0150 Yearning for Home (Part Two)
Ever since receiving Shu Fu's reply, Zhan Yaoguang seemed to brighten up considerably.
No matter who in the clan sought him out, they always received a pleasant welcome. However, when he had some free time, there was always something that kept him on his mind.
He had learned from other news from Chang'an that Shu Fu had left the mansion to live separately. While he was happy for her, he was even more puzzled as to how Shu Shilang had replied to her letter from home asking for help.
Should we remain indifferent, or simply refuse her request?
However, neither outcome is a good result for Shufu.
Fortunately, she chose a third path for herself.
But no matter what, he wanted to find out the reason for her so that she could understand it clearly.
Zhan Yaoguang pondered for a long time on his own, and finally chose a less-than-gentlemanly approach.
Since Minister Shu was currently staying in their village, he simply sneaked into Minister Shu's residence and ransacked it.
This search actually led him to some clues.
Shu Rongguang's official duties were complicated and numerous. Even though Zhan Yuheng initially arranged for him to have a large and spacious desk, it could now be described as "piled up with desks."
Zhan Yaoguang chose a night when Shu Rongguang was not around, and quietly came over, leaving a small crack in the window.
By the bright moonlight streaming through the window, he stood before his desk, sifting through the official documents and letters, and finally found a letter with an unopened lacquer seal among the pile of papers.
The boy suddenly realized, and the feelings in his heart were hard to describe.
—The root of all this is that Shu Rongguang has never even opened Shu Fu's family letters.
He finally found Shu Rongguang at the corner of a roof.
The moon was rather pale that night, a tiny white crescent, while the stars were dense and bright, weaving a thick tapestry across the dark sky.
The sounds of insects and crickets filled the mountains and forests like falling rain. A middle-aged scholar, dressed in a loose-fitting brown fur coat, looked up at the starry sky, raised his hand and took a sip of cloudy rice wine. It was sweet and slightly bitter, which made him squint and smack his lips a few times.
The boy stood under the eaves and called out, "Minister Shu."
Upon hearing the sound, Shu Rongguang peeked down through a slit and watched as the boy in the blue-green robe used the tallow tree for leverage to climb to the treetop in a few swift movements, then lightly leaped to his side.
Shu Rongguang's eyes lit up with amazement: "Young master, your lightness skill is so impressive. It took me a lot of effort to climb up this roof. I even had two subordinates help me and they held up a ladder for me."
Zhan Yaoguang said, "You flatter me, Vice Minister," and bent down to lean against the roof ridge with Shu Rongguang. After settling down, he looked up and saw thousands of fireflies, like living things, fluttering and shimmering into a bright silver ribbon that stretched out into the boundless distance.
Shu Rongguang offered him wine, which he politely declined. Fortunately, Shu Rongguang didn't mind and instead asked with a smile, "You are the youngest grandson of the Zhan clan chief, the thirteenth-ranked young man, right?"
Zhan Yaoguang was somewhat surprised to hear him call out his name: "I'm not an important person, how come the Vice Minister knows me?"
Shu Rongguang took a swig of wine: "Your kung fu is so good that anyone who has seen it once will never forget it. It's just a pity that I was so engrossed in my studies that I neglected my training for many years. My body is as clumsy as a goose, and I can't learn your agility at all."
A slender and elegant scholar likened himself to a silly goose, which was quite unexpected for Minister Shu.
"However—this is also a fortunate thing," Shu Rongguang laughed heartily, "With your skills being so good, you won't be overlooked when you join our dynasty. Our emperor selects officials based on their abilities. For example, the Persian Peroz was appointed as the Left Guard General in our dynasty. And so on..."
Halfway through his sentence, Shu Rongguang realized he had been a bit presumptuous, so he swallowed the rest of his sentence along with the bitter wine.
"I'm bothering you so late at night, but there's something I need to tell you," the young man said in a clear voice. "Just now, I passed by your residence and heard something fall over inside, so I took the liberty of going in to take a look. It turned out that the pile of official documents on the table had been scattered on the floor."
As he spoke, he pulled a letter from his lapel and handed it to the side: "I took the liberty of tidying up your table and happened to find this unopened letter. The envelope even asks how you are. I guessed it was a family letter, so I brought it to you. I hope you won't be angry with me."
Shu Rongguang was indeed surprised, and his beautiful beard twitched slightly.
He took the letter from Zhan Yaoguang, glanced quickly at the elegant calligraphy on the cover, and couldn't help but smile:
"It turns out it was written and sent by my second daughter. I've been so busy negotiating the war these days that I've completely neglected her. I don't know what she wanted to say."
Under the bright sunlight, Shu Rongguang opened the letter without any hesitation and squinted as he read it carefully, word by word.
Before long, his expression changed several times, as if he couldn't believe it, and he read it through again from beginning to end.
The boy pretended not to know, crossed his arms behind his head, and gazed at the dark blue starry night. He casually asked, "What did Miss Shu write?"
Shu Rongguang hesitated for a moment, then finally admitted it: "I'm not afraid to tell you, Thirteen Lang, but the truth is that her fiancé did something shameful. It's best not to mention it, but she's now making a scene about breaking off the engagement. I'm wondering if she's being too impulsive..."
Zhan Yaoguang's lips tightened, and after a long while, he replied, "Since Miss Shu insists on announcing the engagement, it means that her fiancé is a worthless person. Since he is a worthless person, why should she suffer?"
“Shisanlang is from Miao territory, so naturally he doesn’t understand these things. We Han people have a saying, ‘Gossip is a fearsome thing.’ As her father, I should see things more deeply and further for her. If she acts on impulse, I’m afraid she’ll regret it later.”
These words sounded like they were entirely for Shufu's benefit, but they overlooked the most important point—
“But the Vice Minister underestimated her.”
The night was clear as water, the pale moon shimmered with frost, and Zhan Yaoguang's voice floated in the air, his tone serious and rigorous: "You think of Miss Shu as very weak, as if the slightest storm would make her shrink back in fear, so you chose a so-called good path for her without thinking. But she is very brave, she knows what she wants, and what you impose on her may not be what she wants."
He paused for a few moments before continuing, "When my grandmother presented the peace petition to your emperor this time, the people who went to Chang'an told us about several major events that happened in Chang'an, including the matter of Miss Shu establishing a separate household registration and living separately from the family."
"What?" Shu Rongguang was somewhat taken aback, not immediately grasping the meaning behind Zhan Yaoguang's words.
"I heard it's one of the new policies drafted by Your Majesty the Empress, which states that once a woman reaches a certain age, she can establish her own household and decide her own marriage arrangements. But no one has responded before; Miss Shu is the first."
Shu Rongguang's lips moved, but he couldn't utter a single word. His eyes were as deep as a bottomless abyss, and it was unclear what he was pondering.
Zhan Yaoguang suddenly felt tired and closed her eyes in frustration.
So this is her father.
Although her bias wasn't as openly expressed as her mother's, it was essentially the same.
They treated her as a pampered guest, not as a child on whom they truly placed their hopes.
If he loves someone, in addition to hoping for her well-being, he would prefer that person to be confident, brave, and resilient, wanting to provide her with the best of everything, rather than using her as a bargaining chip to secure a marriage.
How can some people have such shallow kinship?
He felt uncomfortable again, a tightness in his chest, and repeatedly told himself to calm down.
Fortunately, she still has many like-minded close friends who treat her sincerely.
He will be loyal to her for life and always make her happy.
If a person lacks affection in their family relationships, they will surely make up for it in other ways.
May Shu Erniang have a bright future and a peaceful life.
The halo around the moon grew deeper and deeper, gradually dissipating. A night bird happened to perch on a tallow tree branch and cooed, finally bringing Shu Rongguang back to his senses.
He asked, "Has Second Madam really left the manor?"
Zhan Yaoguang responded with an "Mmm".
Shu Rongguang fell silent again. Just as Zhan Yaoguang thought the night conversation was over and was about to get up to leave, the other man let out a heavy sigh and gazed into the boundless, deep night.
"I've heard that if you travel west along the Tea Horse Road, through a hundred miles of yellow sand, you'll find people with red hair and white skin. They have blue eyes, high noses, and speak in a babbling murmur, and they are quite different from the Sogdians and Gaochang people you usually see in Chang'an. Unfortunately, I've married and had children, and I've been confined to officialdom all my life, so I'm afraid I'll rarely see them."
"Forget it, Second Aunt has always been headstrong since she was a child, let her do as she pleases. I've struggled to even make my own decisions in my life, let alone try to control her."
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