Chapter 361: Neither Family Matters nor State Affairs Bring Peace of Mind

Half a year is but a fleeting moment for those who are thriving, yet an eternity for those living in constant fear. For most people, it’s just another ordinary year—winters pass, summers come, and then August’s golden autumn arrives. In Beijing, a minor earthquake occurred in June, but everything has now returned to normal. The city walls continue to be built, wealthy families are relocated as planned, and the government has even constructed pavilions in various parts of the city, renting them out to the common people.

In the main room of the Zhang family’s northern courtyard, Lady Dongfang smiled broadly as she praised this act of kindness: “The emperor has brought wealthy families from across the country to settle in Beijing, so of course they need places to live. I heard that the large rooms in these pavilions are located near Xuanwu Gate and the Bell and Drum Towers. The rent for each room is 45 guan in gold coins per quarter, or 90 wen—much cheaper than buying property. Recently, our family has grown larger, and we’ve hired more servants than before. I heard there are also many such large rooms nearby, so I plan to rent ten or eight of them to make our home more spacious.”

Lady Gu was now nearly seventy years old, a truly remarkable lifespan. Yet even so, her eyesight and hearing had declined significantly. Most days, she could only walk a few steps in the courtyard with Bai Fang’s help, rarely leaving the house. In her free time, she would simply hold her great-grandchildren. Hearing Lady Dongfang discuss household affairs, she lazily frowned before saying indifferently, “Since you’re in charge now, do as you think is appropriate.”

“If that’s what the old lady says, I’ll send someone to the treasury to pay for the rent.”

With a smile, Lady Dongfang prepared to stand up and leave when suddenly the thick yellow-brown curtain at the door moved, and two people entered—one after the other. It was her two daughters-in-law. Zhao Fen, dressed in a glittering gold-colored gown, looked very proud, while Li Yun wore a lotus-pink dress and appeared uneasy. After entering, Li Yun first bowed to the elders, but Zhao Fen stepped forward straight and knelt before Lady Gu.

“Old Madam, you must do me justice!” Before Lady Gu could speak, Zhao Fen kowtowed three times heavily before finally straightening up. Her neatly styled hair became somewhat disheveled. “I’ve always followed the rules and etiquette since I entered this household. Who would have thought there would still be people who dislike me! The four maids in my room were given to me by my aunt when I was young and have served me for many years. I’ve never treated them harshly. Why now suddenly cut their expenses? And those four ladies in my courtyard—two are my wet nurses, and the other two were once servants of my mother. Why must they be asked to move out?”
Lady Gu had initially thought there was some issue between Zhang Qi and Zhao Fen as a young couple. Hearing this, she was shocked and couldn’t help but glance at Lady Dongfang. She was annoyed by the second daughter-in-law’s petty behavior and also disgusted that Zhao Fen had revealed matters openly without considering the dignity of her elders. Yet just as she took a deep breath to scold her, Zhao Fen turned and pulled Li Yun over as well, delivering even more harsh words.
“Old Madam, it’s my duty to serve my elders. But ask my elder sister-in-law—how is her life? She’s the daughter of a noble family here, far more noble in status than me, and as the eldest daughter-in-law, you even had her learn how to manage the household. Yet she can’t get involved in any major matters, let alone oversee expenses. Even though she generously gave her personal maid to her husband, and that maid gave birth to their first grandson, she was still treated dismissively. When I first came here, just three months later, my wife rushed to bring more people into the house, implying that refusing would mean I wasn’t virtuous. Now she even wants to take away my people one by one!”
Due to the previous setbacks with Li Yun over the Linglong matter, Lady Dongfang had forgotten those rumors after seeing that Zhao Fen hadn’t shown any fierce or aggressive nature since entering the household. She gradually began to assert her authority as the mother-in-law. She never expected that this second daughter-in-law, who had seemed to be retreating step by step, would suddenly show such sharp teeth. She was so angry that her face turned pale and blue, unable to find words to retort for a moment.
“Enough!”

Ever since she heard from Zhang Yue that Zhang You was likely to be made an earl upon his return, and considering the current situation of her eldest son Zhang Xin, Lady Gu realized that the eldest branch of the family had no chance left to compete for anything. So she had long instructed Lady Feng to pretend to be ill and stop handling household affairs. Even though the Dongfang family refused to let her get involved due to Du Wan’s youth, she endured it as well. Yet now that her daughter-in-law had come here and spoken so bluntly to her mother-in-law, she felt rage surge to her head.

Zhang You wasn’t even her biological son. Back when the Dongfang family joined the family, she hadn’t deliberately made things difficult for them—she had at most maintained a sense of distance. Didn’t this reckless second daughter-in-law realize that Li Yun and Zhao Fen still came from noble families?

Seeing the old lady’s gloomy expression, the second wife trembled with anger, while the two young ladies knelt on the ground—one with her head held high and neck stiff, the other rubbing the hem of her clothes in silence. The maids in the room exchanged glances before all turning to Bai Fang. Yet even though she held the position of “Spiritual Match,” facing such a situation still filled her with hesitation, and after much deliberation, she remained silent. It was unclear how long this tense atmosphere lasted before voices came from outside.

“Old lady, a message was just delivered by fast horse—our second master and eldest son have arrived at the Tongzhou port and are now on their way to Beijing! The second master also sent word that he will first go to see the emperor and will likely return later.”

Hearing this, the previously stern faces gradually relaxed. Thinking that Zhang You and his son would be away at sea for half a year, pacifying the coastal islands and fighting pirates on Dongfan Island, they wondered what dangers they might have faced. If they returned to find domestic strife, it would be a laughingstock. So Lady Gu immediately made up her mind.

“Did everyone hear that? The second son and Chao Ge are coming back. Whatever displeasure or unhappiness you have, put it aside now! The second wife mentioned renting a house—there’s no need for that. We have plenty of empty space in the house. If you don’t even have money to build a few rooms for your son and daughter-in-law, I still have my own private funds! Daughter-in-law Qi, even if your husband is impatient and does something inappropriate, you can gently remind him or speak to me privately. What’s the point of such a public quarrel? No matter how noble you were before marriage, now that you’re part of the Zhang family, you must remember your place and respect hierarchy!”

Angrily, Lady Gu interrupted Lady Dongfang with stiff remarks about the “Second Madam,” then scolded Zhao Fen harshly. In just a few words, she put an end to the commotion. She simply drove everyone out before taking a long sigh of relief. Glancing at the maidens who dared not speak, she felt utterly exhausted both physically and mentally. At sixty-eight, she didn’t know how many more years she had left. Seeing her second son granted a title was already one of her wishes fulfilled, but as for the other, who knew when it would be possible?

Turning the Buddhist beads on her left wrist, she felt troubled. “Bai Fang, how long has Second Brother’s wife been out?”

Only then did Bai Fang regain her composure and hurriedly replied, “The Third Young Lady left early this morning. Usually, the Duchess of Yingguo would leave food for her, so she probably won’t return until after lunch at the earliest.” After a pause, she added in a low voice, “The Third Young Master is at the military camp every day, leaving early and returning late. He won’t get home until at least the hour of Hai in the evening.”

Lady Gu snorted. “You answer two questions when I ask one. Why don’t you mention Brother and Brother Jiu?”

“Madam, the Second Young Master always leaves and returns on time—more punctual than anyone. As for the Fourth Young Master, he’s still at the Imperial Academy and only gets leave once every three months, except during festivals.”

Yet, Bai Fang’s seemingly flawless answer contained an error. Zhang Yue, who had been extremely busy for half a year, was not at the military camp outside the city but at the Duchess of Yingguo’s residence.

Having had a son in her later years and knowing he was initially weak, Lady Wang gave him the nickname Tianci and had his name inscribed at a Buddhist temple. Now, seeing Zhang Yue gazing at his young cousin Tianci, who was still sleeping soundly in his swaddling clothes, Lady Wang smiled and reminded him, “Brother Zhang, you’ve been staring at him for a quarter of an hour already!”

“As you say, Aunt. I’m just noticing how Tianci changes every day—transforming dramatically every ten days. These past few days, he’s even grown stronger, like a little calf! Besides, which child under a year old is this sturdy?”

As he spoke, Zhang Yue looked at Du Wan, feeling immense gratitude. Thanks to the care and love he had received from Zhang Fu and Lady Wang over the years, he naturally wanted to protect their only child. Twenty years from now, his cousin would be able to take over Zhang Fu’s legacy—so what was there to worry about?

Although Lord Gu had previously ordered everyone not to talk nonsense, Lady Wang also knew that giving birth to this child had been difficult; there were almost constantly doctors in the house at that time. It wasn’t until Du Wan brought in Doctor Feng, used various herbs to bathe the child, and prescribed special remedies for the wet nurse that the child’s health gradually improved—having not fallen ill in nearly two months. Having a child in her old age made her overly anxious, and upon hearing Zhang Yue’s words, she couldn’t help but laugh.
“Isn’t it all thanks to your wife? She comes by almost every day. If my wife could be half as good as her, I’d be at ease. Speaking of which, I heard you often stay in the military camp. It’s not that I’m criticizing you—although you should do your best for the emperor’s orders, there’s no need to rush. There are endless tasks in the world, and you can’t do them all by yourself. The emperor sends you to do this one thing then that other, and his intentions are truly hard to fathom. Since your eldest uncle is not here, otherwise he could offer some advice.”
At this point, Lady Wang’s tone became more serious: “Just now, Xi Yu also mentioned that your second uncle has returned. He has earned military merits this time and is about to be granted a title. You should think about yourself too. I’m not stopping you from becoming a civil official, but military positions are hereditary. If you get a title, you won’t have to worry for life… Yesterday I heard that Meng Xian, while observing mourning in Haifeng, Shandong, encountered pirates coming from the sea. The county magistrate was panicked, but Meng Xian organized the able-bodied men and killed dozens of them. The incident was reported to the Shandong provincial government. After all, the emperor remembers Meng Xian’s past merits. Now that his year of mourning is over, he will likely be reinstated. Such a good man has gone through so much ups and downs, and now that he’s finally getting a chance to rise again, isn’t it all because of his desire for that title?”
Hearing this unexpected news, Zhang Yue felt his eyelids twitch. Although he knew Meng Xian surely wouldn’t stay idle for life, wasn’t it too quick for him to return so smoothly just after completing a year of mourning?