All Under Heaven

Zhao Su's marriage, dispute over status

Fujian, Zhao Manor.

Zhao Su sneezed a couple of times and wondered who was talking about him.

He pondered over it and thought that it could only be the Prince of Yu Manor’s Zhu Yijun who was very far away at this moment. But he was the princely heir of the Prince of Yu Manor so naturally he must be surrounded by others enjoying the New Year celebration, Zhu Yijun would not have noticed that he was not present.

He felt an addition of a cloak over his shoulders and he turned around in surprise, it was his mother, Lady Chen who had come over. 

 

“The wind is heavy at night, so don’t catch a cold. Mother made this cloak during my freetime. I was afraid that it would be too big, but it seems that you’ve grown so much taller, it fits perfectly. When you’re away, I’m always worrying that you’re cold or hungry. Especially now that you are an official, I heard that as soon as officials get busy sometimes you won’t even have time to eat a proper meal.”

She was babbling a load of nonsense but the way that she was looking at Zhao Su was so warm and gentle that Zhao Su did not feel annoyed in the slightest.

People living in this world all need a goal as well as support, which was why Zhao Su was still willing to keep some relationship with the Zhao family for the sake of Lady Chen. And Lady Chen had compromised and never thought about how awful her situation was under any circumstances for the sake of Zhao Su.

Zhao Su smiled and said: “Don’t worry mother, I am not lacking in clothing and I won’t let myself go hungry.” 

 

“I heard from Zhao Ji that you, Ziyang1 and Chen Zhu gongzi all live together. Three men without even a woman to look after you, plus Zhao Ji’s personality is too mischievous, how could mother not be worried?”

Lady Chen said with some displeasure and then asked after Zhao Nuan: “Why didn’t Zhao Nuan come back with you?”

“He’s very busy with his business and can’t step away. He already wrote home to say that he wouldn’t be able to come back this year for the Lunar New Year festivities. Apparently, when his father heard this, he was utterly enraged, I think he’s afraid of coming home and being made to go and study and take the imperial examinations by his father again.”

Zhao Su laughed lightly, and then helped Lady Chen to go back inside.

Mother and son chatted for a while longer. Their snack shop, Tang Song Ju’s business, was still doing very well. For Lady Chen who had come from a lowly background to achieve such success was already a great achievement, she did not wish to expand it any further. Zhao Su thought that Zhao Nuan had opened up another branch of Tang Song Ju in the Capital anyway, so from now on, they could focus more of their efforts over there, and bring Lady Chen to the Capital to live with him.

Lady Chen shook her head: “I’m old, I’d feel most comfortable at home. I know that my son is doing well and that’s enough. No matter what, you can come back home at any time. Our door will always be open to you.”

Zhao Su laughed out loud and then said: “Mother is not old, if we went out together and said that you are my older sister, there would still be people who would believe it.”

Lady Chen pretended to hit him, Zhao Su laughed and evaded her.

The entire room was filled with warmth.

Lady Chen suddenly stopped and then smiled and then sighed before saying: “You are still so playful but mother is indeed old and can’t be by your side forever, you need to have someone by your side to take care of you.”

Here it was, Zhao Su coughed: “Since mother has brought it up, I have a few ideas that I’d like to discuss with you.”

Lady Chen nodded.

He told her about Xu Jie and Chen Yiqin wanting to arrange a marriage for him.

Lady Chen was silent for a while.

To not scare her, Zhao Su did not mention the ranking of the two officials in question. But from the situation, Lady Chen could also guess that these two people were anything but ordinary. Instead of being pleased, she was deeply worried: “From what you’re saying, both da-ren look favorably upon you so if you decide on one, you will end up offending the other one?”

Zhao Su smiled ever so slightly: “So I’d like mother to matchmake me with another family. If it is a marriage arranged by mother, the two da-ren should not be able to comment.”

Lady Chen hesitated: “That…. That doesn’t seem right, these two da-ren proposed first. I am from a lowly background and I don’t even have an official title, how could I go ahead…..”

“Mother!” Zhao Su cut her off, “We were kicked out of that house a long time ago, and cannot be counted as one of them. Plus regarding this, I have thought about it for a long time and I would never make you suffer.”

Seeing that Lady Chen didn’t say a word, Zhao Su whispered: “Mother, I’ve suffered half my life, it’s time for me to have some joy of my own. Before, I didn’t want you to worry about it because I thought that I was still young. But now Xu da-ren and Chen da-ren are both sincerely proposing, and rejecting either side would not be right, why doesn’t mother just do this for me, I don’t wish for a wife from an influential family, just a lady who is kind and gentle is enough.”

Since he put it like that, Lady Chen pondered over it and thought that Zhao Su was right. Since selecting either side would offend the other, so why not go the complete opposite way. Even if her status was low, she could always ask one of the clansmen to go in her place, so she smiled and said: “You’re only looking for a loving wife, aren’t you afraid that mother will choose one you don’t like?”

Zhao Su held back his laughter: “Whoever mother chooses can’t be that bad, I was just speaking superfluously.”

He actually didn’t care at all about being set up for a blind marriage with some immortal beauty. Since he arrived in this time period, he had travelled to many places. In general, it could be said that in Jiangnan, ordinarily the women were quite beautiful due to their populous and affluent quality of the region. The capital that was under the feet of the Emperor was also not lacking in affluent and upper-class ladies and they were all beautifully dressed so that even if they were only average looking, it could still be offset by their noble air.

Those exquisite beauties like Consort Li were quite rare, otherwise how could the latter have been able to hold onto the favour of the Prince of Yu. But these types of women were destined to be other people’s wives, Zhao Su was also aware of his own status and knew that it was just a form of admiration and did not go any further than that. As for someone who turned his spirit and soul upside down2, in reality, there was not one. In modern times, the media had often paraded all types of beauties in the media that made people build some sort of tolerance towards beauty. Not to mention that Zhao Su seemed warm on the outside but on the inside he was quite cold and indifferent, and he was not inexperienced, so a situation such as becoming completely infatuated with a woman at first sight was never going to happen.

“Since you put it like that, I do have someone in mind who would be a good match for you.”

Zhao Su was astonished: “Oh?”

“It’s the Chen family’s daughter in Changle. Last time they seemed to want to matchmake but you hadn’t come back yet and I didn’t want to be rash and make the decision myself.”

Chen Zhu’s cousin3? Zhao Su went through all the cousins that he had spoken about with Chen Zhu in the past. “Which line4 would that be?”

“I think it’s the concubine line – Chen Zhu gongzi’s elder cousin, or perhaps she is the daughter of the first wife. I heard that Chen xiaojie is sweet-tempered and virtuous. Everyone that has met her has praised her highly, it’s just that her health is not too good.”

Zhao Su muttered to himself: “It doesn’t matter whether she’s legitimate-born or concubine-born, I’m just afraid that if she’s legitimate-born, she will be discourteous to you.”

Lady Chen was moved: “You’re already so busy taking care of official business but you’re even worried about small matters like this. The clan rules and customs of the Chen family are rather strict, the sons and daughters are really all quite something. Isn’t Chen Zhu gongzi a good friend of yours, you can also ask him about this.”

Zhao Su nodded, he didn’t want to waste any more time on this. “Well if it’s like that, I’ll let mother decide.”

The third day of the Lunar New Year.

Zhao Jin and Lady Wu were having breakfast when they heard someone come to report that Zhao Xiyi had come to visit, they hurriedly got up to meet him in the front hall.

Zhao Xiyi was Zhao Jin’s paternal uncle5, and because he had just retired from his government post, even the current County Magistrate had to show him some respect, Lady Wu naturally did not dare to put on any airs. She held back all her usual snide remarks and was polite and respectful when bowing before da-bo6, and then exchanged some well-wishes and auspicious words to each other for the Lunar New Year, before going to sit down, asking the servants to serve the tea.

“We just went to da-bo’s home to pay our lunar new year respects, why has da-bo graced us with your presence today?” Lady Wu smiled and said. She was a little surprised.

“Nothing important, there is just one thing that I’d like to discuss with you.” Zhao Xiyi glanced over at Zhao Jin, “Zi-Ge7, you can leave now.”

Zhao Jin understood that this matter had something to do with him and was a bit reluctant: “Bo-fu8?”

Lady Wu saw that Zhao Xiyi was starting to look rather displeased and quickly said: “Jin’er, quickly go.”

Zhao Xiyi watched the reluctant Zhao Jin leave and then shook his head slightly, without beating around the bush, he said: “Sister-in-law9, the situation has now got to this point, I won’t beat around the bush, since Zhao Su has come back, have you been to visit at all?”

Lady Wu was astonished as to why Zhao Xiyi would be so serious about this matter, and her complexion completely changed on the spot.

Seeing her like this, Zhao Xiyi understood that she had not been to pay them a visit, Zhao Xiyi stamped his foot and gasped: “Sister-in-law, oh, sister-in-law, how could you be so muddled! Zhao Su is a son of the Zhao family. You are Xifeng’s first wife, the legitimate wife. If he gets promoted into a high-ranking position in the future, he will still have to call you ‘mother’, but you still insist on ignoring them and pushing mother and son aside, what is wrong with you?”

Lady Wu gritted her teeth and didn’t speak.

“I have heard what you have done to mother and son all these years from our Clan Leader. If Zhao Su didn’t have an official position then I’d let it go, but now he is already an imperial official, and has boundless prospects, if you continue to treat them this way, in the future, you might drag Zi-Ge down with you, but if you could even harm the entire clan!”

Lady Wu was not an ignorant woman, but she was finding his words hard to swallow, and could only weakly smile: “Da-bo is not aware but Zhao Su and his mother are from a lowly background, she’s just a slave servant and dishonoured herself by seducing the master of the house. So it stands to reason that even if I beat her to death or sold her off it wouldn’t have been too excessive. I was benevolent because she was pregnant, and stopped there but who knew that she’d be so arrogant….”

Zhao Xiyi was impatient: “I know a little about what happened in the past, but it’s not the time to dwell on the past. But if you insist on holding on to the past now, it won’t turn out well for you!”

Lady Wu objected: “Da-bo, don’t use big words to scare me. Jin’er has now already achieved juren, you are his paternal uncle, shouldn’t you be giving him more encouragement instead of speaking for Zhao Su and mother. I know that Zhao Su is an imperial official now, but he is just a little official working in the Hanlin Academy, it’s hardly a meteoric rise to the top. After this year’s metropolitan exam, who knows perhaps Jin’er will also win top marks in the examinations. By then, why would we need to rely on a concubine-born son?”

Unable to see beyond one’s nose! Zhao Xiyi scolded and then said: “Zhao Su is already a fifth-rank official, but his birth mother still doesn’t have any title, it’s extremely inappropriate, in the future if she is bestowed Gao Ming10……”

Lady Wu had enough and cut him off, she showed her surprise on her face: “How could a concubine receive Gao Ming, even if there is Gao Ming, surely it would be bestowed upon the legitimate wife, da-bo must be joking right?”

“Why would I be joking! The Imperial Court has an edict that the mothers of the concubine-born son can naturally also receive Gao Ming.” Zhao Xiyi was annoyed, and continued what he had wanted to say before: “I’ve already discussed it with the clan, there are two ways, but we need to first hear what you think.”

Lady Wu had an ominous feeling: “Da-bo, please explain.”

“The first is for you to bestow an official status upon Zhao Su’s mother in the place of my late brother. She is the mother of the eldest son, the mother is worth as much as the son, so she should be honoured with the title of noble concubine, and this way, Zhao Su will also have some status within the clan as well.”

If this was the case, then wouldn’t she have to call that woman meimei? Lady Wu thought back to the days when that woman was kneeling and serving upon her hand and foot, and then thought about having to call her meimei, it was something that she couldn’t really accept.

Zhao Xiyi didn’t bother to console her and continued: “The second way is to find someone else in our clan who died early and left no heir and make Zhao Su become an official part of that family and become an heir for them. This way, mother and son will be re-married over there and can still become an official concubine, and there will be no legitimate wife in the way to block the issue, so it will be even easier.”

Lady Wu was lost for words, she would never have thought that they’d come up with an idea of having Lady Chen re-marry: “Hm.. I can’t agree to this, whether she lives or dies, Lady Chen is still my family’s servant.”

“But I heard from Zhao Su that his mother’s slavery contract has been returned to her?”

Lady Wu’s complexion turned white: “Da-bo, you are my husband’s older brother, letting Lady Chen remarry is damaging to his reputation!”

Zhao Xiyi frowned, and didn’t want to argue any longer: “Didn’t you say before that she had no official status, since she isn’t Xifeng’s wife, how could this damage his reputation. Anyway, this is just a way to get Zhao Su to become an official part of the clan!”

Originally, he and the Clan Leader had wanted to just adopt Zhao Su directly but this way, Lady Chen would still have no official status nor title. Given Zhao Su’s character and education, he would never accept this. So they thought about some other ideas, and thought of these two worthy ideas which would not go against any customs.

Seeing Lady Wu in a daze, he relaxed his tone: “If you choose the first method then you are still family, and Zhao Su will still have to treat you as his mother. If Zhao Jin also becomes an imperial official, the two brothers can work together in the same imperial court. No matter what you will still be conferred the title of Gao Ming fu-ren11, wouldn’t that be great?”

In the eyes of Zhao Xiyi, this was the most appropriate method, not only for Zhao Jin and his mother, but he would also still be Zhao Su’s paternal uncle. If he was adopted by one of the relatives, then they would be separated by another descendant line.

Lady Wu’s face was white, she didn’t look up for a long time: “Da-bo’s well wishes have been received and I have understood well. Although Zhao Su is an official now, Jin’er might even overtake him in the future. There is no need to ruin my husband’s reputation and to rest my hopes on a concubine-born son for Gao Ming.”

This was absolute, she did not leave him any way to argue with her.

Zhao Xiyi would never have thought that he’d completely wasted so much breath today for nothing. He leapt up and sneered: “Since sister-in-law is so persistent, I have nothing else to say!”

After he finished speaking, he flung out his sleeves and then turned and left.