Chapter 394: Fellow In-Law

After seeing off that “Young Marquis,” Ji Chengjue silently dusted his hands together, as though brushing away some invisible dirt.

A short while later, Eunuch Zhang came over. He first crouched to gather the shattered pieces of the teacup lid, then asked:

“Master, that man isn’t really the Young Marquis from the north?”

Ji Chengjue shook his head.

“I don’t know either.”

Eunuch Zhang continued:

“Master, even if he truly is that Young Marquis from the north, a man like him would still be difficult to associate with deeply. Forget everything else—compared with Count Pingye, he falls far short.”

“You haven’t seen Zheng Fan in quite some time either, have you?”

“It has indeed been a long time. But Master, as the saying goes, you can see the man at seventy from the child at three. Count Pingye may have risen from humble beginnings, but even back then he carried a kind of unrestrained ease that other people simply cannot imitate.

“If it were merely some idle rogue loitering around a village entrance, that would be one thing. Men like that often have something similar about them. But Count Pingye happens to be capable as well.

“Talented without arrogance, lowly in station without dejection—that is true breadth of character.

“As for the man who just left, he doesn’t have it.”

Ji Chengjue rubbed between his brows and said nothing.

Eunuch Zhang stood with the broken porcelain in his hands and lowered his voice.

“Master, just as you said earlier with the teacup lid, finding this man really did cost us no small amount of effort, along with a certain measure of coincidence.

“If he is only a shadow, then whose hand holds the string attached to that shadow?”

Eunuch Zhang was Ji Chengjue’s own man, so he had no need to restrain himself when speaking.

What he meant was simple: if this man was merely bait, then who had cast the fishing line?

Was it the Marquis of Zhenbei, protecting his true son?

Or was it the present...

Ji Chengjue shook his head.

“You can only find the melon by following the vine. But this bait is one nobody dares swallow just to feel for the fishing line.”

If you followed it back to the Marquis of Zhenbei, you died.

If you followed it back to His Majesty, you died too.

Understanding dawned on Eunuch Zhang. Then he sighed.

“Master, that man from earlier is rather pitiful too. A shadow who has always believed himself to be the true body.”

“You pity him?”

Ji Chengjue chuckled twice.

“What if all of that was deliberate? What if he deliberately acted impatient, acted restless, acted as though he had no scheming mind, no self-control, as though he were desperate to eat hot tofu before it cooled?”

“An act?” Eunuch Zhang asked in astonishment.

Ji Chengjue pointed toward the broken porcelain in Eunuch Zhang’s hands.

“A person is different from a teacup lid. A lid can be smashed and that’s the end of it.

“But a person? If you know he is fake, yet smashing him will still spray filth all over you, then you simply stop feeling like smashing him at all.”

...

“Chu, tidy up the courtyard a bit more.”

“Got it, Dad.”

“Move quickly. We’re lighting the stove in the new home tonight.”

“All right, Dad.”

He Chu took a broom and began sweeping the courtyard. Halfway through, he looked up and noticed two people standing at the gate.

One was a middle-aged man with graying hair. Behind him stood someone who looked like an elderly servant.

“May I ask who you are?” He Chu said.

“Oh, I’m the landlord,” the middle-aged man replied.

“The landlord?”

“The people at the property brokerage notified me today that this little courtyard had been rented out, so I came over to have a look.”

“Chu, who is it?”

Old He walked out from the inner room.

“Dad, he says he’s our landlord.”

“Landlord? You weren’t the one who signed the lease at the brokerage.”

“A steward from my household signed it. I only just heard this courtyard had been rented out, so I came to have a look. I brought you a little gift as well.”

The elderly servant stepped forward and set down several wrapped rice cakes and a jar of wine.

“Oh, no, no, we can’t accept this. Since when does a tenant receive gifts from the landlord?”

Old He immediately picked the things up and tried to hand them back.

“This courtyard of yours was already listed cheaply. I checked. Compared with other courtyards of the same size and in the same area, the rent is thirty percent lower. My son and I only just arrived in the capital and were in a hurry to find somewhere to live. Being able to rent this place immediately already means we’ve taken advantage of you.

“Just a moment ago I was even telling my son that once we had the place tidied up and settled down, we ought to bring you a strip of cured pork to thank you.”

The middle-aged man waved dismissively.

“Keep the gifts. To tell you the truth, I lived in this courtyard when I was young. Later I went into business, made a little money, and moved into a new three-courtyard residence. But this place still carries memories of my childhood.

“A house is a house. If nobody lives in it, even the finest place grows cold, broken, and ruined.

“I came today with a small gift because I wanted to trouble you to take good care of the place for me. As for the rent, if money is tight, it can be lowered further.”

“We wouldn’t dare. We wouldn’t dare.” Old He immediately shook his head. “We’re already taking advantage of you. We mustn’t be greedy. As for the house, don’t worry. This old man knows what’s proper. Whatever needs repairing, I’ll have my son fix. If you live under another man’s roof, you ought to cherish his property, don’t you think?”

“Good. Then accept these little gifts.”

“Fine, fine. I’ll accept them. But then you have to stay and let this old man feed you dinner. If you think me worth the company, give me that much face!”

The middle-aged man waved once and sat directly on a nearby wooden stool.

“Very well. Then I’ll trouble you.”

“Listen to you. If you hadn’t come, would this old man not be eating dinner anyway? It’s only one extra pair of chopsticks.

“My son and I only just arrived in the capital. I look around and—how do I put it? The people, the houses, the shops, everything still feels unfamiliar and half-cooked.

“I can’t even find anyone to share a little wine with. If you have time in the future, come by often.

“You bring a dish of peanuts, and this old man will provide the wine!”

“Certainly. Certainly.”

Old He called to his son:

“Chu, go buy some vegetables.”

“Got it, Dad.”

He Chu left.

Old He brought over two more stools, one for the old servant standing behind the middle-aged man and one for himself.

“Don’t think we’re going to spend lavishly on your account. My son is only going out to buy vegetables. We already have plenty of cured pork and pig’s head at home. Heh. Before coming to the capital, this old man was a butcher.”

“Oh? From your accent, even if you’re not from the capital, I would guess you didn’t come from very far away.”

“You guessed right. I’m a born-and-bred man of Nan’an, also in Tiancheng Commandery.”

“Then why move to the capital?”

“Haaah. Don’t laugh at me. Once a daughter grows up, she stops belonging to her father. My own girl picked a man from the capital and chose me a son-in-law here.

“I thought I might as well move closer to her.”

“Oh? If that is the case, your son-in-law should have helped settle you properly. How could he leave you to rent a place yourselves? That seems terribly improper.

“Does his household have difficulties?”

“No, no. The son-in-law’s family is wealthy. He had already arranged a house for us, a very spacious courtyard, but I refused to live there.”

It was more than spacious. Servants and maids had already been prepared as well.

Back when Little Sixth had been at his poorest, he had depended on the cornmeal Count Zheng sent him just to get by.

But now he practically controlled the Ministry of Revenue from behind the curtain. There was no need to keep pretending to be poor. When it came to knowing how to spend money, there truly were very few people in all Great Yan who could compare with Ji Little Sixth.

“Why refuse?”

“Think about it. My daughter married into their family. This old man and my son didn’t marry into their family with her. What right do we have to eat their food, drink their wine, and live in their house?

“Wouldn’t that simply make it harder for my daughter to hold her head up in her husband’s household?

“Isn’t that the truth?”

“It is.”

“Haaah.”

Old He sighed.

“We don’t ask for some great leap into wealth and nobility. This old man always thought that if our family could simply live safe and sound, that would already be more than enough. Now I don’t even know whether this is good fortune or bad.”

“If your daughter married into a wealthy household, it should naturally be good fortune.”

“You count as a wealthy household yourself, don’t you?”

“Me?”

“Look at your clothes. Listen to the way you speak. This old man can tell at a glance you’re no ordinary commoner. So you ought to understand too. Wealthy households have high walls, and their rules are just as high.

“Before, I thought I might find my daughter a live-in son-in-law, or at least someone nearby. While I was alive, I could keep an eye on things. Once I was gone, her elder brother could keep watching for me.

“No matter what, she would never lack meat on the table, and nobody would be allowed to bully her.

“Now there’s nothing I can do. Even if I want to manage it, I can’t.”

The middle-aged man nodded.

“Children and grandchildren have their own fortunes. Every generation has its own fate.”

“Little brother, you truly see things clearly.”

At that form of address, the old servant standing to the side twitched both hands slightly.

The middle-aged man, however, answered freely:

“Isn’t that the truth? I have several sons myself.”

“Many?”

“Quite a few.”

“Oh, then you’re blessed.”

“None of them is easy to deal with. Several are already hoping I die sooner so they can divide the family property.”

“Now listen to yourself. Surely not.”

“I’m not afraid of you laughing, Elder Brother. Those brats in my household truly do think that way. Only the youngest is still little, his wings not yet grown, so I suppose he doesn’t want me dead yet. As for the grown ones, every extra day I remain alive is another day they feel uncomfortable.”

“Little brother, that’s not how it works.”

“Oh? Then how does it work?”

“Whether children are filial and whether brothers and sisters remain close ultimately depends on their parents.”

“The parents?”

“Exactly. Little brother, don’t blame this old man for speaking unpleasant truths. Before blaming children for being unfilial, before blaming them for lacking consideration, first look at the root. More often than not, the father himself failed to teach them properly.”

“...”

The old servant went silent.

The middle-aged man drew a deep breath.

“Please continue.”

“This old man lived in Nan’an County. Because I had to buy pigs, I traveled everywhere inside and outside the city, through the villages and hamlets. The more places you go, the more you see.

“I’ve seen plenty of rebellious sons. Plenty of unfilial children who refused to care for their parents.

“But most follow the same pattern.

“Either the parents themselves were rotten people who never set a proper example, and from the very beginning they failed to treat their children equally; or they spoiled the child too much at first, or treated the child badly. In short, the child was not raised properly.

“There’s a reason the old saying goes: when the upper beam is crooked, the lower beam will lean.

“Perhaps you spent too much time away doing business in earlier years and never had the time to manage your children from when they were little.

“Look at mine. I’m not boasting—well, perhaps I am a little. My son may have no skill except slaughtering pigs, but his character is sound. He’s steady and understands propriety!”

The middle-aged man nodded.

“I have been instructed.”

“Oh, look at me. Look at this mouth of mine. I misspoke, I misspoke. Back in the county I ran a shop, and every day I’d gossip with neighbors and talk about other people’s affairs. These past few days I’ve been on the road and then only just arrived in the capital. The moment I found someone willing to talk, my mouth ran away from me.

“Forgive me. Forgive me.”

Old He suddenly realized he had spoken far too deeply with a near-stranger and slapped himself twice across the face.

“Elder Brother, what you said was right. There’s no need for this.”

“Dad, I bought the vegetables. And five chickens too.”

“Go cook. Move quickly.”

“Got it, Dad.”

He Chu entered the kitchen.

The old servant behind the middle-aged man rose and followed to help.

“Let me tend the fire.”

“No need, no need. I can handle it. You should rest too.”

“I haven’t tended a stove in a long time. My hands are itching.”

“Well... all right. You do it.”

He Chu lit the fire and gave up the seat.

The old servant sat down.

He Chu lifted the lid of the wok and asked:

“What sort of flavors do you and your master prefer?”

The old servant answered:

“Plenty of oil. Strong seasoning.”

He Chu laughed.

“Good. That’s what I’m best at. I thought you and your master might prefer lighter food. Plenty of noble people in the capital seem to like that.”

The old servant shook his head.

“If you don’t eat meat and you don’t eat salt, your body has no strength.”

“Exactly. Let me tell you, our family slaughtered pigs, so by rights I’ve never lacked meat since I was small, but somehow I’ve still never gotten tired of it. Heh.”

“Being able to eat is a blessing,” the old servant said with feeling.

The fire burned steadily.

The old servant’s gaze fell on a basket hanging from the wall. It was filled with sheets of paper.

“You’re practicing characters?”

He Chu had just lowered the chickens into the wok.

“Mm. I only recently started learning.”

“Learning characters is good. Once you’re literate and educated, you can become an official.”

“No, no. I’ve never thought about becoming an official. I’m only learning because my little sister has married into another family now, hasn’t she? She’s become another household’s wife. Great houses have many rules. It won’t be easy for her to come out whenever she wants.

“If I learn to read and write, then when Dad misses her, I can help him write letters.”

“You are filial.”

“Filial or not, that’s too much praise. Oh, by the way—do you eat lard?”

“I do. Fragrant stuff.”

“Exactly. Then I’ll use more. Later I’ll make some crackling soup too, throw in a few vegetable leaves. Beautiful.”

“You’re making my mouth water.”

“Don’t rush. Whatever else may be said of the He family, when friends and relatives come to eat, there will always be enough!”

“Generous.”

...

“Elder Brother, how did you handle the wedding?”

“We held one ceremony in Nan’an. From what my son-in-law says, I suppose there’ll be another in the capital.”

“That’s good. Have you prepared what you need? New clothes and the like?”

Old He waved his hand.

“My son-in-law asked this old man to attend, but I don’t plan to go. My son won’t either.”

“Why?”

“The marriage was already conducted back home. There’s no need for us to show our faces again here.”

“Afraid of having to watch other people’s expressions?”

“Not really.”

“Your daughter doesn’t want you there?”

“How could that be? This old man simply can’t be bothered joining that bustle. Every household has its own way of living.

“After a while, I plan to visit the other pork shops around the capital and learn how things work here. Then I’ll take my son to the farms outside the city and have a look around.

“If the channels are good, perhaps before long I’ll return to my old trade. Aiya, I’ve slaughtered pigs for most of my life. After going so many days without touching that pig-slaughtering knife, my heart actually feels strangely empty.”

“Like a general laying down his armor. Hard to get used to.”

“Oh, no, no, don’t say that. I’m only a pig butcher. How could I compare myself with a great general?”

“Everyone beneath Heaven has his own duty. Only when each person does his part can Great Yan keep improving. There’s no true distinction between high and low.”

“Little brother, now that is something worth saying. When I was young, I heard the old men talk about the days when the barbarians invaded. They burned and slaughtered and looted everywhere. His Majesty personally led the campaign, and all of us—young and old, no matter what work we had done before—grabbed whatever weapons we could and followed the imperial army to fight the barbarians.

“Those years were far worse than now. Even emperors of Great Yan could die in battle.

“Now things are better. The barbarians don’t dare come in. The Jin people have been beaten down too. As for Chu and Qian, we’re not afraid of them.

“If only the fighting stops now, ordinary people like us can finally settle down and live properly.”

“Are people not living well?” the middle-aged man asked.

“Little brother, this old man can’t speak for everything. But over the last two years, my pork really has sold worse than before. If common people were living well, my shop should be selling more meat, not less.

“If people have become so poor they can’t even afford pork to add some grease to their meals, how can that be called a good life?”

The middle-aged man nodded.

“Yes.”

But soon he continued:

“Elder Brother, some things cannot be judged only by what is in front of your eyes. You know yourself how hard Great Yan’s wars against the barbarians were a hundred years ago.

“Now, yes, we have beaten down the Jin people. The men of Qian and Chu have also been beaten by Yan.

“For now, nothing is happening.

“But what about ten years from now? Twenty? Thirty? Fifty? Two generations from now?

“What happens when our Emperor passes away, when I...”

Old He sprang up in terror and clapped one hand over the middle-aged man’s mouth.

“Aiya, little brother, what are you saying? What are you saying? This is the capital! Do you have a death wish?”

The middle-aged man gestured that he understood.

Only then did Old He release him and sit back down.

The middle-aged man continued:

“Qian has vast lands and rich resources. Its population is far larger than ours. Chu is also a great state. Even the desert barbarians—yes, they’re behaving now, but who knows what will happen in the future?

“What if one day the Marquis of Zhenbei is gone, the Marquis of Jingnan is gone, the present emp—everyone is gone, and our entire generation has passed away?

“At that time, will our descendants still be able to suppress the barbarians, the Qian people, and the Chu people?

“To say something unpleasant, even the Jin people may rise in rebellion again.

“While our generation can still fight, while we can still win, we need to seize the opportunity and settle all of them. Then our children and grandchildren can enjoy peace.”

“Little brother, what you say truly makes sense.”

“So you agree?”

“Yes. That’s exactly the principle! It’s like two old neighbors I used to have, one surnamed Sun and one Zhou. The Sun family bullied a widow and her orphaned boy. Ten years later, the Zhou boy grew up while the Sun man grew old. Didn’t the Zhou family settle the score then?

“Right now Qian, Chu, the barbarians, and the Jin people are all being bullied by us. They must hate us. We can’t give them the chance.”

“Exactly. We cannot.”

The middle-aged man’s voice landed like iron.

“Dad, Landlord, dinner’s ready.”

...

Two square wooden stools were placed in the courtyard, and the four men sat on smaller stools around them to eat.

The old servant did not drink, so Old He poured wine for himself and the middle-aged man.

They clinked cups.

“Come, little brother. One!”

“Good. One.”

The meal was thoroughly enjoyable.

When the middle-aged man rose to leave, Old He—already somewhat drunk—kept calling for him to visit often as he personally escorted his guest out.

They left the gate and turned the corner at the street.

The old servant slowly peeled away the human-skin mask on his face and quietly said:

“Your Majesty, His Sixth Highness arrived some time ago. He likely sensed the Secret Intelligence Department personnel this slave stationed nearby, so he sat inside that carriage and never came over.”

The Emperor of Yan’s gaze tightened slightly.

At that moment, the curtain of the carriage ahead lifted.

Ji Chengjue jumped down, walked before the Emperor of Yan, and knelt.

“This son pays respects to Father Emperor.”

The Emperor of Yan looked at the son kneeling before him.

“You couldn’t simply pretend you knew nothing and come inside to share one meal with your father?”

Pretend not to notice the Secret Intelligence Department experts outside.

Pretend not to know anything.

Pretend he had merely rushed over out of concern for his father-in-law, hurried into that residence, and then shown an astonished expression upon seeing his own father sitting there eating and drinking.

Then pretend they did not know one another and sit down together for a meal.

How interesting that would have been.

How warm.

You could do it.

You knew exactly how to do it.

Why, then, did you deliberately refuse?

Today the Emperor had left the palace incognito. There had been no obstacle of status between them.

He, sovereign of a state, had rarely wished to get close to ordinary people, to live for a moment as an ordinary man, to taste what a normal family felt like.

And yet this son had deliberately refused to satisfy him.

Communication between this father and son had always been this concise. It seemed neither of them ever needed to speak very many words.

The Emperor’s question was simple.

The Sixth Prince’s answer was even simpler.

Ji Chengjue slowly lifted his head, looked at his father, and replied:

“Tiring.”

“Wretched son.”

The Emperor of Yan raised one foot and kicked the son kneeling in front of him.

Ji Chengjue was kicked over. He quickly climbed up and knelt again.

A clear boot print marked his face. The corner of his mouth had split as well.

Ji Chengjue took two memorials from his sleeve and raised them over his head.

“This son submits the regulations for minting Great Yan’s new currency and for the government’s trial implementation of draft banks. I ask Father Emperor to review them.”

Silence.

Silence.

Silence.

A long while later—

“You truly think I cannot bear to depose you, so you have the confidence to behave without restraint before me?”

“This son would never dare. This son is terrified.”

Silence.

Silence.

Silence.

Another long while passed.

“Tomorrow, have the Ministry of Rites issue a proclamation announcing the wedding of Great Yan’s Sixth Prince.”

Ji Chengjue bowed until his forehead touched the cold flagstones.

“This son thanks Father Emperor for his boundless grace!”

[End of Chapter 394]