Surely he weren't trying to fool her just because she was unfamiliar with the capital. The name 'Charity Courtyard' might have had a pleasant ring to it, but no matter how she listened, it didn't sound like an inn.
Perhaps Yun Shu's confusion was written all over her face, because before she even had to ask, Ye Qing'an offered an explanation of his own accord.
"Your Highness is correct. The Charity Courtyard is not, in fact, an inn.
It is a place established by the court to care for abandoned orphans within the capital. However, the funds allocated by the Ministry of Revenue are far from sufficient to sustain the number of mouths it feeds.
Back in the reign of the late emperor, a court official suggested that during the spring examination season, the Charity Courtyard could set aside a few rooms to rent at low cost to impoverished scholars traveling to the capital. This way, the courtyard could supplement its income while also easing the burden on scholars who could not afford proper lodging."
"I see."
Whoever proposed such an idea had a flexible mind, a rare quality among officials. Certainly more practical than the lot Yun Shu had encountered lately, who seemed to spend their days parroting lines like "what sort of conduct is this," "a disgrace to propriety," and other empty words while clinging tightly to outdated rules.
As the two conversed, a weathered wooden plaque bearing the three characters for 'Charity Courtyard' finally appeared ahead of them.
Ye Qing'an was the first to dismount. He stepped forward and knocked on the gate himself.
"Who's there?"
A woman's voice came from within. Moments later, after the sound of approaching footsteps, the door creaked open.
A woman in her thirties or forties poked her head out. At the sight of their group, clearly no ordinary visitors, her voice faltered with nervousness.
"You... you are...?"
"No need for alarm. We are sent by the court," Ye Qing'an said gently, offering no further detail about his or Yun Shu's identities. "We heard that several impoverished scholars are residing here while preparing for the examinations. We would like to observe them quietly to learn about their conduct, if that would be permissible."
The woman blinked in confusion. The court sending someone to observe scholars? That was a first.
And a young lady at that?
Her expression shifted to skepticism, but then something seemed to click. She quickly opened the gate wider.
"Of course. That's no trouble at all."
"Much appreciated."
Ye Qing'an inclined his head, then turned back toward Yun Shu and gestured.
"Please, Fifth Young Miss."
—
Perhaps because the land here was inexpensive, the Charity Courtyard occupied quite a large space despite the meager funding it received each year. As they stepped into the front courtyard, Yun Shu spotted a few skinny children awkwardly scrubbing cloth diapers for even smaller ones.
In the corner, a young girl stood stubbornly wiping her tears.
Yun Shu paused. She couldn't help but ask, "What's the matter with her?"
"You mean San Ya?"
Their guide followed Yun Shu's gaze and offered a slightly uneasy explanation.
"That child has a younger sister. A few days ago, the little one fell ill. She's gotten a bit better recently, but she's been going on and on about some pastry she heard about somewhere.
As Your Highness can see, it's already a struggle for us just to fill the children's bellies. Buying pastries? That's out of the question.
But San Ya insisted she wanted to earn money so she could buy some for her sister. She's only seven years old. Of course we refused. And that's why she..."
"She wants to earn money?"
Yun Shu glanced at the girl thoughtfully, then turned to one of the guards trailing behind her. She gave a slight tilt of her chin.
The man caught the signal and immediately trotted off to buy pastries.
Yun Shu and her companions continued toward the back courtyard.
"That way," the woman said in a lowered voice, pointing to a pair of wooden doors at the end of the corridor.
"That section houses several dozen scholars who arrived early for the imperial examinations. Their homes are quite far from the capital, so they left ahead of time to avoid delays on the road.
Since there are many children here, and some of the younger ones tend to cry or make a fuss, we didn't want to disturb the scholars' studies. So we arranged for them to stay in the farthest corner of the courtyard. We rarely bother them, except to bring meals."
"Thank you."
Yun Shu nodded politely. Once the woman had left, she and Ye Qing'an stepped up to the slightly ajar wooden doors.
Inside the courtyard, several men in patched robes were seated or standing, each holding a book.
At the center table, a few scholars were chatting animatedly.
"Have you heard? This year's spring examination is being overseen by a princess."
"A princess?"
One of them frowned immediately.
"What is the court thinking? Entrusting such an important matter to a mere princess?"
"What do you mean 'mere'?"
Another jumped in to refute him.
"His Majesty has only one princess — Princess Sheng An. The one behind the invention of feather pens and printing blocks. All those tools that helped us impoverished scholars came from her hands.
If there's anyone in court who truly remembers people like us, it is Princess Sheng An."
"She's really that capable?"
The skeptical scholar hesitated. "Is that true? Where did you hear all this?"
"I arrived earlier than most of you. And I've been taking walks around the city every day."
Seeing several pairs of eyes fixed on him, the speaker stood up with obvious pride.
"Gentlemen, have any of you heard of the Capital Weekly?"
"What's that?"
"Have you?"
"I've only been here a couple of days."
"..."
They exchanged puzzled glances, then turned back with interest.
"Brother Zhou, this Capital Weekly — does it have something to do with the capital?"
"Precisely."
Brother Zhou turned toward the direction of the palace and gave a distant cupped-fist salute.
"The Capital Weekly was founded by Princess Sheng An and the Sixth Prince. A new issue comes out every seven days, featuring not only recent happenings within the city, but also updates on affairs within the court.
Naturally, commoners like us cannot afford to buy it. However, several teahouses in the capital have storytellers who read from it aloud.
Most people in the city know what's going on within three days of a new issue being released.
I learned about Princess Sheng An's deeds from the mouths of ordinary folk."