Chapter 117: Where the Heart Finds Rest Is Home

Pingkang Ward, bordered to the east by the East Market, to the west by Qixia Gate Street, overlooking Chunming Street to the north, and connected to Xuanyang Ward to the south, had always been imagined by Du Shiyi—who had never set foot here in either his past or present life—as a place of hedonism, perfume, and powder, much like the conversation between the brothers Wang Wei and Wang Jin he had overheard that night.

However, as his carriage rolled through the west gate of Pingkang Ward, he immediately realized he was mistaken.

In this pleasant, bright season at the end of the third lunar month, there were few women on the streets, and the dashing young gallants riding horses and brandishing whips were rarely seen. As he traveled along, he instead observed rows of neatly arranged, nearly identical courtyards, each with a plaque hanging above the door—save for the first character or two, they were all uniform.

Noticing Du Shiyi’s thoughtful gaze, Liu Mo realized this was likely his first time in Pingkang Ward and offered a smiling explanation: "Among all the wards in the capital, Pingkang has the most provincial dispatch offices. There are many, including Tong, Hua, Hezhong, Heyang, Xiang, Xu, Wei, Xiazhou, and Rongzhou. These offices are all lined up north of the cross-street, making them quite conspicuous. During the annual imperial examinations, scholars from various prefectures often lodge here. The gathering of private courtesans in the three lanes east of the ward’s north gate is also due to the many prospective candidates for the provincial examinations arriving here year after year."

Indeed, as Liu Mo suggested, while Pingkang might have had its share of spendthrift dens, it was generally quite tranquil, housing several temples, Taoist shrines, and the residences of many officials. The mansion of Cui Taizhi, Vice Minister of the Court of Imperial Insignia, was situated northwest of the south gate, right next to the residence of Wang Zhiyin, Minister of Justice. Given that Cui Taizhi had once served as Minister of Works, it formed a layout of two ministers, north and south.

However, compared to the sprawling, deep-courtyard residence of the sixth branch of the Cui clan in Yongfeng Li in the Eastern Capital, Cui Taizhi’s mansion was far more modest. There were no halberds displayed before the gate, and because it did not border the ward wall, despite his third-rank status, he could not open a gate directly onto the street wall.

Once inside the simple, black-headed gate of the Cui residence, they crossed the first large courtyard. By the time they reached the second main gate, a steward had already come out to greet them. Having likely received instructions from the Eastern Capital, the middle-aged steward was exceptionally attentive. He personally settled Du Shiyi and his party into a two-courtyard residence in the southeast corner of the front compound, explaining with a smile that this had formerly been a small guest courtyard for the Cui family, noted for its quiet elegance. He also arranged for the stonemasons accompanying Du Shiyi to stay in the east and west corridor rooms in the front, while servants like Liu Mo were also duly accommodated.

By the time everything was settled, it was already dusk. When the attentive yet cautious steward, Cui Wu, returned to the room and carefully asked if they needed two maidservants, Du Shiyi shook his head. "No need. My younger sister already has a maid and a wet nurse. I am used to managing my own daily life from my time in the mountains, and if there are any other chores, Tian Mo is here."

"That is true," Cui Wu nodded with a smile. After a moment's thought, he tentatively probed, "Young Master Du, you must be exhausted from your travels. Do you plan to go out and relax tonight? I hear there have been back-to-back wine gatherings in the North Lane of Pingkang Ward, where famous scholars gather, and excellent poetry is often recited."

Du Shiyi suddenly recalled the conversation between Wang Wei and Wang Jin from the previous night and couldn't help but smile. But before he could answer, Du Shisanniang’s voice rang out from outside: "Relax? Those places of pleasure are full of hypocrisy and forced smiles. Even if there is good poetry, it’s nothing but flowery, sensual verse!"

Entering the room, Du Shisanniang shot a disgruntled glance at Cui Wu. Seeing him offer a hollow laugh and quickly slip away, she couldn't help but say indignantly, "Look at him acting all sneaky. If the master of the Cui house knew he was so tactless, he would surely be scolded for being meddlesome!" Turning to Du Shiyi, she raised an eyebrow. "Brother, you must not betray Wuniang!"

Du Shiyi was left speechless by his sister’s self-assured rambling. He stood up, gripped her shoulders, and pushed her toward the door. "You were the one who said the Cui family wanted to marry off Jiuniang to me, and now you’re telling me not to betray Wuniang... You precocious girl, stop trying to sell off your brother! Go back to your room and rest. Qiuniang has just left her home; though she doesn't show it, she must be heartbroken. Go keep her company; you don't need to worry about me!"

After finally coaxing the increasingly meddlesome Du Shisanniang out of the room, Du Shiyi wiped the sweat from his brow and collapsed onto the low bed in the western chamber. From the Eastern Capital to Chang'an, he had already encountered one bizarre event, and arriving in Chang'an only to return to Fanchuan was another matter that gave him no joy. His mind was filled with a jumble of thoughts that left him feeling dazed. Watching the dim ceiling in the fading light, a deep weariness washed over him.

He didn't know how much time had passed when Tian Mo peeked in to find the room silent. He tiptoed in, and seeing that Du Shiyi was asleep, he didn't dare wake him, quickly retreating to report to Du Shisanniang.

When Du Shiyi finally awoke, the room was shrouded in darkness, lit only by a tiny, bean-sized oil lamp. He sat up, dazed, rubbing his eyes and taking in his surroundings, only then remembering he was staying at the Cui residence. A moment later, a clear rumbling sound echoed—his stomach was protesting.

He had been too distracted during lunch with Du Siwen to eat properly, and having missed dinner, he was now truly famished.

Regretting having declined the maidservants, he shuffled his feet and grabbed the small lamp to look for food. He didn't like having strangers—especially those with ulterior motives—hovering around, but he couldn't possibly starve until dawn. Guided by the dim light, he reached the room used as a study and found a thick, leather-wrapped object on the central desk. Inside was a square wooden box containing a bowl of *qingjing* rice and two delicate, crispy rolls.

Though the *qingjing* rice was still slightly warm, it was hard to swallow without side dishes at midnight, so Du Shiyi ate the crispy rolls instead. However, they did little to satisfy his hunger and only made him more famished. Just as he headed for the door, he heard a soft knock. He opened it to find Qiuniang standing there, wrapped in a light cloak.

"Auntie?"

"Young Master, I sleep lightly and heard movement. Seeing the light on, I thought you might have missed dinner and were hungry."

Du Shiyi tried to brush it off, but his stomach betrayed him with a loud growl. He blushed and stammered, "I am... indeed quite hungry."

"Luckily, I asked earlier if there was a small kitchen nearby so I could prepare some snacks. That steward, Cui Wu, was thoughtful; he said the kitchen in the front courtyard would be left open and hot water would be kept ready." Qiuniang smiled slightly. "Young Master, please wait a moment. I will see what else is available."

Watching her cloak flutter as she left, Du Shiyi was stunned. He sat back down, his mind a whirlwind—thinking of Du Shisanniang, Lu Hong and his fellow disciples far away on Mount Song, and occasionally the face of Cui Jianxuan. The hunger pangs began to fade. But when the door opened again, accompanied by a savory aroma, he snapped back to attention.

"I couldn't find much, so I made a bowl of egg soup noodles. Please, make do with this, Young Master."

The egg soup noodles were simple: hand-torn dough cooked in broth, topped with an egg, a sprinkle of fresh green onions, and a few drops of sesame oil. Though humble, to Du Shiyi, who was hungry enough to eat a horse, it was the finest meal imaginable. After finishing the bowl, he felt his body warm up, the hollow ache in his stomach filled. He let out a long, satisfied sigh. Thinking of Qiuniang rising in the middle of the night just to make him a bowl of noodles, he offered his thanks, but she shook her head with a smile.

"When I had given up on life, it was Heaven that brought you and the young lady before me. What is a small task like this compared to that? Why should you thank me?" She looked at him with a wistful gaze before continuing, "Besides, that you do not despise me as a bearer of ill omen is, to me, like a second life! It is late, Young Master; finish your meal, rinse your mouth, and get some rest. There are things to be done tomorrow."

As Qiuniang served him and he lay back down, listening to her retreating footsteps, Du Shiyi understood why she had abandoned her old home to follow them. In both his past and present lives, his memory of his mother was hazy, but in this moment, Qiuniang radiated a sense of maternal warmth.

It was said that the quiet of the Cui residence was better for preparing for the examinations. But the examinations, like the annual imperial selection, consisted of three parts, and the second, which focused on miscellaneous literary compositions, was the most critical. The first part, the rote memorization of the classics, could be compensated for by poetry and prose—the so-called "redeeming the classics"—if one happened to fail. The third part, the policy essay, was often overlooked. Therefore, cramming at the last minute was a foolish method most scholars avoided. It was far more worthwhile to use that time to visit well-known officials in the capital or attend literary gatherings to build a reputation.

Since Du Shiyi had moved into the Cui house, the next day he summoned the steward, Cui Wu, and casually asked about recent events in Chang'an, particularly the treasure-bidding competitions at the East and West Markets. He questioned him in great detail. Upon learning that the person he was looking for often frequented them, he began to calculate with newfound purpose.

Just as Du Siwen had said, since the Du family could not offer enough support, he could not rely on the Cui family for everything. Now, this was his only choice.