Chapter 109: Decisions and Doubts

Duke Zhang Fu led four campaigns against Jiaozhi and twice joined Emperor Yongle Zhu Di on northern expeditions, spending little time at home throughout the year. Lady Wang managed the household affairs of the entire duke’s estate with great efficiency.

Since the duke’s household never treated its servants harshly, most of them worked diligently, so punishments were rare. Previously, only Fang Cao and Yao Xiang had been beaten for failing to report something they knew. This time, all the maids, wives, and old women in the inner courtyard gathered to listen to the reprimand. Seeing several maids who usually had some status being beaten until they cried out in pain, and one even dying before being dragged away, everyone fell silent. A few timid ones even fainted from fear.

This act of punishing a few to scare others not only tightened the previously lax household discipline but also silenced everyone in Fang Heng’s courtyard. In the main hall, upon learning that items from Zhang Yue’s room had been stolen, Qiu Hen and Hu Bo felt extremely ashamed. They had no objections when Lady Wang said she would temporarily keep a few gifts bestowed by the palace. Yue Luo and Liu Su were so frightened they trembled. When they heard that the punishment was only a suspension of their monthly allowances for half a year, they bowed repeatedly in gratitude.

Having encountered such things right from the start, Zhang Zhuo remained silent the whole time. It wasn’t until they returned to Fang Heng’s courtyard that he sent the maids away and left Zhang Yue alone. After his son explained everything in detail, his brows furrowed deeply. He hadn’t anticipated the opportunities Zhang Yue would encounter in the capital, nor the troubles he would face there.

“I initially thought your eldest uncle was still in his prime and had been away fighting all along, so the lack of an heir was only temporary. I never expected it to cause so many problems!” Zhang Zhuo sighed softly. Then he looked up at Zhang Yue and asked thoughtfully, “Since your second uncle resorted to such tactics, he likely won’t give up easily if this fails. Yue, I want to ask you—have you considered taking over as your eldest uncle’s heir and inheriting the title of Duke of Yingguo?”

“Though many desire the title of Duke of Yingguo, I have no interest in it,” Zhang Yue said with a bitter smile. Seeing that Zhang Zhuo still stared into his eyes, he added directly, “Father, becoming an heir to another family means cutting ties with one’s own parents. For that reason alone, no matter how good the title of Duke of Yingguo is or how beneficial it might be for my future, I still don’t want it.”

Zhang Zhuo wasn’t surprised by this. After all, it was his own son, and his current mindset was within his expectations. After thinking for a moment, he revealed his true intention: “Although the Duke of Britain’s residence is fine, it’s still someone else’s home. It was understandable for you and Chao Ge and Jiu Ge to stay here when you came to the capital on business. But now that I’m here, it would be inappropriate for me to also occupy this place. Since your second uncle resorted to such despicable tactics, at least we shouldn’t give them any grounds to criticize us. Do you understand?”
Zhang Yue understood the meaning almost instantly, his eyes lighting up. “Dad means we should move out?”
“That’s right.” Zhang Zhuo stood up, glanced around the exquisitely decorated room, and smiled. “Staying here, not to mention others might have all sorts of thoughts, but wouldn’t you too? If you treat yourself as a noble young master, there will always be mistakes in how you conduct yourself. But there’s no need to move too far. It’s sufficient to buy or rent a courtyard near the Duke of Britain’s residence. That way, you won’t break your promise to the Duke, and we can still take care of each other.”
“Dad really thinks of everything. I’ll go talk to my auntie right away.”
Zhang Yue nodded in agreement. Seeing that Zhang Zhuo had nothing else to say, he left.
After stepping down the stairs, he saw Gu Bin coming out of one of the rooms. He suddenly remembered something and called out to stop him, then hurried back to his own room. He brought out a brocade pouch and cheerfully handed it to Gu Bin.
“What’s this…”
“This is what you gave me at the dock earlier. Now it’s returned to its rightful owner.”
Seeing Gu Bin’s expression darken as if he were about to get angry, he explained with a smile, “I know this is a token of your and your father’s kindness. But after I arrived in the capital, my uncle’s affairs went smoothly, so there was no need to waste such a good opportunity. Besides, the owner of this item, Scholar Xiao Yang from the cabinet, is actually my mentor. So there’s no need to use it anymore. But since you’re new to Nanjing, you need an opportunity. Although Scholar Xiao Yang is currently accompanying the emperor on a northern tour, he will eventually return. With this and your talents, your future will be smoother.”

Gu Bin’s expression eased slightly, but he still hesitated for a while before taking back the items. Unlike Zhang Yue, although the third branch of the Xiangfu Zhang family had once been neglected, they were still descendants of a prominent family, unlike his own family, which had completely declined. Back then, he even had to cheat for others at the family school to earn a little money. If it weren’t for him passing the imperial examinations and securing a position as a supervising student, how would his uncles have sent him so many generous gifts and promised to help out?

“Cousin, my family owes your family a great deal. I can’t repay it now, and I don’t know if I’ll be able to in the future. But if you ever need anything, I will do my utmost to help!”

Faced with such a stubborn person, Zhang Yue naturally agreed with a smile. After chatting a bit, Zhang Yue went to Lady Wang’s main residence to inform his father of the decision first, then said earnestly, “Auntie, I’ve lived here for so long, and you and my uncle have always taken great care of me. I’m truly grateful. But now that such a thing has happened, if we keep staying shamelessly, it will only cause more trouble. Besides, even if I move out, I will definitely come back often.”

Although she had swiftly dealt with the scoundrels in the family and reformed family discipline to intimidate the servants, after this incident, Lady Wang realized that some things needed to be handled with caution. Though she admired Zhang Zhuo’s thorough thinking upon arriving in the capital and believed Zhang Yue’s words were sincere, she still wanted to keep him. After trying to persuade him a few times and seeing that she couldn’t change his mind, she sighed.

“Since that’s the case, I can’t keep you here. I remember the steward mentioned last time that there’s an empty courtyard on the east side of the mansion, which they wanted to turn into a garden. Now that you want to move out, I’ll have someone tidy it up. You, your father, and Xiao Qi can stay here for a while longer. I know you and your father dislike taking advantage of others. This house was purchased by the family a couple of years ago, so I’ll charge you rent every month. After all, the capital is about to be moved, so there’s no need for you to buy a house in Nanjing.”

Zhang Yue realized that every word Lady Wang said made sense, and since it was also out of kindness, he agreed with a smile. Just as he was about to rise to take his leave, Lady Wang suddenly reached out and held him back, saying with a warm smile, “You’re about to turn fifteen. Fifteen isn’t a full birthday, but it’s not a trivial one either. It’s a good time to celebrate, and it’s also an opportunity to think about marriage—your elder sister said the same thing. Besides, since your father is here, your elder sister and I have already picked out several respectable young ladies, waiting for him to make the decision.”

Unexpecting that his own people had returned, Zhang Qing was still preoccupied with this matter. Zhang Yue hurriedly claimed that his elder brother Zhang Chao wasn’t married yet and that he was too young to think about marriage so early. But rather than mentioning Zhang Chao, it only made Lady Wang snort coldly and frown in anger.

“If it weren’t for that brother’s misdeeds, Brother Chao would have been married by now. The Jin family is utterly deceitful—do they think the Zhang family is some lowly minor household? My aunt once wrote that the Jin family brought generous gifts, claiming their previous refusal to marry was a momentary lapse of judgment. Now they’re trying to bring up old matters again. My aunt threw all those gifts out and drove them away. How can such people become the governor of Kaifeng? It’s a complete joke! Your great-uncle also said before heading on the northern inspection that justice would surely be done for Brother Chao. There are plenty of good matches out there—your elder sister has met so many people, and among them are those who would be suitable for your brother. Don’t worry about marriage; we’ll take care of it.”

With Lady Wang speaking so firmly, Zhang Yue could only smile bitterly inwardly. After leaving the main house, he thought again of the twin sisters from the Jin family and Aunt Feng, whose intelligence led her astray. He couldn’t help but sigh. On his way back to Fangheng Courtyard, he intended to report to his father about the settled plan to move, but found only Pearl and Shaoyao packing things, with Zhang Zhuo nowhere in sight.

Pearl was originally Sun’s personal maid. Though Lady Gu had assigned her to follow Zhang Yue for some ulterior reason, she always stayed within her bounds. She busily poured him a cup of tea and said with a smile, “Master just left not long ago. He probably won’t be back for a while. If you have anything else to do, you might as well go back first.”

“Did Father say where he’s going?”

“Just yesterday, as soon as Master arrived, someone sent an invitation. I’m not sure where he went. I remember the invitation was left in the drawer next to the treasure chest. You can go check it.”

Someone sent an invitation as soon as his father arrived in the capital? Zhang Yue was puzzled. He quickly stood up and searched through the drawers next to the treasure chest. Soon, he found the invitation. Glancing at its contents, he saw it was just a usual invitation to a restaurant. Just as he was about to close it, he suddenly noticed the signature at the bottom.

“Your humble brother, Mu Ning, bows deeply.”

Zhang Yue thought his eyes were playing tricks on him. He rubbed them and looked again, confirming he hadn’t misseen it. His heart immediately churned.

The Mu surname is not a common one. He had only heard of and seen one person with this name, namely Mu Ning, the thousand-household officer of the Henan detachment of the Jinyiwei. Could it be that this person has come to the capital and even invited his father, Zhang Zhuo, for a meeting? After the flood receded, he had asked Zhang Zhuo if he knew anyone from the Jinyiwei, only to be firmly denied. If that were the case, how could there be an invitation like this now?