Chapter 105 A Chance Encounter at the Temple: Reunion with Madam Zhang

Li Yang turned his head and asked, "Why don't we take her with us?"

“Your teahouse is located within a restaurant, which is not a long-term solution. You should decide as soon as possible whether to take over the Bai family restaurant or choose another location. Why not take this opportunity to ask Miss Zhuang for help in settling the matter of the shop?” When it comes to business, Chen Junbo is never indecisive.

Soon after, Zhuang Jieling received a reply from Li Yang, who agreed to temporarily keep Mingzhu for her.

Zhuang Jieling hurriedly called her maid, Xique, to sort out her finances, converting infrequently used items into silver, and then, after coaxing Zhuang Ronglingjie, finally bought a shop in the capital.

The two sisters quickly found a middleman and signed a lease, and the Miaoxiang Tea House's Beijing branch opened to great success.

The shop that the Zhuang family found was naturally in a prime location in the capital. Miaoxiang Teahouse had all the advantages of timing and location. With the support of the Zhuang family, the businessmen had Chen Junbai to advise them, and the scholars had Ziyan to attract them with her music, chess, calligraphy and painting skills, it became a popular place for tea drinking and banquets in the capital.

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As the shadows shorten, summer arrives unexpectedly in Beijing.

On this day, Li Yang and Zhuang Shutong went to Dajue Temple to offer incense.

These days, Li Yang has been busy with the opening of her new store, and she and her daughter haven't had a proper conversation. Suddenly, Zhuang Shi became very interested in her daughter and son-in-law's marriage.

Li Yang sat in the carriage, blushing to himself. Seeing this, Zhuang Shutong started a conversation, "Zhao Zhao, you said he was choosing a wife through an embroidered ball back then?"

It's not Zhuang Shutong's fault. The marriage of the leading salt merchant in the Huai River region can be described as utterly absurd. Zhuang felt uneasy, wondering if her Zhaozhao would suffer if she married into such a family.

Li Yang nodded and said, "Yes, his embroidered ball hit my wonton pot." Then he gave a general account of the situation, avoiding the messy things that happened in the Chen family.

Zhuang was quick-witted. "So, how does your mother-in-law treat you?"

This question stumped Li Yang. She suddenly looked up and said, "My mother-in-law is on the estate now."

"Zhuangzi Shang?" Zhuangshi whispered.

“Yes, Chen Junbai sent him to the estate to live out his retirement,” Li Yang said.

Zhuang Shutong stopped asking. Even if her mother-in-law hadn't treated her daughter well, Chen Junbai had already sent her to the estate. His love for his daughter was evident, and she had nothing more to worry about.

The two chatted for a few more minutes before the carriage arrived at the temple gate. Zhuang Shutong took Li Yang's hand and went straight into the main hall, where they knelt on prayer cushions and offered their heartfelt prayers.

This time, Li Yang did not pray for wealth and fortune; he only prayed to the Bodhisattva that he could find his father as soon as possible and reunite with his family.

Seeing that his mother was still talking to his master, he slipped out of the temple and ran to find the outhouse.

While wandering around, he bumped into someone.

"Oh, I'm sorry, I'm sorry," she apologized, rubbing the side of her face where she had bumped into someone.

"Madam Chen?!"

Li Yang was very surprised to hear this address, and when he looked up, he was dumbfounded.

"Mrs. Zhang."

The woman opposite him smiled dignifiedly and said, "Madam Chen, how have you been?"

Li Yang scratched her head awkwardly and laughed, inwardly cursing her bad luck. After all, she had come to the capital because of Madam Zhang's troubles, and now that she had run into the person in question, she couldn't help but feel at a loss.

The noblewoman standing next to the woman, whose attire was far superior to Madam Zhang's, seemed somewhat impatient. "I'll go to the carriage first; the Minister's wife is still waiting."

Upon seeing this, Madam Zhang hurriedly bid farewell to Li Yang and chased after the noblewoman, calling out, "Sister, wait for me."

The two got into the car, and as soon as Madam Zhang sat down, she heard the noblewoman next to her ask, "Who is that girl?"

She took a breath and glanced in her sister's direction. "That's the wife of a salt merchant from Songshan Town. She's the one I told you about before, the one with the 'Kuilong Pearl.' We haven't been in touch much since then. I don't know why she's come to Songshan Town too."

"You're becoming more and more unruly. You're making such a fuss over a salt merchant's wife. Your mother didn't raise you like this. I think that Zhang Youdao... sigh." The noblewoman sighed and fell silent as she finished speaking.

Madam Zhang's face stiffened. Her elder sister had married Consort Li's younger brother and was now the renowned "Madam Ji" in the capital. But when she was young, she had never looked at anyone else after meeting Zhang Youdao, and had insisted on marrying him, even to the point of suicidal rage.

Now, in her middle age, Zhang Youdao treats her coldly, preoccupied only with the salt affairs in Jiangnan. The couple only make love when they need her sister from her maternal family. She is already frustrated by having to go through all this trouble to help him secure his next official position, and now, hearing her sister's words, her anger is burning even brighter.

She had only come to the capital to ask her sister for help in getting things done, so she suppressed her anger and said, "Sister, please don't say that. He has treated me very well, and he hasn't taken any concubines all these years. But now, my three-year term is about to end, and I still need your help to smooth things over. If I am fortunate enough to be able to come to the capital, we sisters can see each other more often in the future."

Her words were gentle yet barbed.

Lady Ji's long-standing worry was that Consort Li's younger brother was a restless man who, out of consideration for his reputation, had not dared to openly and generously bring any random women into the family, yet he still had four concubines.

He'd been to every brothel in the capital, and every courtesan was always at Master Ji's beck and call.

However, since Madam Zhang's words were so mild, she couldn't lash out. She just clenched her fists secretly, letting her sharp nails leave marks on her palms, and shouted at the front of the carriage, "Hmph, hurry up and get going."

With a flick of the whip, two black horses galloped down the road, their wheels churning over gravel, sending up arcs in the air.

A breeze slipped through the carriage curtain into the carriage, and Li Yang recounted his ordeal to Zhuang Shutong.

Upon hearing this, Zhuang felt extremely dissatisfied with Zhang Youdao and his wife. She had heard about the couple when they arrived in Songshan Town. She never expected that this kind-looking Madam Zhang would force her daughter to go to the capital alone.

Thinking of this, her eyes sharpened. "Zhaozhao, after we return to the manor, we will go and find your grandfather and Ziqian and tell them about this as soon as possible. Presumably, Ziqian does not yet know that Madam Zhang has come to the capital."

Zhuang Shutong was an outstanding figure among the noble ladies of the capital from a young age. She had a father who was the prime minister, a mother who doted on her, and a younger brother who shared the burden of her father's strictness. Therefore, she was raised in a pampered manner, but her parents never relaxed their upbringing, and she was extremely quick-witted.

It was this very personality that emboldened her to elope back then, as she was certain that her parents wouldn't really make things difficult for her.

Now, back at the Prime Minister's residence, although her daughter's identity cannot be revealed yet, her daughter is not one to be bullied easily. Even so, once home, she intends to go to her father's study and make a scene, determined to avenge Zhaozhao.

Thinking this way, Zhuang Shutong put it into practice.

The two returned to their residence, where Chen Junbo was already waiting for his wife. The group chatted casually.

As soon as Master Zhuang returned to the mansion, he ordered her to be dragged straight into the study. Soon after, shouts, crying, and the sounds of smashing and breaking things could be heard.

The servants near the study remained remarkably calm, as if they were used to it. Only Li Yang, standing at the study door, was slightly surprised and turned to look at Chen Junbai.

Chen Junbo: "This scene seems familiar."

Li Yang exclaimed "Ah!" in surprise, wondering when he had ever seen his mother like this before.

Seeing that she still didn't seem to be back in China, Chen Junbo laughed and said, "Zhaozhao, as the saying goes, the student surpasses the teacher."

Li Yang immediately realized what was happening and quickly turned around to punch him, yelling, "Chen Junbo! What did you say!"

Inside the study, Zhuang Shutong pestered Zhuang Ziyang, "Father, Zhang Youdao is bullying your granddaughter. Are you going to do anything about it? Are you going to do anything about it?"

Zhuang Ziyang was in a real bind. He didn't want to bend the law for personal gain, but to make things difficult for the other party politically just because his child had suffered a little injustice was not the behavior of a gentleman.

Suddenly, a shout came through the study window. Both father and daughter were startled and went to the window to look at the figures of a man and a woman chasing each other in the yard.

Zhuang Ziyang: "Shutong, how have you been teaching Zhaozhao all these years?"

Zhuang Shutong: "I don't know. I've always been dignified and proper. I don't know how she learned to be like this."

Zhuang Ziyang: "Shutong, Zhaozhao doesn't seem like the type to be bullied."

Upon hearing this, Zhuang Shutong immediately shouted, "Father! She is your own granddaughter. She has been selling wontons all by herself for so many years. Don't you feel sorry for her?!"

At dinner, the two women at the table were radiant, while the two men, one old and one young, held their rice bowls and seemed uninterested in talking.

Zhuang Shutong kicked out from under the table, and Zhuang Ziyang's body swayed.

"Grandfather, are you alright?"

Zhuang Ziyang: "Hehe, it's nothing. By the way, Zhaozhao, I heard from your mother that you saw Zhang Youdao's wife today?"

Li Yang: "Yes, there was a noblewoman next to her. She said that the Minister's wife was waiting for them, so she urged them to leave."

Zhuang Ziyang pondered to himself, "Which minister's wife could she be?" He carefully listed the ministers from the Ministry of Personnel, the Ministry of Revenue, the Ministry of Rites, the Ministry of Justice, and the Ministry of War, only ruling out the Ministry of Justice and the Ministry of War.

Zhang Youdao was not a military general, so he couldn't be approached by the Ministry of War. As for the Minister of Justice, Zhuang Ziyang silently rejected this option; that person was even more principled than him and would never get involved with Consort Li.

If Zhang Youdao's purpose in coming here is to seek an official position, Zhuang Ziyang said, "He must be the Minister of Personnel or the Minister of Revenue."

Chen Junbai shared the same sentiment. He had met the Minister of Personnel, who did not seem like the type to sell official positions, so he said, "Perhaps it is the Ministry of Revenue. Firstly, Zhang Youdao has had many dealings with the Ministry of Revenue in recent years. Secondly, I heard that the Minister of Revenue's daughter has apparently visited Madam Zhang's family."

Zhuang Ziyang nodded upon hearing this, "That old scoundrel in the Ministry of Revenue is as greedy as a rat."

Upon hearing this, Chen Junbo refrained from saying anything further.

Seeing this, Zhuang Shutong added fuel to the fire, "Father, how can such a person shoulder the heavy responsibility of benefiting the people and the world? We must not let this Zhang get away with it."

Of all the people at the table, only Li Yang held his bowl, his heart filled with sweetness. His mother, Chen Junbo, and grandfather were all preoccupied with the matter of being bullied by Madam Zhang.

Zhuang Ziyang seemed to have made up his mind. He quickly finished his meal, returned to his study, hastily wrote two letters, and had them sent out overnight.

My daughter is right! He didn't write the letter because of family squabbles; he wrote it for the sake of the court and the nation!