Chapter Thirty-Five: The Calming of the Storm (Part One)

The rain had ceased, and the gentle sunlight dispelled the gloom the drizzle had brought, bathing the city of Luoyang in brightness.

Zheng Dashen saw Pei Shiju off as he boarded his carriage, a smile lingering on his face. “Brother, please forgive my oversight; it was my negligence not to inform you here. I had not expected that, with the coming of Qingming, Shian would return to Luoyang with Yanqing to honor our ancestors. I must apologize.”

Pei Shiju was currently tasked by imperial command, along with Minister of Personnel Niu Hong, to revise the Kaihuang Code—a most demanding responsibility. He had taken advantage of the New Year ancestral rites to return home and rest, but then received a letter from the magistrate of Yanshi, telling of a prodigious youth who could compose five-character poetry and whose calligraphy was peerless, arousing his curiosity.

Seizing this opportunity while returning to the capital, he detoured through Xingyang to make inquiries. Initially, he was unsure whether the “Goose Poem” truly originated from the Zheng family—this was merely the magistrate’s conjecture. Unexpectedly, in Xingyang, he encountered Yuan Shoucheng, who was carrying a letter of inquiry from Zhang Jixun, head of the Zhang family in Wuxian. Only then was Zheng Yanqing’s identity confirmed.

Yuan Shoucheng, though holding no official title, was among the most renowned diviners of the age. “Yuan of the South, Lu of the North”—such was the saying about the two great occultists of the time. Yuan Shoucheng cultivated for years on Mount Mao, his fame spreading throughout the south; Lu the North referred to Zhangqiu Taiyi, who served at the court, famed for his mastery of divination and geomancy, and whose expertise in landforms had guided Emperor Wen of Sui during the construction of Daxing City.

Later, Emperor Wen bestowed upon Zhangqiu Taiyi the surname Lu, renaming him Lu Taiyi.

Now, this Lu Taiyi was a trusted confidant of Crown Prince Yang Guang, highly valued by him. Furthermore, Yuan Shoucheng brought with him a letter from Sun Simiao, which further confirmed Zheng Yanqing’s identity.

Since both Pei Shiju and Yuan Shoucheng were heading into Guanzhong and would pass through Luoyang, they accompanied Zheng Dashen. With Zheng Shian and his grandson absent, the two could not justify lingering and, with some regret, took their leave.

Pei Shiju smiled amiably, “Elder, when Young Master Goose returns, I have an immodest request and hope you will grant it.”

“Please, do tell.”

“In two months, it will be the tenth anniversary of my late wife’s passing. I wish to ask Young Master Goose to compose a memorial in his signature style.”

How could Zheng Dashen refuse Pei Shiju’s request? He assented at once.

Pei Shiju’s wife was the sister of Cui Hongdu, the present Minister of Finance, himself a scion of the Cui clan of Boling—one of the Five Surnames and Seven Clans of eastern China. Pei and his wife were deeply devoted; her death a decade prior left him broken-hearted. Zheng Dashen was eager to foster ties with Pei Shiju, to solidify his own family’s position.

After expressing his gratitude, Pei Shiju boarded his carriage, and at the driver’s call, departed slowly…

Zheng Dashen watched Pei Shiju and Yuan Shoucheng leave, his smile gradually fading. He stood in silence for a moment at the mansion gate, brows furrowed, before turning to step inside.

Zheng Renji kept his head bowed, following closely behind Zheng Dashen as they made their way to the rear hall.

“Speak. What truly happened?”

In the presence of Pei Shiju and Yuan Shoucheng, Zheng Dashen had kept his silence. Zheng Renji’s tale of Zheng Shian and his grandson returning to Xingyang for ancestral rites was a lie he would never believe. He knew Zheng Shian far too well—the man was loyal and steadfast, never one to act without Zheng Dashen’s instruction.

He could not expose the lie in front of outsiders, lest they see the family’s discord as a laughingstock.

Though well into his sixties, Zheng Dashen had been raised in the military, and when stern, possessed an unmistakable gravitas. Zheng Renji, though middle-aged, dared not raise his head in his presence, and trembling, recounted the entire affair—from sending Zheng Shian to manage the estates to the events of the previous night. There was no point in concealing anything; nothing that happened in the Luoyang household could escape Zheng Dashen’s notice. Better to confess it all.

“You…” Zheng Dashen sighed softly after hearing everything.

“When I asked Shian to assist you, it was because Luoyang is a complicated place. I hoped he could support you. I knew you’d sent him away to the estate, but I kept silent—do you know why?”

“I do not.”

“Sooner or later, An Yuan Hall will be yours to manage. But our family has declined; the number of capable men at our disposal dwindles, and the other branches covet our position. Shian, though crippled, is loyal above all. He and I have braved death together and seen the world—none of the others, not even Cui Daolin, can compare. I hoped he might stay—not necessarily by your side, but near enough to lend a hand. Yet you sent him back to Xingyang…

“Renji, you are more learned than I, but your studies have dulled your wits.

“Shian is maimed, but loyal men are hard to find in these times. His grandson is no ordinary child, either—I hoped he and Hongyi might grow close, as Shian and I once were. When Hongyi comes of age, he will need someone resourceful at his side. I have no objection to you choosing Xu Shiji as his study companion, but Xu Shiji’s circumstances differ from Zheng Yanqing’s. He has his own family business to inherit; perhaps he may help Hongyi from afar in the future, but will he ever be as devoted to our house as Zheng Yanqing could be?”

“That… I did not consider at the time.”

“Your book-learning has made you foolish!” Zheng Dashen’s white brows drew together as he scolded sharply, “You read all day, but what have you learned?”

He slammed the table hard, eyes closed in exasperation.

“So what do you intend to do now?”

“I have already asked Yan Shigu to take Shiji and Hongyi to catch up with Zheng Shian and his grandson, to invite them back.”

“Is that all?”

Zheng Renji, like a defeated rooster, kept his head low. “I intend to ask Shian to return and resume his role as steward of the Zheng household.”

“And Cui Daolin?”

“I have already made arrangements to send the Cui father and son on their way.”

The shadow on Zheng Dashen’s face finally faded a little.

“That is well. Our family affairs are best left to our own kin.

“However, if Shian returns, it would be unwise to make him steward again. After how you’ve treated him, even the most loyal heart would grow cold. I fear that even if he returns, he may not serve with the devotion of old.

“Let Zheng Weishan serve as steward instead. He’s from the second branch—a Zheng by blood, skilled in martial arts, and has been tempered under my guidance. He shall manage the household from now on. He and Shian are on good terms; in his letters to me, Shian often praised him. If there’s anything Weishan doesn’t understand, I trust Shian will not stand idly by.”

At this point, Zheng Renji dared not utter a word of dissent. He quickly agreed, then asked, “What about Shian and his grandson? Shall we have them remain in Xingyang?”

Zheng Dashen shook his head. “Xingyang is too small. If they stay there, it would be a waste.

“I never expected that little Yanqing to possess such talent—I had underestimated him… Now, he has created his own ‘Goose Style’ and his poem has brought him renown across the land. If we do not make the most of ‘Young Master Goose,’ would it not be a waste of the name?

“Renji, the Zheng family is not what it once was. We need someone who can stand up and represent us. I want you to use every means to make Zheng Yanqing’s name known far and wide, so that all know he hails from An Yuan Hall. The greater his fame, the more cautious the other branches must be in dealing with us. Let him become a carefree man of letters, but be sure not to let him take office. Let him bring honor to our family in the scholarly world; this will make things easier for Hongyi in the future. However, his origins must be altered—I intend to give him a respectable but not too lofty background. What do you think?”

—Well then, please recommend and bookmark!