Do you know that my grandfather was entitled to be enshrined in the Imperial Ancestral Temple?

Chapter 23 Aloofness

However, the government could not afford to provide ordinary residences, so no reward was given.

Ouyang Xiu rented a house in Nanyuan. It is said that many officials and censors in Bianjing also rented houses here.

Although the salaries of Song Dynasty officials were high, the censors generally held relatively low positions, and with the high cost of living in Bianjing (Kaifeng), they certainly couldn't afford to buy a house.

Moreover, the censors were all upright officials, whether genuinely or falsely so, and they certainly wouldn't have bought a house in Bianjing.

"From this perspective, Prefect Ouyang is indeed a man of high moral character."

After listening to his elder brother's story, Wang You smiled.

"Don't speak nonsense."

Wang Zhuo rebuked, "Prefect Ouyang is an honest and upright official, and dares to speak his mind. How can you slander him?"

While "qinggao" (清高) can praise someone's noble character and lack of greed for fame and fortune, it can also imply arrogance.

Wang You's tone and expression just now clearly indicated the latter.

That's just how it is.

Wang You said, "It's impossible that this South Garden was originally full of censors. The reason it's mostly inhabited by censors now is because other officials avoid it like the plague, isn't it?"

To put it nicely, censors were reporting based on hearsay; to put it bluntly, they could accuse people indiscriminately.

Imagine living next to a bunch of censors. You might argue with your wife today, and be impeached tomorrow.

That might be an exaggeration, but officials always need to maintain interpersonal relationships.

If those officials who criticize the government see this, they might accuse him of forming cliques for personal gain.

Wang You was not belittling civil officials, but rather felt that the problem of reporting matters based on hearsay was too serious.

The practice of reporting rumors to the emperor may seem to broaden channels for free speech and break through the blind spots of the bureaucratic system, but it also serves as a deterrent to officials.

However, officials can impeach at will, and even if they are wrong, they do not have to pay any price, which makes it easy for false accusations to occur.

Although the court would investigate impeachments by censors, at certain crucial junctures, any pretext for impeachment could bring endless trouble to the impeached official.

Even if it turns out to be completely fabricated later, it's hard to say that there will be no impact at all.

The duty of the censors was to impeach officials; if they wanted to be promoted, they had to impeach.

It's easy to become overly critical.

This is why everyone avoids officials who speak out.

Ouyang Xiu, who was an official who everyone else avoided, took the initiative to become their neighbor.

To put it nicely, it's being open-minded; to put it bluntly, isn't it just being aloof?

Wang You didn't have any ill feelings towards Ouyang Xiu, but he also didn't view him through the lens of a celebrity.

His literary achievements and official career are admirable, but his impeachment of Di Qing is an indelible stain.

"Prefect Ouyang is an open-minded man, and he doesn't own a house in the inner city. It's very difficult to rent a house in other places near the inner city. Prefect Ouyang has to attend court and go to the prefectural office every day, so it would be very inconvenient for him to rent a place to live. How could you, my second brother, make such malicious assumptions?" Wang Zhuo reprimanded.

He admired Fan Da Xiang Gong, and he also admired the officials who had worked with Fan Da Xiang Gong to preside over the new policies and later voluntarily requested to be transferred to other posts.

"It was my fault for being so petty, please don't be angry, big brother," Wang You quickly admitted his mistake.

He wasn't angry, after all, Ouyang Xiu hadn't impeached Di Qing yet.

Even if it is done in the future, it won't be a problem in the eyes of scholars.

Putting aside his impeachment of Di Qing, Ouyang Xiu was indeed without many flaws in other aspects.

Seeing his younger brother admit his mistake, Wang Zhuo said seriously, "I know you are exceptionally intelligent, but there are always people more capable than you. You cannot judge others based on a limited understanding. It's fine if you say this in front of me, but if you talk nonsense in front of outsiders, you might earn a reputation as a madman."

"Thank you for your guidance, elder brother. I will remember it and will be more careful with my words and actions in the future," Wang You said solemnly.

The more you know, the more distressed you sometimes become.

They always like to judge others from a God's-eye view, and they can't help but want to change things.

Wang Zhuo's words served as a reminder to him. Although he said it in front of Wang Zhuo, who knows if he might say something similar in front of outsiders in the future?

Seeing that his younger brother's attitude of admitting his mistake was sincere, Wang Zhuo did not continue to scold him, but said: "When you meet Prefect Ouyang later, he will learn that you are going to participate in the prodigy test, and he may test you."

Remember to perform well. Given Prefect Ouyang's standing among scholars, a single compliment will be enough to make you immensely proud.

"I understand." Wang You nodded.

He had no doubt about this; when Su Shi and his two sons came to Bianjing to take the imperial examination, the first person they visited was Ouyang Xiu.

Ouyang Xiu greatly admired Su Shi's writings, praising him highly and recommending him to many officials in the court.

This is why Su Shi was already famous in Bianjing before the imperial examinations, and even the emperor had heard of him.

Although Su Shi himself was indeed very talented, how could he have become famous in such a short time without Ouyang Xiu's praise?

Wang Youruo praised him, saying that there are many benefits to being invisible.

The carriage slowly came to a stop, and the driver said respectfully, "Young master, we have arrived."

Upon hearing the sound, Wang Zhuo alighted from his carriage and personally led Wang You to knock on the door, with their attendants following behind carrying gifts.

The courtyard is old and dilapidated, with many sections of the surrounding walls crumbling. The main gate is old and worn, with the three large characters "Ouyang Mansion" written on the gate's lintel in red with gold paint, which clashes with the rest of the gate.

"Squeak~"

The courtyard gate made a screeching sound as it slowly opened, and an elderly man in his sixties poked his head out to look at Wang Zhuo and his group.

Wang Zhuo clasped his hands together, bowed, and said, "I apologize for the trouble of informing you that Wang Zhuo, the eldest son of the Wang family of Luzhou, and his younger brother Wang You have come to pay their respects."

"So it's Young Master Wang."

The gatekeeper, all smiles, returned the greeting, opened the gate fully, and stepped aside, saying, "My master instructed us to come in!"

Thank you.

Wang Zhuo thanked the gatekeeper and entered the house under his guidance.

Upon arriving at the front yard, the gatekeeper handed them over to the front yard maid.

The maid led them to the front hall, served them tea, and then withdrew.

Wang You looked around and saw that the hall was simply furnished, but very clean.

"Second brother, don't be impolite," Wang Zhuo reminded him.

Upon hearing this, Wang You withdrew his gaze and sat up straight.

A moment later, a middle-aged man in his early forties, with a thin and refined appearance, walked in.

The middle-aged man wore a turban and a faded brown shirt, looking listless and with a faint sadness in his expression.

"Wang Zhuo (Wang You)"

Upon seeing the middle-aged man enter, Wang Zhuo quickly stood up, bowed, and said, "Greetings, Scholar Ouyang."

In the Song Dynasty, apart from low-ranking officials, mid- to high-ranking officials were often given many honorary titles.

In private, people use their surname followed by their official title for easy identification.

You can't address someone like that to their face; you have to address them by their highest honorary title.

Although honorary positions have no real power, they are mostly higher than real positions and are relatively prestigious.

Ouyang Xiu forced a smile onto his listless face and said, "Sit down and let's talk."

"Thank you, Scholar Ouyang," Wang Zhuo said gratefully and sat down.

"No need for such formality. If you don't mind, just call me Uncle." Ouyang Xiu waved his hand and said.

Wang Zhuo readily agreed, stood up, bowed, and said, "Uncle."

"sit."

Ouyang Xiu gestured for Wang Zhuo to sit down, stroking his beard as he asked, "How has Jingyuan been lately?"

"My father is well, thank you for your concern, Uncle," Wang Zhuo replied.

"That's good."

Ouyang Xiu nodded slightly and looked at Wang You, saying, "This must be the young prodigy of the Wang family. I've heard of him in Bianjing."

"Wang You pays his respects to his uncle."

Wang You stood up and bowed, saying, "Uncle, you flatter me. These are just empty titles. How dare I call myself a child prodigy in front of you?"

"Student" is not only a self-designation used by students in front of teachers, but also by some learned individuals.

Wang You wasn't shameless enough to directly call himself his nephew or student; that would have been the most appropriate approach.