Zhоu Zhеn's studу wаs nоt large. Тhе twо-bау open sраce wаs divided by а flооr-tо-сеiling screеn with ice-crack pаttеrns. Thе westеrn sidе wаs thе inner сhаmbеr, соntaining а small lacquеrеd bed, аlong with chairs, tаbles, flowеr stands, foоtstооls, аnd bаsin rасks—everуthing nеcеssаrу for Zhоu Zhen's tеmрorarу stаys. Тhe eastеrn side was wherе hе rеad аnd wrote. A lаrgе dеsk madе оf а singlе рiеcе оf pеarwоod stoоd in the сеntеr of thе rооm, surrоunded by boоkshelves that reaсhed the cеiling. By thе window wаs а luohаn bed.
When Zhou Shaojin entered, Zhou Zhen was sitting on the luohan bed brewing tea.
"You're here!" he greeted his younger daughter with a smile, pointing to the empty seat opposite him. "This is Lushan Yunlin tea I brought back from Jiangxi. Give it a try!"
Zhou Shaojin thought for a moment, then smiled and performed a curtsy to her father before taking the seat opposite him.
Zhou Zhen handed her a purple clay teacup.
Zhou Shaojin observed the bright color of the tea, inhaled its orchid-like fragrance, took a sip, and savored its lingering sweetness. She couldn't help but praise, "Excellent tea."
Zhou Zhen smiled and poured her another cup.
Only then did Zhou Shaojin feel something was amiss. She hurriedly reached for the kettle and said, "Let me do it!"
"No need, no need," Zhou Zhen said cheerfully. "There's no one else here. I am your father, and between us, there's no need for such formalities."
But Zhou Shaojin still felt somewhat uneasy.
Zhou Zhen let her have her way.
Zhou Shaojin poured several cups of tea for her father.
Zhou Zhen praised, "I didn't know you could brew tea." Assuming his younger daughter had learned it at the Cheng family's, he didn't dwell on it.
Zhou Shaojin naturally didn't offer an explanation.
After a few cups of tea, Zhou Zhen said, "The letter you wrote me—was it because you discovered your mother was once engaged to the Cheng family?"
Zhou Shaojin was so startled that her hand trembled, nearly spilling the tea.
Zhou Zhen said gently, "Don't be afraid. I'm not blaming you. You did very well. When something came up, you didn't blindly believe others or go around asking questions. Instead, you wrote to me."
Zhou Shaojin flushed.
If not for having lived two lives, she would certainly have believed what Cheng Lu had said.
Zhou Zhen continued, "Ultimately, this is all my fault. Having you sisters grow up in the Cheng family must have caused you much hardship. But I truly lacked the energy to care for you both, and I didn't want to hastily marry a woman home. If she neglected your upbringing, I would regret it too late. I only hope you don't resent me for it."
"No, no," Zhou Shaojin quickly replied. "I have never resented you, Father. I know you entrusted us to Grandmother's care for our own good."
Even after what happened in her previous life, she had never resented her father for leaving her to grow up in the Cheng family.
She understood her father's difficulties and could empathize with his feelings.
Not everyone would treat the children of a previous wife as kindly as her birth mother had. If her father remarried, the new wife would take charge of the household. He couldn't keep a constant watch over a stepmother, especially when they were still young. If a stepmother harbored ill intentions, she could easily lead them astray without leaving any evidence. So, her father preferred that they endure some hardship rather than grow up spoiled and ignorant, only to suffer mistreatment after marriage.
That was why, when she said, "It's still better at home," her sister had replied, "Occasionally is fine. But if it were like this every day, we might be indulged into having no sense of propriety."
Zhou Shaojin recounted her morning conversation with her sister to her father and added with a smile, "You see, Sister also understands your thoughtful intentions."The daughters' understanding made Zhou Zhen's heart ache. It took him a while to rein in his emotions before he said, "Actually, the main reason I came back this time is to talk to you about your mother."
Zhou Shaojin was astonished.
Zhou Zhen nodded and said, "I know that if nothing had happened, you definitely wouldn't have written to me specifically or mentioned the old house of the Zhuang family on Guan Street. Afterward, I also had someone ask Ma Fushan, and he told me everything—how you learned about the old house on Guan Street, how you sent him to investigate the Cheng family, and how you 'spent a fortune to buy bones' to find the servants who once served your maternal grandfather..."
Zhou Shaojin's face burned with embarrassment.
She thought she had acted discreetly, never expecting that Ma Fushan would tell her father every detail of what had happened.
"I... I didn't mean to..." she murmured.
"I know," Zhou Zhen's voice grew even gentler. "I knew about what happened back then—after your maternal grandfather betrothed your mother to me, she wrote me a letter telling me everything that had occurred. In the letter, she also said she felt she had done nothing wrong, and if I couldn’t accept it, it would be better to let the matter drop before the two families formally settled the engagement. Your sister was still young at the time, and I hadn’t thought about remarrying so soon. Hearing your mother say this, I grew curious instead, so I took the opportunity to visit the Gu family and met your mother..."
He suddenly stopped, his gaze filled with tenderness and affection.
Was Father recalling the moment he first saw Mother?
Zhou Shaojin felt both wistful and envious.
Wistful that her mother had passed away too soon, and envious that even though her mother was gone, she still lived in her father’s heart.
She remained silent, afraid of disturbing her father’s reminiscence.
After a while, Zhou Zhen snapped back to reality and smiled somewhat sheepishly at Zhou Shaojin. "Your mother was a kind and honest person who never lost herself. What the old beggar said was mostly true—your mother never wronged anyone. If anyone speaks ill of your mother in the future, don’t feel guilty. Just straighten your back and fight back fiercely."
Zhou Shaojin’s eyes immediately welled up with tears.
Being protected like this... felt so good!
"I understand," she couldn’t help but choke up. "I won’t let anyone tarnish my mother’s reputation."
"That’s right!" Zhou Zhen looked at his younger daughter with great relief, pulling out a handkerchief from somewhere and handing it to her. "Some people make mistakes but not only fail to reflect on them—they even think it’s everyone else’s fault, that others look down on them, that others are snobbish, greedy for comfort, or climbing the social ladder... With such people, don’t bother saying anything to them. You won’t get through to them anyway—just stay far away. Understand?"
Was Father talking about Cheng Bai?
Zhou Shaojin nodded repeatedly.
Zhou Zhen’s expression visibly relaxed.
Emboldened, Zhou Shaojin said, "Father, after Sister gets married, I’d like to go with you to your post. Is that all right?"
Zhou Zhen looked rather surprised. "Why? Are you uncomfortable living with the Cheng family?"
"No," Zhou Shaojin thought for a moment. "Cousin Lu... seems to hate me... When he runs into me, he acts very kind, but when no one is around, he treats me poorly... If you ask what specific wrongs he’s done, it seems like there aren’t any. It’s just my feeling..."She couldn't speak of her past life, and in this life Cheng Lu had only been ambiguous in his attitude toward her—insufficient as evidence—so she had to resort to vague words.
Since her father cared so much about her and her sister, he certainly wouldn't stand by and do nothing.
Sure enough, Zhou Zhen's expression changed drastically as he listened. After pondering for a moment, he said, "Is it that his words were somewhat sarcastic and unpleasant to hear, yet seemed harmless to others?"
"Exactly, exactly." Zhou Shaojin's goal was to have Zhou Zhen investigate what Cheng Bai had said or instructed Cheng Lu before his death, which would explain why Cheng Lu hated her so much. "But it's difficult to mention this to Grandmother and the others."
"I understand," Zhou Zhen said calmly, though his gaze turned slightly cold. "I'll handle this matter. Don't concern yourself with it."
Zhou Shaojin brought up the topic of accompanying her father to his post again: "Then, when the time comes, can I go to Baoding Prefecture?"
"Is it only because of this matter?" Zhou Zhen weighed his words carefully. "How does your grandmother... or your eldest aunt treat you?"
"Very well!" Zhou Shaojin replied sincerely. "As if I were their own granddaughter or daughter. Last time, when my eldest aunt went to the Gu family on Plum Blossom Lane for a wedding banquet, she took my sister and me along."
Zhou Zhen breathed a sigh of relief and smiled. "If it's only because of Cheng Lu, there's no need for you to rush to accompany me to my post!"
Zhou Shaojin was puzzled.
Zhou Zhen thought for a moment and said, "Do you know the status of the Cheng family among the literati in Jiangnan?"
Zhou Shaojin shook her head. "No, I don't."
Zhou Zhen chuckled. Organizing his thoughts, he mused, "In the early years, Nine Prosperities Lane had two branches. The eldest branch was Cheng Fu, and the second branch was Cheng Bi. Cheng Fu had three sons: the eldest, Cheng Zhi; the second, Cheng Lie; and the third, Cheng Ze. Among them, the eldest and second sons were legitimate, while the third was a concubine-born son. The second branch, Cheng Bi, had two sons: the eldest, Cheng Kan, and the second, Cheng Gang. Among them, Cheng Gang was a concubine-born son.
"The eldest son of the eldest branch, Cheng Zhi, was the last Tanhua (third-place scholar) of the previous dynasty. During the reign of Emperor Lie, he served as a Hanlin Academy scholar and the head of the Messenger Office. When the capital fell, it was he who carried Emperor Lie out of the city on his back. He also commanded the Imperial Guards in several bloody battles against the founding general of the current dynasty, Lin Tiande, escorting Emperor Lie south. Later, Emperor Lie was welcomed to Quanzhou by Prince Xin, Prince Guang, and Prince Wei, where the 'Xiangxing' dynasty was established. Cheng Zhi was appointed as prime minister. When the court besieged Yashan, Prince Xin and Prince Wei died in battle, and Prince Guang secretly opened the gates to welcome the court's heavy troops. Seeing that the emperor and his subjects were in grave danger, Cheng Zhi advised Emperor Lie to commit suicide. Emperor Lie dared not, so Cheng Zhi accompanied him and jumped into the sea to his death."
Zhou Shaojin was utterly astonished.
In both her lives, she had never heard of this history of the Cheng family.
But upon reflection, these were events from the previous dynasty, which explained why no one mentioned them.
Could this be the reason why the Cheng family was raided and exterminated?
No!
If that were the reason, the founding emperor would have raided and exterminated the Cheng family back then. Why wait until now?
Zhou Shaojin couldn't help but ask, "Is what you said true?"
This was already a century-old history, and his daughter had grown up in the inner chambers, so it was likely she had never heard of it.
"It's true," Zhou Zhen nodded. "Later dynasties revise the history of the previous ones. I heard from your Uncle Jing that the emperor has ordered the Ministry of Rites and the Hanlin Academy to begin revising the history of the previous dynasty. The evaluation for Cheng Zhi is 'well-versed in classics and history, steady and strategic, loyal and courageous with great integrity.'"
Such high praise?
Zhou Shaojin widened her eyes.Zhou Zhen said, "Cheng Lie, the second son of the Cheng family's main branch, was a provincial scholar at the time. He was studying in the capital with his elder brother and was only eighteen or nineteen years old. Upon hearing the news that the imperial court was attacking the capital, he volunteered to join the righteous army organized by Right Vice Director Wang Qing. After the capital fell, he and his elder brother Cheng Zhi escorted the Emperor south, and later died in battle at Yashan."
Both brothers died at Yashan!
Zhou Shaojin exclaimed in surprise, "Cheng Zhi must have been married by then, right? What about his children..."
Zhou Zhen's eyes dimmed slightly as he replied, "Cheng Zhi had three sons and two daughters. When the capital fell, his wife fled with their children to Tongzhou. Coincidentally, the imperial army was pursuing the Emperor, and someone informed on them. Knowing she could not escape, Cheng Zhi's wife decided to take her children and end their lives. However, a loyal servant named Qin Da, unwilling to let Cheng Zhi's lineage be extinguished, secretly swapped his own youngest son for Cheng Zhi's youngest child, Cheng Bei. This was how Cheng Zhi's bloodline was preserved!"
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Sisters, it seems that not only will I be updating extra chapters throughout this month, but I’ll also have to "repay debts" next month...
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※ (To be continued. If you like this work, please vote with recommendation tickets or monthly tickets. Your support is my greatest motivation.)
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