Chapter 439: Finding Joy in Adversity

Although the Du family’s servants were all lifelong servants, they had all signed labor contracts. It was because the Du Zhen lineage had always treated them kindly since ancient times, coupled with the wealth of Suzhou and Song, that these simple country folks preferred to serve the Du family rather than seek their own fortunes. They even left their hometowns to follow their masters to the capital, unlike the servants of wealthy families who were more scheming. The last time Du Zhen was imprisoned by the Jinyiwei was in Qingzhou, so the shock to the family was not too severe. However, this time the situation truly terrified them.

Seeing Zhang Yue enter with his men, the several Du family servants in the front yard, drenched to the skin, were overjoyed. Yue Shan, who had served at the gatehouse for twenty years, rushed forward even faster. Just as he was about to bow, Zhang Yue stopped him with both hands. Feeling emotional, he didn’t know what to say and quickly wiped away his tears before saying, “Those men broke in through the door just now, scaring everyone. The second young lady is comforting the lady of the house right now. It’s great that you’ve arrived, brother-in-law!”

“I’ll go in now. It’s raining so heavily outside. Don’t rush to tidy up yet. Wait until the rain stops. It’s already late; go back and change into dry clothes, and prepare dinner first. I’ll go see my mother-in-law. I’ll take care of everything.”

Although Zhang Yue spoke softly, the servants felt relieved. Everyone knew that the master had only one favorite disciple in his life, and he had even married off his only daughter to him. This brother-in-law also enjoyed the emperor’s favor. So, they quickly dispersed to get busy, allowing Zhang Yue to enter alone.

Leaving his entourage outside the second gate, Zhang Yue headed straight to the main house. Since Du Wan had gotten married, there were already few people in the inner courtyard. Coupled with the rain, and after the disturbance caused by the Jinyiwei, there wasn’t a soul in sight. Entering the main courtyard through the corridor, he saw muddy footprints all over the yard. He quickened his pace, stepped up the stairs, and pulled back the curtain to enter. While shedding his wet raincoat, he called out,

“Mother-in-law, Xiao Wu!”

Hearing this voice, a slit was quickly pulled open in the soft pine-colored curtain of the side room. The head that poked out recognized Zhang Yue and was both surprised and delighted. It pushed the curtain aside immediately and rushed out, “Brother-in-law, you’ve come! Those men who came in earlier had terrifying expressions on their faces. The leader, that damned eunuch, was smiling and saying that the emperor acted out of anger and that it had nothing to do with Father… It’s too extreme to arrest people just because it has nothing to do with Father!”

“Xiao Wu, stop talking nonsense!”
As she spoke, Lady Qiu also came out of the room. Having heard such news suddenly, she had been shocked for a while, her eyes slightly red, but upon seeing Zhang Yue, she showed a kind smile. She shook her head at Xiao Wu reproachfully and quickly instructed Zhang Yue to take off his half-wet outer clothes. Then she went inside to fetch Du Zhen’s old clothes for him to change into. Only after finishing all this did she explain, “That eunuch still controlled his subordinates and didn’t cause too much trouble. He just took the things and left; he didn’t steal anything from the room either. Before leaving, he said it was out of respect for you. Don’t listen to Xiao Wu’s nonsense.”
“How is that nonsense? Father has been working until very late every night these days just to write those memorials, staying up so late that his eyes have turned red!” Xiao Wu insisted stubbornly, defending himself, “But that damned eunuch just took the things and wanted to leave. If I hadn’t wrapped them in oilcloth, they would have gotten wet from the rain on the way. How could the emperor see them then? No wonder Master left the Imperial Medical Academy in sadness—this court is truly corrupt…”
“Xiao Wu!”
At Lady Qiu’s glare, Xiao Wu finally dared not talk nonsense anymore and stood aside sulking without saying a word. Zhang Yue knew that she had met the emperor several times with Dao Yan, and having been doted on by Dao Yan and Du Wan, she had developed such a temper. He sighed inwardly and then turned to help Lady Qiu sit down.
“Although we still don’t know exactly what happened today, since both the Minister of Revenue and the acting director of the Ministry of Revenue were imprisoned, it’s most likely related to the military funds for the northern campaign. After all, the emperor is old and suffering greatly from arthralgia. Coupled with various setbacks from last year to this year, he inevitably vents his anger on his ministers. Since your father often deals with the Minister of Revenue for official matters, his involvement is likely temporary. I believe once the emperor’s anger subsides, everything will be fine. After all, the Ministry of Revenue can’t function without the Minister of Revenue, and he will surely be released eventually. Besides, your father is impartial and upright. If he could get out safely last time, he can surely do it again this time. I’ll also think of a way to help—I won’t just sit by and watch him suffer in prison.”
“With you here, I’m naturally at ease.”

Qiu Shi had liked Zhang Yue from the start. Hearing these words of comfort, she felt reassured and nodded gladly. She had been separated from her husband for over a decade; after finally reuniting, she faced the additional hardship of Du Zhen being imprisoned and her colleagues turning against her. Naturally, she wasn’t like those women from wealthy families who had never experienced such things—her initial anxiety faded as she adapted, for finding joy in hardship had always been her nature. When dinner was brought in, she insisted on having it with Zhang Yue. Seeing Xiao Wu sitting there sulking with her bowl of rice, she smiled and handed her a piece of braised pork.

“Enough, frowning so much at such a young age—otherwise you won’t be able to get married! Stop muttering about the emperor behind his back. After all, he is quite magnanimous. Your father ran away for ten years, and since he couldn’t be summoned, nothing further happened. If it were during the Hongwu era, perhaps both your mother and I would have been implicated. Since your brother-in-law said the emperor is taking his anger out on others, there must be a limit. Given the emperor’s usual attitude toward your father, he probably still believes in him.”

Seeing Qiu Shi looking at her with a smile, Xiao Wu suddenly felt her anger was pointless. She didn’t dare get angry with Qiu Shi, so she simply glared at Zhang Yue, huffed, and continued eating on her own. Zhang Yue didn’t take such petty acts of retaliation seriously. Seeing that Qiu Shi still had a good appetite, he admired her ability to remain optimistic and felt even more at ease.

After dinner, after Zhang Yue changed his clothes, Qiu Shi instructed Xiao Wu to take him out. Without greeting Zhang Yue, she walked ahead with a lantern, head down. The rain had stopped, and many of the dark clouds in the sky had dispersed, revealing a round full moon. The faint stars shone brightly, making the lantern’s light seem dim.

As they neared the second gate, Xiao Wu suddenly muttered, “Tomorrow is the Mid-Autumn Festival. It’s the first Mid-Autumn Festival since I found my parents. Now it’s all ruined! Dad was such a good person. Why did he have to encounter such things? Who will compensate for my father?”

Zhang Yue had been thinking about how to remind Xiao Wu not to say overly extreme things. Hearing her words, he swallowed back what he was about to say. Recalling Du Wan mentioning Xiao Wu’s background, he gradually understood her feelings—after finally having relatives who loved her, she suddenly faced such a situation. How could a young girl like her bear it? With the heavy rain and these unexpected events, he had completely forgotten that it was Mid-Autumn Festival the next day.

The night of family reunion for the Mid-Autumn Festival…

Taking a deep breath, he stepped forward a few paces, passing by Xiao Wu, then turned to her seriously and said, “The Mid-Autumn Festival comes every year; there will be plenty of opportunities in the future. Take good care of your mother-in-law—good people will be rewarded. Trust me.”
Seeing Zhang Yue’s serious expression, Xiao Wu tilted her head and thought for a moment. She knew Zhang Yue had always been reliable when it came to giving guarantees, so she nodded firmly, though still worried, and added, “But, brother-in-law, go back and discuss this carefully with your sister!”
“I know. Would I abandon my virtuous wife at home?”
Returning home under the moonlight, Zhang Yue found that his grandmother, Lady Gu, hadn’t gone to bed yet, so he went to see her first. Since the old lady was also very concerned about Du Zhen’s situation, he stayed to comfort her for a while before hurrying back to his own room. As soon as he entered, he saw Lingxi packing her things. Seeing him, she quickly pointed to the east room with her index finger. Understanding what she meant, Zhang Yue quickly pulled back the curtain and entered—only to find his mother sighing there, with Du Wan trying to comfort her.
Upon hearing the noise, Lady Sun raised her head. Seeing Zhang Yue, she became furious and stood up abruptly, scolding, “With such a big incident happening, everyone in the family is extremely worried. You didn’t even think to send word ahead—coming back so late and leaving your wife alone to worry! I’m leaving in two days. How can I leave now with this happening?”
“Mother, I went to see my mother-in-law right after leaving office today and stayed for dinner before coming back. I was so anxious at the time that I was busy having people look into things and forgot to send someone back to inform you.”
Seeing Lady Sun angry, Zhang Yue quickly stepped forward to explain. When her expression softened a bit, he brought up again the words he had used to comfort Qiu Shi, and finally managed to persuade his straightforward mother to calm down. Only then did he turn around and see Du Wan standing there, no longer composed, her face filled with worry. Knowing Du Wan was intelligent, he didn’t just say comforting words; instead, he pulled her to sit on the kang.

“This incident came suddenly. Just now, when I arrived at the Du family’s residence, the Jinyiwei had just left. It seems they were ordered by the emperor to collect some memorials that my father hadn’t had time to deliver to him. Although it’s good that the emperor is still willing to read my father’s memorials, I’m afraid that even if their intentions are good, they may not align with the emperor’s current state of mind. I’ve already sent people to investigate, but pleading alone probably won’t help; we need to come up with something useful. Today, the emperor asked me whether sea transport could be used for the northern expedition. I replied that it might not be useful this time, which made the emperor somewhat displeased. I plan to write a detailed memorial overnight for future use. Your handwriting is quite similar to mine, Wanmei, so I’ll leave the task of transcribing it to you.”
Faced with her husband’s serious expression, Du Wan understood his meaning immediately. Without further thought, she nodded and simply replied, “Okay.”