Chapter 563: Joy and Riddles

Although the Zhang family branch moved out of their hometown in Xiangfu, Kaifeng, later than Zhang Yu’s branch, they were still a century-old family with many servants, including some who had served for generations. After arriving in the capital, Zhang You was granted the title of marquis for his military achievements, and Zhang Zhuo and Zhang Yue passed the imperial examinations, giving the family the means to stand among the elite of the capital. Their residence was expanded twice, and their number of servants doubled. Some of these servants were rewards from the court for meritorious families, some volunteered to serve, some were recommended by intermediaries, and many were given by relatives and friends. Even the two who currently served in the Gu family’s household were gifts from Lady Wang.

Hearing Lady Wang say this, Gu couldn’t help but shake her head irritably. “He let go of a fine person on his own—why do you still worry about him? Keep her for your own use. Although Lingxi is married, she still takes care of household affairs. By marrying her, we gained Brother Yue as well—what’s the loss? Besides, first it was you, then Xi Yu—your family will likely have more members in the future. If you don’t keep reliable people like these, it will be hard to find them when needed.”

At that moment, Zhang Yue also smiled and said, “Lingxi has served my grandmother for so many years and takes good care of me. Master Peng has taught me for years and helped me greatly. Now that both of them are happy together—Lingxi has someone to rely on and Master Peng has a good partner—I’m only happy. There’s no question of loss or gain. Grandmother prepared a dowry for Lingxi, and I’ve already prepared a gift to celebrate. How could we possibly accept gifts from you, Aunt?”

“Alright, alright, Brother Yue, you’re just as stubborn as our lord. Every time our lord talks about Peng Shisan, he’s full of anger, but when something comes up, he’s the first to think of him. He always gives him gifts first during festivals. If that stubborn man hadn’t been both loyal and brave, he would have long sought an official position instead of remaining as a household general. I’m not bragging, but his martial skills are no worse than those of the other three household generals our lord has, and he’s even more meticulous—our lord relies heavily on him.”

Lady Wang realized something and smiled, changing the subject. Then she pointed at Bi Luo beside her. “Speaking of which, all the capable young women in our family have gotten married. Bi Luo is now a reliable housekeeper for me. Didn’t Auntie also bring up Linglong before? In just a few years, they’ve all taken over. When they all succeed, that’s when the family will truly thrive. By the way, where are Qiuhen and Hupao?”

“They came back from Xuanfu at the beginning of the year and kowtowed to me,” said Lady Gu, glancing at Qiu Hen and Hu Bo, who looked embarrassed, with a smile. “Not only them, but also those around Chao Ge, Qi Ge, and Jiu Ge all kowtowed as well. A harmonious family brings prosperity. A few days ago, Qi Ge even gave me a stern lecture. A real man, a hero who loves a beauty is fine, but what matters is responsibility. Never imitate his elder brother, who was self-righteous and hid a concubine at home, causing a huge scandal. The Qingyuan Lord was ruined by a concubine he brought in from outside, leading to the downfall of his entire family. If something like that happens in our family, then he won’t even need to bear the Zhang surname!”
By the end, her words turned into a lesson. Lady Wang couldn’t help but glance at Zhang Qi. After sitting and chatting for a while longer, Lady Gu grew tired, and everyone took their leave. Xi Yu in the family had just given birth, but Lady Wang thought since there were maids and servants to take care of her and the midwives and doctors were still there, there was no need to rush back. Instead, she went to Feng Shi’s house to sit for a while and discuss Zhang Jiu’s marriage.
Although everything was ready for the marriage, waiting only for Marquis Wu’an Zheng Heng to return—and since the order to withdraw the troops had been issued, that day should not be far away—no one could say for sure whether Lady Gu would last that long. This was the biggest concern for her and Feng Shi.
After leaving Feng Shi’s house, Lady Wang remembered receiving a letter from Zhang Fu a few days ago, and now that there was confirmation of the emperor’s return, she decided to take Bi Luo to Zhang Yue’s place. As soon as she entered the courtyard, she heard loud shouting.
“It’s infuriating! Sister, brother-in-law, please judge this fairly! Wan Ge helped me before clearly out of respect for Father, and he often came to ask for advice—what does it have to do with me? Are Uncle Yue and the others horrible? Spreading such nonsense! I… I’ve always said I won’t get married. I finally have parents who care so much for me—why would I want to marry?”
Recognizing it as Xiao Wu’s voice, Lady Wang felt both annoyed and amused. After all, Feng Yuanming had a peculiar temperament and didn’t like to go to the Duke’s mansion unless necessary. It was usually Xiao Wu who persuaded him to take medicinal baths, and she also took care of all his acupuncture treatments. Thus, her beloved son was extremely attached to this fifth aunt. Xiao Wu was fine in every way, but her stubbornness was a headache. It was unclear what she was complaining about this time.

“Since you already know Uncle Yue has a sharp tongue, why do you still care about what he says? Your parents haven’t arranged your marriage yet, and here you are making a fuss about not wanting to get married. If people didn’t know the truth, they might think you’re secretly interested in him! Why are you glaring at us? Don’t you know what it means to say ‘there’s no need to mention it’? You’re speaking so loudly—remember, ears can hear through walls. If everyone finds out, you’ll have to get married even if you don’t want to.”

Hearing Du Wan’s words, Lady Wang finally couldn’t help but laugh. Seeing the maid standing at the door also covering her mouth and laughing so hard she couldn’t stand straight, she didn’t scold her. Instead, she pulled back the curtain and entered the room. After stepping over the threshold and looking around, she saw Xiao Wu’s face turned bright red, Du Wan with a teasing expression, and Zhang Yue standing there with his arms crossed, smiling faintly—creating a very strange atmosphere. As someone who had been through similar situations, she understood immediately and her smile grew even wider.

“Brother Yue’s wife is indeed right. Ears can hear through walls. With your loud voice, I heard it even if I didn’t want to. Xiao Wu, if it really is one of your family members gossiping, just go back and tell your parents to stop that person from coming here. Your parents love you so much—they’ll surely agree to this small request, right?” Seeing Xiao Wu’s panicked expression, Lady Wang couldn’t help but smile and teased, “Look how anxious you are. Even if you really like him, it’s not such a big deal. Boys should get married when they’re old enough, and girls too, right? You’re usually so generous and straightforward—why are you shy now?”

At that moment, Xiao Wu’s face was as red as a cooked shrimp, extremely delicate and bright. After stomping her foot angrily, she felt as if everyone in the room was mocking and annoying her. So, she snapped, “I’m going to see the old lady. I won’t talk to you anymore. You all just talk nonsense! You’re all bullying me!”

Seeing Xiao Wu rush out of the room, Zhang Yue forgot that Lady Wang was still there and burst into laughter. Not only him, but Du Wan, who had known Xiao Wu for so many years, had also never seen her look so embarrassed and anxious before. A smile appeared on her lips. Lingxi, whose marriage had already been arranged, secretly laughed at Xiao Wu’s stubbornness, while thinking of that man who seemed carefree on the surface but was actually very thoughtful, filling her heart with happiness. Qiuhen laughed so much that her eyes narrowed, and she couldn’t help but whisper in Amber’s ear.

“If this really works out, this pair is truly a match made in heaven!”

Seeing the joyful expressions in the room, even Lady Wang felt happy, but she had to cough lightly. Once everyone hurriedly put away their smiles, Zhang Yue helped Du Wan stand up. She waved her hand and said, “I already paid my respects to Auntie just now. Why be so formal now? I just came by on a whim and didn’t expect to hear such good news… If this goes through, there will be countless celebrations in the days to come, and together they might even cure the old lady’s illness!”
Noticing the sudden silence in the room, she regretted bringing up an inappropriate topic and quickly changed the subject. “Yesterday, the master sent back a family letter. At that time, the emperor probably hadn’t yet decided to withdraw the troops, so he only mentioned that the emperor, wanting to share hardships with his soldiers, ordered that whatever the soldiers ate, he would eat as well. The generals naturally followed suit. Fortunately, soon after, the generals reported victories, bringing back captives as well as horses, cattle, sheep, and supplies. From the letter, I guessed that the withdrawal was near, and today’s news confirmed it. The emperor has achieved three great victories in his northern campaigns—now peace should finally come.”
Upon hearing the words “horses, cattle, sheep,” Zhang Yue suddenly understood. These days, he had felt a sense of confusion in his heart, but now he finally saw it clear. When the army left Yingchang and reached Arutai’s lair, they captured some cattle, sheep, and horses that Arutai hadn’t managed to take away. Adding to these those captured from the Doyan Three Guards, even if some were returned to the Wulangha people, it should still be enough to meet the army’s daily needs at a time when supplies were running low.
“Brother Yue, the master’s letter mentioned another matter, saying it was very important, but it confused me. I have to ask you to help me figure it out today.”
Seeing that Zhang Yue had regained his focus, Lady Wang recalled the letter and continued, “The master said that during the previous hunting competition among the nobles, he and Marquis Anyuan and Marquis Ningyuan tied for first place since all their arrows hit the target. Afterward, Eunuch Liu from the Imperial Horse Supervision Department brought over an extra precious bow as a reward from the emperor. He said he remembered that last New Year’s Day, the emperor had given him a bag of imperial-feathered arrows and asked him to find them, saying he would need them for a riding and archery competition in the Western Garden after returning to the capital. I can’t remember clearly, so I went to the storage room to look, only to find that they weren’t feathers at all, but a small bow and arrows given by the emperor to Tianci, along with a longevity charm. Now I’m stuck—was it left behind, or did the master forget?”

After pondering for a moment, Zhang Yue furrowed his brows thoughtfully. When Zhang Fu returned with the letter, the war situation wasn’t critical, but it was still during the northern expedition, so sending a family letter probably required the emperor’s approval. Zhang Fu was extremely cautious by nature, and the vague and wordy content of the letter might well conceal other intentions, especially since it mentioned Liu Yongcheng, an eunuch from the Imperial Horse Supervision Bureau.

“Aunt, who was sent by the palace to deliver rewards during last year’s New Year?”

“Who…?” Lady Wang was suddenly at a loss. She managed the affairs of the entire family and met countless palace officials throughout the year—how could she remember such details? After thinking hard for a long time, she still had no idea and frowned even more. “It was over a year ago. Things can be traced because of records, but this person…”

Du Wan, who had been listening, interjected with a smile, “Aunt, you came to see me during New Year’s last year and mentioned that the emperor specially bestowed a small bow along with a bag of wooden arrows on Tian Ci, hoping he would carry on his father’s legacy and fight in battle. I remember you also saying that it was Lord Lu, who oversees the Eastern Depot and serves as a junior supervisor in the Court Rituals Bureau, who delivered the rewards.”

“Oh, did I say that?” Lady Wang clapped her hands in surprise and joy, then laughed. “Now that you mention it, I do recall something. Yes, it must be him! Your wife, Zhang Yue, has such a good memory—she remembered something I only mentioned once… Ah, if what you say is true, then no carved-feather arrows were indeed bestowed last year. Zhang Yue, if asking who delivered the rewards implies some other meaning…?”

“I just wondered since my uncle mentioned Lord Liu in his letter, so I asked casually.” Zhang Yue had roughly guessed Zhang Fu’s riddle and thought perhaps Zhang Fu had heard something. But he didn’t want to reveal this to Lady Wang, so he said with a smile, “Sister Wan always has an excellent memory. Since she says so, it must be true. It seems my uncle simply made a mistake. If you don’t believe it, wait until he returns and ask him—he’ll surely admit he was confused.”

Lady Wang had only been wondering, but now that Zhang Yue said so, her doubts were halved. She shook her head irritably, “I almost searched the entire family’s storage yesterday. If he really made a mistake, I’ve wasted my time. But as long as nothing happened, it’s fine. Losing imperial gifts without reason is like the incident with the Imperial Sword last time—this duke can’t afford such trouble!”

This analogy is really… Anyway, things bestowed by the emperor are indeed difficult to deal with. Ever since the painting given to him by the emperor was hung in the back hall of Ruiqing Hall, as long as the chief steward Gao Quan was at home, how many times a day would he not go and take a look at it? Zhang Yue, who didn’t know whether to laugh or cry, saw Lady Wang pull Du Wan into the inner room again to whisper something; he simply sat there and began to think. Although it had only been a few days since returning to the capital, and he had left those four men under Hu Qi’s care to Yuan Fang, his family being a prominent noble family, they had plenty of ways to gather information. Even what Lian Sheng and Lian Hu, those curious ones, had found was already enough. For example, Lu Feng had suffered from heatstroke during the hottest days of summer, yet now that autumn had arrived, he had still been ill for over a month.