Chapter 68: A Token of Trust

On the thirtieth day of the twelfth lunar month, every household decorated their homes to welcome the New Year. Although it was the first time since his rebirth that he wasn’t spending New Year’s Eve in Kaifeng, with his parents not by his side and no definite plans yet, seeing the bustling activity in the Duke of Yingguo’s residence, and Lady Wang personally bringing many gifts to Fangheng Courtyard—ranging from new clothes to furnishings, accessories, and snacks—plus even new clothes and rewards prepared for Qiuhen Amber, Zhang Yue still felt a deep sense of warmth.

“Brother Yue, after observing you these days, I finally understand. Although Brother Chao is older, he’s somewhat reckless despite his boldness. Fortunately, you’re there to remind him constantly. Brother Jiu, though talented, is inevitably arrogant due to his youth and worried about his father, which often leads to problems. Thankfully, you’re brave enough to act as an elder. No wonder Auntie was so confident in letting you three younger ones come to Nanjing—she must have known you could keep things under control.”

Seeing Lady Wang looking at him with a smile and praising him endlessly, Zhang Yue quickly humbled himself a few times. If Lady Wang observed impartially, wasn’t he the same?

At first, Lady Wang only saw Zhang Jiu; he and Zhang Chao were just incidental. But one day, she clearly saw him discipline Zhang Jiu. Instead of criticizing him, she told Zhang Fu everything, resulting in Zhang Jiu being reprimanded. From then on, whenever anything was sent, there were always three identical sets, showing no favoritism. Such impartiality, even if he had doubts at first, had long since disappeared. After all, there’s no such thing as unreasonable favoritism or attention in this world.

“The weather in the south is different from that in the north. The north has heated beds, while the weather here is dry and cold. That’s why I had extra silver frost charcoal prepared—useful for hand and foot warmers. Don’t forget to have the maid fill the hot water bottles before going to bed and keep the quilt warm. I remember you were weak as a child. Though you’re stronger now, don’t push yourself too hard.”

Hearing such caring instructions, Zhang Yue quickly bowed in agreement and gratefully said, “This time of year is already the busiest. Please don’t exhaust yourself, Auntie. If there’s anything our three of us can do, just give the order. We’re not children anymore, and we usually do various tasks at home. When things were busy at home before, I copied gift lists for our relatives and friends, delivered gifts, and helped receive guests. If you’re too busy, just call me.”

“You’re quite thoughtful for your young age. Don’t worry; we can still find someone to handle the household chores.” Lady Wang nodded smilingly and instructed everyone to have dinner together in the Small Flower Hall that night before leaving with Bi Luo Xi Yu. She had already met Zhang Chao and Zhang Yue according to seniority earlier that day, so now it was time to go to Zhang Jiu’s house. As soon as she left, Hu Bo hurried over to tidy up the teacups and cushions, not even glancing at the two bright new outfits. Instead, Qiu Hen picked up a sky-blue cloak and tried it on Zhang Yue, then laughed immediately. “Madam was so strict when distributing the fragrant herbs and medicines earlier, but who would have thought she’d be so thoughtful, even leaving things for me and Hu Bo. Young master, the cloak you had before was burned with a big hole on the day of the young marquis’s birthday. Hu Bo was worried about how to repair it, and now we have this one instead.” As she spoke, she stroked the texture of the cloak, her face showing envy. “No wonder people say the weavers in the south are excellent. Such sky-blue velvet cloaks are extremely rare in the north.” Seeing her chatter on, and noticing Zhang Yue was resting his chin on his elbow, lost in thought, Hu Bo quickly interjected, “Young master, when changing your clothes this morning, you accidentally left a silk pouch behind. I thought it might be important, so I kept it in a small drawer. Should I get it for you now?” “A silk pouch?” Zhang Yue was momentarily stunned before recalling the item Gu Bin had given him during his farewell at Kaifeng Port. Ever since, he had been preoccupied with other things, and since it was after all a kindness done by Gu Bin’s father years ago, he hadn’t paid much attention to it. Now that he remembered, he became curious and quickly asked Hu Bo to fetch it. Holding the pouch, he realized it was made of the once-popular “Fallen Flowers and Flowing Water” fabric, though the edges had worn smooth and the stitches on the seams were starting to come undone. Untying the string, he saw a jade pendant inside, along with a piece of paper. Curiously, he took out the paper and saw a few brief words written on it, mainly expressing gratitude for the help received. Realizing it was from Gu Bin’s father helping someone over a decade ago, he shook his head, but when he saw the signature, his brows furrowed. Yang Zirong? That was from “The Capture of Tiger Mountain”—how could Yang Zirong appear here?

Though he felt a rather strange sensation in his heart, Zhang Yue had no choice but to rack his brains to figure out who this Yang Zirong was—after all, the name “Yang” gave off a terrifying vibe. Yang Pu was currently in the Jinyiwei prison, just like Zhang Xin, and seemed to have been there for almost two years. Yang Shiqi remained firmly in power within the cabinet. As for Yang Rong, he was highly trusted; it was said that even when Emperor Yongle, Zhu Di, flew into a rage, it was this man who dared to advise him.

Wait! Yang Rong and Yang Zirong only differed by one character. Du Zhen had once mentioned something to him during a casual conversation… A flash of insight struck Zhang Yue, and soon he understood—Yang Rong had joined the cabinet when he was very young, and Zhu Di had personally changed his name by removing one character in the middle. Presumably, that character was “zi”.

“I never thought Little Seventh Brother’s father, who didn’t seek attention, would have such an extraordinary fate.”

Upon hearing Zhang Yue’s murmurs, Hu Bo immediately realized that what was in this pouch must be extremely important. Seeing Qiu Hen still sorting through the clothes and other items brought by Lady Wang, she hurried over, found an excuse to drag her outside, so as to give Zhang Yue some quiet time to think.

It was already afternoon, with scattered snowflakes still falling from the sky, making it especially cold. Qiu Hen, who had come from a warm room to this cold place, stamped her feet angrily and complained, “Hu Bo, the young master isn’t meeting anyone or talking to anyone—he’s just looking at things. Why did you drag me out? It’s freezing outside, and I still need to sort through those items!”

“The young master is deep in thought. It would be bad if we disturbed him.” Seeing Qiu Hen’s lips curl as if she wanted to say something, Hu Bo quickly smiled and said, “Sis, don’t you still miss those fragrant grasses and medicinal scents? Since we have time now, let’s go take a look. That way, we won’t be at a loss for words if the young master asks. My dear sis, those items can be sorted at any time; it’s not a big deal!”

“You’re just like a worm in the young master’s belly!”

Qiu Hen glared at Hu Bo irritably, feeling a bit resentful, but that feeling passed in an instant. First, the young master had said he wasn’t the kind to get bored easily. Second, Hu Bo didn’t often approach the young master; even when giving instructions, she did so behind her back, which was far better than those scheming maids in other rooms.

When she stepped into the room filled with fragrant grasses and medicinal scents first, seeing those two usually bold maids still lying motionless on the bed, she couldn’t help but sigh deeply again.

Anyway, ever since she followed her young master, she had never suffered such hardships.