Chapter 58: Zhang Does Not Take Concubines...

"Father... should we just go back?"

Lady Luo's voice sounded remarkably flat, seemingly devoid of any emotional ripples, yet only she knew the immense effort it took to utter those final words.

Upon hearing this, Old Master Luo opened his mouth, finding himself temporarily at a loss for words.

Having traveled far and wide across the land for many years, he had never laid eyes on a woman of such ethereal beauty. She had arrived with such grand fanfare, with the Zhang family waiting for her at the threshold, not to mention this sprawling manor. A magnificent estate and an exquisite beauty—his convenient son-in-law certainly had incredible fortune.

"Let's go..." Old Master Luo sighed softly.

A woman of such imposing demeanor was simply not someone his own daughter could ever hope to rival. To press forward now would only invite humiliation. Should she happen to be ruthless of heart, then with just the two of them being vastly outnumbered and lacking influence, whether they could even walk out of the capital city alive would be a question.

So be it, let it go...

"My wife, where are you going?"

A familiar voice rang out from behind. Lady Luo's back stiffened instantly, yet she dared not turn her head, terrified that it might merely be an auditory hallucination born of her own longing.

Just as she took another rigid step forward, her hand was gently yet firmly grasped by the other: "My wife?"

With a stiff motion, Lady Luo turned her head. Reflected in her eyes was that very same familiar face, accompanied by a gaze filled with deep concern, plunging her into a state of lingering bewilderment where she still dared not believe it was real.

"Has the esteemed son-in-law been well?" Old Master Luo interjected with a hint of surprise. He had seen it clearly; his son-in-law had caught sight of his daughter and had practically dashed right past the other side to rush over here. Putting everything else aside, this attitude seemed vastly different from what he had previously anticipated.

"Father-in-law has arrived as well?" Zhang Rui hastily snapped back to his senses and offered a respectful bow.

Thank goodness the older man spoke up first; for a fleeting moment, he had mistaken him for the carriage driver...

Old Master Luo frowned slightly. Was it because they hadn't seen each other in three years, or something else? He somehow felt as though this young man was looking at him as if they were meeting for the very first time.

"Husband?"

Hearing him converse naturally with her father, Lady Luo finally realized that none of this was an illusion, and she addressed him cautiously.

"You've had a hard journey traveling all this way, my wife." Zhang Rui looked at the large family assembled behind her and let out a soft sigh of relief. This world was crawling with bizarre horrors; as long as the entire family could safely enter the capital, that was what mattered most. From now on, he would try his utmost to avoid being separated from his loved ones by too great a distance.

"Husband, who is that?" Lady Luo cautiously gestured toward the young woman standing by the doorway, noting that from the moment her husband had run over, that person had been staring coldly in their direction.

A trace of awkwardness flickered across Zhang Rui's face upon hearing this. Although he had yet to exchange words with the woman, she had arrived in the company of the Lu family's steward, allowing him to roughly guess her identity. She was most likely the "Nightingale" the steward had mentioned yesterday.

"Ahem... well, that's just some absurd business from years ago. Don't worry, my wife, step inside first, and your husband will explain everything to you."

Lady Luo was momentarily stunned, and so was Old Master Luo. He was actually... willing to explain?

"Big Brother..." Standing behind them and watching his eldest brother take the initiative to hold his sister-in-law's hand, Zhang Yu also felt a weight lift from his heart. Although he had spent the entire journey comforting Lady Luo and her father, assuring them that his eldest brother wasn't that kind of person, in truth, he hadn't been entirely certain either.

"Ah, Xiao Yu, and sister-in-law, you all lead the people inside first. Just place the luggage anywhere for now; the courtyard is spacious, and Mother said we would allocate the rooms after you arrived. Everyone must be hungry, right? Go on inside."

Amidst these welcoming instructions, Lady Luo and her father followed apprehensively into the manor. As they reached the entrance, Zhang Rui glanced at Nightingale, a flash of astonishment crossing his eyes before he bowed respectfully: "Lady Nightingale, Steward Lu, please forgive my earlier discourtesy. Please, come in."

"You are too polite, Your Honor." Steward Lu smiled somewhat awkwardly. He truly hadn't expected this official's legal wife to arrive today, and judging by appearances, the official seemed to hold his merchant-born wife in exceptionally high regard.

As for Nightingale, her expression remained ice-cold, a flicker of bitter mockery dancing in her eyes.

What a hypocritical man...

Entering the inner hall, Old Madam Zhang and Old Master Zhang took the seats of honor upon Zhang Rui's arrangement. He then arranged for his father-in-law to sit in the seat of primary honor on the left, Steward Lu in the seat of honor on the right, while he himself took Lady Luo's hand and seated her right beside her father.

"How is it that my in-law found the leisure to come here?" Old Master Zhang asked with a beaming smile.

Compared to his own old matriarch, he was actually extremely fond of the Luo family's daughter-in-law. Back then, he had felt immensely proud that his son had managed to win a maiden of the Luo household.

"I heard the son-in-law received a promotion, so how could I not come to celebrate?" Old Master Luo replied with a hearty laugh.

Yet deep down, he remained somewhat puzzled by the Zhang family's attitude. This display bore no resemblance to a household about to turn hostile; could it be that they intended to be polite before resorting to force?

If so, that was fine too. As long as things weren't made too unsightly and everyone gave each other a graceful way out, this trip of his would not have been in vain.

"Is my husband about to explain the matter concerning that young lady?" Once Lady Luo had calmed her racing thoughts, she dispensed with pleasantries and cut straight to the heart of the matter. Whatever was coming should come quickly. If she could leave with some dignity, just as her father had suggested, and secure a letter of mutual separation, that would be the best possible outcome.

"Ah... well, it's like this..." Zhang Rui covered his head, a wave of frustration welling up inside him.

What kind of absurd situation was this? The wife wasn't one he had chosen to marry himself, and the mistress wasn't one he had sought out himself—why on earth did he have to be the one to explain this mess in the end?

"Back then... ahem... when your husband first entered the capital, I received some assistance from Lady Nightingale..."

Nightingale?

Upon hearing this, Lady Luo and Old Master Luo frowned slightly. Why did that sound somewhat like the stage name of a courtesan from the pleasure houses?

Moreover, despite the woman's extraordinary presence and breathtaking beauty, from beginning to end, the Zhang family showed not the slightest intention of offering her a proper seat.

"My husband can simply state what he means." Lady Luo spoke up directly.

Some matters were best severed with a swift, decisive stroke.

Nodding in acknowledgment, Zhang Rui turned his gaze toward Nightingale: "Lady Nightingale, back then Zhang was momentarily muddle-headed and committed some foolish actions. Now, three years having passed, Zhang assumed that many things were already water under the bridge. May I ask the purpose of Lady Nightingale's visit today?"

"Is Zhang Lang truly so heartless?" Nightingale's gaze grew deep and melancholic. Though her expression appeared frosty, her voice carried just a hint of grievance, causing everyone present to feel a pang of heartache. Leave aside the men; even the women felt a sudden surge of pity.

Zhang Rui drew a deep breath. Having lived through two lifetimes, this was his first time being looked at with such a grievance-laden gaze by a woman—and a beauty of this caliber at that.

Tsk tsk, so this was what it felt like to be a scumbag?

"Lady Nightingale jests." Zhang Rui managed to remain composed. "You and I have had zero contact for three full years; how can anyone speak of being heartless? Furthermore, given Lady Nightingale's status, the capital is overflowing with princes and nobles vying for your favor. Why trouble yourself over a poor scholar like me?"

"Is Zhang Lang looking down on my identity?" Nightingale's voice grew even more plaintive.

"You could say that..."

Nightingale: "？？？？"

Steward Lu: "......."

What did this fellow just say?

Nightingale's expression finally cracked. Ever since her debut, not even the imperial princes in the palace had ever dared to claim they looked down upon her!

"I am a regular seventh-rank official of the imperial court with an untainted reputation. Lady Nightingale hails from the pleasure quarters; any past contact was merely play-acting for the occasion. For someone like you to chase me all the way to my private residence like this is truly rather inappropriate, isn't it?"

Nightingale stared fixedly at Zhang Rui, while Steward Lu wore an expression of sheer astonishment. Did this brat have any inkling of just how fiercely sought-after Nightingale was in the capital nowadays? Princes and nobles in the capital would scatter fortunes like dust just to hear a single song or watch a single dance from Nightingale, yet most couldn't even catch a glimpse of her face.

"Zhang Lang!" Nightingale ground her teeth. "You have always known—this concubine sells her art, not her body."

"That still makes you a woman of the pleasure quarters." Zhang Rui frowned. "If Lady Nightingale desires something, you might as well state your terms directly."

"You..." For the very first time, Nightingale nearly lost her composure, a look of fierce resentment flashing across her features. The man's repeated use of the phrase "pleasure quarters woman" had nearly choked her to death.

"Lord Zhang..." Steward Lu, standing nearby, could no longer bear to watch. He stepped forward and cupped his hands in salute: "Lady Nightingale is a renowned master of the zither in the capital. Although her name is registered at the Qingfeng Pavilion, she is by no means comparable to ordinary courtesans. Countless nobles in the capital would struggle to secure a single performance from her; Your Honor would do well not to disparage her in such a manner."

"Steward Lu speaks reasonably." Zhang Rui returned the salute with a smile. "This official is not intentionally belittling Lady Nightingale; it is simply that my wife is present, and certain matters must be laid bare to avoid any misunderstandings on her part."

Lady Luo stared blankly at Zhang Rui. When had she ever been regarded with such importance?

Moreover, the plot was developing in a completely different direction from what she had imagined.

She had originally assumed that a woman of noble birth had come to force her husband into divorcing his wife, only to discover it was a courtesan mistress?

"Lord Zhang truly dotes on his wife, doesn't he?" Nightingale gritted her teeth, casting a critical glance at Lady Luo.

The woman wasn't particularly ugly—bright, poised, and reasonably attractive among common folk—but she simply couldn't compare to a peerless beauty like herself, could she?

Furthermore, born of a merchant family and utterly lacking the bearing of a young lady of a great household, she reeked entirely of mundane vulgarity.

Lady Luo felt thoroughly uncomfortable under that intense stare. For reasons she couldn't explain, even though the woman sounded like a courtesan, she emanated an oppressive aura that made Lady Luo feel she was someone to be dreaded, rendering her temporarily unable to utter a single word in retort.

Old Master Luo prudently chose to remain silent as well. Having traveled widely throughout his life, he could tell at a single glance that this woman named Nightingale was far from being just an ordinary pleasure-house entertainer.

"Naturally..." Zhang Rui rose to his feet, stepping in front of Lady Luo to shield her. "When Zhang was still down on his luck, my wife lowered herself to marry me. Through all these years, she has managed the household chores and shown utmost filial piety to our elders. Originally a daughter of a wealthy southern family, she nevertheless followed me into exile in a bleak northern frontier county, tasting every kind of hardship. The Zhang family's foundations are meager, and we relied entirely upon my wife's dowry to sustain us. Such a bond of husband and wife—offering warmth in the dead of winter—if I failed to cherish this, how would Zhang differ from a beast?"

Father and daughter of the Luo family were left completely dumbfounded, especially Lady Luo, who stared at him with a dazed, besotted expression.

Did he truly think of her this way?

Yet if that were the case, why had he been so cold and distant toward her all these years?

Nightingale was equally stunned. Could this truly be that cowardly young man from years ago who had been utterly captivated by a single smile of hers?

Grand Secretary was right after all—this brat really knew how to act!

"Zhang Lang has misunderstood." Ultimately, Nightingale drew a deep breath and gritted her teeth. "Nightingale seeks only to be by Zhang Lang's side; I harbor no ambition for fame or status. As long as Zhang Lang is willing to have me, Nightingale... is entirely willing to serve as a concubine!!"

"That won't do..." Zhang Rui shook his head without hesitation. "According to the ancestral precepts of the Zhang family, our legitimate sons are forbidden to take concubines after marriage unless they have passed the age of thirty without producing an heir. My wife and I are in the prime of our youth; we have ample time to extend the family line. Ancestral rules cannot be violated, nor do I have any intention of taking a concubine."

Upon hearing this, the Matriarch in the seat of honor stared blankly at her old man, lowering her voice: "Does our family even have such a rule?"

Old Master Zhang rolled his eyes in exasperation. Didn't you see your son spouting utter nonsense? Their family had been peasants for generations—did she think they were some kind of local gentry or squires? Take concubines? In his grandfather's generation, they had almost failed to find wives at all!

"Is Lord Zhang determined to insult me to this extent?" Nightingale's voice turned chillingly cold.

Hearing this, Zhang Rui cast a profound look her way. "Lady Nightingale misunderstands. Zhang is merely stating his stance; non-acceptance does not equate to insult. As for the favor of a beauty, Zhang simply lacks the fortune to receive it."

"Very well!" Nightingale laughed in sheer fury. "A splendid lack of fortune indeed! It would seem Nightingale's station is simply too lowly to scale the gates of Lord Zhang's estate. We shall meet again!"

Without even waiting for Steward Lu to speak, she turned on her heel and strode out with an icy expression.

Steward Lu watched her go, entirely at a loss for how to persuade her to stay. He could never have imagined that this fellow surnamed Zhang could reject a peerless enchantress of such caliber with such absolute decisiveness!

Was this guy even a man at all?

"Lord Zhang... you... why must you go this far?"

"Steward Lu..." Zhang Rui turned his gaze toward him. "Surely you didn't come here specially today just for this matter? I thought you were here to deliver that person to me."

He was naturally referring to the foundational sorcerer previously negotiated with the Lu family.

"Lord Zhang..." Steward Lu offered a wry, bitter smile upon hearing this. "Lady Nightingale is precisely the foundational sorcerer meticulously selected for you by the Master!"

Zhang Rui: "........."