Harmonious Bliss (Hero Stories: Chu Tang)

## Steps

Need two censures to unlock Harmonious Bliss

## Dialogue

* The young lord of Chens is a perfect match for you. You know how influential the Chens are. It’d be good for all of us!
* Those are rumors! I see Chen is a good man! You know marriage is always a decision made by the parents!
* If you have to be with him, you’ll never have us as your parents!
* So I married Yanghe. And we moved to Yunyang.

**[Secretary]Chu Tang:** [Moves into the place arranged by the County Magistrate] This is going to be our home, honey.

**[Man] Yanghe:** What do you want for dinner?

**[Secretary] Chu Tang:** I want that braised fish with soy sauce you once cooked. [Holding his hand] I’ll go with you to buy the ingredients.

**[Man] Yanghe:** [Smiling] Sure

**[Secretary] Chu Tang:** I think we can stock some for tomorrow?

**[Man] Yanghe:**  But we may not be able to keep it fresh overnight.

**[Secretary] Chu Tang:** Hmm, you’re right.

* I was busy with work in the day. Yanghe continued his painting business and attended to the chores at home.
* That was the life I always wanted.
* And I was thinking of buying a place of our own so that it’s be quieter and undisturbed.

**[Secretary] Chu Tang:** When can I have enough money for a house?

* I took some of my best jewels and wanted to try my luck at the pawnshop.

**Pawnshop Owner:** How can I help you?

**[Secretary] Chu Tang:** I want to pawn this hairpin.

**Pawnshop Owner:** Are you sure? You seem to like it very much.

**[Secretary] Chu Tang:** Yes. It’s for the best.

**[Man] Yanghe:** [From afar] Darling, you’ve done so much for me.

**[Secretary] Chu Tang:** [Talking to a delicate jade butterfly hairpin] I’ll take you back once I have enough money.

* One day, I happened to see Yanghe walking into the pawnshop.
**[Secretary] Chu Tang:** (What’s he doing in there?!)

**[Secretary] Chu Tang:** [Walks in after Yanghe leaves.

**Pawnshop Owner:** [Pendant in hand] This. This is a fine piece! Are you interested? He does not want it anyway, he sold it for good.

**[Secretary] Chu Tang:** (But this is his family pendant!) Yes. I want it.

* I took the pendant home but couldn’t decide what to do with it.
* And to my surprise, my jade butterfly hairpin was lying on my dresser.
* I pinched and scraped in every way and eventually brought a small place for the two of us.

**[Kitchen Maid] Sixi:** The magistrate is always leering at Secretary Chu. Something must be going on between the two.

**[Maid] Tianhui:** You Donny say! Otherwise how could she afford a house at such an age? The money definitely couldn’t be from her poor husband.

**[Kitchen Maid] Sixi:** Shame on them!

**[Secretary] Chu Tang:** [Beyond forbearance] Stop this nonsense! Complete fabrication! I would not shrink from confrontation!

* I brought the maids to the magistrate for clarification.

**[County Magistrate] Zheng Shi:** [After hearing me out, he talks to the maids] You two can leave now.

**[Secretary] Chu Tang:** [Fretful] My lord…

**[County Magistrate] Zheng Shi:** Everyone can tell I have feelings for you. How can you be so cold and distant to me?

**[Secretary] Chu Tang:** [Startled] My lord?

**[County Magistrate] Zheng Shi:** [Leering] I do want to promote you, you know.

**[Secretary] Chu Tang:** I will earn my promotion with effort into my work, my lord.

**[Secretary] Chu Tang:** [All of a sudden he clamped his fingers on my hand.] Stop it, my lord!

**[Secretary] Chu Tang:** [Struggling] Get your hands off me!

**[County Magistrate] Zheng Shi:** What if I just don’t?

**Clerk:** [Knocked on the door] My lord, we’ve got the rioters back from the North wharf.

**[County Magistrate] Zheng Shi:** [Frees me as if nothing happened] I’ll be right there.

**[Secretary] Chu Tang:** Yes my lord. [Leaving in a panic.

* I was wrong to have seen the magistrate as a decent man. Almost out of my mind with worry, I made my way home.

**[Man] Yanghe:** You’re back. Dinner is ready.

**[Secretary] Chu Tang:** [Restless] Sure.

* My mind was full, I was not there for the whole meal. Yanghe suggested taking a walk after dinner. I nodded without thinking.
* It was during the walk, feeling my fingers laced with his, did I finally restore a moment of peace.

**[Secretary] Chu Tang:** [At the riverside, fireworks were set off into the sky.] This is…

**[Secretary] Chu Tang:** (It’s the fifteenth day of the lunar month, a day for fireworks in the country. No wonder he suggested the walk.)

* Standing right next to me, he looked into the sky, lips curved into a smile.
* What a beautiful moment.