TSLSILMH Ch 3

Chapter 3

Marriage into the Wife’s Family?

When Xie Shu suddenly heard this phrase blurted out from Xi Mo’s mouth, the shock it delivered was no less intense than what he had felt earlier.

His brows instinctively furrowed slightly, but then swiftly smoothed out.

In truth, for Xie Shu, such a matter as marrying into a wife’s family wasn’t as hard to accept as it might be for many other men.

Everything in this world has its historical origins. The tradition of a man marrying into his wife’s family stemmed from the ancient importance placed on continuing the family line.

He just hadn’t expected that the original body he now inhabited had actually done so.

After all, from the general point of view, if a man is hale and whole, why would he enter another’s household as a son-in-law with no name or position? A man with pride would never make such a choice.

He wondered what had been going on with the original body…

But now, everything that had confused him before made perfect sense: why no one besides Xi Mo was ever around here, why Xi Mo had tried so hard to persuade him to live well here.

Seeing Xie Shu’s expression turn slightly off, Xi Mo cursed himself inwardly for speaking too rashly. That phrase, “marrying into the wife’s family,” was something he had never dared to utter in front of Xie Shu, yet somehow, in a moment of impulse, he let it slip.¹

And to speak of pursuing imperial examinations as a career—this was even more of a sore spot for Xie Shu.

In Jinling, who didn’t know of the young master’s former brilliance? He had passed the county-level exams to become a xiucai² at just fourteen, a feat that earned him much respect and admiration…

But in the two provincial-level exams after that, he had failed both, and eventually withdrew from Jinling Academy.

Xi Mo’s face turned pale as he hurried to repair his blunder: “Young master, you’re already a shengyuan³ now—it’s just a matter of time before you pass.”

Upon hearing this, Xie Shu refocused. The term “shengyuan” was a rank within the imperial examination system. During the annual local academy exams known as suishi, those selected became shengyuan, commonly referred to as “xiucai”. So this place also held imperial examinations—it seemed that no matter how history diverged, its evolutions weren’t so very different.

In ancient times, once someone became a xiucai, they no longer belonged among the commoners but were now referred to as “scholars”—no wonder Xi Mo had initially addressed him as “Master Xie.”

Having worked through all this, Xie Shu gave the anxious young servant in front of him a faint smile and said, “Indeed, I had misunderstood things before.”

How could Xie Shu not notice Xi Mo’s heartfelt intentions behind his words?

Since arriving in this world, the only one who had consistently and carefully tended to him was this much younger servant. It was precisely due to the boy’s sincerity that Xie Shu felt he could be trusted.

But Xie Shu was destined never to tell him the truth, and he would have to lay the groundwork himself for any shift in character.

He hadn’t expected that rather than growing angry, the young master had even listened to his advice.

Xi Mo felt as if he were walking on clouds—so unreal, it was almost like a dream. But if the young master could always stay like this, how wonderful that would be!

Xi Mo almost wanted to weep for joy—were it not for the fear of being seen by the young master, he might have turned away to discreetly wipe his tears.

Seeing Xi Mo’s eyes redden again, Xie Shu sighed silently in his heart. Calmly and softly, he said, “Xi Mo, bring me a mirror.”

Xi Mo immediately responded with an “Aye!” and quickly went to the room outside to retrieve it.

After a while, Xi Mo, with his demeanor returned to normal, handed over a finely polished bronze mirror.

Xie Shu’s hand gave a subtle pause as he took the mirror before raising it to his face.

The moment he clearly saw the reflection, Xie Shu was quite taken aback.

The face in the mirror looked eerily familiar. It bore a striking resemblance to how he had looked at twenty.

And though the bronze mirror distorted the hue of his complexion, Xie Shu could still tell that his face wore the traces of illness—his thin frame bordering on emaciation, lending him a slightly desolate air.

But all of that could be changed. He had originally expected that inhabiting a different body would be hard to adjust to, especially after becoming so used to his own original face. Now, this seemed as fortunate as could be.

Yet for this very reason, Xie Shu found it even harder to comprehend—this body was whole, decently attractive, and had passed the imperial exam to become a xiucai. Why, then, would he choose to enter another family through marriage?

And that wife he had not yet met in person was, for the moment, the most pressing problem he faced.

Xie Shu could only hope his analysis was correct—that the original self had been dissatisfied with the arrangement and had not been close to his wife.

Nonetheless, he needed to ask questions and clarify things directly.

For once, Xie Shu felt a rare bit of hesitation. He took another sip of tea, moistening his dried throat, and gently cleared his throat before asking, “Xi Mo, during the days I was unconscious, did anyone else come to visit me?”

Xi Mo was momentarily at a loss, unsure how to respond.

Why would the young master ask that?

Xie Shu had always remained distant from the Yu family⁴. And because he was a son-in-law who married into their home, if he didn’t interact warmly with Yu Chuxi⁵, it was easy for others to look down on him.

Although Xie Shu did live in Yu Chuxi’s courtyard, the two had never shared a room. On the second day after their marriage, Xie Shu had moved into a separate chamber.

Those within the inner quarters who knew had all been silenced by Yu Langjun⁶, but over the years, some rumors still escaped. Because of that, who would care to visit Xie Shu?

Yet upon thinking further, Xi Mo realized—how could the young master not know all of that? Surely he had a reason for asking.

Suddenly, a thought struck him—perhaps the young master, having lived through a brush with death, had come to see things in a new light. That would explain why he was so different now…

Yesterday, the young master had clearly seen Yu Langjun come to visit, and it must have left him with some feelings. But how could the young master be expected to bring up Yu Langjun himself…?

At this realization, Xi Mo grew increasingly excited. If only the young master could forget Wei Qingtong⁷ and live well with Yu Langjun, how wonderful that would be.

Determined to do his part to ease the burden on his master, Xi Mo began to fervently sing Yu Langjun’s praises: “Yesterday, after Yu Langjun finished his business and returned home, he heard of your illness and became deeply concerned. He came right away to see you. Not only that, he even had the city’s finest physician, Doctor Zhang, summoned to treat you. Master, don’t you think—shouldn’t you personally thank Yu Langjun?”

Yu Langjun…

Xie Shu had only intended to ask about his “wife,” yet unexpectedly, all Xi Mo talked about was this person.

Still, Xie Shu listened carefully. In fact, he still remembered what he had seen the moment he first opened his eyes after waking up.

When Xi Mo had nothing further to add, Xie Shu felt both disappointed and vaguely relieved. It seemed his wife was indeed not on close terms with him, not even having come to see him—which suited him just fine. In the future, he would be careful to avoid any encounters between them.

When Xi Mo finished speaking, and saw that Xie Shu had not responded for a long while, his heart sank slightly in disappointment. But then Xie Shu gave a small nod and said warmly, “You’re right. When I recover, I should thank him in person.”

That day, Xie Shu drank medicinal decoctions three times—morning, noon, and night.

Initially, Xie Shu struggled with the bitter taste of the medicine, but eventually adapted to it. With his eyes closed, he downed it all in one go, while contemplating to himself that once he recovered, he must begin physical conditioning as soon as possible. He couldn’t afford another bout of illness—he might not survive it next time.

For some reason, ever since he had said that one sentence in the morning, Xi Mo remained in high spirits, tirelessly and attentively caring for him.

Now that Xie Shu could sit up, he asked Xi Mo to find some historical records and books.

Some things were better read than asked—books remained the best source of learning.

When he received the texts, Xie Shu found the characters quite similar to the regular script of his past world. With his thoughts settled, he opened the first page and found the original owner’s signature.

So his name had also been Xie Shu?

After that, Xie Shu began flipping page by page and finally formed a general understanding of this world’s history.

But since current-era records were sparse, he only learned that the dynastic title was Qing.

The Great Qing₈ had been established forty-two years ago, and had since been ruled by three emperors. The present emperor had been on the throne for three years, having changed the reign title to Tai’an.

And much like other dynasties, the Qing Dynasty used the imperial examination system to select officials.

Xie Shu studied the rules closely—it all aligned closely with what he had expected. Though he had no personal ambition for the exams at present, this familiarity brought a certain sense of comfort.

However, he also began to notice some unfamiliar and perplexing terms in the literature.

“Shuang’er”—what did that mean? “Fulang”—what was that used for?

He mentally took note of all these unfamiliar terms, intending to investigate them further in the future.

By the third day, Xie Shu had made a full recovery.

After examining him once more, Doctor Zhang nodded in satisfaction. “Master Xie is well now. In the coming days, simply continue with the restorative tonics.”

Seeing the young man bow in thanks with grace and natural poise—his body visibly slimmer than before, making his clothes hang a bit looser—there was an ineffable charm about him.

Doctor Zhang couldn’t help but admit to himself that he had misjudged the man. These past days of treatment had left him thinking that this would-be scholar, who had tarnished his reputation by marrying into the Yu household, was arrogant and false. But now…

It seemed the rumors were untrue. Doctor Zhang could no longer determine the real relationship between Xie Shu and Yu Chuxi.

Then again, rumors were always messy, rarely reliable. Doctor Zhang dismissed his doubts, picked up his brush to write the final prescription, and reminded Xi Mo to brew the medicine faithfully before saying cheerfully to Xie Shu, “Master Xie, I’ll take my leave and not trouble Young Master Yu any longer. Please pass my regards to him.”

Young Master Yu?

Xie Shu had already learned yesterday that this “Yu Langjun” had quite a high status. Now, it turned out he was the young heir of the family.

Since Xie Shu had already intended to thank him personally, he readily agreed.

Doctor Zhang’s eyes gleamed knowingly, needing no further explanation.

After Xi Mo saw him to the gate, Xie Shu picked up the prescription on the table.

Reading the handwriting, he couldn’t help but feel a flush rise to his cheeks.

This prescription was indeed tonic medicine to strengthen the body’s foundation, and it included costly ingredients—among them, century-old ginseng, a rarity in modern times.

Although Xie Shu had only just arrived in this world, the thought that all his current expenses were being paid for by his wife’s family left him feeling uneasy.

He resolved to properly thank this young master of the Yu family.

Once Xi Mo returned, Xie Shu asked to be taken to see the man.

Xi Mo said nothing else and simply complied. Moreover, he rummaged through the chests and boxes until he found a stone-blue cloak, which he draped over his master’s shoulders—making him appear even more refined and elegant.

When he noticed Xie Shu looking at him, Xi Mo sheepishly touched his nose and said, “It’s cold outside.”

Xie Shu didn’t think much of it, and followed Xi Mo toward a nearby pavilion.

Along the way, they passed many of the Yu family’s servants, most of whom glanced at Xie Shu curiously, as though seeing something rare.

Xie Shu remained composed. Upon reaching the building, he saw that it was magnificently adorned—soaring eaves and intricate carvings, the whole structure exuding beauty and grace.

Xi Mo stepped forward and knocked. Whatever he said inside was unknown—but moments later, he returned beaming and said joyfully, “Yu Langjun is inside. Please, go on in.”

Footnotes:

1. Marrying into the wife’s family (入贅 / “ruzhui”) refers to a man becoming part of his wife’s household, often looked down upon in historical contexts where patrilineal descent and male dominance were typical.

2. Xiucai (秀才) – the lowest scholar degree in the imperial examination system, awarded at the county level.

3. Shengyuan (生員) – an official title for a xiucai, someone recognized as a Confucian student eligible for further exams and societal privileges.

4. Yu family – the in-laws of Xie Shu, whose daughter (or son, given the world’s rules) Xie Shu has married into.

5. Yu Chuxi (虞楚息) – implied name of the person to whom Xie Shu is married.

6. Yu Langjun (虞郎君) – literally “Young Master Yu.” “Langjun” is an honorific for younger noblemen or gentry males.

7. Wei Qingtong (衛卿童) – a person apparently from Xie Shu’s past, perhaps someone he once loved or was entangled with emotionally.

8. The Great Qing (大慶) – the fictional name of the present dynasty in this alternate historical setting.