"Young Master! We have arrived at the Yin Mansion!" Ming Mo and Ming Yan jumped off the carriage and spoke to Gu Chengyu inside.
Gu Chengyu lifted the carriage curtain and looked outside. The Yin Mansion was a two-courtyard residence located in the northern part of the Capital. Although it was just two courtyards, it wasn’t small in scale. The northern streets housed many high officials and noble families. Senior brother Yin Kun held a Standard Third Rank; his official position was neither high nor low. The Yin Family valued farming and education passed down through generations, and their ancestors weren’t wealthy aside from a hundred acres of land without additional inco.
However, Yin Kun, despite living off his salary, married the second legitimate daughter of the Anhe Marquis Mansion, from the Liang Family. His teacher, Liang Zhirui, was a branch of the Anhe Marquis Mansion; the two families were within five degrees of kinship, making the Liang lady his niece.
Do not assu that just because Yin Kun married into the Liang Family, he wouldn’t worry about Silver Coin. Actually, the grand Anhe Marquis Mansion leads quite a strained life.
The Anhe Marquis Mansion is one of the most notable declined households in the Capital. Initially, their title was hereditary, and the younger generation, relying on ancestral protection, beca ignorant and useless. Nowadays, the Marquis Mansion holds rely an empty title without influence in the court, it’s just a nominal status!
This was what Ming Mo found out; everyone in the Capital knew about it, and it wasn’t a secret. Gu Chengyu had asked Ming Mo to gather information on the senior and third senior brothers. The situation in the senior brother’s family was roughly like this.
The third senior brother, He Jisheng used to be a poor student. Who knows how he caught the teacher’s eye and climbed to his current position step by step. Of course, the teacher played a role in this, but undeniably, He himself was also capable.
After the teacher beca retired, He still managed to get promoted one more rank, which made him not to be underestimated. Ming Mo found that He Jisheng was a very smooth person, maintaining good relations with colleagues and superiors in the court. On the other hand, the senior brother gave people the impression of being upright and cheerful. However, there were quite a few colleagues he had grudges with, probably due to his official position.
Gu Chengyu hesitated, logically, the senior brother with a higher official ranking should be his first choice. However, he felt that the third senior brother’s smoothness and wide connections would benefit the tavern.
But he currently had no foundation and couldn’t expect others to help him just because they were fellow students. Rumors shouldn’t be fully trusted; he thought it would be best to visit them in person first.
Since he planned to visit both houses, the second senior brother’s family couldn’t be left out. Although he wasn’t in the Capital, the wonfolk were; his wife stayed in the Capital to look after the elderly lady of the mansion.
Gu Chengyu got off the carriage, signaling Ming Mo to go knock on the door.
"Please inform them that student Gu Chengyu has co to pay a visit!"
The porter had just gotten up when the master returned from court, and it was a free ti, making him drowsy. Suddenly, he heard a knock on the door and saw a young scholar with a servant coming to knock. The porter frowned; he had seen many such students. So didn’t even know the master and still tried to form fake connections.
Without even looking at the card in Ming Mo’s hand, he intended to push them away. However, when he suddenly heard the na Gu Chengyu, he was abruptly awakened.
A few days ago, soone sent a calling card, and the steward had said that if a student nad Gu Chengyu ca, they should report to the outer courtyard study.
He quickly took the card from Ming Mo’s hand. Seeing it was indeed Gu Chengyu, he was startled, and a smile imdiately spread across his face, "Mr. Gu, please wait, I will go report!"
Saying that, he invited Gu Chengyu to rest at the side door. The main gates of official residences were usually only opened for distinguished guests or significant occasions; on ordinary days, people used the side door.
"Thank you, young brother!" Ming Mo took out a piece of Silver Coin from his sleeve and handed it to the porter.
The porter was accustod to receiving such rewards, so he accepted it without hesitation, skillfully tucking it away, having surely done this many tis before. With the tip, his attitude improved significantly.
Seeing this, Gu Chengyu suddenly thought of the phrase, "It’s easy to et King Yan, but the little devils are hard to deal with!"
It wasn’t long before the porter ca to invite Gu Chengyu in.
"Are you Mr. Gu? I am Steward Qin, the outer courtyard steward of the Yin Mansion. Please follow to the outer study; the master is already waiting in the study." Steward Qin was a middle-aged man in his forties, his face slightly downcast, not directly looking at Gu Chengyu.
"Thank you, Steward Qin!" Gu Chengyu nodded and followed Steward Qin to the outer study. As for Ming Mo and Ming Yan, there was a place for them to rest.
"Student Gu Chengyu greets Lord Yin!" This was Gu Chengyu’s first ti eting Yin Kun, and proper etiquette was necessary.
Yin Kun had a square face with a vertical wrinkle on his brow, probably caused by frequent frowning. He wore a gray Daoist robe and, upon seeing Gu Chengyu enter, a smile imdiately appeared on his face.
"Why so formal? We are fellow students; you should call senior brother! I heard you ca to the Capital a while ago, but since you were preparing for the Provincial Examination, I didn’t want to disturb you. Now that the exam is over, this is our first eting, you must stay for lunch at the mansion." Hearing Gu Chengyu’s address, Yin Kun’s face visibly showed displeasure and he began to extend a lunch invitation.
"Senior brother!" Seeing Yin Kun’s genuine deanor, Gu Chengyu naturally addressed him as senior brother.
"Have a seat! You haven’t visited your second and third senior brother’s places yet, have you? Although your second senior brother isn’t ho, you shouldn’t neglect it; his wife and the elderly lady are still in the mansion, you should visit them!"
Yin Kun, seeing Gu Chengyu still young, feared he might lack in social etiquette and therefore gave him a few pointers.
"I have already sent the calling cards and will visit tomorrow or the day after tomorrow!" Not restrained, Gu Chengyu sat opposite Yin Kun.
From the mont Gu Chengyu entered, Yin Kun had been observing him. He was curious when he heard the teacher had accepted a closed-door disciple because he had previously ntioned not wanting to take any more students.
Over recent years, the teacher beca more carefree, indicating Gu Chengyu had caught his eye. He was quite intrigued by this young junior who already had so fa, and today he finally t him in person.
"Do you feel prepared for the upcoming Autumn Examination?" The teacher ntioned in a letter that he valued Gu Chengyu, believing him to be a promising talent. When Gu Chengyu went to the Capital, the teacher wrote to both him and the second senior brother requesting they look after him.
"Nothing is absolute, I can only say I’ve done my best!" Of course, Gu Chengyu wouldn’t claim to be prepared; that would inevitably leave an impression of arrogance.
After having lunch at the Yin Mansion, Gu Chengyu returned. After all, Yin Kun was busy with official duties, and Gu Chengyu didn’t want to overstay his welco. Regarding the tavern matters, given this was his first visit, he couldn’t bring it up directly.
After conversing briefly with Yin Kun, he felt that he should be a straightforward person, showing so brotherly affection toward his junior.
As for other matters, they could wait until he visited the Wu Mansion and He Mansion in the next few days.
User Comments
0 comments from readers