Chapter 36: Gu Dalang

Xu Zaijing knew that this uncle-by-marriage was truly learned and had passed the imperial examination.

Sheng Hong slowly stopped grinding ink.

He pulled a brush from the brush holder, selected four sheets of paper on the desk, then moved his wrist as the brush glided across the paper.

Sheng Hong finished one sheet in one breath; Xu Zaijing saw it bore the four characters: “Geng Yun Zhong Yue.”

Xu Zaijing helped Sheng Hong pull the written sheet away.

Sheng Hong moistened the brush in the inkstone and continued writing with swift, dragon-like strokes.

“Bing Hu Qiu Yue.”

“Fa Gui Zhen Tian.”

“Yin Zhi Ce Xun.”

The three other pieces were also completed in one stroke.

Xu Zaijing’s face showed envy; apart from Sheng Hong’s abysmal character, these few pieces of calligraphy were truly beautiful.

His two older brothers, already enrolled in school, stared with wide eyes.

When they looked at Sheng Hong, their gazes were filled with admiration.

When Sheng Hong finished writing, Xu Zaijing hurriedly summoned a clean towel for hand-washing.

“Hong ge’er, thank you for your effort. Xiao Zhu, hurry to the city and find the best mounting master—bring the finest materials!”

Sun Shi could see that Sheng Hong had expended considerable energy writing these pieces.

Sheng Hong smiled faintly, revealing dimples on his cheeks.

Whether true or not, Sun Shi’s words showed she truly valued his calligraphy.

And in her heart, Sun Shi thought: no wonder her own aunt had stubbornly insisted on marrying that third-place imperial scholar.

Aside from everything else, his looks and bearing—what noble maiden wouldn’t be bewitched?

Of course, this was from the perspective of appreciation.

Xu Zaijing had also seen Sheng Hong’s demeanor.

No wonder the Wang family had initially been reluctant to ally with the Sheng family.

But after Sheng’s old lady brought Sheng Hong to pay a visit, Wang’s old lady took one look and chose him immediately.

Handsome, excellent calligraphy, an imperial graduate, and his family was wealthy too.

But Xu Zaijing, who knew Sheng Hong’s true nature, understood he was at best a competent official and a fool.

He was unfit as a son, a father, or a lord.

Had it not been for the old lady holding the household together,

Either the children would have been ruined by Lin Qin’s misdeeds,

Or Sheng Hong would have been exiled after a great scandal, and Lin Qin would have fled with the valuables,

Or she would have trampled on him to climb higher, becoming a respected noble’s mother-in-law.

At his age and rank, Xu Zaijing naturally could not say much.

Sun Shi said:

“Hong ge’er, how did your trip back to the capital go?”

“Thank you, sister-in-law. Thanks to the favor of the Ministry of Personnel’s officials, my evaluation went reasonably well. I’ll soon be transferred to Yangzhou—no promotion, still just a junior assistant prefect.”

“Yangzhou?” Sun Shi’s face showed surprise.

Sheng Hong thought she was surprised he wasn’t returning to the capital and opened his mouth to explain.

Sun Shi said: “Lady Bai of the Ningyuan Marquis’s household is also from Yangzhou.”

Sheng Hong: “Oh? What do you mean, sister-in-law?”

“I took to Lady Bai instantly—we’ve invited our children to visit her on her boat these past few days.”

Sheng Hong froze, still smiling on the surface, but his heart churned.

The reason? His brother-in-law, Commissioner Kang, had told him over wine that upon reaching Yangzhou, he must cultivate ties with the major salt merchants—

Especially the Bai family.

They already had considerable influence; now they were in-laws to the Ningyuan Marquis’s household.

Sheng Hong had been pondering how to break the deadlock, and today he’d unexpectedly formed this connection with the Bai family.

“Hong ge’er, since you’re soon taking office in Yangzhou, my sister-in-law Bai told me her father is currently in Bianjing—perhaps you should pay him a visit.”

Sheng Hong immediately rose and bowed deeply: “Thank you, sister-in-law. I was truly at a loss for guidance.”

The situation wasn’t as dire as Sheng Hong implied; as the future second-in-command of Yangzhou, once he arrived, people would naturally court him.

The major salt merchants wouldn’t hold themselves aloof.

More friends meant more paths—they didn’t want another wall in their way.

Sheng Hong’s words made Sun Shi’s advice seem immensely helpful, giving her face and proving she’d truly aided him.

“Hong ge’er, why so formal? We’re family.”

“Sister-in-law is right—we’re family.”

With that, the matters of the previous generation were effectively laid to rest.

From now on, the Xu and Sheng families could gradually build ties; later, they could say the Sheng family’s old lady was kin to the Xus.

The Xu family were noble warriors, of military origin.

Though the Great Zhou didn’t explicitly favor civil over military, without large-scale wars, military families had few paths to promotion.

Having support from a civil official was never a bad thing.

So Sun Shi was willing to offer connections from her own social circle.

Conversely, the Bai family gaining a future assistant prefect of Yangzhou as a friend was equally beneficial.

Sheng Hong, who had originally intended to return quickly to Jiyin Alley, now stayed patiently,

and went with Sun Shi, Xu Zaijing, and the other Xus to the horse racing grounds.

As a junior son, Sheng Hong had been old enough to understand when the old lady had ceased returning to the Xu household, so he’d never been here before.

Now, Sheng Hong couldn’t help marveling at the sheer size of his stepmother’s natal home.

“Only a compound this large could have nurtured Mother’s skill in horseball.”

The servant Qingyun entered the stable and led out the black stallion.

Sheng Hong had seen fine horses before; the Sheng household had many.

But this horse was uniquely magnificent.

“A fine horse! A fine horse indeed! Jing ge’er, you’ve great taste.”

“Thank you, uncle-by-marriage.”

Returning to the main hall, Sun Shi cautiously inquired about the Sheng family’s daughters; mindful of her mother-in-law’s past, she avoided any mention of marriage.

Moreover, through conversation, she learned the eldest Sheng daughter was still young—Sheng Hong was merely keeping an eye on suitable children.

Sun Shi saw Sheng Hong off at the Hou Fu gate, watching his carriage vanish around the corner of Quyuanjie before turning back inside.

On her way back to her courtyard, Sun Shi inquired about the mounting master, preparing to have Sheng Hong’s four pieces mounted as soon as possible.

They’d look beautiful hung anywhere.

“Lady, just now the marquis’s personal guard returned to report that the master will be home in a few days,” said the maid Xiao Dan.

Xu Minghua, since securing the real command of the Western Army, had returned home far less often after taking the Xu family’s youths to his post.

His last visit had been when Xu Zaijing received the bow as a gift.

Hearing Xiao Dan’s words, Sun Shi’s face instantly lit up with a smile.

“Good. Did he say when he’ll arrive? How many are with him?”

“The guard said it’ll be within the next day or two. About fifteen or so—seven are youths from our ancestral Dai Prefecture, the rest are the master’s selected personal guards. That returning guard was raised in Bianjing.”

“Go to the front courtyard and tell the steward clearly: these men will fight alongside the master on the battlefield—don’t treat them lightly.”

“Yes.”

Sun Shi returned to the inner courtyard and told her children; naturally, there was a burst of cheers.

After his excitement, Xu Zaijing returned to his own courtyard, still eagerly anticipating what surprise his father might bring.

Over the years, he’d received many fine furs and high-quality jade pieces.

At his age, he had only one servant, Qingyun; laundry, mending, and such were handled by Sun Shi’s maids and nursemaids.

Each morning he practiced archery and horsemanship; each afternoon he studied literature and calligraphy.

In this age without phones, TVs, or tablets, at home he could play toss-pot.

If he went out to brothels with his older brothers to listen to music, Xu Zaijing didn’t want his palms to suffer.

The following afternoon.

Xu Zaijing was practicing the character “Yong” when Qingyun arrived at the door.

“Master, the eldest and second sons of the Ningyuan Marquis have come to our household.”

“Ah? Where are they?”

“They’re in the eldest brother’s study.”

“Let’s go see.”

Saying this, Xu Zaijing set down his brush and stepped out.

Entering Xu Zaiend’s courtyard and the study, he saw Gu Tingyu holding a brush, writing on Xu Zaiend’s desk.

“Sheng’s calligraphy is truly excellent—we’re too young to capture its spirit.”

Gu Tingyu put down the brush and shook his head.

Gu Tingye nodded in vague agreement, seeing his elder brother say so.

“Jing ge’er!” Gu Tingye brightened at the sight of Xu Zaijing.

“Greetings, Elder Brother Yu, Brother Ye.”

Gu Tingyu, behind the desk, also laid down his brush and bowed in return.

Gu Tingyu was still young and could not hide his emotions.

Though writing characters, his brow was furrowed.

(End of chapter)