◎He was in big trouble.◎
Although the Chen family had been the source of this or that laughingstock, they were publicly acknowledged throughout the county for their good looks. The Chen family members, regardless of gender, were all very beautiful before middle age, each with elegant eyes, clear brows, and tall, slender figures. After middle age, however, it all depended on individual fate.
Chen Yan was no exception. Not only was he handsome, but he was also gifted with natural intelligence. It was said that he could recite the Three Hundred Thousand by heart at age four, read the Four Books at six, and compose poetry at eight. At fifteen, he passed the Prefectural Examination, and at eighteen, he participated in the Imperial Examination, taking the title of Top Scholar in one fell swoop. He became the youngest Student of the County School in the local Prefectural School, entitled to a Government Rice Subsidy, exempt from Corvée Labor, and able to study under renowned teachers, making a name for himself overnight.
When Zhao Shi heard that the daughter of the Lin family in the west of the city had reached marriageable age—though from a military household, she was well-read, sensible, and possessed a refined beauty, a famous belle and talent in Sheng’an City whose suitors wore out their threshold—she hastily dragged Chen Laoye over to propose a marriage.
After the two families met and sized each other up, they hit it off immediately. The wedding date was set with the Three Matchmakers and Six Rites.
It was said that the news of their marriage left a trail of broken hearts among the eligible young men and women of Sheng’an City. For months after the wedding, the local temples and nunneries had to turn away countless youths. If not for the court’s restrictions on the number of monks and nuns, who knows how many lovelorn souls would have taken vows.
With such a powerful gene pool, Ping’an’s looks and intelligence were a foregone conclusion. His life was practically laid out before him, a path of flowers and brocade that required no effort.
However, for a child, the companionship of his parents seemed to matter more.
His father had been living in the front courtyard study for half a month, reportedly busy preparing for another examination. In fact, for the past two years, Chen Yan had been rising early and sleeping late, either studying at home or attending lectures at the Prefectural School. The time father and son spent together was extremely limited.
Just then, Ping’an was waiting at the main gate. He opened his arms toward Chen Yan, who bent down and lifted him up, walking into the courtyard with an unhurried gait. Aji followed behind them, his big ears flapping as he bounded and hopped along.
Ping’an’s little mouth chattered nonstop, recounting the day’s major events at home, including but not limited to: the mulberries in Ying Garden had turned a deep purple, a large watermelon was chilling in the well, his grandfather’s mynah bird had cursed but he hadn’t copied it, and Aji had eaten three small dried fish in one go…
Chen Yan responded to each point. After passing the screen wall, he set the boy down. “Where’s your mother?”
Ping’an could tell this man didn’t want to look after a child.
He lifted his little face. “Mother went with Grandmother to Qinglu Temple to fulfill a vow. Today is Ping’an’s birthday, did Father forget?”
Chen Yan crouched down and pulled an exquisite brocade pouch from his sleeve. “How could Father forget?”
Ping’an opened the pouch. Inside was a set of Nine Interlocking Rings made of pure copper. The nine little bells tinkled, and the agate beads looked moist and translucent in the sunlight.
He smiled, his eyes curving into crescents.
Chen Yan ruffled his hair, his large hand taking the small one as they walked toward the front courtyard study. It was still early, and he wanted to seize the time to read for a while.
Ping’an was still a small, round little thing, just barely able to rest his chin on his father’s desk.
“Is Father thirsty? Is Father hungry? What book is Father reading?”
Chen Yan continued to give distracted, noncommittal replies.
Ping’an sighed inwardly. He took his Nine Interlocking Rings to the small couch in the inner room to play. After a while, he grew bored and began rummaging through chests and cupboards for a new toy. He remembered there was a Shuanglu set in the wardrobe.
He didn’t find the Shuanglu and nearly tumbled to the floor, but he did find a wooden box that looked quite old. He carried it out and asked Chen Yan, “Father, can I open this?”
Chen Yan glanced up. “Go ahead.”
Ping’an sat on the chair beside the desk and opened the wooden box as if on a treasure hunt, thinking to himself: I’ll bet a candied hawthorn skewer that this is Father’s secret stash of money!
The result was very disappointing. Inside was a jumble of outdated opera tickets, polo tickets, and Travel Permits.
“What are these?” he murmured.
Chen Yan glanced over again, a hint of a smile in his eyes. “Those are places your mother and I went before you were born.”
Ping’an was speechless.
He had just been force-fed a mouthful of dog food out of nowhere.
After rummaging a bit more, just as he was about to put it back in the wardrobe, he found a blank red invitation.
“Esteemed Invitation… Presented to… On the twenty-fifth day of the eighth month of the forty-fourth year of Xinghua, Celebrating the Eldest Grandson Chen Pingrui’s 100-day celebration. Humble Abode with Simple Fare awaits your esteemed presence. We sincerely hope you will not decline.”
The signature was his grandfather’s name, Chen Jing Tang.
Ping’an could barely read the traditional characters. When he saw the three words “Chen Pingrui,” his little heart gave a thump.
Wasn’t he his grandfather’s eldest grandson? Who was this Chen Pingrui, who had also appeared in The Record of the Treacherous Minister?
He pointed at the character “瑞” (Rui) and asked Chen Yan, “What character is this?””
Because he had taught Ping’an to recognize his own name early on, Chen Yan wasn’t surprised by the question. “Chen Pingrui. That was your name before.”
Ping’an’s heart gave another thump. It was a good thing he had a healthy heart in this life, or those two shocks would have knocked the wind out of him.
He forced a half-smile. “Father must be joking.”
Chen Yan looked up, his expression serious. “Father is not joking. Your grandfather had your name changed.”
Ping’an’s smile vanished completely.
He asked, not ready to give up, “What year did Father and Mother get married?”
“The forty-third year of Xinghua.”
“What year was Ping’an born?”
“The following year, the first year of Chengqi.”
“That’s not right.” Ping’an pointed at the invitation. “The forty-fourth year.”
Chen Yan paused for a moment, then explained, “When the late emperor was on the throne, he once changed the reign title due to a solar eclipse, changing the forty-fourth year to the first year of Chengqi. But many common folk were still accustomed to using the Xinghua calendar.”
For example, the often-forgetful Chen Laoye.
Ping’an was speechless.
Can they really play like that?
A moment later, he dropped the wooden box, grabbed only the invitation, and ran out. One person’s account wasn’t enough; he had to ask the person involved!
The servant boy A Xiang came in through the curtain carrying a stack of books and was nearly knocked over by Ping’an. Watching his retreating back, he asked, puzzled, “What’s wrong with An Ge’er?”
Chen Yan was also completely bewildered. “I don’t know. Go and see, don’t let him run out into the street.”
…
Ping’an didn’t go out to the street. He passed through the second gate and arrived at the main courtyard where his grandparents lived. As expected, Chen Laoye was in the courtyard. Wearing only a mesh cap and with his wide sleeves tied back with Sleeve Loops, he was repairing a Warring States period Phoenix-Stand Drum.
Aside from little Ping’an, Chen Laoye was the most idle person in the family.
He had a naturally soft temperament—indecisive, gentle, and tolerant, lacking a firm opinion of his own. His son was busy with his studies, his daughter-in-law was raising a child, and the complex affairs of the inner residence, the shops and properties, festival gift exchanges, tributes to officials, and ancestral worship… everything, inside and out, was managed by Ping’an’s grandmother, Zhao Shi.
Therefore, in little Ping’an’s eyes, his grandfather was a complete freeloader. If he had to be given a title, it would be Collector and Gourmet Connoisseur.
Antiques, calligraphy and paintings, bronzes and jades, the four treasures of the study, foreign goods from overseas… he collected whatever was valuable. Not only did he collect, but he was also skilled in seamless restoration and repair. He would often lock himself in his small storeroom, the key always kept on his person.
As for food, it went without saying. Chen Laoye was a renowned epicure in the circle of wealthy squires. His grandmother often said that even if you gave him a radish, he could make a feast out of it.
He was a good old man, but as the “leader” of the Southern Chen Family, he was clearly not up to the task. Otherwise, he wouldn’t have allowed his clansmen to run amok and harm the common people under Chen Yan’s banner in the near future.
When Ping’an suddenly brought up the matter, Chen Laoye was a little embarrassed. “Why are you suddenly asking about this?”
Ping’an clung to him like twisted candy. “Just tell me, please! This is very important to me!”
Chen Laoye was amused by his persistent little manner and recalled the events of three years ago. “Chen Pingrui was the name your grandmother chose for you. But you used to cry all night as a baby, it was so pitiful. So I went to a fortune-teller’s stall to have your name analyzed. It was this character ‘Rui’. The fortune-teller took one look and shook his head gravely.”As he spoke, he wrote the character ‘Rui’ on the ground with a wooden stick.”
“You see, the ‘king’ is at the front, and ‘mountain’ is on top.” It means shouldering heavy burdens for the king. A strong person will soar to great heights, but a weak person will be crushed by the weight, prone to headaches, dizziness, and sleeplessness,” Chen Laoye said. “I hadn’t even said what the problem was, and he had already guessed it! I was so thrilled, I immediately paid him two taels of silver for the divination.”
Ping’an was speechless.
*In a neighborhood where everyone lives so close, who didn’t know that the Chen family had a baby who cried a lot? The fortune-teller must have guessed Grandfather’s predicament and said that on purpose.His grandfather then told him that the character “Rui” meant an auspicious omen, but his grandmother valued it more for its implication of an official seal, hoping her grandson would enter officialdom and hold power when he grew up.
Having a connection in the imperial court had always been a pressing need for merchant families. But since the fortune-teller had spoken, it was better to be safe than sorry. Upon returning home, Chen Laoye quickly called a family meeting, and they unanimously decided to change Chen Pingrui’s name to Chen Ping’an.
Whether he became an official or not could wait; the priority was for him to grow up safely.
Whether it was a coincidence or the name change actually worked, that night, little Chen Ping’an slept much more soundly. Being a man of great wealth, Chen Laoye pocketed five taels of silver and went out to thank the fortune-teller for his guidance.
Who would have thought that as soon as the money was handed over, the child started crying at night again. He had probably just been tired from crying and taken a one-day break; it had nothing to do with the name change.
Chen Laoye continued, “Seven taels of silver spent, and no results. I went to find him on the street again. He asked for the names of the other people in the family. After asking about everyone, he finally found the root of the problem. It was your father’s Courtesy Name, ‘Zi Wan,’ that was the issue!”
Hearing the words “Zi Wan,” Ping’an’s heart gave another thump. “What was the problem?Chen Laoye said with a knowing air, “‘Zi Wan’ sounds like ‘son late’.” It’s inauspicious.”
Ping’an: ??
“So, I gave him another five taels of silver. That very night, I prepared lavish gifts and went to your father’s academic mentor, asking him to choose another Courtesy Name for your father. He chose ‘Yan Zhang,’ which has no connection whatsoever.”
Ping’an sighed with emotion. So it was all because he cried at night.
“Changing my father’s Courtesy Name for my sake, isn’t that inappropriate?”
“What’s inappropriate about it? In a family, people come first, and money comes second. Money is for supporting people, after all. Everything else is superficial.”
Ping’an was a little touched.
“What happened later?”
“Later… when I went to look for him again, the fortune-teller’s stall was gone.”
Ping’an: “…”
It was inevitable to be swindled once in a lifetime, but to be swindled twice at the same stall was just too exasperating. His mother had recently been teaching him the concept of money; twelve taels of silver was enough for an ordinary family’s expenses for a whole year.
“Sigh.” The little dumpling sighed. It was over, all over. He was in big trouble.
Chen Laoye stroked his beard and chuckled. “Silly child, it was only twelve taels of fine silver. Haven’t you grown up safely now? It might just be because of the name change.”
Ping’an looked at his grandfather with a touch of pity. It was a good thing that fortune-teller ran fast, or he would have been swindled a third time.
What he understood even less was, in the prosperous region of Jiangnan, in a family of immense wealth, why would someone give up being a rich second-generation heir to become a treacherous minister?
Compared to feeling heartbroken over the silver, he was far more worried about the entire family’s future