Chapter 491: Sincere Eldest Uncle, Wholeheartedly Devoted to the Family

As the old saying goes: “People say the setting sun lies at the edge of the world, yet when one gazes toward that distant horizon, home is nowhere to be seen.”

Zhu Ping’an sat quietly atop the highest peak of the small island, gazing at the fiery red sun as it slowly sank toward the boundless sea. The vast ocean stretched endlessly in every direction, its surface shimmering beneath the fading golden light. Wave after wave rolled toward the shore, their rhythm steady yet lonely.

Aside from the ceaseless rise and fall of the tides, there was nothing else in sight.

No ships.

No sails.

No sign of human life.

The emptiness of the sea made the distance to home feel immeasurable.

A faint melancholy crept into Zhu Ping’an’s heart. Being stranded on this isolated island was bearable in many ways, yet one thought weighed heavily on his mind—his mother, Madam Chen. If word of his disappearance reached her ears, she would surely be overwhelmed with worry and longing. The thought alone filled him with quiet guilt.

Still, the departing sun offered a small comfort.

Though the sunset marked an ending, it was only a temporary farewell. Tomorrow morning, the sun would rise again, returning faithfully to the sky.

Looking toward the fading horizon, Zhu Ping’an silently murmured in his heart:

Remove AdsMother, please don’t worry. Your son will definitely find his way home.

Beneath the lingering glow of the evening sun, the once lively Xiahe Village gradually returned to its usual calm.

The earlier bustle of celebration had completely faded.

Since the groom and bride were absent, the villagers had naturally skipped the lively custom of teasing the bridal chamber—a tradition they normally enjoyed immensely. Without that playful climax, the wedding feast ended earlier than usual. One by one, the guests who had come to celebrate the Zhu family’s joyous occasion finished their meals and slowly returned to their own homes.

Soon, the streets that had been filled with laughter and chatter fell quiet.

After everyone had dispersed, five figures appeared on the front street of Xiahe Village, walking slowly in the direction of Zhu Ping’an’s home.

They were:

Old Master Zhu,

Old Madam Zhu,

the eldest uncle Zhu Shouren,

the eldest aunt,

and Zhu Pingjun’s wife.

It had been only a short while since the guests had left when Zhu Shouren led the group over.

“Hey, Eldest Uncle, where are you headed?”

A villager who had just finished helping clean Zhu Ping’an’s courtyard happened to see the five of them walking together. Curious, he casually called out to ask.

Zhu Shouren wore a light jade-colored scholar’s robe made of fine cloth, the attire of a shengyuan candidate. The robe made him appear especially refined and scholarly. Lifting his chin slightly, he glanced sideways at the man with a faintly superior expression.

His tone carried the unmistakable pride of a learned man.

“Oh, Zhang Er. We’re going over to help the second brother’s family tidy up.”

His words were spoken with the magnanimous air of a benevolent elder brother, as though he were performing a noble act of familial duty.

“Oh,” the villager responded.

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He briefly glanced at the group, then stepped aside and continued walking.

Once he had moved a fair distance away, however, the man rolled his eyes dramatically.

Help clean up?

He couldn’t help feeling contempt.

If you were really planning to help, why did you all run home the moment the banquet ended?

We finished cleaning the entire courtyard—every last bit of work—and only now you stroll over so leisurely.

What help is left to give?

But what truly annoyed him was Zhu Shouren’s attitude.

The man wasn’t even a proper xiucai yet, and still he carried himself with such an inflated air, barely looking people in the eye when speaking.

Meanwhile, Zhu Ping’an had already passed the imperial examination and become the Zhuangyuan, the top scholar of the entire nation.

Yet whenever Ping’an returned to the village, he always greeted everyone warmly. Every elder was addressed respectfully as uncle or aunt. Never once had anyone seen him put on airs.

And then there was the second brother’s household—Zhu Shouyi’s family.

They had grown prosperous over the years, but had they ever acted arrogant?

Not at all.

The bridge in the village had been built entirely with their money.

They were good people through and through.

Remove AdsBack in the old days, the Zhu family had relied heavily on Shouyi, who worked tirelessly—hunting in the mountains, farming in the fields, carrying the heaviest burdens of labor. And yet, when the family divided their property, Old Master Zhu had practically forced the second branch to leave with almost nothing.

Who knows what he was thinking back then…

Now look at Shouyi’s household.

Two large residences.

A thriving livelihood with their ox cart.

And most impressive of all—

a son who had become the Zhuangyuan.

I wonder if Old Master Zhu regrets it now, the villager thought.

Ping’an is truly a good child.

He had helped reduce the grain tax and lowered land rents for the villagers. Thanks to him, even the corvée labor assigned by the county office to Xiahe Village had been cut in half this year.

But then the man sighed deeply.

What a pity…

I only hope Heaven has eyes and protects Ping’an, keeping him safe and unharmed.

Meanwhile, on the quiet village road—

“Eldest son… perhaps we should postpone this matter.”

Old Master Zhu suddenly stopped walking and looked toward Zhu Shouren, hesitation written across his weathered face.

“Father, we already discussed this at home,” the eldest aunt quickly interjected, her voice filled with urgency.

“Watch how you speak to Father.”

Zhu Shouren immediately scolded her.

Turning slightly, he positioned himself between his parents and his wife. Then he shot the eldest aunt a subtle look, signaling her to calm down and say no more.

Only then did he face Old Master Zhu again and speak earnestly.

“Father, I also wish we could delay it. But we really cannot.”

“In just a few days, your son will be heading to take the provincial academy examination. If we miss the timing, it will be too late.”

Remove Ads“This time, I’m confident of success. Lord Liu and the others have already given me their assurances.”

His voice carried a careful seriousness.

“If I pass the exam and become a xiucai, it will be too late to handle this matter afterward.”

“Before I gain the title, transferring land under my name will not draw the attention of the authorities. Once I become a xiucai, I’ll also be exempt from paying land tax.”

“But if we wait until after I pass, and suddenly such a large amount of land appears under my name, the government will certainly investigate. And if they discover anything irregular, the punishment according to the law will be severe.”

Old Master Zhu hesitated.

“But when Zhī’er became a juren, didn’t many people dedicate land to him? Why didn’t the government investigate then?”

Zhu Shouren gave a bitter smile.

“Oh, Father… Zhī’er became a juren. That’s practically an official status already. Officials and the government are one family—who would dare investigate them?”

“But your son is only aiming to become a xiucai right now. It’s not the same.”

He lowered his head slightly, sighing with visible frustration.

“Alas… it is all because your son is incompetent.”

“If only I had passed the juren examination earlier, this problem wouldn’t exist. Even if the land remained under the second brother’s name, I could still protect their household from paying taxes.”

He sighed deeply, his expression full of guilt.

Old Madam Zhu nodded thoughtfully.

Remove Ads“Your eldest son speaks reasonably.”

“The second branch owns a lot of land. While Zhī’er was around, they didn’t need to pay taxes. But now that he’s gone… just the annual tax alone might exceed a hundred taels of silver.”

Her voice trembled with pain at the thought.

“A hundred taels! Think of what that money could buy. Handing it over to the government for nothing—it’s such a waste.”

“A hundred taels…” Old Master Zhu muttered, clearly feeling the sting as well.

“But that’s not all,” Zhu Shouren added gravely.

“Father, you don’t know what’s been happening in the imperial court recently.”

“When I visited Anqing Prefecture with several fellow scholars to see Lord Liu, I heard some things.”

“I didn’t tell you before because I was afraid you’d worry.”

Old Master Zhu’s heart skipped a beat.

Remove Ads“What did you hear?”

Zhu Shouren shook his head slowly.

“Ah… Zhī’er was foolish.”

Before even explaining, he let out another heavy sigh.

“What happened to Zhī’er?” Old Master Zhu asked anxiously.

“Father… to be honest, Zhī’er has caused a serious disaster.”

Zhu Shouren spoke with a grave expression.

Old Master Zhu’s face turned pale.

“What trouble could Zhī’er cause? He’s already—”

“It happened before his accident,” Zhu Shouren interrupted.

“Zhī’er’s scholarship is excellent, but he’s still too young. Lacking experience, he was easily misled.”

Old Master Zhu grew impatient.

“Just tell me what happened!”

Zhu Shouren lowered his voice.

“The news has already spread everywhere. Before Zhī’er’s accident, he submitted a memorial to the throne.”

“He accused a certain general of killing civilians and claiming them as enemy casualties to fabricate military merit.”

Old Master Zhu frowned.

“Wasn’t that the right thing to do? Such a man deserves to be impeached.”

Zhu Shouren shook his head.

“Father, you don’t understand. Zhī’er was deceived.”

“That general fought bravely on the front lines. He shed blood in battle and repelled the enemy. The heads he submitted as proof of victory all had the hairstyles of the barbarians.”

“How could those be innocent civilians?”

“That was solid evidence of enemy kills.”

“The general risked his life fighting the enemy, yet Zhī’er believed malicious rumors and impeached him.”

“What kind of situation is that?”

Old Master Zhu opened his mouth but couldn’t speak.

“And after hearing about the accusation, that general felt deeply wronged. He even removed his armor, revealing the scars covering his body, and knelt at the gates of the Ministry of Justice to plead his case.”

Old Master Zhu’s mouth opened even wider in shock.

“And that’s not the worst part.”

Zhu Shouren leaned closer.

“Father, do you know what kind of background that general has?”

Old Master Zhu shook his head weakly, his face drained of color.

“That general is a retainer of Grand Secretary Yan Song—Lord Yan Song, the current Grand Chancellor of the empire.”

As he spoke, Zhu Shouren instinctively clasped his fists and bowed slightly toward the north, his expression filled with reverence.

“Ah—!”

Old Master Zhu was completely stunned.

“This year alone, two officials who dared to impeach Lord Yan have already been stripped of their posts and thrown into prison.”

“Last year, several others were even executed.”

“Zhī’er’s memorial… indirectly accused Lord Yan’s man.”

“Do you understand what that means?”

“Executed…” Old Master Zhu trembled.

“Exactly,” Zhu Shouren nodded gravely.

“And just the day before Zhī’er’s accident, the court issued a decree summoning him to the Ministry of Justice to explain the matter.”

“Father… the Ministry of Justice is under Lord Yan’s control.”

“If Zhī’er had gone there, do you think things would have ended well?”

He paused before delivering the final blow.

“Zhī’er may be gone now… but the family remains.”

“Many officials who fall from grace have their households confiscated.”

“Even if the family isn’t confiscated outright, without Zhī’er’s protection, who will shield the second branch?”

“Other officials are all eager to curry favor with Lord Yan.”

“If they decide to target the second brother’s family… they have plenty of ways to do it.”

“It might not be called confiscation—but the result wouldn’t be much different.”

Old Master Zhu’s legs trembled as fear overtook him.

He could barely stand.

“But if the land is transferred under my name,” Zhu Shouren continued calmly, “things will be different.”

“The second branch and our family have already officially separated in the county records.”

“No matter what happens, it won’t implicate us.”

“And the land will be preserved.”

“I don’t want their land for myself,” he added solemnly.

“The land will only be in my name. In reality, it will still belong to the second branch.”

Remove Ads“Each year they’ll save more than a hundred taels in taxes.”

“With that money, you and Mother could buy better clothes, eat better food, and enjoy fine tobacco.”

“All I ask is ten taels a year for writing materials—brush, ink, paper, and inkstones.”

“The rest will remain entirely theirs.”

“If anything happens in the future, at least the second branch will still have a way out.”

Zhu Shouren raised his hand toward the sky and swore earnestly, his expression filled with sincerity.

Old Master Zhu was finally persuaded.

He knocked the ash from his tobacco pipe heavily against the ground, tucked it into his belt, and spoke a single word:

“Let’s go.”

And the group continued walking toward the Zhu family residence.