Chapter 729: Raising Children

Although they had been married for over two years and were very affectionate, they still hadn’t had any children, which left Lingxi feeling somewhat regretful. Peng Shisan could be indifferent, but while she was in the capital, she had asked Xiao Wu to check her pulse several times to confirm that it wasn’t that she couldn’t bear children—it was simply a matter of fate. She had no choice but to let go of those thoughts. To her surprise, once she arrived in Guangzhou, she was constantly busy. A month earlier, a storm had caused leaks in several rooms in the back courtyard, and they had to move things around. Just as things seemed to have settled, she suddenly felt nauseous and vomited that morning. After a doctor checked her pulse, he announced that she was pregnant!

Her small room was now packed with people, filled with congratulations. Since she had been well-liked even when managing affairs for the previous matriarch, she still often returned to live here after marrying into the British duke’s family. Everyone respected and loved her. Thinking of how the maids had laughed and jumped for joy upon hearing the news and then rushed to spread the word everywhere, she couldn’t help but blush.

“Sister Lingxi, are you really pregnant?”

Qiu Hen rushed in, pulling Amber with her. As soon as she spoke, she saw four or five more maids around, so she quickly changed her noisy demeanor, sat down by the bed, took Lingxi’s hand, and smiled. “I knew it! You’ve been feeling tired these days—so that’s why. The young mistress went to visit Lady Xiang. When she returns and hears the news, she’ll be overjoyed! Ah, I’m such an idiot—Peng Da Ge must be the happiest…”

Qiu Hen became speechless as she spoke. Amber glanced at her and saw envy in her eyes. She smiled slightly and said to Lingxi, “It’s hot here. You need to take good care of yourself and rest. I’ve already told Sister Li to pay extra attention to your diet. Thankfully, the hottest time has passed, so things will get better from now on. Leave all the matters in the back courtyard to Mother Cui. You should really rest. All these years, you’ve only been busy—now’s the time to enjoy some peace.”

Just as she finished speaking, voices came from outside. Amber recognized them as Zhang Yue and Peng Shisan talking. She quickly gave the maids a signal, stood up with Qiu Hen, and smiled at Lingxi. “The real owners have arrived. We shouldn’t disturb you any longer. We’ll leave through the back. We’ll come back to see you later.”

A group of young lovers left through the back door behind the sheer curtains, and Zheng’er, the maid in the Lingxi Room, went to the door to lift the curtains. Peng Shisan rushed in without a word, but Zhang Yue waved at Zheng’er, instructing her to take good care of him. He simply stood by the door, glancing at the burly man who was nervously holding someone and asking various questions. Then he smiled and said to his father, Zhang Zhuo, who happened to be at the courtyard gate, “This time, Old Peng is also about to become a father. Another child is joining our family. Although I entrusted my sixth brother to him earlier, Jingguan is already quite grown up. In another year or two, I plan to have him practice martial arts to strengthen his body.”

Zhang Zhuo knew well how weak Zhang Yue had been in his childhood, so he nodded after a brief pause. Children these days often died young, and it was no small feat that he had managed to keep all three of his children alive. Moreover, since Zhang Yue had only one legitimate son, he naturally had to take extra care of him. The father and son walked together to the back, where they saw Lady Sun standing in the courtyard with several maids, while Jingguan was holding his sister’s hand and walking around. As soon as they saw them, the two children turned around and rushed over clumsily.

“Grandfather, Father!”

Jingguan was a bit older now and could speak clearly, while San San only managed to call out in a mumbled voice. Overjoyed, Zhang Zhuo picked up his granddaughter and stroked Jingguan’s round head, then said to Zhang Yue with a smile, “This child isn’t like you when you were young. He’s strong from an early age and rarely gets sick. Look at his arms and legs. If nurtured properly, our family might even produce a talent who excels in both literature and martial arts. People say you’re good at both, but in reality, your success in martial arts has more to do with luck.”

“A talent in both literature and martial arts is one thing, but I just hope he won’t become a dissolute young man who ruins our family’s reputation. I hope he can live a safe and happy life… Father, don’t scowl at me. I’m telling the truth!”

Seeing Zhang Yue stammering in defense, Zhang Zhuo grew serious and scolded him, “They say a loving mother often spoils her child, and it seems you, as a loving father, are no different. It’s difficult to build up a family’s foundation, but even harder to maintain it. If you lack the necessary skills, others will covet it and even try to seize it. If you have no power or status, what can you use to defend it? I know no family can remain prosperous forever, but I also don’t want our descendants to end up with nothing after just a few generations.”

After carefully pondering his father’s words, Zhang Yue realized he was embodying the typical mindset of a modern person toward a son—desiring to do everything possible to resolve all crises and ensure the child could grow up without worries. That was why he was so hardworking, hoping to use his knowledge to lift trade restrictions, pacify Mongolia, and suppress pirates, so that future generations could thrive in a truly peaceful era. Looking back, this approach might not have been wrong, but he had been somewhat indulgent with his child.

“Son, I understand what Father means.”

Standing by, Lady Sun was shocked to see Zhang Zhuo suddenly adopt his father’s tone to scold his son, with Zhang Yue bowing his head in submission. She hurried over and rebuked Zhang Zhuo, saying, “It’s rare for Yue to find time to visit the children. Why do you have to look so gloomy? Look, the kids are too scared to speak!”

As she spoke, she snatched San San from Zhang Zhuo’s arms, gently pinched her cheeks, coaxed her a bit, then set her down, asking Jingguan to take her sister to play. Just as she was about to say more about the good news, Hongluan led Zhang Fu into the yard. Though she had grown used to it by now, she still felt uneasy sometimes when speaking to Zhang Zhuo, so she merely gave a brief reply as the mother and son came forward to greet her.

Zhang Yue had seen his parents infrequently and was naturally not familiar with this half-brother. After addressing her as aunt, he saw Zhang Fu approach naively, call him “Third Brother,” and then stand silently beside him. He observed him closely—confirming that he was indeed sturdy, with a broad face and thick lips, and features more similar to Hongluan’s. He asked a few more questions. Since Zhang Fu answered only what was asked without extra words, he stopped talking and merely mentioned to Hongluan the matters he had discussed with his father earlier.

Hearing this, Hongluan was overjoyed. Abandoning her usual reticence, she quickly said, “It’s fortunate that Master and the Third Young Master thought of everything so thoroughly. It’s also a blessing for Brother Fu to receive instruction in martial arts from Master Peng.”

“Let him learn martial arts first. As for studies, the two children with Yue, along with Xiao Fang, are all well-versed in learning. We can have them teach him to read and write. Later on, we can look for a good tutor or ask the officials in the Bureau of Administration for recommendations, so he can formally study classics and history. Diligence is important, but talent in both studies and martial arts is equally crucial. We shouldn’t push him too hard. For someone from our family, it’s best to find the right path for him.”

Zhang Zhuo said that Zhang Yue was good at teaching others, but since he had just given Zhang Yue some instructions, and as the father present, it would not be right for his son to take over his duties, so he said those words. Seeing Hong Luan nod in agreement repeatedly, he looked up at the sky and sent someone to check the water clock, only to find that it was already three o’clock in the Shen hour. He immediately turned to Zhang Yue and said, “I need to go see a few people; I’ll probably return late at night. Take care of your mother and go to bed first—there’s no need to wait for me.”

The practice of using labor as relief has always been regarded as one of the greatest acts of kindness after disasters. After all, it not only provides food for the victims but also solves the problem of finding laborers. These days, the imperial examination hall in Guangzhou City is under major renovation, and all the workers used are strong men from the affected counties under Guangzhou Prefecture’s jurisdiction. Each worker is paid 1,200 wen per month. The costs for over a hundred people, along with materials like wood, bricks, and tiles, are all covered by several merchants such as Wuyue Merchant Company and Chuji Merchant Firm. Fang Jing and Li Guoxiu Rui Yixiang, who were handling this task for the first time, were responsible for overseeing the accounts. They also frequently visited the construction site, and within a few days, their fair faces turned dark red.

Finally managing to steal a day off, Fang Jing, who had something on his mind, handed over all his tasks to Li Guoxiu and Rui Yixiang, who were younger than him, and went to his brother Fang Rui’s residence. As soon as he entered the courtyard, he saw Fang Rui and Xi Er arguing. Upon seeing him arrive, Xi Er quickly ran inside, while Fang Rui greeted him with a smile.

“Lord Zhang really knows how to assign tasks—just look at you! Your face has darkened so much in just a few days!”

“A real man shouldn’t mind getting a little darker!” Fang Jing followed Fang Rui into the house, gulped down a lot of water, and then smiled. “I used to only know how to study the classics, but I didn’t realize there are so many complexities involved in actual work. If it weren’t for them sending a very shrewd accountant, I would have been deceived several times! Now I realize that building an imperial examination hall involves so many intricacies—building bridges, cities, palaces, and so on—where one could easily be exploited if not careful.”

“That’s not just carelessness. Since ancient times, construction projects have been the best for making profits. Those in power only care about the amount of money involved, while those in between know full well the corruption involved. Once they’ve taken their cut, they certainly won’t bother with what happens below. As for those below, no matter what methods you use, you can’t guarantee cleanliness. You think Lord Zhang is honest because he comes from a wealthy family and doesn’t care about such trivial matters, so he can serve the people with integrity. But for someone without any background, it’s easy to remain honest, but hard to truly serve the people. Without significant influence or backing, relying solely on harsh methods is just asking for trouble!”
Fang Rui spoke passionately, unable to suppress his anger. Only after finishing did he realize he was talking to his own younger brother, and he felt some regret. Just as he was about to change the subject to make amends, he saw Fang Jing nodding thoughtfully.
“Xiao Li and Li Rui have identified a few suspicious projects, with discrepancies of about ten or so guan. When we brought it up to that fat Chu, he praised us for being thorough but didn’t take any action against the two people responsible for purchasing the wood. When I mentioned this to Third Brother Zhang, he simply said that one should neither be careless nor overly meticulous, and advised me that if I ever became an official on my own, I should be lenient in small matters but thorough in big ones, and not be too strict with subordinates. I never expected even you, Eldest Brother, to say the same thing…”
Although it was his own brother, Fang Rui had left him at another family’s place for eight years and knew he hadn’t fulfilled his role as an elder brother. He felt guilty, especially now hearing such words. Though he had given some advice earlier, it turned out to be just venting his emotions, far less thorough than Zhang Yue’s guidance. Looking at his brother, who was now almost as tall as him, he couldn’t help but sigh deeply: “Eldest Brother will have to travel abroad often in the future. If you have any problems, just follow Lord Zhang’s advice.”
Fang Jing, who was fanning himself vigorously, stopped immediately upon hearing this. He widened his eyes and asked, “Eldest Brother, are you planning to travel abroad often? Your matters have already been put on hold. If you really want to do business, it would be better to stay in Guangzhou and work as a merchant there.”
“Uncle Liu is old and has trouble walking, so it’s not convenient for him to go abroad again after this trip. Besides, Uncle Liu is very interested in farming, and dealing with foreigners is too difficult for him. The weather in Guangzhou is suitable for him to recover his health. With him here to take care of things, and since I’m young, it’s not a bad idea for me to travel more. Moreover, even though the matters have been put on hold, what if someone brings them up again? It’s better to stay far away from here to avoid causing you trouble.”

Though reluctant, Fang Jing thought it over carefully and had to admit that his brother’s words made sense. But then, suddenly, he remembered seeing Fang Rui arguing with Xi Er as he entered, and his expression turned extremely strange. He couldn’t help asking, “Elder brother, you were arguing with Miss Xi Er just now—does she also not want you to leave?”

Fang Rui, who was drinking water, nearly choked on those sudden words. After finally swallowing the water stuck in his throat, he glared and snapped, “Nonsense! She is she, and I am me! I’m the manager hired by Uncle Liu, while she’s Uncle Liu’s adopted daughter. It was just a discussion about some accounting matters—there was no arguing at all!”

Though his words sounded convincing, Fang Jing could see his expression was highly unnatural and knew exactly what was going on. He couldn’t help but chuckle inwardly. Since he was already there, he went to check on Liu Da, who was busy tending to rice, fruits, and other crops in the backyard. He stayed for dinner and didn’t leave until the moon rose high in the sky.

However, as soon as he entered the back office of the Provincial Administration, he first heard good news from Peng Shisan. Before he could rejoice, Zhang Yue called him over. Seeing Li Guoxiu and Rui Yixiang there, he thought it was about overseeing the repairs to the imperial examination hall. But instead, Zhang Yue simply handed him a stack of documents.

“The work on the imperial examination hall is almost done. Since you’re familiar with those matters, you don’t need to go there every day. Starting tomorrow, along with the clerks from the Provincial Administration’s criminal division, study these documents carefully. Governing mainly involves criminal law and finance. Since you already understand finance, you’ll quickly get the hang of criminal law too. Once you’re familiar with these, there will be tasks for you right away.”

Seeing Fang Jing’s troubled expression, Zhang Yue sighed inwardly. It was easy to give a few reminders usually, but actually cultivating a capable person was truly exhausting. Now he could understand Du Zhen’s feelings back then.