Chapter 55: Endless Doubts

“Third brother, I don’t want to see anyone from the Jin family. I’ll leave this to you!”
Taking advantage of the moment Zhang Yue was stunned by these words, Zhang Chao turned around and strode away angrily. Unlike Zhang Yue, he had already paid close attention to the Jin sisters. Even in that brief encounter, he recognized her as his sister, Jin Su.
Thinking about how he had once liked her but was forced by his mother to arrange a marriage with Jin Heng; thinking that even when his mother tried to cancel the marriage, he hadn’t acted against his own feelings to hurt others, only to suffer such humiliation in the end—his heart, which seemed indifferent to everything, began to ache.
Faced with Zhang Chao’s sudden departure, reluctant as he was, Zhang Yue had no choice but to confront the daughter of the Kaifeng governor alone. This was their second meeting, and yet he still didn’t know whether she was his sister or his aunt. Though she was dressed as a man with no discernible curves, her delicate forehead and ear holes made it clear to anyone paying attention that she was a woman—traveling like this in an era with strict moral codes was truly risky.
“Third cousin!”
The girl in male attire approached without any hesitation, calling out crisply before speaking directly: “I’ve come at my sister’s request. I wanted to explain things to my first cousin, but since he left right away, I had no choice but to speak to you. It was our mother who wanted to cancel the marriage, and my sister almost tore her hair out in frustration. It was wrong of our Jin family to back out out of fear, but didn’t your Zhang family also delay things after the engagement was arranged?”
Before Zhang Yue could speak, she went on: “Since my first cousin refuses to see me, please convey this to him: we sisters can’t resist decisions made by our elders. But my sister, though gentle on the surface, is actually fierce at heart. She will never allow our parents to marry her off again.”
Seeing Jin Su turn to leave, Zhang Yue instinctively called out to her, but when she turned around, he didn’t know what to say. Since the Jin family had already canceled the marriage, whether the Zhang family declined or rose again, they could never accept Jin Heng as a daughter-in-law again. Thus, whatever the Jin sisters thought no longer mattered.

After a long while, he could only sigh softly: “Please go back and tell your sister that I will convey every word of this to my elder brother without omission. Things have come to this point; there’s really no way to turn things around. Even if your sister wants to help, she’s powerless. Please take good care of yourself.” With that, he bowed slightly as a gesture of respect, then turned and left without looking back—just one person’s foolishness had brought everything to such a state. If the Zhang family truly managed to overcome the difficulties as he imagined, that governor of Kaifeng’s career would likely come to an end. By then, the principle of loyalty alone would be enough to dispel any doubts about seeking personal revenge.

After setting sail, Zhang Yue relayed Jin Su’s words to Zhang Chao. Seeing his brother’s disheveled state, he thought for a long time but ultimately decided not to comfort him, leaving Zhang Chao alone in the cabin while he went up to the deck to get some air.

The river was not yet wide, and the farmlands and houses on both banks were clearly visible. There were also other boats in the vicinity. Cold winds blew fiercely, seeping into their collars and sleeves, bringing a bone-chilling chill. The sailors and boatmaster on board were all dressed in short clothes, busy working nonstop, with some already sweating profusely.

Zhang Yue immediately spotted the desolate figure standing at the stern—although “desolate” wasn’t quite the right word for a twelve-year-old boy, that’s exactly the impression he gave. At the Zhang family, although Zhang Jiu, the eldest grandson, was highly favored, his arrogance and condescension made him unpopular among his brothers, and even the maids and wives pretended to flatter him while whispering behind his back. Zhang Yue still remembered the time when Zhang Jiu failed the imperial examination and hid in the garden crying, while a few maids laughed at him from a distance. So, after standing behind Zhang Jiu for a while, he slowly stepped forward.

“Xiao Si.”

However, there was little reaction to this call. Surprised, Zhang Yue stepped forward a few more times and saw that his awkward younger brother had tear stains on his cheek and was sniffing hard, too afraid to wipe his tears. Amused, he stepped up beside him and handed him a sweat towel in pine-green color.

“You’re almost turning into a clown with all these tears. Wipe them away. It’s windy here; be careful you don’t catch a cold.”

“Who’s the one with the big face paint?” Zhang Jiu turned away in frustration, but tears streamed down uncontrollably, his voice also thick with emotion. “I just like standing here in the wind. Leave me alone! I knew you all despised me!”
Zhang Yue had no intention of arguing with a sulky child. He stepped forward, placed a hand on Zhang Jiu’s shoulder, and roughly wiped his face with a handkerchief before sternly scolding him, “Although a true man should not shed tears easily, it’s not shameful to cry! Your uncle’s situation is unknown at the moment. As his son, it’s natural for you to worry. Who would laugh at you or look down on you? If you act carefree as if nothing’s wrong, that’s when you’re truly an animal!”
Zhang Jiu was used to Zhang Yue speaking in a kind manner and was stunned by his strict tone. After a long while, he snatched the handkerchief from Zhang Yue’s hands, wiped his face vigorously, then glared at him with his reddened eyes. Suddenly, he stamped his foot fiercely and turned away like a whirlwind.
“That impolite brat!”
Muttering softly, Zhang Yue had no desire to argue with such a child. Instead, he stood at the stern where the wind was strongest, staring blankly at the dock shrinking in the distance. After a while, he remembered the letter delivered by a mysterious person upon arriving at the dock. He quickly took it out of his pocket and tore open the envelope.
It was an unsigned letter without a salutation. The handwriting was rather messy, stating that Zhang Xin was currently imprisoned in the prison under the North Pacification Bureau of the Jinyiwei in Nanjing. He hadn’t been interrogated or tortured since his arrest, the charge being corruption and dereliction of duty. However, more than a dozen other officials were also detained by the Jinyiwei, each with different charges, but all of them had been close to the Han King in the past.
Holding the letter, Zhang Yue was filled with endless confusion. Who could be so powerful as to know everything about Nanjing while being in Kaifeng? And why wasn’t the letter delivered to the Zhang family or anyone else, but instead ended up in his hands? Moreover, what was the purpose behind delivering it to him?