Chapter 483: Even if the sky falls, someone must hold it up.

Until she lifted the curtain and entered the main room, Du Wan was still puzzled. Zhu Ning’s thoughts were not hard to guess—Prince Zhou had stayed in the capital for over half a year, which was already quite noticeable. The Zhang family was going through difficult times, and her own father was still in prison. So it didn’t surprise her at all that the young princess hadn’t come to see her in days. Stepping into the east room, she saw Zhu Ning sitting at the east end of the kang, wearing a crane-patterned cloak with her back to her. She smiled and greeted her.
“Sister Ning, why do you have time to come today? It’s so hot in this room—why don’t you take off your coat before talking?”
“You finally came. I’ve been so worried that I didn’t even think about that!”
Hearing this, Zhu Ning snapped out of her daze and quickly got up to greet her, though she couldn’t muster a smile. It wasn’t until Qiu Hen said she needed to go to the kitchen to order tea that she hurriedly left the room, then briefly explained her purpose. As soon as she finished speaking, she saw Du Wan standing there frozen, as if paralyzed. Panicked, she quickly helped her sit down and called out to her a few times until Du Wan regained her composure, at which point she breathed a sigh of relief.
Although her mother had taught her since childhood to behave with grace, and her teacher Shen Zao had advised her to remain calm in any situation, and after spending some time with her father, she had also learned the resilience to endure even the worst pressures, the dual burden of her father’s imprisonment and her husband’s predicament was too much for her to bear. Taking a deep breath, she pressed hard on her right wrist to ease the sharp pain in her chest.
“Thank you, Sister Ning. With so much going on at home, I have to take on more responsibilities.”
Zhu Ning looked at Du Wan worriedly, noticing her pale complexion. Unable to resist, she reached out and held her tightly clasped hands, finding them as cold as ice. Though she had intended to prepare Du Wan better, she couldn’t bear to see her in such distress and softly said, “Although this news was sent via urgent dispatch, it’s been delayed since yesterday afternoon. New military reports should have arrived by now. If I find out anything, I’ll have Mother Ying let you know.”
Though she wanted to say it was urgent military information and Du Wan shouldn’t take risks in investigating, her concern for her husband prevailed, and she simply nodded gently. Seeing Zhu Ning about to leave, she quickly said, “Don’t rush off. Since you’re here, stay a while longer. You can’t come often now, and I can’t go often either. It’s so rare for us to meet!”

Thinking about having to force smiles in front of Zhu Di all day long, dealing with those flamboyant concubines, and coping with those eunuchs who appeared submissive but were actually hard to fathom, Zhu Ning couldn’t help but step back. Sitting down on the kang again, she said helplessly, “You’re right. It’s fine as long as Zhang Yue is around. But once he’s not here, even if the Zhang family treats you well, there are some things you can’t say to them. That girl Xiao Wu is indeed pure-hearted, but she’s naive about the ways of the world. You can’t burden her with such troublesome matters. The same goes for me—no matter how kind my father is, there are some things I can’t say.”

The two intelligent women exchanged glances for a moment before both sighed bitterly. One was trapped between imperial power and family ties; the other had moved from a scholarly family to a noble household, constantly facing the rise and fall of her family’s reputation. Though their situations differed, the principle was the same. Although Zhu Ning stayed, Du Wan didn’t know what to say, so she simply got up, brought out a chessboard and two boxes of chess pieces, and set them on the kang table.

Though she didn’t love playing chess as much as her father, Zhu Ning had been influenced by it over time and had Du Wan as a close friend who loved it dearly, so her chess skills were quite good. But at that moment, her mind wasn’t on the game at all. She played casually while chatting about trivial matters. As the game progressed, the heavy feeling in her heart gradually eased, and she noticed that Du Wan’s originally pale face had taken on a bit more color. She immediately understood.

Sure enough, she still had that stubborn attitude—using chess to stabilize her emotions, planning to hold on in front of others later!

“Wan’er, normal times are one thing, but now is another. Even though your family is in chaos right now, you shouldn’t keep this to yourself. Talking to someone can help ease the burden. I think that girl Lingxi is great—she knows when to step back and when to act, after all, she was raised by your family’s matriarch. After all, she was given to Zhang Yue by your family’s matriarch. Instead of hiding it alone, it’s better to involve her too. Even if they can’t come up with a solution, having someone share the burden is better.”

As she spoke, she suddenly heard a clear ringing sound from outside, which surprised her slightly. Du Wan naturally knew what this noble lady was thinking and explained, “It was Hu Bo who came up with this idea—to hang brass bells under the door curtains so that there’s a sound when people come in and out, preventing sudden noises that might startle people.”

“Your family’s maids are all more clever than the last. Only Qiu Hen is clueless, or rather, stubborn!”

Qiu Hen, who was bending in to enter, happened to hear these words and was momentarily stunned. She then carried the tea tray upstairs and placed two teacups on the square kang table. Behind her, Hu Bo let the wet nurse holding Jing Guan in first enter before following in. After bowing, she smiled and said, “I never expected the princess to know so much about us.”
“Since Wan married your young master, how could I not know your nature?”
Replying casually, Zhu Ning glanced at the chessboard and realized she had lost this game. She clapped her hands, got off the kang, picked up the teacup, took a sip, and then said to Hu Bo and Qiu Hen, “Your young master isn’t here, and there are endless matters to attend to at home. Please help out and keep an eye on things until he returns. Later, inform the old lady that she might not be in the mood right now, and I’m not able to go see her either.”
Although Zhu Ning brought terrible news, since she intended to hide it, Du Wan naturally couldn’t show any unusual emotions. She still sent them out as usual. At the second gate, she took Zhu Ning’s hand, wanting to give more instructions, when suddenly she saw the door at the end of the wide main road open. Seeing a row of brightly dressed guards entering one after another, she shuddered.
What were the Jinyiwei doing here?
Although Zhang Yue wasn’t there, Yuan Fang still didn’t want to wear such eye-catching official robes when visiting the Zhang family. Yet, who could have expected the emperor’s order to come so quickly, leaving him no time to react? When he saw two women he recognized standing at the entrance adorned with glazed tiles and animal-shaped finials, he sighed inwardly. Fortunately, Du Wan quickly led the two maids away, but Zhu Ning stepped forward a few steps to greet him.
Although Zhu Ning knew Yuan Fang was low-key and decent, since he was the commander of the Jinyiwei, she didn’t expect him to be truly good. On guard, she greeted him with a smile but didn’t leave right away. Instead, she asked nonchalantly, “Lord Yuan, your arrival must scare many people. Who are you here to see?”
“The princess is joking. I’m merely here by imperial order to summon Zhang Chao, the eldest son of the Marquis of Yangwu.” Seeing the young princess freeze in surprise, he turned around and ordered his Jinyiwei to step back. Then he said to Gao Quan, the butler who had followed him all the way, “I won’t go in. Go and tell your young master to change quickly—the emperor is waiting urgently.”

Seeing Gao Quan lift the hem of his robe and rush past Zhu Ning into the second gate, Yuan Fang finally stood aside by the hanging flower gate, pretending to be absorbed in his own thoughts. Even Zhu Ning, who wanted to inquire about what was going on, gave up on using any tricks in the face of such an openly aloof person. She simply said with a smile, “Since you’re here on imperial orders, I won’t disturb you. But there’s one thing—I need you to help take care of Wan’er’s father. If he loses even half a pound of weight when he comes out, I won’t forgive you!”
With Zhu Ning making it clear, Yuan Fang had no choice but to agree. After seeing her walk away, he tilted his head in thought, a meaningful smile gradually appearing on his face. Zhang Yue was lucky to have such a confidant, but wasn’t it also Zhang Yue’s good fortune?
Before long, Zhang Chao, who had received the message, quickly changed into his official robes and rushed out. He was a fifth-rank military officer, but as the son of a marquis, he was allowed to use tiger and leopard motifs on his robes, which made his sturdy build even more striking. Yet, despite being mentally prepared since last night, he still felt uneasy facing the Jinyiwei who came straight to his door. After meeting Yuan Fang, even though he knew he shouldn’t ask, he couldn’t help but speak up.
“Lord Yuan, did the emperor summon me because of…”
Yuan Fang was extremely annoyed by the schemes of Zhang family’s second branch. It was indeed improper for Marquis Zhang You to marry a barbarian woman as his second wife, but if the main wife hadn’t been so petty, would all these problems have arisen? Zhang Yue used the Jinyiwei’s connections to find Fang Shuixin and bring her back, thinking the matter would end there. Who knew that woman, while wandering outside, must have met someone and learned things she shouldn’t have, and even been incited to do such things.
Regretting his miscalculation, he cut Zhang Chao off abruptly and said coldly, “Young master, don’t ask me. You’ll know when you see the emperor!”
Zhang Qi, who had followed out of concern, watched helplessly as his elder brother was taken away by the Jinyiwei. He was almost driven to chase after them, but Zhao Fen held his arm tightly, and since he hadn’t completely lost his sense, he managed to restrain himself. Only when they were out of sight did he stiffly turn around and see his distraught mother standing behind him. His heart ached.
“Mother…”
“It’s all my fault… Why not just take me instead…”

Zhang Qi quickly turned around and helped his mother, who appeared dazed, persuading her while half-leading her inside. The wives and maids around, seeing the usually astute head of the household in such a state for the first time, didn’t dare show any joy or even whisper among themselves.

When everyone else had left and Li Yun remained motionless, Du Wan hurried over and called out to her. Seeing that she seemed to ignore her words entirely, Du Wan couldn’t help but glance toward the empty outer courtyard.

Unlike Zhang Chao and Zhang Yue, who had always had smooth fortunes—thanks to favorable opportunities and Zhang Yue’s recommendation to the emperor, along with his good father—Zhang Chao might not be able to hold his own if the emperor truly became enraged during this visit. In any case, only he could help Zhang Chao this time.

Upon learning that the emperor had sent the Jinyiwei to summon Zhang Chao, Lady Gu remained extremely calm, showing no sign of the panic she had shown when first hearing the news the previous day. Seeing Dong Fang’s utterly lost expression, she ordered the two wives from the second branch of the family to assist her back inside, then gave a cold glance at those who had just been called into the house. With nearly two hundred people in the Zhang family, no matter how capable the head of the household was, it was impossible to manage everything, so many tasks relied on these older wives and maids. And in critical moments, one also had to be wary of these servants.

Although she hadn’t dealt with household affairs for years, Lady Gu’s authority remained undiminished at a glance: “Starting today, double the number of people assigned to all the gates connecting the inner and outer courtyards. Whether it’s the masters or servants, anyone sending things out or passing messages, or having outsiders visit, must report first! Those in the outer courtyard are allowed to handle tasks and purchases only; no one else is permitted to leave casually. Since this household became a count’s residence, the number of staff has increased, but the rules have become increasingly absurd. I fear not even the family rules can be remembered. From now on, remember well—anyone who violates the rules will face family punishment!”

Seeing that no one dared speak, she added, “The second wife needs to rest now. Her daily needs will be taken care of first by Chao’s wife and Qi’s wife. For now, Yue’s wife and Lingxi will handle the household chores—what they say is what I say.”

The wives and maids were surprised that the old lady had bypassed the first wife and given authority to the third branch of the family. After a moment of shock, they all agreed. After Lady Gu gave more instructions one by one, they realized the old lady was still sharp-minded and dared not hesitate. After receiving her orders, they left one after another with bowed heads.

After punishing the household servants, Lady Gu saw Du Wan’s surprised expression and called her over. She instructed her to be strict rather than lenient in everything, and asked Ling Xi to offer extra support. Finally, she said, “It’s not that I want to push you, this young bride, out there. Your great-aunt is too troubled to handle this, your Chao Ge’s wife likely doesn’t have the mood either, and your Qi Ge’s wife is too careless—so you’ll have to take on more responsibilities. Your father’s situation remains unresolved, and we don’t know what’s going on with your Yue Ge either. But when times get tough, someone has to step up—so it falls on you. If needed, I’m willing to risk my old bones.” Du Wan opened her mouth but ultimately didn’t mention Zhu Ning’s purpose at all. Gritting her teeth, she agreed. Seeing Lady Gu’s expression, Ling Xi quickly told Bai Fang to hurry and get the medicine, though she sensed some ominous sign.