Chapter 283: The Ancestor’s Marriage Request

Though he had returned from his journey exhausted, Zhang Yue still headed straight to the main house in the northern courtyard to see Lady Gu. The servants had already informed her of his return. As he passed through the three halls at the front of the northern courtyard and stepped into the yard, a maid lifted the curtain and loudly announced, “The third young master has returned!”

He hurried in and saw Lady Gu and Lady Qiu sitting on the large kang in the center. He quickly knelt down in reverence. Usually, when they were together, a single bow was sufficient as a greeting, but after being apart for a month, he bowed four times. Before he could get up, he heard Lady Gu say, “It’s good that your teacher’s wife is here too; bow to her as well.”

Seeing Zhang Yue bow deeply to her again, Lady Qiu helped him up after just one bow. He wore a black silk headband, a light blue robe with small floral patterns, a sash tied around his waist, blue socks, and black boots. He looked darker and thinner than when they last parted. Thinking of how much he had gone through at such a young age, she felt deeply moved and finally managed to say, “Yuanjie, it’s good that you’re back.”

To Lady Gu, these simple words carried deeper meaning. After examining Zhang Yue from head to toe, she said, “Construction is going on everywhere in Beijing these days, and the weather is hot. You’re covered in dirt and sweat. You have half an hour to go back to your room to wash up and change. Lunch will be served in the garden later.”

As Zhang Yue smiled and agreed before heading out, just as the curtain fell, Lady Gu suddenly remembered something and quickly instructed Bai Fang, “Prepare a box of snacks for Young Master Yue to take back. He’s been traveling back and forth all morning; his breakfast must have long run out. Also, check what new snacks the kitchen has prepared and bring a few to the main house so Lady Gu and Lady Du can stave off hunger for now. Send the rest to the first and second ladies, and see where Miss Wan has sent them through Chao’s wife and Maid Yi—give them some too, so as not to let others laugh at the Zhang family for starving their guests!”

The maids in the room all laughed immediately, and even Lady Qiu said with a smile, “The old lady plans everything meticulously; no detail is overlooked. No wonder the whole household is so orderly.”

“It can’t be said to be strictly orderly. After she returned, she mentioned to me the state of the Du family’s household—that’s what truly shows excellent management and order throughout.” Lady Gu turned to look at Lady Qiu, smiled, then sighed. “Our family is large, with many masters and servants; it’s inevitable that there are areas that aren’t thoroughly taken care of. People say kind words in front of me, but behind my back, there are those who claim I, an old woman, am biased.”

As soon as Zhang Yue returned to the western courtyard, he didn’t even have time to exchange a few words with Hu Bo and Qiu Hen who came to greet him before Bai Fang rushed after him. Seeing her hand over a lacquered box carved with a six-petaled lotus, he was momentarily stunned before realizing his grandmother’s thoughtfulness. Immediately, his stomach growled insistently. Too lazy to pay attention to Qiu Hen snickering nearby, he lifted the lid, took out two melon seed cakes to satisfy his hunger, and placed the box on the kang table, instructing Hu Bo and Qiu Hen to help themselves. Learning that Ling Xi had already prepared hot water for a bath in the eastern side room, he quickly pulled back the curtain and went there.

Ever since she heard that Zhang Yue had returned, Ling Xi had ordered hot water to be prepared. Now, she poured the entire last copper kettle of hot water into the wooden tub, tested the temperature, and added a bag of vanilla. When she saw Zhang Yue enter, she got up and said with a smile, “The water temperature is just right now. I’ll go prepare some clothes for you.”

Zhang Yue nodded. After Ling Xi stepped out through the curtain, he quickly undressed and stepped into the bathtub. Although he had taken a good hot bath at Xuanwu Post Station earlier, today’s back-and-forth errands—kneeling before the emperor in the cool hall, being sent by the emperor to deliver documents to the cabinet, and facing countless looks, some kind and some not—had left him drenched in sweat. After washing up and drying himself, and having Hu Bo and Qiu Hen change him into clean clothes, he finally felt refreshed. Seeing it was getting late, he hurriedly left with the three maids.

The Zhang family’s residence used to be the old home of Marquis Jing’an Wang Zhong. Wang Zhong died in battle to the north with Duke Qi Qiu Fu in the seventh year of the Yongle era. Having no sons and being a general of a defeated army, although Zhu Di did not take away Wang Zhong’s title, he also refused to allow his collateral descendants to inherit it. Thus, the marquisial residence in Nanjing was given to someone else, while this house was bought at a low price by Zhang Fu. After Wang Zhong was granted the title of Marquis Jing’an, the house was greatly renovated. After the Zhang family moved in, more construction work was done, and now it naturally featured a spacious courtyard, displaying the grandeur of a luxury residence.

After all, Beijing is not like the water towns in the south of the Yangtze River. Although there are places like Shichahai and Jishuitan, most areas only have shallow puddles. The wealthy could only dig lotus ponds by themselves or go to great lengths to bring in fresh water. The Tongbi Pond in the Zhang family’s back garden was designed by skilled craftsmen so that water would flow in it throughout the four seasons. Thus, though it was still still water, it fulfilled the saying that “moving water never stinks.” The banquet for today was held in a pavilion adjacent to Tongbi Pond, with carved lacquer tables and rosewood chairs everywhere, and the food and drinks had already been served.

When Zhang Yue arrived, he saw that everyone else had already taken their seats. He quickly apologized before sitting down. With a glance, he saw Mrs. Gu and Mrs. Qiu sitting in the two upper seats, the Fengs and the Dongfangs on the east side, Du Wan sitting first on the west side, and an empty seat presumably reserved for him, followed by Zhang Jiu and Zhang Yi. Li Yun, as the eldest daughter-in-law, stood nearby with several maids, occasionally placing dishes and utensils in front of Mrs. Gu and Mrs. Qiu.

Although it was customary to avoid talking while eating and sleeping, since the banquet was held in the garden, everyone naturally didn’t stay silent. They couldn’t help but chat and joke around. As Mrs. Qiu vividly described the scenery and customs of the water towns in the south, everyone listened intently. When it was the Dongfangs’ turn, she tried to please them by saying, “I’ve only been to Kaifeng and Beijing in my life and haven’t seen much of the outside world. Let me tell you a joke about rich people showing off their wealth.”

“There was once a merchant and a landowner. The merchant had vast wealth and made huge profits every day, while the landowner owned thousands of acres of farmland and numerous servants. Normally, neither of them would admit defeat to the other. One day, they agreed to compete in showing off their wealth and invited a poor scholar to calculate their assets and properties. In the end, their wealth was almost equal, so they decided to record the amounts for that day and see who would have more wealth after a year. When they met again at the same time the following year, the merchant first looked gloomy, saying that he had suffered losses in business that year and had lost about 70-80% of his wealth. The landowner also looked dejected, saying that the Yellow River floods had ruined his fields, leaving him with no harvest. They waited for the scholar who had acted as witness, but he never showed up. When they finally went to look for him, they found that his shabby house had turned into a large three-story mansion. Upon inquiry, they learned that the scholar had now become a successful imperial examiner.”

Seeing everyone around her smiling, she laughed again and said, “When the merchant and the landowner saw this scene, they were both stunned. Happily, the once poor scholar who had now become an official happened to be out. Seeing their dejected looks, he said, ‘In books, there are houses of gold; in books, there is plenty of grain; in books, there are beautiful women.’ No matter how much wealth or land one has, nothing compares to knowledge.”
Mrs. Gu also came from a scholarly family. Hearing Dongfang’s indirect praise of the benefits of studying, she couldn’t help but smile slightly. Glancing at Zhang Yue, she noticed he seemed unconvinced, so she turned to look at Mrs. Qiu and indeed saw her frown slightly. Realizing that Dongfang hadn’t read much and probably only remembered phrases like “in books, there are houses of gold,” she sighed inwardly and merely responded to Dongfang in a bland manner.
After the meal, Mrs. Gu immediately sent away her two daughters-in-law, Feng and Dongfang, along with her granddaughter Zhang Yi. She kept only Zhang Yue and Zhang Jiu by her side to support her, and invited Mrs. Qiu and Du Wan to stroll in the garden. Although it was already late, since the host had invited them, Mrs. Qiu couldn’t refuse and agreed with a smile.
As they passed through a osmanthus grove, Mrs. Gu suddenly turned to Mrs. Qiu and said, “Madam Du, Brother Yue is very fortunate to have such an excellent teacher like Lord Du to guide him, which is why he has achieved so much. Now that he’s grown up, with his two brothers and one sister already married, it’s time for him to settle down. I think Miss Wan has a kind personality and would be a good match for him. So, I dare to propose this marriage to you. What do you think?”
Whether it was the Meng family or the Du family, those discussions about marriage were merely attempts to gauge reactions, with no real commitments made—just mutual understanding. Now that Mrs. Gu had broken through that thin veil of pretense, not only was Mrs. Qiu stunned, but Zhang Yue too was shocked. Zhang Jiu, who was holding his grandmother’s left hand, curiously glanced at Du Wan, noticing her flushed face, and took a closer look.
Was this the future sister-in-law?
Ever since she learned that Du Zhen had a student, Mrs. Qiu had inquired about Zhang Yue’s character from Mingdi and Moyu. After meeting him a few times, she began to consider marriage. Now that Mrs. Gu had brought it up, she felt as if a heavy burden had been lifted from her heart. After pondering for a moment, she said directly, “What the old lady has suggested is exactly what I wanted to propose. However, since the master is currently in prison, I’m afraid marrying now might delay his prospects for the New Year festival.”

“That’s not what was said.” Lady Gu turned her head to look at Zhang Yue; seeing his expression shift constantly, as if he wasn’t just happy, she couldn’t help but feel a hint of sigh. She stopped and faced Lady Qiu, then said earnestly, “The Du family is of scholarly origin. Lord Du is of noble character and profound knowledge. If we really compare, our family is not good enough to match them. For now, I only ask Lady Du whether she is willing. If so, we can first exchange marriage contracts, and later have Brother Yue try to petition the emperor. Since he is Lord Du’s student, if he can truly persuade the emperor to release Lord Du, wouldn’t that bring double joy?”
Lady Qiu was stunned by such words from this elderly lady of the Zhang family. After being silent for a long time, she finally nodded and said, “If that’s how it is, we’ll follow the old lady’s wishes.”
Hearing that everything had been decided through the words of Lady Gu and Lady Qiu, Du Wan couldn’t help but look at Zhang Yue. She saw his resolute gaze directed at her, and as their eyes met, her heart became utterly chaotic.