Chapter 114 Between Gains and Losses
When Zhang Shihua was arrested, he was being questioned in court. He never went to the countryside, and even the few times he did, it was to raise money with the local gentry. He even avoided involvement in trials, always punishing those who appealed to higher authorities, and claiming to be unwell when things got difficult. He would only pay attention to those who offered money to bribe him.
Unfortunately, during the council meeting today, he was taken to prison by the imperial inspector and his men, and his family members were also detained.
Besides his wife, Xu, his eldest son and his youngest son accompanied him to his post. Although they were not directly arrested, they were forbidden from leaving Henan.
Zhang Shihua recalled years ago at Xuanda University, when Xiao Jingshi had directly dealt with him, stripping him of his official rank for dereliction of duty. He was later reinstated, and it should be the same now. What was the small amount of money he, a prefect of Weihui, embezzled? No official is immune to corruption; those who weren't would have been ousted from the bureaucracy long ago. He was merely following the established practice.
Look at Xiao Jingshi, his daughter's dowry was several boatloads long. Didn't he get greedy? He seems unruly, but he's still in cahoots with the eunuch faction. It's just that no one investigates him.
The cell was covered in cobwebs. He looked around. Usually, he was the only one who held the power of life and death, judging cases according to his mood. Now, however, he was in that situation himself.
But he was confident he would get out.
Miaoyun also believed that Zhang Shihua had a way. Back then, Zhang Shihua had done even worse things in Yangzhou and Jining, but nothing bad happened to him. Now, he was much more restrained in Weihui. He had once told himself that he was almost fifty years old, and if he could reach the third rank before retiring, he would have no regrets.
But...
After thinking for a moment, Miaoyun disguised herself, changed into servant's clothes, and took five thousand taels of silver. Naturally, she wouldn't hesitate to go to the censor's office, but instead went to the Provincial Judicial Commissioner's office first. She had many followers, and the Provincial Judicial Commissioner's wife had a very good relationship with her, treating her like a sister.
The two thousand taels were quickly sent out, and Miaoyun breathed a sigh of relief. As long as they were willing to accept the money, it meant the matter could be handled perfectly. She then sent Zhang Shihua's clerk to the capital with two thousand taels, and finally took one thousand taels to Miaozhen to try her luck.
Sure enough, the Xiao family wouldn't even see her. Miaoyun smiled bitterly. No wonder her father refused to return to Suzhou even in death. It was because of this.
They are all people who only think about their own interests and can watch others die.
Miaoyun was turned away. Miaozhen knew that investigating a case required a lot of time. Besides Zhaoge'er's provincial examination, she was also busy with Zhengge'er's studies.
Zheng-ge'er is fond of military books and loves to practice with knives and spears. He's prone to climbing onto roofs and tearing off tiles if you're not careful. Miao-zhen pressed him down to study, saying, "Don't think it's fun now. What will you do when Ting-ge'er and the others, who are a year older than you, see you're so unprogressive?"
"Mother, am I not studying?" Zheng Ge'er said quickly, unwilling to listen to his mother's nagging.
Miaozhen glanced at him: "Look at your eldest and second uncles. Your second uncle isn't unintelligent, but he's just as playful as you. As he got older, he couldn't study as much, just like your brother Qing. Even if he's very capable, he's not from a scholarly background, so he can only hold minor official positions. But your brother Bin passed the provincial examination a few years ago and was appointed as an instructor. He was easily recommended to be the county magistrate. You should know that you're already thirteen years old. After your brother passes the provincial examination, he'll be arranging a marriage for you. If a sister-in-law comes into the family, won't you, as his brother, be proud?"
Young people often lack self-control and don't realize how important their future is. They tend to be playful, which is when parents need to supervise them. If parents try their best but still find their abilities limited, then they can teach their children something else. However, if parents don't even try and leave their children to grow up on their own, then they are failing in their parental duties.
Women like them, even if they don't take the imperial examinations, can make a living by earning a little money, such as through embroidery, jewelry making, or medical treatment.
While the teacher was lecturing to Zheng Ge'er, Miao Zhen would often come over through the screen to supervise, which was how she managed to correct Zheng Ge'er's wild and unruly ways.
Even Xiao Jingtang joked when he saw Zheng Ge'er: "Little nephew, I heard you've been working very hard lately."
"Isn't that right? Father is in my eldest brother's room, and Mother is in my room. I can hardly breathe." In fact, Zheng Ge'er knew perfectly well that he needed to study.
His mother even made some kind of life plan for him, saying that his goal was to pass the imperial examination and become a top scholar. As long as he passed the imperial examination, his family would not care whether he became a civil official or was interested in military affairs.
But he never said these things to outsiders; he just looked ashamed.
Xiao Jingtang laughed and said, "You should study hard. Where's your father? Where is he now?"
Zheng-ge pointed outside, and Xiao Jing-tang hurried over. He'd been wondering along the way if Miao-ge had arrived home by now. This child hadn't even passed the provincial examination; what did he know?
Miao Ge'er and his group had already returned to Suzhou. Xu Erpeng and his wife parted ways with Han Yueyao and the others, and Miao Ge'er and Ting Ge'er went back to their respective places. Lou Qiongyu saw her son and noticed that his face was still pockmarked. She quickly asked, "What happened? Didn't I tell you to have your fourth aunt look at it? How come it's been so long and it's still like this?"
You know, appearance was very important during the imperial examinations. She had consulted doctors for her son, but they all prescribed some heat-clearing medicines. Eating too much of these would upset her stomach and might even cause her to be too cold, which could affect her fertility, so she stopped taking the medicine.
Her son's trip to the capital this time served two purposes: firstly, to strengthen the relationship with the fourth branch of the family and the Marquis's mansion; and secondly, she hoped Xu Miaozhen could help with medical treatment.
Miao Ge'er said impatiently, "Mother, Fourth Aunt said that my smallpox is secondary; the main problem is that the pits have already formed, so they can't heal."
He doesn't like people mentioning his face; it's just that he has some acne scars, and he hasn't broken the law.
Lou Qiongyu sighed, "What are we going to do? And what about your father? Why didn't he come back with you?"
“Father stayed in Kaifeng and got a job with Fourth Uncle. Brother Zhao will go to Nanjing for the provincial examination with Grandpa and Grandma. The sons have come back first.” Miao Ge’er seemed to know what she was going to ask and said it all in one go.
Lou Qiongyu realized why her in-laws had asked her husband to prepare a dowry for Fu Jie'er; it turned out to be for this reason. Xiao Jingtang was doing quite well in Kaifeng now, and it would be good if he could get an official position in the future. Besides, that bitch Qin Ying was also staying at home, so she wouldn't get any benefit from it.
Qin Ying was naturally very disappointed, but she had her own savings and two sons and a daughter, so she had something to rely on and could bear the loneliness. Life was much better now than before. Before, she was just an orphan, living a precarious existence. Now, living in a powerful and influential family like the Xiao family was better than anything else.
No wonder Xiao Jingtang gave her two hundred taels when he left; it turns out he already knew he wouldn't be returning from this trip to the capital.
Compared to Xiao Jingtang's family, Han Yueyao didn't have as many burdens. She didn't have many expectations for Xiao Jingheng to begin with. Being able to reunite with her child and bring her sister-in-law over to the Xiao family for fun made her feel quite at ease.
Sister-in-law Han laughed and said, "My aunt has been gone for quite a while this time."
"Sigh, we went to Kaifeng again on the way, otherwise we would have come back even faster. But sister-in-law, my fourth sister-in-law took us to Luoyang to see the peonies. Let me show you my photos." Han Yueyao took them out as if presenting a treasure.
When Sister-in-law Han saw Han Yueyao standing in the middle of a cluster of peonies, looking more beautiful than the flowers, she praised her repeatedly, "This little portrait really paints my sister beautifully, but her mouth doesn't quite look like yours; it's drawn a bit too small."
Han Yueyao blushed and said, "Of course those people wanted to paint us beautifully. I just heard my fourth sister-in-law say that since we've come all this way, we should leave a beautiful impression. Anyway, that's what she said."
The two sisters-in-law had a good time. Then Xia Xianjie came to ask about Xiao Jingyan's whereabouts. Han Yueyao thought that Xiao Jingyan had a good relationship with the third branch of the family. When they returned, Xiao Jingyan stayed in the capital, saying that he wanted to spend a few more days with Xiao Jingtian and the others. But now that she had returned from Kaifeng, why hadn't Xiao Jingyan arrived home yet?
She could only shake her head: "I don't know either, he didn't come back with us."
"Did you come back with your second brother?" Sister Xia asked.
Han Yueyao shrugged: "I don't know about that." At least when they left the capital, Xiao Jingyan had already moved to the third branch of the family, and there was no mention of him being with Xiao Jingheng.
Xia Xian returned home disappointed.
Sister-in-law Han didn't understand: "Your brother-in-law doesn't seek official position or wealth, so what is he doing staying in the capital?" Xiao Jingyan originally studied medicine and managed the Xiao family's pharmacy. Although he had served as an official for a few years, he was an honest official and his ambitions lay elsewhere. Unlike Xiao Jingheng, who valued money highly, Xiao Jingheng's focus was solely on making money.
Han Yueyao had no time to worry about what happened in the other room. She was just thinking that her in-laws would probably be back in a few months, so the house had to be tidied up first.
**
Kaifeng
Miaozhen had a dream. She dreamt of the time when she was a child studying at Qiu Niangzi's house. Lin Xiaoxiao picked a jasmine flower and pinned it in her hair. Miaozhen took out a newly bought hair tie and gave it to her...
Just then she woke up, a smile on her lips, but tears streaming down her face.
Xiao Jingshi had just woken up. When he saw her like this, he quickly asked, "Did you have a nightmare? Are you alright?"
"Nothing, I was just thinking about a friend from my childhood. I wonder how she is now?"
In fact, she could subconsciously foresee her fate: a weak body, the death of her parents, unscrupulous relatives, and her maternal family not even discussing marriage with her, intending for her to die at home so they could legitimately seize the Lin family's money in the future.
Manager Lin probably had no choice, as none of them were trustworthy people.
Xiao Jingshi said, "This time, Zhao Ge'er is going to take the provincial examination. Why don't you send someone to check on him?"
"Forget it, let's not cause any more trouble. Let Zhao Ge take the imperial examination first. We can't let him be distracted at this time," Miao Zhen said.
When Madam Ren heard about this, she offered, "Your father and I are going to stay with Zhao Ge'er anyway, so why don't I send someone to check on her? However, if she is about your age, she is probably no longer living with her maternal uncle."
Miaozhen nodded: "Yes, that's what I thought too. Thank you so much for this."
"Why are you being so formal, child? To be honest, Jing Shi is an official in the field, working day and night, and it's all thanks to you taking care of him. Even our master thinks that there are too many rules for officials, and it's not as comfortable as being a commoner." Ren and the others used to think that officials were prestigious, but now they realize that there are just too many rules for them.
You can't meet people casually, you can't even hang up calligraphy and paintings at will, and you can't say whatever you want. Otherwise, a small thing could become a handle for your political enemies to attack you with.
Even those of them living in the yamen were subject to restrictions. The younger ones, Xiao Jingtang and Xu Kun, were alright, as they had tasks assigned by Xiao Jingshi to perform. However, the Second Master Xiao and she were both people who loved music and opera and were used to lively atmospheres. Living here in such quiet was too much for them, and they found it difficult to bear.
Miao Zhen smiled gently.
Zhang Shihua was originally from a poor family and thought he was protected by the Yan faction. He never expected that the Yan family would be involved in such a major river engineering case because of him, and that no one in the Yan family would help him.
Zhang Shihua, who had been calm and collected in prison, heard that not only had his family property been confiscated, but he had also been given one hundred strokes of the cane and exiled to Liaodong, his eldest son had been sent to the army, and his second son, who was not yet an adult, had been sent back to his hometown with his mother.
Miaoyun never imagined that all the wealth she had accumulated through a lifetime of hard work would be gone, not to mention the imprisonment she would face.
“Mother, shall we return to our ancestral home? There’s nothing wrong with staying in our hometown,” said Miaoyun’s son, Zhang Run.
Miaoyun smiled bitterly. Back when Zhang Shihua was an official, he seized his cousin's land and deceived the villagers. How could the old family be doing well? It's just that when people are in a high position, they don't think about these things. They just think that others are out of touch with reality.
"After we arrive in Nanjing, we will go to Changle Village."
"Mother, where is that?"
It's where her parents are buried. When her father passed away, she felt sorry for him, so she buried many good things with him and even hired an elderly couple who were living alone to help look after the grave.
She had worked hard for half her life, but unexpectedly, just like her father, everything was for nothing.
...
When Zhang Shihua was dragged onto the prison cart, the villagers threw rotten vegetable leaves and stones at him. Zhang Shihua had already been flogged and put in shackles. He had been pampered and spoiled all his life, and he died before even leaving Henan.
When Miaozhen heard the news, she couldn't help but say, "He really got off easy."
"Disgrace, broken family, and death are inevitable," Xiao Jingshi shook his head.
Miao Zhen smiled and said, "In any case, the corrupt official has been brought to justice, and this matter should be thoroughly investigated and punished."
Xiao Jingshi nodded.
In mid-May, Zhao Ge'er set off on a silver ship returning from Yunnan. Generally, no one dared to stop a silver ship, and they could pass directly.
Master Xiao and Madam Ren took their grandson on a boat, taking care of Zhao Ge'er's daily life along the way. Madam Ren was quite doting on her child, and whenever she heard that Zhao Ge'er was reading at night, she felt extremely sorry for him and insisted that he go to bed early.
"Grandmother, you don't need to worry about me. I'll rest after reading for a while." Zhao Ge'er had overworked his brain before, but his mother helped him recover. Now, after finishing his studies, he can almost fall asleep as soon as his head hits the pillow.
Madam Ren always felt that deep affection was short-lived and excessive intelligence was harmful, so she didn't want Zhao Ge'er to be too hardworking, like her sister-in-law was with Xiao Jingyan, who at three years old wanted to think about things for ten, and at ten years old wanted to plan his whole life. But Xiao Jingyan didn't amount to much. He couldn't compare to Xiao Jingtian of the third branch, and he wasn't even as good as her own Jingshi.
But Zhao Ge'er understood it even better. He had heard his mother say that a person's energy is limited. The older a person gets, the worse their memory becomes, the less focused their energy is, and the more mundane things they have to do. So this time, he was fighting a desperate battle.
Just like my mother back then, she was included in the Nanjing Prefecture Gazetteer before she was fifteen, and was summoned to the capital at the age of twenty. Only now can she be more at ease.
Otherwise, you'll end up like your uncle, always having to take exams but never making up your mind to give it your all. In the end, you'll take the exams again and again, which will wear down your ambition.
Pass the imperial examination early, establish a career early, and enjoy life early.
Otherwise, they would spend their whole lives busy pursuing fame and fortune. For a family like theirs, without official rank, there is no protection. The reason why my grandmother was so frustrated back then, yet still couldn't fall out with the old lady of the third branch of the family, was because the third branch held official positions. With this protective umbrella, those below could rely on this powerful figure for shelter.
He ignored Ren's advice and kept reading until midnight before quickly washing up and going to bed.
In the morning, Madam Ren sent someone to bring breakfast over, but Zhao Ge'er didn't find it very appetizing. His mother kept a book for each of the siblings, so unlike other families where the children were close to their wet nurses, they were all very close to their mother.
But her mother felt that it was because the three of them were obedient that she was so lucky to have such obedient children.
When Master Xiao saw Madam Ren sighing, he couldn't help but say, "As the saying goes, a doting mother spoils her son. Look at how Jing Shi teaches Zhao Ge'er; his wife doesn't act like that."
"That's because both he and his wife are heartless." Seeing how hard Zhao Ge'er studied, Ren Shi felt it was too tiring.
Jing Shi had a domineering personality since childhood and was born with a heroic and robust physique, so he looked like an adult at the age of fifteen or sixteen. His grandson, on the other hand, looked much thinner and, if he had his hair down, he would look like a little girl.
Zhao Ge resisted the temptations and continued his studies. In just over a month, he arrived in Nanjing. He had already obtained his certificate for the provincial examination and continued to study diligently at home.
Furthermore, Xu Jian also lived in the Xiao family's residence in Nanjing. The two uncles and nephews simply lived next to each other and never left their homes.
Master Xiao was a shrewd and worldly man. He somehow found three cooks: one who cooked hot dishes, one who cooked cold dishes, and one who was good at making soups. He took care of them in a variety of ways.
Fortunately, Zhao Ge'er lived up to expectations, even exceeding them, and won the top prize in the Five Classics Examination, ranking first in the rites section. The Xiao family was already quite satisfied, but because there were thirteen candidates from Wuxi who passed the provincial examination, many people criticized them, and thus Zhao Ge'er became the top scholar in Southern Zhili.
Master Xiao bought a huge number of fireworks for his grandson, wishing he could set them off all over Nanjing. When Miaoyun and the others got off the boat, they were terrified to see the firecrackers going off everywhere.
"What's wrong?" Miaoyun, who spent all her time in the hold of the fishing boat, couldn't open her eyes when suddenly exposed to daylight and kept shielding them with her hands.
One of the onlookers said, "Someone has passed the imperial examination, but he's not from around here. He's a scholar from Suzhou Prefecture named Xiao. He's really handsome, and I heard he's only eighteen."
Miao Yun's heart skipped a beat: "Is it Xiao Zhaozhi?"
"That seems to be the name."
Through the smoke of firecrackers, Miaoyun saw a young man bowing respectfully to the group. He looked very humble and shy, much like her cousin Miaozhen. He was clearly proud inside, but on the surface he was being humble and fearful.
She looked at her son again; he had been betrothed to a member of the royal family, but the engagement fell through, and now his family was ruined and he was dead.
Heaven was so unfair to her. She clearly lacked nothing in terms of looks and talent; all she lacked was a bit of luck. If she had been born into her second uncle's family, she would definitely have been even stronger than Xu Miaozhen.
Now, she had nothing left. Looking at the river behind her, she leaped into it, leaving Zhang Run stunned. Miaoyun, however, had no regrets. Remembering how her father refused to commit suicide because he was afraid of the cold water, and was mocked by the villagers for living a miserable life, she would never do that.
The local official who came to make the arrangements saw Zhang Run lying on the riverbank, weeping bitterly, and couldn't help but laugh: "In previous years, Zhang Shihua has driven quite a few people to their deaths, and countless families have been torn apart. This is truly retribution."
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