Chapter 140: Uncontrollable Worry

Like Lady Gu and the others, Madam Qiu also arrived in the capital just a few days after hastily settling matters back in her hometown in eastern Zhejiang. Since her household wasn’t as sprawling as the Duke of Ying’s, with rooms connected one after another across courtyards, and her daughter Du Wan being skillful and capable of managing household affairs, she didn’t make any major changes upon arrival. Instead, she took some time to rest, letting Du Wan handle any guests. After all, although traveling by water from the south was convenient, it still took nearly a month.

The north wasn’t known for its rainy weather. Yesterday it had been continuously spring rain, but early this morning the clouds cleared and the rain stopped. Now, warm spring light streamed through the window frames and paper, filling the room with brightness. Madam Qiu was helping the maids sort through old clothes that could no longer be worn, piling them up in colorful stacks on the kang. Since these were clothes from her younger days—bright reds, dark blues, greens, and silvers—she herself couldn’t wear them anymore, and it was difficult to give them to the maids. Storing them away would only be a waste, so she grew worried.

“Madam!”

Xiao Wu entered after lifting the curtain and was surprised to see so many clothes on the kang. She raised her eyebrows, stepped forward, and smiled upon seeing them. “So many clothes! Are you planning to give them to the young lady? She mentioned before how important it is to be frugal with expenses. If she sees these, she’ll surely say she doesn’t need to have any new clothes made this year.”

Since Xiao Wu wasn’t a household servant and knew that Daoyan was no ordinary person, Madam Qiu usually didn’t treat her as a maid. Hearing this, she immediately realized what was going on. She smiled, pulled Xiao Wu over, picked up a piece of clothing, and tried it on her—finding it just right.

“Wan’s figure is different from mine when I was young. She’s taller than me, so she can’t wear these clothes. But they fit you perfectly. These are all old clothes. If you like them, Xiao Wu, feel free to pick a few. If not, take them back and let Wan’s maids share them. Anyway, I can’t wear these anymore.”

Xiao Wu, puzzled by Madam Qiu’s actions, was shocked upon hearing her words. Glancing at the brightly colored clothes on the kang and thinking of Du Wan’s excellent sewing skills, she didn’t take Madam Qiu’s words seriously. Instead, she started figuring out how to modify them and nodded eagerly. Just as she ordered the maids to wrap each piece in cloth, a voice from outside suddenly came through—the voice of a housekeeper’s wife.

“Madam, Princess Chenliu has arrived. She’s heading straight to the west wing to talk to the young lady. Young Master Zhang has also arrived and is waiting in the Small Flower Hall right now.”

Although she was a princess, since she came often, Lady Qiu didn’t take it too seriously and understood that the other party might not want her to get involved. Earlier, she had heard that Zhang Yue was taking the imperial examinations and had mentioned it several times; upon hearing he had arrived, she was delighted. She ordered a few maids to continue tidying up and then went ahead with two senior maids. At that moment, Xiao Wu didn’t care about those silver, red, or bright red Hangzhou silk clothes. As soon as Lady Qiu left, she followed, but not ahead—instead, she headed straight to the west wing room to find Du Wan.

As soon as she entered, she saw Princess Chenliu, Zhu Ning, and Du Wan setting up black and white chess pieces, ready to play. She immediately felt overwhelmed. She had been serving that old monk, Daoyan, for days now and had long known his passion for chess. But the question was: if King Zhou liked it, that was one thing, but why did Princess Chenliu and Du Wan also enjoy playing these chess games so much?

“Miss, are you still playing chess? Madam has already gone ahead to meet him!”

Zhu Ning placed a piece first. Hearing this, she turned her head and winked at Xiao Wu with a smile. “Oh, long time no see! Xiao Wu, you really know how to keep things mysterious. Which ‘him’? Is it that ‘him’ of your miss, or yours?”

Du Wan, who was thinking about her strategy, was annoyed by Zhu Ning’s remark and snapped, “Princess, it’s fine if you tease Xiao Wu, but why drag me in? Don’t anger me—if I get upset, I’ll wipe you out on the chessboard completely. And then I’ll surely play tricks with your marriage prospects too! My mother really shouldn’t have seen that Dad doesn’t really care and still rushed around trying to arrange marriages, without even checking if he’s interested or not!”

Zhu Ning then placed another piece and asked teasingly, “Could it be you’re still angry because he took your father away?”

Du Wan glared at Xiao Wu irritably. Seeing her shake her head innocently, she realized Princess Chenliu had just said it casually. Her face turned red immediately. She tried to brush it off, but Zhu Ning was staring at her face intently. So she simply said straight out, “While he was learning under Father, my mother and I were waiting at home, enduring those relatives who kept showing up to ask for favors. Of course I’m angry at him! Since I can remember, I’ve only seen Father from the end of last year until now, yet he taught him for four whole years in Kaifeng!”

“If you’re so angry at him, then why did you ask Master Yao to arrange a meeting with them last time, wasting a favor for nothing?”

“Master Yao is the most measured person; he long ago stepped back from state affairs. I have nothing left to ask of him, and this favor is unnecessary. Besides, it’s now him who owes favors to others.” Du Wan rolled her eyes irritably, turning back Zhu Ning’s teasing remark, and sighed again. “Although Father never mentions those first ten-odd years since he returned, I can tell he’s been trying to make amends for his shortcomings toward Mother. But who would have thought he’d go to Shandong again?”

Zhu Ning’s expression changed slightly. Seizing the moment when Du Wan looked away, she quickly concealed her emotions and said with a smile, “Don’t talk about your father all the time. If your mother really intended to marry you to him, would you really be unwilling?”

Seeing Du Wan frown, Zhu Ning simply set down her chess piece and spoke openly: “Sister Wan, I’m not talking about you. You’re usually extremely intelligent, but it seems you can’t think clearly about such matters. It’s only right to follow one’s parents’ wishes and matchmakers’ arrangements. I think Zhang Yue is quite good, but my father hasn’t paid much attention to him. If he had, maybe he’d be busy arranging my marriage too. Even though my uncle the emperor dotes on me and my father holds me in high esteem, once I’m paired with some so-called talented man as a bridesmaid, my life will be settled.”

Seeing Zhu Ning’s disinterest, Du Wan regretted bringing up such matters and sighed. “Since you put it that way, it goes without saying for other girls in the world. Even Cui Yingying in The Romance of the Western Chamber only arranged her marriage secretly in the garden, waiting until Zhang Sheng passed the imperial exams before going to marry him—what’s the point of that? Even as a virtuous wife, one must have a husband who can support her. Seeing how hard Mother endured back then, I’m a bit scared now.”

Xiao Wu, listening nearby, was stunned and couldn’t quite understand. Having spent a long time wandering, she had once envied those wealthy young ladies who could marry their ideal husbands and live in comfort. Who would have thought there were so many troubles?

In the small garden hall, Zhang Yue met Mrs. Qiu and spent some time chatting with her. Since Du Zhen set off for Shandong and Mrs. Qiu arrived in Beijing both happened after he entered the imperial examination hall, it was only now that he learned they hadn’t had the chance to meet. Remembering Du Zhen’s instructions from that time, he couldn’t help but gaze at his wife. Seeing the unmistakable gray hairs at her temples, he still saw kindness in her eyes and truly admired her as a virtuous wife and mother.

“Master has gone to Shandong. By then, even if you pass the imperial examinations, he won’t be able to see it. In my opinion, that’s the greatest regret.” As she spoke, Lady Qiu gradually stopped being restrained by such concerned words, and the worries she had hidden in her heart for days began to show. “Speaking of which, I heard that Shandong isn’t peaceful these days, with bandits and such… Sigh, my eyelids have been twitching nonstop these days; I feel uneasy. Yuanjie, you’ve seen more of the world—what’s really like in Shandong?”
What was like in Shandong? It would naturally be good in times of prosperity, but the biggest problem now was the presence of the Han King there. Since Lady Qiu had already mentioned bandits, they surely existed. Moreover, the provincial governor didn’t have military authority, so if anything really happened, it would be extremely difficult to handle!
Though these thoughts crossed his mind, Zhang Yue didn’t dare express them to Lady Qiu. He quickly smiled and said, “Don’t worry, Madam. Some of the rumors circulating are just unverified tales and not necessarily true. Master has always been cautious, and I’m sure he will act the same way as an official in Shandong. He shouldn’t encounter any troubles. As for your eyelids twitching, I think it’s because you’ve been tired from traveling these days. Just get more rest.”
Lady Qiu was already worried. Hearing Zhang Yue’s words, and thinking about how her husband had wasted over a decade before finally getting a promotion and having a promising future, she gradually relaxed. She kept Zhang Yue for a while longer, then suddenly remembered that her husband’s term in Shandong would last three years, and their daughter had a peculiar temperament. She had tried to talk to her several times without success. If things continued like this, who knew how long they would have to wait.
“Yuanjie, I heard your whole family moved from Kaifeng to Beijing?” When Zhang Yue nodded, she immediately had an idea. She smiled and said, “Well then, I should visit your grandmother and mother in a few days. When Master was in Kaifeng, with his strange temperament, if it weren’t for the Zhang family’s support, he would have suffered a lot. I should have thanked them long ago; now is a good opportunity.”
As soon as Zhang Yue nodded, he saw Lady Qiu seem relieved, and his heart skipped a beat. He knew exactly what she meant. But even if he understood, could he really stop her from visiting their home? Not to mention Lady Gu, just Mother Sun alone—she had already nagged him badly that morning. When he left after breakfast, he saw her call for Humble and Qiuhen, likely to give them instructions and question his whereabouts over the past year, probably with other ulterior motives as well.

As he bid farewell at the Du family’s residence, Zhang Yue saw that not only were his horses being led away by someone outside the door, but Princess Zhu Ning of Chenliu and a dozen or so attendants and guards were also getting into the carriage. At that moment, he couldn’t help but wonder how coincidental it was—having come here with the princess, he was leaving together with her as well.
“Zhang Yue, wait! I have something to say to you!”
Hearing this, Zhang Yue saw Zhu Ning suddenly turn around from the carriage, jump down from the small stool holding it up, and walk toward him. He stepped forward a few paces. Soon, the guards of the Zhou royal family scattered to one side, and the two maids stepped back far away, as if afraid that someone else might overhear Zhu Ning’s words.
But Zhu Ning didn’t speak right away. She hesitated for a while, took a deep breath, and then said in a low voice, “There were some things I couldn’t bring myself to say to Lady Du, nor to Sister Wan. Things are quite chaotic in Shandong these days. The original governor was transferred from Huguang, but due to some mistakes, he’s now in custody at the Dali Temple. Although Lord Du is honest and capable, there are many things beyond his control. If possible, could you please convey a message to the Duke of Yingguo and some local authorities, such as the Military Command?”