Chapter 18: The Liu Family’s Plight

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Tang Pinshan understood clearly that his nephew Tang Yushu was not related to him by blood. They merely shared the same surname from Qingzhou Prefecture, so they acknowledged each other as kin, hoping to support one another when serving in the court. However, if he were to arrange the marriage for someone else, that would indeed be overstepping. Tang Pinshan said no more, but his face darkened ominously, his eyes fixed coldly on Lady Liu. "Even so, you shouldn’t have allied with the Sun family. They’re mere merchants. Marrying into them—what face would the Tang family have left to show?"

Hearing the word "face," Lady Liu instantly exploded. "Tang Pinshan, what right have you, a penniless man, to speak of face? If it weren’t for my family paying silver to hire a doctor to treat you, you would have died in that inn long ago, maybe devoured by one of the wild dogs roaming the abandoned graveyard outside the city. And yet today, you strut about like some great lord!"

Tang Pinshan’s face twitched, fists clenched tightly. After a moment, he lowered his voice and grit his teeth. "What’s the use of bringing up past matters? I have married you as my wife, and even arranged for your family to open a tavern and inn outside the city to repay your life-saving kindness!" With that, he rose and swept his sleeves, turning his back without another glance at Lady Liu.

Twenty years earlier, on his way to the capital for the imperial examinations, he had braved wind and snow but fell ill before even entering the city, collapsing in an inn. His illness was severe and sudden, and he had spent all his money. His fellow scholars were helpless, but the innkeepers spent a fortune on doctors and nursed him back to health.

Grateful, Tang Pinshan married the innkeepers’ daughter, Lady Liu, and with the support of her family, secured a position at the Astronomical Bureau. The two families got along well. Yet Lady Liu was short-sighted, ruthless, and quick to threaten, often wielding her family's past kindness as a weapon when displeased.

Over decades, their marital affection withered, leaving only the responsibility for their children. Thankfully, the childhood friend Pingniang, from his hometown, was a source of comfort.

It was precisely for this reason Tang Pinshan resented the marriage alliance with the Sun family so deeply; he did not want Tang Yushu to repeat his own mistakes.

Watching Tang Pinshan slam the door and leave, Lady Liu went pale and slumped into a chair, utterly drained. This heartless man—after decades of hardship, bearing children and raising them with him—still considered their marriage merely a repayment of a debt.

Tang Erlang had been waiting outside. Seeing his father storm away, he hurried in and found Lady Liu collapsed. He quickly supported her. "Mother, what’s wrong?"

Seeing her youngest son, Lady Liu found strength and grabbed his arm, tears streaming. "Erlang, your cruel father is no man—he’s truly heartless!"

Having long grown weary of his parents’ quarrels, Erlang gently consoled her. "Mother, Father just can’t bear to lose face. When our eldest brother returns and the Sun family helps secure an official post for him, Father will have no choice but to apologize to you. That time will come."

Thinking of his eldest brother, Lady Liu regained some spirit, wiping her tears swiftly. "Yes, no matter what your father does, you have me. I will help you and our eldest brother build your futures."

Erlang asked naturally, "Do the birthdates of the Sun family and Third Brother’s matchstick charms align?"

"Of course—they are a perfect match, examined by the city’s top fortune-teller."

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Because she had pushed this marriage through, driving out the An family and having Tang Mu change his surname to Qin, the Sun family was very pleased. They not only sent a generous red envelope but also gifted a set of headpieces—currently the most fashionable phoenix-headed snow-cloud pearl hairpins in the capital. Even a hundred taels of silver wouldn’t easily secure such a set.

Now, when she went out, she finally had a respectable set of jewelry to wear.

No wonder Lady Liu was so troubled. Married to a man who cared only about face but not the household, she was forced to scheme constantly.

In Tang Pinshan’s eyes, the Tang family was thriving.

The eldest son Tang Jingrui held an official post far away; the second son Tang Jinglin was doing well too; the youngest daughter Tang Yuexi, though still young and needing a dowry, was a matter for the future.

Only his ailing mother remained bedridden, tended closely by the concubine Pingniang, with just a few extra taels spent monthly on medicine.

Yet Lady Liu understood the manager’s woes.

The eldest son had been serving as a county magistrate in the southwest for three years—a place known for fierce folk customs, barren land, and swarms of leeches and mosquitoes. Even the magistrate had to wear straw sandals to trek the mountains when conducting cases.

His monthly salary was meager, not enough to support clerks and assistants, requiring family subsidies.

Though recent letters didn’t mention seeking connections to return to the capital, the earnest desire to serve and care for his parents was clear.

Her son had endured ten years of grueling study to pass the imperial exams and become a scholar; seeing him suffer far away was equally painful for her.

If they did not take this chance to return to the capital and seek a new post or a prosperous place to stay, he would be sent away again next year.

Prosperous places were hard to find, and staying in the capital was no easier.

The capital was crowded with officials, with many scholars waiting in line for posts; some languished for years without promotion.

Tang Pinshan was only a sixth-rank official, insignificant and outspoken, stubbornly refusing to ask for favors.

If the Duke of Guang’an intervened, things would be different—at least they could secure a proper post in the capital for the eldest son, keeping the family together.

Though Erlang was nearby, he had grown up roughhousing with boys in the neighborhood, barely passing the initial examination and never reaching the scholar level.

Now twenty-three, he worked as a minor supervisor on a Ministry of Works construction site, barely earning enough to feed himself and his wife.

Tang Pinshan was a low-ranking official with a fixed salary, overseeing a quiet office with no coal in winter or ice in summer.

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If not for occasional subsidies from Lady Liu’s family and some income from her dowry shops, Tang Pinshan’s salary alone could never support such a large family. Life would be unbearably hard.

The eldest and second sons had married; soon they would need to find matches and prepare dowries for their fourteen-year-old daughter.

Tang Yuexi was the couple’s only daughter; as she grew older, more jewelry and clothing were needed for her to appear presentable.

To ensure she would live comfortably in her husband’s home, a substantial dowry was essential.

Most pressing, the Tang family was overcrowded in a small house.

With no extra money, large homes in the capital were extremely scarce, especially in Shun’an Ward, where many officials gathered.

Tang Pinshan, a sixth-rank official, had only just managed to move into a two-compound residence with a small courtyard.

Tang Yushu and his mother currently lived in the smaller courtyard that had originally belonged to the eldest son and his wife.

If the mother and son stayed, when the eldest couple returned with their two children at year’s end, a room in the main house would have to be vacated.

The front yard was occupied by maids and servants; the main house was shared by Tang Pinshan and Lady Liu, his chronically ill mother, and the concubine Pingniang in the adjoining room.

The east wing housed the youngest son and his wife, the west wing was the daughter’s chamber.

If the eldest son’s family of four were to live there as well...

There would truly be no space left to turn around. The thought alone gave Lady Liu a headache.

Tang Pinshan never considered these worries; obsessed only with face, he had agreed to keep a distant relative he barely knew without consulting her.

Fortunately, this relative was useful.

Now that Tang Yushu’s marriage was settled and he had entered the Imperial Academy, the Sun family had gifted a three-compound residence.

After a while, with some prompting, the small courtyard could be returned.

Lady Liu envied and resented, regretting that her own sons had married too early and missed such fortune.

In the main house, after greeting his sick mother, Tang Pinshan was pulled aside by his concubine Pingniang, who had been absent for half a month, as if she had something to say.