Chapter 52: Rebellious Son, Are You Determined to Tear This House Down!

Winter days are short; by the time Zhang Yunxiu returned home, a black curtain had already draped over the horizon.

Snowflakes the size of rice grains began to drift in the sky, landing on the ground with a pattering sound.

Upon entering the room, Zhang Fu, familiar with the routine, removed Zhang Yunxiu's outer garments and brought over a brazier for him to warm himself.

Zhang Yunxiu sat on a stool and placed his hands, frozen red, over the brazier.

Wisps of heat rose up, and the ice and snow on Zhang Yunxiu's face melted; the warmth made his bones feel supple, and his complexion flushed red.

Zhang Fu, off to the side, kept pacing back and forth, bustling about to serve tea and water for Zhang Yunxiu, appearing extremely attentive.

"What are you busy with here?" Zhang Yunxiu muttered with dissatisfaction.

Zhang Fu gave a silly laugh, his old face reddening, and replied with a hint of shyness: "Young Master, this servant—this servant is going to take a concubine next month. If you have time, you could come and have a cup of wedding wine."

"Ah?" Zhang Yunxiu was startled and hurriedly asked, "Whose daughter is she, and how old is she?"

"She is eighteen this year, the daughter of a scholar, and she is quite pretty," Zhang Fu said, the wrinkles at the corners of his eyes unfolding involuntarily.

"You are already over forty, and you are still marrying an eighteen-year-old..."

Zhang Yunxiu muttered in a low voice. Zhang Fu felt anxious and hurriedly explained, "That woman has hips as big as a millstone; the fortune teller said that as long as I marry her, I am guaranteed to have a son."

He was already over forty years old this year, and his wife had only given birth to two daughters.

It really wasn't that he was greedy for beauty, but that this young woman could bear children, which was why he had been moved to consider it.

"Fine, suit yourself," Zhang Yunxiu waved his hand, not caring at all.

The heavy stone in Zhang Fu's heart fell to the ground, and he let out a long sigh of relief, then suggested with a smile: "Young Master, a distinguished guest sent over some good things today; would you like to ask the kitchen for some?"

"What things?"

"A fur seal's kidneys; it is said they can nourish the yin and replenish the kidneys..."

Before Zhang Fu could finish speaking, Zhang Yunxiu stood up abruptly and bolted out the door.

"Is there a need to be so hurried? Young people really do have a fiery temper," Zhang Fu muttered, and he also walked out.

On the other side.

Inside the Zhang Family study, incense mist curled and palace lanterns shone brightly; two figures sat in the positions of host and guest.

Sitting in the seat of honor was the Grand Secretary of the Great Ming, Zhang Juzheng, and sitting to his left was a lean man.

The man appeared to be in his early fifties, with a darker complexion, an upright posture, powerful arms, a face like it had been carved by a knife, nostrils like a tiger, two mustaches like a dragon or tiger, and a pair of sharp, piercing eyes.

He wore a black robe made of gold-threaded fabric, and just sitting there, he possessed an air of heroism.

It was the Commander of Jizhen, Qi Jiguang.

"Grand Secretary, your complexion looks much better than when I saw you last year." Glancing at Zhang Juzheng's face, Qi Jiguang smiled and spoke first.

"It is indeed a bit better than before," Zhang Juzheng smiled and nodded slightly.

Qi Jiguang moved forward and continued: "Grand Secretary, you must take care of your health. You are the Heaven-Propping White Jade Pillar and the Sea-Spanning Purple Gold Beam of the Great Ming. If your health is not good, who will clean up this mess of the Great Ming?"

"I see that you, Great Marshal Qi, are eager for me to be the second Peng Zu, never stepping down from this position of Grand Secretary," Zhang Juzheng blinked his eyes and teased with a smile.

Qi Jiguang laughed along: "Without the Grand Secretary, how could I have had the freedom to act boldly in Jizhou today?"

Zhang Juzheng did not commit to an answer and took up the thread: "In the years you have been in Jizhou, the Tatar people have not dared to raid the borders, and the tea-horse trade in the North has been able to reopen; you, Great Marshal Qi, deserve much of the credit." "This is all due to the Grand Secretary's diligent governance and reorganization of the border defenses; I, Qi, dare not take all the credit."

"I sit in the capital; how could I have any merit?" Zhang Juzheng waved his hand with a smile and added, "You and Li Chengliang, one in Liaodong and one in Jizhou—the entire northern border of the Great Ming is completely peaceful; this is all the merit of you two."

Qi Jiguang wanted to say more, but Zhang Juzheng interrupted him, stood up, and continued: "You don't need to be polite with me. Such merit is all your own; I merely used the right person."

"That is also the Grand Secretary's discernment in knowing people," Qi Jiguang replied.

Zhang Juzheng smiled and waved his hand, indicating he did not wish to dwell on this issue.

Qi Jiguang understood, cupped his hands, and said seriously: "Grand Secretary, has the Ministry of Revenue set the regulations for the fortresses I proposed to build?"

"They have been set," Zhang Juzheng nodded.

"That is excellent. I am certain that once these one thousand fortresses are erected, from Shanhaiguan to Jizhou, the Tatar people will have no more opportunities to exploit," Qi Jiguang said, beaming with joy.

"However, the Ministry of Revenue can only provide half the silver for now."

"Why?"

"A fortress every mile is truly a bit wasteful now. What I am thinking is to build one every two miles. Once the Taicang Silver is more abundant, I will personally make up the funds for you."

Upon hearing this, Qi Jiguang let out a long sigh of relief and replied: "The Grand Secretary has great foresight; I admire you. Building a fortress every two miles and filling in the rest when funds are more abundant in the future is exactly the right time."

After the two finished speaking, they began to chat about domestic matters.

At this moment, Qi Jiguang suddenly slapped his forehead and cried: "Oh, look at my memory; I almost forgot the gift for you, Grand Secretary. I really have been muddled with work."

"What gift?" Zhang Juzheng asked, puzzled.

"A pair of Tatar beauties. I spent a great price to buy them from the Tatar people. Their appearance and figures have a different flavor compared to the women of our Great Ming," Qi Jiguang answered with a smile.

Zhang Juzheng felt moved, but as soon as he remembered the doctor's instructions, he smiled bitterly and shook his head: "No need. My health has not fully recovered; if I lose yang energy, it will be detrimental to my body."

"Ah, the Grand Secretary does not know: women do not just absorb our yang energy; we can also harvest their yin to replenish our yang," Qi Jiguang insisted.

"Really?"

Zhang Juzheng asked curiously. Qi Jiguang nodded, patted his chest, and said: "Look at my body now; it is no worse than it was ten years ago. The ancients said, 'Eating and sex are human nature.' Among wine, sex, wealth, and temper, 'sex' is ranked second, which shows the wisdom of the ancients."

"Hahaha, you, Great Marshal Qi, are quite the romantic," Zhang Juzheng chuckled and added, "Forget it, forget it. Since you have brought them, let them stay in the residence for now, so you don't have to take them back, Great Marshal Qi."

"The Grand Secretary is wise."

The two exchanged a few compliments, and Qi Jiguang was just about to take Zhang Juzheng to see the two beauties.

Suddenly, someone burst in with a crash and shouted: "Master, it's bad! The Fifth Young Master doesn't know what kind of madness has seized him; he is chasing and beating the two women brought by Great Marshal Qi."

Zhang Juzheng looked and saw it was You Qi.

After a few seconds of silence, Zhang Juzheng's face turned red and then white, and finally, he gritted his teeth and barked: "What a rebellious son! It seems this madness is indeed quite severe. You Qi, go call Wang Dafu."

"Ah, yes." You Qi acknowledged the order and sat down.

Qi Jiguang explained: "Grand Secretary, there is no need to be angry. Perhaps these two Tatar women offended the young master of the residence; let us go and see."

"Let's go!"

(End of this chapter)