Chapter 32: A Hot Commodity

"Zhang Chen is no fool. He swindled our family out of sixty thousand taels of silver just a few days ago with ease; he is incredibly shrewd!" Mistress Wang scolded Tian Yayi. "The fact that Zhang Chen hasn't fled, that he hasn't hidden within the county seat, proves he has a certain level of confidence in repelling the two thousand Japanese pirates from Zhifu Island and the five hundred bandits from Futou Village. I am but a woman, I know nothing of warfare."

"The master was so enraged by that little brat Zhang Chen that he fell unconscious. He wrote the letter of divorce. Tonight was supposed to be about discussing the marriage between Yachun and Zhang Chen, but Zhang Chen had no desire to be our family's matrilocal son-in-law. He must be delighted to have obtained that divorce letter."

Mistress Wang cursed Zhang Chen again: "What are we to do? Should we just let it go? Zhang Chen is merely a child scholar. In our Fushan County and Dengzhou Prefecture, there are plenty of licentiates. There are many unmarried ones in their teens, Yachun. Your father will find you another handsome and talented young man for a husband."

"In truth, I am unwilling to accept this. I had already won Zhang Chen over, yet my cousin handed him a letter of divorce. I truly cannot reconcile myself to this, just as I was unwilling to enter the bridal chamber with that bookish child scholar after our marriage."

Tian Yachun cursed Zhang Chen: "Stop talking about useless things. If he didn't have a ninety-percent certainty of repelling or even annihilating those two thousand Japanese pirates and five hundred bandits, the cunning Zhang Chen would have long since hidden in the county seat. Father, I beg you, please send someone to Zhang Village to propose marriage. Don't let him be a matrilocal son-in-law; I will marry him as his principal wife."

"Zhang Village repelling or even annihilating two thousand Japanese pirates and five hundred bandits? Sister Yachun, have you gone mad, or did I hear you wrong?"

Tian Yayi cursed Zhang Chen: "Tonight, Zhang Village will be slaughtered, looted, and burned to the ground by those two thousand Japanese pirates and five hundred bandits. Sister Yachun, tonight, Zhang Chen will likely be killed by them, and yet you are actually thinking of sending someone to propose marriage so you can become his principal wife? You must be insane!"

"Young Master, if this servant may be so bold as to interject, Zhang Chen has said many times that he fears death more than most. He has at least a seventy-percent certainty of repelling or even annihilating those two thousand Japanese pirates and five hundred bandits. Otherwise, he would have run away long ago."

Dongmei cursed Zhang Chen: "He claimed that his 'heartless cannons' and homemade grenades would give the pirates a surprise. Zhang Chen believes the weapons he tinkered with can repel or even annihilate those two thousand Japanese pirates and five hundred bandits."

*If the young mistress were truly prepared to give up on Zhang Chen, she wouldn't be discussing this with the family, wanting to send someone to propose. She wants to marry him as his principal wife, and she is afraid the master will not agree.*

After muttering this to herself, Dongmei cursed Zhang Chen again: *Now that he has the divorce letter, he must be overjoyed. Since he doesn't love the young mistress, he likely won't want to bring her home as his principal wife. Sigh...*

"Zhang Village only has about two hundred able-bodied men left who can fight. The eight hundred young male refugees Zhang Chen recruited are nothing but a disorganized rabble. Yet tonight, he actually dares to face two thousand Japanese pirates and five hundred bandits."

Tian Xuewen cursed Zhang Chen: "Yachun, Zhang Chen is no fool. Even if Zhang Village falls, he should be able to escape with his life. Zhang Chen is only sixteen; one failure means nothing. Though Zhang Chen is worthy of you, I will not send anyone to Zhang Village to propose, nor will I let you marry him as his principal wife."

"In the past, Zhang Chen was your husband. According to the rites, the husband guides the wife. If you had lowered your head to him, admitted your faults, and wept for his forgiveness, you would not have been shamed, nor would I, and the Tian family would certainly not be shamed!"

Tian Xuewen took a sip of water and sighed: "Before, Zhang Chen was your matrilocal husband. Now, for us to send someone to Zhang Village to ask him to take you as his principal wife would be too disgraceful. It would shame the Tian family and shame your sister! Yachun, in time, Father will find you a handsome and talented young husband."

"Father, I..." Her father, Tian Xuewen, was indeed as unwilling as she had feared. Tian Yachun wept and grabbed Mistress Wang's hand: "Mother..."

"Toads with three legs are hard to find, but men with two legs are everywhere. Yachun, in a while, your father will find you a young man even better than Zhang Chen," Mistress Wang whispered, trying to comfort her.

Just then, the Tian family's head steward, Tian Dafu, entered to relay some slightly bad news: "Master, this afternoon, half an hour after Xia Hua arrived in the county seat, people began spreading the news everywhere that you had written a letter of divorce, ending the union between the second young mistress and Zhang Chen."

The news that Tian Xuewen had written the divorce letter was something Zhang Chen had ordered the scouts from the Zhang Village Intelligence Division to spread in the county, intending to inform Xu Zihan, who was temporarily residing in Fushan County.

"At noon, the wife of Chi Dazhi, the thousand-man commander of the Qishan Garrison, arrived in the county seat with the women of their household. Upon learning that the second young mistress had divorced Zhang Chen, Chi Dazhi's daughter, Chi Yuxuan, expressed a desire to marry Zhang Chen as his principal wife. Mistress Liu plans to send someone to Zhang Village to propose tomorrow."

Tian Dafu cursed Chi Dazhi in his heart: *That thousand-man commander is crafty. Knowing there was a high probability the pirates would attack Zhang Village tonight, he sent the women of his household to Fushan County.*

Although Chi Dazhi believed the pirates wouldn't attack his own garrison tonight, he sent his family to the county as a precaution. For months, the Jurchens in Liaodong had been as fierce as wolves, threatening the Ming Dynasty's Guanningjin defensive line, which was under immense strain.

Peasant uprisings in Shanxi were erupting one after another. The Ming Dynasty was troubled by both internal and external crises, and the political situation was unstable. Bandits and pirates were becoming increasingly rampant throughout the land.

The bandits and pirates within Fushan County did not dare to raid villages in broad daylight, but their nocturnal activities were becoming blatantly bold.

*He sent his family away this morning, and only this afternoon did he go to Zhang Village to offer a warning. Zhang Chen must know they will attack tonight. If I go to Zhang Village to curry favor, it can only bring benefits, not harm.*

Chi Dazhi did not know that his wife, Mistress Liu, was preparing to marry their daughter to Zhang Chen as his principal wife. Mistress Liu was the daughter of a concubine to Liu Lige, a regional commander, and having been born into a military family, she had practiced martial arts since childhood. Before they were married, Chi Dazhi had sparred with her and was no match for her.

Thus, the old commander was somewhat henpecked. More importantly, because his rank was lower than his father-in-law's, he had no choice but to submit. Mistress Liu made the decisions in the household, and she quite admired Zhang Chen, the child scholar who had killed three fierce bandits, including Wu Datou.

With the world growing increasingly chaotic, Mistress Liu considered the sixteen-year-old, handsome, and highly capable Zhang Chen to be a prize catch. Upon hearing that Tian Yachun had divorced him, she decided to send a proposal to Zhang Village.

Zhang Chen was indeed a prize. Tian Dafu reported another piece of news to Tian Xuewen: "Master, it is rumored that Master Shi Keren intends to marry his daughter, Shi Peike, to Zhang Chen as his principal wife. The second steward of the Shi estate let it slip—if Zhang Village can repel the pirates tonight, Master Shi will send someone to propose."