Chapter 289: The Farewell of Future Father-in-Law and Son-in-law

Although the Jinyiwei during the Yongle era had not handled any sensational cases like those of Hu Weiyong and Lan Yu in the Hongwu era, their reputation among the court officials and the common people was quite high due to the existence of a tyrannical and domineering figure named Ji Gang. In comparison, though the Ministry of Punishments and the Dali Temple were the actual authorities in charge of legal matters, it had become common practice to imprison ministers in the Jinyiwei’s prisons whenever they were found guilty. Those imprisoned ranged from civil and military officials to eunuchs, and very few managed to escape.

Du Zhen never expected to be released so quickly. Standing under the scorching sun, he couldn’t help but squint at it. Although the imperial prison wasn’t a pitch-black dungeon, the lighting was poor. Even though the guards who monitored him always fulfilled his requests, even those he didn’t make, and used as much candlelight as possible, his movement was still confined to that small space. Thinking of Yang Pu, who had been sitting in prison for five years while studying tirelessly next to him, he felt somewhat disoriented.

“Sir!”

Hearing this call, Du Zhen didn’t look toward the source of the voice but instead glanced at his feet. He saw that he was standing at the entrance of the Jinyiwei headquarters. A slight smile appeared on his face, and he calmly stepped down the stairs. Only then did he lift his eyes to see the person who had called out and also the carriage waiting there.

He had only taken one student in his life and had never held any educational position. There was only one person in the whole world who would address him in this way.

While in prison, despite the somewhat favorable treatment from the Jinyiwei officers, one thing could not be altered: there was no way to communicate. Du Zhen was completely unaware of either family matters or national affairs. Now, after observing Zhang Yue carefully—seeing him dressed in a light blue silk robe with black shoes shaped like the character for “fortune,” looking neat and tidy—Du Zhen nodded and smiled.

“Get in the carriage. We can discuss anything else when we get home.”

Construction was underway everywhere in Beijing, creating countless new streets and alleys, most of which hadn’t yet been named. As a result, many people gave these streets and alleys various informal names. Since the Jinyiwei was a place notorious for its severity, the street in front of its headquarters was called Jinyi Street. Because prisoners were constantly brought in or taken directly to the execution ground from here, many people avoided this ominous place. Even those who had to pass by it hurried by with their heads down, fearing being noticed by those inside. Now, seeing a living person released from inside and someone waiting outside to greet them, many passersby cast curious glances.

Zhang Yue could ignore the stares from passersby, but seeing Du Zhen simply get into the carriage left him stunned. Though escaping prison didn’t necessarily require tears of emotion, his teacher’s calmness seemed excessive—almost as if he hadn’t just emerged from prison but had just finished dining at a restaurant and was heading home. Despite finding it incredible, he regained his composure and followed Du Zhen into the carriage, ordering the driver to head straight to Du’s residence.

Earlier on the road, Zhang Yue had felt as if he had a thousand things to say, but now, sitting in the carriage with Du Zhen, he didn’t know what to say. Should he ask about Du Zhen’s conditions in prison? Discuss the current situation outside? Or tell his teacher that their families were already discussing marriage? Before he could decide how to start, Du Zhen spoke first.

“What’s the situation in Qingzhou?”

No matter how Zhang Yue thought about it, he couldn’t expect Du Zhen to ask about his family or anything else instead of this. After a brief pause, he decided to tell the truth completely—there was nothing to hide in any case. When he mentioned being sent to execute those over four hundred White Lotus Sect rebels, Du Zhen showed no reaction; when he talked about the four hundred heads falling and his own notorious reputation, Du Zhen remained unmoved. It wasn’t until he mentioned being attacked on the way back that Du Zhen raised his eyebrows slightly.

“They even used firearms!”

After all that talk, he got only that single remark in response, which angered Zhang Yue. He immediately asked resentfully, “Why don’t you ask how your wife and sister are?”

“I’ve already come out, so I can see for myself whether things are good or bad. Why rush to ask you on the road? My wife and I have been married for twenty years, but we’ve been separated for over ten. Though she seems kind, she’s extremely responsible, so I’m sure things at home are in order. Besides, Wan’er is smart—she certainly won’t lose her head over this. I’m very relieved.”

Du Zhen saw Zhang Yue’s expression was utterly incredible, but in the next moment he changed his tone and said, “Although your uncle was also a scholar from a military family and once ranked first in the imperial examinations, he wasn’t a Jinshi after all, nor did he write such a remarkable essay that earned praise from the scholarly community like you have. The emperor sent you on a mission to kill specifically because of your special status. You’re still young, so the emperor can’t promote you abruptly; he likely intends to reserve you for the crown prince. There will be many more trials like this in the future, so you must not become lazy or arrogant. After all, the emperor’s temper is hard to fathom.”

Hearing these reminders and warnings, Zhang Yue quickly nodded and said, “Don’t worry, sir. I understand.”

Throughout the journey, the teacher and student had talked a great deal, but the situation had completely reversed. It seemed as though Zhang Yue was the one who had been imprisoned for months and had just been released, while Du Zhen had been observing court affairs outside for a long time. With so much he wanted to say, he could only nod and listen to instructions. When the carriage stopped in front of Du Zhen’s residence, he helped Du Zhen get off and handed him over to Yue Shan, who was so excited he couldn’t speak. Only then did he breathe a sigh of relief, ready to leave.

“Yuanjie, since you’re here, why not have lunch at home before going?”

“Sir, it’s better if Young Master Zhang goes back. It’s not appropriate to keep him here now.”

Du Zhen saw Zhang Yue smile awkwardly, bow deeply, and then quickly board the carriage and leave. He was puzzled. Turning around, he saw Yue Shan standing there with a strangely amused smile, and he snapped angrily, “What kind of riddle is this?”

At that moment, several other servants gathered around them. The oldest, Yue Shan, had his eyes squinted shut from smiling. “Let me inform you, sir. From now on, you and Young Master Zhang will become father-in-law and son-in-law. The marriage contracts have already been prepared, and the auspicious date has been chosen. All that’s left is for you to return to sign the engagement document. Naturally, Young Master Zhang needs to avoid suspicion. Your wife heard you were coming out today yesterday and originally planned to send the young lady to pick you up, but she changed her mind after learning that Young Master Zhang would handle it.”

Teacher and student becoming father-in-law and son-in-law? Even though Du Zhen had always known the Qiu family had such intentions, he was still stunned, as if it were a dream. After the servants congratulated him, he left them behind and strode inside, his heart filled with mixed emotions.

His daughter was getting married—that girl who had been crybaby and troublesome at birth, but who had grown into a graceful and sensible young woman. Now she was about to marry? And her husband was the very same boy who had boldly told him, “The people can be made to follow orders, but not made to understand them,” a statement with multiple interpretations, and who had since brought him both trouble and joy. Unnoticed, they had all grown up…

Yue Shan watched in astonishment as his usually stern husband, who would barely smile even when giving praise, was now smiling—indeed, the smile grew deeper, as if it might turn into a full laugh. Having served the Du family for decades, he rubbed his eyes in disbelief, wondering if he was seeing things. Just then, he saw Du Zhen stepping through the threshold, accompanied by the sound of hearty laughter.

Zhang Yue had no idea his future father-in-law would react in such a way upon hearing about the marriage. He really wanted to go in with Du Zhen and take advantage of the opportunity to have a meal at his teacher’s house, but since the two families were currently in the process of forming a marriage alliance, he had to avoid arousing suspicion. Although Du Zhen had been released for now without any further actions—whether he was exiled to a distant place, reduced to a commoner, or placed on indefinite leave—it was still better than counting bricks in the Jinyiwei prison. So when the carriage stopped in front of Zhang’s residence, he leaped down feeling light as a swallow and filled with relief.

“Young Master Yue!”

Hearing this call, Zhang Yue snapped back to reality. Turning his head, he saw a group of people stopping on the road across from him. The person at the head dismounted quickly and strode forward—it was Rong Shan, the head butler of the Duke of Yingguo’s household. Having received much help from him before, Zhang Yue hurried forward a few steps and just in time caught Rong Shan’s arm as he prepared to bow.

“Why are you here, Butler Rong?”

Since Zhang Yue had offered his help, Rong Shan didn’t insist on performing a formal bow anymore. He straightened up and smiled, saying, “Of course, the old lady sent someone to the Duke of Yingguo’s household to borrow a few people for assistance. The young master’s wedding is at the beginning of next month, followed by your wedding, Young Master Yue, and then Miss Yi’s. With these three major weddings in a row, there’s an endless amount of sewing work to be done. Besides our family’s skilled seamstresses, we also need to find the best embroiderers and tailors from outside. Naturally, the entire household is in chaos.”

Hearing this, Zhang Yue raised his eyebrows, recalling that Zhang Qi and Zhang Yi’s marriage had already been arranged. Now, with this engagement as well, there would be three weddings in just half a year. Not only was the whole family busy, but the financial cost was enormous. The money from the estates was barely enough to cover annual expenses, and these three additional costs would likely require not only public funds but also contributions from each branch of the family.

As he had expected, Lady Dongfang was in the accounting room at the moment, supervising the accountants as they used abacuses to calculate expenses. When she heard the huge amount required, she couldn’t help but gasp in shock. When Zhang Chao got married, although the old lady later allocated some estates, she herself had to contribute 3,000 taels from her personal funds, plus another 2,000 taels from public funds, to make the wedding grand. Now, for Zhang Qi’s wedding, she would undoubtedly have to put in another 2,000 to 3,000 taels. Even though marrying a concubine’s daughter meant fewer expenses, contributing 1,000 taels was still unavoidable.

Damn it! With their dependence on their husband’s salary, wouldn’t the whole family starve to death?

Furious, she thought that Zhang Yue’s wedding also followed the same rules and immediately smiled maliciously. Everyone had their own selfish interests. It was one thing for the old lady to favor Zhang Yue most of the time, but at this critical moment, she might not be willing to use her personal funds to support this non-legal grandson, especially since there was still Zhang Jiu, the eldest grandson of the main branch. The main branch seemed doomed, so it was crucial to save some money for the future. Given the financial situation of the third branch, it would be extremely difficult to hold a proper wedding then!

It was one thing to be overshadowed usually, but for this wedding, she was determined to ensure her son outshone Zhang Yue in splendor!