Chapter 261: It’s Better to Be Timid Than Reckless

Beijing began to be built at the beginning of the Yongle era. As civil and military officials gradually moved there, it naturally took on the appearance of a capital city. Due to the siltation of the Tonghui River, grain ships from Tongzhou could not reach Beijing directly via the river or Jishuitan, so they were stored in Dongcheng District. For convenience, merchants gathered there. Court officials, naturally, did not like the crowded Dongcheng District and almost all chose to live in the neighborhoods around Xuanwumen in Xicheng District.

The Marquis of Baoding’s residence was located in Langfang Hutong, right next to Xuanwumen Street. Although it was a royal gift, it was actually just a large plot of land; the house itself was not big. It took over a year to build, and only now did it take on the appearance of a proper marquisial residence. Since Meng Min brought back the seriously ill Lady Wu, Marquis Meng Ying of Baoding had intended to invite his sister-in-law to live in the marquisial residence, but after careful consideration, he feared it might bring trouble, so he simply asked his eldest daughter-in-law, Zhang Qing, to visit her frequently and bring some medicinal herbs and food.

One morning, Zhang Qing got up early, sent her husband Meng Jun out, and planned to visit Lady Wu. She ordered the household manager to prepare a box of Korean red ginseng and some snacks. Unexpectedly, someone came to report that Zhang Jiu had arrived. She knew that Zhang Jiu disliked going out and visited the Marquis of Baoding’s residence fewer times than his brothers Zhang Chao and Zhang Qi throughout the year. She found this unusual and quickly ordered him to be brought in. When the siblings met, she noticed that Zhang Jiu looked unwell, so she sent the maids away, leaving only Baoxia and Yingchun.

“Xiao Si, what happened? Why do you look so pale?”
“Elder sister, I just came from grandmother’s place and happened to pass by the small meeting hall, where I heard Second Aunt scolding someone. She said the family’s expenses are too high, that Mother keeps recuperating and has eaten tons of ginseng and bird’s nest yet still remains weak and unable to manage affairs. She also said too much silver is sent to Jiaozhi every year… In short, she said many harsh things!”

Zhang Jiu used to be the most favored eldest grandson, with everything he wanted, and had developed an arrogant attitude. But after his father, Zhang Xin, was first imprisoned and then exiled, although the servants did not treat him poorly, he gradually understood certain truths and improved his relationship with his brothers. Yet his father’s fate remained a pain in his heart. Hearing what Lady Dongfang said that day, he could no longer hold back.

“The Li family in Jiaozhi has been rebelling for years. I heard that local county officials are often killed. Father’s life there is in constant danger. My second uncle has also returned. What if there’s a rebellion in his jurisdiction? Who will save him?” He clenched his fists tightly, not even noticing Zhang Qing’s pale face. “Elder sister, I also heard my second aunt say sarcastically that the Marquis of Baoding can’t even save his own brother, let alone help his own in-laws suffer in Jiaozhi. It’s extremely unlucky for the Zhang family to be related to such a person…”
“Stop talking!”
Every word pierced Zhang Qing’s heart. For a moment, she almost silenced her own younger brother, her face completely devoid of color. Seeing Zhang Jiu standing there stubbornly, biting his lip, she knew full well that these words had been brewing in his heart for a long time, and her heart ached even more. She knew very well what kind of person her father-in-law was. It might not be accurate to say he was timid, but it was certain that he preferred to avoid trouble. Back when their father was imprisoned, although she was in Nanjing, she received almost no news at all—she was practically blind.
After a long while, she finally reached out and pulled Zhang Jiu over, saying in a serious tone, “My second uncle brought back a new concubine on this trip. That’s why my second aunt is upset and uses other matters as an excuse to criticize him. That’s just her nature. Don’t listen to her nonsense. Grandmother is still ill. You must keep these words to yourself and not say them, so as not to upset her. Whether it’s Grandmother, Mother, or me, we’re all worried about Father. But talking about this openly is useless, and asking others for help is even more pointless—those who can help have already done so! All we can do now is rely on Father’s own luck.”
Having spoken out all his pent-up feelings, Zhang Jiu felt somewhat relieved. But seeing Zhang Qing wipe her red eyes, he felt guilty and stammered, “Elder sister, it’s all my fault. I shouldn’t have brought this up out of impulse. I just… I hate that I’m useless and can’t help at all. After all these years, I’ve only managed to pass the imperial examinations as a xiucai.”
“What nonsense! You’ve been called a prodigy since childhood. How can you give up so easily at the slightest setback?”

Zhang Qing set a serious expression, stood up, and firmly patted Zhang Jiu’s shoulder before saying kindly, “A true man must be unyielding—perseverance is what truly matters. Remember, your grandmother and mother are watching over you, and your father far away in Jiaozhi is also watching. Never underestimate yourself! Not to mention anything else, just for your marriage, do you know how many people have tried to gauge my reaction? You, when you have free time, go out and spend some time with friends. At the very least, tell me how many friends you have.”

After the whole family moved to Beijing, due to numerous complicated matters, the Zhang family still hadn’t found a place for schooling. So, Mrs. Feng hired a tutor to teach at home, and Zhang Jiu indeed had few friends. Therefore, when Zhang Qing suggested that he spend more time with peers from the Meng family of similar age and that Zhang Yue help him meet more people, he hesitated for a moment before agreeing.

Since it was rare for his younger brother to come, Zhang Qing saw that he was wearing a slightly worn rose-purple round-necked wide-sleeved gauze shirt and matching slightly worn shoes with a “Fu” character on them. She quickly called a maid to open a chest and brought out a set of clothes, shoes, and socks she had made herself. She was excellent at sewing, and after dressing Zhang Jiu, she saw him look refreshed and bright. She couldn’t help but smile, stayed to chat with him for a while, and then personally saw him off at the Chuihua Gate. Only after Zhang Jiu’s figure disappeared from sight did she regain her serious expression.

Second aunt Dong Fang was truly outrageous. Thinking that second uncle Zhang You was successful in his career, and believing that her father Zhang Xin had not returned from his exile, she dared to overstep and bully the eldest branch of the family, even involving the Meng family in it!

“Miss, everything needed for the trip is ready. Shall we still go to the eldest madam’s place?”

Hearing Baoxia’s reminder, Zhang Qing finally suppressed her resentment and nodded lightly. “Of course we will. Go check if all the attendants are ready. Yingchun, come with me to change clothes; we’ll set off right away.”

Meng Xian used to be a commander of the guards in Changshan and settled in Beijing. So, when Marquis Meng Ying followed the emperor to Beijing to establish his residence, he was more cautious and chose a plot of land in Langfang Hutong, which was closer to Meng Xian’s home, from among the plots granted by the emperor. Meng Xian’s mansion was located in Fengsheng Hutong, just across Xuanwu Gate Street from Marquis Meng Ying’s residence. Although its gates were simple three-room, five-pillar structures with blackened tin rings due to his lower rank, the interior was exquisitely designed and was no less magnificent than Marquis Meng Ying’s mansion.

Since Meng Xian was imprisoned, the Meng family’s residence had naturally become deserted. Even the other residents in the alley preferred to take a longer route rather than pass by it, as if afraid of catching its bad luck. Yet one day, when Zhang Qing got out of her sedan chair in front of the house, she saw several horses tied to the post there, and a rather luxurious sedan chair by the wall, suggesting that guests might be present.

“Madam, you’re here again!”

As Zhang Qing arrived with Bao Xia and Ying Chun, a middle-aged gatekeeper rushed forward quickly. After bowing, before Zhang Qing could ask anything, he said cheerfully, “Madam, you’re here at just the right time. Young Master Yue arrived first, and Princess Chen Liu has just come—both are here to visit Madam. They’re currently talking in the main room in the north courtyard! Princess Chen Liu brought a large pack of top-quality bird’s nest, saying that since Madam has had a chronic cough, cooking porridge with bird’s nest and rock sugar is very nourishing.”

Hearing that Princess Chen Liu, Zhu Ning, had come, Zhang Qing was greatly surprised. It wasn’t unusual for princes and princesses to visit, but what was unusual was that although Princess Chen Liu was only the emperor’s niece, she was more favored than his own daughters. Such noblewomen should usually be the most astute, yet she risked suspicion by visiting the Meng family, who were now in trouble. The word “rare” couldn’t fully capture the difficulties involved.

Seeing Meng Tao coming out, she smiled and said, “I never expected to run into such good fortune today. Has my aunt’s illness improved? Is she sleeping well at night? I brought some Korean red ginseng—though I’m not sure if it will be useful. If the bird’s nest works well, I’ll bring some more next time.”

“Sister, we’re already very grateful that you could come. There’s no need to bring gifts every time.”

Meng Tao instructed the servant who followed to take the items from Bao Xia and Ying Chun, then led Zhang Qing inside, whispering, “Sister-in-law, to be honest, Mother’s condition is very poor now. She coughs several times every night and can barely sleep for an hour. Doctor Feng has been frowning all these days and is in a terrible mood. Mother has also been saying lately that she wants to arrange Sister Four’s marriage as soon as possible, but she’s clearly delirious—how can such matters be discussed now? And…”

He looked troubled and after a long pause, he said through gritted teeth, “Actually, the bigger problem right now is another matter. It’s not yet time to collect rent from the estates this year, yet Mother’s illness has incurred huge expenses. We’ve already spent a lot of money on Father’s affairs, and now our finances are in dire straits… I just found out that the money spent at home in Qingzhou actually came from Yue Ge’s personal funds, and Sister Du also helped a lot.”

Zhang Qing was the head wife of the household, in charge of all the accounts and finances of the Baoding Marquis’s estate. Hearing this, she was shocked and quickly asked, “When you two brothers returned from Qingzhou, you took all the money from the accounts. It’s not surprising there was no money left at that time. But my uncle has been an official for so many years and owns quite a few estates—how could the accounts run out of money?”
Meng Tao glanced at Zhang Qing anxiously before stammering an explanation, “Although our mother and fourth sister took care of the household before, our father often withdrew large sums of money for other purposes, so the family’s finances were never stable. Our fourth sister has already taken out the money our mother saved to cover emergencies. I just now found out that our father had spent quite a bit of money before…”
Hearing this, Zhang Qing gasped in shock. How could such a high-ranking military officer in the imperial court engage in such dealings? No wonder there was no money in the Meng family’s accounts now. With Meng Xian in prison, who in the Meng family would dare to borrow money at high interest? Though she blamed Meng Xian in her heart for being utterly foolish, she couldn’t say it out loud and could only sulk in silence.
In comparison, her father-in-law, Marquis Meng Ying of Baoding, with his honest and cautious nature, was far more reliable!