Chapter 536: Why Such Joy?

“All is safe—be careful of fires!”
The night in Xuanfu City was once again filled with the sound of the night watchmen calling out. Even without such reminders, ordinary households would be extra cautious in checking their doors and windows. The reason was simple: ever since Lord Zhang returned midway from his inspection of Zhangjiakou Fort, rumors spread throughout the city. Soon after, the Left Guard of Xuanfu launched a thorough search across the city. As a result, all the ruffians and scoundrels in Xuanfu disappeared, and the atmosphere in the city became tense. Countless shops were sealed by the authorities, and many people were arrested.

Even Lu Feng, who had been enjoying a carefree life in the eunuch’s residence these days, was disturbed. He came to the general’s residence in person in the middle of the night. While the affairs of the common people didn’t concern him, what interested him more was what benefits he could reap from the current chaos. It wasn’t until Zhang Yue presented the prepared memorial and Cheng Jiu read it aloud that he showed signs of delight.

“I told you, Lord Zhang is always thorough in his work. He wouldn’t cause such a stir in Xuanfu without a reason. Those who serve both the Tartars and the imperial court are truly despicable—they should be killed or have their shops sealed!” He glanced at Zheng Heng, seeing that he remained calm, so he spoke in a consultative tone, “After all, the three guards of Xuanfu are meant for warfare. The Jinyiwei are currently idle. How about I train them?”

Since such great achievements had already been planned in the memorial, why did he still want to interfere?

Meng Jun stood behind Zheng Heng, feeling extremely displeased. Coming from a military family, he had heard countless complaints from his uncles about the emperor’s reliance on eunuchs after ascending the throne. Thus, he harbored a certain hostility toward them. Seeing Lu Feng wanting a bigger share of the rewards this time, he thought the man was utterly greedy. Noticing Zhang Yue’s calm expression, he secretly glanced at Zheng Heng.

“Eunuch Lu, it’s a bit late for you to say that. That Wu Yan was quite stubborn—after enduring countless beatings, his legs were broken before we finally forced him to reveal his background. I’ve already sent orders to Taiyuan Prefecture to arrest Wang Yan, the head of the Wang family, and interrogate him on the spot!” Seeing Lu Feng’s uneasy expression, Zheng Heng wasn’t bothered. After a pause, he continued, “It’s not that I don’t appreciate Eunuch Lu’s kindness. With the northern expedition approaching, stability in Xuanfu is crucial. After arresting these people as a warning, things will calm down. If the chaos spreads too much, even Datong Town and the entire province of Shanxi could become unstable. Still, we have achieved some merit this time.”

Lu Feng raised his eyebrows. Though not entirely satisfied, he thought of how disheartened he had been upon arriving, only to end up with a huge reward and even credit for it, which somewhat calmed him. After sitting for a while, he stood up to take his leave. Seeing that it was getting late, Zheng Heng kept Meng Jun for another talk, so Zhang Yue simply left as well. The two walked together; when they reached the gate of the general’s residence, Lu Feng saw Zhang Yue preparing to mount his horse and suddenly called out to him.

“Lord Zhang, before I rushed here, I received two news items—one good and one bad. I didn’t have time to mention them inside, so now is the right time to tell you. The bad news is that Liu Zixu, the censor sent by the Censorate to Xuanfu, has accused you of failing to report to the court and acting on your own to deal with the Tatar envoys. And Yu Qian, who came down with us this time, has joined in the accusation as well. What a scoundrel!”

Since Xiang Long and Liu Bao were still outside and hadn’t returned, Zhang Yue only then learned that he had once again “honorably” caught the attention of the Censorate. According to Lu Feng, Yu Qian was among those accusing him! Feeling frustrated, he sighed inwardly before asking directly, “What exactly does Censor Yu accuse me of?”

“He? He doesn’t even know whose orders he’s following. He secretly returned to Xuanfu. If I hadn’t gotten the news, I wouldn’t have known he’d already arrived! I went to warn him, but he hid with Liu Zixu. Now he’s joined forces with Liu Zixu to submit a petition, claiming that your efforts to raise military provisions by this method are taking resources from ordinary people to fund the army, and shouldn’t be allowed as a permanent practice… Well, I don’t understand all that fancy jargon. In short, he says it will harm the common people!”

Impatiently, Lu Feng curled his lips. Seeing Zhang Yue deep in thought, he thought he was overreacting and affectionately patted his arm. “Ignore them. Just act like you didn’t hear those nonsense complaints from the Censorate! But I guarantee the good news will make you happy! Listen—your father-in-law was released just yesterday!”

Zhang Yue had been thinking that Yu Qian hadn’t accused him of privately receiving the Tatar envoys, probably guessing the key point and having some understanding of the issue regarding salt profits. But hearing Lu Feng’s last words, he became so excited he almost bit his tongue. Losing control, he grabbed the other man’s sleeve. After confirming it, he was overjoyed, jumping up wildly and punching the air, feeling all his long-held worries vanish.

Despite having dealt with Zhang Yue countless times, Lu Feng was almost stunned speechless at what he saw. Was this… was this really Zhang Yue, who was reputed to be the most considerate, measured, and steady among the younger generation? After barely accepting this reality, he noticed that all his attendants around him were staring blankly, so he swallowed back his teasing remarks and stepped forward, waving his whip to scold them.
“What are you staring at? Hurry up and bring our horse over! No one is allowed to spread word about today’s events, or I won’t spare you!”
Though he said this, he thought to himself that Zhang Yue always seemed capable of handling anything that came his way, yet it turned out he could still get emotional and lose his composure. With such a weakness of valuing loyalty, and now this addition, future interactions would be even more reliable—people who are loyal and righteous are always better than those who smile on the surface but stab you in the back.
At this moment, Zhang Yue wouldn’t consider whether his actions were inappropriate at all. The sense of relief was so great that he almost wanted to do a couple of somersaults in public. Compared to Du Zhen’s last imprisonment, there had been far too many events in between this time. Back then, although the emperor had gotten angry and scolded him, his attitude had been quite clear. But this situation kept throwing him into disarray.
He even woke up in the middle of the night, dreaming that his mentor’s body and head were separated. Even when awake, he had had some terrible thoughts. Could Du Zhen also end up serving a long prison sentence like Huang Huai Yang Pu, only to see the light of day after the crown prince ascended the throne?
By the time he came to his senses, Lu Feng had already left with his men. He looked around and saw that Meng Jun hadn’t come out yet, and the three attendants—Zhang Bu and the others—didn’t even recognize his father-in-law. Clearly, they weren’t people he could share this joy with. So he quickly mounted his horse, whipped it into motion, and headed back home. Soon he reached his doorstep, jumped off the horse, and rushed inside in a few steps.
“Young master, Lord Du…”
Peng Shisan had returned to the capital to congratulate Duke Zhang Fu on the festival. Xiang Longyan, who had just received news from the Jinyiwei and rushed back, saw Zhang Yue return and quickly stepped forward with a smile, intending to deliver good news. But before he could say much, he saw Zhang Yue throw a fierce punch at him, leaving him stunned. When he felt two heavy blows on his shoulder, he heard Zhang Yue’s hearty laughter.
“Stop talking. I already know! Before the New Year, we’ve finally gotten the best news! Thank you all for your hard work. Since I can’t go back, tomorrow is Lesser New Year’s Eve. Let’s have a proper celebration. I also need to thank you for your dedication!”

“Has the young master heard?”
Xiang Long hadn’t expected Zhang Yue to be so quick with the news. Just as he wanted to ask more details, he saw Zhang Yue already heading straight to the second gate. Rubbing his sore shoulder, he could almost sense Zhang Yue’s genuine joy and soon couldn’t help but smile as well. Working for such a master felt really good—no wonder Lord Yuan had said back then that they would never regret this choice!
It was already the hour of Hai in the evening. Although the main room was lit, Qiu Hen had already fallen asleep drowsily on the kang table. In her half-conscious state, she vaguely dreamed of returning to her childhood, with Zhang Yue teaching her to write character by character. Just then, she heard a strange noise and suddenly woke up. After looking around for a while and seeing no one in the room, she regretted the end of her nice dream. But the next moment, she saw the person she had long awaited enter the room. Her earlier annoyance vanished instantly, and she hurriedly got off the kang to greet him.
“Young master, it’s already the 28th day of the twelfth lunar month. Why is the yamen still so busy?”
“The busier, the better. Having something to do means I’m still useful. Otherwise, why would the emperor release me?” Zhang Yue laughed as he took off his thick cloak and threw it to Qiu Hen, then sat down on the kang. “Go to the kitchen and heat up some wine. See if there are any snacks to pair with it. I’m in a good mood today and want to drink a few cups to celebrate!”
Since Xiang Long hadn’t set foot in the inner courtyard since his return, Qiu Hen didn’t know what had happened. But hearing Zhang Yue’s tone, she suddenly understood and asked in surprise and joy, “Young master, are you saying Lord Du has been released? Good heavens, this is the best news before the New Year! I’ll go right away. Please wait!”
Normally, this time of day was when the kitchen prepared supper. The cook was a wife Qiu Hen had brought from her hometown. They had agreed in advance that her monthly salary would double, so she was quite satisfied. Just then, she had finished preparing sugar-coated leaves and was about to deliver them when Qiu Hen came in asking to heat up wine. She was momentarily stunned, but once she understood, she got to work right away.

She placed the warmed wine along with all the side dishes and snacks in a food box and handed it to Qiuhen. Qiuhen wiped her hands on her apron and then said with a smile, “Now that’s great! Maybe the young mistress will really be able to come over to celebrate the New Year together! However, cold wine harms the liver while hot wine harms the stomach. Miss Qiuhen, please remember to remind the young master to drink less. It’s already getting late; tomorrow is Little New Year’s Eve!”