Zhenyuan was so shocked that she fell backward. After a long while, she said, "Then your filial piety is truly rare."
Zhenxiu turned her gaze to Zhenshu and said, "I heard that you're now the manager of the shop and have made several thousand taels of silver?"
Zhenshu nodded and said, "Yes, it's just a little money for my trouble."
Zhenxiu sneered, "What's the point? Even though Zhenyu is married, the family fortune that the old matriarch still holds is no less than that..."
As she spoke, she held up two fingers. Zhenyi, also curious, leaned closer and asked, "Twenty thousand?"
Zhenxiu said, "There are two hundred thousand taels of silver. These are all the money that Consort Rong has given me over the years. I will take good care of her now, and when she dies, all of this will be my dowry."
Having just married Zhenyu, which depleted most of her fortune, if Zhong Shi still had this much money, she would be considered extremely wealthy. Zhenyuan asked, "Did the old matriarch reveal this to you?"
Zhenxiu said, "She kept it a secret, afraid that her fourth uncle and aunt would find out and take advantage of her. I only found out by secretly looking through the pages."
Suihe Residence was teeming with people. Although one of the maids, Miao Mama, had gone with Zhenyu, the remaining maid, Lü Mama, had eyes as sharp as an owl, and wouldn't miss a single sound. Zhenyuan advised, "What you've done for filial piety is something not only I, but even Zhenshu and Zhenyi could never achieve. However, now that you've fulfilled your filial duty, you must also refrain from listening to or asking questions, and avoid constantly probing into her family's finances so she doesn't think you're only after her money and become disheartened. Otherwise, all your efforts will be in vain."
Chapter 44 The Matchmaker
Zhenxiu sneered, "What do they know? I've already taken Shuangshuang away, and Lanlan is the only one left who listens to me the most. As for Aunt Lü, she's an old woman, so she has to respect me."
Judging from her tone, it seemed she had already taken charge of the entire Suihe Residence for over half a year. Zhenshu, having advised her against spreading rumors last time, was unwilling to say another word. She rose to take her leave, saying, "Please sit down, I need to go find my aunt and talk to her a bit more."
Zhenxiu and Zhenshu are mortal enemies. Zhenshu has already flaunted her house and the money she has, which is still in Zhong's hands. So, Zhenxiu didn't try to keep her any longer and let her leave.
After Zhenshu stepped out the door, she sighed and said to herself, "You really are quite capable."
If Du Yu were just an ordinary bandit, it wouldn't be so bad, but now he has offended the imperial family and has nowhere to hide in the world. Zhen Shu recalled Du Yu at this moment, remembering how he had gone to great lengths to deceive her, and how he had cooked porridge and grilled fish for her in the smoky heat of the outside world.
Suddenly, he remembered what he had said: "I've lived a dissolute life all these years, incurring the wrath of heaven and the resentment of men. Although I know in my heart that it's wrong, my nature is hard to change, and now I'm all alone, in a state of panic and destitution, all because of my own fault. Lying to you before was the worst mistake of all, but I truly love you. Heaven and earth bear witness to this, the sun and moon are my witness, I swear..."
Suddenly, a thought crossed his mind: perhaps there was some sincerity in his words, and perhaps a trace of genuine feeling was mixed into his relentless methods over the past few days. But now, he was truly enraged by both heaven and man; how could he possibly find peace?
The thunder and lightning that struck the house that night still echoed in her mind, and she couldn't shake it off.
She stood outside the courtyard for a while, then returned to Shen's residence. She sat with Su and Shen for a while, played with her two younger brothers, and waited for Zhenyuan and Zhenyi to return before the family bid farewell to Shen and returned to the mounting shop.
The small building in the backyard is still not fully tidied up, and the whole family is still crammed into the small room upstairs in the shop. Zhenyi, having received a few more pieces of clothing from Zhenxiu that Zhenyu wore before her marriage, wanted to show them off, so she shook Su's knee and said, "Mother, could you send a visiting card to Sister Zhenyu so we can go to her mansion for a visit, please?"
Madam Su waved her hand and said, "She's not doing any better than you are now, so don't go. She was only able to act so arrogantly because of Consort Rong's influence. Now that Consort Rong has lost power, how can Madam Zhang of the Marquis's Mansion allow her to be as carefree as before? Now she is also experiencing the bitterness of being a daughter-in-law, and I'm afraid she will have to stand on her bound feet and be proper in front of her mother-in-law Madam Zhang every day."
Although Zhenyu's path was blocked, Su Shi discovered a new one. She herself had grown up in the capital, a girl from a poor family. Orphaned at a young age and with a wicked brother and sister-in-law, she had vowed to marry into a good family. The Song family's marriage proposal was undoubtedly a stroke of good fortune, but after only two years of happiness, Song Gongzheng died, and Zhong Shi arranged for the family to be divided, sending her to Huixian County. With no relatives to rely on and no one to rely on, she had lived a very stifled life for years, almost completely severing ties with her brother; her maternal family was practically nonexistent. Since returning to the capital, she spent her free time browsing the silver and silk shops and clothing stores in the East Market.
She spent her days gossiping with the shopkeepers and female customers, and somehow managed to find out about a distant aunt of hers who had married out of the family years ago, known as Aunt Su. Because of her extensive network of information, she knew better than the mistress of her own household which concubine missed her period last month—almost half the men of the capital stayed in that courtyard at night. She was also intimately familiar with the intricate relationships between the various households in the capital, earning her the nickname "The City Patrol Censor." Now, she worked as a matchmaker and go-between in the capital.
The first month of the lunar calendar is a time for visiting relatives. Madam Su personally prepared a basket of New Year's cakes, ham, and other items, asking Zhao He to help her choose. She then took Zhenyuan and Zhenyi in a carriage, asking for directions along the way, until they reached the vicinity of Kaibao Temple in the north of the city. Finally, they found a small courtyard in an alley, a small courtyard with only two west-facing rooms and one east-facing room. This Aunt Su was very warm and friendly. Seeing her niece, whom she hadn't seen for many years, arrive with her two beautiful daughters, she happily rushed out and said, "I heard you went to another place years ago and haven't visited for many years. How have you been?"
Su Shi had no shortage of clothes, and her hair was adorned with gold and mother-of-pearl hairpins, as well as kingfisher feather phoenix hairpins. Zhenyuan and Zhenyi were also wearing long cotton-padded coats with fur collars. Although they didn't look like the wealthiest women, they were clearly daughters of well-to-do families. After looking them over, Aunt Su saw that they were two promising young men to be betrothed to, and she was overjoyed. She quickly ushered Su Shi and the others into the house.
Grandma Su's husband, surnamed Ding, had long since passed away. She now lived in this small courtyard with her son and daughter-in-law. She was over seventy, extremely thin, but despite her white hair, her voice was surprisingly strong. Ding Dalang and his wife, having taken their children to visit relatives for the New Year, had left Grandma Su alone at home. She busied herself bringing out some fried dough sticks and dried fruits prepared for the New Year, then insisted on cooking a meal. Seeing Grandma Su's two thin feet moving about so quickly, as if they were about to break, she stopped her, saying, "Grandma, I haven't come here to eat or sit for long, but because I have a difficult matter to ask of you."
Grandma Su then sat down and asked, "What is the trouble you are facing?"
Madam Su smiled awkwardly and pointed to Zhenyuan, saying, "This is my eldest daughter, now at the age of nineteen. Because of the poverty in Huixian County, she hasn't been able to find a good match and is still unmarried..."
Grandma Su slapped her thighs and jumped up, saying, "Your grandma is now in the business of matchmaking. Countless young women in the capital have been matched and introduced by me."
She noticed Zhenyuan blushing and turning her head to look away. Zhenyuan was of the highest caliber in both figure and appearance. With a beaming smile, she said, "In this entire capital, from the lords of the Ministry of Rites to the yamen runners of Yingtian Prefecture, I know every single unmarried young man. Please leave this matter to me."
Madam Su was overjoyed and said, "In that case, I'll have to trouble you. But you don't know, I'm unlucky. I gave birth to a bunch of girls. This is the first one. There are two more I haven't brought yet. Although they don't look like their older sisters, they are still exceptionally beautiful."
Upon hearing this, Granny Su immediately began counting on her fingers: "The third son of Minister Xu is eighteen years old this year, with a handsome appearance, and is still unmarried. He is registered with me looking for a virtuous woman from a respectable family and with outstanding looks. The eldest son of Vice Minister Wang is young and has lost his first wife; he is also registered with me looking for a virtuous wife. Prefect Zhou of Yintian Prefecture is even more so; both of his sons are of marriageable age and are looking for suitable matches."
Upon hearing this, Madam Su knew she had come to the right place. She took out a ten-tael silver note from her waist and placed it on the table, saying, "It's been many years since we last met. This money is a small token of my appreciation. It is what I should give to my aunt."
Grandma Su pushed the money away, saying, "It's only right to receive a reward for arranging a marriage for someone else. But these are my own grandchildren, so it's not appropriate for me to take your money."
Madam Su insisted on declining, but Aunt Su finally accepted. Knowing that Madam Su was married to the second son of the Song family, she then proceeded to tell Madam Su many stories about the conflicts between Madam Zhang of the Bei Shun Marquis's mansion and Zhenyu, the second daughter of the Song family, as well as the private affairs between the fifth son of the Marquis's mansion and Zhenyu. If Madam Su hadn't been concerned about her two unmarried daughters being present and afraid of overhearing something indecent, Aunt Su could probably have talked from dawn till dusk and then back to dawn.
When Madam Su took her leave with her two daughters, it was already dark. Although she hadn't even had a chance to drink water at the Ding family's house, she bid farewell to her aunt who kept her there. After getting into the carriage, Madam Su said to Zhenyuan with great confidence, "Now that I have you two as my great-aunts, why should I worry about marriage? The sons of the Minister and the young masters of the Vice Minister's family will all be chosen by you. You can only marry the ones you want."
Zhenyuan's ears were calloused from Su's constant barrage of criticism, so she wouldn't say a word. Only Zhenyi said, "If she has such good skills, how come her family is so poor that they can't even build a main house?"
Madam Su pulled Zhenyi close and said, "My child, as the saying goes, a ghost climbs the wall of a geomancer's house, and a carpenter's house has a side room. Even if she takes this job, she can only earn enough to make a living. Have you ever seen a matchmaker get rich?"
Because the Ding family had invited Aunt Su to their mounting shop a few days earlier, Madam Su planned to clean and tidy up the newly rented backyard building during the New Year, wallpaper it, and decorate it to create a room so that Aunt Su would have a place to be entertained when she came. On the sixth day of the New Year, she came downstairs to find Zhenshu and Song Shirong to discuss this matter, only to find Zhenshu, Song Shirong, Zhao, and several others sitting in front of a large table in the inner room on the first floor, gesturing and drawing something.
Su listened for a while, and when Zhenshu said that he wanted to move this big case to the first floor of the small building in the back, she interrupted and said, "That won't do. If you move this wolf-like creature there, where will you even have a place to turn around on the first floor?"
Zhenshu said, "Mother, that first floor is going to be used as a place for displaying and mounting paintings. How can we work if we don't move it there?"
Upon hearing this, Madam Su shrieked, "That won't do! From now on, the small building in the backyard must be separated from this shop and used as your boudoir before you sisters get married. I've had enough of this kind of life, and I absolutely do not want to be involved with this shop again like I am now."
It turned out that Zhenshu had visited Yu Yichen's residence last time and found his calligraphy and painting exhibition to be very innovative. Considering she had earned several thousand taels of silver by the end of the year, she wanted to emulate Yu Yichen's arrangement, removing the front counter and widening the walls of the partitioned area to make the two shops more spacious and bright, better suited for displaying her calligraphy and paintings. The usual mounting work would be moved to the first floor of the small building in the back courtyard. In this way, although the shop's storefront was small, the interior was quite spacious.
Hearing Zhenshu's words, Madam Su, knowing that Zhenshu was now working as a small shopkeeper and had given her some money, couldn't very well contradict her directly. So she pointed at Song Anrong and said, "You finally managed to earn money to rent a small building, so you should decorate it nicely and invite matchmakers to come and find good marriage partners for your daughters. Now that you've arranged it so shabbily, how can I dare to invite anyone to come?"
Song Anrong ignored Su Shi and pointed at Zhen Shu, saying, "You continue."
Chapter 45, Festival
Zhenshu ignored Su Shi and pointed to the blueprint of the second floor, saying, "My father had many friends in the capital who were both excellent in poetry and painting. Although none of them ever held official positions, their skills were top-notch. Why don't we furnish and decorate this second floor as well, and have them write and paint? Then we can frame them and sell them for money. After all, we can't rely solely on my father's calligraphy and painting to make money. We also need to find someone to collect some of the calligraphy and painting of the ministers and vice ministers in the capital, frame them, and hang them up. Throughout history, calligraphy and painting have been embellishments for official careers. With fame and position, calligraphy and painting become prestigious. Without fame and position, no matter how good the skills are, it's hard to convince people, isn't it?"
While Song Anrong was still deep in thought, Zhao He nodded deeply and said, "Second Miss, what a good idea."
Hearing that they didn't care about her at all, and not wanting to stab Song Anrong in front of Zhao He and Zhen Shu, Su went upstairs in a huff. The seventh day was considered inauspicious for all activities, so construction began on the eighth. Starting from the eighth, Zhao He hired several rough-working women to clean the backyard from top to bottom, and then personally wallpapered it from top to bottom. Only then did he hire laborers to remove the large table, demolish walls, and clear the shop front.
Since the carpenters don't start work until after the fifteenth, the furniture-making work had to be put on hold for the time being. First, the shop was cleaned and re-covered, and then Zhenshu was allowed to hang calligraphy and paintings all over the walls. Meanwhile, Song Anrong spent his days visiting his old friends who had studied calligraphy and painting together, looking for some of their works to sell.
On the tenth day, Aunt Su, carrying a small basket, tiptoed to the shop herself. The shop was currently being renovated, and the interior was a mess of smoke and dust. Fearing Aunt Su would laugh at her, Madam Su specially spent money to exchange for an ounce of silver at the nearby Huixianju restaurant to prepare a meal, taking Zhenyuan and Zhenyi with her.
Seeing that Madam Su was still with the two women, Aunt Su looked around and asked, "Where are the other two?"
Madam Su smiled apologetically, “The second young lady is the one who was wrapped in a handkerchief and jumping around when you came in just now. I’m keeping that one to be my live-in son-in-law. The third young lady is currently serving her grandmother at the Song family’s residence. She is fair-skinned and delicate, especially her pair of slender feet, which are only a little over three inches long. She is the most beautiful and charming.”
When a matchmaker sees an unmarried girl, it's like a wolf seeing a plump, white sheep, or a sheep seeing lush green grass—their eyes light up and their mouths water just from looking at her. Grandma Su, picking up a piece of squirrel-shaped mandarin fish, chewed it heartily and said, "I've never failed to arrange a marriage in my life. These girls are all in my hands. Especially the second girl, I'll find you a handsome, well-bred, and capable son-in-law who can uphold your family's honor."
Su had never been able to have a son in her life, but when she heard that her great-aunt was going to find her a son-in-law, she was so happy that she couldn't stop smiling.
On the fifteenth day of the first lunar month, the Lantern Festival, the mounting shop was clean and bright, with calligraphy and paintings adorning the walls. There was only a small counter against the back wall, providing a place for customers to sit or stroll around and admire the paintings. However, the furniture on the second floor and in the inner room could not be made until the carpenters opened their doors on the sixteenth, so it remained empty.
Exhausted from cleaning the shop for several days, Zhenshu only hastily cooked some glutinous rice balls for everyone to share, without even preparing silkworm rice or salted drum soup. However, since there was no curfew for five nights starting from this day, the Imperial Street was bustling with activity, featuring not only government-run lantern displays but also local storytelling, Sichuan opera, northern drumming, and folk music. After everyone had eaten a few bites of glutinous rice balls, Su Shi and Zhenyuan, dressed in their finest attire, waited upstairs and downstairs for Zhao He and Song Anrong to escort them on their departure.
Zhen Shu also changed into the new clothes she wore when she went to Yu Yichen's residence that day. She helped Su Shi and the others into the carriage, and then she walked slowly with Zhao and Song Yichen towards the Imperial Street.
On this day, everyone in the capital rushed to the Imperial Street. At midnight, lotus lanterns were released into the moat and floated on the water, making it even more popular. Because it was rare for women with bound feet to go out, the Lantern Festival was a must for them. So carriages were side by side, and people were shoulder to shoulder. One person would pull on the rut of another's carriage, and another would tie up another's horse. Even before reaching the Imperial Street, it was already extremely noisy.
Zhen Shu was different from the others; the events in the mountains had left her with a lingering sense of melancholy, making her feel particularly heavy-hearted even during these joyous days, when others were indulging in happiness. As she approached the Imperial Street, she saw that a bookstore she had passed on her way to the Jade Mansion was still lit up, so she went over and asked, "Shopkeeper, why are you still open tonight?"
The shopkeeper was a short, chubby man with a round belly. He looked like he had a good temper. He smiled and his eyebrows curved as he said, "My legs are weak and I can't walk, but I still like to be on the go, so I have to open the shop and crane my neck to look outside."
Zhenshu then asked, "I wonder when the gate will close?"
The shopkeeper said, "We have to get through the time of releasing the lotus lanterns."
Upon hearing this, Zhen Shu turned to Zhao He and Song Anrong and said, "I'm exhausted these days and too lazy to move around. I'll just read some books in this bookstore. After you've seen the river lanterns, come find me here again, okay?"
Since Kuang Zhenshu was an unmarried girl and had been lost before, Song Anrong dared not be careless. He personally went into the bookstore and instructed the shopkeeper, "Do not let her go out again. We will come after we finish watching the river lanterns."
The shopkeeper agreed, and Zhenshu entered the bookstore. It was indeed a good place, with shelves upon shelves piled high with books. Zhenshu walked from shelf to shelf, pulling out books she liked and holding any she wanted to read. Now that she was the shopkeeper, she had some money to spend as she pleased, and since she didn't buy new jewelry or cosmetics, she was quite ruthless when it came to selling these things.
Women's favorite pastimes remain the various vernacular stories, filled with ornate and beautiful language, melodious and smooth prose, and epic tales. It's just that, for some reason, these days, vernacular stories are probably written by impoverished scholars. There's a book called *Flying Flowers and Dreams*, which contains a story about a son of a high-ranking official who, through a series of coincidences, marries two wives, placing them in the east and west wings. The two wives refuse to marry each other, leaving the top scholar to sit in the courtyard gazing at the moon on his wedding night. Meanwhile, the scholar's father, a high-ranking official, and his mother, a first-rank noblewoman, are eavesdropping outside. Seeing their son's distress, they bring him a bowl of soup noodles to comfort him.
Let alone how spacious the Minister's mansion was, it wouldn't even be enough to provide for two wives, each with their own courtyard. The fact that he insisted on having the two rooms on the east and west sides of the same courtyard shows that this poor scholar had been impoverished since childhood, never even entering the courtyards of wealthy families, let alone aspiring to riches.
Zhenshu carefully placed the storybooks back on the shelf, unaware of how much time had passed. Looking up, she saw only the deafening noise of the crowd, the shoulder-to-shoulder throngs of people, and the twinkling lights illuminating the night sky. If the lotus lanterns were released, everyone would surely flock to the moat, indicating that it was not yet midnight. Zhenshu turned back and saw that although the bookstore door was open, the shopkeeper was nowhere to be found. She didn't mind, however, and slowly strolled up to the inner shelf, searching high and low. Suddenly, she spotted a sturdy book box about half a foot high at the top, with the words "Great Tang Records on the Western Regions" written on its surface. This book was the account of the Venerable Xuanzang's journey to India during the previous dynasty, divided into twelve volumes. When Zhenshu was young, Song Anrong had once possessed a volume, but it had since been lost.
Inside the half-foot-thick hard box were clearly all twelve volumes. Zhenshu was delighted, but seeing no sign of the shopkeeper, she stood on tiptoe to try and take it down herself. Although she was taller than the average woman, this bookshelf, reaching to the ceiling, was not something an ordinary person could reach. Zhenshu managed to reach the shelf with great difficulty, but the box was too high to be moved. Just as she was struggling, she saw a pair of slender, elegant male hands gently lift the entire box down. She turned around with the box and saw a man dressed in a white fur robe standing behind her, holding the books in his hands.
Zhenshu was greatly surprised upon seeing this, and curtsied, saying, "This humble girl greets Eunuch Yu."
He was standing too close, and being very tall, he ended up squeezing Zhenshu right in front of the bookshelf. He picked up the book and asked, "Does the young shopkeeper like this book?"
Because he was standing so close, the rise and fall of his chest could be clearly seen. Zhenshu leaned back again, her back against the bookshelf, and said, "I once read a volume when I was young, and I still can't forget it."
Yu Yichen lowered his head slightly to look at the book box and asked, "What is this book about?"
Zhenshu's heart stirred. She suddenly remembered that his large house seemed to have everything elegant except books. Clearly, this eunuch, like his adopted grandson, was illiterate. So she introduced it word by word: "This is a writing by the monk Xuanzang of the previous dynasty, based on his observations and experiences on his journey to the west. It contains about 100,000 words and describes the customs, traditions, and religious beliefs of the various countries and peoples along the way."
Yu Yichen handed her the book box and said, "Why would a perfectly good man become a monk?"
Seeing that he was standing in front of her without moving, Zhenshu turned sideways and said, "He wants to seek a kind of wisdom."
Yu Yichen subtly shifted his position, still blocking her in front of the bookshelf, and asked, "What kind of wisdom?"
Zhen Shu said, "For example, the confusion of being born into the world as a human being. Where did I come from, and where am I going? Why did I come, and why am I going? He wants to find an answer."
Yu Yichen seemed to be pondering, staring at Zhen Shu for a long while before suddenly asking, "Is this the only set of clothes you have, little shopkeeper?"
Zhenshu looked down at herself and smiled, "Luckily, I still look good in this."
Yu Yichen also smiled: "That's right, clothes don't matter. As long as the person looks good, what does it matter what they wear?"
Zhenshu suddenly realized that he had misunderstood her. She meant to say that the clothes were pretty, but perhaps to him it sounded like she was praising him. So she corrected him, "I was just saying that the clothes are pretty."
Yu Yichen nodded and said, "He's good-looking too."
Zhen Shu thought to herself: This eunuch knows how to talk. I suppose the concubines in the Eastern Palace would be pleased if they could be coaxed by this handsome eunuch when the Crown Prince doesn't show them any favor.
Seeing that she still didn't speak, Yu Yichen pointed to the book and asked, "Did Master Xuanzang finally find the answer he was looking for?"
When Zhenshu saw that he had asked about books again, she nodded and said, "He is a great monk of his generation, so he must have obtained the book."
Yu Yichen said, "I want to know his final answer, what should I do?"
Chapter 46 Lotus Lantern
Zhenshu was stumped by his question and stood there, unsure how to answer. Still looking up at him, she saw him gently turn around and block the light coming in from outside, enveloping her in shadow and whispering, "Young shopkeeper, could you come to my residence and read this book to me, so that I may also understand the kind of wisdom that Master Xuanzang sought?"
He slowly walked forward, getting closer and closer. Zhenshu urged him to slowly back away, shaking his head and saying, "His journey to the west was not only to seek his own enlightenment, but also carried a greater ambition, which is why he made the trip. Simply reading through the whole book only gives you a glimpse of the scenery along the way recorded by the holy monk. If you really want to find wisdom, I'm afraid you still have to go there yourself."
"What is that grand ambition? Please tell me, little shopkeeper." Yu Yichen cornered Zhenshu at the back of the bookstore, where Zhirong and the other person stood, and nodded to her.
Zhenshu smiled and said, "It's a long story, and it's related to the customs and social norms of the time. If you'd like to know, perhaps you could ask a high-ranking monk to explain it to you."
Yu Yichen shook his head: "I don't want to seek out any eminent monks. I'm eager to know, and I want to know right now."