Breaking Down Barriers, They Finally Became a Couple; Meeting Jia Zheng to Be Hired as an Instructor

Alas~

Sun Shaozong sighed, set down the copy of the "Da Zhou Law" in his hands, which he had opened to the cover and made no further progress with, and stared blankly at the Crane Stepping on Spirit Turtle candlestick beside him.

Ever since returning from Jia Manor, Ruan Rong had shut herself away and refused to come out. He had heard she had not even eaten dinner.

Sun Shaozong had considered going to comfort her, but he did not know what he could say—was he supposed to tell her that becoming the principal wife was no longer possible, so she should obediently settle for being a concubine?!

Perhaps...

He should never have brought her back to Great Zhou in the first place.

As he was lost in wild thoughts, a series of small noises came from the outer room. At first, Sun Shaozong assumed the two maids outside were playing around again and paid little attention. But the noise only grew louder, until he could no longer ignore it.

What kind of nonsense were they up to now?

Sun Shaozong had always felt that girls of fourteen or fifteen being worked like beasts of burden was pitiful, and he usually treated them quite well. But that did not mean he would tolerate maids becoming spoiled from favor.

Besides, he was already in a foul mood.

So he endured it a little longer. When the commotion outside still showed no sign of stopping, Sun Shaozong rose to his feet and strode over, yanking the door open.

"You two..."

The rebuke was already at his lips, but Sun Shaozong forcibly swallowed it back down.

For standing outside the door was a lovely woman clad in a Phoenix Coronet and Robes of Rank. Who else could it be but Ruan Rong?

"Brother Sun."

Their eyes met, and Ruan Rong shyly lifted the hem of her skirt. In a timid voice, she asked, "Does this outfit look all right on me?"

Sun Shaozong did not know where she had found this bridal attire, nor did he know what sort of inner struggle she had gone through after returning from Jia Manor before finally taking this step...

But none of that mattered, nor was this the time to dig into it!

He abruptly pulled Ruan Rong into his arms, lightly nibbling her silver-ingot-like earlobe as he murmured, "No matter what anyone else thinks, from this moment on, you are my wife!"

Ruan Rong's eyes immediately reddened. She hurriedly buried herself in Sun Shaozong's embrace and softly called him, "Husband."

That night.

Normally impatient in matters of passion, Sun Shaozong instead held himself back. He embraced Ruan Rong as they leaned against the headboard, talking intimately for more than half the night.

By the time the fourth watch had passed and dawn was nearing with the fifth watch, Ruan Rong was the one growing anxious. Afraid that she would be unable to produce any "evidence" in the morning and invite suspicion from others, she silently took out a plain handkerchief from her bosom and bashfully spread it on the bed. She refused to say a single word, yet her silent invitation spoke louder than words.

Thus, the next day, not only was Ruan Rong too limp to crawl out of bed, but even the two young maids serving in the outer room slept in a daze until noon.

When they woke up and saw Sun Shaozong again, the looks in the two maids' eyes had changed. There was fear in them, but also a touch of anticipation. Whenever they found an opportunity, they would strike seductive poses before him. Even when bringing him a basin of water to wash his face, they would find an excuse to brush against Sun Shaozong's biceps.

Enough idle chatter.

After Ruan Rong's status as a concubine had been confirmed, the happiest person was not Sun Shaozong himself, but his nominal elder brother, Sun Shaozu.

On one hand, he sent all the beauties in his own quarters to pay their respects to Ruan Rong, and handed over the authority to distribute the household allowances to her as well, making it clear that this concubine was different from the others.

On the other hand, he secretly sought out Sun Shaozong and asked whether he wanted to find a noble match among military officials and hereditary aristocrats, or a well-read, sensible young lady from among the civil officials, thereby improving the Sun Mansion's family standing.

Naturally, Sun Shaozong could not be bothered with his schemes.

During the day, he prepared for the New Year festivities with Old Steward Wei. At night, he and Ruan Rong were sweet as honey, more husband and wife than husband and wife. In his spare time, he also read the "Da Zhou Law" so he could familiarize himself with Great Zhou's laws and regulations as quickly as possible. For a time, he was busy beyond measure.

On the morning of the twenty-ninth day of the Twelfth Lunar Month, Feng Xin, who had not been seen for days, came to call. He even brought over a large cartload of dried fruits, claiming they came from his family estate and were not worth much.

After hearing Feng Xin mention that he had reported to the Ministry of War, only to wait several days without receiving any news, Sun Shaozong asked his nominal elder brother to inquire on his behalf. With Sun Shaozu's current rank, he could not weigh in on major matters, but he could still help with the prospects of a mere seventh-rank inspector.

Feng Xin left after profusely expressing his thanks. Soon after, he sent someone over with a thousand taels of silver, and only then did Sun Shaozong realize the fellow had come from a wealthy landowning family.

And so, the family celebrated a lively New Year.

On the second day of the New Year, Sun Shaozong naturally had to accompany his nominal elder brother in paying visits to relatives and old acquaintances. He had assumed Rongguo Mansion would be first on their list, but his nominal elder brother's first stop was instead the Divine Martial General's Residence.

Only later did he learn that Feng Tang currently served as the Patrol Camp Commander, making him Sun Shaozu's immediate superior.

Since Sun Shaozong's reputation for "solving baffling cases with a few words" had already spread throughout the capital, and he had become famous in Shuntian Prefecture before even taking office, General Feng treated him warmly. He even specifically instructed Sun Shaozong to spend more time with his son, Feng Ziying, so that the "unfilial brat" might learn that there were always greater people beyond him and higher heavens beyond the sky.

After leaving the Divine Martial General's Residence, their second destination was naturally Rongguo Mansion.

The two brothers had originally intended to pay respects to Jia She, the First-Rank General. But halfway there, Second Master Jia Zheng intercepted them. He let Sun Shaozu go, taking only Sun Shaozong to Rongxi Hall on the north side.

Jia Zheng appeared to be in his early forties. He was refined and handsome, and it was clear that he must have been quite the romantic figure in his youth.

But now he was extremely prim and pedantic, citing the classics in nearly every sentence, making him terribly difficult to handle.

Fortunately, Sun Shaozong had read a fair number of books in his previous life, so he did not make a fool of himself on the spot. Still, after chatting vaguely and pointlessly for some time, he left Rongguo Mansion without ever figuring out why Jia Zheng had summoned him.

After hearing the details, however, Sun Shaozu grew somewhat displeased. He strongly suspected that Jia Zheng intended to marry one of his concubine-born daughters to Sun Shaozong, and he complained about it at home for half the day.

Who would have thought that on the fifth day of the New Year, Jia Lian would arrive in great pomp with a customary gift and a calling card, seeking to hire Sun Shaozong as Rongguo Mansion's Horsemanship and Archery Instructor, responsible for supervising Baoyu, Jia Huan, Jia Cong, Jia Lan, and the other young masters.

Thanks to reader "Hear Me Roar" for the reward.