Chapter 177: Can a Forced Melon Ever Taste Sweet?

"This Zhang Huangyan—he really only passed the juren exam?" Watching Zhang Huangyan draw his bow without the slightest panic, steady and composed, Zhu Meichuo covered her delicate rosy lips, utterly astonished.

To be honest, in all her years, what she had heard most was the flowery rhetoric that spilled from Zhou Shixian's lips. She had truly never seen anyone wield blades, brandish spears, or compete in archery. Seeing it this time, she did feel a certain fresh spark of admiration.

Indeed, although Zhou Shixian appeared more dashing and free-spirited than this man, Zhu Meichuo knew full well in her heart that he could never have spoken those words of statecraft that Zhang Huangyan had just delivered and verified in the court hall.

Earlier, Zhu Meichuo had also made a point of asking the eunuch about the difference between a one-dan bow and a three-dan heavy bow. It was said that even many military officers who wore armor year-round could not draw them, which was why seeing Zhang Huangyan draw one filled her with such surprise.

Zhou Shixian could not even draw an ordinary bow, and in all these years she had never once seen him touch a blade or spear, let alone draw a three-dan heavy bow like this.

"To answer Your Highness's question." The ceremonial eunuch had also been stunned watching earlier, never imagining that this man could draw even a three-dan heavy bow. Only after a moment did he hurriedly say: "Juren Zhang follows the scholarly path—he is, in fact, a jinshi by examination."

"Oh."

Zhu Meichuo nodded, then took one last deep look at Zhang Huangyan, an extraordinary spark flickering in her eyes.

In the dead of night, Zhang Huangyan had long since left the palace. The Chongzhen Emperor set down his memorials, summoned the Princess Changping, and asked with heartfelt gravity:

"Meichuo, that man from today—what do you think of him?"

In the past, Zhu Meichuo would have shouted and clamored for her Imperial Son-in-law, that pale-faced pretty boy Zhou Shixian. This time, however, things were somewhat different.

Hearing the Chongzhen Emperor's question, a faint blush rose on Zhu Meichuo's face, and she said shyly, hesitating: "He's... all right, Father..."

"Hahaha." The Chongzhen Emperor laughed heartily. Seeing the Princess Changping's demeanor, he thought to himself that things were probably settled—if she could take a liking to him, then he could rest easy.

If he could marry the Princess Changping off to Zhang Huangyan, for the Chongzhen Emperor it would be a win-win situation.

In this way, he would both thoroughly secure the loyalty of a devoted minister and give the historical Princess Changping a good ending. And if she could bear him an imperial grandson, that would be better still.

"Fang Zhenghua, go personally to the Zhou household tomorrow."

"Also, convey my oral decree: have Gong Yonggu set aside the affairs of the Capital Camps for now and go personally to Yin County to bring Zhang Huangyan's elderly mother and other close relatives to the capital."

People of this era still harbored lingering fears about the Great Ming rule that an Imperial Son-in-law could not hold substantive office, but in the Chongzhen Emperor's eyes, none of this was a problem at all.

The reason he had Gong Yonggu go was precisely because the Chongzhen Emperor had considered this issue—thinking that since Gong Yonggu was also an Imperial Son-in-law and had now taken up the substantive post of camp officer in the Capital Camps, sending him would spare Zhang's mother any possible worry.

"Send word to Wang Cheng'en to make arrangements and free up several residences. The one to be used for building the Princess's manor must be large, must be imposing. As for the rest, let him handle it as he sees fit!" With a great stone lifted from his heart, the Chongzhen Emperor waved his hand magnanimously.

As the chief of the Directorate of the Imperial Horses, Fang Zhenghua was ordinarily responsible for palace security. After Wang Cheng'en became endlessly busy with Eastern Depot affairs, he had virtually become the successor as chief steward of the inner court, long bound to the imperial family—the Chongzhen Emperor's joys and sorrows naturally became his own.

Over so many years, the various grand ceremonies and wedding celebrations of the imperial family had been shelved due to warfare and national turmoil, and it had been a long while since any happy occasion had been held.

Thinking that this time they could also wash away the gloom and add some fresh good fortune to the Great Ming in the coming year, Fang Zhenghua quickly smiled and accepted the task, then went out cheerfully to make preparations.

Early the next morning, Zhang Huangyan was at home rising with the crow of the rooster, waving a long sword in practiced imitation. It was just then that a polite knock came at his door.

"May I ask, is this His Honor Zhang's residence?"

The voice sounded somewhat familiar. Zhang Huangyan put away his long sword and hurried to open the door. When he opened it, he found the visitors were actually several members of the Embroidered Uniform Guard, and the one leading them was that same arrogant Centurion from yesterday.

At this moment, this Centurion seemed to have swallowed some regret medicine—he had become utterly deferential, and said with a beaming smile:

"Oh! His Honor Zhang actually opened the door for little me in person—this is the honor of a lifetime! Um... His Honor Zhang, may your fortune be as vast as the Eastern Sea, may your longevity rival the Southern Mountain, congratulations on your good fortune, Your Honor!"

"Stop calling me 'Your Honor' this and 'Your Honor' that." Zhang Huangyan frowned in irritation, thinking to himself that this fellow must have gone mad. Seeing that the Centurion clearly had something up his sleeve, he asked with annoyance: "Has His Majesty summoned me to the palace again?"

"No, no, no!" This time the Centurion did not even dare step through the door, and said with a fawning smile: "It's the Eastern Depot's Director Fang who is coming. Congratulations, Your Honor, felicitations, Your Honor—you are to become His Majesty's Imperial Son-in-law!"

"This visit from little me has two purposes: first, to apologize for yesterday's affair, and to beg Your Honor to be magnanimous and spare little me's life; second, I am here on the errand of our Director Li, to scout ahead for Director Fang."

"What on earth is all this?" The more Zhang Huangyan heard, the more confused he became. Imperial Son-in-law? What did an Imperial Son-in-law have to do with him? He had not even laid eyes on the Princess—what if she were some ugly dragon? The very thought was terrifying.

Just as Zhang Huangyan stood there utterly bewildered, footsteps suddenly sounded from outside the door, approaching from afar. It was Fang Zhenghua, dressed in the palace eunuch's attire, who stepped through the door first.

Fang Zhenghua wore plain clothes, but the line of young eunuchs behind him were all beating gongs and drums, dressed in brilliant red like brocade. In addition, some runners dispatched from Shuntian Prefecture carried several large wooden chests, panting and exhausted.

"Congratulations, Imperial Son-in-law! You have been favored by His Majesty's Princess—you are now the Imperial Son-in-law Commandant of the current dynasty!" Fang Zhenghua clasped his hands together and stepped forward with a shrill laugh.

"Director Fang, this... what exactly is going on here, what Imperial Son-in-law Commandant?" Hearing these words and seeing this scene, although some idea had already formed in Zhang Huangyan's mind, he clearly had not yet fully processed it.

"The Imperial Son-in-law doesn't know yet? Come, come, put those things down quickly." Fang Zhenghua laughed a few times and waved backward as a signal, then said: "Yesterday, when the Imperial Son-in-law was verifying documents with His Majesty in the warm chamber and shooting arrows at the pavilion, the Princess was watching clearly from the side hall—she took a liking to you at once."

"His Majesty praised the Imperial Son-in-law highly, saying you are a rare talent of both letters and arms in this age, and the Princess also deeply commended your ability to remain unflustered in the face of crisis. This old servant congratulates you, Imperial Son-in-law."

As Fang Zhenghua finished speaking, Zhang Huangyan finally understood. He hurriedly hesitated and said: "This... this humble one already has a sweetheart back in my hometown... having Her Highness the Princess serve as a secondary wife would hardly be proper, so I think perhaps..."

"That's no problem at all!" The moment Zhang Huangyan opened his mouth, Fang Zhenghua already knew what he was going to say. He waved his hand and turned away, saying with deliberate casualness: "Her Highness the Princess cannot possibly be a secondary wife. As for the Imperial Son-in-law's old sweetheart, this old servant will simply pretend he never heard—I won't mention it to His Majesty or the Princess."

With that, Fang Zhenghua's tone grew heavier as he continued:

"His Honor Gong has already left the capital overnight to go to Yin County to fetch the Imperial Son-in-law's family. Tomorrow this old servant will send word to His Honor Gong to give your old sweetheart some silver and such—and that will be the end of the matter."

"What do you say, Imperial Son-in-law?"

Looking at Fang Zhenghua's beaming smile, Zhang Huangyan laughed bitterly inwardly, thinking that it seemed he had to become this Imperial Son-in-law whether he wanted to or not. He said with a wry smile:

"The Director handles matters with propriety. This humble one has no objections."