Great Song Dynasty Writer

Chapter 276 Brother-in-law
"Just when the Directorate of Water Conservancy was under immense pressure and had my father prepare all the materials and choose a date to start construction, a more severe impeachment suddenly came from the court, saying that the project was 'damaging the dragon vein'. The wording was extremely vicious, and it is said that the person behind this storm was a very important figure."

Even though there were no outsiders in the room, Lu Nanzhi still lowered her voice, with the instinctive fear of an ordinary person towards an unapproachable powerful figure.

"Big man?"

Lu Beigu frowned and pressed, "Who is this important person? What is their name?"

Lu Nanzhi hesitated for a moment, then shook her head and said, "It's better if you don't know. Even if you did, it wouldn't do you any good. We can't win against them."

Upon hearing this, Lu Beigu's blood pressure spiked, and his vision blurred slightly.

"Sister!"

Seeing his anxiety, Lu Nanzhi knew that if she stopped halfway through, her younger brother would not be able to accept it, since this was the truth about their father being framed.

“I was secretly listening to my father and mother talking late at night outside the window. I heard that it was Prime Minister Lü Yijian who instructed his students to impeach them.”

"Lu Yijian's disciple? Which one?"

Lü Yijian had been in power for many years, and his disciples and former officials were all over the country. If he didn't have a specific name, guessing would be like looking for a needle in a haystack.

Lu Nanzhi sighed and said, "The current Privy Councilor is Jia Changchao."

Lu Beigu had roughly understood that the construction of the Rainbow Bridge was, in essence, a pawn in a game of chess, drawn into the power struggle between the conservatives and the reformists that had been raging for over a decade since the Qingli era.

As a leading figure of the conservative faction, Lü Yijian had disciples and associates all over the court. After the failure of the Qingli Reforms, the conservative faction began to completely obstruct any reforms that might be labeled as "reformists" or touch upon vested interests, which is entirely logical.

Obstructing the construction of the Rainbow Bridge is not only to protect the interests of the collapsed property owners, but also to strike at the remaining influence of the New Policies faction!
Even today, Lu Nanzhi may not fully understand the intricacies of this situation, but she clearly felt the immense force that threatened to crush her father fourteen years ago.

"My father became the one caught in the middle. The merchants who collapsed the house hated him to the bone, and the forces in the court wanted to completely ruin the construction of the Rainbow Bridge. The evidence they fabricated became more and more 'conclusive.' My father gradually became exhausted, and then he hurriedly married me off. Your brother-in-law is from Kaifeng, and his family has been officers of the Imperial Guard for three generations. Looking back now, my father was helping me avoid disaster."

Lu Nanzhi's voice choked, and tears silently streamed down her face again: "Not long after I got married, I heard from your eldest brother that Father went to the Pei residence once, and when he came back, he was distraught and locked himself in his study all night. Afterward, he went to the Dushuijian Yamen to report for duty. The next day at noon, the government officials came and said that Father had died suddenly in the yamen that morning."

Lu Beigu's pupils contracted slightly, and he felt a chill run down his spine to the top of his head.

What a coincidence that someone could "die suddenly from an illness"?
This is clearly a case of "forced suicide"!

Inside the small tofu shop, the dim light of an oil lamp flickered.

The siblings stood like two silent statues.

Outside, the hustle and bustle of Kaifeng seemed to be isolated by an invisible barrier, leaving only the heavy, suffocating truth inside.

Lu Beigu clenched his fist tightly inside his sleeve, his nails digging deep into his palm, causing a sharp pain.

Lü Yijian is dead, but Jia Changchao is still in a high position.

The father's wrongful death, the sister's endurance of humiliation, and the sister-in-law's wandering and displacement—all these stemmed from the power struggles within the court back then.

If what his sister Lu Nanzhi said is true, then Lu Beigu will definitely avenge this grudge!

He raised his head, looked at his sister's face, and said firmly, word by word, "Sister, I remember the injustices of the past. The blood of the Lu family will not be shed in vain!"

Just then, a series of heavy footsteps approached from afar and stopped at the shop entrance.

Then came the creaking sound of the door being gently pushed open. When it couldn't be opened, four knocks were made, one light and one heavy.

"coming."

Hearing the rhythmic knocking, Lu Nanzhi quickly wiped her eyes and went to greet the person on the door.

As soon as the door opened, a tall, imposing figure, carrying the chill of the winter night, bent down and stepped inside.

The newcomer was a robust man, dressed in a worn, dark-colored, narrow-sleeved battle jacket, over which was a windproof fur coat, and a well-worn rhinoceros belt around his waist. According to the Song Dynasty system, officials of the third rank wore jade belts, officials of the fourth rank wore gold belts, officials of the fifth rank wore silver belts, and officials of the sixth to ninth ranks wore rhinoceros belts; commoners used belts made of copper or iron.

Judging from his attire, he was clearly a low-ranking officer in the Imperial Guard, with little social standing in the Song Dynasty.

He was around thirty years old, with a square face and a dark complexion from years of exposure to the sun and wind. He had a short beard on his chin and an old scar about an inch long on his brow bone. Although it wasn't ferocious, it added a touch of fierceness to his appearance.

His eyes were sharp as an eagle's, carrying the vigilance unique to soldiers. As soon as he entered the house, his gaze swept across the room and instantly locked onto the stranger inside—Lu Beigu.

"This is?"

His gaze swept quickly between his wife's swollen eyes and the unfamiliar young man, his brow furrowing almost imperceptibly.

"father!"

The little boy, Jia An, who had been nestled beside Lu Nanzhi's legs, immediately felt like he had found his pillar of support when he saw his father return. He rushed over with a sob in his voice and hugged his father's strong legs tightly.

"Dad! Mom was bullied today! They even smashed the tofu! It was bad people! But then that official and my uncle chased them away!"

"Uncle?" Jia Yan was taken aback.

Lu Nanzhi had just seen her husband, and her forced composure relaxed a bit. She had even forgotten to introduce him for a moment. At this moment, she quickly introduced him: "This is my younger brother, Lu Beigu, whom I told you about before! He has now passed the provincial examination in Luzhou and is in Kaifeng to take the provincial examination of the Ministry of Rites. Today, we owe a lot to him and that Mr. Wang who gave us guidance."

She quickly recounted how the clerks made things difficult for her that day, how Lu Beigu stepped forward, how Wang Anshi appeared to punish the corrupt officials, and the scene of the siblings recognizing each other.

When it was mentioned that his brother-in-law had passed away, Jia Yan's eyes dimmed noticeably. He nodded silently, and the wariness in his gaze toward Lu Beigu faded considerably.

"I see. Thank you so much."

Jia Yan took the initiative to bow to Lu Beigu first, and Lu Beigu quickly returned the bow.

Jia Yan turned to look at his wife, his eyes softening instantly: "Nanzhi, I'm sorry you and the children have suffered because I wasn't home. What happened today is my fault."

He walked to Lu Nanzhi's side, gently patted his wife's shoulder with his broad hand, then bent down and picked up his son Jia An, rubbing his stubble-covered chin against his son's cheek, making Jia An giggle.

This heartwarming scene dispelled the originally somber atmosphere in the room.

"Brother-in-law, you flatter me." Lu Beigu felt relieved as he saw the warmth finally appear on his sister's face. "The rampant corruption of corrupt officials is not the fault of just one family or household, but rather the result of accumulated problems. Fortunately, the Prefect of Kaifeng, Wang, has been decisive and efficient in implementing new laws, which should bring about some improvement in the future."

"Let's not talk about that anymore." Jia Yan looked at his brother-in-law Lu Beigu, his tone becoming concerned. "Beigu, since you've come to take the imperial examination, where are you staying now? Have you settled in? If you don't mind, why not stay temporarily in the backyard of this shop? Although it's simple, it's better than the noisy inn."

"Thank you for your kindness, brother-in-law."

Lu Beigu declined, saying, "I have entered the Guangwen Hall of the Imperial Academy, which makes studying and preparing for the exams very convenient. It is already a great fortune that I was able to meet my elder sister today. However, I talked to my elder sister about some past events today, and she is in a state of grief. I hope my brother-in-law can comfort her."

Upon hearing this, Jia Yan clearly understood what Lu Beigu meant.

"About my father-in-law's affairs... I know how much Nanzhi has suffered over the years. But some things are not something that people like us can easily touch."

Lu Beigu nodded: "Brother-in-law, don't worry, I understand."

"Hmm." Jia Yan nodded, a smile returning to his face. "You've already achieved the top rank in the provincial examination, so you'll likely have a chance to pass the provincial examination and become a Jinshi (a successful candidate in the highest imperial examination). Your future is truly limitless! Once you pass the provincial examination, your brother-in-law will definitely have a good drink with you all night long!"

"Dad! I want to drink too!" Jia An exclaimed excitedly from the side.

"You little rascal! Go drink your tofu juice!" Jia Yan said with a smile, rubbing his son's head.

The atmosphere inside the room finally calmed down completely.

However, the truth about his father's wrongful death, and the veiled reminder in his brother-in-law's words, still weighed heavily on Lu Beigu's heart like a stone.

(End of this chapter)