Third Uncle Is Shocked
Song Fugui’s steps halted. For a moment, he thought she had regretted her sharp words and was about to take them back.
But instead, he heard Shen Taohua say, “Before you leave, settle the bill for what you just ate.”
Song Fugui turned back in disbelief. “The dishes were clearly ordered by you.”
Shen Taohua replied matter-of-factly, “Didn’t you eat them too? I think you did say one thing that was right, since my family has money, we shouldn’t waste it, especially not on people like you who are trying to take advantage. Cut the nonsense. Pay up.”
Song Fugui: “!”
The surrounding diners also began to heckle him:
“Miss Shen is absolutely right. Since you ate the food, of course you should pay.”
“Exactly! It’s obvious nothing is going to come of this between you two anyway, don’t tell me you still want to freeload off Miss Shen? There’s no such good deal.”
“Pay up already, stop dragging it out, you’re embarrassing all of us men!”
Song Fugui’s face turned green and white. In front of so many diners, he couldn’t bring himself to behave like a shameless freeloader and refuse payment. In the end, he had no choice but to take out the money he had originally intended to buy brush and ink with and pay the bill, completely cutting off any remaining thoughts of marrying Shen Taohua.
A woman like that was far beyond what he could handle; marrying her would only bring chaos to the household.
After he paid, Shen Taohua didn’t stop him from leaving. Instead, while settling the remaining bill, she muttered under her breath with a pout, “And he said I was vulgar. Isn’t that just sour grapes from someone who can’t get what he wants? Talking about how women are hard to deal with, well, I could just as easily say scholars are useless. Tch, I really hate scholars.”
Meanwhile, Mother Song, who had been eagerly waiting for good news with a smile on her face, saw her son return with a dark expression and immediately felt a jolt.
“What happened? Did it fall through?”
Song Fugui, still angry and frustrated from losing both money and face, recounted everything Shen Taohua had said and done.
“Mother, you don’t need to think about it anymore. The Shen family looks down on us completely, we are nowhere near qualified for them!”
Mother Song didn’t expect such an outcome. Her expression immediately turned ugly as she cursed, “What right does she have to talk about you like that? So what if they have a bit of money? What’s so great about that? She even went out of her way to call you over just to scold you, this is outrageous bullying!”
She had spent quite a bit of money just to get the matchmaker to recommend her son to the Shen family. Now the deal had failed, and all that silver had gone to waste!
Heartache made her unleash a stream of insults at Shen Taohua, calling her ungrateful, vain, and lacking judgment…
After venting, she noticed her son’s gloomy expression and quickly changed her tone to comfort him.
“Son, don’t listen to her nonsense. You’ll definitely pass the exams in the future! As the saying goes, ‘there are plenty of fish in the sea.’ Once you become an official, the Shen family, just mere landlords, won’t even be worthy of you anymore!
To be honest, this is probably a good thing. A daughter-in-law that fierce and unreasonable, if she really married into our family, she’d only cause trouble. She’d probably anger me to death.”
Hearing this, Song Fugui felt somewhat better and nodded in agreement.
“I think so too. It’s just a pity the money I prepared for brush and ink was wasted.”
Mother Song also felt a pang of regret.
Even so, she still went back into her room, took out some silver, and pressed it into his hands.
“Take this and buy more brush and ink. How can a scholar do without proper supplies?”
Song Fugui’s eyes flickered. He stuffed the broken silver into his pocket and said, “Mother, I’m going to buy brush and ink. I’ll also go discuss studies with my classmates while I’m at it, I’ll be back later.”
Hearing that he was going to discuss academic matters with his classmates, Mother Song had no objections at all and quickly said, “Go ahead and study properly. No need to rush back.”
Song Fugui nodded and quickly left the house again.
However, he did not head toward the bookshop. Instead, he detoured toward a flower house he occasionally visited with his classmates.
After being humiliated by Shen Taohua today, he had no mood left to discuss studies. At a time like this, what he needed was a beautiful woman to properly comfort him.
After he left, Song Eldest Sister-in-law waited until her mother-in-law wasn’t paying attention and went out to take a look. The moment she saw the direction he was going, she immediately understood what was happening, and her expression darkened.
Capital City.
“Third Uncle.”
When Xie Zhuo saw his clan uncle, who had arrived looking worn from travel, finally find his residence, a faint smile appeared on his face.
Third Uncle Xie excitedly patted his shoulder. “Good, good! Ah Zhuo, I knew you were capable! You actually passed the imperial exams and became a jinshi. You are the pride of the family!”
Xie Zhuo smiled lightly. “As long as I can make my parents proud of me, that is enough.”
Third Uncle Xie paused slightly, realizing he was still resentful about what had happened with the clan back then, and quietly sighed.
Back then, he had been away from home on business and could not return when Xie Zhuo’s parents had an accident. Otherwise, he could have helped support them.
But it was too late to say any of that now.
Xie Zhuo also had no intention of blaming this uncle.
When his parents were still alive, Third Uncle Xie had always treated him well. Later, after learning he had been driven away, the uncle had gone to great lengths to find him and had given him much help. Xie Zhuo remembered all of it.
“Third Uncle, let’s go inside and talk,” he said.
“Good, good, let’s go inside,” Third Uncle Xie quickly agreed.
Once they reached the study, the two exchanged a few pleasantries before Third Uncle Xie asked, “Now that you’ve passed, what are your plans next? Will you stay in the capital or…?”
Xie Zhuo replied calmly but firmly, “I plan to go out as an official.”
After the palace examination, the top three enter the Hanlin Academy, while those ranked highly are assigned to fill vacancies in the Six Ministries according to ability and connections.
The remaining candidates undergo one to three months of training, after which they are assigned posts in local regions when officials from various areas come to the capital to report on their duties.
If one does not want to be assigned to a local post, they must find ways to secure connections before the assignment is finalized.
Recently, all newly appointed jinshi were trying every possible means to build connections. Xie Zhuo was no exception.
However, while others sought connections to remain in the capital or to obtain wealthy and prosperous prefectures and counties, he was different.
“The place I will be assigned to has already been decided. I just need to wait for the official appointment order before setting off.”
Third Uncle Xie nodded and said, “Going to a local post is also good. The vacancies in the capital are surely extremely competitive. You have no real foundation in the capital; if you end up competing and gain nothing in the end, it would be better to go directly to a local appointment. After making some achievements there, it will be easier to work your way back up.”
Xie Zhuo gave no clear response.
Third Uncle Xie then asked, “Which county has been assigned?”
According to the law, officials are not allowed to serve in their own hometowns. He could only hope it would be somewhere relatively close, so that in the future he might gradually help ease the relationship between Xie Zhuo and the clan.
Xie Zhuo lightly ran his fingers along the rim of his teacup and said unhurriedly, “Taohua County.”
Third Uncle Xie’s expression shifted slightly.
Taohua County… was quite close to where the Xie family lived, practically next door. Could it be that although Xie Zhuo appeared indifferent on the surface, he still had some concern for the clan in his heart?
Just as he was thinking this, he heard Xie Zhuo continue, “The benefactor who supported me back then lives in Taohua County. Now that I have achieved some success, I should return to repay that kindness.”
Although the scholar surnamed Song mentioned in yesterday’s letter was not someone he took seriously.
Having failed the imperial examinations twice without even becoming a xiucai, and with his mind focused on opportunistic shortcuts, such mediocrity would likely never even pass the juren exam in his lifetime. He was not a concern at all.
But there were too many people eyeing his position. If he did not act now, he risked being overtaken or completely forgotten.
Third Uncle Xie paused, not expecting this to be the reason. He sighed inwardly and said, “That is indeed appropriate.”
Xie Zhuo looked at him. “I invited Third Uncle here this time not only to ask you to serve as my legal advisor, but also to ask you to send a message back to the Xie clan. Back then, when I was young and powerless, the clan seized my parents’ inheritance. Now it is time to return everything that should be returned, with interest. If they refuse…”
A cold glint flashed in Xie Zhuo’s deep eyes.
“Then don’t blame me for disregarding old ties.”
For ordinary people, the clan is a source of support; it had once been the same for him. But by now, the one who needed to look at others’ faces was no longer him.
He was not Song Fugui, who only knew how to cling to others for an easy life and still wanted to benefit without effort.
A reunion was approaching. Aside from his jinshi title, he needed some tangible foundation so that his future in-laws would not think he was also someone unreliable.
Third Uncle Xie nodded. “Rest assured. Before I came, the clan already had such intentions. I will send another message and make sure nothing is overlooked.”
He became increasingly certain that Xie Zhuo held no remaining attachment to the clan.
He did not try to persuade him further. After all, the clan had wronged Xie Zhuo first.
This nephew of his was no longer what he once was.
The Xie family, at its core, was just an ordinary gentry clan. They had some local influence, but in front of a true official, they were nothing.
At most, they would not dare provoke him and bring disaster upon themselves.
Afterward, the uncle and nephew chatted for a while longer. Due to travel fatigue, Third Uncle Xie soon went to rest first.
Over the next two days, Third Uncle Xie learned that Xie Zhuo still had many belongings left unpacked and offered to help.
While tidying the books in the study, he unexpectedly came across a large stack of manuscripts.
Third Uncle Xie looked at him in surprise while watching him pack away the other books.
“Ah Zhuo, what are these?” he asked.
Xie Zhuo’s expression remained unchanged. “Just some things I wrote in my spare time.”
Third Uncle Xie nodded in understanding. “Ah, story scripts or romance tales? Speaking of which, I also wrote some when I was younger.”
However, Xie Zhuo was now a jinshi graduate, what he wrote would surely be far more refined than something written by a mere xiucai like himself.
Thinking this, Third Uncle Xie immediately became interested. He was just about to put the manuscripts away, but paused and instead started flipping through them.
The moment he saw the titles, however, he was stunned.
“After Marrying the Prince, I Became the Heartless Man’s Mother-in-Law”
“After Being Abandoned, I Ended Up with the Scumbag’s Bride”
……
Third Uncle Xie was full of question marks. What on earth were these things??
Was this really written by Xie Zhuo, or had someone else accidentally left them behind?
Seeing his uncle’s doubtful expression, Xie Zhuo said calmly, “I wrote them.”
Third Uncle Xie’s entire body jolted. His expression instantly turned indescribable.
“A-Ah Zhuo… you, you how could you…”
Xie Zhuo replied, “Miss Shen likes reading them.”
When he first started writing, the titles were fairly conventional. His original intention was simply to earn some writing fees on the side. He had not expected, by coincidence, that they would catch her attention.
After receiving her first letter of feedback, he took the hint and changed the titles accordingly. Later, through occasional correspondence, he learned her preferences and began tailoring his stories to suit her tastes, continuing up to the present.
However, because he had been busy preparing for the imperial examinations, he hadn’t written much before. Now that he had succeeded and had more free time, he could write more for her to pass the time.
After hearing this, Third Uncle Xie’s expression became even more subtle.
Just yesterday, Xie Zhuo had told him that the person who had supported him and helped him regain his footing was this Miss Shen from Taohua County.
He was sincerely grateful to her as well, after all, she had helped pull his nephew out of his lowest point when he had no way to reach him in time.
But still, no matter how he thought about it, he could not understand why she would enjoy reading such strange stories…
He really didn’t know how to put it.
It was… complicated feelings all around.