Chapter 660: Revealing His Identity

A wife's belly really had grown.

Just not one of Marquis Zheng's wives.

It was the woman next door.

Yes.

There was no need to guess who lived beside the newly completed Marquis Residence.

It was still that same family.

Madam Wu was pregnant. The Sword Saint was about to have a child of his own.

In truth, when it came to life, people could be divided between two kinds of living: the life one yearned for, and the life one was actually suited to.

When those two diverged or even came into conflict, living became painful. Eventually a person might give up on himself, blame Heaven, blame everyone around him.

But if the two could be reconciled and fitted together, that was genuine happiness.

There was something that bound the two together, like the horizontal scroll above a pair of couplets.

Four words:

Contentment brings lasting joy.

Given the Sword Saint's status in the jianghu, no one would have thought him beneath the daughter of some great noble house.

Given Baili Jian's reputation in Shangjing and the favor he enjoyed with the imperial house, even marrying an imperial princess would probably have drawn no more than a few mutters from rigid old officials complaining that it violated propriety.

Among the common people, it would undoubtedly have been celebrated as a beautiful tale of a wandering swordsman marrying a princess.

Especially by Yao Zizhan, that shameless Great Qian Sage of Letters who loved freeloading meals and drinks. He would probably have written several poems in a row praising the match.

The woman the Sword Saint married was a widow, one who came with a son old enough to remember his first father and an elderly mother-in-law besides.

Even if such a widow were beautiful enough to ascend to Heaven, most bachelors would still stop and think twice.

People said marriage was a matter of a tortoise seeing a mung bean and finding the match pleasing to the eye. Once the eyes met, one could throw oneself into the flame like a moth and make the match happen. In countless love stories, scholars and young ladies burned for each other, cast all worldly restraints aside, and declared that love ought to be exactly so.

Yet even in the era Zheng Fan had known in his previous life, marriage had never truly escaped the weight of reality and the stink of money.

The Sword Saint's situation was even more extreme.

The boy kept his own surname. The Sword Saint called the old woman "Mother." Out in the countryside, that would make him the classic live-in helper husband brought in to shoulder another household's burden.

The only difference was that there was no need to hang a curtain across the bed, with the awkward arrangement of you two on that side and me on this side listening to the sounds.

And yet the Sword Saint was perfectly happy with it.

Liu Dahu was growing up before their eyes. He was an honest, solid boy. He knew the Sword Saint was his stepfather, yet from the bottom of his heart he treated him as his real father.

Madam Wu was hardworking. She worked in the workshop during the day, and when she came home, she still kept the household neat and orderly.

Even the old mother-in-law carried a broom out every day to sweep the streets. The silver she earned each month, along with the grain and flour issued to her, all went into the household.

In her own words, she was already benefiting from this "half-son-in-law" of hers. She could not be so blind-hearted as to squirrel away coffin money for herself.

When she finally died, if they had time, they could simply wrap her in a bamboo mat and bury her.

In her free time she also did needlework and stitched shoe soles. Clothes and shoes had to be made for her son-in-law first, then for her grandson.

The order could not be reversed.

It was a small, ordinary household, but old and young alike lived with clear minds and natural hearts. They knew their proper place, and because of that, their days were comfortable.

No wonder the Sword Saint liked this wife.

No wonder he liked this courtyard.

Once, his heart had been very, very high.

Now, he only wanted a home.

After Madam Wu's pregnancy began to show, the workshop put her on leave.

The old woman was shocked when she heard.

Good heavens!

The belly had only just started showing. In the old days, wouldn't a woman still have gone into the fields and worked from dawn to dark? Since when had women become so delicate?

Madam Wu felt the same way.

She was not some woman obsessed with every copper coin. Her husband's stipend, her mother-in-law's small allowance, and their status as a Standard household meant grain, flour, oil, and other provisions were issued every month. Even without her wages, they could still live comfortably.

Unfortunately, the two men in the household, one big and one small, spared absolutely no expense when it came to eating.

At the Sword Saint's insistence, Liu Dahu ate meat almost every meal.

And pork would not do.

It had to be beef or mutton.

In eastern Jin these days, mutton was manageable because there was trade with the snowfields. Beef was much harder to obtain. In many places slaughtering and eating cattle was illegal.

But the Marquis Residence cared for its people, and among the storefronts under the Residence was a licensed beef shop. Beef could be sold there.

The price, however, was genuinely painful.

Even the households of military officers only bought a piece of braised beef when they desperately craved it, then sliced it paper-thin to make it last with wine.

Even so, Liu Dahu had eaten no small amount of beef.

The saying that a half-grown boy could eat his father into bankruptcy was no lie.

As for her own man, Madam Wu had tested him a few times before.

He could eat hard flatbread, naan, or porridge as naturally as anything.

But give him something good, and he could eat that just as naturally too.

Wine from the Marquis Residence's wine shop, dishes packed from its restaurants, all of it disappeared into him with effortless ease.

Clearly, this man knew how to eat.

Once Madam Wu realized that, how could a wife who loved her husband bear to stint him on food?

And so, every month, seventy or eighty percent of the household's silver income disappeared into their mouths.

That meant the moment she lost her job, their standard of living would immediately drop.

Madam Wu went to plead with the workshop supervisor.

The supervisor's answer left her standing there in a daze.

The Marquis Residence cared for its people and looked after its workers. Pregnant female workers would continue receiving their wages while staying home to carry the child and wait for delivery.

There was actually such a good thing under Heaven?

She went and asked why the other pregnant women in the workshop still worked as usual, never staying home until their bellies were so large they truly could not continue.

The supervisor said the supervisor above him had ordered a trial program.

She was lucky.

She had been chosen first.

Madam Wu returned home carrying equal measures of happiness and confusion and told her mother-in-law.

The man was away on duty at the city gate.

Liu Dahu was still at the school.

Mother-in-law and daughter-in-law each sat on a little stool in the courtyard.

They looked at each other.

Then together they turned and stared next door.

Next door was the Marquis Residence.

They looked at each other again.

Then stared at the Marquis Residence again.

Yes, they were only two women of an ordinary household.

The old woman could not read. Madam Wu had learned a few characters after entering the workshop, and each night when Liu Dahu practiced calligraphy, she would sit nearby sewing clothes, quietly watching and quietly remembering.

They did not understand grand principles.

They had never seen the greater world.

But that did not mean they were fools.

Back at Snow Sea Pass, their little courtyard had stood directly beside the Count's residence.

At first, the two women thought they had simply been lucky when housing was assigned.

Wonderful.

They could bask in some of the Count's fortune.

Later, Liu Dahu went to school.

Madam Wu began working.

The old woman took a sweeping job at a yamen under the city administration.

As they met more people outside and chatted with them, anyone who learned where the family lived would usually exclaim in surprise, then quietly start probing into their background.

At the time, the two women had always laughed and said they were merely lucky.

Just lucky.

Then they moved from Snow Sea Pass to Fengxin City.

Huh?

They were living beside the Marquis Residence again!

When the new Marquis Residence was completed, the authorities notified them that they would be moving to another house.

They arrived at the new place and took one look.

Good heavens.

Right beside the Marquis Residence again!

By then, how could mother and daughter-in-law possibly fail to notice something was wrong?

The women knew each other's backgrounds. They knew Liu Dahu's too.

So the only possibility was...

"Girl, if he doesn't say anything, then we'll pretend we don't know. We'll keep his home tidy and make sure the family lives peacefully. Women like us, if we don't have the vision or experience for outside affairs, then we should leave those things to the man to decide."

After spending years as a daughter-in-law and finally becoming a mother-in-law herself, the victor of the previous generation naturally had experience.

"Mother, I'm only... I'm only afraid he'll risk himself, risk his life, for the sake of keeping this household the way it is."

As she spoke, Madam Wu could not help looking next door again.

The old woman lightly smacked her daughter-in-law on the mouth.

"Silly girl. Why do you think your work has always been so easy? Your belly gets big and you can stay home collecting wages for nothing? Even before, when you were still in the workshop, were you ever bullied? Were you ever worked to exhaustion?

"Look at me. These old arms and legs can still carry a broom and sweep streets. Plenty of strong women want a job like mine and can't even get it.

"Dahu goes to school, and look how much the instructors take care of him. He even got to go out and see the world with the Marquis.

"Forget all that.

"Just look at the years since Shengle City, and now Fengxin City. These peaceful days. Back when my son died young and left the two of us behind, did you or I ever truly imagine there would come a day when we could live this comfortably and steadily?

"The old saying has it right.

"Take another man's money, and you settle another man's trouble.

"If someone supports your whole family, then when the time comes, you risk your life for them.

"The Marquis Residence has treated us well. Treated all the common folk who followed them here well. In my whole life, I've never seen a yamen this good.

"Girl, people have to have a conscience. We mustn't forget the root of being human."

The old woman sighed.

"Truth is, I noticed something was wrong long ago. It wasn't just the houses. Whenever the Marquis isn't in the city, he isn't in the city either. When the Marquis takes the army out to war, of course it's normal for him to campaign too. But sometimes the Marquis isn't even going to fight a war, and he still isn't home. He goes along anyway.

"Enough. Enough.

"Let's not talk about it.

"We'll just pretend to be muddleheaded and keep this life going properly."

...

"Are the gifts ready?"

"They're ready, Master."

Feng Siniang nodded to Zheng Fan.

Behind her, the Princess and Liu Ruqing were each carrying several gifts.

"Good. Let's go visit the neighbors."

"Master, we're just going to walk over openly like this?" Feng Siniang asked.

"Oh, Old Yu invited me. It's fine. Some things have reached the point where they ought to be said openly. We couldn't hide it forever anyway."

"This was the Sword Saint's idea?"

"Mm. He probably can't conceal it anymore. If it can't be concealed, then there's no need to keep hiding. Besides, Dahu's getting older. In the future he'll need to stay beside me as a personal guard. There's no avoiding it anymore."

More importantly, the Sword Saint had finally come to terms with it.

At the same time, the Sword Saint was probably making arrangements.

This coming journey to Yanjing concerned the succession itself. It was completely different from the previous times he had accompanied Zheng Fan to the capital. The dangers they might encounter could be far greater.

Now that his wife's belly held a child, he had to shoulder his responsibility as fully as possible.

"That's true."

"Oh, and bring Tian Tian."

"Godfather! Godfather..."

Tian Tian came trotting over on his own. Behind him, a fox and a black cat followed with their tails practically wagging.

Zheng Fan bent down and picked Tian Tian up.

"Oh-ho. You're heavier."

Tian Tian smiled shyly.

His speech had become much more fluent, but his whole body was looking more and more like a chubby good-luck doll.

Still, it was fine for children to be plump when they were young. Once he grew older and his features opened up, he would only become better-looking.

And that skin of his remained as tender as ever.

Zheng Fan remembered that Fan Zhengwen's residence had once boasted of its Twelve Phoenix Hairpins. He had personally seen those beautiful young women before.

Put Tian Tian among them and, in terms of appearance alone, he definitely would not lose to some ridiculous Jia Baoyu.

Naturally, that thought could remain nothing more than a thought.

If Zheng Fan raised Old Tian's son into something like Jia Baoyu, never mind what Old Tian would do if he ever learned of it. Zheng Fan, the godfather, would be the first unable to stand it.

Tian Tian had already begun reading and learning characters.

The Blind Man and Feng Siniang took turns setting aside time to tutor him in lessons. Xue San handled physical education.

At his age, directly practicing martial arts was unsuitable. That would be forcing the seedling to grow by pulling on it.

But he could begin laying foundations, just as the Sword Maid had once done.

Zheng Fan had confidence in Tian Tian's natural gifts.

He was Old Tian's seed, after all.

Then again, Zheng Fan did not expect his godson to grow into some peerless expert whose job was protecting him.

At minimum, he only wanted the boy to possess enough skill to protect himself.

Holding Tian Tian, Zheng Fan left through a side gate of the Marquis Residence with his principal wife and two junior wives and walked directly to the Sword Saint's home.

Naturally, the courtyard gate of the Sword Saint's house could not open flush against the Marquis Residence's own gate.

But the Marquis Residence was enormous.

Once the two properties were built side by side, adding a special side gate made entering and leaving convenient while also keeping the arrangement away from prying eyes.

During the design stage, the Blind Man had labeled the Sword Saint's little courtyard on the plans as:

Marquis Residence Security Department.

When they reached the door, Tian Tian climbed down from Zheng Fan's arms and stood properly with his hands folded before him.

That was the etiquette for calling at someone's door.

True nobility had little to do with how high one's mountains of gold and silver rose, or how refined the food and drink in the house might be.

It was the sort of habit that emerged naturally without thought.

"Heh. Who taught him that?" Zheng Fan asked with a smile.

"To answer Master, the Blind Man did."

"Mm. Good."

Knock, knock, knock.

Pause.

Knock, knock, knock.

The Princess stepped forward to knock.

Even knocking had its rules. Three knocks, then a pause.

Hammering continuously was how a ghost knocked at the door.

"Coming! Coming!"

Liu Dahu's voice sounded from inside.

The school was off today.

Liu Dahu opened the gate.

The first person he saw was an extraordinarily beautiful older sister.

Really...

So beautiful.

The Princess smiled gently at him.

Liu Dahu felt as though his whole body were floating.

There were no impure thoughts in it. It was simply the instinctive admiration a young boy felt in the presence of beauty.

Liu Dahu had never truly met the Princess before.

More precisely, he had never seen her face-to-face at such close range.

And he had certainly never imagined that the Princess would appear at his door carrying pastries.

So the possibility simply never entered his mind.

Then the Princess stepped aside and revealed her husband standing behind her.

Liu Dahu's mouth immediately dropped open.

Thud.

He dropped to both knees.

A heartbeat later, he hurriedly pulled one foot back and shifted into a one-knee military salute.

"Greetings, My Lord Marquis! May the Marquis enjoy health and fortune!"

Liu Dahu had seen the Marquis a few times at the school, but never clearly. He had been so dazed back then that once he returned home, he could barely remember what the Marquis looked like.

Later, he had been fortunate enough to accompany the Marquis to Yingdu.

Although the schoolboys along the way had done little more than boil bathwater for the Marquis, every last one of them had been wildly excited.

What they looked forward to most each day was every time the Marquis entered or left and they could all offer an exceptionally crisp, powerful salute together.

What Liu Dahu did not know was that the Marquis had entered his home plenty of times over these past years.

Most of those visits were deliberately made when the family was away.

When there was truly no way to avoid being seen, Zheng Fan simply had Feng Siniang alter his appearance a little.

Who could blame the Sword Saint for enjoying that whole "white dragon in a fish's clothes" incognito routine?

"Get up. Your father home?"

"He... he is, My Lord."

Zheng Fan nodded and walked inside. Feng Siniang entered after him with the other two women.

"Big Brother, let me help you up."

Tian Tian, left at the very back, ran over and helped Liu Dahu.

Liu Dahu's head was still spinning. As he rose, his legs wobbled and he nearly lost his balance.

At once, a fox and a black cat pounced over.

Four paws and a pair of chubby little hands worked together and hauled Liu Dahu upright.

"Uh..."

Liu Dahu steadied himself, looked at Tian Tian, then looked at the two pets.

Tian Tian held out his hand.

Liu Dahu hesitated, then took it.

"Big Brother, I'm a little hungry."

"Oh. We have pastries. I'll get some for you. I'll get them."

Liu Dahu did not know Tian Tian's true identity, but anyone the Marquis personally brought along was obviously precious beyond measure.

"Big Brother, does your house... does your house have a Dragon Throne?"

"..." Liu Dahu.

...

Inside the little courtyard, the Sword Saint was holding a bowl and feeding the chickens.

Oh.

And one duck.

Seeing Zheng Fan arrive, the Sword Saint was not surprised in the slightest. He had invited him.

"You're here."

"Mm. I'm here."

"Who's here?" the old woman called from inside.

"Do we have guests?" Madam Wu, who had been lying down in the bedroom, came out as well.

The old woman looked at Zheng Fan and only felt that he seemed somewhat familiar, though she could not remember from where.

Madam Wu supported her mother-in-law by the arm.

Zheng Fan offered a respectful salute.

"Greetings, Old Madam. Greetings, Sister-in-law."

Behind him, all three women saluted together.

"Greetings, Old Madam. Greetings, Sister-in-law."

Offering a salute was hardly anything.

Even the Princess, proud enough to look down on almost everyone, felt this salute was an extraordinary bargain.

A bend of the waist in exchange for a Sword Saint standing beside her husband as protection?

Countless noble ladies would happily bow until their backs snapped for that deal.

"Oh my, oh my, this... hehehe." The old woman had rarely received such formal courtesy in her entire life. "What a handsome young fellow. And these three ladies are..."

"My wives," Zheng Fan answered.

"Oh, you've got wonderful fortune." The old woman smiled, but a faint unease had already entered her voice. She turned to look at the Sword Saint. "Well? Friends came to visit. Aren't you going to introduce them?"

At that moment, Feng Siniang and the Princess stepped forward. One supported the old woman, the other supported Madam Wu.

Once they had them steady, Zheng Fan did not wait for the Sword Saint to speak.

"Old Madam, Sister-in-law, we're neighbors."

"Neighbors?"

Even though the two women could not stop themselves from glancing at the Marquis Residence beyond the wall every few days, they truly had never imagined the Marquis himself would walk into their house like this and salute them.

So the old woman instinctively asked, "Which Standard are you from?"

Standard households were grouped together.

Three hundred households formed one Standard and fielded three hundred soldiers in wartime. In peacetime they could work trades or farm. They also received regular money, grain, and various subsidies from the Marquis Residence.

The Standard was both a unit of production and daily life under the Marquis Residence and a unit of war.

"Haven't joined a Standard yet," Zheng Fan replied.

Then he stopped teasing her and directly gave his identity.

"Old Madam, my surname is Zheng. My name is Zheng Fan."

"Oh, a young fellow from the Zheng family. Are you from Third Zheng's household in the western Standard? I heard one of that family's boys became a general in the army."

"..." Zheng Fan.

Madam Wu suddenly stiffened.

Fortunately, Feng Siniang was supporting her and keeping an eye on her pulse, making sure the shock did not disturb the pregnancy.

"I used to sweep streets together with your family's old woman..."

Madam Wu immediately tugged at her mother-in-law's sleeve.

"Why are you pulling me? This is a perfectly good robe. Don't tear it."

"Mother, that's the Marquis. The Marquis!"

"Oh, his name is Hou Ye? Zheng Houye, one of Third Zheng's sons... Marquis Zheng!

"The Marquis!

"Aiya, my dear mother in Heaven!"

The old woman's body went limp.

Fortunately the Princess was holding her, or she would have collapsed straight onto the ground.

"Help Old Madam and Sister-in-law inside so they can settle themselves," Zheng Fan told Feng Siniang and the Princess.

Then he looked at the Sword Saint.

The Sword Saint had clearly anticipated this scene.

Like Lord Ye professing to love dragons only to scream when a real dragon appeared before him, admiration from afar was one thing.

Actually seeing the Marquis in the flesh was another.

"The invitation said this was for the child's hundred-day banquet," Zheng Fan said with a smile. "But the child is still in Sister-in-law's belly."

The Sword Saint replied, "It's been about a hundred days in there too."

"You make an excellent point."

"Earlier this month I saw an imperial eunuch come into your Marquis Residence with an edict. When exactly are we leaving? I'd like to be back in time for my child to be born."

Zheng Fan nodded.

"First day of next month."

By imperial summons, to Yanjing.

[End of Chapter 660]