Chapter 1525: Alone in the World
Zhang Wuyue met Zhang Yuelu’s gaze.
Zhang Wuyue saw neither heartbreak nor furious anger in Zhang Yuelu’s eyes, only exhaustion and helplessness.
A wave of guilt immediately washed over Zhang Wuyue.
“No wonder those old Daoists refused to accept it. My cousin was doing these things behind my back, yet I went to them preaching about reform. How could they possibly be convinced? Of course, they would fight me tooth and nail.” Zhang Yuelu stopped looking at Zhang Wuyue but continued to speak. “If I were in their position, I wouldn’t accept it either. Why is it that Zhang Yuelu’s cousin can do it, but they can’t? People do not fear scarcity. They fear inequality. It has always been so.”
Zhang Wuyue said, “Big Sister, I haven’t done anything illegal. Deputy Mansion Master Xie introduced that regulation to strengthen management of the port district and clean up some existing problems there. The rule makes administration easier. It’s reasonable, justified, and legal. No one can find anything wrong with it.”
“I know. There are plenty of loopholes in the law to exploit. Let’s say it’s legal. But is it truly fair and reasonable? Even if it is, why should it be you?” Zhang Yuelu demanded.
Zhang Wuyue replied innocently, “Why can’t it be me? One should promote the worthy regardless of personal relationships. Just because I’m your cousin doesn’t mean I’m forbidden from doing business in Nanyang.”
Zhang Yuelu slammed her hand on the desk. “What a fine interpretation of promoting the worthy regardless of kinship. How many years have you been in business? Are you really more capable than people who have spent decades in trade?”
Zhang Wuyue also began to sound aggrieved. “Big Sister, you and my future brother-in-law are both young, yet you’ve already become Chief Deputies. He’s about to be promoted to Omniscient Sage too. Many seventh-generation disciples serve under the two of you. Doesn’t that prove that ability isn’t determined by age? If the two of you can do it, why can’t I?”
Zhang Yuelu had not expected Zhang Wuyue to be so articulate and argumentative. For a moment, she found herself at a loss for words.
Zhang Wuyue continued, “Big Sister, even if I didn’t do it, someone else would. Forget our family, just look at the Li family. They’ve always done things this way, and far more excessively than I ever have. Who knows how many Taiping coins they’ve made? Li Tianzhen spends 10,000 Taiping coins with a casual wave of his hand in the Imperial Capital. I only earn about that much in a month. I can’t even compare to a fraction of what they have.”
Zhang Yuelu said coldly, “If you admire the Li Family so much, then perhaps you should just become a member of the Li Family!”
Zhang Wuyue immediately shrank back and dared not say another word. This was a major taboo within the Zhang Family, not something to joke about.
“Do you know how much salary a second-rank Taiyi Daoist receives in a year? Including allowances, it’s at most around 10,000 Taiping coins. Yet you casually talk about earning that much in a month. You do it comfortably without bearing any real risk. You say you’re untalented and couldn’t make it as a Daoist priest. If you’re truly so untalented, what gives you the right to earn that kind of money?” Zhang Yuelu questioned.
This time, Zhang Wuyue was left speechless.
Zhang Yuelu continued, “How the Li family conducts itself is their affair. We cannot follow their example. As my cousin, you can’t do this.”
Zhang Wuyue refuted, “Big Sister, if you want to be an upright and incorruptible official, I won’t stop you. If you and my future brother-in-law want to reach the pinnacle of the Daoist Order, I’ll only be happy for you two. I have no intention of holding either of you back. But you can’t just stand by and watch your own brother suffer from hunger and poverty, can you?”
“Hunger and poverty?!” Zhang Yuelu raised her voice. “Does a family as large as the Zhang family really lack enough food to feed you?”
“Not exactly,” Zhang Wuyue replied. “But we belong to a minor branch and can’t compare to the descendants of the main branch. Without additional income, and with my Daoist rank being so low, my monthly stipend is pitiful. What can that amount possibly do? Even if I wanted to find a Daoist companion, she would only look down on me.”
Zhang Yuelu frowned. “What happened?”
Zhang Wuyue lowered his voice and explained, “I met a girl last year. At first, everything was fine. Even though I’m not particularly accomplished, I’m still from the Zhang family. That name carries weight, and with such a formidable elder sister and brother-in-law, I benefited from your reputations. Everyone treated me with respect.
“But after we spent more time together, things changed. Every outing costs money, and maintaining appearances also requires Taiping coins. Eventually, the truth came out. I didn’t have any money. I was nothing more than an empty shell.
“She told me she didn’t want any betrothal gifts, but she didn’t want to live in an old house in Shangqing Town, nor did she want to squeeze into a home with my parents after marriage. She wanted a house of her own in the top three neighborhoods of Jade Capital. Otherwise...”
Zhang Yuelu interrupted him. “Otherwise, she would leave you, right?”
Zhang Wuyue nodded.
Hearing this, Zhang Yuelu remained silent.
Instead, Ke Qingqing spoke up. “Young Master Zhang, I’m a woman too, so I know a thing or two about these tactics. From your description, I’m guessing that young lady wasn’t from a prominent family, right? Women from great clans rarely talk about such matters. Just look at Chief Deputy Zhang and Chief Deputy Qi. When they first met, Chief Deputy Qi was utterly penniless. Even now, Chief Deputy Qi hardly carries money on him, yet Chief Deputy Zhang has never brought up such concerns.”
Zhang Wuyue was taken aback.
Ke Qingqing came from the Imperial Capital Daoist Mansion, where people were well-versed in the ways of the world. She continued, “When women choose men, aside from genuine love, they generally seek someone stronger or more capable than themselves. Equality has been preached for years, but the old logic remains unchanged for most women: marry a man for food and clothing. People may shout about equality louder than anyone else, but when it comes to benefits, they won’t yield an inch. Saying she doesn’t want a betrothal gift is merely a tactic of retreating in order to advance. A small concession today in exchange for greater gains tomorrow.
“As the old saying goes, one spends the day striving merely to stave off hunger. But once full, one desires fine clothes. Once food and clothing are secured, one begins yearning for a beautiful spouse. Human desires always rise step by step. Why did that young lady choose you in the first place? It’s most likely because of your family background. She had high expectations. If she married you, she would become part of the Zhang family, sister-in-law to Chief Deputy Zhang and Chief Deputy Qi. In other words, she would leap across social classes and enter the upper ranks of the Daoist Order.
“But later, she discovered that the Zhang family is divided into major and minor branches and that members of the minor branch do not possess nearly as many resources or as much status as she had imagined. So she became dissatisfied. She felt she had settled for less and believed you had deceived her. That was when her attitude changed and she began making all sorts of demands. In her eyes, those demands are compensation. That is why she feels completely justified and sees it all as perfectly reasonable.
“Another factor is that competition among women can be just as fierce. At its core, it is a financial contest conducted in the name of vanity. If someone else owns a pair of shoes worth 300 Taiping coins, then she must have a pair as well. If someone else’s Daoist companion gifts her a white fox fur cloak, then her own Daoist companion must do the same. Young Master Zhang, you’re still young and have not accumulated much wealth. Your inability to satisfy those desires is also part of the problem.
“As for this so-called threat of leaving you, it is merely a test and a form of coercion. If you yield and compromise today, what happens when she makes another demand tomorrow? Will you compromise again? Your compromise will only make her look down on you even more. If you keep retreating without any bottom line, she will only keep demanding more. She might want you to buy a house today and demand the house be registered under her name tomorrow, and the day after that, she might expect you to beg Chief Deputy Qi and Chief Deputy Zhang to arrange a position for her. Whenever you fail to meet a demand, she will threaten to leave you.
“But honestly, I do not think this young lady truly wants to leave you. She simply wants to control you so that you continue to indulge her, flatter her, coax her, and spoil her. In my view, you are already the best match she could hope to find. Considering you are Chief Deputy Zhang’s cousin, she will not let go of you so easily. If I may, simply agree to it the next time she brings up breaking up. You may find that she’s the one who comes back trying to win you over.”
After listening, Zhang Wuyue fell silent for quite some time before finally smiling. “Thank you for your guidance, Sister Ke.”
Zhang Yuelu spoke up, “I have made myself perfectly clear. Shut down that company of yours immediately, then find a proper job. Work diligently and conduct yourself honestly.”
The smile gradually faded from Zhang Wuyue’s face.
Naturally, Zhang Yuelu sensed the change in his attitude, but she still asked, “Tian Zhong, do you have any objections?”
Zhang Wuyue suddenly raised his voice. “Of course I do! Big Sister, whether you believe it or not, even if I didn’t start this business, those old men would still oppose you. Even if every member of the Zhang family were reduced to begging on the streets, they would still fight over what they feel entitled to. I’m not the one dragging you down!”
“I believe you,” Zhang Yuelu said calmly.
“Since you believe me, then why can’t I do my business?” Zhang Wuyue became agitated. “Big Sister, even without that woman, am I supposed to drift through life in a daze? Is this all my life will ever amount to? Money builds courage. I dare not aspire to power. I only seek a little of that courage money provides. Is that wrong?”
Zhang Yuelu said sternly, “It’s not wrong to be wealthy, but one must acquire it through proper means. I am not forbidding you from making money. I am only telling you to walk the righteous path.”
Casting aside his usual obedient demeanor, Zhang Wuyue suddenly burst into laughter, so much so that he teared up. “Big Sister, you’ve made it in life. You’ve caught the Heavenly Preceptor’s eye, so the Dazhen Mansion allocates 100,000 Taiping coins to you and my future brother-in-law every year for your expenses. You can’t even refuse it. That money is entirely aboveboard, so of course you can stand safely on dry ground, preaching morality and speaking without knowing the pain of those standing in the mud. But I can’t. I don’t enjoy that kind of treatment.”
The conversation had begun to cross the line into open confrontation.
Zhang Yuelu closed her eyes. “I do not deny that. But when I was your age, I also lived solely on a Daoist priest’s stipend and struggled to make ends meet. Back then, I said the same things I am saying now, and more importantly, I lived by them.”
Zhang Wuyue stopped laughing. “Big Sister, if I had a future like yours, I could endure it as well. Unfortunately, I do not.”
Zhang Yuelu let out a sigh, and her tone turned cold. “I am giving you three days. I have said all that needs to be said. What happens next depends on you.”
Zhang Wuyue replied icily, “Since Sage Zhang of the Poluo Daoist Mansion has spoken, I can only comply.”
Zhang Yuelu stared at him with wide-open eyes. “Tian Zhong!”
Zhang Wuyue gave a bitter smile. “Chief Deputy Zhang, the incorruptible champion of justice who places righteousness above family ties punishes her own cousin according to the law, earning universal praise throughout Lion City. That is the best possible ending. Zhang Yuelu, just pretend you never had a cousin like me. Sooner or later, you will end up all alone in this world!”
With that, Zhang Wuyue turned around and left without another word.
Zhang Yuelu did not respond. She simply sat in her chair, silent and despondent.
Ke Qingqing was going to walk Zhang Wuyue out. But she stopped and turned to look at Zhang Yuelu, only to see that her seemingly unshakable superior, whose resolve could never be broken, was silently shedding tears.
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