Chapter 604: Gaining Talents and Fine Jade, Finding a Good Son-in-Law, and Realizing How Hard It Is to Find True Friends

Tonight, Yang Rong stayed in the inner chambers of the cabinet, while Jin Youzi was summoned to the Qianqing Palace. Thus, it was Yang Shiqi and Du Zhen who walked together out. As soon as they left the Left Gate of Chang’an, they saw Zhang Yue Wanshijie and Yang Ji talking over there. Noticing that none of the three had seen them, Du Zhen turned to look at Yang Shiqi.

“Brother Shiqi, you were right to bring your wife and children to the capital. Your son in Taihe is only under his mother’s supervision. Moreover, since he’s already married and has children, even his sister-in-law can’t control him too strictly. Now that they’re in the capital, it will be easier for you to guide him. If they can also make a few friends, even if they don’t excel in studies, at least they’ll be on the right path, so there’s no need to worry about the future of the Yang family. Besides, your sister-in-law has been separated from you for many years; now that they’re reunited, it will bring her some comfort.”

Yang Shiqi watched from afar as his son and Zhang Yue Wanshijie chatted and laughed heartily, feeling deeply relieved. His wife was not in good health and had remained sickly since arriving in the capital. Additionally, Yang Ji was restless by nature and never studied properly at home. He even regretted his earlier decision. But hearing Du Zhen’s words, his frown faded.

Du Zhen had traveled throughout the country and had only been away from home for ten years. Yet Yang Shiqi, since he was recommended for an official position, had been away from home for over twenty years, falling short of his wife. Now that they were reunited, though she was weak, her face was always filled with a smile. If this could truly inspire his son to make progress, she would be the happiest of all.

After standing there for a while, he remembered something important and gently stroked his beard, smiling as he said, “Yishan, there’s something I forgot to tell you. Last night, Wanshijie came to me specifically and asked me to propose marriage to your adopted daughter. You truly have incredible luck—all the best son-in-laws end up being chosen by you! Although Wanshijie comes from a poor family, he’s open-minded and eager to improve. Since passing the imperial examinations, many people have tried to court him, but he rejected them all. In the end, it was you who got the advantage!”

Although it was something he had expected, hearing the words “proposal” from Yang Shiqi still brought a strange glow to Du Zhen’s eyes, who then smiled gently. “What advantage for me? If it weren’t for my Du family producing graceful and virtuous women, where would the good men come from? Why are you staring at me? Did I say something wrong?”

They had known each other since the Hanlin Academy. Yang Shiji had always thought Du Zhen was cold on the surface but warm-hearted, yet he had never heard Du Zhen speak such words before. At this moment, he didn’t know what expression to wear, feeling deeply moved and also a bit regretful. Although the emperor had praised him for his selflessness, he was not a saint, and his refusal to reunite his family stemmed from his own selfish motives. The Yang family used to be a prominent clan, but after years of decline, to restore it, he needed to be firmly established in the court and couldn’t afford to be distracted.

Du Zhen, on the other hand, had only one daughter and one adopted daughter, along with two good sons-in-law—though together they might not be as good as one biological son. Yet he now had only one son, and if that son failed, wouldn’t all his efforts throughout his life be in vain?

“Father-in-law, Mr. Dongli!”

Unable to stand Yang Ji’s nagging, Zhang Yue couldn’t help but look around. Coincidentally, he saw Yang Shiji and Du Zhen coming this way, so he quickly interrupted Yang Ji and turned to greet them. As soon as he spoke, the other two also reacted and hurried over. After meeting, Yang Shiji, for once, didn’t act like a strict father scolding his son. Instead, he gave Yang Ji a meaningful look and said a few words to Zhang Yue and Wan Shijie before getting into the carriage and leaving. Meanwhile, the carriage sent by the Du family had arrived, so Zhang Yue and Wan Shijie simply joined Du Zhen in the carriage, tying the two horses behind to move slowly.

“Shijie, Brother Shiji has already told me about your situation. It seems you’ve convinced Xiao Wu—you’re quite remarkable. Though she’s not my biological daughter, Wan’er has always treated her as her own sister, and my wife and I like her temperament. Now that I can entrust her to someone as reliable as you, I have no worries.”

Wan Shijie’s given name was Jun, and his courtesy name was given by Yang Shiji, so he was usually known by his courtesy name just like Yang Shiji. Hearing Du Zhen address him in such a familiar and affectionate way, he was extremely happy, but by the end, he became distracted. It wasn’t until Zhang Yue nudged him impatiently that he snapped back to reality.

“Uncle Du, I’m alone with no savings or wealth, so I can’t arrange a grand wedding or promise much of a bright future. I have no other relatives. I only hope to serve you both with Xiao Wu in the future.”

In this life, having no sons seems like a flaw in the eyes of others. Although Du Zhen didn’t take it to heart, he could always see Qiu’s sadness. Hearing Wan Shijie’s words, he couldn’t help but feel greatly relieved and nodded. “Marrying off a daughter isn’t the same as selling her; dowries and such are just matters of doing what one can afford. When I married Wan’er away, I provided a generous dowry because I never expected to have another daughter in my life. If it weren’t for Yuanjie persuading your mother-in-law to contribute and invest in several shops and buy some land, I would still be extremely poor today!”

The meager salaries in the Ming Dynasty were unprecedented throughout history. Initially, they were paid in hard currency like white rice, but gradually they turned into various forms of substitute pay, among which imperial banknotes were almost worthless. For example, the Zhang family was granted permission by the emperor to return and bury Lady Gu, and they received thousands of banknotes as a gift. Since these were new banknotes, the exchange rate in the market was roughly 80 banknotes for 1,000 standard coins, which was about a hundred copper coins or over a hundred taels of silver. Even with this amount, it was only because Zhang You was a high-ranking earl; otherwise, ordinary officials wouldn’t even have enough money for travel expenses.

Thus, although Wan Shijie had been in office for five years, due to major family troubles in his youth and spending all his savings during his travels, he only managed to save some money during his first three years as a scholar-official, as the government provided food and lodging. Zhang Yue volunteered to help him manage these funds, leaving him with only enough money for daily expenses. So, although Du Zhen claimed to be poor, in his own eyes, he was the one who was truly impoverished. Hence, though he felt a bit relieved now, he still couldn’t help but worry.

Although they celebrated their birthdays slightly every year since they were reunited as husband and wife, Qiu celebrated her birthday most joyfully this year. Du Wan brought her grandsons and granddaughters to pay their respects, and Du Zhen told her that Wan Shijie would invite Yang Shiqi to propose marriage in a few days. She was therefore beaming with joy from start to finish, feeling even more that the hardships of her first half of life had been worth it.

This birthday banquet had distinct areas for insiders and outsiders. After the birthday greetings today, Du Zhen took Zhang Yue and Wan Shijie to the outdoor flower hall. Contrary to his usual habit of never touching alcohol, he persuaded them to drink two pots of Fen wine. In his drunken state, he even recited Li Bai’s “Drinking Alone under the Moon.” Not only had Zhang Yue, who had followed him for so many years, never seen such a scene before, but even Wan Shijie, who had often found excuses to visit over the past year, had never witnessed this side of Du Zhen. As a result, the two brothers-in-law were utterly flustered.

“Throughout history, wise men have had many disciples—Confucius had three thousand disciples and seventy-two wise men. In my life, having met talented people and wonderful sons-in-law, I can truly say I have no regrets!” Although his face was red, Du Zhen still wore a gentle smile. He casually joined Zhang Yue’s and Wan Shijie’s hands together before whispering, “But in life, finding a true confidant is even rarer. Though I haven’t had many close friends in my life, I’ve had Min Wangmin and later Brother Shi Qi as my confidants—so I have no regrets. You two have known each other for years; no matter what happens in the future, never forget your original bond.”

Zhang Yue and Wan Shijie exchanged a glance before agreeing together. Yet, though it was his first time getting drunk in front of younger people, Du Zhen still had excellent tolerance for alcohol. By the time they helped him into the inner courtyard, he was already half-asleep. Qiu Shi, who was busy playing with her two grandsons, learned about what had happened from Zhang Yue and couldn’t help but shake her head repeatedly.

After arranging for Du Zhen to lie down in the inner room and ordering a maid to stay by his side, Qiu Shi pulled back the curtain and came out, smiling at the embarrassed Zhang Yue and Wan Shijie. “I just let myself act a bit like a young man. He hasn’t indulged like this many times in his life. Who would have thought that at his age, he could still drink so happily! I remember when he was young, he would sit and discuss literature with Scholar Shen. When they got excited, they would treat rice wine as water and get completely drunk. I used to listen from behind a wall as they competed in composing poems while drunk, back and forth, until both of them collapsed. By the way, do you still remember that handwritten copy I gave you, Wan Er?”

Du Wan was surprised by her mother’s sudden mention of it. After a moment of confusion, she realized what she meant, her expression becoming extremely strange. “Mother, are you referring to the one you used to teach me writing with? No wonder it was full of cheesy phrases like ‘white jade cups,’ ‘bright moon and gentle breeze,’ and ‘true confidants’—it must have been written by Father and Uncle Shen while drunk!”

“You’re complaining now, but it took me a lot of effort to memorize all of them back then.” Lady Qiu smiled gently; her usually kind face showed a hint of childish mischief. “At that time, your father had already passed the imperial examinations, and your Uncle Shen was preparing to take the exams to become a scholar. I doubt they even know that I memorized all those poems… I’ve followed your father for so many years. When he was famous for his poetry in the Hanlin Academy, I wasn’t by his side. What I heard about those poems came from others, but it wasn’t as good as that time when I got drunk… It’s been over twenty years now, and in the blink of an eye, you all have grown up. Even Xiao Wu is about to get married!”
“Mom!”
Seeing Xiao Wu stamp her foot, Lady Qiu happily embraced her. Zhang Yue couldn’t help but glance at Wan Shijie, whose face was slightly red, and chuckled softly, “I never thought your father also had such youthful enthusiasm. How about we get drunk and write poems together tomorrow?”
“Go away! You were boring even as a kid, acting like an adult, and now you’re even more so!” Wan Shijie snapped dismissively, but then her face lit up with longing. “Master Shen taught your father, and your father taught Master Shen—what a wonderful story. Speaking of which, Xiao Fang was trained by me and Xiao Xia hand in hand. Your Xiao Si has also benefited a lot from your guidance. This year, they’re all going to take the provincial exams. When they succeed, we can consider ourselves half-teachers! Then we can follow in your father’s footsteps and say we’ve nurtured talented people!”