“Physician Mei, didn’t you just marry Wu Zhen, the famous Second Lady Wu of Chang’an? Why don’t I see any joy on your face? Are things not going well?” Cui Shouyuan, a fellow Langzhong in the Ministry of Justice, suddenly approached Mei Zhuyu and asked in a familiar tone.
Mei Zhuyu usually kept to himself, and no one would disturb him during his daily lunch at the ministry office. He was surprised to have an unexpected visitor today.
Mei Zhuyu glanced at Cui Shouyuan. They had rarely spoken before, but Cui was much more popular in the ministry than Mei. Cui was known for inviting people to brothels and pleasure houses, being generous and jovial, and quick to call others “brother.” Mei had little interaction with him, so he merely nodded coldly and prepared to leave.
However, Cui Shouyuan persisted, following him. “Brother, tonight we’re planning to visit Madam Cai’s place in Pingkang Ward. Would you like to join us?”
Mei Zhuyu shook his head. “Thank you for the invitation, but I’ll pass.”
Cui Shouyuan made a disapproving sound. “Look, Brother, I’m not one to pry, but your wife is quite the free spirit. She visits brothels and pleasure houses more often than I do. Doesn’t that bother you at all? I’ve heard that although you’re married, she’s still living at Duke Yu’s mansion and hasn’t even moved into your home. Her heart isn’t with you. But that’s to be expected, given Second Lady Wu’s nature. Everyone knows what she’s like. I understand your frustration, but as men, we need to be more open-minded. A good marriage to an influential family can bring many benefits in the future. A little discomfort is nothing in comparison. I feel we’re kindred spirits, which is why I’m inviting you…”
Cui Shouyuan rambled on, while Mei Zhuyu remained expressionless. When Cui finally stopped talking, Mei said, “Stop bothering me here. Go back to your place.”
Mei Zhuyu’s directness caught Cui Shouyuan off guard. When he realized what Mei had said, Cui’s friendly expression darkened. He slammed the table as he stood up and left, muttering under his breath, “I used to think he was just quiet and straightforward, but now I see he’s just an ungrateful wretch. He thinks he’s all that now that he’s married into Duke Yu’s family. Bah!”
Mei Zhuyu ignored him and continued with his work. Ever since his marriage to Wu Zhen, or rather, since their engagement was announced, there had been all sorts of rumors. After the wedding, even more gossip circulated. Some said he was marrying an unmarriageable woman to curry favor with the powerful. Others claimed he was foolish for choosing the wrong wife and didn’t want a good life. Some mocked him for being unable to control his wife and losing face as a man. Some jeered to his face, while others laughed behind his back. Mei Zhuyu was well aware of all this, but he didn’t care.
He knew Wu Zhen well, and others’ opinions and views couldn’t affect him. He had never cared about what others thought, but people always seemed to think they knew better and wanted to laugh at his expense.
Thinking of Wu Zhen, Mei Zhuyu’s brush paused, and he looked up at the lush greenery outside the window. He hadn’t seen Wu Zhen for several days. A few days after the Dragon Boat Festival, she had returned to Duke Yu’s mansion and hadn’t appeared since.
During the days around the Dragon Boat Festival, Wu Zhen had stayed by his side constantly. In that short time, he had grown accustomed to her constant presence and gaze. After she returned to Duke Yu’s mansion, Mei Zhuyu felt his home cold and quiet for the first time. The place he was used to suddenly felt empty without her.
Before being with Wu Zhen, he never thought he would one day become unaccustomed to that cold, quiet life.
As Mei Zhuyu was leaving work, he overheard Cui Shouyuan chatting with two other officials from the Ministry of Justice, talking about him. Cui’s tone was contemptuous and full of sarcasm: “What use is that Mei fellow? He can’t even control his own woman. I’ve heard that Second Lady Wu has been at the Huzhuguan these past few days. I’ve never heard of a woman seeking pleasure outside while her husband does nothing. Look at Mei Zhuyu, he’s not just useless, he doesn’t dare to do anything. He can only swallow his pride.”
Mei Zhuyu didn’t listen further and didn’t take these words to heart. He had heard enough and was planning to go home and practice drawing talismans. It had been a while since he last practiced, and he feared his skills might be rusty. With nothing else to do, it would be a good way to clear his mind.
However, Wu Zhen didn’t have such a forgiving nature. As fate would have it, that night Cui Shouyuan had arranged to visit a brothel in Pingkang Ward with some friends. After drinking too much, he couldn’t hold back his complaints and started badmouthing Mei Zhuyu. Wu Zhen happened to be nearby and heard everything.
“Don’t be fooled by Mei Zhuyu’s indifferent appearance at the ministry. Who knows how resentful he is in private? What man could tolerate his woman flirting around outside? But apart from his aunt being an Imperial Consort, what does he have to stand up to Duke Yu’s family? He can only swallow his pride. It’s a shame he puts on such a magnanimous act.”
“Look at how he disdains to associate with us, but isn’t he just willing to marry Wu Zhen for Duke Yu’s family’s power? Don’t tell anyone, but he’s much cleverer at climbing the ladder than us simple-minded folks. As long as he can tolerate Wu Zhen’s philandering, he’ll be able to get promotions and make a fortune in the future. Not everyone can do that…”
Wu Zhen stood behind the second-floor railing, pointing at the boastful Cui Shouyuan below, and asked with a cold smile, “What kind of creature is that? Where did he come from?”
Huzhu made an “oh” sound, looking a bit schadenfreudian and sympathetic towards Cui Shouyuan below. “That’s Cui Shouyuan, a Langzhong in one of the four departments of the Ministry of Justice. He’s of the same rank as your husband. He often comes to play in Pingkang Ward. You might not be very familiar with him, but he’s married to Princess Li Yuyou of the Danyang Prince’s mansion.”
Wu Zhen did know Li Yuyou and had played with her a few times before. However, Li Yuyou was licentious and kept several male favorites. Wu Zhen grew tired of seeing her constantly being affectionate with multiple men, so she stopped going out to play with her.
Seeing Cat Lord’s cold smile and furrowed brow, Huzhu tried to comfort her, “He’s just a nobody. Even if he said some nonsense, you can just teach him a small lesson if you’re unhappy. It’s not worth getting so angry about.”
Wu Zhen waved her hand, pressing her forehead as if she had a headache. “It’s not that. I’m thinking about something else.”
Huzhu asked, “What?”
Wu Zhen’s expression was complex. “My husband has a straightforward and cold personality. He sees people clearly but doesn’t waste much thought on others. These people must curse him like this often, and he’s probably overheard it many times. Hearing these words…”
Huzhu understood, “Oh, you’re worried. Afraid your husband might doubt you after hearing these words?”
Wu Zhen replied, “That’s not it. He likes me so much that he doesn’t care about anything else. I don’t think he’ll take these words to heart.”
Huzhu asked, “Then what are you worried about? Your husband won’t doubt you because of this, and you’ve heard this kind of talk so many times that you don’t care either. Why bother with them?”
Wu Zhen smiled coldly again, “I’ve heard enough of people talking about me, but when they talk about my husband in front of me, I can’t tolerate it.”
Huzhu said, “They’re not saying it to your face. If it were really in front of you, they wouldn’t dare say such things. Your reputation is quite fearsome too.”
Wu Zhen replied, “Heh if I hear it, it’s the same as saying it to my face.”
“So what do you want to do?” Huzhu was a bit curious.
Wu Zhen crossed her arms and smiled, “What to do? My reputation precedes me. He made me unhappy, so of course, I’ll make him unhappy too.” With that, she went downstairs. Huzhu, seeing this, knew there would be a good show and leaned against the railing to watch.
Cui Shouyuan was quite drunk. When Wu Zhen walked behind him, he was still talking about how Mei Zhuyu didn’t know his place. Seeing his friends looking behind him with shocked expressions, he sluggishly turned around.
Seeing Wu Zhen, Cui Shouyuan sobered up halfway, shuddering as he said with a pale face, “Se-Second Lady Wu…”
Wu Zhen raised her hand, and the person next to Cui Shouyuan quickly got up and moved away. She sat down next to Cui Shouyuan, leaning on the table and looking at him sideways with a forced smile. Her tone was very friendly, “I’m already married. Why are you still calling me Second Lady Wu? My husband’s surname is Mei, so why don’t you call me Madam Mei… Langzhong Cui, right? Do you know who my husband is?”
How could Cui Shouyuan not know? He had just been cursing and complaining about Mei Zhuyu. Forcing an awkward smile, Cui Shouyuan tried to muddle through. He poured a cup of wine for Wu Zhen and said, “Well, I might have had too much to drink. I’m quite drunk and don’t remember what I just said. If I’ve offended you in any way, I apologize to… Madam Mei.”
Cui Shouyuan’s family background wasn’t top-tier, but he had managed to enter the upper-class circles by marrying a princess. However, he still mostly associated with lower-ranking officials and didn’t dare offend Wu Zhen. This lady was deeply favored by the Emperor and Empress, had close relationships with all the important figures in the palace, and nearly half of Chang’an’s elite youth were acquainted with her. If he truly angered her, he feared he would be in trouble.
Cui Shouyuan was anxious, thinking that if he apologized and acted humble, it would be fine. After all, he had mostly been cursing Mei Zhuyu earlier, only mentioning her in passing. He thought Wu Zhen wouldn’t be that angry. Cui Shouyuan still believed that Wu Zhen didn’t care much for Mei Zhuyu, and her current threatening demeanor was just to save face. He thought, of course, they all knew that Wu Zhen had many lovers in the pleasure houses. How could she possibly like that plain-looking Mei Zhuyu with his ungentle personality?
However, Cui Shouyuan was awakened by a cup of wine. He looked at Wu Zhen in confusion, realizing she had just poured a cup of wine over his head and face.
“This…”
Before Cui Shouyuan could finish a word, Wu Zhen suddenly changed her expression. She stood up, grabbed him, and dragged him outside. Cui Shouyuan stumbled along, feeling her incredible strength as he couldn’t break free at all. The next moment, his head felt cold again as Wu Zhen pushed his entire head into a pond filled with water lilies. The colorful koi in the pond scattered in fright, while Cui Shouyuan, after the initial shock, began to struggle instinctively.
Wu Zhen, however, didn’t care. She held his head underwater for a while, then calmly pulled him up by his hair. Before he could take a proper breath, she pushed him back into the water. This went on for several rounds until Cui Shouyuan was completely limp and in a miserable state, with tears, snot, pond water, and duckweed all over his face.
When Wu Zhen finally let go and threw him aside, Cui Shouyuan had completely sobered up. He was angry and annoyed, but mostly terrified, curled up on the ground, shaking and gasping for air.
Wu Zhen looked down at him, wiping the water off her hands. “Next time, remember to take a detour when you see my husband, Mei Zhuyu. If he sees you once, I’ll beat you once. If I hear you say one bad word about him again, whether to his face or behind his back, as long as I hear about it, you can expect my ‘hospitality’.”
Regardless of how frightened Cui Shouyuan was, Wu Zhen, having vented her anger, went to find Liu Taizhen in the demon market.
“Little Snake, I’ve dealt with a lot of filth these past few days. You can handle the rest.”
Liu Taizhen looked listless and lacking energy. Around the Dragon Boat Festival, the smell of realgar wine was everywhere. Liu Taizhen, originally a snake, hated this smell the most. Although it wasn’t harmful, he found it very stinky, just as humans find the smell of filth unbearable. So, Liu Taizhen hadn’t wanted to go out these days, and Wu Zhen had been handling the demon market affairs with Huzhu and the four tricksters, keeping busy day and night.
Hearing Wu Zhen’s words, Liu Taizhen asked, “What’s the matter? Do you have something to do?”
Wu Zhen replied matter-of-factly, “I’m a married woman now. I haven’t seen my husband for several days. There are people out there spreading rumors and causing him distress. I need to go comfort him properly.”