Chapter 220: The Nature of Affection

Chunshui Street faced the back door of the prefect’s office. Many officials and clerks from various government offices used this door to enter and exit, and their family members’ sedan chairs and carriages also passed through here. Servants often went there to shop as well. Over time, all sorts of stalls appeared along this street during the day—offering food, cosmetics, clay figurines, and fresh fruits and vegetables. At the east end of the street were several residential houses, mostly rented by officials from the office, while at the west end were several quiet courtyards, the residences of officials such as deputy prefects and judges.

Zhang Yue’s courtyard was also at the west end. He had bought it not long after taking office, originally planning to bring in some family members to live there. But due to his busy schedule, he neglected it for a long time. That evening, a carriage brought Madam Wu and Meng Min, who were still asleep, to this place. Zhang Yue’s servants, having received the news, had already cleaned the main house thoroughly, replaced the bedding with fresh ones, and prepared a heated bed. Only after settling his mother in the heated room and seeing that she hadn’t woken up did Meng Min breathe a sigh of relief, though she wasn’t sure whether to feel glad or sad.

Despite the help of Du Wan and Ling Xi, as well as the household servants sent from Zhang Yue’s own home, the Meng family’s hasty relocation was almost like a retreat. Things were left behind, some servants harbored ulterior motives, and there were scattered bags and chests… If it weren’t for Ling Xi keeping a close eye on the finances, even the last bit of money might have been lost. Their usual efficiency turned into chaos, their usual loyalty turned into self-interest, and some even considered abandoning everything to join another household. Watching all these scenes, Zhang Yue felt a chill in his heart, recalling his uncle Zhang Xin’s mansion in Nanjing and the servants who had left.

After a chaotic scramble that lasted until midnight, the last chest was finally moved into the courtyard. The house, which could originally accommodate only about twenty people, was now packed with over forty, making it extremely crowded and noisy. Some complained endlessly, some sighed in frustration, some were anxious, and some plotted to escape. Hu Qi, along with a group of household servants, went around and scolded everyone harshly, finally silencing the noise—but it couldn’t suppress the thoughts in people’s minds.

The kang in the other rooms was still cold for a while, but the warm chamber in the main house remained cozy. Exhausted, Meng Min had already fallen asleep leaning on the edge of the kang. Afraid of waking her, Du Wan gently covered her with a mink cloak and instructed Hong Xiu to keep an eye on her, then stepped out of the room after lifting the curtain. Seeing Zhang Yue sitting in the chair on the left, lost in thought, with Ling Xi standing silently below, she realized Zhang Yue must have learned of another predicament facing the Meng family.

She then spoke directly: “Lord Meng took away all the capable servants from the Meng family. What remained, aside from women, were only those who joined later; there aren’t many long-term servants left. To cover their food, drink, and expenses, ten taels of silver a day might not even be enough. Moreover, with people’s hearts in chaos, some might steal, while others might collude with outsiders to bring trouble inside. You need to discuss this with Sister Min and send some of them away as soon as possible. Keeping these people is useless; instead, they’re a hazard.”

Seeing Zhang Yue’s grim expression, Ling Xi thought for a moment before saying, “Young master, not to mention the servants, ever since the news of Lord Meng being imprisoned spread, I’ve noticed that the two aunts who haven’t had children have also started to harbor other intentions. If it’s really as Lord Jue said—that the Marquis of Baoding is too scared to intervene—then…”

“Enough. I understand,” Zhang Yue said. He took a deep breath, rubbed his face and eyes hard with both hands, then finally raised his head. “Tomorrow, I’ll talk to the fourth sister. Those lowly servants and maids who want to leave can go. Before they leave, have them sign an oath to prevent them from spreading rumors. As for the long-term servants, concubines, and mistresses, keep them for now. Sending them away now would only cause trouble. When the wall falls, everyone pushes. If they could force the Meng family to leave today, who knows what other tricks they might try tomorrow!”

The furnishings in the main room were extremely simple—a painting of the Eight Immortals Crossing the Sea was hung on the wall, beneath it was a large red-painted desk, and the armchairs on both sides were neither new nor old. Du Wan stepped forward and sat down in the chair to Zhang Yue’s right, still pondering whether to share her earlier suspicions. Seeing this, Ling Xi quietly slipped into the inner room to give them some privacy.

“Do you want to hear my thoughts on the hook Father sent?”
“Mm.”
“It’s actually quite simple. It’s the colors of the hook and the tassel—one is silver, the other red. It makes one think in certain directions. Silver means white, red means red. I wonder if Father’s riddle is poorly crafted or if my reasoning is flawed.”

Zhang Yue was somewhat distracted, but quickly snapped out of it and looked up. He saw that Du Wan was staring right at him, her face devoid of any trace of humor, and he immediately gasped. Though he didn’t know where Du Zhen got his information or his judgment, the mere possibility made him lose focus.

“And then there’s your third uncle, Zhang Jue. I heard from Master Yao that among Zhang Yu’s three sons from the Rongguo Duke family, the eldest—now the Yingguo Duke—was the most virtuous, the second son was reckless and greedy, and the third son was intelligent but cunning. There’s no fixed quota for positions like Deputy Commander and Assistant Commander; it doesn’t matter if there’s one more or one less in the Shandong military command. So why send his own brother, the direct descendant of the Yingguo Duke? He said he volunteered to come and would leave soon, adding that the emperor was dissatisfied with the Shandong military command. His tone sounded really strange.”

With a bitter smile, Zhang Yue shook his head vigorously. A few days ago, he had sent someone to the Jinyiwei compound. He had already heard from Mu Ning that the emperor intended to send a noble to detain Prince Shouguang, Zhu Zhanqi, and strip the Han King of his Tiance guards. He had thought it would at least be a marquis or earl—who would have thought it would be Zhang Jue? It was strange that Mu Ning hadn’t told him that the Yingguo Duke, Zhang Fu, had gone to Xuanfu to train troops. After thinking for a while, he simply explained the situation to Du Wan, hiding the fact that the information came from the Jinyiwei.

“There’s nothing strange about this. The emperor sent his eldest uncle to Xuanfu to command troops, and now he’s sending him here—surely it’s because he wants to deal with the Han King and Prince Shouguang!”

“The Rongguo Duke and the Yingguo Duke, along with the Han King, have been close comrades for generations. Sending your third uncle makes some sense, but this matter is quite serious. Can he really handle it properly? Also, today you defied his wishes. Though you’re not under his authority, you should be more careful in the future. After all, it’s still hard to say what will happen to the Meng family.”

“Let’s leave that for later. It’s already very late; you should go to bed first.” Zhang Yue stood up. Seeing Du Wan’s tired expression, he added, “Let’s enjoy the wine today and worry about tomorrow. Though this is the way of the reckless in the Tang Dynasty, I want to try it too! As the saying goes, three cobblers with their wits combined equal Zhuge Liang. We can discuss it all again when we wake up tomorrow and get through this difficulty first. For now, let’s get a good night’s sleep!”

Seeing Zhang Yue stretch lazily and gesture for her to come over, Du Wan couldn’t help shaking her head with a faint smile, then pulled back the curtain and went to rest. Zhang Yue, however, didn’t leave right away but entered the inner room once more. Waving his hand to signal Hong Xiu and Ling Xi to retire first, he sat down by the kang and carefully observed Meng Min, who was already asleep.

“Minnin.”

He called out softly. Seeing that she didn’t wake up, he couldn’t help but chuckle.

The first time he saw her, he thought she was just a graceful and noble young lady—nothing more. At the literary gathering, she wasn’t the most outstanding, yet there was an indescribable confidence in her eyes. In Beijing, she spoke in a gentle voice, offering advice with a warm smile. On their journey to Shandong, she walked properly without talking much to him. When they took shelter from the rain under the same umbrella at Wang’s estate, he saw her worriedly thinking of her mother. It was only that night when she cried bitterly that he realized she was actually only fifteen years old…

In his past life, he struggled to survive and didn’t have time to search among the sea of people for a beautiful woman. In this life, though he woke up surrounded by beauties, they seemed like mere decorations—most like ripples on water that vanished in an instant. Only Qiuhen Huhu, who had been by his side for so many years, had stirred a subtle affection in him. Later, through a strange encounter, he met Princess Chenliu and Du Wan, and then, through the arrangements of Meng Xian and Zhang Qing, he met Meng Min.

There was no love at first sight. At first, perhaps they were just curious about each other. But after all, humans aren’t plants—he eventually felt something for her. Gradually, that slight feeling grew into deep affection. Even though he knew her father had ulterior motives and that there might be obstacles between them, he still liked her very much.

“Mother…”

Meng Min mumbled and moved her arm slightly, causing the mink cloak covering her back to slip to the ground. Seeing this, Zhang Yue quickly stood up to pick it up, patted it gently, and carefully draped it back over her shoulders. Just as he was about to leave, he suddenly noticed that Lady Wu on the kang was already awake, her deeply sunken eyes staring at him intently.

Zhang Yue was startled. Just as he was about to speak, he saw Lady Wu shake her head laboriously, her lips moving slightly. He thought she was trying to speak, so he knelt down to get closer to her, but suddenly there was a noise—Meng Min was sitting up, rubbing her eyes. Before he could say anything, Meng Min threw herself at Lady Wu, crying out in surprise and joy.

“Mother, you’re awake!”

“I’ve been awake for a while; I just wanted you to sleep a little longer!” Though her voice was very soft, Madam Wu still spoke each word clearly. She gazed at her daughter with infinite tenderness for a moment, then turned her attention to Zhang Yue, who had stood up again, feeling both fondness and disappointment. She had woken up as soon as she got into the carriage and could hear every word being said around her, but to avoid worrying her daughter any further, she had to pretend to be asleep. She had originally planned to keep pretending, but the moment she opened her eyes and saw Zhang Yue’s expression, she could no longer hold back.

But with her family in such a state, what more could she say? It was a matter of parental orders and arranged marriages. Even if she entrusted her daughter to Zhang Yue while she still had breath left, what good would that do? Behind Zhang Yue was a powerful family; even if he made a promise to comfort himself, what use would that be?

She opened her mouth but ultimately said nothing, instead gripping her daughter’s hand tightly before closing her eyes. Two streams of tears rolled down her high cheekbones, quickly turning cold.