Chapter 379 Luo Zhan

Chapter 379: Luo Zhan

If among the four great clans, the most mysterious was the Yuezheng clan of Qiluo, the one with the most court officials historically was the Wu clan of Heqi, and the one controlling water transport was the Xiang clan of Yunxiu, then the one with the most marital connections and deepest entanglements was the Luo clan of Xiangge.

The title "Xiangge" came from the famed Xiangge Tea Mountain, which had built the Luo family's fortune in Lin'an Prefecture. Though that tea had since been replaced by other tribute teas, and the Luo family's business interests had expanded to sugar, salt, silk, and more, every single finest tea leaf in the Yu Kingdom came from the Luo family without exception.

Beyond their nationally renowned tea, the Luo family was known for their powerful marriage alliances. Whether it was daughters marrying out or wives marrying in, from dukes and princes at the top to scholars, farmers, artisans, and merchants at the bottom, and even to distant foreign lands, there was no family the Luo family was unwilling to form ties with.

This vast matrimonial network was like an invisible, all-encompassing web, tightly connecting the Luo family to every trade and every stratum of society, providing a steady supply of connections and information channels for their business expansion.

Whether it was exporting tea or expanding into sugar, salt, silk, and other ventures, none could succeed without the covert assistance of these marriage ties. Even in the imperial court, officials connected to the Luo family would clear obstacles for the family's business interests without even realizing it.

The true power of a great clan never lay in wealth, but in connections.

Had the late emperor not singled out the Wu family, threatening the Luos, they might have only secretly supported Prince Lian rather than burning their bridges and tying their fate to his ship.

Meng Wan's mind was racing. He sat behind his desk, where a sheet of white rice paper lay beneath a paperweight. At the top were written the surnames of the four great clans, with a red cross marked with a brush above the Yuezheng name.

Of the remaining three clans, the Wu family was also circled in red, leaving only the Xiang and Luo families.

Beneath the Xiang family, Meng Wan had written the name Lin Congrong. His senior fellow apprentice had Xiang blood in his veins, and his teacher Xiang Yun also had family among the Xiang clan. The Xiang family had the shallowest roots among the four great clans and kept a relatively low profile. Since Wu Yong's troubles in Changping, they had been cautious in their dealings, and now seemed the easiest to pull in.

Then came the Luo family. The Luos were truly a tangled mess with no clear starting point. Not to mention the other branches—the late emperor's eldest daughter, Grand Princess Zhaohua, had married a man from the Luo family's direct line. Though Consort Luo was unremarkable, he had shared a loving marriage with Grand Princess Zhaohua for over twenty years, raising children together without a single fault. Could he be implicated and his household confiscated for the crimes of his clansmen? Grand Princess Zhaohua would surely be the first to object.

One small move can affect the entire situation. The current emperor was shrewd and ruthless. If he held back, it meant the time wasn't right. When he did act, it would be like the annihilation of the Yuezheng clan—carefully planned, striking at the very foundation.

Meng Wan sat still for a long while, then slowly wrote four names beneath the Luo family. These were the four direct-line Luo members that Xue Sheng had learned of—the ones Meng Wan had encountered at Kongmo Bookshop. He deliberately circled one name: Luo Zhan.

This man was of a very senior generation in the clan, being the previous Luo family head's own nephew. He had long managed the family's tea garden business and was highly regarded by the clan elders.

Luo Zhan was thirty-two this year, a year younger than Song Tingzhou. He had not come to the capital for the examinations but to escort his cousin's son, Luo Yingcheng—the young man in white robes from yesterday—to take the metropolitan exam.

Meng Wan put down his brush, deep in thought. Did Luo Zhan actually know him, or had he mistaken him for someone else?

What possible connection could he have with the Luo family?

It was true that he had been sold away from a wealthy household in Lin'an Prefecture, but over a decade had passed. His appearance and bearing had changed. Could someone still remember him?

When he first arrived in this world, before he could even take a look around, he had been tied up like livestock and dragged out to be sold, taken through the side gate in the back courtyard used by the manure carts. What he remembered vividly was the arrogant, overbearing young lady who was supposedly the young miss of "his household."

And whose family was that young lady from?

February seventeenth—Qingming Festival (Tomb-Sweeping Day). Thin gray clouds hung overhead as a light drizzle pattered all night, leaving the flagstones slick, with a thin mist of condensed water vapor filling the air.

Meng Wan stood in an inconspicuous corner outside the exam compound, holding an oil-paper umbrella. His dark crimson jacket made his complexion appear extremely fair, seeming to glow in the gray daylight.

Xue Sheng stood guard beside him, shielding him from prying eyes.

"Master, the Luo family members are just ahead to our right," Xue Sheng reported in a low voice.

Meng Wan followed his direction with a casual glance and indeed saw Luo Zhan and another middle-aged man waiting anxiously outside. Luo Yingcheng and the other silent Luo family member from that day were nowhere to be seen.

"Mm, I see them." Meng Wan observed for a moment through the fine rain, then smiled enigmatically. "Is the gift for them ready?"

Xue Sheng turned back and saw Chi Yu's sleeve half-visible from the top of a wall in a distant alley. "Rest assured, Master. Chi Yu has found the right people."

Meng Wan looked intrigued. "Good."

With that matter settled, he turned his attention to the crowd waiting outside the exam compound. Most were servants or page boys of the candidates, but there were also family members of nobles and high officials peering anxiously from carriages with curtains drawn back.

Meng Wan was no longer one of them, but he spotted several familiar faces among the carriages. For one, his neighbor, Minister of Revenue Kou Wen, had a concubine-born son taking this exam.

Gu family's Ru Niang's cousin, as well as several students of Grand Secretary Gu, had all entered the exam compound.

Beyond that, Meng Wan even caught sight of Madam Shen the Second, who had caused a scene at Prince Qin's banquet. She was not waiting in a carriage but stood with an umbrella like Meng Wan, personally leading her maids and servants to the frontmost position, gazing intently with an anxious posture.

As dawn broke in the east and the first rays of sunlight slanted across the "World's Civilization" archway of the exam compound, the heavy wooden doors creaked open from within.

Everyone waiting outside perked up, anticipating the emergence of their masters or loved ones.

Though Meng Wan knew Song Tingzhou would still be confined for some days, he couldn't help peering through the open doors. Inside, all he could see were exhausted candidates and stern-faced guards—nothing more.

Meng Wan could hardly hide his disappointment and withdrew his gaze. Then, unexpectedly, he spotted another familiar face in the crowd.

He stepped back two paces to find higher ground, avoiding the surging crowd while positioning himself to watch the coming spectacle.

As the candidates were released from the exam compound and before the gates could close, a troupe of performers with flutes and erhus blocked one of the exits.

They were clever enough to know that loud noise was prohibited near the exam compound, so they positioned themselves at a distance where their voices could still reach everyone present. With exaggerated, mocking musical accompaniment, they proclaimed: "Congratulations—to Lin'an Prefecture's Luo family prodigy, Luo Yingcheng~ Ten years of diligent study yielding splendid essays... With great clans as the nation's foundation, weaving connections across the realm, this examination shall surely bring the title of Top Scholar—"

The short political essay was sung out by the troupe. The guards maintaining order outside the compound shouted stern reprimands, but the performers seemed prepared for this, scattering with cheeky grins. They were too far away to catch, so the guards had no choice but to retreat back to the compound.

The crowd, which had been eagerly awaiting their own people, immediately began searching among themselves, all wanting to see this Lin'an Luo Yingcheng in person.

Luo Yingcheng, who had just emerged from the exam compound already weak and barely able to stand, turned deathly pale at this turn of events. The Luo family was famous throughout the land, known to nearly everyone. He had come to the capital with instructions from the clan elders to act boldly and not fear scrutiny, so many among this batch of candidates knew what he looked like.

Within moments, numerous candidates abandoned their own family members' calls to fix their gazes upon him, most with complex expressions and looks of disdain.

No wonder—the "political essay" the troupe had just sung, about "great clans building the peace through generations, as the nation's foundation; if the foundation is unstable, how can the country stand?" was indeed the very argument he had made in debates since arriving in the capital.

Some had flattered and agreed with him, but more found it objectionable, for ordinary candidates were the majority.

Luo Yingcheng's face was ashen as he instinctively looked toward Luo Zhan nearby. Luo Zhan's face was iron-gray, his gaze sharp as a blade, staring intently in the direction the troupe had fled, as if he wanted to drag them back and devour them alive.

To be "congratulated" in such a manner right after leaving the exam compound—this was no blessing, but a deliberate attempt to roast Luo Yingcheng over an open fire!

"What's so impressive about them? Just because they're a great clan? I say they're nothing but a bunch of good-for-nothings, not fit to hold my nephew's shoes." Madam Shen the Second, standing at the very front with her chin held high, watched the Luo family with arms crossed like she was enjoying a show.

Her maid suddenly grabbed her arm and shouted, "Second Madam! The young master is out! I see the young master!"

Madam Shen snapped back to attention and exclaimed with delight, "Where? You silly girl, just shouting—where is he?!"

This incident was merely a minor interlude. The crowd returned to searching for their own candidates, but as they moved, they deliberately gave the Luo family a wide berth, as if getting too close might taint them with some stale, rotten air.

The Luos had always been proud and arrogant, never having endured such treatment. Their faces were uglier than ugly as they fled in utter humiliation—where was their earlier grand talk and arrogance at Kongmo Bookshop now?

Meng Wan had enjoyed the spectacle enough and left satisfied. The candidates had exited the exam compound today, and in about half a month, Song Tingzhou would finish grading papers and finalizing the rankings, then he could come home.

Those who had found their candidates gradually dispersed. The Song family carriage also began to move, stopping a moment later on the street outside the exam compound to wait quietly.

After about a quarter of an hour, as the crowd thinned, a woman was seen supporting a frail young scholar as they walked out.

Meng Wan lifted the carriage curtain and called out, "Sister Chunfang, it's been a long time."

The couple was none other than Lu Chunfang and Feng Jinzhang, whom Meng Wan had met in Changping Prefecture.

Years had passed, and both showed signs of aging. Lu Chunfang was startled at first, then after carefully studying Meng Wan, her face lit up with joy. "Wan Ge'er! It's you! How is Aunt Chang? I heard your husband is now a high official in the capital!"

Her tone was full of surprise, and her smile was as warm and unreserved as it had been back then.

Feng Jinzhang, who had been barely clinging to life while being supported by her, was roused to some alertness by her loud voice. But compared to Lu Chunfang's excitement and unguarded joy, his emotions were far more tangled.

Back then, he and Song Tingzhou had both passed the county exam and earned the title of xiucai, and their literary skills were on par. Yet after entering the prefectural school, Song Tingzhou excelled in everything—even archery and horsemanship, which he had never touched before, he took to with remarkable skill. Later, he advanced steadily, passing the provincial examination and then the metropolitan examination; his official career flourished, and he elevated his family's status.

As for himself, though he later passed the provincial examination, he had repeatedly failed the metropolitan exam. This time, he arrived again with his heart fraught with anxiety. In contrast, the other man had already risen to chief examiner.

His feelings were hard to articulate—a sour, bitter taste in his heart. Meanwhile, Lu Chunfang chattered on beside him, asking Meng Wan all sorts of questions.

Meng Wan got out of the carriage and chatted with her for a while before saying, "Sister-in-law Chunfang, Master Feng should know that my husband is currently inside the examination hall. Since the metropolitan exam results haven't been posted yet, our two families should maintain proper boundaries. Once the results come out, I'll send someone to your inn to invite you over for a visit, how about that?"

Lu Chunfang's straightforward nature hadn't changed at all. Hearing this, she didn't notice any change in Meng Wan from before—she couldn't articulate things like bearing, and all she could say was that she was even more beautiful and refined.

She didn't read anything into Meng Wan's words and agreed cheerfully.

After returning home, Meng Wan told Chang Jinhua about seeing Lu Chunfang and her husband outside the examination hall, which made Chang Jinhua sigh wistfully. "No wonder I didn't see Chunfang on those last two visits back home—she must have come to the capital to accompany Master Feng for his exams."

She found it hard to stay put in Shengjing, and speaking of old acquaintances brought her joy. Compared to those noble ladies, so full of scheming and hidden agendas, she naturally preferred spending time with someone as sincere as Lu Chunfang.

Meng Wan also felt for Chang Jinhua's loneliness, which was why she invited Lu Chunfang over.

"I noticed Sister Chunfang wasn't dressed in finery, but her clothes were neat and tidy. She has a kind heart and wears everything on her face. She spoke to me with such delight, so I think she hasn't had much trouble in recent years." Lu Chunfang had both sons and daughters—not only had she continued the Lu family line, but she also earned money to support Feng Jinzhang's studies and advancement.

If Feng Jinzhang had even a shred of conscience, he wouldn't dare cast aside his first wife after rising to prominence—especially with the precedent of Zhang Jizu, who had lost his life and reputation entirely. Feng Jinzhang had never been bold to begin with; fear alone would keep him from misbehaving.

Chang Jinhua's social circle was small, and she regarded Lu Chunfang as a younger generation. Knowing she was doing well, she said with satisfaction, "Chunfang is a good daughter-in-law. She told me that her in-laws and her brother-in-law's wife all treat her well. When a girl or a young man gets married, as long as someone on the husband's side stands with them, life won't be too hard."

"You're right, Mother." Meng Wan rose from the kang in Chang Jinhua's room and stretched.

She had gotten up before dawn that morning to rush to the examination hall and stir up trouble, and though it wasn't yet noon, she was already drowsy. After chatting with Chang Jinhua for a while, she went back to the main courtyard for a nap.

—

Inside the examination hall, officials of all ranks bustled about. The sealing officers had not yet finished covering and pasting over the candidates' names, native places, and credentials on all the exam papers. The chief examiners sat to one side, discussing the hot favorites for this session.

Song Tingzhou, seated beside Lord Ran at the head of the table, suddenly asked, "What was that commotion outside the examination hall earlier?"

A squad leader hurried forward to report. "Your Excellency, it was a troupe of acrobats making mischief, congratulating the Luo family scholar from Lin'an on passing..."

He recounted everything that had happened outside the examination hall in full detail, not noticing that when he mentioned the Luo family of Lin'an, Song Tingzhou's fingertips paused almost imperceptibly against the edge of the table. His face remained its usual calm, his gaze resting on the densely stacked exam papers as if lost in thought.

"Lin'an... the Luo family, is it."