Chapter 49: The Family

Mrs. Sun’s delivery did not add another straw to the Zhang family’s already tense nerves. Less than half an hour after entering the makeshift delivery room, a clear baby’s cry came from within. Soon after, the tightly closed door was flung open, and Pearl’s joyful face appeared.

“Both mother and daughter are safe! The wife gave birth to a daughter!”

Everyone who had waited outside in the cold for so long finally breathed a sigh of relief. Even Zhang Yue, under such circumstances, had an extremely strange thought—his father was the third son in the family, he was also the third in his own generation of descendants, and now he had a sister, making him the third among siblings—as if their family was fated to be associated with the number three?

Soon after, more news broke Zhang You’s stoic expression. Just as Pearl brought the good news, a maid from the main house rushed out hurriedly, shouting, “The old lady has woken up! The old lady has woken up!”

Hearing this, everyone rushed back to the main house. Even Zhang Zhuo and Zhang Yue, though worried, could only cast a concerned glance toward the east wing room before forcing themselves to look away.

Mrs. Gu, now awake, appeared pale but in good spirits. Upon hearing that her third daughter-in-law had safely given birth to a girl, she nodded slightly, feeling both relieved and somewhat melancholic. “In the past, having such a granddaughter would have required a proper celebration. But now, we almost lost our third daughter-in-law. Lingxi, find some reliable maids to take care of her. It’s too cold to move her around; she can stay in the east wing.”

Lingxi replied and left, taking the other maids with her. Thus, only the Zhang family’s sons, daughters-in-law, and grandchildren remained below. Seeing Mrs. Gu trying to sit up, Zhang Yue quickly stepped forward to help her sit upright. He placed thick pillows under her back and neck before stepping back.

“I’ve lived most of my life in comfort. Perhaps I’ve been too accustomed to ease, which is why I became so flustered by today’s upheaval. It’s thanks to your calmness that I’ve been able to stay composed.” Mrs. Gu glanced at everyone before her, her gaze finally resting on her second son, Zhang You. Then she asked in a deep voice, “Second son, if it were up to you now, what would you do?”

“Son…” Zhang You failed to show the same decisiveness as before. After hesitating for a moment, he finally made up his mind. “Anyway, this incident is extremely unusual. Since the Duke of Yingguo has returned triumphantly from Jiaozhi, I was originally planning to be transferred back to the capital. How about we head to the capital right away to find out what’s going on and take some action along the way…”
Lady Gu sighed wearily and then turned to Zhang Zhuo. “Third son, what do you think?”
“Son… I share the same opinion as second brother.” Zhang Zhuo was taken aback by his mother’s decision to seek his opinion on such an important matter. After a pause, he changed his tone and said, “But I think since second brother hasn’t received any orders from the Ministry of War or the Military Command, it’s not appropriate for him to go to Nanjing rashly. It would be better if I went there alone to make arrangements.”
Faced with these two responses that, though slightly different, were essentially the same, Lady Gu remained silent and asked again, “Since you both want to go to Nanjing, then who among you will tell me what exactly caused this trouble?”
Zhang You had been fighting in Jiaozhi in the far south all these years. Although Zhang Zhuo had passed the imperial examinations, he had never truly entered officialdom and was not very familiar with the events in Nanjing. The brothers exchanged a glance, and eventually it was Zhang You who spoke in a deep voice, “It’s probably because someone is jealous of the Zhang family’s prosperity and has gathered some censors to launch accusations.”
“If it’s just mere accusations, why would the Imperial Guards be involved? Unless it happened suddenly and the Duke of Yingguo didn’t send a message?”
Lady Gu asked two questions in quick succession. Seeing that both sons remained silent, she shook her head gently. Glancing at her dazed eldest daughter-in-law, Feng Shi, and her confused second daughter-in-law, Dong Fang Shi, and seeing Zhang Chao and Zhang Qi clenching their fists in anger while Zhang Jiu bit his lip tightly, she grew even more anxious. Suddenly, she noticed a thoughtful expression on Zhang Yue’s face.
“Brother Yue, what’s your opinion on today’s events?”
Zhang Yue was somewhat surprised that his grandmother had asked him directly instead of his brothers Zhang Chao and Zhang Qi. He had expected her to ask them first. Today was the day he first met Mu Ning, and he already knew more about the situation. Moreover, while waiting outside for his mother to give birth, he had already pieced together a rough outline of what had happened. Now, the only challenge was figuring out how to phrase his thoughts.

“Grandmother, that Captain Mu mentioned today that Ji Gang, the commander of the Jinyiwei, was executed by beheading in the market just a few days ago, and countless of his followers were killed. This can be considered the most sensational event in Nanjing recently. I once heard Mr. Du say that Ji Gang had once aligned himself with Prince Han…” Before he could finish, Lady Gu and Zhang You both let out a soft exclamation, their expressions changing drastically. Though they were not in the capital, they had heard about the power struggle between Prince Han Zhu Gaoxu and the crown prince, with the latter under constant pressure and his position as heir apparent in jeopardy. Since Prince Han had been a fierce general in the army and had close ties with families like the Zhangs—Lady Gu had even received a generous gift on her birthday, and Zhang You had experienced Prince Han’s “kindness” in Jiaozhi—it was hard to say whether Zhang Xin, who served alone in the capital, had any other interactions with him.

“Does Brother Yue mean… that Ji Gang’s death is likely because the emperor is already dissatisfied with Prince Han?”
“I’m just guessing based on what Captain Mu told me. We still need Grandmother’s decision on the matter.”
Only then did Lady Gu’s expression soften. She stared at Zhang Yue for a while before nodding gently. “If that’s indeed the case, you two—second and third sons—should not rush to Nanjing. Since that Captain Mu said in front of me that the Jinyiwei’s Northern Pacification Bureau won’t mistreat the eldest son, there’s no need to panic. Let’s wait and see if there’s any news from the Duke of Ying.”
Zhang You also glanced at Zhang Yue in surprise before nodding in agreement. “Then let’s do as Mother says. But it’s not appropriate to arrange a marriage now. It would be better to go to the Jin family and inform them to delay Chao’s marriage by a year or two until this matter is settled.”
“That’s good. It really isn’t the right time for a marriage. It’s better if you go in person to explain things clearly, so as not to make the Jin family think we’re deliberately delaying. After all, they are officials from Kaifeng. We should avoid offending them if possible.” With that, Lady Gu glanced at Zhang Chao and said kindly, “Brother Chao, things have happened suddenly. I’m sorry to trouble you.”
But Zhang Chao replied firmly, “What are you saying, Grandmother? As the eldest son, I certainly can’t focus only on getting married at a time like this.”
Just then, Zhang Jiu, who had remained silent until then, suddenly stepped forward, knelt down, and bowed his head sharply. “With our father in prison, I, as his son, can’t stay at home and enjoy comfort. I beg Grandmother to allow my mother and me to return to Nanjing!”

This time, faced with her long-loved eldest grandson, Lady Gu showed an annoyed expression. Frustrated, she slammed her hand hard on the bed frame and then snapped, “You’re just an underage child—how can you do more than the Duke of Yingguo and our family? Your father is my own flesh and blood, the elder brother of your uncles, and the eldest uncle of the younger generation. It’s not just you who should worry! I already said—wait until we get confirmation from the Duke of Yingguo before taking any action!”
Watching Zhang Jiu kneeling on the ground sobbing, Zhang Yue felt pity for this usually annoying little kid for the first time—after all, he was just a twelve-year-old child.