fortunately, they had put away their valuables beforehand. Since the clothes and some money they had brought were missing, the master and servant had no choice but to go out and buy new clothes.
"Fortunately, we found a house. Otherwise, no matter how many times you guard against thieves, there will always be times when you are careless."
Xichun couldn't help but sigh with Sister Cao. They had found a small courtyard house with two sections, and their family would stay in one section. Although it wasn't cheap, it was quiet and safe.
The two families moved away the next day, and Fu Changfeng and Zeng Juren finally had time to study.
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