Chapter 2: Taken into Custody

“What’s the matter?”
Mother and son were both startled and instinctively stood up.
Zheng Debiao pulled a document from his chest and handed it over. “See for yourself.”
There weren’t many words on the official paper, but as soon as Xue Rui finished reading, his face darkened.
It was an official notice from the Directorate of Astronomy, appointing him as a probationary Astronomer. The reason cited a shortage of personnel, and as a special exception, he was to be inducted. He was required to report for duty on the third day of the eighth lunar month. The document bore the seal of Director Peng Deqing.
A “probationary Astronomer” was the lowest rank among technical staff at the Directorate, responsible for observing celestial phenomena, calculating the calendar, and defining the seasons.
For instance, Xue Rui’s father, Xue Yuanhao, had served as a probationary Astronomer for more than a decade at the Directorate.
Throughout the Ming dynasty, there were only two ways to become a probationary Astronomer: by imperial recruitment from across the land or by hereditary succession.
Imperial recruitment was only employed at the founding of the dynasty or during acute shortages of talent. The rest were selected from the sons of hereditary staff.
Generally, as long as a male heir reached the age of fourteen and was proficient in the requisite skills, he was eligible to join the Directorate and receive rations and an official post.
Most officials’ families would send their legitimate sons to the Directorate at the start of the year to await the year-end evaluation.
This not only saved on household rations but, more importantly, gave the sons the opportunity to study astronomy and calendrical science within the Directorate, striving to pass the annual exam and become full Astronomers as soon as possible.
However, Xue Rui was an exception.
He had been rebellious and showed no interest in astronomy or the calendar—he couldn’t even identify the position of the Big Dipper.
So when the Directorate was recruiting hereditary apprentices at the start of the year, Xue Yuanhao was too embarrassed to mention his own son. To have such a useless child enter the Directorate would be a waste of government funds!
Unexpectedly, with more than half the year gone, Xue Rui was forcibly enrolled into the Directorate.
After reading the document, Lady Liu grew anxious. “Second Brother, what is the meaning of this? Didn’t the Director leave on campaign with the Emperor? Why is Rui suddenly being brought into the Directorate?”
“Perhaps it’s because of what happened with your eldest brother,” Zheng Debiao sighed. “The Director hasn’t gotten over it and, in his displeasure, decided to enroll Rui. The Director’s son, Peng Ying, is currently in charge of the archives. Rui will be working under him and is likely to face trouble.”
“Second Uncle, if I take my mother and hide somewhere, will we be held responsible afterwards?” Xue Rui asked, after a moment’s thought.
“Absolutely not!”
Zheng Debiao waved his hands urgently. “The founding emperor decreed that if there is a vacancy for an official’s son at the Directorate, legitimate heirs must take the annual examination. If they are skilled, they will be accepted and receive rations. If they refuse, the penalty ranges from flogging to military exile. Eight years ago, Zhang Shuo, son of the Supervisor of the Nanjing Directorate, tried to dodge service and was nearly beaten to death. Only the vice-director’s intercession saved his life. This is no laughing matter!”
“So there’s no room for negotiation.”
Xue Rui sighed. He had been planning to take his mother and flee the capital, but now even escape was out of the question.
Fortunately, it was only a matter of toughing it out for a little over ten days. No matter how Peng Ying might torment him, he wasn’t likely to be killed in that short time, was he?
With that thought, Xue Rui felt more at ease.
Zheng Debiao had only stopped by on his way to another errand. After sharing a bit more about the situation at the Directorate, he took his leave.
Lady Liu, full of worry for her son, sat in the courtyard weeping, cursing now and then—whether at her troublesome husband or at Peng Deqing for conscripting Xue Rui, it was hard to tell.
Xue Rui tried to comfort her, but the more he spoke, the louder she cried. In the end, he could only give up.
Dusk was falling, and if the meal wasn’t prepared soon, they’d be cooking in the dark.
Seeing his mother still lost in misery, Xue Rui slipped into the kitchen to start making dinner.
Since being driven from their home, Xue Rui had grown thin—not for lack of food, but because Lady Liu’s cooking was simply too awful.
As someone with high standards for food in modern times, Xue Rui had often thought of starting a training class for her, to properly teach her how to cook.
Unfortunately, Lady Liu was old-fashioned and barely literate. She didn’t care whether “a gentleman stays out of the kitchen” was literal or not—she simply forbade Xue Rui from cooking, insisting on doing it herself.
But today, seeing that she was in no state to cook, he seized the opportunity to take over and prepared a proper meal.
By the time Lady Liu had cried herself out and regained her senses, there were already two dishes on the table.
“You made these?”
Lady Liu stared wide-eyed at the food, forgetting even to wipe her tears.
The two dishes—pan-fried tofu and hand-shredded cabbage—were both simple.
But under Xue Rui’s hand, the golden tofu released an irresistible aroma, garnished with chopped scallions, tempting the taste buds. The cabbage was bright and fresh, promising a crisp and tender bite.
“If not me, then who? Go on, Mother, try it and see how it tastes.”
Xue Rui handed her the chopsticks at just the right moment.
Lady Liu picked up a piece of tofu, nibbled a corner, and suddenly froze. After a moment, she burst into tears again.
Xue Rui was startled, thinking he’d somehow ruined the food, and quickly sampled a piece himself.
“But it tastes fine!” he muttered, baffled. Did the tastes of ancients and modern people really differ so much?
Lady Liu wiped her tears, sobbing harder. “I’m so useless. My own son can cook better than I can. I’m so ashamed… boo hoo…”
Whew—
Xue Rui let out a sigh of relief. So she was just feeling hurt.

Faced with such a weepy mother, what could Xue Rui do but hurry to comfort her? “Mother, don’t be sad. Even Confucius said, ‘Of three people walking, there’s always someone I can learn from.’ Your cooking might be… less than ideal, but your hands are clever! You’re so skilled at needlework—that’s something your son can never match.”
“Needlework?”
Lady Liu’s sobs ceased abruptly.
A few moments later, she suddenly sprang up and twisted Xue Rui’s ear, scolding him as she twisted: “You heartless little rascal! Did I give birth to you just so you could stab me in the heart?”
“Hey, hey, what did I say wrong?”
Xue Rui hopped on tiptoe as his mother hauled him around the courtyard, utterly bewildered. Wasn’t it a compliment to say someone was clever with their hands?
As she twisted his ear, Xue Rui suddenly recalled a few things.
According to Lady Liu herself, she’d been pampered from childhood, playful and spoiled before marriage, and hadn’t learned needlework or cooking. After marrying into the Xue family, her mother-in-law often criticized her for it.
Her sister-in-law, Madam Zhao, by contrast, was skilled at both cooking and needlework, earning great favor from Grandmother Li, who even entrusted her with managing the household.
From the family’s estates and income down to the distribution of allowances, everything passed through Madam Zhao’s hands. Lady Liu had always suffered for it.
Usually, over trivial matters, Lady Liu suffered many slights from her sister-in-law. But with her mother-in-law’s support, she could only swallow her grievances.
Thus, needlework and cooking were sore points for Lady Liu—a constant source of pain.
So when Xue Rui mentioned these things twice just now, it was as if he’d stabbed her right through the heart, maybe even punctured her lungs!
After venting her anger on her son, Lady Liu finally calmed down.
Xue Rui seized the chance to flatter her. “Mother, even if your skills need… some improvement, you have a wonderful son! Isn’t that a hundred times better than my aunt?”
Pfft!
Lady Liu was amused by his shamelessness and shot him an exasperated look.
“And you have the nerve to talk! At your age, you and your cousin went roaming around those places—almost got your head bashed in! It was only by sheer luck that you woke up. If your father and I had tried to seek justice for you, not even the magistrate would have dared take our case. If you’d died, your death would have been for nothing.”
“Ahem, but I’m fine now, aren’t I? Let’s not bring that up… Anyway, the food’s getting cold—let’s eat first and talk about the rest later.”
At the mention of this, Xue Rui felt a bit embarrassed, as though he’d been caught doing something shameful, his conscience prickling.