Chapter Twenty: An Unfilial Daughter

"He did not lie. After Zhang Chen treated Xu Zize, his illness improved significantly. The Xu siblings are very grateful to Zhang Chen; they will not report him for fraud." Tian Yachun cursed Zhang Chen under her breath before asking, "Enough of that. Zhang Chen told me to move to Zhang Village tomorrow. Should I go?"

"He publicly shouted that he was only giving you a chance for the sake of another girl surnamed Tian. Yachun, Zhang Chen is practically giving you an ultimatum." Tian Yayi cursed Zhang Chen as well. "Of course, you are not going to Zhang Village tomorrow."

"If I may be so bold, at the Zhang family residence, that thick-skinned Zhang Chen was shouting at the Ma family clinic about wanting Xu Zihan as his principal wife. Xu Zihan was furious at first, but inside the clinic, she was flirting with him, stepping on his feet under the table. She has taken a liking to him."

Dongmei cursed Zhang Chen. "Zhang Chen bragged that he would divorce the young mistress once he passes the imperial examination. I may be short-sighted, but I feel the young mistress should move to Zhang Village tomorrow. That position of principal wife belongs to you, Miss! Don't let Xu Zihan have the satisfaction!"

If the young mistress had no intention of moving, she would not be discussing this with her family. She wanted to go, but she was too proud to admit it. After muttering this to herself, Dongmei silently criticized Tian Yayi: *Master Tian is a bit of a fool for trying to talk the young mistress out of going.*

"Today in the county seat, Zhang Chen swindled 110,000 taels of silver. He immediately turned around and spent tens of thousands on iron, saltpeter, and other strategic supplies at the Qingzhou Trading House, while recruiting eight hundred strong men and over a hundred craftsmen."

Tian Xuewen silently cursed Zhang Chen in his heart: *Yachun, I don't know if Zhang Chen is a hero, but Zhang Chuyang is certainly no mediocrity. He is worthy of you.*

"Enough, let us not speak of the past. Yachun, move to Zhang Village tomorrow and live a good life with Chuyang."

Tian Xuewen took a sip of water. "Zhang Chen, or Zhang Chuyang, is your husband. The husband is the guide for the wife. Lower your head to him, apologize, and cry if you must. It is not shameful to beg for his forgiveness!"

"Sister Yachun is moving to Zhang Village tomorrow, but Uncle, Grandfather, what about the 60,000 taels Zhang Chen swindled from us?" Tian Yayi was not the sharpest tool in the shed; he was proving to be even more foolish than Zhang Chen. Tian Xuewen had no sons, so he had raised Tian Yayi since the boy was five. He treated him like his own.

Knowing Yayi would never pass the scholar examination—he would likely remain a mere student at best—Tian Xuewen shook his head. "Yayi, go back to sleep."

Just then, the head steward of the Tian manor, Tian Dafu, entered to deliver a bombshell:

"Master, after returning to Zhang Village this afternoon, Zhang Chen announced that he is taking his personal maid, Xia Hua, as a concubine. The gentry and major landlords from nearby villages like Mazhuang, Yangjiaji, and Yeqiao have all sent people to Zhang Village with gifts."

"He even gave Zhang Chen two thousand taels as a congratulatory gift. Qi Dazhi, the chiliarch of the Qishan Thousand-Household Office, personally went to Zhang Village to congratulate Zhang Chen on his new marriage. Even young master Xu Zize, now recovered, and Zhang Chen’s classmate from the county school, Ma Tingyu, rode out of the city overnight to drink at Zhang Chen's wedding feast."

Tian Xuewen, the magistrate of Fushan County, was a capable official. Responding to the cabinet's call, he had recruited a thousand strong men to train as a local militia.

It was precisely because of this militia that the Baldy Qi bandit gang of Cishan dared not raid villages during the day.

The Baldy Qi bandits were expected to strike Zhang Village under the cover of night, so the militia, acting on Tian Xuewen's orders, kept a close watch on the village.

Since the militia was established by Tian Xuewen, it was no surprise they reported Zhang Chen's movements to him.

Without even seeking the Tian family's permission, Zhang Chen—a mere matrilocal son-in-law—had taken a concubine. This was a grave insult, a slap in the face to the Tian family!

"Yachun, you will divorce Zhang Chen tomorrow. We do not want this son-in-law anymore. No, wait—go to sleep. You are not going to Zhang Village tomorrow."

Tian Xuewen cursed Zhang Chen. That bastard was exactly what he wanted—a divorce.

"Tomorrow morning, I will go to the Zhang family matriarch, Madam Zhao, and bring a few village elders with me to Zhang Village."

Furious, Tian Xuewen gritted his teeth. "If Zhang Chen cannot give a reasonable explanation and satisfy the Tian family, I will make sure he fails his imperial examinations. A man of such poor character does not deserve to be a scholar!"

"Father, please, do not be angry. It is your daughter's lack of filial piety that failed to manage the relationship with Zhang Chuyang, causing you this trouble." Tian Yachun wept, cursing Zhang Chen in her heart.

...

Zhang Chen had no idea that the furious Magistrate Tian was preparing to storm Zhang Village. He was currently drinking with Qi Dazhi, the chiliarch of the Qishan Thousand-Household Office, discussing strategies to wipe out the Baldy Qi bandit gang.

The Qishan Thousand-Household Office was established in the 31st year of the Hongwu Emperor (1398) by order of the Ming founder, Zhu Yuanzhang, to defend against Japanese pirates.

Two hundred years into the Ming Dynasty, most military households had been reduced to the status of slaves to their officers.

The households of the Qishan office had suffered the same fate. Qi Dazhi, now in his thirties, had inherited the position of chiliarch from his father a few years ago.

Upon taking command, he realized that the office had almost no capable soldiers.

At that time, much of Liaodong had been occupied by the Jurchens, bandits ran rampant in Dengzhou Prefecture, and pirates frequently harassed coastal villages.

Qishan was not far from the coast.

Perhaps not wanting to provoke the authorities too far, the pirates had steered clear of the Qishan office. But Qi Dazhi was an ambitious officer; he refused to settle for the status quo.

He selected two hundred men from the office and recruited seven hundred more from the refugees, training them into a formidable force.

Last year, when the government attempted to suppress the Baldy Qi bandits, the soldiers from Qishan were the main force. The operations had failed repeatedly, and the Qishan office had suffered heavy losses.

With government funding insufficient, Qi Dazhi used the office's few ships for trade to support his troops. He was, in his own way, a good official.

The presence of his soldiers had made the surrounding villages much safer, though the troops only trained every five days, limiting their combat effectiveness.

The powerful Baldy Qi gang did not fear them, which was why their leader, Wu Datou, had dared to raid Liuzhuang, just over ten miles from the Qishan office.