Chapter 925: Returning Home in Splendor

A single “Riverside Scene at Qingming Festival” painting and ten volumes of “The Splendor of Dongjing” cannot fully convey the prosperity and wealth of Kaifeng during the Song Dynasty. Once perhaps the most famous city in the world, surpassing even Chang’an in the Han and Tang dynasties, it is now merely the administrative seat of Henan Province, just an ordinary prefecture city within the territory of the Ming Dynasty.

After nightfall, the city is enveloped in darkness. The shops remain open all night, and the sight of locals dining out instead of cooking at home is long gone. Even the local Kaifeng dialect has been replaced by the dialects from the northern and southern capitals. Locals can tell whether someone is noble or wealthy simply by listening to their speech and observing their clothing.

During the Song Dynasty, Kaifeng had twelve gates in its outer city and ten in its inner city. By the end of the Yuan Dynasty, to prevent rebels from entering the palace, five of the ten inner city gates were sealed. This layout has persisted to this day: there are Song Gate and Cao Gate on the east wall, while only one gate remains each on the north, south, and west sides. Liang Gate on the west used to be open alongside Zheng Gate, but Zheng Gate has been closed for a hundred years now. With only Liang Gate remaining open to the west, it appears rather lonely. These years have seen peaceful times, with only occasional floods from the Yellow River. Since it is not the rainy season now, the guards are usually rather lazy, but today they are all full of energy.

The reason is simple: today, all the officials from the Henan Provincial Administration, the Henan Military Command, and the Henan Provincial Surveillance Office have gathered here. Who would dare to be lazy? Although the weather is extremely cold, the officials stand waiting in their official boots and uniforms, not one of them going into the buildings near the city gate to shelter from the wind. Even when nobles from the Zhou royal family come out, it is not this grand. Thus, the few guards on duty peek out of the buildings before pulling their heads back in.

“Tsk tsk, Luo Fantai from the Provincial Administration, Qin Dushuai from the Military Command, and Fang Nietai from the Surveillance Office—these three are already remarkable when just one of them shows up. Now all three are here at once! Lord Zhang really has great prestige!”

“What Lord Zhang? That title should have been dropped long ago. What are those three compared to him? Even in the capital, where so many powerful people gather, just one word from Lord Zhang can shake the ground! Can’t you see? The Gu family members dare to mix in among the officials welcoming them, only because they know Lord Zhang is returning home to pay respects at his ancestral graves.”

“Don’t even look at their own status. The Gu family has received plenty of support over the years. The eldest son of the Gu family even extorted a lot of land from them when he went to the capital. Yet now, they still decline. As for the seventh son of the Gu family, he is indeed capable, but he is just an educational official and upright as well. If any clan member tries to use his name for fraud, he will immediately report them to the authorities, even if they are in another place. That’s how the Gu family’s path was truly cut off. It now depends on how Lord Zhang treats them this time.”

Gu Lin, the eldest grandson of the Gu family, stood behind a crowd of officials in bright official robes, wrapped in an old sheepskin coat, shivering from the cold. Eventually, he couldn’t hold back any longer and sneezed. Seeing the county magistrate of Xiangfu County turn around at him irritably, he immediately shrunk back, suppressing the urge to stamp his feet to warm himself, cursing inwardly that Zhang Yue was arriving so late.

It was unclear how much time passed before someone ahead finally shouted, “They’re here! They’re here!”

Instantly, the crowd, which had been whispering, fell silent. Gu Lin, being in the back row, strained to see what was ahead but couldn’t make out anything. Anxiously, he noticed that all the casual onlookers around him had already been cleared away, and even the county magistrates and officials in the government office could no longer be easily manipulated by the Gu family.

This situation had started a few years ago. For some reason, the government offices, which had previously shown some leniency toward the Gu family due to their kinship with the Zhang family, suddenly became strict with them. Their sons who misbehaved were beaten immediately; those who abused men, women, or commoners were promptly dealt with. As for other offenses, there was no need to say more. As the Gu family’s wealth gradually declined, their 400 mu of dry land and 200 mu of sloping land were sold within a couple of years due to exhaustion. Their situation was now worse than before.

Since Zhang Yue was back, he should at least support the Gu family, right?

Just as Gu Lin stretched his neck desperately, the crowd ahead parted. After a moment of shock, he hurriedly stepped aside. Peering forward, he saw the chief officials of the local government office surrounding a young official as they walked over. The official wasn’t wearing official robes but a blue brocade robe, smiling as he greeted the officials lining the road politely. It was clearly Zhang Yue, whom he had seen before. Realizing this, he rushed forward, but was blocked by several officials from the government office with their shoulders. In desperation, he shouted, “Cousin Yue!” and someone ahead turned around.

“Do you understand the rules? At noon, Lord Luo, General Qin, and Governor Fang are having a banquet with Lord Zhang. What’s the point of you, a poor relative, barging in? Even if Lord Zhang acknowledges you, once he leaves, those three officials will think you’ve ruined everything, and your family will suffer the consequences!”
A dozen years ago, Gu Lin would never have tolerated such threats, but now he had to hold back his anger, nodding and smiling while agreeing. He watched helplessly as Zhang Yue got back into the carriage and left along the main street, surrounded by many officials’ carriages. He wanted to follow to see if there was a chance, but after much consideration, he gave up on the idea.
Rather than joining the crowd now, it was better to go to the Zhang family’s ancestral home and wait for opportunities!
Ever since he returned to his hometown to bury the Gu family in the Zhang ancestral tomb, Zhang Yue had never returned to Kaifeng. Now, after nearly a decade away, he found that Kaifeng hadn’t changed much from his memory. The houses along the street were still as they were before; some wealthy families had repaired them, while the poorer ones looked even more dilapidated. Several new restaurants had opened, but many of those that were once famous had disappeared. The main street running north-south remained the same—smooth from the yellow earth, with shops on both sides, yet few people around.
So, when he sat down at the restaurant and was forced to take the seat of honor, Zhang Yue joked, “I’m just on leave to pay respects, not on official business. Your street is a bit too empty.”
After all the positions of minister and vice-minister in the six ministries were filled, the provincial governors who had once held hopes gradually gave up, realizing they could only become high-ranking officials in their own regions. Thus, the provincial governor didn’t expect to rise in rank by flattering Zhang Yue. But since Kaifeng was located near the Yellow River and prone to floods, it required a lot of money for taxes and disaster relief, so they had to maintain good relations with the god of wealth. As for the two military commanders and the inspector, they were different—the military commanders always hoped to be transferred to higher positions, while the inspector wanted to get into the capital’s inspection agency, so they flattered them even more eagerly.
“Lord Zhang is a high-ranking official of the emperor. Since he’s on an imperial leave to return home for ancestral rites, it’s our duty to ensure his safety. If some scoundrels disturb him, wouldn’t that be a crime?”

Seeing that it was the inspector who replied, Zhang Yue smiled slightly and chose to avoid the topic. Since he had sent trusted family members ahead to inform them before his arrival, prepared a menu of his favorite hometown dishes, and had everything ready along the way, the meal, though filled with rare delicacies, wasn’t entirely outrageous. As the wine flowed, officials from various departments, including the imperial court, local government offices, and the Jinyiwei, came to offer toasts. After declining for a while, he ended up drinking only three cups. It wasn’t until he returned to the Zhang family’s ancestral home after these social obligations that he learned Du Wan, who had brought Hu Bo Qiu Hen and the children back, had already received several groups of official wives.

That wasn’t all—while the servant was reporting, another person rushed out from inside the gatehouse. Smiling broadly, this person stepped forward and bowed, calling out, “Cousin Yue.” Zhang Yue frowned as he watched this man in a sheepskin coat, who seemed several years older than him, bowing before him. It wasn’t until the man introduced himself with a beaming smile that Zhang Yue understood.

It was Gu Lin? The last time he had come to visit, he at least dressed decently, but now he was in such a sorry state. It seemed the news sent from Kaifeng earlier was true—the Gu family had indeed fallen apart due to disputes over inheritance, leaving them penniless one after another! Glancing at Gu Lin, Zhang Yue said indifferently, “So it’s my eldest cousin.”

“Cousin Yue, hearing that you’ve returned, my father and the clan members are very happy. We’ve prepared something special for you…”

“Please forgive me, eldest cousin. I’ve come here on official orders to conduct a memorial ceremony. Time is limited, and I plan to stay at the ancestral gravesite for three days. So I’m afraid I won’t have time to visit around. After all, there are many affairs in the court.” As if unaware of Gu Lin’s stunned expression, Zhang Yue asked casually, “By the way, you visited the capital a few years ago. I remember helping the Gu family with 400 mu of dry land and 200 mu of sloping land. I wonder how things are now?”

Gu Lin didn’t expect Zhang Yue to directly ask about those lands right away. He stammered, trying to explain, but couldn’t come up with a good reason after a while. In the end, he pretended to beat his chest and sigh, “Cousin Yue, to be honest, neither my father nor I are good at managing finances. At first, we rented the land to others to farm, but the tenants were dishonest and often defaulted on rent. When we took them to the county and city courts, neither the magistrate nor the governor paid any attention. In the end, the land was taken away by a dishonest merchant. I… I’m sorry to you!”

Seeing Gu Lin acting so well there, Zhang Yue felt even more disgust. Just such a century-old family that was once on par with the Zhang family had fallen into such a ruined state simply because three generations of useless descendants emerged. No wonder people say it’s better to raise a good descendant than to possess vast wealth. Thus, he stood there quietly until Gu Lin finished speaking, after which he sneered.

“Did the unscrupulous merchants take away your fields?” Zhang Yue waved gently behind him, and Xiao Qing immediately ran over, handing him two items. He took them, glanced at them briefly, then switched to holding them in his right hand. “I heard from the people down there that someone in the Gu family owed a huge gambling debt, so they took the land deed to a pawnshop. Since the pawnshop saw it had originally been transferred by the Zhang family, they informed us here. It took a long time to get it back. How does this differ from what your cousin said?”

Gu Lin relied on the fact that the Zhang and Gu families used to be related by marriage, and that Zhang Yue had been very kind to him back then, giving him the fields readily. He thought Zhang Yue would surely show some favoritism to relatives, but instead, Zhang Yue said such things right away. Looking at the land deed, he felt his scalp tingle and didn’t even know what to say.

“Back when the old lady was still alive, she instructed the family not to have much contact with the Gu family. Do you know why?” Zhang Yue stared into Gu Lin’s eyes. Seeing him avoid his gaze awkwardly, he said slowly, “The old lady came from the Gu family. If she hadn’t truly lost all hope, would she have said such things? The letters she left for you all were filled with earnest concerns and instructions, yet you all ignored them. Only now, when things got tough, do you think of bringing this to the capital for help! How glorious the Gu family used to be, yet now they have to pawn their land—this has become a laughingstock in Kaifeng!”

Seeing Zhang Yue sneer and fold up the land deed to go inside, Gu Lin finally couldn’t hold back and rushed forward to stop him. But just as he was about to say something else, several guards from behind surrounded him, staring at him with unfriendly expressions. Fearing for his life, he stepped aside. Yet as Zhang Yue entered, he mustered up his last bit of courage and shouted, “Cousin Yue, even though the Gu family is worthless now, you should at least consider the old lady’s sake…”

“If it weren’t for the old lady, do you think those cases involving the Gu family could have been resolved so easily?” Zhang Yue suddenly turned and glared coldly at the disheartened Gu Lin. “If it weren’t for the old lady, I wouldn’t have helped your family with those fields! Go back and tell your father that I have my own plans regarding those gambling debts. But if he dares to gamble again, given all the mess in your family, what crime can he be charged with as the head of the household? And as for you, too poor to make ends meet yet able to afford concubines—if there were anyone in your family as accomplished as Young Seventh Brother, you wouldn’t need to cry ‘for the old lady’s sake’ in front of me!”
Watching the coachman drive into the corner gate and the other attendants and guards enter their own gates, Gu Lin stood alone in the empty alley, feeling as if he weren’t wearing his sheepskin coat at all—utterly chilled to the bone. After a long while, he finally moved forward with a gloomy expression, but after taking a few steps, he turned back. To his disappointment, the gate had already been tightly closed, with no one coming out to stay with him.
As he walked, Zhang Yue’s words came back to his mind naturally. Disturbed, he clutched his head and rushed forward a few steps before suddenly stopping.
The decline of the Gu family was simply because no one in it held official positions. Gu Bin, in particular, was extremely proud and refused to let his family exploit his title. Meanwhile, the authorities in Kaifeng seemed to have received some information and were particularly strict with the Gu family. If only there were a few more like Gu Bin who could hold official positions, things wouldn’t be like this…
Gu Lin sighed dejectedly. After leaving the alley and joining the young servant who was shivering from the cold at the street corner, he slumped his head and headed home, completely unaware that several young men from other branches of the Gu family were being led over and turning into the alley in front of the Zhang family’s old house.