Chapter 101: Matters of Marriage

As night fell, the bookseller Yu returned to his shop.

Yu Yunruo, seeing him enter, hurried forward and asked, "How are Uncle and the others? It is so late and they have yet to return."

Bookseller Yu chuckled, "They have been detained by the School Inspector."

"Has something happened?" Yunruo asked with concern.

"What could possibly happen? They have been drinking quite a bit. They are scholars, after all, and understand etiquette; they likely feared that returning home in a drunken state would cause a disturbance, especially since there are women in our household."

"Though they could not return, they were at least thoughtful enough to send someone with a message for me."

Yunruo asked, "That was indeed thoughtful. Uncle, do you know which scholar sent the messenger?"

"Who else? It was that scholar surnamed Zhang."

Yunruo smiled faintly. "I can see he is a man who attends to things thoroughly."

Bookseller Yu smiled knowingly. "I suspect you have taken a fancy to him."

A rosy blush spread across Yunruo's face. "Uncle, what are you saying? I have no such thoughts."

Bookseller Yu laughed, "I have raised you, and while I may not fully grasp a young woman's heart, I understand enough."

"I have traveled far and wide and met many people; I can read those three scholars clearly. Of the three, the one surnamed He is the most calculating, but such men always have an agenda in everything they do."

Yunruo nodded. "He clearly does not think much of us."

"You understand well," Yu continued. "As for the scholar surnamed Guo, he is honest and sincere, but he seems to have seen little of the world and dresses quite shabbily. Any young woman who marries him would likely suffer."

Yunruo remained silent.

"The scholar surnamed Zhang, however, though not from a wealthy family, has some means. More importantly, he is humble and courteous. I believe he is destined for prosperity."

"I cannot say how great that prosperity will be, but the School Inspector is hosting a banquet for him tonight. I heard he has been admitted to the Imperial Academy in Bianjing. Though he is but a scholar now, given his age, he may well be a high minister in the future."

Yunruo nodded upon hearing this.

Bookseller Yu continued, "Actually, you do not need me to tell you; you must have your own calculations. You are of age to be married. In my view, marrying into an ordinary family would be best. Those who came to propose before had shops of their own, yet you dismissed them as being too vulgar, and as for that Yao family, you even cursed them as ruffians."

Yunruo bit her lower lip. "Marrying into such families, one can see the end of the road at a glance. Spending one's life counting pennies—what is the point of that? I will not marry into such a family."

"Do you truly believe every scholar will eventually rise to greatness?" Yu sighed. "Besides, scholars are not so easy to marry. They are either penniless, behave poorly, or have their noses so high in the air that they look down on us merchants as unworthy."

"To tell you the truth, your sister-in-law has urged me to marry you off quickly. That incident where you pushed her down the stairs has already become the talk of the neighborhood."

A cold look crossed Yunruo's face, but she lowered her head. "I have already explained about my sister-in-law; she simply slipped."

"Even if you had a hundred mouths, people would still call it an act of filial impiety," Yu sighed. "We used to have two or three families coming to propose, but now, not a single one has come in half a year."

Yunruo whispered, "Uncle, could you possibly grant me a larger dowry? If you do, I will be eternally grateful, even if it means serving you like a beast of burden in the next life."

"Your father left only so much," Yu replied. "I can scrape together a bit more, but that is all there is."

Yunruo bowed. "That you were willing to raise me is something I am already deeply grateful for. I will certainly repay you in the future. Please, Uncle, I beg you to make the arrangements."

"Do not pin too many hopes on this," Yu remarked. "This young Master Zhang does not seem like a man who is easily swayed."

***

The next day, as Zhang Yue and his two companions were about to leave the gates of the prefectural school, they found that Bookseller Yu had sent a donkey cart to fetch them.

He Qi, seeing this, chuckled, "Third Brother, I see you are in for a double dose of good fortune today!"

"What do you mean, Brother He?" Zhang Yue asked.

He Qi smiled faintly. "Are you playing the fool? You are practically a student of the Imperial Academy now; you will likely be an official one day. The bookseller's niece has her eye on you, and she is rushing to show favor for fear you might slip away."

"Though she is two years your senior, she seems to have some gentle ways. Are you not fond of Cao Cao, Third Brother? I offer you my early congratulations." He Qi burst into laughter.

Zhang Yue smiled calmly. "This is something I had not considered. I suspect she does not have her eyes on me."

"If you do not believe it, let us make a wager," He Qi challenged.

Zhang Yue laughed, "Brother He would surely win! Tell me, if you were in my position, how would you handle it?"

"Me?" He Qi smiled.

"Yes," Zhang Yue said. "I am inexperienced and would like to hear your expert opinion. If it were you the girl had set her sights on, would you marry her?"

He Qi laughed as if he had heard the funniest joke in the world. He slapped his thigh and said, "Third Brother, I do not know what to say to you. With our current status, could we marry a girl from such a small merchant family?"

"Oh? And what is wrong with a merchant background? What do you mean, Brother He?"

He Qi sneered, "A girl of such status is only fit to be a concubine. If she can bring some wealth as a dowry, that would be for the best."

"One can get a dowry even for a concubine?" Zhang Yue asked, puzzled.

"Why not?" He Qi replied. "You are young and lack experience. If it were me, I would at least demand several acres of land from the Yu family. Do you not believe it? Who are those who 'capture' husbands at the foot of the rank list during the spring exams? It is all merchant families. To put it bluntly, it is just a trade of wealth for status."

"Does the girl have wealth? The bookseller claims to dote on his niece, yet he leaves the main rooms empty and keeps her in the back quarters. How much of a dowry could she really have?"

"And I ask you, why would she ignore the local scholars and set her sights on someone from elsewhere? There is likely some hidden motive here!"

Zhang Yue nodded. "I was unaware of the depths of this. I am grateful for your advice, Brother He."

He Qi’s expression turned somewhat unnatural. He had realized this all along but had intentionally kept silent, hoping to see Zhang Yue stumble. After Zhang Yue's comment, he felt foolish for speaking so freely and tried to comfort himself by pretending he had performed a good deed by helping Zhang Yue.

"When we go back," He Qi said earnestly, "I advise you to pack your bags and leave immediately. Do not stay the night, or under the plums and melons, who knows what trouble might arise."

Zhang Yue nodded.

The three boarded the donkey cart and headed for the Yu family's bookstore. Zhang Yue had not thought too much about this before. In his previous life, he had occasionally had girls show interest in him during his student days, but studies always took precedence, and nothing came of it. After he started working and began the cycle of blind dates, he had often wished to be picky, but no one ever gave him the chance. In this life, however, to have a girl interested in him was, at the very least, something to be happy about.

But as for marriage, he had truly not considered it. How could he take a wife thousands of miles away to study at the Imperial Academy? Even He Qi had told Wu Anshi that one should not discuss marriage before achieving a high rank.

At his age, Zhang Yue wanted to focus on his studies and see how far he could go. If he met a good match in the future who was his equal in status, he would seize the opportunity. That would be enough.

The three arrived at the bookstore and dismounted.

***

After hearing the clerk's report, Bookseller Yu strode out to meet them. "Congratulations to you all on your success in the capital!"

He Qi sneered from the side.

Zhang Yue was about to offer a humble reply when he saw a graceful figure appear in the shop. It was Yu Yunruo, dressed in a new gown, her eyes fixed upon him with an intensity that felt like a burning fire. Zhang Yue quickly averted his gaze.

"Congratulations to Master Zhang and Master Guo on your admission to the Academy," Yunruo said with a smile.

Zhang Yue smiled faintly.

Observing his expression, Yunruo asked, "Did I say something wrong?"

"The Biyong is a place for sacrifices and village drinking ceremonies, not the Imperial Academy," Zhang Yue explained. "Though it can be used as a metaphor."

Yunruo blushed deeply and bowed low. "I have read little; please forgive me for my error."

Seeing her like this, Zhang Yue and Guo Lin felt they could not be harsh. "Please, Miss Yu, rise," they said quickly.

"We have prepared a banquet this evening to celebrate your success," Bookseller Yu said with a smile.

"Thank you, Shopkeeper Yu," Zhang Yue replied, "but we dare not stay. Our families and the school are waiting for news. We must pack our things and return home immediately, or it will be too late."

Yunruo’s face turned pale.

Bookseller Yu tried to persuade them, "How can that be? Third Brother, do you think my hospitality is lacking? It has been busy at the shop these past few days, and I have not been able to host you properly."

"If you leave now, people will surely blame me for failing to act as a proper host. You must stay; I have already ordered the wine and food. Let us drink tonight and make amends."

Despite the bookseller’s insistence, Zhang Yue remained firm. Seeing that he could not keep them, the bookseller pulled Zhang Yue aside. "Third Brother, since things have come to this, I will stop beating around the bush. To tell you the truth, my niece, Yunruo, has taken a fancy to you and wishes to marry you. What do you think?"

Though he had expected this, Zhang Yue felt a wave of embarrassment. "I am honored by your and Miss Yu's regard, but I have no intention of marrying at this time. Besides, even if I were to marry, I would first have to inform my brother and sister-in-law."

Bookseller Yu laughed, "That is not a problem. If you are willing, I offer a dowry of one hundred strings of cash plus ten acres of paddy fields. We are a small household; there is no need to be constrained by rigid customs. We can hold the wedding first and then return to Pucheng to inform your family."

*Are the customs of this era so open?* Zhang Yue wondered.

"Marriage is a matter of parents' orders and the words of a matchmaker; how can one decide such things in private?" Zhang Yue replied. "Shopkeeper Yu, let us do this: when I return home, I will consult my brother and sister-in-law and give you an answer then."

The bookseller tried to say more, but Zhang Yue bowed, turned, and descended the stairs without hesitation. A look of profound disappointment crossed the bookseller's face.

The three men packed their belongings with haste and departed under the mournful gazes of the bookseller and his niece. Zhang Yue, feeling a pang of guilt, turned back to offer a final bow. Seeing Yunruo turn away to wipe her tears, he could not help but feel a lingering sense of regret.