Chapter Fifty-Three: An Elder Brother is Like a Father

Chapter Fifty-Three: The Eldest Brother as a Father

“What did you say? That tenant’s name is Wang something?” Before Zhang Qian could make a decision, Ren Quan suddenly sat up, ignoring the waves of dizziness that swept over him, and pressed on anxiously.

“Wang Maobo. When Steward Cui leased him the land in the spring, it was registered in the account books,” Zhang Gui replied, completely bewildered, and explained hesitantly in a low voice.

“So it’s him!” Ren Quan raised his hand to his forehead and let his head droop limply to his chest. “He’s fallen so low that he has to rent land to farm now. No wonder the name Jin Chui sounded so familiar today. I should have known. Steward Cui must be deaf to not recognize who Wang Maobo is, and still allowed him to become one of our tenants. This blow from the hammer, I truly deserved every bit of it!”

“Steward Ren, what’s wrong? Is there something special about that tenant named Wang Maobo?” Zhang Qian, who had reacted quickly enough, finally rushed over after finishing his words and caught hold of Ren Quan’s body. “Are you sure you’re not mistaken? Lie down quickly, don’t worry about this right now. Don’t worry, I know what I’m doing. If he’s your acquaintance, I can let them off for your sake!”

“Oh no, Steward Ren’s been beaten senseless!” Zhang Gui finally came to a realization and looked at Ren Quan with deep sympathy.

Although the Ren family was not among the most illustrious or powerful clans, they were still renowned in the Chang’an region. Ren Quan, as the trusted retainer of Young Master Ren Cong and a registered free man in the government’s records, enjoyed a status and prospects far above ordinary folk. Even regular house servants had to bow respectfully at the mere sight of him. Even Steward Cui, who ruled the manor with an iron fist, used to greet him from afar before the estate changed hands to the Zhangs.

Yet, such a “distinguished” Chief Steward Ren had just taken a hammer blow from a tenant’s son and, far from seeking revenge, actually believed he deserved it. If he wasn’t out of his mind, what other reason could there be?

Rumors had it that on the road to the Western Regions, there were slave traders who specialized in abducting lone travelers. They would strike the back of the head with a club, and by the time the victim recovered, they would be rendered simple-minded and dull, unable to recall their identity no matter where they were sold, nor would they ever think to escape.

“Master, I’m all right!” Under Zhang Gui’s sympathetic gaze, Ren Quan struggled to cup his hands and salute Zhang Qian. “I’m not familiar with this Wang Maobo, I just knew of his and his brother’s story. Their father was a Goguryeo man who once served as a Cavalry General in the Tang, officially holding the rank of Courageous Commander, famed for wielding a golden hammer. But he died in battle a long time ago. He left his two sons five hundred acres of land, a sinecure, and a small estate…”

Because of his dizziness, Ren Quan spoke slowly, sometimes jumbling his words, but the basic logic remained clear enough. After listening for a while, Zhang Qian finally understood why Ren Quan had said he deserved being struck by the hammer tonight.

—

It turned out that Wang Maobo and the uninvited guest tied to the tree at this moment were real brothers. Their father was a Goguryeo man, and for his martial prowess in battle, was granted Tang citizenship, ennobled as Courageous Commander, and given a sinecure as Cavalry General—a man in his prime. However, in a frontier battle sixteen or seventeen years ago, Captain Wang gave his life for the country. (A sinecure is a kind of military rank.)

At that time, Empress Wu was on the throne, and the court, by imperial edict, was to treat the children of martyrs with special kindness. So the authorities made a point of comforting the Wang brothers, and even bestowed Wang Maobo with the honorary title of Gallant Cavalry Officer. Their father left them a manor with five hundred mu of good farmland. (Note: Honorary titles were a measure for official advancement.)

If both brothers had been diligent and ambitious, even if they never entered officialdom, they could have lived comfortably as minor landlords for life. Unfortunately, when their father died, the younger brother was only six. Wang Maobo, the elder, had to act as both brother and father, and inevitably struggled to cope.

As time went on, the younger brother, Wang Maozhong, grew up to be a notorious wastrel, earning the nickname “Wang the Big Hammer.” Not only did he squander money, but he also liked to carouse with other dissolute youths, stirring up trouble everywhere.

Causing trouble in Chang’an often led to big consequences. When Wang Maozhong was seventeen, this gang of ne’er-do-wells finally went too far. While hunting and roasting meat outside the city, they set a fire that spread all the way to Weiyang Palace.

At the time, Wu Zetian was already elderly and at her most suspicious. In a fury, she immediately sent the Imperial Guards to arrest them. The whole group was quickly captured, all slated to be executed in the autumn as an example.

Seeing his brother, not yet of age, about to be beheaded, Wang Maobo was frantic. He sought help from his father’s old superiors and colleagues, pulled every string, and even risked his own life to beat the Drum of Redress in Chang’an, presenting his father’s military merits to the authorities. Only then did the court show leniency, commuting the sentence of Wang Maozhong and a few accomplices from death to facial tattooing and being sold as official slaves.

“That was when I first heard of them. All my friends remarked at the time that truly, the eldest brother is as a father,” Ren Quan finished, pressing his aching forehead and sighing repeatedly. “But I never imagined Wang Maobo, to save his brother, would even give up his hereditary honor, nor that the family would decline so far—Wang Maobo actually has to rely on tenant farming to survive! And yet Steward Cui, so ignorant, didn’t recognize the name Wang Maozhong and had the gall to go to their door demanding payment!”

“What eldest brother as father? In taking such care of his brother, did he ever think of his own wife and children? As for Steward Cui, wasn’t he the one who insisted on pleading for them earlier?” Zhang Qian could not quite understand Wang Maobo’s sacrifices and muttered to himself, half-hearted and unconcerned.

Had this happened in the twenty-first century, with the genders reversed, Wang Maobo would surely be called a “doormat” by the internet mob. As for why he chose to act this way, or whom to blame when a person is unable to stand on their own in society, those who shout abuse never bother to consider it.

However, since Zhang Qian was now in the Tang dynasty, he could hardly afford to act too out of place. So he waved his hand and ordered Zhang Gui to bring in Wang Maobo’s family. Then he stood up, preparing to change clothes and deal with the night’s events once and for all.

—

“Master, there are two main reasons why I said I deserved that hammering!” Ren Quan, ever mindful of the manor’s interests, grabbed the hem of Zhang Qian’s robe as soon as Zhang Gui had left, lowered his voice, and added, “First, Steward Cui should never have leased land to Wang Maozhong, and once he did, he should not have pressed for payment. Though the Wang family has declined, there are still some of General Wang’s old comrades alive. Steward Cui wanted to make an example, but he picked the wrong target. Second, Wang Maobo is a man of feeling and honor. In other great families, if a younger brother got arrested and was about to be executed, so long as the main branch was untouched, they would probably be glad. At most, they’d go through the motions of rescue, but never at such a cost.”

“Yes, he’s certainly loyal to his brother,” Zhang Qian replied, not entirely grasping the deeper meaning, but giving a perfunctory answer.

“This Wang Maozhong, now a slave in some other great household—judging by his dress, he’s well regarded by his master. You, Master, mustn’t kill him. Let him go, and he’ll probably keep causing trouble. In my view, the only thing he truly cares about is his elder brother. Otherwise, why would he rather die than implicate his brother’s family? So I suggest you do Wang Maobo a favor: bring him into the household as a retainer or martial instructor. Grateful for your mercy to his brother, Wang Maobo will surely serve you loyally. And Wang Maozhong, fearing you might turn on his brother, will not dare trouble you again. Furthermore…”

Worried that Zhang Qian might interrupt or refuse, Ren Quan hurried to add, “You’ve only just arrived and lack connections. Though Wang Maobo has been reduced to tenant farming, his father’s old network still exists—he’s simply too proud to beg for help. You’ve already pardoned his famine debt; if you give him a chance to earn his way, in time he’ll naturally reconnect with his father’s old friends. When those people see how you’ve looked after the Wang brothers, even if they don’t feel indebted, at least they won’t treat you as an outsider.”

“This…” Zhang Qian hadn’t expected Ren Quan to be so farsighted, but nodded after a moment’s hesitation. “Very well, as you suggest. But first, I must see for myself what sort of man Wang Maobo is…”

He had not finished speaking when, from the courtyard, a piercing woman’s voice rang out in shrill lamentation: “Wang Er, you scourge! What on earth does our family owe you from a past life? We’ve already been ruined to this extent—yet you still haven’t had enough? Last night, thinking of the brotherly bond you two have not seen in years, I let you in. And now, you’ve brought disaster upon us again! Your elder brother toils himself to the bone to keep this family together. Your nephew rises before dawn and studies late at night, all to restore our family’s name. And you? You ruined us once already, costing your brother his hereditary post—was that not enough? Yet you come back only to bring us calamity again! Oh, Heaven, open your eyes! Whatever debt we once owed this wretch, surely we’ve repaid it in full by now—”

“Enough, enough… This is the master’s house… enough… leave some dignity for your second uncle and me…” A man’s voice, hoarse with heavy coughing, followed closely after, every word laden with pleading and helplessness.

“Dignity?” the woman’s voice grew all the more bitter and mournful. “If he cared for dignity, he wouldn’t have come back to you. If he cared, he wouldn’t have caused such trouble the very day he returned. Wang Er, just look at how ill your brother is! Don’t you have a conscience? Was your conscience eaten by dogs—”