Chapter 41: The House in Hanlin Alley

After the grand parade celebrating the new imperial graduates, the officials of the Ministry of Rites led Zhao Han and the others to the Qionglin Garden near the Jinming Pool to attend the celebratory banquet.

This was a banquet specially bestowed by the imperial court for the newly minted imperial scholars.

It was also a prime opportunity for the ministers of the Six Ministries and the heavyweights of the Grand Secretariat to recruit promising talent and select desirable sons-in-law.

On the second day after the banquet, at the break of dawn, the scholars would gather to enter the palace to express their gratitude and pay homage to the Emperor.

As for official appointments, the Ministry of Personnel still needed to select candidates based on their palace examination rankings, vacant official posts, and family backgrounds.

Naturally, the top three scholars of the first tier typically secured prestigious and leisurely posts within a month. By convention, the Top Scholar (Zhuangyuan) was appointed as a Compiler of the Sixth Rank in the Hanlin Academy, while the Second and Third Placemen were appointed as Examining Editors of the Seventh Rank in the Hanlin Academy.

The second-tier scholars were mostly settled within three months, entering either the imperial academies or taking up provincial posts.

As for the third-tier scholars, the luckier ones secured posts within a few months, while the less fortunate might have to endure a bitter wait of a year or even longer for a vacancy.

Early this morning, Zhao Han brought Changqing to the Office of Imperial Dwellings and Estates, located in the Eastern Ward.

If one wanted to purchase property in Bianjing, employing a real estate broker was the safest route.

However, for those seeking good value or a rare bargain, the Office of Imperial Dwellings and Estates was the absolute best destination.

The Office of Imperial Dwellings and Estates was a government body established to manage the leasing, renovation, and sale of state-owned properties.

When the estates of officials who had fallen foul of the law were confiscated, they were frequently transferred to this office for appraisal and sale.

If one were fortunate enough to stumble upon a newly listed, prime estate that had not yet been subject to a bidding frenzy, prices three to four times lower than the open market were quite common.

The moment he stepped across the threshold, a senior clerk with slightly grey hair and beard greeted him with a beaming smile.

Another junior clerk responsible for odd jobs displayed sharp wit and hurried forward to pour tea and water.

"Judging by the gentleman's appearance and extraordinary bearing, could you perhaps be one of the newly minted imperial scholars of this year's cohort?" The senior clerk narrowed his eyes as he covertly appraised Zhao Han.

Zhao Han nodded, paused for a moment in contemplation, and replied warmly, "Indeed. I wonder if there are any suitable residences you might recommend here?"

"You have certainly come to the right person, sir!" The senior clerk slapped his thigh, his voice rising a notch.

"The number of newly minted scholars I have received lately is too many to count on both hands."

"Just yesterday, a second-tier scholar signed a contract for a three-court courtyard right in Tianshui Lane."

With that, the senior clerk stood up, retrieved a stack of property listings, and introduced: "If convenience is what you value most—for attending court or serving in the Hanlin Academy in the future—the properties in Hanlin Lane are undoubtedly the most practical."

"Step out of the alley, take a turn, and in less time than it takes to burn a stick of incense, you will be outside the imperial city."

Hearing the words "Hanlin Lane," Zhao Han could not help drawing a sharp breath.

Bianjing was divided into the inner and outer cities. Every inch of land in the inner city was worth its weight in gold, and prices soared higher the closer one got to the imperial city.

Purchasing property there not only required rigorous verification of one's identity at every level but also necessitated two serving court officials to act as guarantors.

For instance, those living in Hanlin Lane were either veteran scholars of the Hanlin Academy or senior officials of the Six Ministries.

Even merchants with boundless wealth could not buy a dwelling there.

"Young master, the silver we have on hand, including the funds sent by Mama Hu, amounts to a little over thirty thousand taels in total."

"I fear we wouldn't even be able to buy a decent three-court courtyard in Hanlin Lane with that." Changqing furrowed his brows deeply, bowing and whispering into Zhao Han's ear.

Zhao Han's gaze darkened slightly. Only today did he truly understand the saying: "It is hard to dwell in the capital!"

No matter that back in the day, the Old Master of the Sheng family had emptied his entire family fortune to purchase an estate in Jingying Lane when marrying the only daughter of the Marquis of Yongyi—how wise that decision truly was!

That single move not only earned the Sheng family immense prestige but also laid a solid foundation for future generations to establish themselves firmly in the capital.

Noticing Zhao Han's dilemma, the senior clerk rolled his eyes and said, "As the saying goes, coming early is not as good as coming at the right moment. I happen to have some fresh news here—"

He glanced around left and right, and upon confirming that no one was paying attention, he leaned in a fraction closer. "A five-court courtyard was just acquired the day before yesterday. It's located at the western end of Hanlin Lane, originally belonging to an official from the previous dynasty who was investigated and confiscated for corruption."

"Later, it was bestowed upon Eunuch Zhang by the Emperor, but for some reason, it was suddenly put up for sale recently, and the price is quite negotiable."

"I went to inspect this courtyard myself: pavilions and terraces, rockeries and flowing water, it has everything one could desire, and the main hall even utilizes top-grade nanmu wood."

Upon hearing this, a sharp glint flashed across Zhao Han's eyes.

Residences belonging to disgraced officials often carried a sense of bad luck, causing some feng shui-conscious officials in the court to steer clear of them.

Yet currently, this presented a rare opportunity for him.

However, the senior clerk suddenly wore a troubled expression and sighed softly, "Although this courtyard is wonderful, it requires immediate settlement in silver, and moreover..."

He raised three fingers, slowly leaned closer, and waved them before Zhao Han's eyes.

"Thirty thousand taels?! Young master, let's leave quickly. He's clearly treating us like gullible fools!"

With that, Changqing grabbed the sleeve of Zhao Han's robe and stepped forward, ready to storm out.

"What thirty thousand taels? It's three thousand taels..." The senior clerk hastily reached out to block him.

Changqing furrowed his brows in doubt and questioned, "A five-court courtyard in Hanlin Lane, even if it belonged to a disgraced official, should cost at least fifty or sixty thousand taels. With a price this low, I'm afraid there must be something unclean about it."

"Young master, let's leave quickly!"

The senior clerk instantly puffed out his cheeks and glared in indignation.

"Nonsense! I have served in the Office of Imperial Dwellings and Estates for over thirty years, and I never sell haunted houses!"

With that, he immediately fetched a document bearing the official seal of the Kaifeng Prefecture. "This property has been inspected by the Three Departments; it is completely untainted!"

Zhao Han's gaze lingered on the document for a moment before he hastened to say, "Senior, please calm your anger. My page-boy spoke out of anxious concern."

Upon hearing these words, the senior clerk instantly resumed his initial obsequious and warm demeanor.

"To be frank with you, Eunuch Zhang considered this courtyard unlucky and had long intended to wash his hands of it."

"Selling it at a low price now is partly to court good fortune, and partly to forge a bond of goodwill with this year's imperial scholars."

Zhao Han's gaze flickered as understanding dawned upon him. After a brief moment of reflection, he retrieved a stack of silver notes from his sleeve. "This is five thousand taels as a deposit. The remainder will certainly be delivered within three days."

The senior clerk accepted the silver notes with a radiant smile. "Very well! Very well!"

Three days later, under the stewardship and guarantee of Sheng Hong and another colleague, the property contract was successfully executed and stamped with the official seal.

Standing in Hanlin Lane, Sheng Hong looked up at the "Zhang Residence" plaque that had not yet been taken down from the lintel, and remarked softly, "The location of this courtyard is superb; it is truly exceptional. For three thousand taels of silver, you have genuinely landed a massive bargain."

"It's just that it has stood vacant for quite some time, so you will need to send people to renovate and tidy it up properly."

"In a few days, I will have the mistress invite a Daoist priest from the Yuqing Temple to perform a ritual and thoroughly exorcise any lingering ill fortune."

For someone like Sheng Hong, who had immersed himself in officialdom for many years and knew how to navigate its waters smoothly, he understood perfectly well that Zhao Han securing this property was no mere coincidence; it was clearly a deliberate olive branch extended by Eunuch Zhang.

Yet such occurrences were far too commonplace in the official circles of Bianjing, where practically every official in court was desperately scheming to recruit talented youths.

If not for his own relatively modest official rank, he too would have wished to cultivate a few capable protégés of his own.