Chapter 222: No Difference Between Us

Since ancient times, no dynasty has offered such meager salaries as the Ming. For someone like Zhang Yue, who served as an acting deputy magistrate with a sixth-rank salary, his monthly pay was ten dan of rice—though not all in the form of rice; 60% was rice and 40% in currency. Ten dan of rice equaled ten guan in currency, meaning his monthly salary was six dan of rice and forty guan in cash. At the current rate of two dan of rice per tael of silver, and ten guan of currency equivalent to one tael of silver, his monthly salary amounted to seven taels of silver, or just eighty-four taels per year.

Such an amount would not even cover the expenses of Meng family’s many members for ten days. Although he brought some silver when taking office, it was clearly insufficient to support such a large household.

Early the next morning after settling the Meng family, Zhang Yue went to the prefecture office to handle affairs, lending all his retainers to Meng Min to assist her. The three-story courtyard was in turmoil all day long. Finally, Meng Min managed to send most of the family members away, leaving only a dozen long-term servants, four concubines, and a young pair of illegitimate siblings. More than twenty slave contracts were burned, and the money spent on sending them away used up the last remaining funds.

“It’s truly clean now.”

Looking at the empty courtyard and hearing the sobbing from the rooms, Meng Min couldn’t help but smile bitterly. Her family’s roots were in Beijing, where they still had a large mansion filled with valuable possessions and many servants. Meng Tao and Meng Fan were also there. But those two brothers, unaccustomed to hardships, were likely furious now. How could things there be any better? If the emperor became angry, it was uncertain whether the mansion would not be seized.

Although she had been accustomed to the greedy behavior of relatives in the countryside, seeing the Meng family fall into such a state so quickly also weighed heavily on Du Wan’s heart. She took the gray mink cloak from Hong Xiu and gently draped it over Meng Min’s shoulders, whispering, “Sister Min, it’s windy outside. You’ve endured so much these days—come inside.”

Meng Min turned her head with a stiff neck and saw Du Wan looking at her with concern. She forced herself to hold back the tears welling up in her eyes and nodded firmly. Even so, still dazed, she stumbled as she stepped over the threshold. Hong Shou reached out to help her, but having also stayed up for days without rest, she lacked the strength; both the master and the servant ended up falling to the ground together. Du Wan, who was a step behind, hurried over, helped her sit in the armchair in the center, and saw Chun Ying also assisting Hong Shou. She quickly rolled up Meng Min’s sleeves to check, finding only a slight scrape, and promptly instructed Chun Ying to get some white medicine.

After busying themselves with comfort for a while, dinner time arrived. Unlike usual, when even the highest-ranking servants would have dishes like chicken, duck, fish, and meat, the Meng family’s dinner that day was simple. The servants bought pancakes and porridge from Chunshui Street outside; in such a desperate situation, no one dared to be picky. Ling Xi brought a pot of pheasant chick soup for Lady Wu personally, and though she initially suggested having the kitchen in the government office prepare more food, Meng Min stubbornly shook her head.

“The Meng family is already deeply grateful for Brother Yue’s care. If even our meals had to be brought from the government office, it would be embarrassing for him if others saw it. We still have the dried noodles prepared yesterday; just cook a few bowls. It’s just a pity for Sister Du…”

Seeing that Meng Min could still consider such matters under these circumstances, Du Wan felt even more respect for her and said with a smile, “We still have dried noodles to eat. What’s there to be sorry about?”

She then stood up and went outside, ordering a capable housekeeper standing in the corridor, “Cook a few bowls of plain noodle soup. Add two eggs for your young master, and use plenty of green onions and fragrant oil. She hasn’t eaten properly for days. We don’t need anything for ourselves. Everything in the kitchen was brought here by Ling Xi yesterday—let’s be frugal when necessary.”

That housekeeper was Lady Wu’s maid from her dowry. Hearing this, she quickly nodded and rushed downstairs to prepare the food. Soon, she brought in a few bowls of noodles on an inlaid lacquer plate. Since Ling Xi said she had already eaten, she took Qiu Hen inside to feed Lady Wu the chicken soup. The others ate on their own, and the distracted Meng Min didn’t even notice what was in others’ bowls.

She hadn’t had a proper meal for several days in a row. After eating some egg noodles that night, she finally felt a bit more energetic. Once the maid had taken away the dishes, Lingxi and Qiuhen came out again, and she said, “All the money in the accounting department has been used to dismiss the servants. Mother is still ill, and we can’t just sit around with nothing to eat. We can’t rely forever on Brother Yue’s support. Hongxiu and I can still do some embroidery work, and the other concubines and maids here also know how to sew. Could Sister Lingxi go to the prefect’s office and get us some embroidery work to do? Even if it’s a small help, it’s better than nothing. Once Mother gets better, we’ll go back to the capital.”

Zhang Yue, who had been busy with official duties all day, happened to arrive at the door just then. Hearing these words, he felt deeply distressed. The Meng family used to be extremely wealthy and noble in Beijing, yet now they had fallen to the point where the women in the family had to do sewing to make a living. He pulled back the cotton curtain at the door and entered, only to see Meng Min and Du Wan standing up to greet him. He smiled and returned their greeting.

Lingxi noticed that Zhang Yue seemed to want to say something, so she quickly pulled Qiuhen along, saying it was time to leave. Hongxiu, being clever, also took Chunying and left the main room. The four maids stood at the door, looking at each other and sighing. Hongxiu and Chunying went to the side room, while Lingxi, thinking there were still some account books to sort through at home, decided to go back with Qiuhen first.

Zhang Yue saw Meng Min offering him a seat, but he quickly shook his hand and sat down in the first chair at the end of the table. He said, “I’ve gathered some information from Beijing. Uncle Meng is currently held in the Jinyiwei prison. Although he was removed from his position by imperial order, he hasn’t suffered much for now. It’s dangerous, but there might still be some hope.”

Hearing this, Meng Min was overjoyed and burst into tears, while Du Wan was puzzled. Once someone was imprisoned in the Jinyiwei prison, even if they were a nobleman, they became just another prisoner. Even if their family had connections everywhere, it would be impossible to get any news. Where did Zhang Yue get this information from? If Duke Yingguo Zhang Fu were still in Beijing, it might make sense, but hadn’t Zhang Fu gone to Xuanfu to train troops?

Zhang Yue didn’t notice Du Wan’s expression and continued, “Marquis Baoding probably doesn’t want to save Uncle Meng, but the emperor is currently angry. If they ask for mercy rashly, things might get worse. That’s why your two brothers are still staying at his house. My elder sister and brother-in-law are watching over them to prevent them from causing trouble. You know, the emperor hasn’t intended to involve the family yet, so we can’t let things get worse. As for Prince Zhao, he was reprimanded by the emperor and is now reflecting in seclusion.”

All this was information gathered by Hu Qi, whom he sent to Mu Ning to inquire. At the same time, he also asked Hu Qi to report on an extremely unlikely possibility. He was currently busy with land reclamation and taking care of the Meng family, so he had no time to worry about whether the White Lotus Sect was colluding with some vassal king, nor could he investigate it. Leaving professional matters to experts was undoubtedly the best and most convenient approach. Recalling what he had said just outside, realizing that Meng Min seemed gentle but was actually resilient, he thought for a moment before speaking again.

“Fourth sister just mentioned embroidery. To be honest, although there are many officials in the prefecture office, the expenses for such work are limited. Even for Prefect Ling, most of the embroidery is done by the women in the family; outsiders are usually not needed. If you truly have the interest and are not afraid of criticism, I know a merchant who runs an embroidery shop where you can send your work for sale. After all, embroidery depends both on skill and dedication, and I’m sure your work will be more exquisite than others’.”

Trading was considered a humble occupation, a truth even in the early Ming dynasty, let alone for a family of meritorious officials like the Mengs. At that moment, Meng Min’s face turned somewhat pale, but thinking of her mother’s incurable illness, of their empty accounts, and of Zhang Yue having already helped them so much at a critical moment, she couldn’t keep troubling him. She immediately set aside any sense of shame at having to deal with a merchant.

“There’s nothing to fear. It’s just earning a living on our own. We can’t rely on Brother Yue forever.”

Hearing Meng Min’s firm words, Du Wan was deeply moved. Though she hadn’t experienced such difficulties herself, she thought this was the only solution if she were in their shoes. Later, seeing Zhang Yue comfort Meng Min a few more times before going inside to see Lady Wu, she found an excuse to personally see him off when he was about to leave.

The cold wind of early spring whirled around the courtyard. The newly sprouted grass clung tightly to the cracks in the soil, while other debris and dust danced in the air. Du Wan was wearing only a tight green satin jacket. When a gust of wind hit her, she sneezed loudly. Just as she felt embarrassed, two even louder sneezes came from beside her.

When Zhang Yue arrived, he hurriedly took off his official hat and robe, putting on a simple shirt with a round collar. Unbeknownst to him, the night was even colder with stronger winds. After sneezing twice and seeing Du Wan looking at him with a half-smile, he couldn’t help but force a wry smile. Rubbing the few stubble hairs on his chin, he said, “It’s too cold. Sister Wan, you don’t need to see me off either. Go inside.”

“If I didn’t have something to ask you, I wouldn’t have wasted time seeing Sister Min—I wouldn’t have come to see you off.” Having grown familiar with each other, Du Wan spoke in a casual tone and asked directly, “I didn’t realize you had such remarkable abilities, able to gather information from places like the Jinyiwei. Though I trust you won’t make things up, I still need to ask. Can you assure Sister Min and my aunt that they’ll be safe for now? You can hide things for a while, but not forever. Just don’t end up making things worse.”

“Don’t worry. Everything I say is the truth.”

As soon as Zhang Yue spoke, he saw Du Wan staring at him intently, as if she had figured something out. Knowing she was smart, he realized she most likely had guessed something. Still, he wouldn’t elaborate on matters that could only be understood implicitly. After standing there for a while, he added, “I’ve already sent someone to investigate your guess. The master plays riddles, but I can’t play riddles either—after all, this is a matter of great importance. Go inside quickly; it’s too cold here!”

Seeing Zhang Yue nod and turn to leave, Du Wan felt a flood of doubts and emotions. After standing there for a long time, she slowly turned around and saw a thin figure standing inside the main hall not far behind her, gazing at her with a somewhat dazed expression.