Chapter 27: Get Out of the Way

Gritting her teeth, Tian Yachun turned back to Tian Xuewen and said, "I was too headstrong in the past, always looking for something better elsewhere. My marriage with my husband fell into serious trouble because he found me insufferable; it was all my own doing. Father, from now on, please stay out of our Zhang family affairs."

Earlier, on his way back, Zhang Chen had received intelligence that it was highly likely that Japanese pirates and sea bandits would launch a night raid on Zhang Village this evening. Tian Yachun and Zhu Weijin were present at the time.

"Yachun, oh, humble yourself and apologize to your husband. Temper your pride and try to live a proper life with Chuyang from now on," Tian Xuewen sighed deeply. If only they had known, why behave as she did in the beginning?

A few days ago, despite having married Zhang Chen, Tian Yachun—convinced of her own peerless talent and beauty—had been unwilling to settle. She viewed Zhang Chen as a mere bookworm and believed she deserved a better man. That was why she had refused to consummate the marriage and had driven him out to Zhang Village. At the time, Tian Xuewen had urged her to accept her fate and live peacefully with Zhang Chen. Her mother, Wang, had supported her defiance then, but events had taken a turn the Tian family never expected. Stimulated by the family's treatment, Zhang Chen seemed like a different person, becoming increasingly accomplished. Now, filled with regret, Tian Yachun had rushed to Zhang Village late last night without informing her parents.

After learning of her departure, Tian Xuewen had intended to abandon his plan to confront Zhang Chen, but the arrow was already on the string; he had no choice but to follow through.

"The bite mark on Zhang Chen’s face must have been from that girl, Yachun. When a young couple fights, they don’t hold grudges. If we interfere, we’ll only be blamed by both sides," Shi Keren muttered to himself, cursing silently. As a prominent village elder of Dengzhou Prefecture, he regretted coming to Zhang Village even more. He turned to Tian and said, "Zhili, it seems Futou Village has indeed colluded with the Japanese pirates. With over three thousand pirates on Zhifu Island, Zhang Village surely cannot withstand a combined force of those pirates and the thugs from Futou Village."

The Fushan County officials were well aware that the thousand or so able-bodied men in Futou Village were mostly sea bandits, but the government troops of Dengzhou were preoccupied with major affairs and could not spare the effort to wipe them out. The county lacked the strength to do so itself, so they chose to play deaf and dumb—an arrangement that worked only because the people of Futou Village were clever enough to keep their crimes low-key and avoid embarrassing the authorities.

Centuries pass like the changing of the tides. In the twenty-first century, Zhifu Island is China's largest land-tied island, but in the Ming Dynasty, it was merely an ordinary island about ten miles from the coast, currently occupied by over three thousand Japanese pirates.

Tian Xuewen, known by the courtesy name Zhili, scolded Zhang Chen, "The local militia must defend the county seat; they cannot be dispatched to Zhang Village. The only thing we can do is cheer for you from the city."

"You saw the bite mark on his face, didn't you? It’s just a young couple bickering. Mother, I told you that coming here would only end in us offending both sides," Zhang Erchen remarked, before snapping at Zhang Chen, "The pirates and bandits are coming soon, we must leave!"

A few minutes earlier, Zhang Chen had stepped out of the parlor and caught the eye of Xu Zihan, who was emerging from the guest room nearby. She had arrived earlier with her older brother, Xu Zize, to change his dressings, and they had been waiting for Zhang Chen.

"If the aunt can endure, the uncle cannot! Master Zhang, your scholarship is truly profound!"

The young girl wore a yellow tunic adorned with green lotus flowers, her hair styled in a playful, charming bun with stray locks framing her face. With her slender waist, graceful neck, fair skin, and delicate features, she possessed a unique, alluring charm.

"Don't stare," Xu Zihan said, glaring at Zhang Chen as he looked at her. She raised her foot, feigning a stomp: "If you keep staring, I’ll step on you!"

"Don't, I have something to tell you." Zhang Chen stepped back, startled. "Tian Yachun has changed her mind and refuses to divorce me. I think she’s latching onto me now. Since she is my legal wife, I will find a way to petition the Emperor for permission to take a secondary wife. Miss Xu, will you be my secondary wife?"

"You, I, this concubine..." Flustered by his blunt confession, Xu Zihan blushed, overcome with shyness.

"Petition the Emperor first," Xu Zize said as he stepped out of the room. "The higher your degree, the better your chances."

"I will wait