Volume Two: The Noble and the Ignoble Chapter Ninety-Three: Timely Aid in the Snow (Part One)

The next afternoon, a carriage arrived at Juxian Ward in the northern part of Beijing. It was driven by Qi Changfeng, and sitting inside was none other than Huang Ming.

Having enjoyed a delightful conversation and hearty drinks with Zhang Cong the day before, the two of them had ended up quite drunk by the end of the evening, ultimately requiring Huang An to escort them home.

Waking up sober today, Huang Ming decided to capitalize on the momentum and pay another visit to further their relationship.

As the saying goes, adding flowers to a brocade hardly compares to sending charcoal in the snow. By forging a friendship with Zhang Cong before he achieved prominence, there would surely be benefits to reap in the future.

Being intoxicated yesterday, Huang Ming hadn't noticed much, but now he realized that the environment here was truly subpar.

Although the northern part of the city was mostly populated by scholars preparing for the imperial examinations, that did not mean it was any better than the living quarters of ordinary citizens. At least most of the mansions within Juxian Ward looked ancient and rather dilapidated.

As the carriage turned into a certain alley, Huang Ming's brows furrowed a little deeper. The alley was so narrow that even the carriage could not enter, and the rows of low-lying compounds inside presented a scene of utter decay.

"I never expected this. Zhang Cong's situation is even worse than I imagined."

Actually, this was quite reasonable. Had it not been for this, coupled with his advanced age, Zhang Cong would not have made such a desperate gamble—knowing full well that submitting this memorial would surely provoke the hostility of the entire court, yet still choosing to take the risk.

With these thoughts in mind, Huang Ming stepped down from the carriage and, walking one behind the other with Qi Changfeng, headed straight into the depths of the alley. As they walked, he asked, "Is this the fifth courtyard on the right?"

"Yes, that's what Huang An said. The fifth courtyard after entering the alley."

As the two were walking, before they even reached the courtyard gates, they heard a slightly helpless voice coming from within: "I kindly ask for a bit more accommodation. In a couple of days, once my funds loosen up, I will naturally pay back the rent I owe you in full."

This voice belonged precisely to Zhang Cong, causing Huang Ming's eyebrows to twitch once more. Well, his situation looked even more wretched than expected—he couldn't even afford the rent here.

"Master Zhang, it's not that this humble person is trying to make things difficult for you, but you already owe three months' rent. It's hard on me, too. You must give me something today, otherwise I have no way to report back to my superiors..." another voice chimed in, sounding equally troubled.

"I am truly strapped for cash..." Zhang Cong's voice was filled with entreaties; truly, a single coin could defeat a hero. "How about waiting until my friends and family back home send money, and I will deliver it to you personally? I am also an official of the imperial court; surely you aren't afraid I'll run away?"

"This..." The other party hesitated again, though his attitude did not seem to have changed much. "But I cannot make the decision on my own."

Just at that moment, the courtyard gate rattled, and Huang Ming's voice drifted in: "Is brother Luofeng at home?"

This left Zhang Cong slightly startled, the expression on his face becoming even more awkward: "Mozhi, why have you come?"

Huang Ming immediately walked in with a smile: "You were heavily drunk yesterday, and I was somewhat worried, so I came to check on you today. Who is this?" He glanced at the man who had come to collect the rent. "May I ask how much silver brother Luofeng owes you?"

"Not much, five taels of silver a month. Excluding the interest, it comes to fifteen taels." Seeing someone arrive who was willing to help pay the debt, the man was overjoyed and hurriedly replied.

The courtyard was not large, consisting of only three rooms, and it looked quite dilapidated, with even the roof leaking.

Yet, despite this, the monthly rent was still five taels of silver.

As the saying goes, living in the capital is no easy task—this was precisely what it meant. Without a fortune of thousands or tens of thousands of taels, one could never hope to settle down securely in the capital.

Without wasting words, Huang Ming immediately took out two ingots of silver and handed them to the man: "Here are twenty taels."

"Splendid! Then many thanks to this young master, and many thanks to Master Zhang." Seeing the silver in hand, the man beamed with joy, bowed to both of them, and quickly departed.

Seeing this, Zhang Cong wanted to stop and refuse, but feeling too weak and embarrassed, he could only let out a sigh and remain silent.

It was not until the man had left that he stepped forward and solemnly bowed deeply to Huang Ming: "Mozhi, you have helped me out of a massive dilemma once again."

"Oh, what kind of help is this? True friends ought to share their wealth; such a trivial matter is not worth mentioning."

Huang Ming waved his hand with a smile, then turned serious: "As for you, brother Luofeng, you haven't been acting much like a friend. Since you were facing difficulties, why didn't you make it clear to me yesterday? Did you not consider me a true friend?"

"How could I dare? I was just hard-pressed for the moment; everything will naturally be fine after a few days," Zhang Cong defended himself somewhat palely, and then slapped his own forehead. "Oh, look at me! Come, come inside and take a seat first. Zhang Hua, serve tea to the two distinguished guests, and bring out my best tea."

Zhang Hua, the sole servant, hurriedly acknowledged the order and went to make preparations. He could tell that these two guests were genuinely trying to help his master.

Before long, the tea was served, and the three of them took their respective seats as host and guests. Huang Ming could not help but inquire again: "Brother Luofeng, have you truly been encountering hardships lately?"

Zhang Cong let out a sigh, no longer hiding the truth at this point: "To be honest with you, it is also due to my own incompetence. Years of pursuing the imperial examinations cost my family several thousand taels of silver, and yet to this day, I have accomplished nothing. Worse still, my food and clothing still rely on the family's support...

"When my parents were alive, naturally this was not a problem. Even after they passed away, my two older brothers gave me their full support... But last year, even those two older brothers of mine passed away, and as a result, my two sisters-in-law instigated my nephews to divide the family estate with me, causing a terribly unseemly mess."

Zhang Cong's family background was indeed well-to-do, but no matter how prosperous it was, it could not withstand decades of failing the imperial examinations, until he finally passed the metropolitan examination in his forties.

Moreover, even now, he was merely an official observing political affairs at the Ministry of Rites. His official salary was far from enough to subsidize his clan; merely trying to support himself in the capital was extremely difficult.

Huang Ming could not help feeling somewhat surprised: "Wasn't it said that once someone passes the provincial examination, local relatives and friends come to offer property and patronage, so that one never has to worry about livelihood again?"

"That is in places where the imperial examinations are not so fiercely contested. But in Zhejiang, or more specifically Yongjia County in Wenzhou where I am from, jinshi like me are not rare at all, let alone juren. Decades ago, those meager plots of farmland had already been carved up by our predecessors."

Huang Ming was astonished once again. Good grief, it turned out that Zhejiang had already experienced the rat race of examinations centuries ago, rendering the title of jinshi rather worthless there.

For the moment, he could only offer a few words of comfort to Zhang Cong, telling him that if he truly faced difficulties, he could always turn to him. This prompted another round of heartfelt gratitude from Zhang Cong.

"By the way, you and I still had some matters left unsaid yesterday. How about we discuss them in detail today?" Huang Ming subsequently proposed.

"You mean urging me to continue submitting memorials, refuting those people who claim that His Majesty should adopt an heir?" Zhang Cong's spirits instantly perked up; it seemed that matters of ritual were the only things that could restore his confidence.

"Yes. I have always believed that your single memorial alone is not enough to turn the tide. Only by continuing to submit memorials, explaining everything to the people of the world, can we get more people to stand on our side and the Emperor's side."

A look of hesitation crossed Zhang Cong's face, as if he wanted to say something, when the courtyard gate rang again: "Is Zhang Bingyong at home?"

Hearing this, Zhang Cong frowned slightly. What a coincidence; over the past few days, there hadn't been a single visitor, yet today people were calling one after another.