Chapter 43: Even the Most Upright Judge Cannot Settle Family Disputes

The table was laden with dishes, the main ones being chicken and goose, with more than a dozen steamed eggs, shells unpeeled, arranged on the table. There was a dish of pork with chili oil from the local restaurant, and the grass carp that had been raised in the family’s vat was also sent to the restaurant to be cooked. Now, several of them were placed together, accompanied by a dish of vinegar with garlic, and finally, a bucket of rice.

Not a single vegetable—everything was meat.

Such living was truly extravagant, deserving a thorough reprimand. How could the family afford to let eldest brother spend so recklessly!

Though Zhang Yue thought this inwardly, as he sat at the table breathing in the aroma of the food, all his thoughts dissolved into a single phrase: “It smells so good.”

Zhang Yue looked up to see Madam Yu’s stern expression; he could not tell what she felt as she witnessed this scene.

“With food from the county, why go to a restaurant to have things cooked? How much money did you spend this time? Just look at all this—how much did it cost?” Madam Yu questioned Zhang Shi in front of the whole family.

Zhang Shi smiled. “Wife, it really didn’t cost much.”

“Did you go to the restaurant and buy on credit again?” Madam Yu was so anxious she was close to tears.

Zhang Shi hurriedly replied, “Wife, I paid in cash this time, all right?”

Madam Yu paused in surprise. “Where did you get the money?”

Zhang Shi smiled. “Wife, sit down first and I’ll explain. By the way, Sanlang, what did Master Zhuang talk about today?”

Taking advantage of Master Zhuang’s visit, eldest brother coaxed Madam Yu back to the table.

Zhang Yue quickly recounted the matter of the Three Character Classic, shifting his sister-in-law’s attention. Zhang Shi took a sip of wine and said, “This is a tricky matter. Wife, what do you think?”

Madam Yu, peeling an egg for Zhang Qiu, said, “In the past half year, uncle has studied away from home, not only spending little but even bringing back over a string of cash. He’s truly made progress. As his elder brother, you shouldn’t always make the decisions for him. I think uncle already knows what he’s doing.”

At her words, Zhang Shi put down his wine cup and stared wide-eyed. “Third brother, why are you bringing money home? The family doesn’t need your help; studying hard is what matters.”

Zhang Shi scolded Zhang Yue, clearly believing he was focused on supplementing the household rather than his studies.

Zhang Yue smiled apologetically. “Brother, I only copy texts for others when I have free time from studying; it doesn’t take much effort. Recently, even the teacher praised my progress. If you don’t believe me, you can ask the teacher and senior brothers in Wuxi.”

“Really?” Zhang Shi was skeptical.

“Really.”

“All right, third brother, I wrongly accused you. My apologies.” As he spoke, Zhang Shi placed a piece of meat in Zhang Yue’s bowl.

Zhang Yue scooped the meat and rice into his mouth. The taste was so good he could almost cry.

“But third brother, you can’t keep doing this. If you keep copying texts for others, how will I save face? I have hands and feet; do you think I can’t support this family?”

As he spoke, Zhang Shi took a string of coins from his pocket and slapped it on the table. “Look at this.”

Zhang Qiu exclaimed, “So much money! Father, you’re amazing!”

Zhang Shi grinned.

Madam Yu, however, was suspicious. “Shilang, didn’t you use up all your bonus money to pay debts a few days ago? Where did this come from?”

Zhang Shi did not answer directly. The truth was, he’d gambled yesterday and won a bit of money; otherwise, where would he have gotten the money to buy Zhang Qiu some candied treats? Neither Zhang Yue nor Madam Yu knew, thinking he’d found money elsewhere.

Zhang Shi brushed off the matter. Madam Yu advised, “Shilang, as long as uncle’s copying doesn’t interfere with his studies, I think it’s a good thing. It could be a livelihood in the future.”

“But third brother is a scholar; how can he make a living by copying texts?”

Madam Yu sighed. “Shilang, you decide.”

Zhang Shi relented. “Since you say third brother can decide, let it be. But Master Zhuang is Xi’er’s teacher; third brother, you must be mindful of boundaries.”

“I know,” Zhang Yue replied, his mouth full of meat, especially the half-fat, half-lean pork that was so delicious. After traveling through time, he found himself craving fatty meat, which he’d never eaten in his previous life. This time, he could only marvel at how good it was.

“Axie, how does Master Zhuang treat you usually?” Madam Yu asked anxiously.

Zhang Qiu, blowing on a freshly peeled hot egg, replied, “Very well.”

Seizing the moment, Zhang Yue suddenly asked, “By the way, brother, sister-in-law, have we had any contact with Second Aunt’s family lately?”

Zhang Shi replied, “They live in Suzhou; how could we? Why do you ask?”

“I’m just curious. We used to be close to Second Aunt’s family—why did we lose touch these past few years? Was it Second Brother’s fault?”

Zhang Shi replied vaguely, “Second brother was at fault, but mainly, after Second Aunt’s family became officials, they slowly drifted away from us. That’s only natural—not their fault.”

Zhang Yue gradually pieced together some of the past from their conversation.

It turned out Second Aunt’s family wanted Second Brother to join their household registry and change his name to match the Suzhou Zhang family’s generational order.

Zhang father, Zhang Shi, refused.

No wonder—names are given by parents; changing it would mean cutting ties with the original family.

So to Zhang Shi, this wasn’t just about changing the registry for the imperial exams; it was about giving up his son, so he wouldn’t agree.

Zhang Yue wondered: if Second Brother had joined their household, he’d have changed his name—what would he be called now?

At this point, Madam Yu said, “Speaking of Second Uncle, I remember a few days ago, the daughter of Registrar Zhao was betrothed to the third son of the Lu family.”

“The Lu family—who are they?”

“The ones who sell soy sauce and vinegar.”

“That’s not bad at all… just as Third Brother said, she married even better…” Zhang Shi chuckled, as if this resolved the family’s feud with Registrar Zhao.

Madam Yu shot him a look. “She’s going to be a concubine!”

Zhang Shi fell silent at that.

Respectable families know better than to send their daughters as concubines, yet Registrar Zhao, a leading figure in the county, was forced to do so—proof of desperation.

In the end, the blame would fall on Second Brother.

“It’s all Second Brother’s doing,” Zhang Yue sighed.

Zhang Shi slammed the table and said angrily, “No matter where Second Brother is, even if he’s at the ends of the earth, if I see him, I will bring him home to apologize to Registrar Zhao in person! How could anyone with a conscience let something like this happen? He’s disgraced the Zhang family name.”

“Apologize in person? Things have gone too far. Our business with the Zhao family is finished; let’s not stir things up again,” Madam Yu said.

Zhang Shi sighed deeply.

Madam Yu continued, “But I haven’t finished. There are rumors that Registrar Zhao’s daughter and the Lu family’s third son had some entanglement—not sure if it’s true.”

“What? An entanglement? Really?” Zhang Shi was shocked. “If that’s true, then Second Brother isn’t entirely to blame.”

Madam Yu whispered, “Don’t rush to clear his name. Of all the gossip in the neighborhood, barely two or three out of ten are true—sometimes none at all. I only heard it in passing. Just let it go; let’s not talk of it again.”

Listening nearby, Zhang Yue thought the family’s affairs were like a living labyrinth.

Zhang Shi mused, “I actually think there might be something to the rumor about the Zhao and Lu families.”

“How so?” asked Madam Yu.

Zhang Shi replied seriously, “A few days before Second Brother’s wedding, I saw him rush home one day. He was supposed to study at the county school until two or three days before the wedding… but that day he suddenly came back, for reasons unknown.”

“I went to ask him, but he ignored me, went straight upstairs, and shut the door. I knocked, but he didn’t answer. I thought he was just anxious about the exam after the wedding. I almost dropped it, but I worried, so I listened at his door. I heard him muttering something like, ‘That old bastard insulted me,’ and ‘I’ll kill those two wretches.’”

“I didn’t catch the rest. Later, with all the wedding preparations, I forgot about it. But hearing you talk now, I wonder if Second Brother heard something that day?”

Zhang Yue’s face changed. He felt secretly relieved. When Registrar Zhao broke off the engagement, a neighbor had joked: since Second Brother ran away, why not offer Third Brother?

If Registrar Zhao’s daughter truly had the entanglement his brother and sister-in-law suspected, and if Registrar Zhao set his sights on him, wouldn’t he have become… the hero who solves people's troubles?

Thinking it over, what a close call! Honest people shouldn’t be bullied!

Madam Yu shook her head. “Registrar Zhao is a respected figure—he would know how to discipline his daughter. I doubt such a thing would happen. I think you misheard. Don’t defend Second Uncle just because he’s family.”

Zhang Shi replied anxiously, “Wife, I trust Second Brother. He may seem absorbed in books, but he’s no fool. If anything could make him lose his head, it must have been something truly provoking.”

“He’s always been brave. When we lived in the countryside, there was a vicious dog that bit a child and wouldn’t let go. Other children, four or five years older, were too scared to move, but he took a stone and smashed the dog’s head. If he said he’d kill someone, I’d believe it.”

Madam Yu asked, “If that’s so, why didn’t Second Uncle tell us beforehand?”

Zhang Shi sounded pained. “That’s just his nature. He’s always been lucky. Even high officials like Magistrate Chen looked favorably on him. Over the years, matchmakers nearly wore out our doorstep. Father and I both wanted to arrange a good marriage for him. He did meet Registrar Zhao’s daughter once, just to see her…”

Zhang Yue realized this “meeting” was a custom from Bianliang: after the matchmaker’s introduction, the couple would meet, the man bringing four cups of wine, the woman two. If they liked each other, the man would place a gold hairpin in the woman’s hair; if not, he’d give her some fine cloth, a gesture to ward off bad luck.

Of course, only prominent families could afford such customs. Second Brother had gone through this process, allowing for personal preference.

If personal preference was involved, for Second Brother, it would have been a grave humiliation.

So, even though it was a formal match, if Second Brother liked her, but something unknown happened in the meantime, all the accumulated pressure at home led him to flee the wedding that day.

But for now, this was all speculation by his brother and sister-in-law; no concrete evidence existed. Only Second Brother himself knew the truth.

To outsiders, including Zhang Yue, all he could say was: even the wisest judge cannot settle family disputes!

Zhang Shi drank cup after cup, while Zhang Yue, Madam Yu, and Zhang Qiu remained silent.

Zhang Yue still remembered last year’s New Year’s celebration. Back then, the Zhang family was still prosperous.

Eldest brother talked about the shop and how much they’d earned from the fields in the countryside, and how Chief Xu had introduced him to various county officials.

Second Brother sat in silence.

Zhang Yue and Zhang Qiu played under the table, while two servants cooked and served dishes. When the food was ready, Madam Yu would personally arrange the plates.

Back then, visitors dropped by often.

Zhang Shi would warmly greet them, Second Brother would pick up a book and pretend to read while eating, Madam Yu would help receive gifts, and Zhang Yue, with a pocketful of coins, would sneak out with Zhang Qiu to play.

Now, everything was different.

Zhang Yue silently resolved to restore the family’s fortunes through his own efforts.