Chapter 430: Congratulations and Thanks

Having children has always been the toughest hurdle for women these days. Thus, while the Du family had been joyful for days over the honor bestowed upon their ancestors, they became panicked that evening after receiving news from the Zhang family. Though it wasn’t yet to the point where everyone forgot their duties, some muttered prayers, some walked absentmindedly, and some even made mistakes… Even the usually composed Mrs. Qiu, after eating dinner with no appetite, paced back and forth in the room. Eventually, Du Zhen, dizzy from her constant walking, sighed.

“Dr. Feng said long ago that Wan is strong and will be fine. Although he happened to be in the suburbs looking for a medicinal herb, Xiao Wu is still there. Besides, the midwife from the Zhang family is already prepared.”

Though she usually obeyed her husband in everything, Mrs. Qiu stopped in her tracks this time, looking reproachful. “What are you saying? As a man, you don’t understand the difficulties. When I gave birth to Wan, it wasn’t…” She paused, deciding not to mention the dangers of that time, but glanced at Du Zhen again, feeling both annoyed and amused. “Sir, you even held the book upside down. And now you’re trying to comfort me?”

Upon hearing this, Du Zhen looked down and indeed found the book he was holding upside down. Shaking his head with a wry smile, he set the book aside on a shelf and gently rubbed his temples with his right hand.

He had originally planned to adopt one of his cousins as a son, but after examining them all, he found none of them to be promising. Adopting someone else’s newborn child would mean forcing a family to part, which was certainly not something a scholar should do. After much thought, he gave up on the idea. After all, a son-in-law is like a half-son, and a student is also like a half-son—so Zhang Yue was already similar to his own son. Why go through the hassle of adoption?

Moreover, he left home to travel and study shortly after his daughter was born, spending little time with her. Fortunately, his wife was capable—she not only raised her well but also taught her excellently. With such a daughter, having or not having a son didn’t matter.

The couple exchanged glances but said nothing. As night fell, Mrs. Qiu finally snapped out of her worry about her daughter. Remembering that Du Zhen had to attend court the next morning, she urged him to rest, but he only shook his head.

“With such a concern on my mind, I can’t sleep even in bed. Let’s wait a bit longer; it’s not that urgent.”

Another hour passed in waiting. Just as Lady Qiu, exhausted from walking, had no choice but to sit down, the bamboo curtain in front of the main house was suddenly pushed open forcefully. A middle-aged maid entered. Without even taking a breath, she hurriedly said, “Master and madam are overjoyed! The young lady safely gave birth to a son. Right now, someone from the Zhang family has come to deliver the news!”

“Amitabha, Three Pure Ones, may heaven bless us!”

Hearing his wife mention all the gods and deities in one breath, Du Zhen didn’t pause but asked the maid a few more questions. Learning that she had been in such a hurry that she had left the messenger from the Zhang family outside, he quickly ordered him to be brought in. Soon, the messenger entered. She was also quick-witted; after bowing, she said with a smile, “I come to inform you, dear in-laws, that the young lady gave birth to a little boy at the hour of Zi. Both mother and child are safe, and the whole family is in celebration. Although there’s a curfew, the old lady and the young master still insisted that I bring this message so that you two can sleep soundly tonight. The old lady also said that there will be a three-day celebration after the birth, and she insists that you must come.”

Lady Qiu’s face shone with joy as she immediately agreed and quickly ordered someone to fetch the congratulatory gifts. After sending them away and seeing Du Zhen’s smile not fade, she felt even more relieved and silently prayed again—not only for her daughter and son-in-law but also for her grandchild she had yet to meet.

Zhang Yue, overjoyed at the birth of his son, stayed up all night. By the time he was about to fall asleep, it was already dawn. As a minister in the Ministry of War, he had to attend the morning meeting early in the day. Despite his extreme fatigue, he quickly finished breakfast and rode out. When he arrived at Chang’an Gate to enter the palace, he happened to meet Du Zhen. He hurriedly went up to greet him. After exchanging greetings, he noticed that his father-in-law also had bloodshot eyes, clearly having not slept well. Still, Du Zhen scolded him lightly.

“From now on, you’re truly an adult. Your son looks up to you as a role model—remember to think carefully before acting.”

Yang Rong happened to pass by at that moment and, overhearing these words, stopped in his tracks. After a brief pause, he smiled and said, “I was wondering why Brother Yishan was teaching his son-in-law here so early in the morning. It turns out it’s because of the happy birth of a son during the New Year Festival—Brother Yishan now has a grandchild! What wonderful news! I’ll send someone from my family to bring gifts soon; we can’t afford to be late!”

His smile was heard by those passing by. Yang Shiqi and Du Zhen had long been friends, so they naturally stepped forward with smiles to offer congratulations, while Jin Youzi and several ministers from the six departments also expressed their joy with smiles. Thus, while waiting for the court session in the offices of the six departments, even Fang Bin, the Minister of War, stopped Zhang Yue to ask a few questions. After the court meeting, everyone dispersed, and Zhang Yue returned to the Ministry of War’s office. As soon as he entered, several subordinates rushed forward to congratulate him, leaving him wondering how the news had spread so quickly.

“Our Ministry of War is so close to the Five Armies Command that someone must have brought the news over already!” Wan Shijie said with a smile. Cui Fanzhi, the deputy director, and another official nodded, while several lower-ranking clerks also stepped forward to offer their congratulations. As a result, all of Zhang Yue’s congratulatory gifts were given away. Since the Armory Department had finished even the less urgent tasks during their free time, they were extremely idle that afternoon, so they left on time at the appointed hour. Zhang Yue, who usually stayed a bit longer, left unusually quickly, prompting the officials behind him to discuss it. Cui Fanzhi even teased Wan Shijie.

“Lord Zhang already has a child now. Aren’t your family members worried?”

“My family?” Wan Shijie smiled indifferently and casually replied, “Even if they were worried, there’s nothing they can do. Marriage is no joke. I’m only twenty-two; it’s not too late to wait another two years.”

Cui Fanzhi and Wan Shijie were only acquaintances, so he asked casually and didn’t press further. Wan Shijie mounted his horse and headed straight home, no longer wearing his usual indifferent smile. Even with close friends like Zhang Yue and Xia Ji, he rarely talked about family matters, always changing the subject when asked. Over time, Zhang Yue, being astute, stopped asking, and Xia Ji also avoided bringing it up. But just because no one asked didn’t mean he really didn’t want to.

His family had only had one child per generation. He passed the imperial examinations at the age of fourteen, hoping to achieve success and support his parents in the future. But three months after passing, both of his parents died from an epidemic. Those few acres of land helped him endure three years of mourning before he passed the higher examinations. After that, he left his hometown to travel and learn about the world, experiencing both good and evil. Although he received honors from the court after entering officialdom, he hadn’t returned to his hometown in five years.

Wandering absentmindedly through a few streets, Wan Shijie suddenly tapped his head and said, “Why envy others’ good fortune? Back then, we used the sky as a blanket and the earth as a bed—those days were already overcome. What obstacle remains now?” Zhang Yue had no idea that his good news had inspired such reflections in the open-minded Wan Shijie. As he turned into Wu’anhou Hutong, he saw several carriages parked in front of his house from afar and realized that it was likely relatives and friends who came to offer congratulations. Indeed, upon entering through the west gate, the porter called out a series of names. Since most household heads had to go to court to handle affairs, it was mostly women who brought gifts; those still there were all his closest relatives. “Right now, in the main house in the north courtyard are the Duchess of Yingguo, along with our eldest and second daughters. Since we only sent word to their homes this morning, they arrived this afternoon after avoiding the earlier guests. Oh, I almost forgot—Madam Du came early in the morning. After visiting the third young lady, she was accompanied by the third wife until she just left.” Zhang Yue nodded and headed straight back to his west courtyard, going to the west wing room without even taking off his coat. Although Du Wan hadn’t suffered much during childbirth, blood loss was still inevitable, leaving her with a sallow complexion. He chatted with her for a while, played with his lively son, and wanted to stay longer but was driven away by Xiao Wu. Only then did he change clothes and go to meet the guests. Since Meng Jun had gone to Xuanfu to observe mourning for Meng Xian, Zhang Qing, who was now alone in the empty house, appeared somewhat thin, while Zhang Yi, after getting married, had become plumper. One sister wore a moon-white satin shirt and a plain white silk skirt, while the other wore a lychee-red robe with grape patterns and a pomegranate-red skirt—one simple, the other vibrant, a stark contrast to before. Seeing Zhang Yue enter, the two naturally couldn’t sit like Lady Wang and quickly stood up. After bowing repeatedly, Zhang Yue’s face was filled with joy as he received their congratulations. Although they already had a grandson and a granddaughter, Du Wan’s son was after all their first legitimate grandson, so Lady Gu was overjoyed and sent countless items to the west courtyard throughout the morning. Even then, she spoke to Lady Wang and the others with great delight, and finally instructed them to come attend the three-day celebration, to which everyone agreed.

A large group of people laughed and chatted happily in the room. As dusk approached, Lady Wang got up to leave, and Zhang Qing and Zhang Yi quickly stood up as well. Lady Gu hurriedly instructed Zhang Yue to go see them off. Since Lady Wang was a senior family member, Zhang Yue accompanied her all the way to the east gate. After seeing her off in her carriage, he turned around to speak to Zhang Qing and Zhang Yi, only to find that Zhang Yi, who had always been shy and quiet, suddenly bowed to him and Zhang Qing.
“Elder sister, third brother, I didn’t have the chance to talk to you alone earlier. I’m doing well now, but it’s all thanks to you. Although it seems awkward to say ‘thank you’ among family members, that’s all I can say.”