Moonlit Reunion

The child of Mei Zhuyu and Wu Zhen was named Mei Ruozhuo, chosen by his father Mei Zhuyu.

Because of this naming, the three members of the Wu family—father and daughters—almost came to blows. The father-in-law wanted to name the child Mei Yuanfa. When Her Majesty the Empress found out, she scoffed and directly wrote a letter questioning whether her dear father had lost his mind from chanting scriptures—why not just call him Mei Banfa? Then she declared that the child should be named Mei Baoyuan, a name that sounded auspicious and well-rounded.

Wu Zhen, upon hearing her sister’s suggestion for her son’s name, was displeased and unceremoniously mocked it as rustic. Who would have thought her brilliant and formidable sister could be so casual when it came to naming?

According to Wu Zhen’s preference, the child should be named Mei Yisi.

“Mei Yisi—‘no meaning’—isn’t that hilarious? Hahaha!” The mother showed no concern over whether her son would be teased for this name when he grew up—after all, she was the first to start mocking it.

Fortunately, Mei Zhuyu was a responsible father and didn’t heed her suggestion. Instead, he properly lit an incense stick before the ancestral master, sat in meditation for half a day, and came up with the solemn name Mei Ruozhuo.

Wu Zhen sighed. “This name really is ‘no meaning’ at all.” But in the end, she didn’t object, so the child’s name was settled. Her Majesty the Empress was greatly displeased. Princess Yuanzhen wrote a letter to Wu Zhen, and Consort Mei also relayed a message to Mei Zhuyu. Thus, in the end, the name Baoyuan, chosen by Her Majesty, became the child’s nickname.

Little Baoyuan was as plump as a gold ingot, likely because his mother loved feeding him all sorts of snacks, making him chubby. His little ears also resembled ingots, making him exceptionally adorable. However, this child inherited none of his parents’ abilities. Unlike Wu Zhen and Mei Zhuyu, he didn’t possess eyes that could see Demon Creatures or Monsters, nor did he have any special traits—he was just an ordinary person.

“Being ordinary is fine,” Wu Zhen thought. If the child misbehaved in the future, she could just catch a couple of little monsters and keep them at home to scare him.

Wu Zhen merely entertained the idea, but Mei Zhuyu had already begun acting on it. Daoist Mei’s parenting style had always been straightforward and unceremonious, and even with his own son, he was no different. Thus, very quickly, the little bit of romanticism and frivolity Little Baoyuan had picked up from his mother was swept away by his father’s stern discipline, leaving him no choice but to be a diligent and well-behaved child, far removed from the world of tender beauties and sweet songs.

Occasionally, however, when Mei Zhuyu was busy with work, Wu Zhen would secretly sneak the child out of the house to let him have some fun. The little boy had inherited not only his mother’s beauty but also her shamelessness. The moment he was out of his father’s sight, his prim and proper expression would collapse, and he’d sprawl lazily on the small desk meant for calligraphy practice, his disdainful look at the copybook identical to his mother’s when she saw something she disliked.

A melodious birdcall sounded outside the window. Little Baoyuan’s eyes lit up, and he pattered over to open it, revealing his mother’s smiling face.

“Your father has a lot to do today and won’t be back for a while. Come on, let’s go have some fun!”

With one swift motion, Wu Zhen plucked her son from the room, tucked him under her arm, and dashed off. She didn’t forget to instruct the servants not to tell her husband that she had taken the child out to play again. Little Baoyuan, clutched under his mother’s arm, folded his tiny hands and gazed pitifully at them.Under the pressure from the lady and the young master's pleading, everyone still kept the matter tightly concealed from the lord today.

But did the lord truly not know?

Far away at the Ministry of Justice, Taoist Priest Mei, who was buried in official duties, suddenly noticed a yellow talisman on his desk spontaneously combusting without fire. He paused, pinched a bit of the ashes to sniff, then sighed.

He had placed an identical talisman at home. Now that this one had burned, it was clear his seemingly obedient son had gone out—no need to guess who had taken him.

He sighed and shook his head, sweeping the ashes into a small box that already held a layer of fresh and old ashes. Once this box was full, he would settle accounts properly—with both of them. However, if those two knew when to stop before the box filled up, their previous cunning and duplicity could be forgiven.

It all depended on whether they could rein in their recklessness in time. Taoist Priest Mei would wait and see.

"Mother, which music house are we going to today? Or should we visit Huzhu Pavilion and play games with Sister Huzhu? Or maybe the Western Market—didn’t those two camel teams say they’d bring more interesting things this time? And the Persian merchants should be back too—let’s go see those Persian sisters who can dance the Feitian dance!"

Little Baoyuan asked his mother excitedly, completely unaware of his father’s watchful gaze.

Just as Wu Zhen was about to answer, a rider on horseback stopped beside them.

"Zhen-jie, I was just looking for you!" said Zhao Langjun from the saddle.

Wu Zhen: "What’s the matter?"

Zhao Langjun: "Go check on Mei Si—he’s really about to shave his head and become a monk this time!"

At the mention of shaving his head, Wu Zhen immediately guessed what had happened and felt a pang of exasperation. "Where is he now?"

Zhao Langjun: "At Chenxiang Temple."

Wu Zhen adjusted her hold on her son. "Your little uncle is causing trouble again. Let’s go see him first, then visit the Persian sisters."

Little Baoyuan: "Alright, let’s hurry then."

Having reached an agreement, mother and son rode to Chenxiang Temple. Spotting a young monk at the entrance, Wu Zhen asked, "Has a rather handsome but foolish young man come here wanting to shave his head and become a monk?"

The young monk was startled by her expression and answered honestly, "Yes, there’s one…"

Wu Zhen: "Did you shave his head?"

The young monk quickly shook his head. Wu Zhen clenched her fist in regret. "Why didn’t you just go ahead and shave that brat’s head!"

"Ah, we couldn’t possibly!" the young monk said sternly. "That gentleman didn’t present an official ordination certificate. We’re a proper temple—we can’t just shave anyone’s head on a whim!"

Wu Zhen nodded, patted his shoulder, and walked past him inside.

When she found Mei Si, he was in the temple’s guest quarters, chatting amiably with a young man.

"This is my drawing of a flower spirit. Have you read Bai She Lang’s Records of Demons and Ghosts ? It describes all kinds of flower spirits. Look at this one—the camellia spirit. I think white camellias are the best."

Hearing this, the young man, who had been sipping tea, set down his cup and said, "No, red camellias are undoubtedly superior."Wu Zhen recognized the young man before her. His name was Pei Jingxuan, once the favored candidate chosen by the empress to be the consort for her daughter, Princess Yuanzhen. However, both the princess and this young top scholar had the audacity to refuse the marriage in front of the empress, leading to the matter being dropped.

It was precisely because of this that Wu Zhen remembered him. Anyone bold enough to outright reject the empress and give up a princess was no ordinary person. She’d heard he came from a poor family with no other relatives, and after arriving in Chang’an, he had been staying in this temple. Strangely, even after becoming an official, he still hadn’t moved out to find his own residence.

Listening to the two inside argue over white tea and black tea, Wu Zhen glanced at the lush red camellia growing in front of the guest room. The plant trembled under her gaze, its leaves shaking slightly. Wu Zhen chuckled softly, “What are you afraid of? You’ve been here for years without causing trouble. Did you think I’d uproot you?”

Then she mused, “One loves white camellias, the other red camellias. What a fate.”

Little Baoyuan asked curiously, “Mother, who are you talking to?”

Wu Zhen replied, “Just talking to myself.”

With that, she stepped inside.

“Mei Si.”

The moment Mei Si heard her voice, his face twisted into a bitter expression as he set down the illustrated book in his hands.

“Zhen-jie, what brings you here?”

Half an hour later, Mei Si obediently followed Wu Zhen out of the temple gates.

“I’ll send you a monk’s certificate when I get back. Next time you decide to become a monk, remember to bring it—otherwise, they won’t shave your head,” Wu Zhen said with an amused smirk.

Mei Si groaned, “Zhen-jie, don’t tease me. You know I was just talking. I wouldn’t actually shave my head—it takes forever to grow back! Getting kicked out by Censor Liu was bad enough.”

Wu Zhen burst into laughter. “Three times now, and you still want to propose to the Liu family?”

Mei Si’s expression turned fervent and determined. “Of course! Ever since I found out that the Liu family’s young lady is Bai She Lang, I’ve been set on marrying her!”

Wu Zhen teased, “Oh? So you’re not afraid of snakes anymore?”

Mei Si scratched his head. “Well, I’ve been keeping a snake at home. I force myself to touch it every day. Once I got used to it, it wasn’t so bad.”

Wu Zhen suppressed a laugh, thinking that if the little snake found out, she might get even angrier—perhaps even sneak into his house at night to take his pet snake and stew it for dinner.

“Alright, keep at it then,” Wu Zhen said, not pressing further. She only added, “Next time you talk about becoming a monk, I won’t bother saving you.”

Mei Si flushed and vowed, “I won’t!” Then, with a pained expression, he muttered, “As long as Censor Liu doesn’t kick me out again…”

With that matter settled, Wu Zhen continued taking her son to see the golden-haired, blue-eyed Persian beauties. Little Baoyuan glanced at his departing uncle and asked, “When will Uncle be able to marry the person he likes?”

Wu Zhen patted her son’s head affectionately. “Who knows? Maybe by the time you’re married, he still won’t have succeeded.”

Little Baoyuan sighed. “That sounds so sad.”

Wu Zhen said, “Then next time we visit the little snake, you can put in a good word for him.”

Little Baoyuan shook his head. “No, Father says you have to rely on yourself for everything.”

Without missing a beat, Wu Zhen agreed, “Alright, your father’s always right. Then we won’t say anything.”The mother and son chatted as they made their way to the West Market. The crabapple blossoms along the roadside were in full bloom, petals occasionally drifting onto them both. Little Baoyuan looked up at his mother’s smiling face and the rosy crabapple flowers, feeling a cool touch on his forehead.

Wu Zhen leaned down and blew away a pink petal that had landed on her son’s brow.

"This year’s Flower Festival is almost here again. Your father said the first time he saw me was during the Flower Festival..." Wu Zhen suddenly remembered something and nudged her son. "Next time, ask your father where he saw me."

Little Baoyuan pouted and gave his mother a look of refusal.

"If you find out, I’ll take you to watch the polo match."

"Deal! Don’t lie to me!"

Having reached another agreement, the two flashed identical smiles before their figures disappeared at the end of the long street.

In the distance, by the Jade Belt Pond, the flowering trees were once again in full bloom. Painted boats and small vessels lined up one after another, packed with flower admirers. The streets and markets bustled with endless streams of carriages, horses, and pedestrians. Tavern banners fluttered in the wind, and the sound of music filled the entire city of Chang’an.

Unbeknownst to the diligent Mei, his wife and son were watching golden-haired beauties dance while plotting to extract information from him.

(The End)