Chapter 6: Introducing a patron, private matters in the inner quarters.
Li An valued her highly, and since it was only a matter of a few words, he was naturally willing. He even made an agreement with Zhang Ting to have a maid deliver the funeral arrangements.
On the other side, seeing that the two had reached an agreement, Zou Yueru raised her glass to them and said, "Today, my sisters and I enjoyed the scenery and had a wonderful time! I'd like to toast you, my sisters!"
The servant poured wine for the two men, and Zhang and Li both raised their cups in return.
With a hearty laugh, Ang Lee downed three cups in a row and showed the empty glasses to them, saying, "This time, I concede defeat. I am a man of my word, so please don't use this to make fun of me in the future."
Zou Yueru patted her on the shoulder with amusement, returning her earlier comment: "You're so clever!"
“My sister was also very distressed. If it weren’t for the invitation from my two elder sisters, she would have been trapped in a cage, unable to find any solace. Today, after having some fun, she feels much better. This cup of wine should be a toast from my sister.” After saying this, Zhang Ting drank it all in one gulp.
Without needing to ask the reason, Zou and Li knew that Zhang Ting was referring to her decision to abandon the imperial examination. They had regretted her talent back then, but now they regarded her as a close friend and were deeply distressed by her difficulties.
Zou Yueru even suggested, "Why don't you come to my house to study, sister? It's just a matter of money."
Zhang Ting naturally refused. Any gift already had a price tag attached, and she didn't want to owe the village chief another huge favor after already repaying him.
Zou Yueru was not surprised by Zhang Ting's refusal. The younger sister she had just met was stubborn and virtuous, and would not easily accept help from others unless she was in dire straits.
Zhang Ting had already rejected Zou Yueru, so Ang Lee had no other choice but to sigh.
Seeing the two women looking dejected, as if they were genuinely worried about her, Zhang Ting advised, "Sisters, there's no need to worry too much. There's always a way out. Perhaps this is another path."
Zhang Ting originally planned to accumulate capital and acquire some assets first, and then focus on preparing for the exams once she had the money. However, her subsequent plans were not to be revealed to outsiders.
Zou Yueru told the servant to warm another pot of wine. After they had eaten and drunk their fill and sent away the servants, she began to complain about her wicked husband: "You don't know, that man is no man at all, he's like a tiger. Today when I went out, he even scolded me for not coming home late, or else I'd be in big trouble!"
Zou Yueru married the eldest son of a prominent family in Zhangzhou Prefecture, whose social standing was higher than hers, and whose dowry was generous. Before her marriage, she was quite favored and spoiled. Last year, she gave birth to a big, healthy daughter, which made her even more arrogant. Zou Yueru had to be careful around people's attitudes.
Ang Lee, on the other hand, did not have this problem. Her family was based in a neighboring county, and she married the son of a powerful family in that county. Although her dowry was generous and her temperament was not good, she lived in her cousin's house to study and also went to the county school. She rarely returned home, and on the few occasions she did, her husband had to take good care of her in order to conceive and establish himself in his wife's family.
A man without children lacks confidence.
Ang Lee really wanted his cousin to have the same freedom and happiness as him, but when he thought about how formidable his cousin's husband was, he shook his head and gave up.
This vicious tiger is not as easy to deal with as the one in my house!
Zhang Ting, who is not yet married, couldn't join the conversation and could only watch as the others poured out their grievances.
But the two men didn't let her go; they turned and pointed their guns at her.
"My dear sister, you're not young anymore, yet you're still unmarried?"
Zhang Ting was embarrassed. Even in a matriarchal world, she couldn't escape being pressured to get married? She replied, "How can I settle down when I haven't achieved anything?"
Zhang Ting is used to being single and doesn't see anything wrong with it, but the two men admire her very much.
"My dear sister, you have such great ambition. We are no match for you." Li An felt that women naturally want men when they reach a certain age, and it was quite remarkable that Zhang Ting could still control her desires.
No matter how dissatisfied Zou Yueru is with her husband, she will not refuse to marry. How can a woman manage her household without a man to take care of the household affairs and raise children?
This woman always has endless things to say about men, and she inevitably tries to rank them.
Ang Lee admires gentle, considerate, and exceptionally talented men, and even said that he would definitely take such a woman as a concubine if he passed the imperial examination in the future.
Zou Yueru loves pretty girls and is most fond of lively, handsome, and talented young men. She speaks highly of Ruyin Gongzi from Fangfei Pavilion in the south of the city.
Li An sighed, "You actually find men from that filthy place attractive? Aren't you disgusted by their bad luck?"
Zou Yueru retorted decisively, "Young Master Ruyin is virtuous and only sells his art, not his body."
Li An was stunned, and Zhang Ting also reacted and stared blankly at her.
"You've taken care of his grooming?"
An ordinary scholar might have a casual fling with a male prostitute, but if he later became an official, wouldn't he be impeached by the censor for moral depravity?
The other person blushed slightly and nodded.
Zhang Ting sighed: Indeed, lust is a double-edged sword; this applies to men and women throughout history and across the world.
Li An sighed inwardly, no wonder his cousin's husband was so wary of her. But his cousin was really too foolish. She had studied hard for more than 20 years and finally passed the imperial examination. After becoming an official, she was brought down for such a reason. It was not worth it. He was worried for her.
“You are destined to take the imperial examinations and become an official. How can you be so foolish? You should sever ties with him immediately.”
Zou Yueru hurriedly said that she was prepared to redeem Ruyin from his servitude, so that it would not affect her official reputation in the future.
Seeing that she was still stubborn, Ang Lee was so angry that he retorted, "When your brother-in-law finds out, I'll see what he does to you!"
Zou Yueru couldn't stand this kind of thing, and in her anger, she blurted out, "How dare you talk to me like that? What kind of talented and handsome man are you so interested in? Could it be that you were humiliated by the eldest grandson of the powerful clan last time, and now you want to find a gentle and considerate one?"
"You!" Li An was so angry that he was about to fight her, but Zhang Ting quickly stopped him and tried to calm him down, saying, "Women all have different preferences. It's just male beauty. Is it really worth us sisters fighting over?"
Ang Lee felt that Zhang Ting understood him, but he snorted at Zou Yueru, thinking that she didn't appreciate his kindness.
Zou Yueru realized she had spoken carelessly, but out of pride and because Li An wasn't giving her a friendly look, she ignored him.
Zhang Ting was quite troubled and could only mediate one by one. Zou Yueru had a way out and apologized to Li An, and Li An stopped making a fuss after seeing this.
Zhang Ting, not wanting to get involved in Zou Yueru's family affairs, was about to bring up another topic.
Unexpectedly, Li An took the initiative to say to her, "You may have heard of this Master Zong. He is the current Grand Secretary and Minister of Personnel. In the future, all of us will have to go through him to become officials. Last year, I brought my poems and essays to request an audience with Master Zong, but unexpectedly... unexpectedly, my poems and essays were thrown out in public, and I was even humiliated for writing articles that were like a scholar buying a donkey, utterly tasteless."
Li An, feeling embarrassed by his own words, retorted, "What kind of man goes out in public like this? He's utterly reckless and ignorant! I, Li, only love men of exceptional talent and good looks, and I would never marry such a frivolous and improper man."
It goes without saying who this person is.
But looking at Ang Lee, he didn't seem indifferent at all; he was clearly a typical case of wanting something but not getting it.
Zhang Ting listened quietly to her complaints, thinking to himself: "Grand Secretary Zong is not only a literary giant, but also an expert at growing chili peppers."
Zou Yueru felt a pang of jealousy, but she didn't want to hurt her sister's feelings any further.
But he couldn't help but speak up and say something fair: "The Zong family is powerful and has received great imperial favor. You are already a scholar, so it is true that you are being arrogant and domineering. But the Zong family is a fine young man, not as bad as you make him out to be."
Ang Lee wanted to argue further, but stopped himself for some reason.
Zou Yueru then spoke to Zhang Ting about the Zong family, saying that the Zong family's roots were in Jiangnan, and that they had been officials for generations, passing down their literary and scholarly traditions and possessing a profound cultural heritage. In the current generation, the Zong family had even risen to the position of Grand Secretary, second only to the emperor. Their daughter served as Vice Minister of Rites and married the Crown Princess's eldest son, Prince Rongyi. The Zong family was enjoying unparalleled prestige for a time. It was said that the Crown Princess was very fond of her eldest grandson and wanted to form another marriage alliance with the Zong family, intending to marry him off to a talented member of her father's clan.
As Zou Yueru spoke, a look of envy appeared in her eyes.
Zhang Ting keenly sensed something was amiss and asked, "How old is the Crown Princess now?"
"The Crown Princess is forty-eight years old now. What's wrong?"
Zhang Ting remembered that His Majesty was already sixty-eight years old, and there had never been any indication that his health was in any way.
Zhang Ting replied to her, "I was thinking, the Crown Princess has actually become a grandmother."
Zou Yueru didn't think anything of it; most women her age were like that. She even said, "Yes, in another two years, we might even be able to hold our great-granddaughters."
Yes, he's about to hold his great-granddaughter.
Has the Crown Princess finally given up after sitting in that position for too long?
Zhang Ting thought to herself without showing any emotion.
As dusk fell, the three returned home, thoroughly satisfied, and agreed to meet again on their next day off.
After seeing Zhang Ting off, the Zou and Li sisters returned home.
Seeing Li An carefully carrying out the books, Zou Yueru remarked to her, "This young lady's noble character is far beyond our reach."
"You can know, but do you think I don't?"
Zou Yueru feigned mystery, saying, "I know something you definitely don't."
Ang Lee glanced at her as she acted strangely.
Fearing that she might anger her again, Zou Yueru said, "The other day when we got these books, we gave Zhang Meimei some money, but she told people that we were just being kind to her."
The local powerful families had many eyes and ears, and even the slightest news could reach them the next day.
"Back then, Sister Zhang regarded us as close friends and thought that giving us extra money was helping her out. Little did she know that we weren't genuinely trying to befriend her at first. We were just Li, the scholar who wanted to get close to her, trying to get on her good side. After several coincidences, we came to know her character and that's how we became friends. Now, thinking back, I feel quite ashamed," Zou Yueru sighed.
Ang Lee, who was the most ambitious, seemed to have his thoughts exposed, revealing her hypocrisy and causing her to blush with embarrassment.
However, she valued Zhang Ting even more and vowed to make sure she could arrange for him to meet Xu You.
When Zou Yueru returned home, her husband, Chen, invited her and her cousin to dinner. Afterward, he quietly summoned the servants and asked them: Where did Miss go today? What did she do? Who did she meet?
The servants answered one by one, mentioning that Zou Yueru's new friend was beautiful and graceful, and that they enjoyed appreciating poetry and books together. They also mentioned that Zou Yueru chatted with her friend and sent them away for a long time. When Chen heard this, she was shocked: Could it be that the mistress of the house also has a fondness for women?
Hearing that Cousin Li was also present and that Zou Yueru's new friend was a scholar, she felt relieved.
They rewarded each servant with a string of silver coins and instructed them not to let the young lady know about the matter before letting them go back.
A note from the author:
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