Chapter 351: Short Spring Nights, Carefree Words

“Jing is already three years old. She loves to cling to people all the time. Today, when you held her, you almost scared her—what kind of brother are you? She’s getting more and more adorable, always snuggling in my arms and calling me ‘sister-in-law.’ It’s hard to let her go.”
“If you like her that much, let’s have another child even cuter than her. Wanmei, do you prefer a boy or a girl?”
“Don’t even ask! In front of so many people today, you were still so unrestrained. If our parents saw this…”
“If our parents saw it, they’d surely be happy to see us so affectionate. They’d only be pleased and say nothing.”
Du Wan was silenced by Zhang Yue’s words, feeling furious. She tried to turn away and ignore him, but suddenly Zhang Yue leaned in, their faces almost touching. Seeing his eyes fixed on hers, she snapped, “Stop it. They’re sleeping outside. It’s already late; be careful you can’t get up tomorrow.”
“They know we’ve just gotten married but have been separated for two months, so they’ve gone to the warm pavilion across. No matter how loud we are, they won’t be disturbed. As for tomorrow… After finally getting some time for ourselves, I must sleep until noon. How could I let you go so easily!”
Zhang Yue, who had been lazy before, suddenly kissed her delicately as he said those words, then turned over and pressed himself on top of her, pulling the quilt over them. As they were closely intertwined, he felt his heart burn with passion and couldn’t resist kissing her pretty nose and long eyelashes.
“Our baby will definitely be the most beautiful in the world!”
Whether it was their wedding night or the nights that followed, Zhang Yue had always been very considerate. Du Wan wasn’t the kind to act recklessly either; their intimate moments were always brief. So she never expected Zhang Yue to be so demanding that night. In the end, held tightly in his arms, though weak, she felt incredibly secure, all her daily worries and insecurities fading away. In the quiet night, accompanied by the occasional crackling of the oil lamp, she gradually fell asleep.

Early the next morning, Lingxi and Amber, who were sleeping in the warm pavilion across from the main hall, got up early. Seeing Qiuhen and Xiao Wu sleeping soundly, they moved quietly, afraid of waking them. After dressing, Lingxi went to the main hall and carefully lifted a corner of the curtain to peek inside. The light blue silk curtain hanging over the rosewood carved and inlaid bed draped to the floor, and the two people on the bed seemed motionless, so she gently lowered the curtain again.

“Amber, what time is it?”

“It’s already the hour of Mao.”

The two exchanged glances for a moment, remembering that it was time to go to the main house to pay respects. Though both were cautious, thinking of how Zhang Yue and Du Wan might have been intimate last night, none of them wanted to disturb their sleep. So Lingxi left Amber behind to watch the room while she headed straight to the main house in the western courtyard.

As soon as she entered the courtyard, she saw the curtain at the main door move. It was Pearl, carrying a basin of water, who casually poured it into a ditch nearby. Seeing this, she hurried forward two steps and asked, “Pearl, have Master and Madam already gotten up?”

“Oh, it’s Sister Lingxi!” Pearl finally noticed her and smiled, nodding. “Master and Madam have already gotten up. After washing up, they asked Shao Yao to bring breakfast. Why are you the only one here? Young Master and Young Mistress… ah, I see. Sister, come in with me. It’s not Beijing here; Master and Madam won’t mind a little delay.”

Seeing Pearl pull back the thick satin curtain adorned with patterns of plum, orchid, bamboo, and the three gentlemen, Lingxi quickly stepped up the steps and crossed the threshold. Just then, Zhang Zhuo and Lady Sun came out of the inner room. Having heard the conversation outside and seeing only Lingxi alone, the couple immediately understood what was going on. Zhang Zhuo couldn’t help but laugh silently, while Lady Sun said smilingly, “Yue usually never makes mistakes, but this time he’s allowed himself to be indulgent, even dragging his wife along. Let’s skip the greetings today; let them sleep in. It’s a rare opportunity after all.”

“I just thought of what Madam said yesterday, so I dared not go and wake them,” Lingxi said after stepping forward to pay respects, then smiling. “Please let Master and Madam know that last night, Amber and I stayed in the warm pavilion across from the main hall and failed to go to pay respects at night. If Young Mistress blames us, please intercede for us.”

Hearing this, even Zhang Zhuo laughed: “Well said, Lingxi! I never saw you this clever when you were with the old lady! Never mind. Since Yue and his wife haven’t come, you can stay here and take care of things. When they wake up, pass on my message to have them visit all the elders and relatives they should, to fulfill their duties. As for the rest, let the wife decide. Though it’s rare to get a few days off, one can’t forget propriety after all.” Lingxi quickly agreed. When Shaoyao brought people to set the meal, she stood by to arrange the dishes and direct the servants. Before long, Hongluan also came to pay respects, but she was sent away after standing there for a short while by Lady Sun. Zhang Fu, still very young, was kept indoors under close supervision by his nurse and wet nurse early in the morning to avoid catching a chill from coming in and out. While the couple was having breakfast on the kang, Zhang Jing entered, holding the hand of her wet nurse, Mother Luo. She politely bowed and then looked around, but couldn’t find the person she was looking for. Curiously, she asked, “Where’s my sister-in-law?” Seeing Pearl and Shaoyao trying not to laugh, Lady Sun felt both annoyed and amused: “Your brother has returned. Your sister-in-law is taking a rare break from being busy, so of course she’s waiting for him to come along. Why are you up so early today?” These words were meant for Mother Luo, but before she could reply, the little Zhang Jing muttered, “As soon as my brother comes back, he takes my sister-in-law away from me. He’s so bad! My sister-in-law is mine!” At these words, not only Zhang Zhuo and Lady Sun were stunned, but all the maids were also shocked. After a long while, the room erupted in laughter. Zhang Zhuo laughed so hard that he dropped his chopsticks, pretending to cough to cover it up. Lady Sun pushed too hard, causing the red brocade backrest of the kang chair behind her to flip over, sending the smell of spicy radishes to her throat. Pearl and Shaoyao laughed so much they had to squat down, and even Lingxi, who was holding the tea, nearly lost her grip and almost knocked over the teacups on the kang. Mother Luo struggled hard to hold back her laughter before explaining, “Doesn’t the young lady like the young mistress? Though it’s only been these past two months, she often says things like, ‘That was what my sister-in-law said,’ or ‘That was what my sister-in-law said.’ Sometimes, if she refuses to sleep, I bring out the young mistress, and she listens. If you didn’t know, you might think it’s not her sister-in-law but her mother.”

“That troublesome little girl!” Lady Sun finally got up, picked up Zhang Jing, and sat her on the kang, then pinched her nose irritably. “These are all family members. It’s fine if you talk nonsense, but what if outsiders hear it? They’ll laugh at us to death! Come on, your father is going to the yamen. Hurry up and say goodbye to him!”
After some chaos, Zhang Zhuo left smiling. Lady Sun stayed behind to talk to her daughter, feeding her a piece of cake. When it seemed the right time, she sent Lingxi back to the room to help, and also instructed the kitchen to prepare an extra bowl of sweet soup. About twenty minutes later, she saw Zhang Yue and Du Wan enter, neatly dressed and in good spirits. Following behind them were Qiu Hen and Hu Bo, but Lingxi was nowhere to be seen—probably still tidying up in the room.
Zhang Jing, who had been fidgeting to see her sister-in-law, immediately climbed down from the kang as soon as she saw Du Wan. After Zhang Yue and Du Wan bowed, she rushed over, grabbed Du Wan’s hand, and pulled her aside, glaring at Zhang Yue with her small eyes. Zhang Yue was naturally confused. Only after sitting on the kang as his mother instructed did he understand what was going on, leaving him at a loss—why did his sister prefer to stick to his wife?
Although they were nominally there to celebrate the New Year in Nanjing, Zhang Yue certainly couldn’t stay indoors the whole time. He had to visit the Duke of Cheng’s residence, spare time to see Yang Shiqi, and even the Empress Dowager Hu summoned Du Wan once… The couple went through all these visits, plus dealing with other guests, and were busy until New Year’s Eve.
Of course, the busyness had its rewards. Duke Zhu Yong of Cheng, along with several noble families, selected capable people to prepare goods for trade. The white sugar sent earlier had delighted the young duke so much that the two carts of it sent from Fujian were quickly sold out. Although it was all given away, the benefits from those two carts were immeasurable.
Watching Du Wan sort through a thick stack of gift lists, Zhang Yue realized that being a housewife these days wasn’t easy. Just as he was about to say something, Du Wan handed him a gift list. He took it and looked at it, not quite understanding it.

“This is a gift specially sent by Princess Chenliu through Mother Ying from Kaifeng. It’s just ordinary local products, but she mentioned the people staying behind in our ancestral home. When the old lady was still alive, she could keep the clan members in check, but now without that restraint, some have started to engage in illegal activities. That’s one thing, but it’s said that several of them even have close relationships with several princes of the Zhou family. Princess Chenliu said that the King of Zhou’s illness stems from fear—that he’s worried the emperor won’t tolerate him. If anyone from the Zhang family behaves improperly now, it could cause serious trouble.”

Emperor Zhu Di rebelled by taking advantage of the weakening of the princely powers, but after ascending the throne, he went even further in reducing their influence. Zhang Yue naturally understood what the King of Zhou was afraid of—after all, enduring high status and favor didn’t necessarily mean sincerity; it might just be for show. For this reason, he couldn’t help but accept Princess Chenliu Zhu Ning’s kindness.

“If I see her later, I really must thank her properly. Otherwise, it will be too late if a disaster strikes. But according to the precedent set by previous princes, if the King of Zhou hands over his three guards, he should be able to stay safe. Princess Chenliu is so intelligent—how could she not advise the King of Zhou?”

“His Majesty the King of Zhou was exiled to Yunnan during the Jianwen era and suffered greatly. He’s still overly cautious, fearing that handing over his military power would leave him defenseless the very next day, so he keeps hesitating. Besides, Princess Chenliu also said that handing over the three guards requires the right timing. If proposed rashly and the emperor firmly refuses, he might think the King of Zhou has ulterior motives, which would only backfire.”

Thinking of Zhu Ning, who was born into privilege yet unable to control her own fate, Du Wan felt somewhat sad. Zhang Yue also thought of this and gently took her hand, then met her slightly dazed gaze.

“Young master, young mistress, the Duchess of Yingguo has sent Manager Rong to deliver holiday gifts!”

Just then, Qiuhen suddenly rushed in. Only after making the noise did she notice the scene, her eyes widening. She awkwardly stepped back two times before slinking out quickly.

“I’ll go tell them to treat Manager Rong well. It doesn’t matter if you wait a bit, young master!”