From this, it appeared the Zhu family had its own inherited system.

How to cultivate the family head, how to select him, how to arrange the remaining children and grandchildren, what responsibilities the family head’s shoulders bore, how to distribute property after death… The Zhu family ancestors had established all these rules one by one.

Yan Sanhe picked up her tea cup and slowly took a sip.

“When you married into the Zhu family, Old Master and Old Madam were both still alive?”

“Both still alive. Old Madam passed away six years before Old Master.”

“Then in your eyes…”

Yan Sanhe suddenly changed direction. “What kind of person was Old Master?”

Perhaps Madam Mao had never been asked about her father-in-law. For a moment, she was stunned, not knowing how to answer.

“I’ll ask about Old Master first, then Old Madam. I’ll ask about each one individually. Answer whatever comes to mind.”

Yan Sanhe set down her tea cup. “Don’t feel burdened.”

Only then did Madam Mao slowly speak. “I’m a daughter-in-law. Throughout the year, except for festivals, I rarely saw Old Master. What kind of person he was, I really can’t say.”

In her impression, Old Master didn’t speak much, didn’t show smiles on his face, and was quite inflexible in his actions.

Though Madam Mao’s courage wasn’t small, she never dared look directly at him—daughters-in-law and fathers-in-law must maintain propriety.

Seeing she couldn’t say much, Yan Sanhe changed topics again. “What was the father-son relationship between my lord and Old Master like?”

Now Madam Mao had something to say.

“At least I felt it was good. Old Master didn’t look down on my lord for being concubine-born. Everything was taught hand-to-hand.”

“What about the other legitimate sons?”

“All the same.”

Madam Mao: “Not the slightest favoritism—this was also a rule passed down from ancestors.”

Yan Sanhe understood this rule’s purpose.

It ensured the finally selected next Zhu family head would be outstanding in every aspect.

“Oh right!”

Madam Mao suddenly remembered something.

“Right, Old Master was a strict person, especially regarding divination and feng shui matters. He couldn’t tolerate even the slightest error. Whoever made a mistake received punishment.”

“Old Master Zhu was punished?”

“Everyone was punished, not just my lord.”

Madam Mao: “My lord received relatively few punishments.”

Yan Sanhe narrowed her eyes. “What kind of punishments? Beatings or scoldings?”

Madam Mao glanced at Yan Sanhe, thinking she was still a child after all, with thoughts stuck on beatings and scoldings.

“In fact, much heavier than beatings or scoldings.”

Madam Mao remembered very clearly.

The second month after their wedding, once when the man returned from Old Master’s courtyard, after exchanging a few household words with her, he went to the washroom.

That day she had specifically bathed and groomed herself fragrant, even deliberately striking a very seductive pose.

Newlyweds, having tasted the flavor of romantic love—who could resist craving a few more days?

But when the man emerged from the washroom, he merely glanced at her lightly, made an excuse about being tired, and fell into bed to sleep.

Having wasted half a day’s effort, she naturally wasn’t willing. She flirtatiously reached her hand to the man’s back. Unexpectedly, the man cried “Ai-ya” in pain and sat up from the bed.

Frightened, she quickly lifted the bed curtain, rolled up his inner garment, and looked—three whip marks, long and deep.

“I pressed him for ages before he’d admit he’d miscalculated a divination and received punishment. He refused to say anything more.”

Thinking of her youthful ignorance, Madam Mao’s face showed some embarrassment.

“At first I was angry—what father strikes his own son’s hand so heavily? Later I learned that for the Zhu family craft to pass down, from childhood to adulthood, one couldn’t be soft-hearted in the slightest.”

“To have glory before others, one must suffer behind.”

Yan Sanhe: “Opera performers emphasize one moment onstage requires ten years of practice offstage. Your family’s profession truly cannot tolerate even one error.”

An error meant lives at stake.

“Miss Yan, exactly this principle.”

Madam Mao slapped the small table, rather excited. “My three unaccomplished sons were also beaten by my lord since childhood. So difficult.”

“Speaking this way, for Old Master Zhu to claim the family head position wasn’t easy.”

“More than not easy!”

Madam Mao sighed. “For my lord to sit in this family head position, the effort and dedication behind the scenes was too, too much. Others thought it came easily, but only I, his pillow partner, knew his difficulties.”

The first three days after her wedding, the man still accompanied her in the bridal chamber. The young couple was lovey-dovey, sweet as honey.

After three days, the man spent most of his time in Old Master’s courtyard—leaving before dawn, returning after dark.

The couple only had sleeping time when they could lay their heads together and speak intimately.

Even during festivals, not one day was an exception.

Later Madam Mao learned the Zhu family had another rule: besides three days off for weddings, all other times Zhu family descendants must maintain their skills.

“Miss Yan, why did I mention bearing our eldest earlier?”

Speaking of this, Madam Mao’s eyes moistened again.

“Actually that day, Old Master was supposed to bring my lord to another estate to examine feng shui. My lord, fearing something would happen to me, braced himself to decline the assignment. Because of this, my lord received three lashes afterward!”

From this, one could see that for the Zhu family to control the Imperial Astronomical Bureau generation after generation, the effort behind it was beyond ordinary imagination.

Yan Sanhe: “What about Old Madam? What kind of person was she?”

“She…”

Madam Mao took a long time before finally extracting from her mind a word she felt appropriate.

“Old Madam… was somewhat petty.”

Somewhat petty?

Hearing this, Yan Sanhe’s gaze immediately went to Li Buyan by the window.

Actually, Li Buyan’s whispered words in Yan Sanhe’s ear were quite simple—

She’d asked several old servants in the residence. Old Master Zhu, Old Madam, and Concubine Fu truly got along very harmoniously, just as the old steward said.

If they got along so harmoniously, then Madam Mao’s mother-in-law shouldn’t be a petty person.

Where did Madam Mao’s words come from?

Hearing this, Yan Sanhe finally heard something different, her heart secretly excited.

“Madam, tell me in detail where her pettiness showed.”

Detail?

How to tell?

Madam Mao felt if she opened up, she could speak for three days and nights.

In this world, mothers-in-law and daughters-in-law were natural enemies, let alone when this Old Madam wasn’t even a birth mother-in-law but separated by a layer.

“Miss Yan, you ask and I’ll answer.”

“Fine.”

Yan Sanhe pondered briefly. “Your marriage to Zhu Xuanjiu was decided by Old Master. Did Old Madam object?”

“This is a long story. Miss also knows my lord was concubine-born, his birth mother surnamed Fu.”

“I know.”

“You probably also know about Concubine Fu and Old Madam’s relationship.”

“Cousin sisters with deep feelings.”

“Before Concubine Fu’s final moments, she entrusted her son to Old Madam. So finding a good match for the concubine-born son became a major matter in Old Madam’s heart.”

After Old Master took a liking to her, he wrote her eight birth characters and the Mao family’s background in a letter and had it sent to the capital.

After Old Madam read the letter, she immediately dispatched her trusted aide to Luoyang Prefecture.

Go to Luoyang Prefecture for what?

Specifically to inquire about the Mao family and Miss Mao’s character and temperament.

After inquiring around without problems, only then did Old Madam nod in agreement.