Chapter 467: Before Leaving

Beijing in September wasn’t yet bitterly cold, but it remained extremely chilly at night. The ventilated latticed windows that had been installed during the day were now closed, and the green gauze that had covered them earlier that afternoon had been replaced with thick, sturdy cotton paper. On the tall stand in the corner, only one candle burned in the silver candleholder—now half-used—its bright red flame flickering up and down, casting light on the red silk curtains of the large black-inlaid bed against the wall.

It was Zhang Yue’s last night in the capital. The couple lay side by side in bed, neither of them sleepy, speaking hardly at all for a long time. Glancing at his wife, who was equally awake, Zhang Yue playfully pinched her cheek. When she didn’t react, he gently tweaked her sharp nose tip. Unexpectedly, Du Wan raised her arm, turned over, and glared at him irritably, her other hand hidden under the blanket immediately retaliating.

“My dear, can’t I just admit my mistake?” he pleaded insincerely before seizing the opportunity to press a kiss on her red lips before quickly pulling back. After enough teasing, he raised his hands in surrender with a smile. Playing with a strand of her dark hair, he neither discussed matters at home nor those complicated court affairs again. Instead, he remembered their first meeting at Qixia Temple.

“That was our first encounter, but we’d both heard about each other from our elders. Lian Sheng and Lian Hu only told me later—that my mother-in-law had long had such intentions, and Xiao Wu had threatened them. He spoke so arrogantly, ‘Don’t even think about marrying the young lady.’ Now that I hear her calling me ‘brother-in-law,’ I just want to tease her a bit.”

Recalling the past, Du Wan let out a soft hum. “Not to mention Xiao Wu, I was jealous of you back then too. Father left us mother and daughter for ten years but spent all his effort teaching you as his disciple. I thought he had forgotten about me and our mother! Although I came to terms with it later, I still got upset whenever our mother mentioned you. If it weren’t for meeting the princess later and having a true friend for the first time in my life, I doubt I could have remained calm when seeing you then. By the way, does Elder Wan actually agree to this marriage or not?”

“Do you mean Lao Wan?” Zhang Yue immediately realized what he meant, his expression turning extremely strange. He turned over dramatically and stared at Du Wan, noticing that she truly seemed to know nothing. Only then did he sigh softly. “I always thought this matter was absurd, especially after drinking that farewell drink last night. After Lao Wan got drunk, he said some very strange things to me in the carriage. At first, I didn’t pay much attention, but this morning he came specifically to ask if I had said any nonsense while drunk, so I paid closer attention. This afternoon, when I went to visit my mother-in-law, I found out that Lao Wan had been to the Du family three or four times over the past month.”

Zhang Yue spoke in a disjointed manner, leaving Du Wan feeling confused. “I remember Brother Wan and Father don’t seem to get along very well. Even if he’s loyal, he shouldn’t go this far…” After pondering without finding an answer, she couldn’t hold back any longer and pinched his arm hard. “Hurry up and tell me! Don’t keep me in suspense. What does he mean?”

“He said my father-in-law is his father-in-law too. What do you think he means?”

“Heavens!” Even though Du Wan wasn’t easily shocked, she was still greatly startled. She sat up quickly, almost hitting the bed frame. “How is that possible? Xiao Wu has never mentioned this to me!”

“That insensitive girl, Xiao Wu—she’s probably still clueless.” Remembering how his attempt to probe his mother-in-law was met with Qiu Shi thinking Wan Shijie was just his friend, and even praising his kindness while asking him to remember to thank them, Zhang Yue couldn’t help but sigh again. “Lao Wan seems to really be serious about it. Though he appears open-minded, he wouldn’t bring it up unless things were serious. As for Xiao Wu, there’s no hope at all. Don’t bring this up to her rashly later, or you might scare her. Let things take their course. If Prince Zhou and the princess are interested in Lao Wan, they wouldn’t keep delaying things until now.”

Seeing Zhang Yue shake his head and dive back under the covers, Du Wan was furious. To bring up such a terrifying story in the middle of the night and then just go to sleep—this guy must have done it on purpose! Thinking of Xiao Wu’s background and the last wishes left by Daoyan, she knew she wouldn’t be able to sleep well that night. So she pinched his broad back hard before lying down, staring blankly at the ceiling.

After taking that heavy blow on his back, Zhang Yue couldn’t help but smile slightly. Last night, Du Wan had gone to keep company with Xiao Jingguan, who suddenly started crying and making a fuss, leaving him alone in the empty room, half-drunk and half-awake. Due to the shocking words said during the Wan Shi Festival, he hadn’t slept well all night. It was now time for Du Wan, as the elder sister, to face some difficulties.

But when exactly had Wan Shi Festival taken a liking to Xiao Wu? He should have noticed earlier—both in terms of temperament and other aspects, they were a perfect match. He hoped that by the time he returned from Xuanfu, the two of them would have made progress. Of course, he also hoped his father-in-law would be able to come out safely to see that. After all, it seemed that every time his father-in-law went to jail, he gained another son-in-law?

Early the next morning, everyone in the Zhang family got up early to wash up and then headed to the main house in the north courtyard. After winter set in, Gu Shi’s condition had become increasingly unstable. The various households took turns taking care of her daily, and today Zhang Yue was about to set off. After paying his respects, he naturally had to bid farewell to his grandmother as well. Following the usual procedures, Gu Shi sent everyone else away and kept Zhang Yue alone, giving him some instructions. After staring at his face for a long time, she finally spoke her last words.

“Be careful on the road. I’ll wait for you to return safely!”

“Grandmother, please take care of yourself too as I leave.”

After kneeling down and kowtowing three times, Zhang Yue finally stood up. Seeing Gu Shi’s reddened eyes, he felt a pang in his heart. With great effort, he forced himself to turn and leave the room. Since he had already said goodbye to his elders and brothers, he returned to his own courtyard, only to see several wives and maids carrying packed belongings outside. His sister Zhang Jing was holding Du Wan’s hand, asking her questions nonstop, while Xiao Wu was talking with Lingxi Hupo Qiuhen.

When they saw him arrive, a crowd gathered around him. Although they had already given him necessary items and said their goodbyes, it seemed like they all had countless things to say now. Xiao Wu, like a treasure chest, kept taking out various porcelain bottles from a bundle—ranging from powders for external injuries to pills for internal use. Zhang Yue didn’t dare to let her finish speaking; he just took everything and then gave her a meaningful look.

“You’re already a grown girl. Don’t run around outside all the time. Spend more time with your mother!”

Xiao Wu pouted irritably, “Brother-in-law, stop scolding me. I already know all this. I’ve been staying at home most of the time these days!”

At that moment, Zhang Jing, who was standing nearby, stepped forward, looked up earnestly, and said, “Brother, you must return safely. Sister-in-law said that as long as I keep studying and writing, it will bless you. I will definitely write more practice sheets for you every day to pray for your safety.” Smiling, Zhang Yue patted the little girl’s head and couldn’t help but praise her a bit. Seeing Lingxi and Qiuhen Hupo stepping forward to remind him of various things, he nodded with a smile and said, “I’ll leave the family in your care. I’ll be back soon.” Hearing the three of them agree in unison, he couldn’t help but sigh inwardly. Turning his head, he saw Du Wan standing aside—perhaps due to lack of sleep or worry, her eyes were slightly swollen. Remembering his own thoughts from the previous night, feeling somewhat guilty, he stepped forward and hugged her tightly, then whispered in her ear, “Sister Wan, take good care of yourself. Wait for me to return!” Although she usually remained composed, Du Wan blushed and instinctively pressed closer to Zhang Yue’s chest. “Mm, be careful too. Jingguan and I are waiting for you to come back!” Just then, Jingguan, who was in the nurse’s arms, suddenly started crying loudly. The loud wailing broke the atmosphere of sorrowful parting and made Du Wan realize she was now a mother in public. Zhang Yue, who had been pushed away, glared irritably at his son who had caused the disturbance, then stepped forward, pinched his delicate cheeks, and muttered in a very low voice, “Little brat, if you don’t listen from now on, I’ll send you to the palace!” After finally bidding farewell to the women at home, he hurriedly left through the second gate. Peng Shisan, who had been waiting there, along with Long Liu Bao and other attendants, immediately followed. He originally didn’t plan to take the newly married Liansheng and Lianhu, but they volunteered to accompany him, so he had no choice but to take these two loyal companions. Adhering to the principle of keeping things simple, he only brought five people this time. When he reached the main gate, he found Zhang Chao, Zhang Qi, and Zhang Jiu there, so he quickly stepped forward. “Elder brother, second brother, fourth brother, fifth brother…” Ever since learning about Feng Ying, Zhang Chao had never shown a smile. This time, he only gave a slight smile and, as before, patted Zhang Yue’s shoulder firmly. “Have a good journey. We’ll take care of everything at home!” Zhang Qi, however, remained his usual boisterous self, saying with a smile, “Even at your father-in-law’s house, I’ll make sure my brothers keep an eye on things. No one will bully you. Don’t worry!”

“Third brother, by the time you return, I’ll definitely have advanced again. I’ll definitely catch up to you someday!” Zhang Jiu, who had never shown any arrogance for years, raised his head with confidence, “I won’t let you carry the burden of this family alone!”
The youngest, Zhang Zi, was used to being ignored. It wasn’t until Zhang Yue looked at him that he stammered, “Take care, third brother… I’m starting classes at the clan school today. I’ll surely achieve something great like you!”
Faced with these four brothers, Zhang Yue didn’t know what to say. After a long while, he simply nodded at them firmly. He strode out, down the steps, mounted his horse, waved at the four of them, and rode off at full speed. Just as he reached the end of the alley, he saw a carriage parked there, with Gu Bin standing right in front of it.
“Seventh brother!”
“I’m going to the Censorate today to learn about judicial procedures, so I can’t see you off. Take care!”