Chapter Sixteen: Truly Shameless

“Master Zhang, you, I, and I…” Xu Zihan had never heard of a rogue like Zhang Chen before, nor had she ever seen one. Her face flushed like a ripe apple, and she quickly walked away. “Xueqing, please invite Master Zhang to the medical clinic to treat my brother.”

“He’s no good, Master Zhang, you’re bullying our lady,” Xu Xueqing muttered angrily to herself. She had invited Zhang Chen to the Ma family clinic to treat Xu Zize’s illness, but Zhang Chen had defrauded the Tian family of sixty thousand taels of silver and yet still claimed to be a good man. What shamelessness!

Zhang Chenjun, who had just arrived, nodded slightly. Zhang Chen ignored Tian Yachun’s uncertain expression and followed Xu Xueqing toward the gate of the separate courtyard.

“Not dull at all. Zhang Chen is eloquent; he casually composed half a very fine ‘Ballad of Mulan.’ He is extraordinarily talented and in high demand. Don’t hesitate, miss. When you’ve adjusted your mindset and are ready to fully accept Zhang Chen, know that he and Xu Zihan have long since consummated their marriage.”

The emperor was not anxious, but the eunuch was. Dongmei, worried for Tian Yachun, hurried after Zhang Chen. “Zhang Chen, Master Zhang, um, son-in-law, the lady wants you to come home. She wants you to move back from Zhang Village…”

“Dongmei, you…” Tian Yachun was still undecided. She clenched her teeth. “My father also advised me to live peacefully with Zhang Chen. Fine, I’ll give that scoundrel a break!”

“Want me to move back? Miss Tian, does that mean you’ve decided to consummate the marriage?”

Zhang Chen did not stop walking. “The battle in Zhang Village is intense. The bandits from Cishan may raid us by night at any time. I cannot abandon the villagers there. In my darkest hour, they accepted me—I cannot be ungrateful!”

“For the sake of another Miss Tian, Tian Yachun, I’ll give you one chance. If you move to Zhang Village tomorrow, I will forgive all you have done to me.”

Zhang Chen and Xu Xueqing walked away, and his voice carried back, “I expect to pass the imperial examination by next August. Xiao Tian, I hope you seize this opportunity.”

Although this Tian Yachun of the Ming Dynasty bore a strong resemblance to the twenty-first-century Nurse Tian Yachun, she was not truly my Yachun, Zhang Chen thought, shaking his head. If Tian Yachun did not move to Zhang Village tomorrow, he would find a way to divorce her!

Refusing to move back to her family’s home, Tian Yachun was furious when Zhang Chen publicly gave her an ultimatum. She laughed bitterly in anger:

“So what if you pass the exam? My father is a jinshi degree holder, my eldest sister is the future Crown Prince’s wife of Hengwang Mansion, the future Princess of Hengwang. Our family owns over thirty shops across Fushan County, Dengzhou City, and Jinan City, earning a fortune daily. Zhang Chen, what do you have? You’re just a lowly live-in son-in-law!”

“When I pass the exam, I will divorce you on the grounds that you refused to consummate the marriage on the wedding night and drove me to the perilous Zhang Village,” Zhang Chen’s distant voice returned. “You have grievously erred. I, a jinshi-ranked live-in son-in-law, can divorce you without jeopardizing my future.”

This Tian Yachun of the Tian family from this era infuriated Zhang Chen to no end. Zhang Chen, who occupied the original body, publicly declared he would divorce Tian Yachun to exact revenge.

“You—Zhang Chen, you!” Tian Yachun’s face flushed red with anger. She cried, overwhelmed by his threat to divorce her after passing the exam.

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“Strike first, miss, we can hire a matchmaker to negotiate a divorce with Zhang Chen,” Dongmei scolded Zhang Chen. “Divorce Zhang Chen tomorrow.”

As a low-status live-in son-in-law, Zhang Chen was no match for Tian Yachun’s family. Tian Yachun had no difficulty in divorcing him.

“Zhang Chen wants to divorce me,” Tian Yachun stopped crying, cursing him inwardly. He was eager to ditch her to chase other women.

Elsewhere:

“Dull-witted? Zhang Chen is such a bookworm he couldn’t even kick a fart?”

Zhu Weijin shot Zhang Chenjun a glare. “He impersonated a Xu family guard and defrauded the Tian family of sixty thousand taels of silver. With just a few words, Zhang Chen made the proud Tian Yachun cry in public. Is that dull-witted?”

“Zhang Village is a large, multi-surname village with a mixed population. Zhang Chen took control of the chaotic village in just a day or two. He led over eight hundred strong men to repel nearly a thousand fierce bandits from Cishan. Not dull at all—Zhang Chen is sharp as a tack!”

Princess Zhu Weijin of Hengwang Mansion was close friends with Xu Zihan, and also good friends with Zhang Chenjun and Tian Yachun. The literary gathering was held at Zhang family’s separate courtyard, and she arrived there with Zhang Chenjun.

“My younger brother Zhang Chen was indeed dull-witted before. He was such a bookworm he couldn’t even kick a fart,” Zhang Chenjun muttered disdainfully about the Tian family. “They bullied my brother into becoming a live-in son-in-law. On the wedding night, Tian Yachun rejected him and sent him off to Zhang Village. The Tian family’s arrogance drove my brother to change into someone else entirely!”

Zhang Chenjun was Zhang Chen’s elder half-sister by their father. A smile could barely be concealed on her face. “In the future, if my brother divorces Tian Yachun, she’ll have no one to blame but herself!”

“If life were only as beautiful as the first meeting, why would the autumn wind sadden the painted fan? Hearts easily change, and old friends become strangers.” After Zhang Chen composed half a ‘Ballad of Mulan,’ he confessed to Zihan in public. So romantic!” Zhu Weijin cursed Zhang Chen. “Half a ‘Ballad of Mulan,’ plus the drama between Zhang Chen, Yachun, and Zihan—it’s bound to spread all over Dengzhou and beyond. Zhang Chen, though a live-in son-in-law, is incredibly talented. Yachun is bound to be scorned.”

“Tian Yachun’s disgrace is well deserved. Chuyang can cure toxic sores—how could I not know?” Zhang Chenjun cursed Zhang Chen. “Toxic sores are a serious disease. Healing them is no joke. Princess, I must go to Ma family clinic and reprimand Chuyang.”

“Count me in,” Zhu Weijin said, also cursing Zhang Chen. “I want to watch the drama.”

Not only Zhu Weijin, but also the stout Zhang Erchen, Tian Yayi who had just arrived, and Ma Tingyu among others, all headed toward Ma family clinic.

Offering fifty thousand taels of silver to cure the incurable toxic sores, Zhang Chen went to the Ma family clinic to treat Xu Zize. Naturally, the others went along to watch the spectacle.

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Cursing Zhang Chen, Tian Yachun and Dongmei also went to the Ma family clinic to watch.

Zhang Chenjun, three years older than Zhang Chen and now nineteen, was the daughter of Zhang Yuanyi’s concubine Zhuang.

In other words, Zhang Chenjun was Zhang Yuanyi’s illegitimate daughter.

From the age of three, Zhang Chen trained in martial arts with a master.

At that time, Zhuang had begged Zhang Yuanyi to let Zhang Chenjun train in martial arts, and he agreed, raising her as a boy.

Together with Zhang Chen, Zhang Chenjun trained in martial arts for many years.

From the age of thirteen, she assisted Zhang Yuanyi in business.

Several years ago, Zhang Yuanyi passed away after a serious illness.

With the support of Lady Zhao, Zhang Chenjun took over the Zhang family business and now served as the chief manager of the Zhang family Trading Group.

When Zhang Chenjun and Zhu Weijin arrived at Ma family clinic, Zhang Chen was already using a butcher’s knife to cut open the toxic sore on Xu Zize’s left thigh, despite the protests of Doctor Ma Wencai.

Amid Xu Zize’s pig-like screams, Zhang Chen carefully cleaned out all the pus from the abscess cavity.