Chapter 595: A Matter of Marriage

In the earth-shaking catastrophe to come, could this wish still be fulfilled? Perhaps in this dynasty's twilight years, it might be fulfilled even better?

No matter what, what was coming had already come. So from here on, there was no need for wild thoughts, no need for cautious probing — just plant your feet and push forward step by step.

Once the decision was made to head for Qingjiangpu, every part of the Zhao Camp sprang into motion. This time Dong Bingfeng would stay behind to hold the fort. The cavalry and six personal guard squads, along with thirty men from the inner guard, would accompany them — roughly three hundred riders in all. Three hundred cavalry counted as a formidable force in the Xuzhou, Huai'an Prefecture, and Yangzhou Prefecture region. Even if they couldn't win a fight, they were fully confident of punching through and riding out.

These three hundred riders only needed to carry a single day's provisions, because the inns and estates along the way could fully supply food for men and fodder for horses. This was also thanks to the prosperity along the Grand Canal. Zhao Jin's name already rang with awe and prestige along the Xuzhou–Huai'an Prefecture line, and plenty of people were willing to invite them to eat and stay for free — not that the Zhao Camp ever took advantage; they always paid in gleaming silver cash.

Before setting out, Zhao Jin made a point of visiting Xu Zhenzhen. Normally, husband and wife could have seen each other the day after the birth, but everyone said the blood-reeking, killing aura on Zhao Jin was too heavy, and a woman after childbirth was weak and easily frightened or afflicted by it. As a result, only on the third day were the two allowed to meet — separated by a screen. Later, Zhao Jin impatiently removed the screen himself. The others could only grumble behind his back; to his face, no one dared say a word.

Compared to the cheerful Zhao Jin, and to Zhao Zhentang and He Cuihua who hid their true feelings, Xu Zhenzhen was somewhat downcast. She too cared deeply whether her first child was a boy or a girl, and with both the Zhao and Xu families possessing such vast estates, the importance of a son went without saying.

"It's good for my husband to go out and ease his mind..."

"Don't talk such pointless nonsense. I'm going to handle proper business. Once that big market is up and running, if nothing else, your family's ironware will be able to sell all the way to Jiangnan." Zhao Jin cut Xu Zhenzhen off impatiently. Women were too sensitive, their worries far too heavy.

At his words, a smile instead appeared on Xu Zhenzhen's face. Zhao Jin understood at once. He glanced at the tiny figure still in swaddling clothes, then turned his head and said, "Don't let your mind run wild at home. I'll make it plain to you: first, the two of us can have more children. Second, even if you had borne a son, I would still be going to Qingjiangpu this time. The two of us can't stay cooped up in this little Xuzhou forever."

This time Xu Zhenzhen smiled with real delight. Zhao Jin smiled along with her. These weren't just soothing words — they were exactly what he thought in his heart. Of course, he spoke his mind plainly.

"My husband still hasn't named the child," Xu Zhenzhen said.

By Xuzhou custom, a child's name was to be given by the paternal grandparents. But the Zhao household was not like ordinary families. Elsewhere the child would still be in blank ignorance, yet Zhao Jin, leading a band of brothers, had already built such a grand situation. Zhao Zhentang and He Cuihua simply told Zhao Jin to decide for himself. Xu Zhenzhen had misunderstood this badly, thinking that her in-laws were disappointed she'd borne a daughter and couldn't even be bothered to give a name.

Zhao Jin coughed twice. At this moment he was rather embarrassed. He had been waiting all along for his parents to name his daughter. Whether in the past or now, he truly had no experience with this, nor any real concept of it. Sharp as he was in other matters, on this he was utterly clueless.

"... Zhao Ying... no, that name's no good... Zhao Wei... that one's already taken... Zhao Li... too vulgar..." Not getting involved was one thing, but once he started, it turned into a whole restless ordeal.

Xu Zhenzhen had actually thought "Zhao Wei" was a rather nice name, but she never expected Zhao Jin to veto it. And thinking it over carefully, her husband didn't seem to have ever mentioned this Zhao Wei — could it be some lady friend outside...

One name after another held no real meaning in itself, but in Zhao Jin's memory each came with one association or another, so naturally they had to be rejected. It never crossed his mind that he had already set Xu Zhenzhen's imagination running wild with suspicion.

"... Zhao Feng... this one's good. What do you think?" Zhao Jin had racked his brains for a full half-hour, muttering to himself until his mouth was parched, and had finally come up with a name he deemed passable.

Hearing this name, Xu Zhenzhen was speechless for a moment. She knew Zhao Jin was a military man, yet in everyday conversation she had never found him crude or unlettered. He might not quote the classics, but he clearly seemed to have read a wide range of miscellaneous books. This naming, however, made Xu Zhenzhen feel she had misjudged him.

Compared to earlier suggestions like Zhao Ying or Zhao Wei, Zhao Feng was far too vulgar. Besides, among feng and huang, feng was distinctly the male — though that detail hardly needed mentioning. In the countryside, plenty of girls were given the name "Feng," and precisely because it was used so often, it came off as somewhat coarse and clichéd.

Could it be that my husband still dislikes having a girl, and so gave her this kind of name? The thought flashed through her mind and was dismissed at once. She had seen that agonized look on his face just now. One good name after another, and he either said it was no good or that it was already taken. But after all that effort, to arrive at "Zhao Feng" — she truly didn't know what to say.

Xu Zhenzhen was about to speak when she saw Zhao Jin gazing at the swaddled daughter with a face full of adoration. That kind of joy and tenderness couldn't possibly be feigned. Seeing that expression, Xu Zhenzhen suddenly lost all desire to argue. She simply said, "Since my husband has settled on the name, then let us use it. In any case, she'll take her husband's surname in the future."

At this, Zhao Jin's face turned stern. He shook his head and said, "The Zhao family has no such rule. My daughter bears the surname Zhao, and she'll still be surnamed Zhao when she marries."

Xu Zhenzhen covered her mouth and laughed softly a few times, not arguing the point.

Following the river all the way south, they passed through Pizhou, Suqian, Taoyuan, and Qinghe, then crossed the river to reach Qingjiangpu. Along the entire journey, they never touched the supplies they carried — in fact, they even gained a few extra things.

At every stop, the local powerful families and great households scrambled over one another to play host. If Zhao Jin hadn't been hurrying on his way, the drinking and banqueting at each place would have taken days. Even so, Zhao Jin and his companions barely got any proper sleep; the stream of people seeking an audience queued up late into the night every time.

Even with bloodshot eyes, they had to receive them. The powerful families and great households of Suqian, Taoyuan, and Qinghe hadn't had much dealings with the Zhao Camp before, but contact would be unavoidable in the future. Showing their faces in advance was a good thing.

"Big Brother, in the past we gave them benefits and received them with generous grace, yet they schemed and kept their guard up. Now that we use hard tactics, they fall over each other to come curry favor. These sorts — you really can't give them an inch of face," Ji Xiang remarked on the road.

Before Zhao Jin could answer, Chen Sheng spoke up: "That's because we've grown strong enough. Times are different now!"

Fengyang Prefecture, being the seat of the Central Capital, was a world unto itself within the Southern Metropolitan Region and rarely dealt with the surrounding prefectures and counties. For most of the departments and counties in Huai'an Prefecture, they were now sandwiched between Xuzhou and the Zhao Camp — effectively encircled within the Zhao Camp's sphere of influence.

The officials were one thing, but the clerks and runners were all eagerly plotting how to let the Zhao Camp take over the grain levies so everyone could split the fat. Meanwhile, the gentry and powerful families below were tense with anxiety, waiting for news with pounding hearts, wondering how Zhao Jin would deal with them. In everyone's eyes, Zhao Jin had already seized both ends of the lower Yellow River; the stretch in the middle was bound to be swallowed up sooner or later.

With the Zhao Camp so enormous, resistance was impossible. Besides, everyone had heard the various rumors from all over — those who had lost their lives, those saddled with king-hell debts of thousands or tens of thousands of taels. These were all cautionary tales. Since they'd have to bow their heads sooner or later, they might as well secure favorable terms for themselves. But the only chance to secure those favorable terms was to curry favor when Zhao Jin passed through. That being the case, they could hardly worry about whether Zhao Jin and his party got a good night's rest or not.

After arriving at Qingjiangpu, Zhao Jin and his party rested and reorganized directly at the Cloud Mountain Carting Firm. By now, the place was practically akin to the Zhao Camp's base at the He Estate, with all facilities fully in order.

Building here had cost far more than in Xuzhou, but the progress had been just as much faster, because whether in manpower or materials, Qingjiangpu was a hundred times more abundant than Xuzhou.

That evening as they rested, the companions sat together in a circle. After chatting a bit about recent developments, Chen Sheng was the first to broach a topic, and he put it plainly: "Zhao Jin, ever since that daughter of yours was born, my family has started pressing me to get married too. They even said I need to hurry up and have a child while there's still time. I was puzzled at first, but later I understood — the family is counting on me to produce a son who can marry your daughter."

Wang Zhaojing gently waved his folded fan and smiled. Liu Yong kept silent. Ji Xiang and Shi Manqiang, however, started coughing and awkwardly admitted that their own parents were urging them the same way.

"We brothers betroth our children — your son marries my daughter, your daughter marries my son. That's a good thing, tying kinship even tighter. But there's no need to rush into it now. At our age, we've still got so many years ahead. We can talk about it when the time comes. Doing it now is far too calculating!" Chen Sheng spoke bluntly and directly.

His statement represented everyone's stance. A look of appreciation and relief crept into Wang Zhaojing's smile, while Liu Yong struggled to hide his stirred emotions.

Zhao Jin clapped Chen Sheng on the shoulder, then sank into deep thought. He remained silent for a good while before speaking: "None of us are young anymore. All of you should hurry up and get married. I can see none of you have anyone you're truly in love with, so it wouldn't be breaking up a pair of lovebirds if I made the decision for you."

"Just say the word, Big Brother. My dad also said to let you take charge of this matter!" Shi Manqiang chimed in.

Chen Sheng, Ji Xiang, and Liu Yong all nodded. Wang Zhaojing closed his folded fan. Zhao Jin spoke: "Don't get entangled with those great houses and powerful clans. They might have fine daughters and could even provide a generous dowry, but those benefits don't come for free. When the time comes to lay our cards on the table, how do we deal with those we have ties to? If we favor some over others, how will everyone else see it? Will it stir up unnecessary trouble? You need to think this through clearly. My advice to you is to marry a girl from a humble family — one with no roots and no one to lean on."

Before anyone else could speak, Zhao Jin waved his hand and said, "I know I married the eldest daughter of the Xu family, the biggest household in all of Xuzhou. But I can be ruthless when I need to be, and Dasheng can be ruthless. You few, though — I think you'd find it hard. Rather than face a dilemma when the time comes, it's better to take precautions in advance."

Changed one word.