CHAPTER 200: CHAPTER 34: THE THREE TEACHINGS AND NINE SCHOOLS OF THOUGHT

"Is that Senior Brother Sun’s carriage behind us? What’s this?" He Shunian glanced over, seeing only two people sitting in the compartment, one of whom was a little boy he’d never seen before!

"They’re behind us. This is my nephew, named Gu Wanqian! I brought him along this time to let him gain some experience!" Gu Wanqian was only sent to the Gu Family yesterday, so He Shunian and the others had not seen him before.

"Wanqian! This is Brother He! You should call him Uncle He!" He Shunian was Gu Chengyu’s classmate, and according to seniority, Gu Wanqian should indeed call him uncle!

"Uncle He!" Gu Wanqian was very well-behaved; since this was his uncle’s classmate, he naturally addressed him respectfully!

He Shunian found it a bit strange, as he had never seen this nephew before. Gu Chengyu had never brought him out. However, he had heard that when younger members of some clans went out for exams, if the juniors had a promising future, the clan would arrange an elder to accompany and take care of their living needs. But only clans that were once wealthy but now fallen would do this! Of course, publicly, they would claim he was a follower!

Gu Chengyu already had two followers; why would he take in a clan nephew? Truly puzzling!

Though curious, he knew it was ultimately someone else’s family matter, so he refrained from commenting.

"Ahem! Hanging out with you, does my seniority have to increase whether I want it or not? He calls me uncle, so how should Gu Wanhua be addressed?" He Shunian was only fifteen this year and had never been called uncle before!

"Hua is your classmate; let’s each speak for ourselves!"

Entering the city required paying with copper coins. Ming Mo handed over ten copper coins before being allowed through; a carriage cost five copper coins.

He Shunian pointed out the location of the inn to Ming Mo, and the carriage meandered into the street.

The Prefecture was much more prosperous than the county. Gu Chengyu observed that many people wore silk and satin, and the shops on both sides were bustling. He had an idea: why not open a couple of shops in the Prefecture? Although he had no foundation now, starting small was an option. Once he earned a title and made connections with some nobles, he could open larger shops.

The First-class House in the county had already opened, and its income was quite good. With the care of Mr. Wang, there was no need to worry! However, as for the Prefecture, Gu Chengyu felt somewhat helpless; this was the downside of lacking power. To open a shop and earn silver without the protection of influential figures was nearly impossible.

"When we arrived, the inns near the examination venue were all full, so we had to find one a bit farther away. Fortunately, the rooms in the inn were quite clean!" In fact, there was an Eight Directions Inn closest to the exam venue, and its interior looked luxurious, but it was too expensive. Not to mention Ye Zhiqiu, even he couldn’t afford it!

Since everyone planned to stay together, they didn’t consider that inn. However, if the Gu Family could afford it, he wasn’t sure if they’d still have rooms. He knew the Gu Family had money; otherwise, he and Ye Zhiqiu would have hesitated a lot before staying there. If it weren’t for the lack of other options, he wouldn’t want to stay there! Luckily, the shopkeeper was quite nice!

"It’s just up ahead, we’re almost there! Ah, don’t go past it, it’s this one!"

As soon as Gu Chengyu stepped down from the carriage, he noticed the inn’s name "Liuhe Inn." The inn’s storefront was small, no wonder Ming Mo almost missed it earlier!

"Let’s go in and take a look! Don’t be deceived by the inn’s small size; it’s actually quite clean inside, and the shopkeeper is very friendly!"

"Manager Niu! Quickly, someone come out to take the carriage!" He Shunian stepped into the inn first, speaking with such familiarity as if he had already gotten well-acquainted with the shopkeeper in just a short while.

"Coming! Oh, it’s Mr. He! Have you picked up your classmate? I’ll call a staff member to take the carriage!" A tall, thin shopkeeper raised his head from the ledger and bowed slightly toward He Shunian.

"Er Ma Zi! Quickly help the guests outside move the carriage to the back yard!" Manager Niu called out to the busy staff members.

"Coming right away!" The inn wasn’t big, and soon a staff member came out to lead the carriage.

Gu Chengyu waited outside until the staff came out, instructed Ming Mo to follow the staff to the back to unload the carriage. After all, the horses were tired from the journey!

Stepping into the inn, he glanced around, noticing six tables set in the first floor, with people already having dinner. Some burly men were sitting with one foot on a stool, simultaneously chatting with others at the table and drinking large bowls of wine.

Gu Chengyu observed and noticed most of them seemed to be itinerant traders. Some were talking about their travels in the south and north, while others boasted about how many women they had slept with, their vulgar words making them uncomfortable to hear.

There were also those working in the Prefecture, wearing coarse clothes, gathered around a table with one or two vegetarian dishes and eating with the steamed buns in their hands, thoroughly enjoying themselves.

The first floor was quite noisy, so Gu Chengyu turned his head away, knowing it wasn’t his place to mind who stayed at the inn. But with such noise, can He Shunian and the others even concentrate on reading?

"Little Uncle! This inn seems a bit small!" Gu Wanhua and Sun Xian also noticed the dining crowd upon entering the inn, causing Gu Wanhua to frown. As a scholar, seeing all sorts of people gathered like this made him somewhat uncomfortable! Sun Xian, however, didn’t mind; he himself had worked with peasant men when he had no money before.

"We couldn’t find another inn, so let’s just make do!" Gu Chengyu said without turning his head.

After Gu Chengyu and his party entered, the diners finally took notice. Seeing a scholarly-looking group led by a young boy clad in a round-collared satin robe, whose demeanour was aloof and indifferent to their chatter.

A big man standing and drinking saw Gu Chengyu’s refined attire and assumed he was a young noble from some family. He wasn’t fond of these high and mighty young nobles. Recently, a group of scholars had come to the Prefecture for exams, and he reckoned this young boy must also be here to take the exam.

"Oh! A scholar is here?" The big man set down his large bowl, ready to mock a bit. He had a straightforward nature; when he disliked something, he felt compelled to take a jab.

The people at his table quickly pulled him back; they dared not provoke anyone of status. Despite the appearance of the young boy, if angered, the people under his command wouldn’t let them off easy. The whole table felt a bit anxious; Liu Erdao’s straightforwardness was bound to cause trouble if left unchecked.

Unaware of their odd assumptions, Gu Chengyu approached Manager Niu.

"Young sirs! Reserved rooms have been left for you. You’ve had a long journey, so please, rest in the rooms!" Upon seeing this elegantly dressed young master enter, Manager Niu’s heart was slightly perturbed, unsure if these scholars would find satisfaction staying here.

This inn usually catered to itinerant merchants who typically stayed in the basic and middle-level rooms, while those working in the Prefecture occupied the dormitories. Given that those staying here were diverse and the rooms were small, rarely did people of status check-in; they usually bypassed this inn.

Only during exam periods did some scholars stay here, but they often complained of the noise preventing them from reading. As soon as vacancy appeared in other inns, they would usually check-out.

Ah! It’s an unavoidable situation; this place mostly housed rough people, making it difficult for scholars to live alongside them.