Chapter 5

The next day, Alhatu and Old Cai, following their plan from the night before, ran around all morning to finally get Guan Zhuofan’s seventh-rank military officer appointment and uniform. Back in the tent, they helped him pack his few belongings along with the appointment and uniform into a bundle. Before he left, they stuffed twenty taels of silver into his bundle.

"Brother, don’t think it’s too little," Alhatu said, holding his hand. "Take care of yourself and get well soon. If anything happens, send us a message. We’re not far from the capital, and you’ll always hear where the next battle is."

"Big Brother Alha, Big Brother Cai, you... take care too," Guan Zhuofan said, looking at his newly recognized elder brothers, feeling moved and not knowing what to say. He had just seen his birth date on the new appointment: the fifth month of the year Ji Hai. He calculated in his mind, which meant that this relative of his was twenty-one years old this year.

Travelling from twenty-three to twenty-one, he felt as if he had gained two years of life for free.

"We soldiers, once we go to war, our lives are no longer our own," Old Cai said somewhat gloomily. "If Old Alha and I can come back alive, we’ll have a good drink together."

Guan Zhuofan hesitated for a moment, deciding to tell them the truth to ease their worries.

"There won’t be any more battles," he said firmly. "Next, we’ll be negotiating peace."

Alhatu and Old Cai exchanged glances, both half-believing and half-doubting, unsure why Guan Zhuofan was so certain. Not fighting was good, but not fighting meant letting the foreigners into the city, right? However, thinking of the insight Guan Zhuofan had shown in front of Sheng Bao the previous day, they felt a bit more confident.

"Xiao Guan, is this reliable?" Old Cai asked in a low voice, probing. "The Emperor and Empress are still in the Forbidden City."

"Emperor and Empress... just trust me, it’s fine," Guan Zhuofan said, unable to say more, silently shaking his head, thinking: Your Emperor and Empress are probably no longer in the Forbidden City.

He hadn’t remembered wrong.

Just as Guan Zhuofan bid farewell to his two elder brothers and stepped out of the camp, Emperor Xianfeng of the Qing Dynasty, along with his five-year-old eldest son and all the concubines, boarded the carriages hastily prepared by the Imperial Household Department, escorted by the Sharpshooter and Vanguard Camps, and left through the Anding Gate, heading north to the imperial palace in Rehe.

What Guan Zhuofan didn’t know was that on the official road a short distance from the city gate, Emperor Xianfeng had ordered the sedan chair to stop, lifted the curtain, and looked back at the majestic city.

He would never return to this place again.

*

*

Guan Zhuofan, with his bundle on his back, entered the capital through Guangqu Gate and made his way south, asking for directions along the way. Though he had taken off his armor, he was still in military uniform, carrying a saber, and with his fluent Beijing accent, everyone knew he was a banner soldier returning from the front, so whenever he asked for directions, they were all eager to help.

His heart was now surging with excitement, like a miser entering a treasury, unable to contain his thrill. For a history major, the joy of finding himself in living history was indescribable.

This is Nanlai Shun, a famous restaurant specializing in northwest snacks, which already existed at this time; this is Ruifuxiang, a renowned silk shop that would be famous for a hundred years, who would have thought that a hundred years later, people would only be able to find the feeling of measuring silk and tailoring clothes at wholesale markets? This is Xiaochang Chen, the best place for braised pork intestine and baked buns; this is Dashilan, the most prosperous commercial street in all of China, the CBD of the Qing Dynasty...

Walking, looking, and counting, he soon arrived at Shoubi Alley in the southern part of the city.

Entering the alley, Guan Zhuofan’s mood changed. The excitement and thrill gradually gave way to a growing unease. The closer he got to his “home,” the more anxious he became. He still wasn’t sure if anyone was home, or who might be there.

Old Alhatu had been vague about his family, which was understandable since he hadn’t told him much before. But Old Cai, who had been hesitant about the engagement, didn’t know if he had actually married. It was such a big deal; if only Old Cai had asked him clearly before...

Lost in these thoughts, he arrived at the third house in the alley. He took a deep breath and knocked on the door.

The person who answered was a man in his thirties, likely a servant. He looked at Guan Zhuofan, hesitated, and then showed a look of impatience, but his words were still polite: "It’s Young Master Guan, is there something you need?"

Since he was called "Young Master Guan," this wasn’t his home. Guan Zhuofan smiled apologetically and said, "Sorry, I must have the wrong place."

"Oh, no problem," the man said, closing the door halfway, then poked his head out again, looking at him with a half-smile. "Young Master Guan, our master hasn’t returned from the office yet. If you need help, come back later."

"Help" meant borrowing money. Guan Zhuofan thought, it seems I am indeed from a poor family. He mumbled a few words, stepped back, and walked to the next house.

The next house was the fourth one in the alley, according to Alhatu, either the third or the fourth. He looked at the door in front of him, seeing the black paint peeling and the green patina on the door rings, indicating the family inside wasn’t well-off.

Standing at the door, the nagging question resurfaced: Do I have a wife or not? If not, that would be great, free and easy, with the sky as the limit. I could try to earn a wife and a concubine, which would be a joy. But if I do have a wife? Or if she opens the door? Then...

Then I can consummate the marriage.

He was startled by this sudden thought, feeling a wave of heat and his heart pounding as he knocked on the door ring.

After a moment, the door creaked open, revealing a wrinkled old face.

Guan Zhuofan’s lewd thoughts vanished like a deflated balloon. He stared at the old man, not knowing what to say, thinking: I don’t have a father, so where did this old man come from?

The old man, however, was very enthusiastic. Recognizing him, his eyes lit up, and he smiled, saying, "Third Young Master, you’re back!" He then called out, "Third Young Master is back."

I’m back.

Guan Zhuofan let out a long sigh. Although he didn’t have a beautiful wife, he had at least found his home. He stepped over the threshold, and the old man took his bundle, closed the door, and led him inside. Guan Zhuofan realized this was an old butler—so he was a young master, and his family even had an old butler...

He had never been called "young master" in his life, or in his "previous life," and felt a bit elated. Looking inside, he saw a two-courtyard house—the outer courtyard had two side rooms, and a central archway led to the inner courtyard, which should be the main courtyard. This structure, if in the future Beijing, would be considered a luxury siheyuan. The courtyard was clean and tidy, but it seemed to have been neglected, showing some signs of decay.

He passed through the archway into the main courtyard, which was just as he had imagined. The north side was the main hall, and on the east and west sides, there were three rooms each. On the side of the archway, there were two small rooms on either side.

As he was looking around, the curtain of a room in the inner part of the east wing was lifted, and a beautiful young woman in her twenties stepped out, wearing a light blue single-layered robe, with skin like congealed fat, hair like clouds, and eyes like stars, looking like a celestial being. She called out excitedly, "Zhuofan, you’re back!"

I’m dead. Guan Zhuofan felt his mouth dry and his tongue parched, staring at her dumbfounded, thinking: So the heavens are making me suffer first and then enjoy! My beautiful wife, who never leaves the house, has been waiting for me here...

Just as he was overjoyed, he heard the old butler laugh behind him, "Madam, Third Young Master is safe and sound, that’s good."

Madam!

Guan Zhuofan’s heart, which had been floating, felt as if it had fallen from the clouds and shattered into a million pieces. He swallowed hard, forced a smile, and called out with difficulty, "Sister-in-law."

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