Chapter 103: A Stunning Appearance in the Garden

Although Prince Zhao, Zhu Gao Sui, was based in Beijing and made a trip to the capital once a year, he also owned a magnificent palace in Nanjing. That year, after paying their respects to the emperor, other vassal princes returned to their fiefs early, but he and Prince Zhou, Zhu Zhu, still stayed behind. Unlike those vassal princes who held only nominal titles without real power, he commanded the Three Guards of Changshan, all of whom were not under the control of the Military Command. Thus, the leadership of these three guards made him quite influential in the northern regions.

Meng Xian, the commander of the Central Guards of Changshan, had been staying at the Prince Zhao’s palace since returning to the capital. Usually, he would only visit the Marquis of Baoding’s residence occasionally. This time, however, he suddenly brought his family to stay for a few days, turning the Marquis of Baoding’s palace into a bustling place. The previously empty courtyards were cleaned thoroughly, furnished with new bedding and utensils, and each was assigned maids to serve them.

Zhang Yue planned to stay at the Meng family’s place for five days, so he only brought Qiu Hen and Hu Po with him. As Zhang Qing’s cousin and a good friend of Meng Jun, the young couple refused to let him stay in another courtyard and insisted he stay in the east wing of the same courtyard, with the west wing remaining empty. Yet he was constantly harassed by Meng Jun’s two younger brothers and Meng Xian’s three sons, so much so that the threshold of his room was almost worn out. As a result, Qiu Hen and Hu Po mostly had to hide in the inner room doing needlework.

As they got to know each other better, he realized that although those youths around his age were somewhat frivolous and opportunistic, they were similar to Zhang Jiu when he returned from Nanjing to Kaifeng—easy to get along with if one knew how to handle them, at least much better than people like Zhang Bin and Zhang Jin. But he had come to stay briefly just to see his elder sister Zhang Qing more often. Now that she was extremely busy, he was stuck dealing with these younger ones, and though he had no choice, he had to accept it.

At that moment, Meng Fan, who was a year younger than him, was talking nonstop about a brothel in Nanjing. Zhang Yue hardly had the energy to shake his head—after all, the oldest person listening intently was only fifteen!

Just as they were talking, a hearty laugh came from outside: “Is Brother Yue here?”

Zhang Yue quickly turned around. Upon seeing who it was, he stood up and called out, “Uncle Meng.” The others present also stood up, some calling him “Uncle” and others “Father.” When Meng Xian entered, he glared fiercely at his son Meng Fan and scolded him sternly, “At such a young age, you don’t focus on studying and practicing martial arts. You just talk nonsense! Learn from Brother Yue—him and his elder brother can speak confidently in front of the emperor. What about you when you get such opportunities? Disperse and go study and practice martial arts!”

His words caused the crowd to scatter. Although Zhang Yue found Meng Xian’s advice reasonable, recalling that his own father had always spoken in a calm tone and hardly ever scolded him sternly, he began to compare and feel a sense of resentment—of course, his father was still the best, beyond comparison even by flattery from others.

“Speaking of which, since my nephew’s marriage, it’s been only the last time I saw you; it’s been almost three years.” Meng Xian no longer wore his earlier reprimanding expression but instead showed a warm smile and a friendly tone. “I thought you were frail back then, but now you seem much stronger. What’s more admirable is your wisdom and insight—no wonder the emperor and the crown prince spoke highly of you that day.”

Zhang Yue was momentarily stunned before humbly responding, though he thought to himself that the praise was greatly exaggerated. He had been unsure about Meng Xian’s reason for seeking him out, but after hearing him talk about trivial matters and asking about his family, he gradually became convinced. After all, he was just a fifteen-year-old boy with no position, power, or influence—nothing worth exploiting or testing.

After chatting a bit, Meng Xian said, “It’s too stuffy in this room. You should go outside more often. The spring weather is still nice. Although the Baoding Marquis’s residence isn’t as grand as the Duke of Yingguo’s, there are still many places to explore. You’ve probably been to the back garden, but there’s another large garden beyond it, with artificial hills and a small river—enough for you to wander around for a while. You can even ask a boatwoman to row a boat for you. As the brother of your sister-in-law, you’re not a guest, so there’s no need to be cautious at your young age. It’s better to go out and see more.”

Zhang Yue thanked Meng Xian and personally saw him out of the room. Once Meng Xian left, Qiu Hen emerged from inside, her face showing delight. “Young master, since the father-in-law said we can row boats in the back garden, why don’t we go take a look? I see the two maids in the eldest miss’s room, Bao Xia and Ying Chun, are extremely bored. It wouldn’t hurt to bring them along.”

“They’re not bored—you’re the one who’s bored, right?” Zhang Yue glared at Qiu Hen irritably. Seeing her smile like a child who had succeeded in a scheme, and noticing Amber following her out as well, he decided since he had nothing to lose, he might as well agree. “Alright, let’s call Bao Xia and Ying Chun and go rowing in the garden together!”

The Marquis of Baoding’s residence was indeed quite large. After leaving the courtyard, they first passed through the west corner gate, walked along the rear corridor, then entered the alley through the east corner gate. It took about fifteen minutes to reach the garden’s entrance—a five-room main gate painted red, with the characters “Qinfang Garden” inscribed in regular script above it, written by Scholar Xiao Shen. The main gate of the garden was tightly closed, but the small gate beside it was open. The two old women guarding the gate saw that a maid from the young marquis’s wife was accompanying them and realized that Zhang Yue must be one of the young masters living at home these days. They hurriedly bowed in greeting.

Compared to the small back garden, this was truly a private garden. Tall trees lined the shaded paths—trees so large that three people could hold their trunks or five people could encircle them— and the sound of flowing water could be heard. The flower beds were also arranged according to garden design, though not many flowers were in bloom due to the season; only the forsythia flowers scattered here and there were in full bloom, their tender yellow color uplifting to the eye. Several maids sweeping the courtyard stepped aside to greet them upon seeing them arrive.

Qiuhen’s intention was certainly not just to stroll around the garden. Although Kaifeng was located by the Yellow River, it wasn’t like the southern cities with their bridges and streams running through the city. Nor did wealthy families have time to go boating on the Yellow River just for fun. So, she took Baoxia and asked a maid where the boat dock was, then happily ran ahead, much to Zhang Yue’s amusement.

“Qiuhen is half a year older than you. She usually seems composed, but when she’s happy, she becomes utterly delighted!” Zhang Yue joked. Seeing that Hupo remained gentle and silent, he raised an eyebrow and advised, “But when it’s time to indulge yourself, do so. Don’t hold back too much. Although Qiuhen seems carefree at times, she’s actually very content. Hupo, the past is gone—worrying about it is pointless.”

After seeing Zhang Yue nod with a smile and head toward Qiuhen and Baoxia, Hupo hesitated to move forward. Even though years had passed, she still couldn’t forget that nightmare. She didn’t even know if she could ever forget those cruel events—her grandfather’s defeat in the northern campaign and his death, her family’s exile to Hainan. In her life, even the desire for freedom had become a luxury. How could she be carefree?

She stumbled to the boat dock only to see that Qiuhen, Zhang Yue, and the others had already boarded the boat. She wanted to stay, but seeing Qiuhen’s joyful expression and Zhang Yue’s gesture, she carefully stepped onto the boat, lifting her skirt as she did so.

The boatwoman was a middle-aged woman with her head covered by a blue veil and dressed in a blue gown. She not only steered the boat smoothly but was also extremely talkative, knowing the waterways in the garden like the back of her hand. The small boat was handled with ease, gliding effortlessly through various tributaries. After wandering for a while, Zhang Yue suddenly saw another boat approaching from the other end of the narrow waterway. A few girls dressed in red and green could be faintly seen on it, but nothing else could be made out clearly.

“Hey, that seems to be the Fourth Miss!”
Bao Xia, with her sharp eyes, stood up, took a glance, then turned back with a smile, revealing her pearl-like white teeth. She was Zhang Qing’s maid and spoke without much restraint. She winked at Zhang Yue meaningfully and said, “This time, the Fourth Miss came back with the eldest master. Madam Hou was overjoyed upon seeing her and kept saying she seemed more like her own daughter than a niece. Among all the ladies in our family and the eldest master’s family, the Fourth Miss is the most beautiful, and her character is truly rare.”

Hearing all these praises from Bao Xia, Zhang Yue could only smile bitterly. Seeing that the boatwoman steered the boat straight toward them without hesitation, he thought that this encounter was more like a planned scheme rather than a coincidence. He wondered whether Meng Xian or his elder sister had orchestrated it. When the two boats were a few dozen feet apart, a girl on the opposite boat stepped to the bow and looked around for a moment before shouting, “Are the eldest young master and the eldest young mistress on this boat?”

Before Zhang Yue could reply, Ying Chun also stood up and answered, “The eldest young master and the eldest young mistress are receiving guests outside. This is the third young master of the Zhang family.”

Hearing this, some commotion arose on the other boat. Soon, two girls escorted a young girl out from behind the canopy. Zhang Yue saw that the girl was dressed in splendidly embroidered clothes, with bright eyes and white teeth, looking at him curiously without the slightest hint of shyness—very bold. In an instant, she smiled again, and the curiosity vanished, replaced by a gentle and approachable demeanor. If not for her bold behavior earlier, he might have thought that was her true nature.

“What a coincidence to meet here! I didn’t expect Brother Yue to be boating too today.”

The clearer she called out “Brother Yue,” the more Zhang Yue only recognized her as Meng Xian’s daughter, the fourth young lady of the Meng family, so he simply called her “Fourth Sister.” At that moment, the two boatwomen worked together to bring the bows of the two boats side by side, allowing the man and woman to face each other directly. The fourth young lady of the Meng family glanced at Zhang Yue’s face, then shifted her gaze to the maids, sparing Ba Xia and Ying Chun a glance while examining Qiu Hen and Hu Bo carefully before smiling and bowing slightly.

“This afternoon, my sisters and I are holding a poetry gathering. Several brothers are coming, and we’ve also invited a few ladies from outside. Since we’ve happened to meet Brother Yue, why don’t you join us too and give us some advice?”

With such an invitation, Zhang Yue didn’t know whether to refuse or accept, feeling quite hesitant. He remembered that his elder sister Zhang Qing and younger sister Zhang Yi both disliked writing poetry, and he hadn’t encountered any talented women since arriving in the capital. Who would have thought that the daughters of the Baoding Marquis would enjoy holding poetry gatherings? After some thought, he cleared his throat, ready to refuse, when Ba Xia spoke up cheerfully beside him.

“Third Young Master, even the emperor has praised you! You must come tonight.” As she spoke, she smiled at the fourth young lady of the Meng family. “Don’t worry, Fourth Sister. A poetry gathering can’t go on without some snacks like candied fruits. This afternoon, I’ll definitely persuade my master’s wife to come along. After all, the young ladies are thinking of her as the host, right?”

Seeing that their words seemed to be in sync, Zhang Yue couldn’t help but smile bitterly. It seemed his visit to the garden today was indeed a mistake. If that was the case, wasn’t the afternoon event just a matchmaking party?