Chapter 456: Buried Past Events

The news brought by Peng Shisan caused quite a stir among Zhang Yue. He could easily understand the deeper meaning behind the censor’s advice—“preserving the meritorious officials” was just an excuse; the real intention was to strip the Zhang family of their military power. However, since Peng Shisan said that Zhu Di’s expression was dark at that time, it was clear this was not an order from the emperor—so it certainly couldn’t be his orders. If it had been, why would so many high-ranking officials in the court choose Zhang You as the commander in Jiaozhi?

Having too much merit and threatening the emperor has always been a major taboo for rulers. But for Zhu Di, an emperor who had spent half his life in military campaigns, though suspiciousness was an incurable flaw, these four words should have been dismissed as trivial. All the founders’ meritorious services had been wiped out by his father, Emperor Hongwu Zhu Yuanzhang, with a single decree. And the meritorious officials Zhu Di trusted now were his subordinates from his battles across the land. In terms of military achievements, who could compare to this emperor who often led campaigns himself? Yet even with that, even though the censors had already been severely punished by the emperor, if one such incident occurred, another might follow—who knew it might not escalate into a chain of events?

Carrying these thoughts, Zhang Yue saw Peng Shisan to the door. Just then, Hu Qi returned with Lingxi, so he took both of them to the Self-Reflection Studio in the west. Having suffered such a shock earlier and then witnessing another side of Zhang Yue that she rarely showed while dealing with Hu Qi, Lingxi’s complexion was pale. Seeing her state, Zhang Yue understood immediately and comforted her gently before turning to Hu Qi and telling him what Peng Shisan had come to report.

“If this were just one person acting on impulse, it might not be a problem. But I’m afraid someone might ignore the emperor’s wishes and keep advising, leading to things getting out of control. You need to put more effort into finding Aunt Fang—make sure to bring her back. I ordered that no reports be made to the authorities for now, but if there’s still no news in three days, I won’t care about face or reputation anymore. You should remember that after suppressing the rebellions in Jiaozhi time and again, the emperor didn’t allow my uncle to garrison Jiaozhi permanently following the Mu family’s example. First, it was because using a sledgehammer to kill a chicken was unnecessary; second, it was because the emperor wasn’t confident in him. My uncle has great ambitions for this mission to Jiaozhi, and I don’t want this matter to hold him back, nor do I want…” He paused briefly before continuing, “nor do I want the emperor to take his anger out on him again.”

For Hu Qi, the words spoken earlier were merely something he had heard and forgotten—after all, neither Duke Zhang Fu of Britain nor Marquis Zhang You of Yangwu had anything to do with him. He had originally been under Yuan Fang’s command, and now he was under Zhang Yue’s, but since Zhang Yue emphasized the need to take out anger on others, he immediately became alert, thinking that as long as the family remained united, they would share both honor and disgrace. So he replied in a deep voice before quickly leaving the study, determined to resolve this matter right away.

Lingxi had only served in the inner courtyard before; this was her first time in Zhang Yue’s Self-Reflection Studio. Since Jingguan was born, she had returned to serve in the western courtyard. But as someone trusted by the Gu family, she often went there to take care of them these past few days due to the Gu family’s illness. She was also tasked with recording everything related to preparing funeral items, clothing, and other necessities, as well as handling various arrangements for the Gu family. It was only because of the old lady’s illness that she truly realized for the first time that this ancestor might not have much time left.

At that moment, listening to Zhang Yue assigning tasks to Hu Qi, she felt that he seemed very different from the person she had always known. After Hu Qi left, she wanted to find an excuse to leave, but then saw Zhang Yue suddenly stand up and look at her with a smile. Faced with the third young master showing his warm smile once again, she didn’t know what to say.

“Lingxi, spend more time with Grandmother these days. Don’t worry about the affairs in my courtyard, nor about Humble Amber, Autumn Trace, or even the little girls like Crystal. Talk to her more about pleasant things to lift her spirits, and try not to burden her with your worries. You are Grandmother’s confidant, always handling important matters for her; now I also consider you a confidant, so I don’t want to keep you out of today’s matters. Grandmother has agreed to let me handle that woman’s issue. I’ll find a way to inform my elder brother later—there’s no need for you to worry. I’m sorry for scaring you today.”

Seeing Zhang Yue bow, Lingxi quickly stepped aside to avoid him, and her anxious heart, which had been troubled by Feng Ying, immediately calmed down. After returning the bow, she joked, “I was originally just like a lock on Grandmother’s chest box. Since it’s a lock, of course, Grandmother can turn it however she wants. Now that the lock has been moved, it’s still a lock—it will surely keep important things tightly sealed and never reveal a word to anyone else.”

“Would I not trust you?” Zhang Yue smiled slightly and then said, “Go to the northern courtyard. Grandmother will get anxious if you delay any longer.”

Since Dongfang Shi first married into the Zhang family, the Gu family has always been a hurdle she couldn’t overcome, and it remains the same even now. As soon as Zhang Yue left, she had hoped to take this opportunity to express her grievances, but to her surprise, the silent old lady suddenly acted like a mother-in-law, leaving her no chance to speak. What made things worse was that all those incidents she thought were perfectly hidden were brought up one by one; she even doubted if there was anything the old lady didn’t know.

“Since the second branch has two legitimate sons, I’ll turn a blind eye to the tactics you used against Concubine Luo and the other two concubines back then. But you absolutely must not apply such tactics to Fang Shuixin! I don’t like her, and probably no one in this family except the second son does, but she’s not just an ordinary concubine—she has her limits! It’s one thing if her child died, but now you’ve instigated things to make her disappear, even arranging everything for her to leave, yet you delay reporting her disappearance. What do you think of the whole family and the second son? Let me make it clear: if she’s safe, that’s fine. But if she can’t be found, by the time the second son returns, your marital relationship will be over!”

Already shaken by Zhang Yue’s words earlier, Gu Shi’s merciless words now turned Dongfang Shi’s fear into anger. Without thinking, she blurted out, “Since the old lady insists on blaming me for all these things, I have nothing to defend myself with! Though people say one should not be jealous of the virtuous, how many can actually do that? Since the old lady blames me for everything, I’d like to ask—if she’s so tolerant, why did the two aunts who gave birth to the eldest master and the third master pass away so early?”

At that moment, Zhang Yue and Lingxi were just outside the door. Hearing this, they were stunned. Lingxi, being more alert, turned to see the two maids inside looking at each other in shock. She stepped forward, drove them outside, and sternly ordered them not to discuss it. Zhang Yue, who remained outside, hesitated for a while before finally stepping in.

That aunt had already passed away. If there really were any problematic matters involved, how could his father never mention them given his temper? Besides, why cause estrangement with Gu Shi over someone he’d never even met?

Even though Lady Gu had spent most of her life cultivating her character, even when she got angry, she always adhered to reason. Faced with such an unexpected question from Lady Dongfang, she immediately turned pale, let alone the anger boiling in her heart. At that moment, the door curtain shifted slightly as Zhang Yue entered. She forced down her anger and asked him directly, “What brings the envoy from the British Duke here?”

Zhang Yue glanced at Lady Dongfang, noticing her uneasy expression, as if regretting her earlier words. He sneered inwardly before speaking, “It was the censor who advised the emperor that having both a duke and an uncle in our Zhang family is unprecedented in our dynasty. He requested the emperor to protect these meritorious officials and strip the Zhang family of military authority.”

Although Lady Gu had considered various possibilities, even thinking that something might have happened to Zhang You, hearing these words still made her gasp in shock. All high-ranking officials were under the command of the Five Armies Commandery. As for military authority, nothing could be done without the approval of the Ministry of War. The so-called military authority was essentially non-existent; without imperial orders, no one could command even a single soldier. Upon closer consideration, stripping the Zhang family of military authority meant they would be completely sidelined, unable to retain even their position in the Five Armies Commandery. If those censors were more persistent, who knew if it wouldn’t affect Zhang Yue, who was still serving in the Ministry of War?

Lady Dongfang appeared pleased, but seeing Lady Gu’s terrifyingly dark expression and Zhang Yue’s worried look, recalling that Zhang You was naturally unwilling to be idle, she chose not to say anything like “it’s better without troops” and simply found an excuse to leave. Zhang Yue stayed in the main room, comforting his grandmother for a good half an hour before leaving. As soon as he left, Lady Gu called Lingxi in.

“Did you and Brother Yue hear what the second daughter-in-law said just now?”

Seeing Lingxi nod gently, Lady Gu immediately furrowed her brows. There were no women in this world who weren’t jealous. Even those virtuous wives who arranged concubines for their husbands throughout history often had their own calculations. How could she be an exception? Her husband had had several mistresses in the past, but only two legitimate concubines. The mother of Zhang You was the second concubine she brought in, intended to suppress those mistresses, but that woman did not live long. The other concubine was the mother of Zhang Zhuo, whom her husband insisted on taking in. She was always quiet and passed away just a few months after giving birth to Zhang Zhuo. Now that she thought about it, the mother of Zhang Zhuo had been sickly ever since she entered the family and rarely appeared in public. Now, she couldn’t even remember what that woman looked like.

The past was past. She wasn’t as heartless as her second daughter-in-law!

Back in the house, Zhang Yue and Du Wan had not even had time to settle in when, just as he picked up the child, there was another bout of shouting from outside. He put down Jingguan, pulled back the curtain, and went outside to see that the wife-in-law in the courtyard was shouting.
“Third young master, the Ministry of War has sent someone urgently, saying it’s some… some urgent military matter that requires you to go to the yamen right away!”
Faced with such a ruined vacation, Zhang Yue could only sigh helplessly in his heart. This year full of disasters really seemed to have no end.