Chapter 66: After the Lesson

That day, Zhang Fu was summoned to the palace to visit his sister, Princess Zhang, who had been seriously ill for a long time. He returned home as night fell. Ever since his father, Zhang Yuzhan, died on the battlefield, he had not taken time to observe mourning rites and continued to fight alongside the current emperor. Later, his sister was honored to enter the palace as a concubine, and he himself was promoted from earl to duke—reaching the pinnacle of a minister’s career. Yet the higher he climbed, the more he felt the chill of power. To avoid accusations, he became even more cautious in his actions.

How many people throughout history have reached such a high position at the age of forty?

That day, he heard some news suggesting that his cousin Zhang Xin was safe, which relieved half of his worries. Upon returning home, Rong Shan reported matters to him, but he listened indifferently without saying much. It wasn’t until Rong Shan cautiously mentioned that Zhang Jiu had left home without permission and nearly caused trouble that he stopped in his tracks, his expression growing dark.

“Unaware of propriety!”

With those three words, Zhang Fu strode into the inner chambers, furious. He went to the main room, where two maids came to take off his fur coat and robe and brought hot water for him to wash his face. After all that was done, he sat down. Lady Wang noticed his gloomy expression and realized the matter could no longer be hidden. She sent the maids away and explained everything that had happened that day in detail.

Zhang Fu had only heard a rough account from Rong Shan, but now, with his wife’s detailed explanation, he grew even more enraged. He had always had high hopes for Zhang Jiu, seeing him as obedient, intelligent, and eager to learn—after all, he was the eldest grandson of the Zhang family of Xiangfu. But now, faced with such a serious situation, Zhang Jiu had shown no sense of propriety or judgment. Sighing in frustration, he asked, “When the Jinyiwei sent him back today, did they say anything else?”

“The officer from the Jinyiwei was very polite, blaming everything on the boy’s immaturity. He also subtly hinted that Uncle Xin was doing well in the imperial prison and hadn’t suffered much,” Lady Wang said, also feeling puzzled. She asked, “Could it be that the Jinyiwei wants to do you a favor?”

“A favor? If the Jinyiwei wanted to do favors, why would the emperor still need them?” Zhang Fu sneered, but he couldn’t figure out the reason either. He stopped thinking about it and asked instead, “Brother Jiu nearly caused a big problem today. Did you scold him?”

“If this were my son, I would surely give him a good scolding, but after all, he is our cousin. So I only punished the servant he took with him and his two personal maids, as they knew about it but failed to report it.” Seeing Zhang Fu’s displeased expression, Lady Wang hurriedly added, “But after Yue Ge returned today and learned of this, he scolded his brother severely and even slapped him. I happened to be outside at the time and overheard it. I didn’t expect him to see things so clearly.”

Zhang Fu quickly asked detailed questions and soon wore a thoughtful expression. It wasn’t surprising that he had slapped his brother in anger, but what was surprising was what Zhang Yue had said. Unless he truly felt that way, a fourteen-year-old boy would never say such things. Remembering that Rong Shan had also mentioned Zhang Yue going out today, he thought for a moment before asking, “Do you know where Yue Ge went today?”

“He came to inform me before leaving, saying he was going to visit his teacher, whose surname seemed to be Du. I asked if he needed two more people to accompany him, but he declined and left only with Liansheng and Lianhu.”

A teacher? Surname Du? Zhang Fu immediately thought of the mention in his aunt Gu’s letter. After pondering for a while, he slapped his forehead hard and then laughed. “I wondered who this Mr. Du was—turns out it’s Du Yishan, who recently won the Emperor’s favor! It seems Yue Ge has quite good fortune. Since he isn’t pursuing a military career, I, as the Duke of Ying, can’t help him much, but with such a teacher, it’s different! It seems those people weren’t lying to me. This time, my brother might indeed escape unscathed!”

Lady Wang, who had always been involved only in household affairs and mostly interacted with dukes, marquises, and counts, quickly asked who Du Yishan was. Learning that he was a newly appointed Hanlin Academician, a close friend of the Shen brothers, and also on good terms with Yang Shiqi, she couldn’t help but marvel. After pondering for a while, she asked, “It’s not too late yet. Should we call Yue Ge here to find out what really happened?”

“Enough. Rather than calling him, I’d rather find Jiu Ge and give him a good scolding! It’s getting late, and there’s no need for the children to run around. Let’s talk about it tomorrow.”

“What about you this evening, sir…”

How could Zhang Fu not understand his wife’s meaning? Before she could finish, he smiled and said, “I’ll stay here with you tonight. I’ve been out all day, and I also have some matters to discuss with you.”

In the prosperous families of the Ming Dynasty, it was common to keep two concubines at home, so naturally, the dukedom’s residences had countless maids. That night, the concubines waiting in their respective chambers learned that their master had stayed in the lady’s room. No matter how displeased they were, they could only reluctantly turn off the lights and go to bed. The three brothers in Fangheng’s courtyard also couldn’t sleep well, tossing and turning in their beds, disturbing the maids as well throughout the night.

Thus, early the next morning, many people in the dukedom’s residence had dark circles under their eyes. Even Zhang Yue, who had slept relatively well in the latter half of the night, had to apply a cold towel to his eyes for a long time before he could barely face others. When he came out to the courtyard after breakfast and saw Zhang Chao’s pale face and Zhang Jiu’s face, one side of which no longer showed any swelling, and noticed their identical panda eyes, he realized his own condition was far better than theirs.

Zhang Chao had been badly teased by Zhang Jiu the previous day, but when he heard that Xiao Si had actually been slapped by Zhang Yue, he felt greatly relieved. However, his inability to sleep was due to worry that his uncle might favor Zhang Jiu and disadvantage Zhang Yue. As for Zhang Jiu, it was the first time he had suffered such humiliation—he not only had no one to stand up for him but was also scolded by Lady Wang. He must have tossed and turned in bed for a long time, gradually realizing he had really done something wrong.

When the brothers met, Zhang Chao called out to his third brother and then gave Zhang Yue a subtle glance. Zhang Jiu stepped forward quietly, calling out to his third brother in a voice even softer than a mosquito’s buzz, deliberately avoiding looking at Zhang Chao. Seeing this, Zhang Yue understood that his slap the previous day had at least made Xiao Si behave properly, but it seemed not so easy to bring the eldest brother and Xiao Si under control.

The three of them went upstairs to pay their respects, and since Zhang Fu was still there, Zhang Jiu was called aside by him for a private talk. Even through the curtain separating the rooms, Zhang Yue could still hear Zhang Fu’s stern reprimands. When Zhang Jiu came out, he expected Zhang Fu to question him about his actions the previous day, but instead, Zhang Fu stepped out as if nothing had happened, nodded at him and Zhang Chao, and left the room directly.

Just as he was puzzled, Lady Wang casually picked up an invitation from the table and handed it to him with a smile, saying, “Today is the birthday of the young lord of the Baoding Marquis family, who is also your brother-in-law. You three should go together to offer your congratulations. I’ve already had someone prepare gifts, and Rongshan will accompany you. Although it’s not a grand birthday celebration, there are quite a few noble youths invited, so it’s a good chance for you to make some friends.”