The Beauty Within the Gates
Chapter 37
It was already afternoon by the time Wen Huai left the Xie Mansion. Passing through the streets again, all the excitement from his return had completely vanished. He looked utterly dejected, like a frostbitten eggplant, with no energy left to muster.
The teahouse had changed owners, his pockets were empty, and even that case of clams from his horse was gone.
He returned to the Wen Mansion empty-handed. His face was so ashen that the gatekeeper didn’t recognize him at first glance. Only after a careful look did the man exclaim, “Third Young Master is back!”
After the Wen family went bankrupt, Eldest Madam Wen had stopped visiting Old Madam Wen. The eldest branch had already moved to the Eastern Capital, leaving the mansion eerily quiet, without even the sound of conversation to be heard.
Unaware of the situation, Wen Huai asked the gatekeeper, “Why is it so quiet here?”
“Third Young Master, you probably haven’t received the letter yet. Half a month ago, the Eldest Master took the young masters and ladies to the Eastern Capital. Now, only the Old Madam and Eldest Madam remain in the mansion, waiting for Second Master and you to return.”
Though he had already suffered more than enough shocks that day, hearing this news still left him stunned for a moment. Without even changing his clothes, he hurried straight to Old Madam’s courtyard.
Old Madam Wen was in the middle of her lunch when the maid outside caught sight of someone approaching. She hurried in to report, “Old Madam, Third Young Master has returned.”
The old madam didn’t react at first. “Who has returned?”
The maid repeated joyfully, “Third Young Master.”
Aunt Cao was the first to react, smiling as she said, “At last, he’s finally back. Old Madam was still speaking of him just yesterday…”
She had barely finished speaking when a voice rang out from the corridor, “Grandmother.”
That clear, hearty voice could only belong to Wen Huai. Old Madam Wen glanced at the dishes before her and quickly instructed the maids, “Hurry, take these away. And this one too…”
The maids reacted swiftly. They had just whisked away several plates of meat when Wen Huai stepped through the doorway. “Grandmother.”
Old Madam Wen looked at the bright grin and perfectly white teeth of the young man before her, momentarily stunned. “Did you crawl out of a pile of charcoal?”
“Grandmother doesn’t understand. This is what they call a healthy glow.” He stepped forward, knelt, and gave her a proper kowtow. “Your grandson has been unable to stay by your side and fulfill his filial duties. I beg Grandmother’s forgiveness.”
Still as earnest as ever. Old Madam Wen’s eyes grew warm as she reached out to help him up. “Get up quickly.”
Wen Huai rose and sat beside his grandmother, studying her carefully. She looked in good spirits. They exchanged a few words of nostalgia until his gaze drifted to the meal set before her, and his expression froze.
A small dish of peanuts.
A small dish of plain vegetables.
This… counts as a meal?
He already knew the Wen family had gone bankrupt, but seeing with his own eyes what his grandmother was eating, it hit him like a blow. His chest tightened with pain.
He and his father had spent years away from home, working themselves thin so their family could live well. And now, seeing his grandmother reduced to this… what meaning did all those efforts still have?
Old Madam Wen noticed the shift in his expression. She wished she could order a full banquet on the spot to welcome him home, but in the end, she held back the impulse and asked gently, “You haven’t eaten yet, have you?”
Wen Huai had eaten one plate of clams and a plain steamed bun.
And the person who caused all of this… was not living comfortably either.
Old Madam Wen, unaware of the truth, assumed that with his return, yet another fat purse had come home. A soft-hearted one, at that, would be too gentle to refuse anyone. She exchanged a meaningful glance with Aunt Cao.
Aunt Cao understood immediately and began to lament sorrowfully to Wen Huai, “Thank goodness Third Young Master has returned just in time. The Second Young Lady took all of the Wen family’s fortune to stockpile grain and then donated everything to Luo’an. The Wen family went bankrupt. Old Madam fell ill and had no money for medicine. She had to pawn her own hairpins and jewelry just to cover the expenses of those working in the mansion…”
Every word was like a knife slicing into Wen Huai’s heart.
In just half a day since returning to Fengcheng, he had already regretted countless times, regretted until his intestines twisted green. Why, why hadn’t he brought more silver home?
He handed over the last remaining ingot of silver from his pouch to Old Madam Wen. “Grandmother, use this for now.”
Old Madam Wen stared at the ten taels in her hand, her expression puzzled. “Is… is this all?”
Heat crept up Wen Huai’s face. “Your grandson left in a hurry to make it back for the family wedding. I… didn’t bring much silver with me.”
The only other thing he had, a crate of clams, had already gone to Gao Xian.
Afraid she would worry, he quickly added, “Don’t worry, Grandmother. Father will be home in a few days. There were more ships sent out this year than ever before, and the catch was good. We earned quite a bit. We’ll just have to let Grandmother endure some hardship for a short while.”
—
The news of the Third Young Master’s return quickly reached the Eldest Madam, Madam An.
She had been scraping by these past few days, and the household expenses were being drawn straight from her own purse. If this continued much longer, she feared she would end up penniless and forced to travel to the Eastern Capital to beg the Eldest Master for funds.
Her only hope had been waiting for the second branch of the family to return. She watched and waited, longing for their arrival day and night, and finally, they were here. She hurried over, only to find Wen Huai just stepping out of the Old Madam’s room, penniless and with pockets cleaner than his face.
After a few polite greetings, Wen Huai said respectfully to the Eldest Madam, “I truly didn’t know Gao Xian had donated all the shops. I also didn’t bring silver with me on this trip. For now, the household expenses and Grandmother’s needs will still have to trouble Aunt to manage.”
The Eldest Madam’s expression changed instantly. He had been gone for over half a year and came back with nothing?
She didn’t believe it. She immediately sent a maid to inquire further. The report came back, “Second Young Master returned with nothing at all, only a horse.”
The Eldest Madam collapsed onto the soft couch, full of resentment. “Wasn’t he supposed to be out there earning money? Returns with not a single coin. How does he have the face to come home…”
Later that night, more rumors spread: this year, not only had Qingzhou suffered natural disasters, but even the sea’s catch had dwindled. The Second Master had sent out all the ships, and this time, they might have taken a loss.
Madam An’s heart sank to rock bottom. The next day, when Aunt Cao came again to request silver for the Old Madam’s expenses, she felt all hope vanish. Unable to hold back, she gritted her teeth and muttered, “They didn’t earn any money, and they didn’t even take care of the family… utterly useless.”
It was a pity for Wen Huai, who had originally followed Aunt Cao, intending to speak up for the Old Madam and ask his aunt for more silver to cover expenses. Hearing those words, his face flushed red with shame and anger, his heart turning half cold.
In the past, whenever he returned, the eldest branch of the family had welcomed him with smiles, holding banquets to welcome him and his father back, treating them warmly. Never had they shown this kind of attitude. He had even believed they were genuinely concerned about the hardships he and his father endured while away.
Only now did he understand that those smiling faces had been for the silver in his pockets.
Overnight, he experienced the loss of his family’s fortune and tasted firsthand the fickleness of human relationships and the harsh realities of the world. Under such repeated blows, the once innocent and pure-hearted young man shed the last traces of his naivety.
His spirit was wounded, and his body suffered alongside it.
Yesterday, he had given the last bit of silver he owned to Old Madam Wen.
The servants searched the kitchen and found no food, and he absolutely couldn’t bring himself to go to his grandmother’s room to beg for a meal.
The last thing he had eaten was the plate of fried clams at Wen Shuse’s place.
Torn between physical hunger and emotional distress, he pushed through until the morning of the third day. With weary steps, Wen Huai finally picked up the official document Wen Shuse had sold him and went to seek out Madam Zhou.
—
Wen Shuse only received the news in the afternoon.
A Wen family maid delivered the message. “The Eldest Madam said she can barely afford to feed the Old Madam anymore, how could she have silver to support someone who sits around eating for free? She also said the Third Young Master is nearly twenty now. Going out for half a year and returning without earning a single coin. Does he plan to eat and live off the family like this?”
The maid repeated every word vividly. Sitting in her room, Wen Shuse peeled longan fruit as she listened attentively, sympathy in her gaze. “He really hasn’t eaten?”
The maid shook her head earnestly. “It’s true, he hasn’t. Second Miss, you didn’t see it, two days without food, and Third Young Master could barely stand. His legs were unsteady, almost floating. Even I couldn’t bear to watch. The Old Madam secretly shed tears more than once.”
As Wen Shuse had predicted, the Wen family had no food for him. It seemed he had finally understood the true nature of people’s hearts. She hurriedly asked the maid, “Where is he now?”
“I don’t know, Miss. When I left, Third Young Master hadn’t returned yet. He should still be at the Jing Wang Mansion.”
On the first day of his appointment, he only needed to report for duty. It shouldn’t take that long.
While he was at home, she could still find out how he was doing, but once he entered the Prince Mansion, there was no way to know. She wasn’t even sure if he had managed to eat today, and deep down, she couldn’t help but worry. She considered sending someone to inquire, but realized that ordinary people wouldn’t be able to gather information from inside the Prince Mansion.
Just as she was fretting, Xiangyun reminded her, “Isn’t your husband also a Senior Deputy? He started serving a few days earlier than Third Young Master, so he must have some experience. We can ask him when he returns.”
It was a wake-up call. When Xie Shao returned that evening, he spotted a young lady standing in the corridor outside the garden from afar.
Her hands were folded before her, her neck stretched out as she gazed intently in his direction. The moment she saw him, her eyes lit up, and she eagerly rushed forward to greet him. “Husband, you’re back.”
He could tell she had come out specifically to greet him, and naturally, he knew why.
He responded with a simple “Mm,” but a hint of pride rose within him, and he couldn’t resist teasing her a little.
The young lady walked very close beside him, tilting her head up to ask, “Husband, are you tired today?”
“Not too bad.”
His strides were long, one of his steps equaled two of hers, so Wen Shuse hurried to keep up, then asked bluntly, “Husband, did you see my brother today?”
Xie Shao played along, asking as if he hadn’t already guessed, “Wen Huai?”
She nodded quickly. “Yes.”
“Oh,” he mused, pretending to recall. “I did. He arrived at the Prince Mansion this morning, didn’t he?”
The young lady immediately perked up. “And how was he?”
“He didn’t look too well, and he seemed rather weak.” Suddenly remembering something, he added, “Shizi even asked me privately if he had any hidden ailments.” Turning to the young lady beside him, he asked with a serious expression, “You should know that officials need to be in good health to take up their posts. Considering our relationship, I vouched for him to Shizi today. So, tell me honestly, is there something wrong with him?”
Wen Shuse froze, not suspecting a thing, and hurriedly refuted, “What could possibly be wrong with him? He just hasn’t eaten for two days.”
Ah, so that was it.
As expected, he was in an even worse state than Xie Shao had been. Feigning surprise, Xie Shao said sympathetically, “Has the Wen family really fallen to such a state? Doesn’t the Eldest Master Wen take any responsibility?”
This struck a nerve with the young lady, and she retorted sharply, “Your family’s Eldest Master is a Deputy Commander, why didn’t he help when you were starving?”
Xie Shao: ……
True enough, both were in dire straits.
But people, when down on their luck, always found comfort in knowing someone else had it even worse. Curiosity stirred, and he asked, “After all those years away, he didn’t save any silver?”
What silver could he have? When he came back, he only had ten taels in total in his pouch.
The young woman didn’t treat him as an outsider and began sharing her family’s embarrassing affairs. “He still thought it was like the old days, expecting to come home to good food and drink. Instead, he found a cold stove and an empty pot. Unable to bear the thought of our grandmother suffering, he gave her all ten taels he had, leaving himself with nothing. The moment the eldest branch heard he had no silver, they turned their backs on him instantly, didn’t even leave him a bowl of soup. The last proper meal he and his servant had was here at our place. There’s still half a case of the clams he brought back, but I suppose he’s too ashamed to ask for them now.”
Xie Shao couldn’t help sighing, completely forgetting his own hardships from just a few days earlier. “No wonder when he arrived at the Prince Mansion, his legs could barely hold him up.”
The young lady let out a long sigh. “That’s why people say the world is cold, and human hearts are hard to read. When he had money, he could hand out hundreds, thousands of taels without blinking. But others didn’t necessarily appreciate it, yet others might not have even appreciated it. They probably just saw him as a fool. Now that he’s the one in trouble, look at what he gets in return. Forget silver, they didn’t even give him a bowl of soup. It’s only now that he’s realized how cold people can be, but isn’t it a bit too late?”
Xie Shao: ……
That sting hit a little close to home.
Fortunately, she didn’t continue down that path. She returned to the main point and asked,
“What did he say when he went to the Prince Mansion today?”
Xie Shao answered, “After asking about the stipend, he decided to take the post.”
The young lady let out a breath of relief, pleased. “Good thing I was quick-witted enough to secure an official position for him. Even if he has to rise early and work hard, at least he’ll be able to support himself in the future.”
Xie Shao was taken aback. Had she already forgotten how they and Third Wen ended up in this situation?
Even without this official post, Third Wen could have made a living by going out to sea to fish. But recalling the “congratulations” Wen Huai had offered him yesterday, Xie Shao figured life shouldn’t be too smooth sailing; everyone ought to try their hand at things they aren’t particularly good at.
And truly… an unmarried young man assigned to mediate marriage disputes, one had to admit, the young lady certainly knew how to pick. Compared to that, his own position as a Military Judicial Officer seemed almost merciful. He truly ought to thank her.
Just then, the young lady beside him leaned in closer again, gently tugging at his sleeve as she said softly, “By the Wen family’s seniority, he’s your elder brother-in-law. But in terms of age, you’re actually a year older than him. Whether it’s experience or judgment, you’re both ahead of him. So, if he ever runs into any difficulties in the future, I’ll have to trouble you to look out for him a bit.”
What she said sounded quite reasonable, and her calculations were clever enough. She knew how to come asking for favors. But in matters of officialdom, he always judged by circumstances, not personal connections. “That will depend on his own fortune.”
Little did he know, the next day, when Wen Shuse rushed back to the Wen family, she said the very same to Wen Huai, “You’re his brother-in-law. You’ve heard of Third Xie’s reputation in Fengcheng: simple-minded and easily deceived. From now on, since you’ll both be serving as officials together, you must keep an eye on him and look out for him whenever needed.”
Wen Huai was far more straightforward than Xie Shao, nodding simply in agreement. “Understood.”
In just a few short days, Wen Huai had tasted the full bitterness of human hardship, crushed by reality until both body and mind grew numb, long resigned to fate.
The reason he finally steeled himself to visit the Prince Mansion yesterday was also under pressure from Eldest Madam, Madam An. The person she had been anxiously awaiting not only returned empty-handed without a single tael of silver but also eyed his own pouch.
Eldest Madam, Madam An had already been fuming over missing the chance to go to the Eastern Capital. Now she was in no mood to tolerate anything more. Right in front of Old Madam, she said to Wen Huai, “Your eldest uncle and elder brother are both officials in the court, so busy that their feet barely touch the ground. If the whole family follows them over, how could they possibly manage? Since the Old Third has already returned, I’m thinking of going to the Eastern Capital to share some of their burden.”
Seeing Old Third’s brows knitting together, dissatisfaction rose sharply in her chest. “All these years, Second Master and the Old Third have been away from home for long stretches, and our eldest branch has been the one taking care of the Old Madam. They’ve been able to walk away without a single worry. But as a son and grandson, if you don’t show filial piety at a time like this, then when will you?”
She turned her head slightly and muttered under her breath, “And after all, Second Master is the Old Madam’s own son…”
Old Madam Xie showed no reaction, but Wen Huai felt a tight pang in his heart as he listened.
The Old Madam had toiled her entire life, raising her children and grandchildren, only to end up in her later years being treated as a burden. Wen Huai stood up on the spot. “Aunt, if you wish to go to the Eastern Capital, then go without worry. From now on, I will take care of Grandmother.”
At first light the next day, he took the official documents Wen Shuse had bought for him and went to the Prince Mansion to assume his post. He returned late because, after reporting to the office of the Eldest Young Master Xie, Xie Heng, he had been invited to stay for a meal.
Before Wen Shuse arrived today, Eldest Madam, Madam An had already boarded the carriage bound for the Eastern Capital. She took all her personal valuables with her, and anything of worth in her rooms had been moved out.
Now, in all of Fengcheng, only the three of them, the Old Madam and her two grandchildren, remained of the Wen family.
He had spoken those words himself, so he now had to bear the consequences. With not a single coin left in his pocket, Wen Huai followed Xie Shao’s example and asked Shizi Zhou for an advance of ten taels of silver. He stretched every penny into two, unwilling to let the Old Madam suffer in the slightest, yet his own meals were even more pitiful than what he’d eaten out at sea.
Remembering Wen Shuse’s picky habits, he didn’t invite her to stay for a meal that day. When mealtime came, he simply urged her to leave. “You’d better head back. After all, Third Young Master Xie also receives an official salary.”
Wen Shuse clicked her tongue, mocking him, “You really don’t have a shred of responsibility as an older brother.”
Wen Huai snorted coldly. “If I were truly irresponsible, I’d have demanded that half-chest of clams back long ago.”
True enough, even with legs weak from hunger, he hadn’t come knocking to ask for them back, proof enough of how much he still doted on her.
Well, if she wasn’t eating, so be it. That meal really wasn’t appetizing anyway. She left the Wen Mansion with Xiangyun and, having fully digested the greasy feast from last time, found herself craving exotic delicacies once more.
Having already visited Drunken Fragrance Pavilion, she decided to try somewhere different this time. Once settled in the carriage and adjusting her veil hat, Wen Shuse said to Xiangyun, “Let’s go to White Pavilion.”
Before leaving the house today, she had already informed Third Young Master Xie that she wouldn’t be returning until evening.
There was still plenty of time. She planned to have lunch first, then stroll through a jewelry shop. Even if she couldn’t afford to buy anything or had nowhere to wear it, looking and touching were a pleasure enough.
—
A few days earlier, after hearing Pei Qing mention that the Eastern Capital had sent several groups of people to Fengcheng, Xie Shao had grown vigilant. Pei Yuanqiu had only one son, Pei Qing. Before anything happened, he would surely try every means possible to get him out of Fengcheng.
The incident at the armory last time had only been the beginning. The Eastern Capital would undoubtedly make more moves next.
And with the situation in Luo’an, that person was already backed against a wall. The best solution would be to overshadow it with an even greater incident.
With several issues piling together like this, the Central Region would not know peace. The Prince had probably sensed as much, which was why he had changed his route halfway and returned to the Eastern Capital.
If one accepted a salary, one had to do real work. Today, he dragged Zhou Kuang along to patrol the streets.
But Zhou Kuang’s mind was nowhere on patrolling. He was fully focused on teasing him.
“I heard the Eldest Madam Wen went off to the Eastern Capital, leaving only the Old Madam and your brother-in-law, whose pockets are even emptier than his face in the mansion?”
Behind closed doors, discussing such things with his wife was one matter, but having an outsider bring it up felt strangely different. A sudden sense of shared honor and shame rose within him. Xie Shao shot him a cool glance. “What does that have to do with you?”
“I’m just showing concern for you,” Zhou Kuang said, pretending to be earnest. “Looking at it now, Sister-in-law really had foresight, securing official posts for you both. At least it saved your rice bowl.”
It was already lunchtime. Of the twenty taels he had on hand, he had given ten to Xie Shao and another ten to Wen Huai. He had no money left to enter a restaurant. Zhou Kuang handed a piece of flaky pastry he was holding, then lifted his head to look at White Pavilion before them. With a sigh, he said, “Truly, the past is unbearable to recall. How long has it been since we last went inside?”
His feet suddenly refused to move. “Let’s just stand here… and take in the aroma instead.”