Chapter 117: At the Residence of Ouyang Xiu

After the examination, Zhang Yue returned to the inn only to find Huang Haoyi arguing with the innkeeper.

"What is the matter, proprietor?"

The innkeeper bowed to Zhang Yue and said, "I must inform you, young master, that this Master Huang has taken all the remaining money from your two rooms. He then asked to defer the room rent for two more days. When I said that my inn is small and I cannot afford to offer credit, he accused me of looking down on him."

Zhang Yue thought to himself, he had rented two rooms upon arriving in the capital, one for himself and one for Huang Haoyi, splitting the costs equally. Why would Huang Haoyi take the money they had deposited at the inn?

Huang Haoyi’s face flushed red. "How rude! In what inn under heaven is credit not allowed? I am merely behind on a few days' rent; do you intend to drive us out?"

Zhang Yue spoke up, "Proprietor, we are here to take the Imperial Academy examinations. If you are truly worried that we will not pay our debts, then once we have been admitted to the Academy, you need not worry about serving students like us ever again."

The innkeeper immediately replied, "I would not dare! I would not dare! Please, young master, do not take offense at my words."

Zhang Yue said, "Business relies on harmony to generate wealth. You should remember the saying: 'Greed loses more than it gains'."

"Yes, yes, of course."

In ancient times, credit at inns and taverns was common. Some travelers found it inconvenient to carry cash or disliked the hassle of making change, so they typically settled their accounts at the end of the month or year. To demand payment before the due date was a great loss of face—like a restaurant demanding payment before the food is even served.

Zhang Yue said immediately, "Si-lang, let us go."

Once back in their room, Huang Haoyi looked embarrassed. "San-lang, I will go see my brother and sister-in-law tomorrow and pay you back every cent I owe you."

"That is easily said," Zhang Yue replied.

Although Huang Haoyi was not generous, he cared about his reputation; he would not be able to bear the shame of defaulting on a debt.

"Si-lang, we have been at this inn for several days. Where did all your money go?"

Huang Haoyi hesitated for a long time, struggling to speak. "San-lang, I have fallen in love with a young woman."

"What kind of woman? Surely not a courtesan?"

Huang Haoyi sighed, "Indeed. I have decided that I cannot live without her."

Huang Haoyi then recounted the story of how they met.

Zhang Yue said, "Si-lang, earlier, Brother Chizheng told us about that wealthy merchant who used a prostitute to impersonate his wife..."

Huang Haoyi interrupted anxiously, "Yulian is not like that! She has never spent a single copper of mine. It is just... I had to save her life. Her father is a hopeless gambler; he was detained by a gambling den two days ago. They demanded ten strings of cash, or they would take her father's leg. Yulian said that if I could pay off this debt, she would serve me like a beast of burden for the rest of her life."

"Ten strings of cash?" Zhang Yue asked. "That is no small sum! You told me on the journey here that you only had two or three strings left. How did you suddenly come up with ten?"

Huang Haoyi smiled sheepishly.

"I had some savings tucked away, which allowed me to scrape together the ten strings, and I have already rescued her father. She said she would come to the inn tonight to stay with me."

"What?" Zhang Yue was stunned.

"San-lang, would you allow Yulian and me to stay here for a night? Or two?"

*Oh, how generous of you to be such a good friend!* Zhang Yue cursed inwardly, but after a moment, he said, "Even if Yulian’s feelings for you are sincere, have you thought about how to settle her in the future? If you do not want her to continue singing for money, you will have to support her."

"Given her background, she certainly cannot be your principal wife. But if you take her as a concubine before you are even married, setting aside whether your family would approve, the rumors alone would greatly damage your reputation."

"Take her as a concubine? I hadn't even thought about that!"

Zhang Yue was shocked. "If not a concubine, do you intend to keep her as a mistress? That would be even more improper."

"Furthermore, since her father is a degenerate gambler, if he knows his daughter is with you, he will surely cling to you for money. Do you have enough to fill that bottomless pit?"

"This... I haven't thought that far ahead," Huang Haoyi admitted. "But Yulian is so gentle and kind; I am sure that whatever I say, she will follow."

Zhang Yue sighed, "Si-lang, I have said all I can. Do not blame me later for not warning you."

"San-lang, wait..."

Zhang Yue turned back to see Huang Haoyi looking sheepish. "San-lang, could you lend me a few hundred coins more? I don't have a single copper left on me."

Zhang Yue cursed his own bad luck. *This man is a bottomless pit.*

Seeing the pathetic look on Huang Haoyi's face, and realizing he was truly stuck with him, Zhang Yue finally pulled a string of cash from his pocket and shoved it into Huang Haoyi's hands.

"San-lang, you are truly righteous! It was well worth our acquaintance," Huang Haoyi said with gratitude.

*I, however, truly regret ever meeting you,* Zhang Yue thought.

That night, the courtesan named Yulian arrived with her luggage to stay with Huang Haoyi. Zhang Yue was forced to squeeze onto a bed in another room with Tang Jiu and Huang Haoyi's page boy.

This scene reminded Zhang Yue of his college days, when a roommate would pay for everyone else to go to an internet cafe all night just so he could bring his girlfriend to the dorm. But here, Zhang Yue hadn't received a single benefit; he had even paid out of his own pocket to facilitate Huang Haoyi. There truly was no one like him.

The partitions of the inn were quite thin. No sooner had Zhang Yue lain down than he heard a commotion from the next room.

Lying against the wall, the sounds came through clearly. Tang Jiu, who had been drinking, was already snoring, and the young page boy was fast asleep. Zhang Yue was the only one who heard it all too clearly.

He had no desire to eavesdrop, but the thin walls forced the situation upon him. Just as he was about to get up, the commotion suddenly stopped. What on earth was going on?

Zhang Yue was utterly confused. It hadn't even been long enough for someone to run a hundred-meter dash.

The next morning, Zhang Yue rose early to submit his letter of introduction to Ouyang Xiu’s residence. After the Imperial Academy examination, he had plenty of free time. He had found out that Ouyang Xiu lived in Sweet Water Lane, in the eastern part of the city.

The story of Ouyang Xiu's housing was a legend in its own right. One must understand that housing prices in Kaifeng were such that every inch of land was worth its weight in gold. As the books said, "Within the inner city, under the twin watchtowers, a foot of land costs as much as gold; unless one is of the nobility or a powerful family, there is no space to be found."

When Ouyang Xiu first became an official in the capital, he could only afford public housing. At the time, he lived in Liren Lane, which would flood whenever there was a heavy rain. Ouyang Xiu once complained about his living conditions to his good friend Mei Yaochen:

*I rent a house in a humble lane, low and cramped amid the common folk. The neighbors' drains overflow into the gutters, and the street floods into my courtyard. I worry about the vast expanse when I step out, and fear the house will become a pond when I close the door. The walls are open to the four winds; fortunately, I have no treasures to store.*

Ouyang Xiu lived in such a dilapidated house for seventeen years. It wasn't until he was demoted to Chuzhou, just before writing the *Record of the Old Drunkard's Pavilion*, that he finally left that public housing in Liren Lane.

Now, having returned to the capital as a Hanlin academician and the chief examiner for the second year of the Jiayou reign, he had finally moved into a large mansion. However, he had not bought it; he was still renting. He had simply traded public housing for a private residence.

One must give credit to the Great Song’s public housing system. Managed by the Office of Shops and Residences, the rent from these units went to the state, and the imperial court often charged only two or three hundred coins a month. During times of severe snow disasters, the benevolent Emperor Renzong would often waive the rent for the people of Bianjing for several days.

Now a distinguished Hanlin academician, Ouyang Xiu had rented a large mansion in Sweet Water Lane. Since it was a private residence, it was far better than the public housing managed by the Office of Shops and Residences.

When Zhang Yue arrived, he saw the house was as busy as a marketplace. Many scholars were lined up, waiting to submit their literary scrolls. They all carried large bundles of essays, undoubtedly hoping for Ouyang Xiu’s appraisal. Thinking of the example of the "Three Sus," one could understand why so many scholars came to seek his favor, especially since he was the chief examiner that year.

*I am not here to submit scrolls,* Zhang Yue thought, *why should I get mixed up with these people?* But as he took a few steps forward, the scholars ahead and the guards at the door shouted at him not to cut the line and to wait his turn.

Zhang Yue, not wanting to waste his breath, thought, *Very well, I will wait.*

After nearly half an hour, he finally reached the gate. The gatekeeper looked at him and asked, "Where are your scrolls?"

"I am not here to submit scrolls," Zhang Yue replied. "I have come from Min Province, and I have a letter to present to Academician Ouyang."

"If you are just delivering a letter, why are you mixing with them?" the gatekeeper asked.

*I wanted to say the same thing,* Zhang Yue thought, *but did you give me the chance?* He smiled and said, "I am new here and do not know the rules."

"Wait in the gatehouse," the guard said. "If there is no word soon, you may leave."

Zhang Yue nodded. "That is fine."

He sat in the gatehouse, watching the scholars file in one by one. He couldn't help but feel impressed—with so many scrolls, how could Ouyang Xiu possibly read them all? Besides, as a busy Hanlin academician, he surely had little time left to mentor the younger generation as he once did.

Just as Zhang Yue was thinking of heading back, a man who looked like an estate steward came out and bowed. "Are you Master Zhang San from Pucheng?"

Zhang Yue stood up. "I am."

The steward smiled, "Master San, please follow me."

"Thank you."

Zhang Yue followed the steward into the mansion, walking down a long corridor. The house was truly large; it must cost a fortune in rent each month. He passed through a decorative moon gate into a courtyard and was led to a side hall.

A young man of twenty-six or twenty-seven was waiting there. Upon seeing Zhang Yue, he stood up and smiled, "Are you Master Zhang San? A pleasure, a pleasure. I am Ouyang Fa."

Zhang Yue immediately realized this was Ouyang Xiu’s eldest son. Ouyang Xiu’s wife was the fourth daughter of the renowned official Xue Kui, a marriage between the daughter of a prominent family and a scholar from a "humble" background. Ouyang Fa, the eldest son, had married the eldest daughter of Wu Chong, the sister of Master Wu Anshi.

Ouyang Xiu and Wu Chong were very close. When Ouyang Xiu was in charge of official appointments, he had been accused of favoritism for showing leniency to the son of Hu Su. Because of this, he was to be demoted and sent out of the capital. Wu Chong, his relative by marriage, had submitted a memorial stating that Ouyang Xiu was a man of integrity, and if he were to be demoted, Wu would gladly be demoted with him.

Ouyang Fa looked at Zhang Yue and smiled, "My father is currently busy with official duties and cannot step away for the moment. Please, Master San, sit and have some tea."