Chapter 99: Blocking the Way

On the north side of Hubu Street, there were several grand mansions inhabited by high-ranking officials of the court. Normally, if someone caused a disturbance at the Duke of Yingguo’s residence, not only would the guards and servants from that household come out to see what was happening, but those from other mansions would also show up. Yet at this moment, whether it was the dukes’, marquises’, or earls’ residences, every household seemed deserted—doors tightly shut, not a single soul in sight.

This street, which used to be bustling with activity, now had few people passing by. Even those who had to go through it were frightened by the menacing crowd gathered in front of the Duke of Yingguo’s residence and took detours. From a distance, the Zhang brothers watched the scene with increasingly dark expressions, as if shadowy clouds were about to pour rain.

Zhang Jiu clenched his fists and then relaxed them, only to clench them again. “Could Uncle really just let the Prince of Hengshan act recklessly like this?”
Zhang Yue knew that although Zhang Fu was usually cautious, he shouldn’t act like a coward at such a time. Suddenly, he remembered what Fangling had said mysteriously earlier that day and was shocked. He immediately pulled Zhang Jiu back, who was still peeking around.

“I heard earlier today that the King of Han was ordered to go to Le’an Prefecture in Shandong. Now that the Prince of Hengshan has come here, it’s very likely he’s seeking Uncle’s intervention. All the residences of the meritorious officials around here have their doors closed—probably out of fear that trouble might find them too. I remember Uncle saying he would go to the palace this morning; he’s probably not here right now. Anyway, we need to go back and check. Let’s use the back door.”

Although Zhang Jiu was smart, he was still just a 12-year-old child. He understood why the Prince of Hengshan, Zhu Zhanqi, had come here, but he couldn’t figure out why the household’s many guards didn’t drive him away, nor why Zhu Zhanqi would resort to such tactics to cause a disturbance in the homes of meritorious officials. Reluctantly nodding, he suddenly remembered something and hurriedly warned, “But Brother still hasn’t returned!”

At this reminder, Zhang Yue realized that his most impatient brother hadn’t come back yet. Thinking that if Zhang Chao had clashed head-on with Zhu Zhanqi, he couldn’t afford to delay. He quickly ordered Lian Sheng and Lian Hu to go to both ends of Hubu Street to block him. After those two clever attendants rushed off on horseback, he watched the situation for a while longer. Remembering that Zhang Fu and Lady Wang were not at home that day, he came up with an idea and pulled Zhang Jiu over to give him urgent instructions.

“Will this… work? Can they hold back a prince?”
“Normally, in peacetime, it certainly wouldn’t work. But today is different. Don’t worry, it will definitely work!”

Zhang Yue urged two of his guards to follow Zhang Jiu on horseback. Only after they left did he narrow his eyes and stare at the door, taking a deep breath. With no power or influence at the moment, he naturally couldn’t deal with a prince, but even if he couldn’t, someone else could. Zhu Zhanqi, this time I’ll see if you can still get away with it so easily!

After about half an hour, he finally heard the sound of rapid horse hooves approaching. Judging by the noise, there were at least dozens of riders. He cautiously peeked outside and saw that those rushing over were indeed the people he had imagined, and he breathed a huge sigh of relief, thinking he had indeed made the right bet this time.

Soon, dozens of riders sped past him. The leader, riding high on his horse, was none other than Yuan Qianhu, someone he could never forget. Besides Yuan Qianhu, who was dressed in a brocade robe, there were two more officers in similar attire; the rest were all young officers in blue cotton armor, each looking extremely brave. Coupled with their fine horses and the synchronized sound of their hooves, they exuded an aura of invincibility and dominance.

At that moment, everyone was focused ahead and didn’t notice anything unusual in the alley. Even Yuan Qianhu was staring straight ahead, his brows tightly furrowed.

With so many people arriving in such a fierce manner, some guards quickly reported the situation to Prince Hengshan, Zhu Zhanqi. Soon, he came out from the side gate of the Duke of Yingguo’s residence, holding a whip, and glared coldly at the Jinyiwei soldiers dismounting in unison, his eyes filled with hostility. Since the disturbance had lasted for so long, he assumed Zhang Fu, no matter how patient he was, would eventually show up. Then he could use threats or bribes to get his way. But now, Zhang Fu was still nowhere to be seen, yet the Jinyiwei had arrived!

Accustomed to arrogance, he wasn’t afraid even of the Jinyiwei and stood on the steps, shouting down at them, “This prince has come to visit the Duke of Yingguo. What are you Jinyiwei doing here, responsible only for guarding and investigating?”

Yuan Qianhu quickly stepped forward and bowed with a smile, “Your humble servant, Yuan Fang, commander of the Jinyiwei, pays his respects to Prince Hengshan!”

“Commander of the Jinyiwei?” Zhu Zhanqi eyed Yuan Fang suspiciously for a moment. His arrogance lessened slightly, but his tone remained haughty. “I doubt even you, commander of the Jinyiwei, have the authority to interfere in my affairs. Don’t forget—last year at the end, one of your commanders died. Don’t think you’re the next!”

“I will keep in mind the prince’s teachings,” Yuan Fang said, his face still wearing that obsequious smile, but his tone was no longer so polite. “How dare I interfere in the prince’s affairs? I am here to ask the prince to go to Shuangqiaomen to meet Prince Han. This is an order from the palace. Although I happen to be handling some cases, I dare not delay in the slightest, so I had to bring people here at once.”

Seeing Zhu Zhanqi’s proud face turn pale instantly, Yuan Fang became even more respectful. He stepped forward and whispered, “Please forgive my indiscretion, but Prince Hengshan really didn’t need to cause such a fuss today. As far as I know, the Duke of Yingguo and the Duke of Chengguo are both in the palace with the emperor right now. The crown prince, the imperial grandson, as well as Princes Zhao and Anyang are also there.”

Having been driven out of the palace earlier, only to learn that the Duke of Yingguo was not at home, and then to hear that all his uncles, cousins, and relatives were in the palace while he might have to accompany his unfortunate father to some desolate place like Le’an Prefecture in Shandong, Zhu Zhanqi was furious. He had inherited his father’s violent temper from birth and acted recklessly without considering consequences. Realizing that his outburst had led to such a result, he angrily threw his whip on the ground.

From a distance, Zhang Yue could only see Yuan Qianhu and Zhu Zhanqi talking briefly before seeing Zhu Zhanqi leave in a rage, his whip in hand, accompanied by a large group of guards. At that moment, he didn’t know the details of their conversation, nor did he know that Yuan Qianhu had been promoted to Commander Yuan. He just wanted both groups to disperse as soon as possible. Finally, when all those people left, he heard a noise behind him. Seeing Zhang Jiu and two of his household generals dismounting from their horses, he put aside all his worries and hurriedly led them to the front gate of the Duke of Yingguo’s residence.

He hadn’t seen clearly from afar, but now, upon arriving at the gate, Zhang Yue realized the cost of today’s events was high. Although they had managed to stop Zhu Zhanqi at the gate, several gatekeepers were covered in wounds, and the gatehouse was in chaos.

Even the dozens of household generals standing in a line in the courtyard were not spared. Their clothes were torn from the whipping, and blood stains could be seen all over their faces and hands. Among them, he was surprised to see Peng Shisan, whom he hadn’t seen in a long time. This usually carefree man spat blood onto the ground angrily—among it was a tooth.