Chapter 566: Son-in-law, Brother-in-law

Xiao Wu currently lived in the boudoir where Du Wan used to reside. According to Du Zhen and his wife, it was anyway idle, and since she had lived there with Du Wan before, there was no need to leave it empty just to prepare another place to live. As a result, most of the furniture in the room remained unchanged from when Du Wan got married, with only a few additional items added—such as a small medicine box, a bronze figure used to identify acupoints, several thick medical books, and some gifts from the elderly couple.

In the east room, there was a elm-wood framed bed against the wall, covered with ink-washed floral silk curtains. On the small table beside it stood a celadon vase, on which a simple sketch of a beauty admiring flowers was drawn in light ink, signed with the character “Du.” At that moment, she sat on the bed, resting her chin in her hand, staring intently at the vase, her face flushed red.

The vase was nothing special, worth at most a few strings of coins, but the painting on it was her father’s work. Her father loved painting, but aside from a few friends, he never shared his works outside. This vase was something she obtained after he was released from prison, one night when he had drunk too much. After persisting for a while, she finally got this remarkable treasure. Looking at the cute girl in the painting, she couldn’t help but smile, only to frown again.

Her parents naturally had no objections to her, but… such things couldn’t be asked. It was all Uncle Yue’s fault—if not for his nonsense, she wouldn’t have felt so flustered. Her sister and brother-in-law were also terrible; she just complained a bit. What did it mean to act like she wasn’t interested when she clearly wasn’t?

With a soft sigh, Xiao Wu stood up and went to the window, opening it. A cool breeze blew in, slightly cooling her flushed face. But when she looked at the small bronze mirror on the table, she still saw her feverish face and stomped her foot in annoyance.

“Xiao Wu, why are you hiding in the room after lunch? Your sister is rarely back. Before, you used to run to the Zhang family whenever you had nothing to do. Now that she’s back, why have you changed so much? I specially made your favorite jujube paste sweet cake and sweet soup. Come out quickly, or you’ll start demanding sweets again.”

Hearing Mrs. Qiu’s voice outside, Xiao Wu was startled. Touching her hot face, she quickly said to cover up, “Mom, you and Sister eat it together. I… my stomach hurts!”

In a moment of panic, Xiao Wu could only come up with this one reason she could think of. Yet to her surprise, the next moment, the door was pushed open. Seeing Qiu Shi rushing in with an anxious expression, she froze in place. It wasn’t until her mother stepped forward and touched her forehead that she quickly stepped back two steps, saying sheepishly, “Mother, I’m a doctor myself. It’s just a minor illness; it’s nothing serious!”
“That forehead is one thing, but why is your face so hot on both sides?” Qiu Shi ignored Xiao Wu’s explanation and shook her head impatiently. “You’re already an adult and have studied medicine. Don’t you know that in the dry autumn weather, internal heat builds up, and you need to eat more foods that reduce heat? I think your stomachache is also due to your own carelessness. Don’t stay in the room; go outside and drink something warm. Usually, you and Wan’er have endless things to talk about, but today you left so quickly after lunch. Did you argue?”
“No… not at all!”
Hearing such a guess from Qiu Shi, Xiao Wu quickly denied it. But this time she had no excuse to escape anymore, so she dejectedly followed Qiu Shi out of the room. Once in the courtyard, she squinted at the sun in the sky and then took Qiu Shi’s arm. “Mother, the 15th of August is coming up in two days! In the past, you always made the mooncakes by hand. How about I do it this year? I’ve learned cooking from Mother Wu and Chunying in the kitchen for quite some time. I definitely won’t cause any trouble this time!”
“You’ll make the mooncakes?” Qiu Shi was surprised. Seeing Xiao Wu’s serious expression, she didn’t want to dampen the girl’s enthusiasm. Thinking that as long as the filling was prepared properly, nothing would go wrong, she reluctantly nodded and gently tickled Xiao Wu’s nose. “Alright, this year I’ll let you try. Let’s see if your skills have improved. Don’t underestimate these things. Once a girl gets married, whether her in-laws are picky or not, she’ll have to take care of the kitchen for a while.”
“Mother!” The topic of marriage came up again, and Xiao Wu immediately pouted. “I’ve said it many times—I won’t marry! I don’t want to end up with a wicked mother-in-law, nor do I want to face so many elders and sisters-in-law like my sister. I just want to serve you and Father wholeheartedly. I want to take care of you both for life!”

Qiu Shi had heard such words countless times, to the point where even the roots of her ears were calloused. At first, she would get angry and scold them, but after hearing it so often, she no longer took it seriously. She had heard Du Wan mention Xiao Wu’s background and knew that although she hid everything on the surface, she might not truly be unaware, so she didn’t want to push her relentlessly. Now, she simply smiled and gave a casual rebuke. Once the mother and daughter left the courtyard, a young girl rushed out from around the corner and knelt down to greet them.
“Madam, Second Miss, your brother-in-law and Lord Wan have arrived together!”
Hearing that Zhang Yue and Wan Shijie had come together, Xiao Wu became slightly panicked and quickly said, “Mother, since there are guests, I’ll go back to my room first…”
“What nonsense! One is your brother-in-law—how many times have you met him? The other is a descendant of your father who once helped our eldest son. You’ve seen him before too!”
After saying this, Qiu Shi saw Xiao Wu’s expression grow even more uneasy and understood right away. Initially, she had intended to marry her daughter to Zhang Yue because she thought it was rare to find a husband who could be trusted, with good character and knowledge. Now, although Xiao Wu wasn’t her biological daughter, having such a lovely and lively girl by her side made her even more eager to find another son-in-law she liked. Wan Shijie was excellent in both character and appearance, and more importantly, it seemed he had feelings for Xiao Wu. During his trips to Xuanfu, he had taken good care of her without overstepping boundaries—truly a gentleman. Although his parents were dead and his family was poor, those weren’t issues.
With these thoughts, she grabbed Xiao Wu’s hand without hesitation. “Besides, even if your brother-in-law and Lord Wan have come, they’re going to see your father. Your sister and I will go talk to her—there’s no connection to you. Why are you nervous?”
Nervous? When had she ever been nervous! Seeing the messenger girl stealing glances at her as if sneering, Xiao Wu felt even angrier. It would have been easy for her to break free from Qiu Shi’s grip, but that would be improper. So, even though she wanted to run back inside and bury her face in her bed, she had no choice but to follow her mother reluctantly. Along the way, she encountered many people, and she felt their gazes held hidden meanings, making her face redder and redder until even the palms of her hands grew hot.

The other person wasn’t much better off. Ever since entering Du Zhen’s study, the usually carefree Wan Shijie had gradually become nervous. In this crisp autumn season, his forehead glistened with sweat. Standing on either side of Du Zhen behind him, watching his future father-in-law write swiftly on the scroll, he grew even more distracted.

“Because the emperor appreciates the handwriting of the Shen brothers, and also because you, Yuanjie, received the emperor’s favor back then thanks to your own handwriting, more and more scholars these days are starting to imitate their calligraphy. In last year’s imperial examinations, I heard that at least 60-70% of the candidates used the Shen style. However, true calligraphy requires skill—poor handwriting indicates a lack of competence. Yuanjie, you studied under Scholar Shen for quite some time; you should know what’s important. Although scholars shouldn’t just focus on studying books mechanically but should apply what they learn to govern the country, they must not neglect their core skills. One’s handwriting reveals their knowledge.”

Unlike in later generations, today’s politicians almost all serve as leaders in the literary world—holding high positions in the court while constantly writing books. Without real talent, they wouldn’t be spared by the scholars summoned to give lectures in the court. So, faced with such a reminder, Zhang Yue naturally nodded repeatedly. But when he saw Wan Shijie, who was usually so easygoing, nod stiffly, he couldn’t help but quietly elbow him hard.

Hit by the elbow, Wan Shijie immediately snapped out of his daze. Zhang Yue noticed that Du Zhen hadn’t noticed their little maneuver. After stopping writing for a moment, Du Zhen continued. Zhang Yue silently recited a few lines. After reading most of it and realizing it was an elegy, he was shocked. He exchanged a glance with Wan Shijie, both seeing the surprise on each other’s faces.

“The Liang family from Taihe, Jiangxi. He was kind-hearted, gentle, well-versed in classics and history, and humble by nature. At the end of the Hongwu era, he passed the local examinations. He was appointed as an educator in Cangxi, Sichuan, and later promoted to govern Sihui County, then Yangjiang and Yangchun—always renowned for his integrity and fairness…”

Although only half of the elegy had been written, Zhang Yue and Wan Shijie, now realizing who had written it, were both secretly astonished. It was because the crown prince had shown leniency toward Chen Qianhu that the emperor, in anger, ordered the Jinyiwei to arrest Liang Qianzhou and bring him to the capital. If not for Du Zhen’s efforts to intercede, Liang Qian would have barely escaped death and surely perished along with Zhou Mian. But judging from the content of this elegy, could it be that Liang Qian had passed away?

“Brother Shi Qi and Liang Bo’an were from the same hometown, which is why I learned of his death. He once helped edit the Yongle Encyclopedia as chief editor, yet he passed away quietly without a trace. All I can do now is write this elegy here to burn for him; only when I return to my hometown can I pay my respects properly. Though we had little interaction, I admired his knowledge. I heard he left behind a wife and young children, who will now have to rely on each other in sorrow.”

Du Zhen finished speaking the last word, then placed his pen back on the pen holder and straightened up. Staring at the sheet covered in vivid ink, he said without turning around, “All I could do at that time was save Liang Bo’an’s life. But if there’s a chance in the future and I still have the ability, I will redress the injustice he suffered. This isn’t out of friendship or sense of justice—it’s simply about seeing things through to the end!”

Though his words were calm, Wan Shijie couldn’t help but feel deep respect, while Zhang Yue thought of those names that disappeared during the Yongle era. When Jie Jin was imprisoned by the Jinyiwei, due to the slander of Zhu Gaoxu and Ji Gang, others like Chen Shou, Ma Jing, and Xu Siwen died in prison as a result. Later, Xu Shanshu and Wang Ruyu, along with Liang Qian and Zhou Mian, as well as Huang Huai and Yang Pu who were imprisoned for delaying their arrival to meet the emperor, all perished—one after another. Only Yang Shi Qi remained unshaken.

When the ink on the paper dried, Zhang Yue went to get a bronze basin to burn it, and Wan Shijie also got busy fetching paper and flint from Mo Yu and Ming Di outside. As the sheet of paper was gradually consumed by the flames, the three in the room remained silent, lost in their own thoughts.

“Wan Xian, Brother Shi Qi always spoke highly of you, saying that though you seem careless and informal, you’re actually meticulous and not reckless. During my time in prison, you took good care of our family, and I’ve always been grateful.” Du Zhen slowly turned around and saw Wan Shijie’s face flushed red. As Wan Shijie opened his mouth to speak, Du Zhen waved his hand. “You’re Yuan Jie’s close friend; I know that. But is that really all?”

Facing those calm, clear eyes, Wan Shijie felt his thoughts exposed. If he refused to admit it now, it would be outright deception. So, seeing Zhang Yue’s encouraging gaze, he mustered up courage and bowed respectfully, “Uncle Du, I… I, though unworthy, wish to marry your daughter!”

After finally expressing the words he had held back for so long, he felt much relieved and returned to his usual self: “I am alone and come from a poor family. Although I was promoted to an official in the Ministry of War three years after becoming a scholar, I can’t guarantee what the future holds. But I can promise that if I marry your daughter, I will cherish her dearly! As the saying goes, one should see things through to the end, and I will definitely do that.”
Though this attitude was expected, Du Zhen couldn’t help but smile upon hearing those last words. In his eyes, Xiao Wu had an excellent character, but there were many people in the world who lacked discernment. If she were married solely for social status or other considerations, it might not be good for her. She was used to being independent and might not tolerate too many restrictions even after marriage. Only someone who truly loved her could accept all of her quirks. It was fortunate that such a person existed now.
“I trust you, but…”
At this moment, not to mention Wan Shi Jie, even Zhang Yue widened his eyes, deeply worried. In his memory, Du Zhen had never been the kind to play games or keep things ambiguous. What did those “but” words mean?
“It’s certainly good to follow one’s parents’ wishes and matchmakers’ suggestions, but I’ve never liked forcing marriages for my children. As long as Xiao Wu agrees to marry you, I’ll be happy to have you as my son-in-law. I’m sure Yuan Jie will also be glad to have you as his brother-in-law.”
Seeing the growing smile on Du Zhen’s face, Zhang Yue felt that even his usually stern father-in-law had become cunning. For this couple, these conditions were truly essential.