Marrying The Imperial Elder Chapter 21

By evening, Steward Lin and the escort company finally accompanied Old Lady Zhen and Zhen Tingyun to the Zhen residence.

Father Zhen had spent many years serving in provincial posts and had achieved impressive results in office. Being transferred back to the capital signaled a bright future ahead. In addition, Madam Pei’s natal family was highly influential, and she herself was an excellent household manager. Although the Zhen family had only returned to the capital earlier that year, their residence had long since been purchased and prepared. It was a spacious and elegant four-courtyard mansion.

Even the neighboring households along the same lane were mostly officials and government families, making it a respectable and peaceful area.

The old gatekeeper had sharp eyes.

Recognizing Steward Lin immediately and seeing the dust-covered travelers beside him, he instantly understood who they were. “Old Madam! Second Miss!”

He greeted them repeatedly and respectfully ushered them inside before hurrying off to announce their arrival.

Before long, Father Zhen appeared personally to welcome them, accompanied by Madam Pei and the rest of the family.

Steward Lin and the escort guards were naturally shown to guest quarters to rest. Meanwhile, Zhen Tingyun supported Old Lady Zhen and helped her into the main reception hall.

Old Lady Zhen had not seen her son for many years. The moment she saw him, her eyes grew moist. Forgetting all else, she rushed forward and wrapped her arms around him, looking him over again and again. Suddenly, tears began to fall.

She cupped his face in her hands, gently stroking his cheeks as she choked back sobs. “You’ve gotten darker! And thinner! My poor son has been away all these years. You must have suffered terribly…”

To be fair, Father Zhen had once been a refined scholar with fair skin and handsome features.

During the imperial examinations, the emperor had even considered naming him Tanhua (third place in the palace examination). Since the top three positions had already been decided, he was instead awarded the honor of Chuanlu, the highest-ranked candidate outside the top three.

But over the years, serving as a local magistrate and genuinely trying to accomplish practical reforms had required hard work.

He had indeed become darker and leaner. Yet he had also grown much stronger physically. Years of governance had sharpened both his political skills and his methods. A faint aura of authority now lingered naturally between his brows and eyes.

Only, he had lost his father when he was young and had been raised single-handedly by his widowed mother. Naturally, he was deeply attached to her and had always wished to be filial. Now, after many years apart, seeing his mother in tears and choking with sobs, Father Zhen could not help but shed tears as well. Crying, he said: “It is this unfilial son who has caused Mother such worry…”

Old Lady Zhen was crying so hard that she could barely manage herself, yet she still found time amid her sobs to glance at Madam Pei.

Madam Pei looked just as graceful and delicate as she had in memory. Her figure was elegant and slender. More than ten years had passed, yet not only had she not shown signs of aging, she had gained an even richer charm, like a famous flower whose splendor only deepened with the years.

Old Lady Zhen felt extremely bitter inside and could not resist glaring at Madam Pei. “Back then, you abandoned Second Girl and insisted on going to my son’s side. I thought my son had no one to take care of him, and since you two didn’t yet have a son, husband and wife ought to stay together, so I let you go. Who would have thought that you, with no conscience at all, would live such a comfortable life yourself, keeping your skin so smooth and radiant? Meanwhile, my poor son suffered and toiled all alone, becoming so much darker and thinner…”

As she spoke, another wave of tears came. She pitied all the hardships her son had endured over the years and pitied even more his bad fortune in marrying such a wife who did not know how to care for him.

Faced with a difficult mother-in-law like Old Lady Zhen, Madam Pei still maintained a virtuous smile on the surface, though inwardly she was grinding her teeth with hatred.

Back then, Grandfather Pei had been dismissed from office due to certain circumstances and had been forced to leave the capital with his family to avoid trouble in the countryside. By chance, he encountered Father Zhen, a young man of exceptional talent and character. Appreciating his abilities, he accepted him as a disciple and eventually even gave him his beloved daughter in marriage.

Later, Grandfather Pei was reinstated. From then on, his official career flourished. He had now risen to become Minister of Revenue and a Grand Secretary in the Cabinet. As such, the Pei family was now one of the most prominent families in the capital.

With such a powerful natal family behind her, Madam Pei naturally stood very confidently and spoke with authority. Even Father Zhen’s transfer back to the capital this time had owed much to the Pei family’s assistance.

Furthermore, setting aside her background, Madam Pei herself was beautiful and talented. She had graduated from the Xidu Women’s Academy and could be considered a true talented lady. She and Father Zhen had always shared genuine affection, and after marriage they remained deeply devoted to each other, never taking concubines or even maids for his bedchamber.

As for their children, their eldest daughter was beautiful and intelligent, while their youngest son was sensible and diligent. Anyone who saw them would praise Madam Pei’s good fortune.

Unfortunately, even someone as fortunate as Madam Pei had ended up with a difficult mother-in-law like Old Lady Zhen.

After all, in those days, a mother-in-law making life difficult for her daughter-in-law was considered perfectly natural so long as it was not excessive. No matter how angry Madam Pei became, she could only endure it.

The only time she could not endure it any longer, she gritted her teeth, left behind her young daughter, and carried her eldest daughter to the capital to find her husband.

At that time, Grandfather Pei had already been reinstated. Seeing the situation of his daughter and son-in-law, and considering that the political situation in the capital was also somewhat unstable, he simply arranged an external posting for his son-in-law, sending him farther away.

This allowed him to accomplish practical achievements and build political merit for future promotion while also sparing his daughter from suffering those endless petty torments under her mother-in-law’s watchful eye.

After leaving Old Lady Zhen behind, Madam Pei’s life became truly perfect.

Although she initially missed the young daughter she had abandoned, she understood that if she proposed bringing the girl to her side, she would inevitably have to bring that wicked mother-in-law back as well. So she hardened her heart and endured it.

As time passed, her life became smooth, happy, and fulfilling. Naturally, she had little time to think about the daughter she had left behind shortly after birth.

Even when she occasionally remembered her, she would think that since the girl had been raised by Old Lady Zhen, she was probably ruined already. Thus, even the little maternal affection she had left gradually faded.

Yet now, after all the changes of time, she and Old Lady Zhen were somehow going to live under the same roof again.

Just thinking about it made Madam Pei clench her teeth.

Yet Old Lady Zhen still insisted on making things difficult and questioning her like this.

Madam Pei suppressed her anger, lowered her graceful head, and softly replied: “As for the matters Master handles outside the home, it is not appropriate for me to interfere. As for the family… alas, with Madam and Ting Jie’er not by his side, Master naturally could not help but miss you both. Thinking of you day and night, it is only natural that he should grow thinner.”

Father Zhen quickly chimed in: “That’s right, Mother. I became like this because I missed you. You can’t blame Madam Pei.”

For a time, mother and son embraced each other and cried.

Madam Pei waited quietly at the side. Seeing that the two had calmed somewhat, she finally stepped forward and comforted Father Zhen: “Master and I have longed day and night for Madam to arrive with Ting Jie’er. Now our whole family is reunited, our flesh and blood together at last. This should be a joyous occasion. Why are we shedding so many tears instead?”

As she spoke, she shot Father Zhen a reproachful glance. “Master ought to be comforting Madam instead.”

“Yes, yes, yes. I truly lost my composure for a moment.” Realizing his lapse, Father Zhen quickly helped Old Lady Zhen sit down and instructed the maids to serve tea.

Only then did he remember the pair of children still standing behind himself and Madam Pei. He beckoned to them. “Come here quickly and greet your grandmother…” Then his gaze swept over Zhen Tingyun, who stood beside Old Lady Zhen, and he added gently: “And your sister as well.”

Only after he finished speaking did Zhen Yiyun and Zhen Hengzhe, who had been standing behind Madam Pei, step forward.

Zhen Yiyun was a year older than Zhen Tingyun and was nearly of marriageable age. She was therefore much taller than Zhen Tingyun.

Unlike the petite cuteness of most young girls, her breasts had begun to fill out and her slender waist curved gracefully, already revealing the elegant beauty of a young maiden.

Since she was at home, Zhen Yiyun wore only everyday attire. Her hair was styled in a Flowing Clouds bun, adorned with a green-jade-inlaid hairpin. She wore a bean-green skirt embroidered with butterfly and floral branch patterns. The hidden designs at the hem shimmered subtly under the light, like rippling green waves spreading across spring waters.

Zhen Yiyun was naturally beautiful and lovely. Even such a simple outfit could not diminish her radiance. Instead, it only emphasized her gentle nature.

She seemed as soft as water itself, so pure and serene that others could not help feeling inferior in comparison.

With light steps she approached and stopped before Old Lady Zhen.

Standing there slim and graceful, she resembled a magnolia blossom upon a branch, fresh, delicate, and lovely, or rosy clouds reflected upon snow, dazzling to behold and enough to leave one momentarily spellbound.

Meanwhile, on the other side, Zhen Tingyun wore old clothes. Her hairstyle was decorated with only a pair of half-worn plain pearl flowers. The long journey had left fatigue visible on her face, making her appear somewhat dusty and travel-worn.

Placed side by side, one would scarcely believe that they were sisters.

Author’s Note:

Actually, the Zhen family isn’t very complicated in terms of family members. If it got too complicated, I wouldn’t be able to handle it myself either, haha (2333).

P.S. Since Father Zhen and Madam Pei are both good-looking, both the elder sister and the heroine are great beauties as well~

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