Chapter 291: Zheng Zhifeng

In the rear quarters of a luxurious five-courtyard mansion in the western part of the capital, Zheng Zhifeng, who had just come off duty, was having his bright red official robe removed by his concubine Yulian. He took off his black gauze cap and handed it casually to a maidservant, then asked with a smile: "Where's Huange'er? Is he playing in the garden again? Let your lord go find him and play with him for a while!"

"Huange'er has been playing all afternoon, and he's tired now. After I bathed him, I had his wet nurse take him off to sleep. My lord really ought to discipline him properly—it's all because you spoil him. He's only just turned three, but he runs around the compound everywhere like he has winged feet, and it takes several servants just to keep an eye on him. With such a mischievous nature, how will he ever study and become an official in the future!"

Yulian, who was pregnant, complained softly.

Not long after Wang Cheng'en had pointed things out to him, Zheng Zhifeng made a great show of bringing Yulian, who had been living in Tianshuijing Hutong, into his household as his concubine. At Wang Cheng'en's instruction, Wang Shiqin came to offer congratulations under the pretext of celebrating the occasion, and on the spot accepted Huange'er as his adopted son.

"Haha, Huange'er takes after me—your lord was just the same when he was young, and now haven't I become a high official of the court? You're with child now, so don't trouble yourself over such trifles. When Huange'er is a bit older, your lord will hire a private tutor to teach him properly! You just focus on nurturing your health and giving our Zheng family more children—that's the real business!"

As he spoke, Zheng Zhifeng fondly pinched Yulian's plump cheeks, his eyes full of delight.

"This concubine will obey my lord in everything—whatever my lord wishes is fine. This concubine only hopes that my lord will dote on her for a lifetime; nothing else in the world weighs on her heart!"

The sweet and lovely Yulian cupped both hands around Zheng Zhifeng's large hand resting on her face, tilted her head up, and spoke in a soft, gentle voice.

"Rest assured—your lord is not an ungrateful man. As long as I'm here, you and Huange'er are the apples of my eye, and I'll never let you suffer a single hardship!"

Though Zheng Zhifeng came from a pirate background, he had loved reading since childhood and was not the cold-blooded sort. He treated this concubine of common birth with great care and affection in daily life.

"This concubine knows well my lord's kindness. This concubine doesn't know how much incense she burned in a past life to meet my lord in this one. My lord is this concubine's heaven, and she only hopes that in the next life she can meet my lord again and serve him!"

After defying others' ridicule and openly bringing Yulian into his household as his concubine, Zheng Zhifeng sent men to fetch Yulian's family from Baoding Prefecture. He purchased a two-courtyard residence in the eastern part of the city to house them, and leased a shop front nearby. He then gave them three hundred taels of silver as starting capital, letting Yulian's father and elder brother go into the cotton cloth business. Since Yulian's family had never done business before, they lost a good deal in the first six months, but after slowly feeling their way and learning the ropes, the business finally got on track.

The family calculated that over the course of the year they could net a profit of over twenty taels of silver, and once they understood more of the ways of business by next year, earning forty to fifty taels a year net would be no problem at all. Compared to their former poverty-stricken state, their days now had changed beyond recognition. The family was endlessly grateful to Zheng Zhifeng, and at the same time repeatedly urged Yulian never to show the slightest disobedience toward her lord in the household, and once the principal wife moved up from Fujian, she was to serve her with all her heart—even if she were beaten or scolded, she must not show the least resentment.

Wang Shiqin had not wanted to involve himself with Zheng Zhifeng at heart, but he dared not defy Wang Cheng'en's instructions, so he could only hold his nose and accept this adopted son. But ever since he heard of Zheng Zhifeng's righteous treatment of his concubine's family, Wang Shiqin's attitude underwent a tremendous change. Combined with his genuine fondness for the lively and adorable Huange'er, whenever official business was not pressing, he would occasionally come to the Zheng residence to share a few cups of wine with Zheng Zhifeng. He was not afraid of Zhu Youjian learning of this—Wang Cheng'en had clearly told him that this matter had His Majesty's approval.

After the two had spent much time together, and with the Eastern Depot's spies having conducted a thorough investigation of Zheng Zhifeng, Wang Shiqin became inwardly certain that apart from his background being looked down upon by officialdom, Zheng Zhifeng was a chivalrous and generous man of genuinely good character, with meticulous thinking—someone worth befriending.

"Alright, alright—your lord needs to go bathe and change. Have the servants prepare the meal; your lord's stomach is a bit hungry. Brother Huange'er's adoptive father shouldn't be coming today, so your lord will just dine alone!"

Zheng Zhifeng's current post was Left Vice Director of the Court of State Ceremonial, rank 4B, wearing the red robe—he had truly stepped into the ranks of high Ming officials.

After agreeing to find him a civil post, Wang Cheng'en had vaguely brought the matter up in casual conversation with Zhu Youjian. After Zhu Youjian had men look into Zheng Zhifeng's conduct and character, he had Minister Zhou Yun of the Ministry of Personnel arrange for Zheng Zhifeng to serve as Left Vice Director in the Court of State Ceremonial, while the previous Left Vice Director Li Huawen, who had delighted in submitting memorials, was reassigned to the post of Supervising Secretary for the Ministry of Works.

Zhu Youjian made this arrangement half out of regard for Wang Cheng'en's face, and half after deep deliberation before reaching this decision.

When Zheng Zhifeng finished his bath and emerged from the bathhouse refreshed and invigorated, the steward Zheng Wu, who had been waiting outside the door, reported in a low voice: "My lord, Master Wang has arrived at the residence, and he's brought a little toy for Huange'er. He's currently in the reception hall sipping tea!"

"Why didn't you inform me earlier! How can you keep a man of Brother's stature waiting! Zheng Wu, if there's a next time, you can go back to Fujian!"

Zheng Zhifeng hurried toward the reception hall while warning Zheng Wu.

"It was Master Wang himself who knew my lord was bathing and specifically instructed that I not inform you—it's not that I deliberately neglected my duty!"

Zheng Wu muttered quietly behind him.

"Virtuous Brother, why didn't you send word ahead? Your elder brother could have made proper preparations! It's been quite some days since we last met—how is it you found leisure to come today?"

Entering the reception hall, Zheng Zhifeng clasped his fists with a smile toward Wang Shiqin, who sat in the guest's seat.

Wang Shiqin rose with a smile and returned the greeting: "I've had some mundane affairs to attend to of late. Today I finally had some free time, so I thought I'd come see Huange'er, and chat with Brother Zheng to pass the time!"

"Excellent, excellent! Your elder brother has long hoped you'd grace my door! Ever since I put on this red robe, those old roving bravos of the marketplace no longer dare come calling! Hahaha! Truly, a cat keeps the mice away! As a result, aside from occasionally inviting officials of my own office to feast here, I have little contact with others now. Your elder brother is by nature fond of company—if a day passes without entertaining guests in this house, I feel as though something is missing in my heart!"

Before Zheng Zhifeng had transferred from military to civil office, he had not yet shed his pirate habits, often carousing and making merry with the bravos of the capital's streets. But ever since they learned he had become a civil official of rank 4B, those men no longer dared come calling casually.

Left with no choice, the gregarious Zheng Zhifeng could only frequently invite mid- and low-ranking officials of the Court of State Ceremonial to his residence for hearty drinking.

Because he was generous by nature and wealthy besides, he would always give his guests silver pastries as gifts after every banquet, and the officials of the Court of State Ceremonial, high and low alike, were all willing to associate with him, gradually forgetting Zheng Zhifeng's pirate origins. Through Zheng Zhifeng's deliberate cultivation of relationships, the entire office of the Court of State Ceremonial, from top to bottom, held him in high regard. His prestige within the Court was now even greater than that of the Chief Director Fu Congbin.

"My lord, the banquet is prepared. May I ask whether my lord wishes to move there now?"

Zheng Wu, standing outside the reception hall door, reported cautiously.

"Let's go, let's go! Virtuous Brother, today you and I shall drink our fill! Your elder brother thanks you for the toy you brought Huange'er! And thanks you for not treating your elder brother as a pirate!"