Mei Zhuyu and Wu Zhen’s child was named Mei Ruozhuo, chosen by his father, Mei Zhuyu.
The naming of this child nearly caused a fight among the three members of the Wu family. The father-in-law wanted to name the child Mei Yuanfa. When Her Majesty the Empress heard of this, she scoffed and wrote a letter asking if her father had gone mad from reciting sutras, suggesting he might as well name the child Mei Banfa. She then declared her intention to name the child Mei Baoyuan, a name that sounded auspicious and well-rounded.
When Wu Zhen heard her sister wanted to give her son such a name, she objected, rudely mocking it as sounding rustic. It was unclear how her wise and valiant sister could be so casual about naming.
According to Wu Zhen’s wishes, the child should be named Mei Yisi.
“Mei Yisi, no meaning, isn’t that very meaningful? Haha!” The mother didn’t care if her son would be mocked for having this name when he grew up; after all, she was already the first to start mocking.
Fortunately, Mei Zhuyu was a reliable father. He didn’t follow her suggestion but properly lit incense before the ancestral master, sat in meditation for half a day, and came up with the serious name Mei Ruozhuo.
Wu Zhen sighed, “This name is meaningless now.” But she didn’t say anything more, so the child’s name was settled. Her Majesty the Empress was very displeased. Princess Yuanzhen wrote a letter to Wu Zhen, and Consort Mei also sent a message to Mei Zhuyu. In the end, Baoyuan, the name chosen by the Empress, became the child’s nickname.
Little Baoyuan looked like a gold ingot, perhaps because his mother loved to feed him all sorts of things, making him chubby. His little ears also resembled gold ingots, looking exceptionally cute. However, this child didn’t inherit any of his parents’ abilities. He didn’t have eyes that could see spirits and monsters like Wu Zhen and Mei Zhuyu, nor did he have any special qualities. He was just an ordinary person.
“Being ordinary is quite good,” Wu Zhen thought. If the child misbehaved in the future, she could catch a couple of small monsters to keep at home to scare him.
While Wu Zhen was just thinking about it, Mei Zhuyu had already started doing so. Physician Mei’s method of teaching children was always simple and direct, even with his son. So very quickly, little Baoyuan’s frivolous learning from his mother was all swept away by his father, and he could only be a diligent and well-behaved child, staying away from those soft jade, warm fragrance, and oriole songs.
However, occasionally, when Mei Zhuyu was busy with work, Wu Zhen would secretly sneak the child out of the house to let him have some fun. This little one inherited not only his mother’s beauty but also her thick skin. As soon as he was out of his father’s sight, his prim and proper little expression would crumble, and he’d sit lazily on the small table used for practicing calligraphy, looking at the copybooks with the same disdain his mother showed for things she disliked.
A melodious bird call came from outside the window. Little Baoyuan’s eyes lit up, and he pattered over to open the window, revealing his mother’s smiling face.
“Your father has a lot of work today and will be back late. Come on, let’s go out and play!” Wu Zhen reached out, lifted her son out of the room, tucked him under her arm, and ran out. She didn’t forget to instruct the servants not to tell the master that she had taken the child out to play again. Little Baoyuan, tucked under his mother’s arm, clasped his little hands and looked pitifully at them.
Under the pressure from the madam and the young master’s pleading, everyone once again kept this matter tightly concealed from the master.
However, did the master not know?
Far away in the Ministry of Justice, Physician Mei, who was buried in official business, suddenly saw a yellow talisman on his desk burst into flames without fire. He paused, pinched a bit of the ash and sniffed it, then sighed.
There was an identical talisman placed at home, and now that this one had burned, it meant that his seemingly obedient son had left the house. He didn’t need to guess to know that his mother had taken him out.
He sighed and shook his head, sweeping the ashes into a small box that already contained layers of old and new ash. When this small box was full, he would have to settle accounts properly – with both of them. However, if before this small box was filled with ash, those two knew when to stop, then their previous cunning and outward compliance could be written off.
It all depended on whether they could pull back from the brink. Physician Mei quietly watched and waited.
“Mother, which pleasure house are we going to today? Or shall we go to the Huozhu Pavilion to play games with Sister Huozhu? Or maybe we could go to the West Market. Didn’t those two camel caravans say they would bring more interesting things last time? And the Persian merchants should be back too. Let’s go find those Persian sisters who can dance the Feitian dance!” Little Baoyuan eagerly inquired of his mother, completely unaware of his father’s watchful eye.
Just as Wu Zhen was about to answer, a horseman galloped up and stopped beside them.
“Sister Zhen, I was just looking for you!” said Young Lord Zhao from atop his horse.
Wu Zhen: “What’s the matter?”
Young Lord Zhao: “Quick, go check on Mei Si. This time he’s going to shave his head and become a monk!”
Hearing the words “shave his head,” Wu Zhen guessed what had happened and felt a toothache coming on. “Where is he now?”
Young Lord Zhao: “At Chenxiang Temple.”
Wu Zhen hugged her son closer, “Your little uncle is causing trouble again. Let’s go see him first, then we’ll go see the Persian sisters.”
Little Baoyuan: “Alright, then let’s hurry.”
Mother and son reached an agreement. Wu Zhen carried her son on horseback to Chenxiang Temple. Upon meeting the young novice monk who greeted guests, she asked, “Has a rather good-looking but foolish young man come here wanting to shave his head and become a monk at your temple?”
The young novice was frightened by her expression but answered honestly, “Yes, there is one…”
Wu Zhen: “Have you shaved his head yet?”
The young novice quickly shook his head. Wu Zhen clasped her hands in regret, saying, “Why didn’t you just go ahead and shave that kid’s head!”
“Ah, we can’t do that!” The young novice said seriously, “That young lord didn’t bring an official ordination certificate. We’re a proper temple, how could we casually ordain someone!”
Wu Zhen nodded, patted his shoulder, and walked past him into the temple.
When she found Mei Si, she saw him in the Daoyun Hall, used for receiving travelers at the back of Chenxiang Temple, chatting happily with a young gentleman.
“This is the flower spirit I drew. Have you read the ‘Chronicles of Spirits and Monsters’ by the White Snake Scholar? It describes various flower spirits. Look at this one, the camellia spirit. I think white camellias are the best.”
Hearing Mei Si say this, the young gentleman who had been drinking tea put down his cup and said, “No, red camellias are the best.”
Wu Zhen recognized this young gentleman. His name was Pei Jingxuan, formerly a candidate chosen by the Empress as a potential husband for her daughter, Princess Yuanzhen. However, the marriage was called off after Princess Yuanzhen refused, and this young top scholar also fearlessly rejected the marriage in front of the Empress.
Wu Zhen had some impression of him because of this. To dare to reject the Empress so directly and give up on a princess, this young man was no simple character. She had heard that he used to be poor and had no other relatives. After coming to Chang’an, he had been staying in this temple and, for some reason, hadn’t moved out to find his residence even after becoming an official.
Listening to the two argue about white and red camellias inside, Wu Zhen glanced at the lush red camellia growing in front of the guest room. The red camellia’s leaves trembled under her gaze, and Wu Zhen chuckled softly, “What are you afraid of? You’ve been here for so many years and haven’t done anything wrong. It’s not like I’m going to uproot you.”
Then she sighed, “One loves white camellias, the other loves red camellias. It must be fate.”
Little Baoyuan asked curiously, “Mother, who are you talking to?”
Wu Zhen: “Mother is just talking to herself.”
With that, she entered the room.
“Mei Si.”
As soon as Mei Si heard her voice, he immediately turned into a bitter gourd, putting down the album and books in his hands.
“Sister Zhen, why are you here?”
A cup of tea later, Mei Si obediently followed Wu Zhen out of the mountain gate of Chenxiang Temple.
“I’ll send you an ordination certificate when I get back. Remember to bring it next time you want to become a monk, otherwise, they won’t shave your head,” Wu Zhen said with a half-smile.
Mei Si: “Sister Zhen, please don’t mock me. You know I was just saying that. I wouldn’t shave my head. It takes so long to grow back. Being kicked out by Historian Liu is already miserable enough.”
Wu Zhen laughed, “You’ve been kicked out three times now. Are you still going to propose to the Liu family?”
Mei Si became passionate and determined when speaking about this: “Of course I will! Ever since I discovered that Miss Liu is the White Snake Scholar, I decided I must marry her!”
Wu Zhen teased, “Oh? Aren’t you afraid of snakes anymore?”
Mei Si scratched his head, “Actually, I’ve been keeping a snake at home, forcing myself to touch it every day. After getting used to it, it’s not so bad.”
Wu Zhen held back her laughter, thinking that if the little snake knew about this, she might get even angrier. She might even go to his house in the middle of the night, take back the snake he was raising, and make soup out of it.
“Alright, keep trying then,” Wu Zhen didn’t say much more, only adding a final reminder: “Next time you say you want to become a monk, I won’t care about you.”
Mei Si’s face reddened, and he promised, “It won’t happen again!” After thinking for a moment, he added with a bitter face, “As long as Historian Liu doesn’t kick me out again.”
Having resolved this matter, Wu Zhen continued to take her son to see the golden-haired, blue-eyed Persian ladies. Little Baoyuan glanced at his departing little uncle and asked, “When will little uncle be able to marry the person he likes?”
Wu Zhen lovingly stroked her son’s head, “Maybe by the time you’ve married a wife, he still won’t have married.”
Little Baoyuan: “That sounds so pitiful.”
Wu Zhen: “So next time I take you to play with the little snake, you say some nice things to her.”
Little Baoyuan: “That’s not allowed. Father says we should rely on ourselves for everything.”
Wu Zhen changed her tune without any burden: “Alright, your father is always right. Then let’s not say anything.”
Mother and son chatted as they headed towards the West Market. The begonia flowers along the road were blooming beautifully, with petals occasionally falling on the two of them. Little Baoyuan looked up at his mother’s smiling face and the begonia flowers that looked like red clouds, feeling a coolness on his forehead.
Wu Zhen looked down and blew away a pink petal that had landed on her son’s forehead.
“The Flower Festival is coming again soon. Your father says he first saw me during the Flower Festival…” Wu Zhen suddenly remembered something and urged her son, “Next time, ask your father where he saw me.”
Little Baoyuan pouted and gave his mother a refused look.
“If you find out, I’ll take you to watch a polo match.”
“Alright, don’t lie to me!”
Having reached another agreement, mother and son revealed similar smiles as their figures disappeared at the end of the long street.
In the distance, by Yudai Pool, it was another year of trees in full bloom. Painted boats were connected bow to stern, filled with people admiring the flowers. The various markets were bustling with activity, with an endless stream of vehicles, horses, and pedestrians. Tavern flags fluttered, and unceasing music resounded throughout Chang’an.
The diligent Mei Zhuyu was unaware that his wife and son were watching golden-haired beauties dance while plotting to extract information from him.
(End of the main text)