Chapter 3

Chapter 3

After days of clear weather, the official road paved with yellow soil outside the city was covered in a layer of loose dust. With every passing traveler and horse, puffs of swirling dust bloomed underfoot.

The towering city walls appeared on the distant horizon. Chen Wenyao, leaning out of the carriage window, felt the bittersweet pang of a wanderer's homecoming.

Though not originally from the capital, he had spent the most crucial decade of his life here. In these ten years, Chen Wenyao had sought out renowned mentors, achieved success in the imperial examinations, and married a wife from an eminent family, transforming from a bookish youth forced to flee his hometown by clan elders into a promising young scholar with a bright future.

To him, the capital held far greater significance than the fading memories of his misty Jiangnan hometown.

This time, he had handled his official duties well. Upon returning to the capital, he was certain the senior officials of the Censorate would hold him in even higher regard.

Moreover, he had caught the eye of a powerful figure...

A surge of ambition swelled in Chen Wenyao’s chest. He stepped down from the carriage and mounted a horse, loosely gripping the reins as he entered the capital with an air of confident satisfaction.

Traditionally, officials returning from assignments outside the capital were granted three days of leave, but they were required to report to their offices first and obtain permission before returning home.

Chen Wenyao, ever cautious, had no intention of breaking protocol. He directed his guards to take the luggage back to the Chen residence while he headed straight for the Censorate.

The capital of the Great Xia Dynasty was divided into the inner and outer cities. The inner city, also called the "Imperial City," contained the palace, the twenty-four administrative offices, and the ministries. The outer city was what people commonly referred to as the "capital."

Chen Wenyao rode onward, passing through the Imperial City gates only after undergoing another security check. Once inside, the atmosphere instantly grew solemn.

Officials and eunuchs went about their business with quiet dignity, a stark contrast to the lively bustle of the outer city.

After reporting to the Censorate, things unfolded just as Chen Wenyao had anticipated. His mission had been executed flawlessly, and even the usually stern Left Censor-in-Chief showed rare approval: "Continue serving the court with such diligence in the future."

The Left Censor-in-Chief, known for his unsmiling demeanor and nicknamed "Iron Face" due to his surname Tie, held immense prestige among the upright officials. His praise sent a spark of pride through Chen Wenyao, who bowed in acknowledgment.

With his duties concluded, Chen Wenyao prepared to return home. Having been away for months, he wondered if his wife had missed him—and what of Ya Niang...

The matter of Ya Niang was another issue he needed to break to his wife.

His wife had always been gentle and compliant. Moreover, physicians had diagnosed her as unlikely to bear children. For the sake of an heir, she surely wouldn’t resist too much.

Still, the situation wasn’t exactly honorable. He would have to proceed carefully, ensuring she willingly sanctioned his actions.

Not far from the Imperial City, laughter rang out from a side path. Chen Wenyao turned to see several friends he had made during his time at the Hanlin Academy.

The group seemed to be heading somewhere together, their numbers making quite a spectacle.

Li Tao, leading the pack, spotted him and perked up, spurring his horse forward to ride alongside Chen Wenyao. "We were just saying you hadn’t returned from your assignment, and here you are!"

He winked, his smile taking on a knowing edge. "The Yun Family Garden—Madam Yun’s long-hidden daughter is finally being presented. I was lucky enough to catch a glimpse once. Not stunningly beautiful, but her voice could pierce clouds and shatter stone. I arranged today’s gathering, and now you’ve arrived just in time. Clearly, luck's on your side!"

Seeing Chen Wenyao’s hesitation, Li Tao wouldn’t take no for an answer. He called the others over, and they promptly swept Chen Wenyao along toward the Yun Family Garden.

Chen Wenyao had naturally heard of the Yun Family Garden. Combined with the fact that Li Tao was the youngest son of the current Grand Secretary Li—a man indulgently spoiled by his family—Chen Wenyao felt tempted. He smiled. "Since Brother Li insists, I’ll happily join you."

The Great Xia Dynasty had always valued martial ability, and even scholars were influenced by this ethos, aspiring to "wield the pen to pacify the realm and mount the steed to secure the empire." Though no such paragon existed today, most civil officials could at least ride a horse.

As for this group, they had no trouble riding through the city, their postures even rather upright.

A procession of refined young scholars on horseback attracted admiring looks from passersby.

Li Tao, born when his father was already a high-ranking third-grade official and now the son of a Grand Secretary, was accustomed to such attention. Rather than discomfort, it filled him with pride. He adjusted his posture slightly to appear even more dashing.

Just as he was basking, a figure in black streaked past like an arrow, dismounting before a nearby tavern with a flick of his whip before striding inside.

The man moved too quickly for Chen Wenyao to catch his face, but he noticed Li Tao’s shoulders slump slightly the moment the stranger appeared. Curious, he asked, "Who was that?"

With such easy confidence and a rare steed like the Black Snow Treader, the man must be someone notable.

Li Tao pursed his lips. "The current heir to the Duke of Dingguo. Not someone from our circles."

Chen Wenyao smiled to himself. Li Tao had always thought highly of himself, considering his elite family background and status as a young *jinshi* proof of his brilliance. Yet the heir to the Duke of Dingguo eclipsed him completely—superior lineage, renowned martial prowess (he won the annual autumn hunts without fail), and even his looks, which had earned him the emperor’s praise as "Jade Lad." No wonder Li Tao felt overshadowed by a mere glimpse of the man.

Still, as Li Tao said, the heir to the Duke of Dingguo ran in completely different crowds. Chen Wenyao smiled faintly and changed the subject.

In the tavern’s window-side private room, Nan Wang let out a bark of laughter as Pei Yue entered. "Truly worthy of you, Pei Jade Lad. Just passing by is enough to make others shrink in comparison. The look on Li Tao’s face was priceless!"

"Sharp eyes as always," Pei Yue remarked, straightening his sleeves before sitting and pouring himself a drink.

"Of course. I honed this vision hunting in the mountains since childhood." Nan Wang downed a cup and sighed. "Still, I never thought Imperial Censor Chen would fall so far. Back then, he seemed so devoted to his wife, playing the devoted husband. And now, just a few years into marriage, he’s already tagging along with Li Tao to the pleasure district."

"Since when were you acquainted with the censor?" Pei Yue asked, puzzled.

Nan Wang was the eldest son of the Nan clan of Nanyi Prefecture. Due to the region’s matriarchal customs, leadership had always passed to women, while men were married off to prominent local families. Nan Wang, always the contrarian, refused such an arrangement and volunteered to become a hostage in the capital.

Though technically a hostage, the court knew his value to Nanyi Prefecture was minimal. They gave him a sinecure to acknowledge his presence and largely left him alone. Freed from restraint, Nan Wang had once lived rather dissolutely, drawing repeated censure from the censors.

After writing stacks of self-defense memorials, he eventually reformed his behavior—but vowed to have no more to do with censors, thereafter befriending only military men. Pei Yue was his closest companion.

At Pei Yue’s question, Nan Wang winced slightly. "You know I’m close with Wu Da. A few years back, his younger sister came of age and needed a husband. The imperial exam results had just been announced, so I went to survey the candidates. This Chen fellow was that year’s *Tanhua*..."

So he’d tried to recruit him?

That was exactly the sort of thing Nan Wang would do.

Pei Yue couldn’t help but laugh.

Nan Wang, however, was already rambling again. "Seeing him like this, I’m glad I didn’t drag him back. Did you know he married the daughter of his mentor, Vice Minister Ming? They’d grown up together since they were ten—practically childhood sweethearts. And now, just a few years into marriage, he’s revealing his true nature. Disgusting."

Pei Yue frowned. "Vice Minister Ming must have poor judgment."

If even after ten years of mentorship he couldn’t see Imperial Censor Chen’s true nature, his daughter was condemned to an unhappy marriage.

With a husband like that, and only three years into the marriage, her future promised endless suffering.

Just like his own mother... For all her status as a duchess, what kind of life did she truly have?

Meanwhile, Ming Tang, completely oblivious that she’d just been consigned to a tragic fate in others’ conversations, was in excellent humor.

"Did Madam really say that?"

Zhe Liu’s lips curled slightly. "Word for word. I didn’t change a thing."

Ming Tang laughed so hard she collapsed against Wen He. "This is just... I wonder what that Miss Ya thinks of it all."

Asking for gifts to be returned after giving them was certainly a bold move.

Zhe Liu’s smile faded slightly, her expression uneasy. "Young Madam, I fear she’s not simple. Though Shu Ma didn’t retrieve the blood swallows’ nests, she brought back two pouches of silver. Who knows what she said to Madam, but Madam hasn’t stopped smiling since. With the young master returning today, Madam was already in high spirits. Now, it seems her heart has room only for him and that woman."

Ming Tang’s grin widened. "No matter how cunning she is, it’s no longer our concern."

Wen He nodded emphatically. After all these days, even the dowry had been packed. If the two of them still didn’t understand Ming Tang’s intentions, they wouldn’t deserve to be her most trusted maids.

Zhe Liu, ever the overthinker, added, "Still, Young Madam should have a plan for what to do once we return to the estate."

After all, returning home after an amicable separation is different from being unmarried. Although Father and Mother dote on Miss Ming and even agreed to such a major matter, not everyone will be like them.

Ming Tang nodded, "I know." Then she asked Zhe Liu, "Has Manager Cheng finished checking the accounts?"

How well she lives in the future largely depends on these things.

Ming Tang, after all, is someone who has lived a second life, and her parents have always adored her. Not only was her dowry substantial, but she had also managed to accumulate several profitable ventures since childhood.

As Zhe Liu listed them out, she couldn't help but feel a hint of pride: "Everything's been checked. Currently, Miss Ming owns three shops, with 2,640 taels of readily available silver in the accounts, and the total value of goods in the shops amounts to over 9,600 taels. As for the estates..."

Wen He, who managed Ming Tang's internal affairs, was usually less informed about external matters, but now she listened attentively.

After running the numbers, her smile grew even brighter. After all, in these times, twenty taels would more than suffice to sustain a family of three for a year with plenty to spare and even save a considerable amount. Miss Ming's total assets amounted to thirty or forty thousand taels. Even if she returned home after the divorce and spent her days amusing herself by showering coins on children, she’d never run out.

Seeing the change in their moods, Ming Tang propped her chin on her hand and asked with a smile, "Still worried now?"

Money gives one courage. Zhe Liu, who had long managed Ming Tang's accounts, had never thought much of it before. But at this critical juncture, she suddenly understood why Miss Ming had always enjoyed counting her silver in her spare time.

She couldn't resist teasing, "Miss Ming has revealed her wealth today—shouldn’t you hurry and fetch some silver so we can mooch off our wealthy mistress?"

Ming Tang feigned distress, "The audacity! Shaking me down like this?" The three burst into laughter, and Ming Tang indeed ordered Wen He to fetch silver, adding extra courses for everyone in the eastern courtyard that evening.

In high spirits, Ming Tang even indulged in a few cups of last year’s osmanthus wine.

With such commotion in the eastern courtyard, and the Chen residence being rather small, the main courtyard naturally heard of it.

Mrs. Chen couldn’t help but wave her palm-leaf fan lightly and purse her lips. "Look at her, always putting on airs, acting like she'd married down. Yet the moment she hears my son is back, she’s overjoyed—even the maids benefit. Wen Yao hasn’t even returned from registering at the magistrate's office, and she’s already feasted the whole household without waiting for him. Is this proper etiquette for a noble family?"

Shu Ma offered a plate of freshly rinsed cherries, ignoring the latter complaint, and flattered, "It’s all because Madam raised the young master so well."

On this point, Mrs. Chen had some self-awareness. "Wen Yao has been outstanding since childhood, but I dare not take any credit. Back when the clan tried to seize our property, leaving us widowed and helpless, I was at a loss. But Wen Yao stayed firm, disregarded those things, and simply brought me to the capital. And sure enough, he passed the imperial exams! After serving as a Hanlin Academy probationary scholar for a few years, he began his official post at the seventh rank—higher than a county magistrate!"

Shu Ma immediately grasped Mrs. Chen’s thoughts and played along, "When the young master has time to take Madam back home one day, let those who looked down on you see your current standing. That Fourth Old Madam, who acted so high and mighty just because her son became a county clerk—now she probably wouldn’t dare say a word in front of you."

Mrs. Chen laughed even more heartily. "Hmph, I stopped caring about those provincial matrons long ago. Now, I just look forward to spoiling my grandchildren. With a father blessed by the Star of Literature, my grandson is sure to pass the imperial exams and become a high-ranking official too."

As she spoke, she muttered, "Go check the front gate—why hasn’t the young master returned yet? Registering at the magistrate's office shouldn’t take this long."

The luggage had arrived in the afternoon, and now it was evening, yet there was still no sign of him. She was so hungry from waiting.

Shu Ma hurried off and happened to run into Chen Da, who had returned with a message.

Chen Da cupped his hands politely. "Shu Ma, after registering at the magistrate's office, the young master ran into some friends and went to attend a gathering. He sent me back to inform Madam and the young mistress not to wait for him. Just have someone keep the gates guarded tonight."

Shu Ma thought to herself—the young mistress certainly hadn’t planned to wait—but she smiled amiably. "Thank you for your trouble."

When she relayed the message, Mrs. Chen was delighted, her hunger vanishing as if she’d taken ginseng. "Ah, socializing is good! A man must stay busy to achieve greatness."

Oh my, could my son be up for promotion? Mrs. Chen was overjoyed and nearly made herself sick from overeating at supper.