Chapter 336: Hidden Intentions

The flower hall in the Fan family’s residence was quite spacious, consisting of three rooms. The banquet was held in the smaller hall on the east side. Since Fan Tong had left in a hurry, he only remembered upon arriving that Zhang Yue must have already eaten dinner at Zui Xiang Lou. This left him somewhat troubled after bringing him back. How could he serve a meal without anyone eating, or ask them to sit and drink tea? As he sat down at the red lacquered rosewood table, ready to speak with a smile, Fan Xiyan, dressed in men’s clothing, suddenly bent over.
“Master, all the snacks in the kitchen are ready. Shall I bring them in now?”
Snacks? What snacks? Fan Tong was truly confused at that moment, but thinking that Fan Xiyan was likely responsible for bringing him back, he assumed she wouldn’t play tricks at such a critical moment. So, acting like the master of the house, he nodded indifferently. After that nod, he saw Fan Xiyan go outside and give an order. Soon, several young servants brought in rosewood plates and arranged the snacks on the table one by one.
Zhang Yue had just eaten at Zui Xiang Lou, and his mouth still tasted salty and savory, leaving him with no appetite. Yet, as he frowned at the snacks being served, the handsome young servant who had been standing beside Fan Tong suddenly turned to him and introduced them with a smile.
“Before Master went out to welcome our guests, he knew you all must have eaten at Zui Xiang Lou, so he ordered the kitchen to prepare only snacks. Ningbo cuisine is usually quite salty. After eating those greasy dishes, why not try these uniquely flavored snacks? There are ten in total: in the middle is glutinous rice pork fat yuanxiao. Although it’s not yet the first month of the year, this famous snack is a hallmark of Ningbo and must be tried. The others include Dragon and Phoenix Gold Balls, Red Bean Eight Treasure Rice, Pork Fat Pastry, Fresh Meat Steamed Dumplings, Shao Mai, Crystal Oil Buns, Three-Delicate Noodle Soup, Fresh Meat Steamed Wraps, and Red Bean Pastries. Please enjoy each one, esteemed guests.”
Since Fan Xiyan wore a high-necked jacket to cover her neck, no one could see if she had a Adam’s apple. Zhang Yue initially thought she was just a favored servant. But hearing her clear voice and sensing a faint fragrance around her, along with Fan Tong’s constant gaze on her, he suddenly realized something. Although he had heard that wealthy families in the south often dressed their concubines in men’s clothes, he had no interest in such things. So, he casually tried one Shao Mai before putting down his chopsticks.
“How did Lord Fan know I came to Ningbo Prefecture?”

Upon hearing Zhang Yue ask this directly, Fan Tong’s heart skipped a beat. In his haste earlier, he had forgotten that the other person had come to Ningbo under disguise; he had never met them before—how could it be such a coincidence? Just then, he heard a soft laugh and saw Fan Xiyan standing behind Zhang Yue, taking over the conversation with a smile.

“Young Master Zhang, although our lord isn’t as skilled as Eunuch Wang, people in the market always keep an eye out. A remarkable figure like you would naturally not go unnoticed. In fact, our lord is helpless—though he is the head of the Maritime Administration, Eunuch Wang controls all matters, leaving him with no say. He can only stay vigilant at all times. Take Eunuch Lu from Tianxiang Pavilion, for example—he’s been there for over half a month, yet our lord hasn’t even been able to meet him once. Now that everyone knows the sea ban starts with the Maritime Administration, they all want a share of the profits, making things even harder for our lord.”

Hearing Fan Xiyan portray herself as a pitiful victim, Fan Tong was furious, but he knew it was better to act humble now than to be arrogant. When Zhang Yue’s gaze fell on him, he quickly said cautiously, “Young Master Zhang, if there’s ten parts of power in the Maritime Administration, I, as its head, can control at most three parts—everything else is in Eunuch Wang’s hands. Over the years, Eunuch Wang must have received countless bribes from tribute envoys and protected many smugglers. And that’s not all—he also…”

Seeing no reaction from Zhang Yue, he gritted his teeth and, ignoring the two outsiders present, sighed deeply. “To be honest, several deputy heads of the Maritime Administration have changed over the years. Anyone who disagrees with him not only doesn’t stay in office long but also gets sidelined after leaving. So as the head, I can only follow his lead. Every year, he forces low prices from officials in the Jiangnan region for silk, wood, jewels, and women—no one knows who he gives them to. To maintain his position as the eunuch supervisor, he’s already had the local officials feed him well. I heard he even suggested to the emperor that taxes be monitored by the imperial court.”

Zhang Yue frowned deeply—this was just the start of lifting the sea ban. Not only did they have to fend off ruthless Japanese pirates, but they also had to deal with greedy officials and eunuchs. The web of interests alone was already troublesome, let alone the countless overt and covert threats in the court. Was it really that difficult to do things honestly?

Although he already believed most of it in his heart, he was unwilling to be used as a pawn without clear reasons. Yet, despite his reluctance, seeing Lu Feng and Wang Darong, the head of the Maritime Administration, getting very close, he naturally wouldn’t give up Fan Tong as an asset easily. He then began tapping gently on the armrest of the armchair in thought.

“How many years has Lord Fan been in the Maritime Administration?”

Seeing that Zhang Yue didn’t question his words, Fan Tong was overjoyed. He quickly bowed and said, “I was selected to join the Maritime Administration as a student supervisor at the beginning of the Yongle era. After years of experience and promotions, I was finally promoted to head of the administration. It’s been sixteen years now. In contrast, Eunuch Wang took office in the twelfth year of Yongle and has only been in charge for five years.”

“So, Lord Fan is more familiar with the affairs of the Maritime Administration?”

“Of course, of course!”

Fan Xiyan, who was standing by, noticed Zhang Yue nodding thoughtfully with a highly focused expression. Seizing the opportunity, she said, “Sir’s weakness lies in not coming from a proper background, so all he can rely on are his real skills. Take the past few days for example—had it not been for Sir calming down the two tribute missions from Malacca, the dispute over tributes would have escalated greatly. Everyone knows those small Western countries are greedy for the rewards from the imperial court, but we can’t just drive them away, right?

Eunuch Wang only knows how to collect money; all the actual work dealing with the tribute missions is done by our sir. Don’t be fooled by this mansion—actually, Sir’s salary isn’t even enough to afford it. It was originally the property of a wealthy family who wanted to move to Beijing. Sir felt pity for them because they were old, so he interceded, asking their son to move to Beijing on their behalf. Out of gratitude, they gave him this mansion, but Sir only agreed to use it for ten years. In fact, this is all to maintain the face of the imperial court—after all, with so many foreigners coming and going, it would be a disgrace to the court if anything went wrong!”

The first part of her speech made Fan Tong feel very comfortable, but hearing about the mansion’s origins immediately stirred turmoil in his heart. He quickly concealed it with a wry smile. That mansion was a move he had prepared years ago—not only to show that he wasn’t corrupt but also for a deeper reason. Even his most beloved concubine didn’t know about this, so how could this girl know?

Despite the table being filled with deliciously colored, fragrant, and tasty snacks, Fang Qing and Ma Qinjiu merely followed Zhang Yue’s lead in picking up their chopsticks, too busy to savor the flavors. Fang Qing had come this time not only for the Yang family but also to see if the Fang clan could benefit from the lifting of the sea ban. Ma Qinjiu, on the other hand, was there purely for money. By now, he had gradually guessed Zhang Yue’s identity, feeling both relieved and alarmed. Thus, upon hearing these secrets of the official world, the two pricked up their ears but kept their mouths shut.

After a long conversation, Zhang Yue agreed to stay temporarily at the Fan family’s house—after all, Fan Tong had gone to great lengths to welcome him, and it wouldn’t be good for him to stay at an inn. Naturally, he asked Hu Qi to bring Lingxi Amber, Qiuhen, and the three guards to protect them. To ensure Zhang Yue’s comfort, Fan Tong, disregarding the fact that the inner courtyard was reserved for women, cleared out the entire east courtyard for the group and personally took care of everything. However, seeing Zhang Yue outside with three maids, he grew suspicious and hesitated to send away the already prepared beautiful maid.

It wasn’t until the moon rose high that he finally arranged everything and left the east courtyard with relief, heading back to his room via the corridor to rest. Yet as soon as he left, a group entered—two maids carrying food boxes in front, followed by Fan Xiyan. The three of them headed straight for the main room. Coincidentally, Qiuhen was coming out with a basin of water when she raised her hand to pour it, only to stop upon seeing someone in front of her and quickly set the basin aside.

“What are you doing here…?”

“Are you Miss Qiuhen? Father sent me to bring you some evening snacks.”

Though she found the reason strange, Qiuhen couldn’t keep them outside, so she reported to those inside before lifting the curtain to let them in. Even though Du Wan hadn’t given any special instructions when she left, she was very attentive to this matter. Seeing Zhang Yue pause slightly upon seeing the visitors, she dared not move at all.

Even though Zhang Yue had guessed beforehand, hearing Qiuhen’s explanation and seeing the person in front of him still surprised him. After all, which official family would send a noble lady to receive a male guest, let alone have her disguise herself as a male servant in the flower hall? When Fan Xiyan spoke, her sweet yet slightly seductive voice reminded him of his time in the flower hall, where Fan Tong seemed to be watching her every move, making him even more cautious.

“It’s too much of a bother to have Miss Fan send over just evening snacks. Lord Fan is truly too kind.”

“I merely heard that the three ladies accompanying the young master have just arrived, so I had the kitchen prepare some snacks for late at night.” Just moments ago, Fan Xiyan still had to act politely, with her head bowed and hands clasped, but now she couldn’t help but steal glances at Zhang Yue. Realizing that he merely stared at her coldly, she restrained herself a bit. “Does the young master intend to keep Xiyan standing all the time?”
“Miss Fan, it’s already late at night. We can talk about anything tomorrow.”
“The young master is truly a gentleman. Well then, I hope you’ll enjoy these snacks I specially brought today.”
It wasn’t until Fan Xiyan bowed gracefully and left with her two maids that Qiu Hen finally breathed a sigh of relief. Seeing Zhang Yue sitting there with a frown, still unmoving, she grew worried again and quickly went over to the huanghuali desk, carefully opening the lid of a food box. With just one glance, she couldn’t help but exclaim in shock.