Zhenshu went downstairs to the mounting shop in front of the house after mentioning something. It wasn't until evening, when she heard from afar that Zhang Rui had left, that she went upstairs to ask Madam Su, "Mother, how did you recognize your godson?"
Madam Su said, "What other way can we recognize him? It's just so that one day when your father and I breathe our last, there will be a man burning paper money and weeping beside us."
Zhenshu said, "If Mother said he was just a poor relative of the Marquis of Beishun's family, it's only been a few months."
Madam Su said, “Times have changed. Although I used to worry about it, I always thought I was far from dying. It was only after the old lady of the manor passed away that I realized how quickly people can die. Although the old lady of the manor had a bad temper all her life, she was still good to her sons, which is why she had daughters-in-law to take care of her and her sons to help her, so that she could leave this world cleanly and with dignity. But we are getting old, and when we are lying in bed one day, how can you daughters take over the family business?”
Zhen Shu frowned and remained silent. Madam Su continued, "You were originally raised by me to be the pillar of the family. If you can find me a son-in-law, then I'll gladly send Zhang Rui back."
Zhenshu smiled and shook her head: "Let's do as Mother wishes, but what about dealing with my eldest sister?"
Madam Su lowered her voice and said, "I haven't told your father yet, but I'm sure he'll agree. Let them try dating for now, and then we'll arrange their marriage after the one-year mourning period is over. What do you think?"
Zhenshu said, "If it's just a casual chat, it's fine. But Mother must keep a close eye on things between men and women. Otherwise, if things escalate one day, even if the other branches of the Song family don't pursue the matter, Zhenyu will definitely make a scene."
The only ones who wouldn't dwell on such petty squabbles are probably castrated eunuchs.
Madam Su rolled her eyes at Zhenshu and said, "You even understand these things, yet you never tell your mother anything. It's clear that you've been estranged from your mother since childhood and don't trust her."
Zhenshu sensed a hint of doubt in her words and knew that although she didn't ask, she still believed that Zhenshu had lost her virginity in the Wuling Mountains. So she smiled without saying anything, got up, and went back to her room to sleep.
From the next day onward, Zhang Rui began to report to the small building in the backyard every day, just like officials going to court to pay their respects. Perhaps Su Shi learned from the matter of her great-aunt Su that she could no longer find a suitable son-in-law for Zhenyuan, so she had to settle for second best and win over this virtuous son-in-law. Gradually, she even made Zhang Rui eat all three meals a day in the small building in the backyard before letting him go back to his own home.
Chapter 52 Boots
After a few days, Song Anrong couldn't stand it anymore and finally said, "Although I know you're greedy for your son-in-law, the way you're eating is too ravenous. Can you tone it down a bit and calm down? And stop bringing him here all the time. He's a tribute student, and the imperial examination is next March. If he doesn't study hard, do you think he can even dream of getting a top-ranking position?"
Madam Su said angrily, "If you have the life, it would be good if you could pass the imperial examination and become a Jinshi (a successful candidate in the highest imperial examinations) for me. He has already memorized all the lessons, why would he need to waste money going to that school again?"
Although she said that, once she went upstairs, she hurriedly asked Zhang Rui, "Now that it's time for school to start, why don't you go to the school to find a teacher to review your lessons?"
Zhang Rui sighed, his thick eyebrows furrowed. "Mother knows my family's situation. Now that my parents have passed away and my brothers refuse to help, I can only study by accompanying Dou Wu. However, Dou Wu's wife is about to give birth, and she has many concubines in the household. Moreover, she doesn't need to study hard; the Marquis of Beishun will arrange for her to become a military officer. Therefore, I simply asked for a long leave from the academy to return home and accompany my wife during her pregnancy. Now I'm all alone here; where can I go to school?"
Having suffered mistreatment from her elder brother and sister-in-law since childhood, Su was moved by Zhang Rui's pitiful story and it also stirred up her own sorrows. So she wiped her eyes with her handkerchief and said, "My son, you should have said earlier that you must go to school. I will pay for it for you."
That night, Madam Su asked Zhenshu for money to pay Zhang Rui's tuition. Zhenshu was furious and said, "We haven't even opened the ancestral hall to pray to our ancestors yet, how can you ask for money first? Besides, the Dou family school he attends only invites retired students from the Hanlin Academy, and the tuition is extremely high. How can I afford it?"
Fearing that Song Anrong might overhear, Madam Su lowered her voice and said, "Do you think I don't know? Business is booming in the mounting shop these days. Zhang Rui said yesterday that you earned fifty taels of silver just from the short time he chatted downstairs."
Indeed, the framing shop is doing very well these days, and the customers are mostly big spenders who don't haggle. As long as Zhenshu is willing to pay a price, he can basically buy it and take it away.
Zhenshu counted on her fingers and said earnestly, "We all do business with a clear conscience and would never ask for a high price. Apart from Father's calligraphy and paintings, which are his own production, the rest are all purchased by me with money, then mounted, and sold after calculating the cost plus a little profit. How can it be like what Zhang Rui said, that if you receive fifty taels of silver, all fifty taels are yours?"
Hearing Zhenshu say this, Madam Su hesitated again and sighed, "If that's the case, then waive all the monthly allowances for me and the others, and use the money to support Zhang Rui. I certainly can't let you lose your investment, how about that?"
Seeing how pitiful she sounded, Zhenshu took two small silver notes from her room and handed them to Su, then advised, "Although I know Mother is greedy for a son-in-law, you must keep a close eye on your sister and make sure he doesn't get his hands on her."
Madam Su tucked the silver into her pocket and waved her hand, saying, "Go quickly, you're more proper than the others."
Clearly, Madam Su was resentful. Now that Zhenshu was guarding the money and wouldn't let her manage it, she had no extra cash on her when she went out, and she felt empty inside when selling things. She suddenly realized that her daughter had truly grown up and could really support the family, but she herself was not old yet, and her daughter had forced her to become an old woman.
April 18th was the day to go to the Yu family to study again. Seeing the continuous rain, Zhenshu wrapped the books in oiled paper and tucked them into her bosom, then took an oiled paper umbrella and went out of the mounting shop. She had only taken a few steps when she saw Yu Yichen standing in the rain, dressed in a black belted long robe, with Sun Yuan holding an oiled paper umbrella for him behind him. He was too thin, and the hem of his robe was too long, dragging in the water. With his pale face and red lips, he had the air of a down-on-his-luck teacher.
Even now, Zhenshu still couldn't believe he was really a eunuch. He had an ethereal, otherworldly air about him, combined with the desolate spirit of the Taoist sect. He seemed more like a handsome Taoist priest or a spirited Taoist nun than a eunuch.
Fearing that getting too close to the mounting shop would attract the attention of acquaintances, Zhenshu ignored him and walked a long way before turning back after leaving the East Market. There she saw Yu Yichen following behind her, holding an umbrella. Whether he was cold or not, to outsiders, he seemed devoid of warmth. Zhenshu asked, "Why aren't you getting in the carriage?"
Yu Yichen lifted the carriage curtain and said, "I am willing to travel with you."
Zhenshu got into the carriage, and he followed. Sitting side by side, the chill emanating from him made her shiver. It was still before school started, and with the rain pouring down outside, the carriage was moving exceptionally slowly. Zhenshu said, "My Zhenxiu says she has never taken any money from Grandmother. Although I cannot vouch for it, as sisters, I believe Zhenxiu."
Yu Yichen said, "Little manager, I once managed hundreds of maids and concubines in the Eastern Palace. When women lie, they can even deceive themselves, let alone others?"
Zhenshu's heart skipped a beat, and she said, "Does this mean that Father-in-law still suspects Zhenxiu?"
Yu Yichen shook his head and sneered: "It is the most difficult thing in the world to get a woman to tell the whole truth. Perhaps none of them are telling the truth, but what does that have to do with me?"
Zhenshu then realized that he had really fooled her, and said angrily, "So you really did trick me into reading to you."
Yu Yichen said with a hint of self-deprecation, "It's nothing more than reading books. Does the shopkeeper think I can do anything else?"
Zhen Shu glanced at him closely, from his rounded forehead to his upturned nose, and then to his full, rosy lips. She suddenly recalled the days in the Wuling Mountains when she had also looked closely at Du Yu. He had eyes and eyebrows completely different from Yu Yichen's, with an angular forehead, thick eyebrows, and simple yet masculine lips.
"What are you thinking about, young shopkeeper?" Yu Yichen suddenly asked.
Zhenshu shook her head: "I wasn't thinking about anything."
She simply recalled the surge and trembling that swept through her body that night, and the blissful sensation that reached every strand of her hair, which made her shiver slightly in the cool air.
After wading through the water and reaching the small building, Zhenshu's cloth shoes and long skirt were completely soaked. Yu Yichen walked ahead, taking off his shoes in front of the west room on the second floor. He was wearing leather boots that didn't easily get wet, and his socks were dry after he took them off. He then took off his black shirt and changed into a cloak, looking clean and refreshed again. Zhenshu, still wearing her wet shoes, saw that the thick, long-haired carpet on the floor was spotless, and hesitated whether to take them off. Then she heard Yu Yichen say, "Do you want to dirty my carpet?"
Zhenshu bit her lip and took off her cloth shoes and stockings before entering the house. She saw that Sun Yuan was also barefoot and gestured for her to come inside. She entered through a small door on the left and heard Sun Yuan say from outside, "We don't have any extra skirts in our house, please don't mind, young lady."
Zhenshu saw a skirt on the table, unfolded it, and saw that it was an ivory white jacquard silk skirt. It felt heavy in her hand, not as coarse as ordinary silk, nor as smooth as ordinary satin. There was also a slight amount of wool lining inside. She took off her own skirt and put it on, then folded the other skirt and took it out to Sun Yuan, saying, "Please dry it for me. I will wear it again when I leave."
Sun Yuan took the skirt and left. Zhen Shu saw a large table in the north of the room and a small couch by the window on the west side, which was also covered with soft and thick hemp. She walked towards the small couch. As soon as she sat down on the couch, another handsome young servant brought in a copper basin. Yu Yichen did not need anyone else to help him. He took the basin himself and held it to Zhen Shu's feet, then pulled her feet up.
Zhenshu thought he thought her feet were dirty, so she pulled them back and said, "I'll wash them myself."
This person's obsession with cleanliness is a bit excessive.
Yu Yichen knelt on the ground, looked up at Zhen Shu and smiled slightly, "Be good, don't make a fuss."
Zhenshu felt a chill run down her spine and lowered her voice, saying, "I don't know what kind of hobby Father-in-law has, but I am actually a little afraid."
Yu Yichen placed her feet in the hot water and used his slender, soft hands to rub and wash them clean. He then took a handkerchief to dry them and looked up into her eyes, saying, "I was just afraid you wouldn't wash them properly and would dirty my blanket."
Zhenshu thought to herself: What a strange person.
Sun Yuan entered silently, bent down to carry a large, plush-cushioned tray, placed it at Yu Yichen's feet, and then excused himself. Yu Yichen took a pair of socks from the tray and put them on Zhenshu, asking, "Do they look good?"
Zhenshu stretched out her foot to look at it and saw that the seam at the toe was neatly sewn, and the three lines at the heel were also very appropriate. Moreover, she didn't know what kind of material the sock was made of, but it was very light and comfortable. So she nodded and said, "Very comfortable."
Yu Yichen then brought over a pair of embroidered shoes and put them on her feet, asking again, "Do they look good?"
Embroidered shoes are beautiful, about seven or eight inches long and a little over three inches wide, made of velvet, brocade, or satin, embroidered with spring blossoms, shy summer apricots, dragonflies, and early lotus leaves—all very charming. Zhenshu's feet were too big, and besides, her needlework was poor; she had no choice but to wear embroidered shoes. She usually wore the simple cloth shoes sold in the West Market for young boys.
Zhenshu stretched out her feet and saw that the shoes fit her feet perfectly, neither too tight nor too loose, with each toe stretching out comfortably. The ivory-white shoes were embroidered with two yellow and green paper tigers, which were both playful and cute. She couldn't love them more, so she took them off and held them in her hands to examine them closely, praising, "It's rare to find such comfortable shoes, and it's also rare to find such delightful footwear."
Yu Yichen chuckled and shook his head, then took another pair of boots and put them on her, asking, "Does it look good too?"
These are sheepskin boots worn only by women of the northern tribes. The uppers cover the ankles and wrap around the slender calves. The sheepskin is dyed a pale pink with silk, its fine texture conveying warmth, wrapping the feet completely yet remaining incredibly light and breathable. Women in the Dali era often bound their feet, so these boots were unsuitable for such delicate feet. However, men loved leather boots because they were sturdy, durable, and waterproof.
Zhenshu straightened her legs and laughed, "I've never seen such a good thing before."
Yu Yichen got up, took a gray velvet blanket several feet long and covered her with it, wrapping it tightly from her knees. Then he handed her a cup of warm tea and said, "It's such a cold day today, don't catch a cold."
Chapter 53 Rewards
Zhenshu wasn't actually cold, but Yu Yichen himself was cold-blooded, or perhaps he assumed she was too. Zhenshu couldn't bear to refuse his kindness, so she sneezed three times solidly on the gray velvet blanket. She reached out to take off her sheepskin boots, but Yu Yichen took them off for her and put them back on the plate. Zhenshu felt a little embarrassed and pulled her feet back, saying, "My feet are a bit too big; it's rare to find shoes that fit and look good."
Yu Yichen reached out and pulled her feet into his hands. He was a man after all, with large hands and long fingers. He covered her feet and said in a hoarse voice, "But they are healthy and flexible."
The chill of his fingers seeped through her stockings into the soles of her feet, sending a shiver down her spine. Zhenshu felt a pang of pity for his cold bones, while he, in turn, craved the warmth emanating from her feet from the natural yang energy of her body, and so he held them tightly.
“You are the gift of heaven and earth, from head to toe, every part of you is a gift; never fail to cherish it,” he suddenly said.
Zhenshu finally withdrew her foot first, and he awkwardly got up and sat behind the large table.
Sun Yuan brought in a bunch of things, including a box about half a foot long containing several fire seals the size of a finger. He also brought in a stack of letters, which Yu Yichen had marked with a red pen before melting the lacquer to make them into secret letters. In the end, Sun Yuan took them all away.
Zhen Shu ignored everything else and began reading from the Kingdom of Fuhe, continuing until the holy monk reached the Kingdom of Cao, north of the Pamir Mountains, before finally closing the book. Seeing Yu Yichen still engrossed in the letter, she got up, took a blanket, and said, "I've finished reading, it's time for me to go."
Yu Yichen didn't even look up: "Take those boots, shoes, and skirt with you; it's your reward."
Zhenshu was trying to figure out how to return these things, but upon hearing this, she had no choice but to swallow her words. She changed back into the dress that Sun Yuan had dried, and handed all the things to Sun Yuan. Sun Yuan had already prepared a thin leather trunk for her to pack, and personally held an umbrella for her to see her to the door before she boarded the Yu family's carriage to go home.
Because Zhenshu had recently been accompanying Song Anrong on trips to collect calligraphy and paintings, and now she was in charge of the shop's finances, Madam Su didn't ask any questions when she saw Zhenshu carrying a delicate box in. Zhenshu returned to her room, sat cross-legged on the bed, moved the box over, opened it, and took out the embroidered shoes to examine them closely. After looking at them, she took out the little boots and put her hand inside, slowly squeezing in to savor the soft, velvety leather.
Suddenly, Zhenyuan walked in, saw it, and asked, "Where did you get such a good thing?"
Zhenshu quickly put it away, saying, "Look how good it is, it's sold in the West Market."
While she wasn't looking, Zhenyuan snatched it away and examined it closely, saying, "I'm afraid not. Where on the market can you find something this good?"
Zhenshu accepted the gift and pretended not to care, saying, "There are all sorts of good things on the market, you just don't shop around enough."
After a long silence, Zhenyuan suddenly asked, "What do you think of Zhang Rui?"
Seeing the shy blush on her cheeks, Zhenshu knew she was clearly moved, so she bit her lip and smiled, "It's all up to you. After all, beauty is in the eye of the beholder, and I have a sharp tongue, so I'm afraid I'll say something unpleasant that will make you angry."
Zhenyuan glared at him and said, "If you think he's bad, you can say so. After all, you've met more people than we have."
Zhenshu pondered for a long time before saying, "If you ask me, he is being subservient to his mother to please her, and he is also showing some tenderness and interest in you. It would be good if he did this for a day or a hundred days, but it would be good if he could do it for a lifetime. Besides, it is still undecided whether he will marry into the family or be registered in the ancestral hall. Sister, you should keep your heart in check for now and wait until everything is settled before making any decisions."
Zhenyuan nodded deeply, as if she had taken it to heart, and then said, "Zhenxiu has learned her lesson now. She doesn't even step out of the house normally and spends all day doing embroidery. It breaks my heart to see her like this."
Zhenshu also sighed, "I'm afraid she'll learn her lesson this time."
The two chatted for a while longer before Zhenyuan left. Zhenshu took out the skirt again to examine it closely. Under the candlelight, the subtle patterns on the fabric flowed, revealing a quality she had never seen before. Suddenly, she remembered what Yu Yichen had said while holding her feet, and threw the skirt down with a snap, saying, "He's a eunuch. I bet he serves those ladies in the palace all day long like this."
Thinking of this, he kicked the box away in disgust, covered his head with the blanket, and went to sleep.
Before long, it was May. Song Anrong had finished his calligraphy and began to draw talismans for the Celestial Master, just like others. These things weren't popular in the countryside of Huixian County, but Wang Mama, a local, insisted on making a clay figure of Zhang Tianshi, using mugwort for the head and garlic for the fist, creating a remarkably lifelike clay figure. Su Shi also arranged for several girls to have their feet fumigate with mugwort to increase yang and dispel yin.
While Zhenshu was taking advantage of the quiet time at the mounting shop, she was also busy in the backyard courtyard chopping calamus and ginger, and finely shredding apricots, plums, and other fruits, soaking them in honey to make a kind of herbal dish. With the Double Fifth Festival fast approaching, she prepared various kinds of rice dumplings, including horn-shaped, cone-shaped, and water chestnut-shaped ones, piling them neatly on a plate, creating a small mountain of them.
On the night of the second day of the fifth lunar month, in Yu Yichen's residence. Huang Feng, the former Inspector of the Capital Region and the Inspector of the Censorate, was no longer human. He saw the androgynous eunuch in front of him with a cold smile on his thick, woman-like lips as he looked at him, and spat out, "I don't believe His Majesty can allow a eunuch like you to run amok and slaughter loyal officials. I want to see His Majesty."
Yu Yichen said, "In fact, you won't see anyone but me. Here, there's a saying: 'The sooner you die, the sooner you're reborn.' Those who are stubborn won't suffer any more."
Huang Feng shook his head again, blowing on his blood-stained beard as he shook his head and said, "I don't believe that Wang Zhen, Xu Congwen, Du Wu and others would let you leave me here without doing anything. I advise you, eunuch, to release me as soon as possible. When the emperor is clearing out corrupt officials and killing eunuchs, perhaps I can give you a whole corpse."
The eunuchs brought in a bowl of medicine soup. One grabbed Huang Feng by the hair, another pinched his nose, and they forced it down his throat. They then took the bowl and left. Yu Yichen beckoned in a eunuch and asked in a low voice, "Have all the people in his household been arrested?"
The young eunuch said, "They're all here. They're all being kept in separate cells downstairs now."
Yu Yichen said, "Then bring them up here and kill them one by one in front of him, starting with the women, children, and the elderly. Let him see his five generations living under one roof. When he is willing to confess, have him write it down and put his fingerprint on it. Tomorrow, have Mei Xun bring it to me and put it on my desk. Do not disturb me tonight. I have important business to attend to."
Huang Feng, brimming with wit and charisma, wanted to have a good debate with Yu Yichen and thoroughly humiliate this eunuch. However, Yu Yichen wouldn't utter a single word, glancing at him as if he were a skinny, hungry dog walking down the street before turning and leaving.
His proud five-generation family, from great-grandfather to great-grandson, a harmonious and joyful household, was shattered by Yu Yichen's single sentence. Huang Feng's cursing tone vanished. In less than a quarter of an hour, these young eunuchs, their hair barely turned yellow, with thin arms and legs, had demonstrated to him in a variety of ways how easily a five-generation family could be destroyed. Staring blankly at the few corpses on the ground, he said, "I am guilty, I confess!"
After Yu Yi went upstairs to bathe and changed into a royal blue robe, he saw Sun Yuan waiting beside him and asked, "Have you prepared everything?"
Sun Yuan bowed and said, "Everything is ready."
Two eunuchs brought in a long table, and Yu Yichen, seeing the glistening glutinous rice soaking in the basket, immediately praised, "Very good!"
Sun Yuan chuckled as he watched Yu Yichen pick up a palm leaf with two fingers, twist it in his hand, and stuff it with white rice. He then asked in a low voice, "Besides red dates, I've also prepared red bean paste, salted meat, egg yolk lotus seed paste, and other things. Would you like to bring some over, Father-in-law?"