Chapter 124: An Unexpected Betrayal

Since Zhang Fu and his son left, after several rounds of treatment, the condition of Duke Zhang Fu gradually improved, and he spent more time awake. Seeing this, the imperial physician Shi Quan stopped restricting the frequency of Zhang Yue’s visits. He also revealed that Lady Wang’s letter had not yet been shown to Zhang Fu and returned it to him.

That day, while Zhang Fu was awake, Zhang Yue stood by the bed and read the letter aloud. But when Zhang Fu asked about the situation in Nanjing, Zhang Yue concealed the fact that Consort Zhang had vomited blood and did not mention that Zhang Fu and his son had been driven away by Zhu Di due to their improper conduct.

“I’ve fought in Jiaozhi four times without a scratch, yet this time I’ve been ill for so many days,” said Zhang Fu, who had just recovered from a serious illness. His complexion was not as rosy as usual, and he seemed weak. After sighing, he added, “Your aunt is being foolish. You still need to take the provincial exams this year. Why you and not someone else? What time is it now?”

“Uncle, it’s already August 27th. The provincial exams were held days ago,” Zhang Yue replied quickly when he saw Zhang Fu frown again. “The emperor visited us along with the crown prince and, knowing I missed this year’s exams, specially granted me the status of a juren. So, Uncle, there’s no need to worry about my future. You should focus on recovering.”

Learning that the emperor had visited him while he was ill and that Zhang Yue had been granted the title of juren, Zhang Fu was shocked. He wanted to say more but couldn’t find the words, eventually sighing deeply again. He was a man who thought carefully. Although Zhang Yue hadn’t explained why Lady Wang or his brothers and nephews hadn’t come, he understood the emperor’s nature well—He would never bestow favors without reason. Thus, he could vaguely guess what had happened, and his desire to survive grew even stronger.

If he really died, chaos would surely ensue among his brothers and nephews, and the decline of the Zhang family would happen in no time!

As Zhang Fu’s condition improved, Shi Quan became even more cautious in his treatment. In his words, curing a patient meant not only restoring health but also ensuring they returned to full strength—able to fight again. Only then could he, as an imperial physician, be considered competent and skilled.

Hearing this, Zhang Yue finally understood why, among all the physicians in the Imperial Medical Academy, it was this man whom Emperor Yongle had sent. He was also grateful for his dedication.

It was around that time, during a secret visit, that he noticed the vast mansion had too few staff members. Upon returning, Zhu Di bestowed ten groups of strong servants. After Rongshan arranged everything properly, she reported back to Zhang Yue, assigning tasks to everyone, thus ensuring sufficient staff in each household. With rewards and punishments established throughout the household, the grand mansion gradually took on a dignified atmosphere.

Zhang Yue, however, not only had to care for the sick Zhang Fu but also deal with noble officials who came to visit him. Managing these internal and external affairs consumed a great deal of his energy, so he had to rely heavily on Qiuhen Humble Amber to handle most of the household affairs. As these two women managed such a large scale of work for the first time, they were extremely cautious and managed to avoid any mistakes.

When Zhang Fu’s condition improved slightly, everyone in the household was overjoyed. Zhang Yue himself shuttled back and forth between Zhang Fu’s room and his own several times a day. A month later, seeing that Zhang Fu could barely walk with his support, he was overjoyed and hurriedly sent a letter to Lady Wang to share the good news.

Just as he sent the letter to Nanjing, a maid came in to report that someone from the palace had arrived. Since the emperor’s visit, rewards had been coming frequently, so he was used to it and assumed it was another eunuch bringing medicinal herbs or brocades. He quickly left the courtyard, passed through the Flower-Pendant Gate, and entered the front yard. From afar, as he saw the flower hall, he also noticed a group of soldiers in brocade robes nearby, which surprised him.

Previously, those who brought rewards were usually senior eunuchs accompanied by junior servants. Why were it the Imperial Guards this time?

Upon entering the flower hall, he saw only one person in a bright red brocade python-patterned robe sipping tea leisurely—Yuan Fang, the commander of the Imperial Guards. At that moment, he became even more puzzled but remained calm as he approached to greet him, wondering what the other party’s purpose was. It was utterly impossible for the Imperial Guards to be there just to deliver rewards.

“Third Young Master, I am here on official business this time,” Yuan Fang said without letting Zhang Yue guess for long. With a slight smile, he went straight to the point: “I am ordered to investigate the case of Liang Qian and Zhou Mian instigating the crown prince to release prisoners illegally. The case was almost resolved. But yesterday, I received a tip-off stating that during the days when the crown prince ordered the prisoner release, aside from traveling to the eastern palace, the only person Liang Qian met at home was you, the Third Young Master. The informant also claimed that you had met Liang Qian at the Du family’s residence before, so I had to come and ask you about it.”

Although Yuan Fang spoke casually, Zhang Yue was shocked upon hearing this. Suddenly, recalling the mention of the Du family’s residence in Yuan Fang’s words, his heart skipped a beat.

Straining to calm himself, he smiled and said, “Lord Yuan, please don’t scare me. I did indeed meet Lord Liang at the Du family’s residence back then, but he was there to borrow books, and I happened to be there as well. Lady Du introduced us. I also went to Lord Liang’s residence once after that, just to ask about my studies, and I left after staying for a short while. Is this really worth someone filing a complaint over?”
At this moment, Zhang Yue was truly uneasy. He said these words only because he thought the commander of the Jinyiwei had never shown any malice, so he decided to take a gamble. Otherwise, everyone knew the Jinyiwei were the emperor’s hounds—if they truly intended to accuse him, why would they come to ask so politely?
“Since someone has filed a complaint, it must be for money, hatred, or some other reason. What else could possibly matter?” Yuan Fang stared at Zhang Yue without blinking, his smile gradually fading. “The third young master was born too late. He didn’t witness the large-scale purges during the Hu Weiyong and Lan Yu cases, so he naturally doesn’t know that as long as someone files a complaint, the Jinyiwei can arrest people and then torture them. Who among us would dare resist under such pressure? It’s easy enough to assign a crime.”
Even if Zhang Yue was dull, he could now sense the hint in Yuan Fang’s words. He immediately retorted, “Are you saying that as long as someone accuses me, I’ll be unable to defend myself?”
“If your surname weren’t Zhang, that would indeed be the case.” Yuan Fang then took out a piece of paper from his sleeve and handed it to Zhang Yue. “This is the letter the informant sent to the Beijing Jinyiwei station. You might as well take a look.”
Glancing at the paper, Zhang Yue felt as if he had fallen into an ice cellar. The handwriting was messy, but the content was clear: the exact dates and times he entered and left the Du and Liang families were recorded precisely. Compared to the time the crown prince recalled that Chen Qianhu, it was an extremely perfect piece of evidence. Although no specific crime was mentioned, precisely because of this, it only served to arouse suspicion.

“Since the Third Young Master’s surname is Zhang and he is also the cousin of the Duke of Yingguo, with the Emperor having praised you before, it’s possible he won’t punish you because of this document. But if the Emperor harbors resentment, your future will likely be bleak. Moreover…” Yuan Fang paused briefly before speaking earnestly, “If this document isn’t aimed at you, then its target might be your teacher. You probably don’t know, but just yesterday, the Emperor summoned Liang Qian because of the advice given by your teacher, Du Zhen. Although the Emperor believes this crime shouldn’t fall solely on Liang Qian, he still hasn’t pardoned him; he’s currently detained in the imperial prison in Beijing…”

Although Yuan Fang didn’t finish his sentence, Zhang Yue immediately understood what was implied and felt a chill in his heart. He couldn’t help but examine the handwriting on the paper again, but found nothing.

“Fortunately, the fact that your teacher is acquainted with Liang Qian isn’t a secret, and he reported to the Emperor a few days ago about you seeking advice from Lord Liang. So when I reported this matter last night, the Emperor not only didn’t believe it but also became furious, ordering me to investigate the informant thoroughly. I came today not so much to question whether the Third Young Master is involved in Liang Qian’s case, but rather to ask if you have any clues about the informant.”

Things had suddenly taken such a complicated turn, leaving Zhang Yue stunned. If the matter was already resolved and they were merely investigating the first informant, then hadn’t Yuan Fang’s initial words been meant to scare him?

Yuan Fang wasn’t like Ji Gang, who rose to power overnight. He started as a low-ranking officer in the Jinyiwei and gradually advanced to become a third-rank commander. His skill at reading people’s expressions was impeccable. As soon as Zhang Yue showed the slightest reaction, he smiled and said, “My earlier words were just a joke with the Third Young Master. All you need to do now is answer my question. In broad daylight, without the Emperor’s orders, someone dares to spy on the Duke of Yingguo’s nephew—this is a blatant insult to the Jinyiwei. I must give an explanation to both the Emperor and the Duke.”

Several names flashed through Zhang Yue’s mind, but thinking that the other party could track his movements with such precision—almost on par with the Jinyiwei—he couldn’t imagine anyone he had offended having such remarkable abilities. Besides, some matters were not suitable to be shared with outsiders. So, though he instinctively felt that Yuan Fang’s question had ulterior motives, he still shook his head.

“Lord Yuan, I really can’t think of anyone.”

“Oh?” Yuan Fang raised his eyebrows, then took the paper handed back by Zhang Yue and said thoughtfully, “Lord Du was appointed just this year, and the Third Young Master moved from Kaifeng to Nanjing, and now to Beijing—also just this year. Logically, the number of people offended should be limited. Since it’s limited, the Jinyiwei can send people out to uncover some clues.”

Seeing Yuan Fang’s confident demeanor of handling matters impartially, Zhang Yue smiled and thanked him. After finishing the matter, he didn’t want to keep this Jinyiwei commander, who seemed capable of only calming a crying child, any longer, so he got up to see him off personally.

However, he only escorted him to the entrance of the flower hall. Yuan Fang then turned around and said with a smile, “The Third Young Master needn’t see me off. Since the Duke of Ying is still ill, you’d better take good care of him. The fact that the Emperor let this matter go so easily this time is also a good sign for the Duke’s recovery. As for the informant, rest assured about our Jinyiwei’s methods. Still, I’d like to remind you that since you’re now a juren, you should seriously consider your future.”

Watching Yuan Fang wave his hand and leave with dozens of subordinates, Zhang Yue finally took a deep breath.

As soon as the Jinyiwei left, Rong Shan rushed over from another courtyard gate. When he got closer, he stopped for a moment, took a deep breath, then suddenly knelt on the ground, clutching the cracks in the blue bricks and wailing loudly, “Young Master Yue, a messenger from Nanjing has just arrived. Our Lady Zhang… our Lady Zhang has passed away!”