Zhenyu said, "When you came last time, we chatted and talked about how the heir of the Duke of Du's family escaped from prison. Mingluan was verbally engaged to him, but somehow she fell deeply in love with him and even fell seriously ill because of it, as you know. She originally thought that Du Yu was still hiding in the capital and would be found out in a few days, return to prison, and have his days over. Who knew he..."
When Zhenshu heard her mention Du Yu, her heart skipped a beat, and she couldn't help but ask, "Is he dead?"
Zhenyu shook her head and said, "No, he really is capable. He escaped to the Ganzhou area without a word and wrote a letter to Mingluan, saying that he had already married someone else and that she didn't need to wait any longer."
Zhen Shu said, "Since they were engaged, everyone should have known. How come Miss Tao and Miss Nie seemed unaware of it at the time?"
Zhenyu said, "Du Yu has been unruly since childhood. He is a child who has lost his mother's guidance. My mother-in-law looks down on him. But because he has the title of heir apparent and Mingluan can become a duke's wife, she secretly made a marriage agreement with the Duke of Du. It is probably only the two of them who know about it. Others are unaware of it."
Zhenshu didn't press the matter further, thinking to herself: With his looks and abilities, he could find any woman to marry. But the fact that he could make Dou Mingluan so infatuated showed that she had underestimated him.
Fearing that Dou Mingluan would be kept waiting, Zhenshu apologized to Zhenyu and went with Jichun to Mingluan's boudoir. When they arrived, Mingluan was still lying on the couch. Lenglu had already informed them outside before Mingluan said softly, "Please come in quickly."
Two months had passed, and Dou Mingluan was no longer the innocent girl she once was. She was thin, her eyes sunken, and her body emaciated. She was curled up on a small couch, holding a small jade square in her hands. When Zhenshu came in, she didn't get up, but pointed to the person next to her and said, "Come and sit down."
Zhenshu sat down as instructed and asked, "Is Miss Dou unwell?"
Dou Mingluan shook her head with a wry smile, but forced herself to sit up and said with a smile, "When you came to this mansion with Zhenyu and the others, I felt in my heart that you were not a maid. When Tao Suyi came last time, she also praised you to me, saying that you were different from the others."
Zhen Shu smiled wryly and said, "I had no idea what was different about it."
Dou Mingluan said, "I've heard that you have unbound feet."
Zhenshu shrank her feet and said, "I am unruly and cannot endure hardship, so I did not bind my feet."
Dou Mingluan said, "That's wonderful. If only I had your integrity and didn't bind my feet."
Her bright eyes shone as she looked at Zhenshu, which stirred a pang of pity in Zhenshu's heart, making her wish she could dispel the gloom in the young girl's heart. Dou Mingluan suddenly chuckled and said, "May I see your feet?"
Zhenshu was surprised to hear this, and said with a wry smile, "They're just two big feet, what's so interesting about them?"
Dou Mingluan shook her head and sighed, "Now all the maids in my room have bound feet. The only ones outside who still have unbound feet are the vulgar old women in the kitchen, and I find them too crude. Among the unmarried daughters I know, you are the only one with unbound feet, and I want to see what unbound feet look like."
Zhenshu did as she was told, taking off her shoes and stockings, and said apologetically, "They're just two big feet, nothing to look at."
Her feet were bare, toes outstretched, tendons arching and relaxing, moving naturally. Seeing that Dou Mingluan had looked over, she quickly put her stockings and shoes back on.
Dou Mingluan stretched out her feet and asked, "Have you ever seen bound feet?"
How could I not have seen it? Zhenshu quickly waved her hand and said, "I've seen it, there's no need to look again."
The toes are broken and pressed under the sole of the foot, and then the instep is pressed down from both sides to form a curved arch shape, which is called a slender foot. Zhenyuan almost died of anxiety in the inn in Hanjiahe that day because she couldn't bind her feet. Zhenshu felt a chill down her spine at the mention of slender feet and dared not look at them again.
Dou Mingluan suddenly sighed and said, "I suppose you all know about my situation. But I also know about yours; Mingyu told me about it."
Zhenshu, unaware of the implications of what she was saying, remained seated and listened. Then Dou Mingluan continued, "I heard that on your way home last time, you fell from your carriage and were humiliated, nearly losing your life. Is that true?"
Zhenshu pondered for a moment and said, "I did fall off the train, and I almost lost my life, but I was not humiliated."
Dou Mingluan withdrew her slender feet and sighed, "I wish I had two natural feet like you. I heard that you fell off the carriage and were stranded in the deep mountains for several days. You must have suffered a lot, but you were able to get out with just your natural feet. As for us, if we fall there, we can't even walk. We are like crabs without legs."
After hesitating for a long time, Zhenshu earnestly said, "If you're willing, it's not too late to put your feet down now."
Dou Mingluan glanced at him and smiled, "How could it be so easy? Women have lived like this for generations. If I unbound my feet, my mother would go crazy. There are also customs in the capital now, saying that a woman's feet should not be allowed to go out casually in order to maintain her chastity. If a pair of unbound feet wanders around, it is like a showy outfit, and men will not respect her."
Dou Mingluan spoke without thinking, but only after she finished did she realize that her words might have offended Song Zhenshu, so she quickly waved her hand and said, "Good sister, I was not talking about you."
Just now, a fleeting thought crossed Zhen Shu's mind: perhaps Du Yu only found her alluring because of her unbound feet.
But she didn't know where this thought came from, so she forced it down and pressed Dou Mingluan's hand down, saying, "I know. If I cared about such things, I would have bound my feet long ago."
The story of Zhenshu's humiliation was first told to Zhenyu by Zhenxiu, and then to Dou Mingluan and Tao Suyi. Since it was told by their own sisters, everyone took it as true. Dou Mingluan thought that Zhenshu was afraid to admit that she had been humiliated in front of her, but she didn't care and sighed, "It's just that you suffered such a great thing, yet you were able to return to the capital and bravely face people. It shows that although you have lost your body, your heart is still there. As for me, I am suffering in my room. Although I am still alive, my heart is lost."
Zhenshu didn't know how to answer her. For the first time in nearly three months, she had finally completely removed Du Yu from her subconscious.
She got her period the night she crossed the Wuling Mountains, proving she wasn't pregnant at all. If she firmly denied what happened in the mountains, she could even fool herself. Du Yu, Dou Mingluan's lover, fiancé, and the man she had once been in love with, had now married another woman. In her eyes, he no longer held the complex, emotional image he once had; instead, he had become a complete bandit, a lecher, and a notorious thief.
Zhenshu comforted her, saying, "You should cheer up. After all, one person can't be another person's whole life. Maybe you'll meet someone better."
Dou Mingluan shook her head and said, "No, it's not true. Jinyu is a good man. He was just framed by that wicked stepmother. He is simple-minded, innocent and kind. How could he possibly outwit that bitch Yang? Now, I heard from the palace that he led the Tartars into Huixian. Not only is there no hope of returning to the capital to clear his name, but he will also be forced to wander for the rest of his life."
"Jin Yu" must be Du Yu's courtesy name.
Zhenshu was shocked and had no way to refute it. However, she had secretly witnessed the conversation between the two in the room when she was at Liu's residence. Now, she suddenly remembered that although those words were nonsensical, they could be explained in the context of the events in Huixian County.
The Tartars had finished looting, taken a token from a powerful figure, and swaggered away. While the authorities were still chasing after them, they were already far away.
Thinking of this, she waved her hand and said, "I think the matter of leading the Tartars into Huixian was probably not done by the heir of the Duke of Du."
Dou Mingluan asked, puzzled, "Why?"
Zhenshu didn't know how to explain, so she told Dou Mingluan everything she had heard at the Liu residence that day. Then she added, "I overheard all of this when I got lost while looking for my father, and there's no evidence to prove it. If your father believes you, you can tell him to send someone to investigate thoroughly. If he doesn't believe you, you must believe me." Hearing this, she relaxed her brow. Things change, and perhaps one day he will clear his name and return.
Dou Mingluan breathed a sigh of relief and said, "I didn't believe it was him either, and sure enough, it was."
After bidding farewell to Dou Mingluan, Zhenshu returned to Fuyun Residence, where Zhenyu lived. They had lunch there, drank some tea, and sat idly for half a day before Zhenyuan and the others prepared to leave. Just as they were saying goodbye, they suddenly heard Jichun call out loudly from outside, "My husband is back!"
Before he finished speaking, the outer curtain was lifted, and the dashing Dou Keming strode into the room. He looked around and smiled, "So, we have an honored guest?"
Zhenyu stepped forward and said, "Isn't that right? Eldest sister and third sister have come to see me."
They smiled at each other, their affectionate manner belying their previous argument.
Dou Keming said, "Your eldest sister must not be married yet?"
Zhenyu said, "That's right, is your husband going to choose one for her?"
Dou Keming looked at Zhenyu and smiled, "The marriage between Zhang Rui and the Nie family can't be arranged. He was originally interested in it. Why don't you go to your Song family to ask the elders another day?"
He acted as if he had never taken liberties with Zhenyuan before. Zhenyu smiled and said, "That's good, but they don't live in the mansion now. They're renting a shop in the East Market. I'm afraid Zhang Rui will have a hard time finding them."
Seeing that she had finished speaking, Zhenyuan quickly interjected, "We'll take our leave now."
Dou Keming bowed from afar and said, "No need to see me off, please take care."
After saying this, he flicked his sleeves and went back to the inner room.
Zhenyu saw them off all the way to the gate of Fuyun Residence, and then asked Jichun to escort them to the outside of the mansion. She said with great affection, "I am very bored being confined at home now. You must come to see me more often and keep me company."
As they left the mansion, they saw Zhao He already waiting outside. The sisters got into the carriage, and Zhenyi suddenly laughed and said, "That time at Guangji Temple on the mountain, that Fifth Young Master even made a lewd gesture towards you, but today he's acting like nothing happened."
Zhenyuan said sullenly, "In his eyes, women are nothing but playthings, only Zhenyu is a god of wealth, different from the others."
Zhenshu praised, "Elder sister's words are becoming more and more interesting these days, and what she said couldn't be more true."
After saying that, the sisters looked at each other and smiled.
Just then, at the Jade Mansion beside the Golden Water Bridge outside the Western Imperial City, Yu Yichen was admiring a fine object. It was a tiger, its fur glossy and vibrant, its tail held high. The tiger was currently being carried high in the courtyard, and a craftsman was still working on its head and tail. Yu Yichen glanced at Mei Xun and, unusually, smiled, saying, "A fine piece!"
Chapter 40: Grandfather
When he smiled, his round face resembled that of a woman, and his long, well-proportioned eyebrows rose up, yet he possessed a more dignified and profound air than a woman, with the beauty and domineering presence of a peony.
This was a perfectly intact tiger skin, a tribute from Zhang Sheng of Qin Prefecture. He gazed at the tiger's imposing presence for a long time, then turned to Mei Xunyan and said, "Write a letter to him and tell him to send me the resumes of all the students he's been with around the winter solstice, so I can take care of them for him."
Mei Xun said, "He once said that he had a brother in the capital who wanted to become your godfather."
Yu Yichen laughed even harder, stretched out his fair fingers to poke at the tiger's eyes, and shook his head slightly, saying, "They flock to it like a turtle, that's probably what it means. Since they are so willing to acknowledge me, a eunuch, as their godfather and godfather, how could I possibly refuse?"
After saying that, he pointed to the statue and said, "These two beads are still too warm and lustrous. Let's find two more with a cooler color."
When Mei Xun heard a young eunuch outside reporting, he went out for a moment and then came back, bowing his head and saying, "Eunuch, your things have been returned."
Yu Yichen glanced at the ring in Mei Xun's hand from afar, frowned slightly, and narrowed his eyes, saying, "Smash it."
Mei Xun hesitated for a moment and said, "After all, this ring is registered in every prefecture along the way west. If we smash it rashly..."
Yu Yichen took the handkerchief handed to him by the eunuch, picked up the thumb ring and examined it closely for a long time before saying, "Once we enter the palace, we won't need any tokens anymore. Our titles will be our tokens."
He handed the ring back to Mei Xun, and seeing that Mei Xun was still there, he turned around and asked, "Is there anything else?"
Mei Xun said, "The prefect of Yuzhou wrote that he saw Du Yu around Huixian a few days ago. He was acting crazy and seemed to be insane. They sent a large army to surround him, but he was good at martial arts and managed to slip away."
As Yu Yichen listened, he frowned and stared intently at Mei Xun, saying, "His return or not is of great importance to our Eastern Palace. We must repeatedly remind him that we must never allow him to slip through our fingers and enter the Central Plains again!"
Mei Xun replied, "Yes."
Yu Yichen tossed aside his handkerchief and strode into the inner courtyard, entering a dark building. After a long while, he emerged from the other side, outside which was a flowerbed strewn with autumn leaves. Yu Yichen frowned and stood there for a long time before saying to the eunuch beside him, "Prepare the carriage, go to the East Palace."
The autumn wind, carrying yellow leaves, swirled and blew against his somewhat empty robe. Autumn was already deep, and the cold winter was fast approaching. For a eunuch, devoid of emotion and life, the long, dreary winter was the season that most unsettled him. He feared winter, he loathed winter, yet he had no choice but to endure it, just like many years ago in the inner palace, on that snowy day when the snow soaked through his bed. He could overcome it, but it lingered, a permanent demon in his heart.
Zhen Shu and the others returned to the mounting shop in the East Market, but the shop was still empty, except for Song Anrong sitting behind the counter. Madam Su paced anxiously upstairs, and seeing Zhen Yuan and the others come up, she quickly grabbed them and asked, "How was it? Were there any unmarried young men at the Marquis of Beishun's residence today?"
Zhenyi said, "No, it was only Sister Zhenyu who entertained us. However, the Fifth Young Master said that Zhang Rui and Nie Shiqiu's marriage was not finalized, and he intended to ask Zhang Rui to come here to propose marriage."
Madam Su sat down sullenly and said, "What is Zhang Rui? He's just a poor relative from the maternal family of Lady Zhang, the wife of the Marquis of Beishun, who's always trying to freeload off others."
Zhenshu couldn't help but advise, "Not everyone can marry into the Marquis's family as a legitimate son. Zhenyu was able to marry into the Marquis's family because she had mountains of gold and silver on her back and Consort Rong as her backer."
Madam Su spread her hands and asked, "What do you lack? You are both Song Gongzheng's granddaughters, and you are both so beautiful. How could men not love you?"
Zhenyuan said resentfully, "They have so many playthings, and they're all better looking than us."
Su poked Zhenyuan with her handkerchief and said, "Since you belittle yourself, what can I do to you?"
After saying that, she went back to the inner room. Zhenyuan and her sisters removed their hairpins and jewelry, and Zhenshu rolled up her sleeves and went downstairs. She saw Zhao He still carefully mounting calligraphy and paintings, and went over to him and said, "Uncle Zhao's skills are really good, it's a pity that he doesn't have any apprentices. Why don't I become Uncle Zhao's apprentice?"
Zhao He smiled and shook his head, saying, "You're from an official family, why would you need to learn these things?"
Zhen Shu said, "I think it's also a way to make a living. Even in drought, skilled people won't starve. It's always good to have a skill."
Zhao He smiled without saying a word, still holding his breath and concentrating on covering the back of the paper. Zhen Shu waited until he had covered it completely before sighing, "The ancients said that a good man uses ink like water, and I'm afraid that's exactly what Uncle Zhao is like."
Zhao He was flattered by her and nodded, saying, "Alright, finish framing this piece and hang it up. Then bring me the ordinary one your father wrote, and I'll teach you."
Zhenshu was delighted and readily agreed, then went to the back courtyard to prepare dinner.
The saying goes, "You have to endure three months to open a shop." Song Anrong had only managed a month without any customers when he became anxious and irritable, developing a large blister on his lip. He had staked his entire fortune on this small shop, and now not only had he not made a single penny, but his savings were also dwindling. If he didn't open soon, he feared he would have to close down. He dared not even think about how much money he would lose.
Feeling down that day, and annoyed by the noise from Su upstairs, he put on a felt hat and went for a stroll in the West City market. Zhenshu spent the day learning a craft from Zhao He, but even the simplest task of applying paste was done crookedly, wasting several sheets of Xuan paper. She realized how difficult it was to learn a craft. In the evening, because Song Anrong had not returned, Zhenshu did not close the shop, but lit an oil lamp and read at the counter.
Suddenly, a middle-aged man in his thirties rushed in from outside, looked around the shop, and asked, "Shopkeeper, where are the best calligraphy and paintings here?"
By this time, all the shops outside were already closed, so this person must have been in urgent need to come to this back street. Zhenshu quickly brought over an oil lamp and asked, "What kind of calligraphy or painting would you like, sir?"
The room was dark, and although there were paintings and calligraphy hanging all around, they were too far away to see clearly. The man hurriedly took the oil lamp and examined each piece closely, sighing, "Alas, what good things could there be here? Oh no, oh no!"
Hearing the voices from inside, Zhao He lit a tall candle and came out to ask, "Sir, would you like to choose a piece of calligraphy or painting?"
The man nodded and said, "My godfather is meeting me for the first time tonight, and I want to bring a gift. I heard my godfather say that he loves things with a literary touch, and asked me to find a good painting or calligraphy to give him."
As the saying goes, gold is valued in times of chaos, while collectibles are valued in times of prosperity. The growing popularity of calligraphy collecting in Beijing today is a testament to this prosperous era.
Zhao He pointed to one of the banners and asked the man, "What do you think of this one, sir?"