Chapter 6: Loyal Servant

Hearing that it was Du Zhong outside, Du Rui hurriedly set down Xiao Lian and went to open the door. The memories remaining in his body told him that this Du Zhong was trustworthy. In fact, Du Zhong and the original Du Rui had a relationship that was part servant, part elder. Ever since Du Rui’s biological mother, Lady Cao, passed away from illness, Du Rui and his sister would never have survived in the Duke of Lai’s mansion without Du Zhong’s support.

Du Ruhui had been busy with state affairs while he was alive and had no time to spare for Du Rui, his son by a concubine. Everything in the mansion was managed by Lady Cui. Naturally, the jealous Lady Cui viewed Du Rui and his sister as thorns in her side; they were treated even worse than the managing servants. The year before last, when Du Rui was admitted to the Imperial Academy, it was entirely due to Du Zhong pleading on his behalf before Du Ruhui. However, after Du Ruhui passed away, it seemed his time at the Imperial Academy had also come to an end. Without the prestige of the Duke of Lai’s mansion to pave the way, Du Rui was nothing more than a commoner bearing the title of a young nobleman.

Perhaps Du Ruhui was highly regarded by later generations, but in Du Rui’s eyes, he was first and foremost not a qualified father. At the very least, his attitude toward his legitimate sons versus his sons by concubines was biased.

"Young Master!" Du Zhong bowed respectfully as he saw Du Rui open the door.

"Uncle Zhong, there is no need for such formalities!" Although this Du Rui was no longer the original, the memories remaining in his body made him feel a sense of respect for this loyal old man. "You must have come for an important matter!"

Seeing Du Rui’s polite demeanor and humble tone—so unlike the dull, slow-witted young master he had been before—a look of admiration appeared on Du Zhong’s face. He bowed and said, "This old servant does not deserve such a title."

Du Rui smiled faintly. "In this Duke of Lai’s mansion, if not for your support, my sister and I would not even have had enough to eat or wear. In my heart, I have long regarded you as an elder of my own family; how could you not deserve it? Please, speak your mind!"

Du Zhong pondered for a long moment before saying, "Entrusted by the late Lady Cao to look after you and Miss Lian, I naturally dare not fail her. But I do not know why the Old Madam summoned you to the front hall today?"

Perhaps feeling that it was inappropriate for a servant to inquire about family matters, Du Zhong phrased his words as tactfully as possible, though he was not eloquent and still sounded somewhat presumptuous.

Du Rui did not mind and sighed, "Mother only summoned me to discuss family matters. This Duke of Lai’s mansion can no longer accommodate us, so she is sending us away early! However, she did not treat us unfairly; she divided an old residence in the West Market for us and gave us a thousand strings of cash as a settlement fee."

Du Zhong was shocked upon hearing this. "I never imagined that the Duke had only just passed away and the Old Madam would be so cold-hearted. And you say she did not treat you unfairly, Young Master?"

Du Rui feigned confusion. "Uncle Zhong, why do you say that? I am but a son by a concubine; that she could treat us this way is already rare!"

Du Zhong shook his head and sighed, "Young Master, do you know what that old residence is!?"

Du Rui replied, "I have lived in this mansion since I was a child. Aside from going to the Imperial Academy, I have never left the grounds. How would I know?"

Du Zhong said, "That old residence was a gift from the Retired Emperor when the late Duke was still alive. Later, after the late Duke rendered meritorious service in assisting the current Sage and was promoted to Minister of the Ministry of War and granted the title of Duke of Lai in the first year of Zhenguan, that residence was abandoned. The current Sage, mindful of the late Duke’s contributions in the Incident at Xuanwu Gate, never reclaimed it. However, it has fallen into disrepair over the years and is no longer fit for habitation. For the Old Madam to bestow this residence upon you is to treat you poorly. Furthermore, that thousand strings of cash—you are young and have no experience in business. If you live frugally, it might last three to five years, but after that... sigh..."

Du Zhong sighed heavily, but Du Rui was unimpressed. In his previous life, he had studied the prices of the Zhenguan era of the Tang Dynasty. While a thousand strings of cash was not a fortune, if they only bought grain, it would be enough for his sister and him to survive for three to five years. Moreover, making money did not seem like a difficult task for Du Rui, who came from the future.

"Uncle Zhong! Do not worry about this; I have my own ways!"

Hearing this, Du Zhong assumed Du Rui was just trying to comfort him. "Young Master! Since things have come to this, I have nothing more to say. I will go back to pack my things and leave this Duke of Lai’s mansion with you today!"

Du Rui was delighted. "Uncle Zhong, you mean you are coming with us?"

Du Zhong looked at Du Rui and smiled kindly. "I received great kindness from Lady Cao. If not for her, my family of three would have starved to death on the streets years ago. Since she entrusted you and Miss Lian to my care, how could I leave? Unless, Young Master, you are unwilling to take me in?"

Du Rui was overjoyed and hurriedly said, "Uncle Zhong, what are you saying? I couldn't be happier! Good! I will pack my belongings, and we shall leave at once!"

If he could have Du Zhong’s family with him, Du Rui would feel at ease. Although he was talented, he was new to this place and unfamiliar with everything. With Du Zhong by his side, things would be much easier to manage.

In Du Rui’s memories, Du Zhong’s family consisted of six people: besides Du Zhong, there was his elderly wife, Lady Xue; his son, Du Gui; his daughter-in-law, Lady Liu; and two grandsons of similar age to Du Rui, the brothers Du Pingsheng and Du Pingyuan. Counting them, Du Rui, the son by a concubine about to be expelled, could be considered to have a decent number of people on his side.

"Uncle Zhong! But... but will they let you leave?" Du Rui asked, not without worry.

Du Zhong knew what Du Rui was worried about and smiled. "Young Master, do not worry. I am not a hereditary servant of the Duke of Lai’s mansion. I once followed the late Duke in the army, and later, when I resigned to return to my hometown, the chaos caused by Xue Ju forced me to leave my home and come to Chang'an to seek refuge with the late Duke. I was later saved by Lady Cao, and even the late Duke never truly treated me as a slave."

Hearing this, Du Rui finally felt relieved. He knew that in this society, once a servant, always a servant; even if one married and had children, the children would bear the title of servant and could never escape it for their entire lives. Since Du Zhong was not a servant who had sold himself to the Duke of Lai’s mansion, there was no need to worry.

After seeing Du Zhong off, Du Rui began to pack his luggage. It was only when he started packing that he realized what kind of status his predecessor had held within this vast mansion.

Du Rui’s biological mother had died early, and he was not valued in the mansion. His luggage was naturally simple: a few changes of clothes and nothing else. The only thing of value was the inkstone on his desk. However, since he had decided to make a clean break with the Duke of Lai’s mansion from this day forward, he naturally did not want the inkstone that Du Ruhui had bestowed upon him.

He went to the mansion’s treasury to settle the thousand-string severance fee and collect the deed to the old house and the land title. After walking out of the gates of the Duke of Lai’s mansion, Du Rui was truly finished with this place. From now on, the sea was wide for the fish to leap, and the sky was high for the birds to fly.

Although they hadn't truly had a falling out, Lady Cui was not in the mood to see them off. She merely arranged for a steward to supervise them, as if they were a plague, and as soon as Du Rui settled the money and deeds, they were immediately driven out of the mansion.

Du Zhong watched indignantly and wanted to argue with those people, but Du Rui stopped him. "Uncle Zhong! They are just snobbish dog-servants; it’s not worth getting angry over. Let’s go!"

But just as they stepped out of the gate, Du Rui, who had been advising Du Zhong not to be angry, could not control himself. Glaring at the vermilion-lacquered, brass-studded gate, he really wanted to curse them out.

If Du Rui’s existence posed a slight threat to Du He and Du Gou, then what wrong had the other three concubines of Du Ruhui and their daughters done?

It turned out that not only were Du Rui and his sister driven out, but Du Ruhui’s other three concubines—Lady Ma, Lady Bai, and Lady Ji—and their three daughters had also been driven out. They looked even more miserable; apart from the clothes on their backs and the small cloth bags they carried, they had nothing else.

Seeing the women huddled in front of the gate, sobbing in low voices, Du Rui hurried forward, bowed, and addressed them as "Aunt."

"Aunt, what is the meaning of this!?"

Lady Ma, the eldest, sobbed in a low voice, "The Great Madam could not tolerate us and has sent us, mother and daughter, away."

Hearing this, Du Rui could not help but be shocked and angry. "That poisonous woman actually dared to be so cold-hearted!"

Lady Ma said, "We have no other relatives to turn to. If you still remember the bond between mother and son, please take in Fu'er. I would have no regrets in this life!"

Seeing Lady Ma about to bow, Du Rui reached out to help her up. "Aunt, there is no need for this. If you have nowhere to go, why not come with us to the old residence for the time being? As long as I have a bite to eat, I will not let you and my sisters go hungry!"

Lady Ma was startled. She had only hoped that Du Rui could take in Du Yunfu so her daughter would have food and clothing in the future, which would have been a great kindness. She had not expected Du Rui to be so righteous, and she was deeply moved.

Lady Ji and Lady Bai also hurriedly expressed their thanks.

After speaking with the three aunts, Du Rui had Du Gui go hire a carriage. Looking back at the vermilion gate of the Duke of Lai’s mansion, he was filled with resentment.

"Uncle Zhong! Do you have brush and ink with you?"

Du Zhong was stunned. "I do, of course. Young Master, what are you..."

Du Rui did not explain and reached out his hand. "Bring them to me!"

Seeing this, Du Zhong did not ask further. He turned back, took the brush and ink from his luggage, ground the ink, filled the brush, and handed it to Du Rui. Du Rui took the brush and walked straight to the closed gate of the Duke of Lai’s mansion. He raised his hand and wrote with a flourish

*New white wine is brewed, I return from the mountains;* *Yellow chickens peck at millet, autumn is at its peak.* *I call the boy to cook the chicken and pour the white wine;* *Children sing and laugh, tugging at my clothes.* *I sing loudly to get drunk, seeking self-consolation;* *I dance as the sun sets, competing with its brilliance.* *My lobbying of the ten-thousand-chariot king was too late;* *I whip my horse and cross the long road.* *The foolish woman of Kuaiji looked down on Mai Chen;* *I, too, leave my home and head west to Qin.* *I look up to the sky and laugh as I walk out the door;* *Are we, of my kind, mere commoners of the field?*

Du Rui used Mi Fu’s running script for these lines of Li Bai’s poem. Mi Fu, being unsuited for the sycophancy of officialdom and possessing a lofty character, often used a tilted posture in his calligraphy—seeking the left before the right, seeking to suppress before elevating—all to enhance the rhythmic, leaping grace and the spirited, galloping energy. With decades of deep foundation in collecting ancient characters as a premise, his work was natural and innocent, never pretentious.

By writing this poem, "Parting from Children at Nanling to Enter the Capital," by Li Bai in front of the Duke of Lai’s mansion, Du Rui’s meaning was clear: from this moment on, he was leaving, and if they were to meet again, they would be strangers.

After finishing, Du Rui threw the brush to the ground and turned to leave. Du Zhong, standing behind him, was dumbfounded. Having often been by Du Ruhui’s side, he had been influenced by his surroundings and possessed some literary talent. Not to mention this masterpiece of a seven-character regulated verse, the calligraphy alone—even though Du Rui was young and lacked physical strength—was unique. In this day and age, it was likely on par with the great calligrapher of the dynasty, Yu Shinan, a scholar of the Hongwen Hall.

Looking back at Du Rui’s receding figure, Du Zhong could not help but feel admiration in his heart: *Lady Cao, the Young Master is definitely no ordinary person. I finally have an account to give you; you can rest in peace in the afterlife.*