Chapter 569: Shooting Geese with a Bow – A Feast of Wild Game for All

Although Peng Shisan was a household soldier of the Duke of Yingguo’s estate and usually lived there, the three companions who had fought side by side with him since their early days under Zhang Fu had all been officially appointed as military officers. Unable to resist his insistence, Zhang Fu had to compensate him in other ways—providing him with a house, land, and plenty of gifts for festivals.

Now that a wedding was approaching, he had to tidy up the small quadrangle house west of the Duke’s estate and rummage through all the chests in his home. To his surprise, due to lack of maintenance, the valuable silks stored in the camphor chests, though free from insects or mold, had lost their luster and were completely unsuitable for the wedding. Fortunately, Lady Wang, aware that there had been no female head of household for years, sent over several older women to help and brought many gifts. Thus, as the master of the house, he only needed to act as a puppet, measuring things while doing no actual work.

“Brother Peng, even young men aren’t as strong as you, yet you really don’t pay much attention to your clothing. Your outfits are either dark brown, dark green, or dark blue—doesn’t that make you look old? Now that you’re becoming a groom, you should choose brighter colors so that everyone who sees you will praise you!”

“That’s right! When Lady Wang sent me to deliver festival gifts during the Mid-Autumn Festival, I took a close look at that stunning girl—she’s truly one in a thousand. Brother Peng, you’re so lucky! To marry such a beauty, you must dress well!”

“Lady Wang had someone consult the oracles, and the wedding is set for September 18th. By then, Lord Zhang should also be back. He’ll surely be delighted to hear about this happy event… Ah, I forgot—since you were with Lord Zhang in the northern expedition, he must already know! By the way, Lady Wang asked us to tell you that preparing new clothes and other things will take more than half a month. Hurry up and get the geese ready for the sacrifice ceremony. Others buy them, but as a brave warrior, you should shoot them yourself, right?”

Even though Peng Shisan was a strong man, all these chatter made him feel dizzy. Finally, he took advantage of the last remark, grabbed his bow and arrows, and left with two servants. Although geese were becoming rarer these days, it was the season when they migrated south, and as an expert archer who could hit targets from a hundred paces away, he quickly caught two.

But he really didn’t dare go home to face those nagging relatives, so he spent two days wandering outside the city. Besides a pair of geese, he also caught countless other prey such as hares and pheasants. With so much to carry, after returning to the city, he gave two geese and half of the game to the Duke of England’s residence, and took the other half himself to the Zhang family’s house. As soon as he reached the door, he found himself the center of everyone’s attention.

Although he had been used to such treatment at the Duke of England’s residence these past few days, he still found it uncomfortable. So he quickly pulled over the butler, Gao Quan, to find out where Niu Gan and the others were staying, then fled at once. As soon as he entered the small courtyard, he saw a burly man with bare arms practicing lifting stone weights. He simply stood at the door with his arms crossed, watching until the end before finally uttering an approval.

Niu Gan, drenched in sweat, put down the stone weights upon hearing this voice. He quickly raised his head and, seeing it was Peng Shisan, promptly grabbed a cloth nearby to wipe his sweaty body. Then he stepped forward with a simple smile, saying, “Master, aren’t you getting married? Why do you have time to come here today? The other three went out with the young master on business; I’m here to keep watch today.”

So even this stubborn ox knew he was getting married!

Peng Shisan sighed inwardly and, remembering the glaring stares from outside, tapped his thick shoulder irritably and said, “Can’t I come and see you guys just because I’m getting married? Did the other three go to the government office?”

Seeing Niu Gan nod, he examined the man’s strong muscles and numerous scars before reminding him, “Although you all seem in good health now, you’ve suffered too much in the past and are quite weak. So don’t just focus on saving money—spend more effort on recuperation. For warriors, vitality is crucial; if it’s depleted, you age quickly!”

“Master, I’ve never had such good days since I was young. Back in the north, I spent my days herding cattle and sheep and doing hard labor, eating barely better than dogs all year round. Now I get meat for every meal, and even the snacks are meat buns.” Niu Gan said this, feeling a bit embarrassed. “I secretly found out that no one else in this household has such good food as we do. It’s the young master who specifically ordered more delicious meals for us. Being able to live like this, I truly feel my life hasn’t been in vain. As long as the young master doesn’t mind us just eating without working…”

“Silly boy!” Although Niu Gan was already nearly thirty, Peng Shisan still slapped him on the back of the head casually before saying irritably, “Don’t underestimate yourself. Didn’t you shield him from a knife last time? Though martial skills must be practiced from a young age, it’s not certain that practicing later in life will yield great results. But if you practice properly using the methods I taught you and pay attention to your diet, the two of you can easily take on three or five ordinary people. Nothing is in vain—when the time comes to find a wife, that will truly mean your life wasn’t wasted!”
“You old Peng, you stole Lingxi from me and now you’re trying to stir up trouble with someone else?”
Zhang Yue heard that Peng Shisan had arrived as soon as he returned to his residence, so he came here on the way. Seeing this guy, who used to be the boldest, forcing a smile awkwardly, he quickly entered the courtyard, waved his hand to tell Niu Gan there was no need for formalities, then examined Peng Shisan’s outfit from head to toe. Seeing him dressed in a tight purple robe, with leggings underneath and thin-soled boots on, just as before, he felt both annoyed and amused.
“No wonder I heard people talking about you all the way in. You’re about to become a groom, yet you don’t even bother to dress properly. Clothes make the man, just as gold adorns the Buddha. Not everyone has the good taste of Lingxi.” Seeing Peng Shisan indifferent, he decided not to dwell on it and said seriously, “The Duke of Yingguo is among the 20,000 vanguard troops and should arrive in about four or five days. According to the imperial itinerary, they should reach the capital at the beginning of September. For this welcoming ceremony, the military officers are led by Marquis Yongkang Xu An, while the civil officials are headed by Minister of Rites Lü Zhen. These two groups have already gone ahead to Wuping Town. I’ll probably have to make a trip in the next few days. You focus on the wedding preparations and stay here to take care of things!”
“With these successive groups coming for the welcome ceremony, there’s plenty to do. Since the young master says so, I might as well slack off a bit!”
Peng Shisan nodded readily and then laughed, “The emperor was furious when he sent us back. This time, you’ll likely have to use every trick in the book to deal with things. If anything goes wrong, don’t forget to send a message back. I’ll ask the Duke of Yingguo for help then. By the way, I was hunting in the suburbs these past few days and saw imperial guards everywhere. Has it already started?”

Seeing that the four men had quietly withdrawn, Zhang Yue smiled slightly and said, “Fortunes change. After all, no one will sit idly by waiting to die, nor will anyone willingly let themselves be schemed against. Not to mention outside the city, I heard that the imperial guards who followed us back are also very active inside the palace. After all, only a few people hope to repeat the events of the 12th year of the Yongle era; most certainly don’t want to go through such a scare again.”

Peng Shisan nodded thoughtfully and then lowered his voice to ask, “This capital is full of powerful figures everywhere. The target is too big. You, young master, do what you need to do and then stay out of it—you’re really cunning. But then again, aside from the Eastern Palace, it’s all those eunuchs at work. Let them fight among themselves; anyway, these guys know they can’t harm the core.”

Zhang Yue knew Peng Shisan was referring to the minor disputes between Liu Yongcheng and Lu Feng, so he nodded in agreement. Setting aside personal grudges, it was a struggle between the Bureau of Ceremonial and the Imperial Horse Guard. Over the years, the Imperial Horse Guard had gained increasing power, almost monopolizing control over the imperial guards, thus allowing it to stand toe-to-toe with the Bureau of Ceremonial. Moreover, since Huang Yan’s downfall, the position of eunuch supervisor had remained vacant, which explained why Lu Feng was at a disadvantage against Liu Yongcheng.

The same was true this time—Liu Yongcheng had made a serious mistake due to carelessness, while Lu Feng had been framed and bore the blame. Neither could completely bring the other down.

The two talked for a while longer, after which Zhang Yue left. Peng Shisan, however, didn’t go inside right away but stood there, arms crossed, lost in thought. Hu Qi and his four men had never been on the same side as him. Even in Xuanfu, Xiang Long and Liu Bao often acted mysteriously, doing who knew what. Now that they had returned, those four had simply disappeared without a trace. If he were their master, he might suspect they had been silenced. Thinking about it, Zhang Yue must have many secrets. After a long while, he shrugged.

But what did it matter to him? It was easier to follow someone with a plan than someone without one!

Since Du Wan was pregnant, Lady Gu ordered Li Sao, who had followed them to Xuanfu, to set up a small kitchen in the western courtyard to handle all meals. She also added two maids to assist, along with Cui Mama’s care, ensuring everything was taken care of. That day, since Peng Shisan had brought over a dozen kinds of game, he gave two pheasants and two ducks. The maids, big and small, were overjoyed at the news. After all, the upper echelons ate only a limited amount, and given Zhang Yue and Du Wan’s nature, any leftovers would surely be shared.

“Using the pheasants and ducks to make soup by removing their bones is truly rare, perfect for nourishing the young mistress. During the day, the main kitchen also sent over two live crucian carp. Since you’ve already cleaned them, just cook them together. Although the young mistress doesn’t vomit much these days, she still prefers well-cooked noodles. Eating too much of other soups, it’s a good chance to change her taste with this soup.” As the cook, Sister Li, spoke, she swiftly fished out the pheasants and ducks from the pot. Seeing the two young wives start plucking feathers and preparing them, she wiped her hands on her apron, turned around, and gave Crystal, who was staring at her eagerly, a glance. “The young master and mistress haven’t given any orders yet, and you’re already thinking about eating! Besides cooking, most of the meat won’t be used anyway. The young master and mistress will surely have to indulge you. In my opinion, you’d better skewer it and grill it—that’ll save me the trouble!” Hearing this, Crystal immediately jumped for joy, thanked Sister Li repeatedly, and rushed out of the kitchen in a few steps. Joining the other maids waiting outside, she couldn’t help but tell them what Sister Li had promised, which immediately sparked cheers. All of them were around thirteen or fourteen years old. Though they had meat at every meal, they still couldn’t resist the urge to try something new, especially since it was grilled this time. Eager, they chatted animatedly before someone suddenly said, “If we’re going to grill it, will we still eat it inside? What if there’s too much smoke? Besides, the household has strict rules about using fire. And if the two elder sisters find out, Sister Amber might not say anything, but Sister Qiuhen will definitely scold us for not including her. Also, Miss Xiao Wu is coming to visit the young mistress today. She likes to have fun, so maybe she won’t like it either…” “If that’s the case, do we have to drag the young master and mistress along too, so we can all have fun together? Not to mention the young mistress is now pregnant—if word gets out, the old lady will surely scold us for being disrespectful, and the young master will also be blamed!” “Why should I be blamed?” Zhang Yue, who had just entered the courtyard, heard the last sentence. He raised his voice and asked, only to see the group of maids turn around like frightened rabbits. At that moment, Crystal, the leader, had no choice but to step forward bravely. After hesitating for a while, she finally stammered out their plan.

Hearing the mention of skewered meat, Zhang Yue was instantly stunned. Having lived past thirty in both his past and current lives, while craving food wasn’t the main issue, he hadn’t experienced the lively atmosphere of barbecuing by the fire in a long time. Thinking of Du Wan being pregnant now, though she wasn’t confined to the house all the time, her body was still heavy. Moreover, since she became pregnant, Mother Cui had mentioned many taboos, so it was likely they could only watch from afar. He couldn’t help but sigh inwardly. But recalling the times when he and his colleagues had feasted on skewered meat in the forest park, he couldn’t help but smile.

“Since that’s the case, the yard next door is empty. The weather is nice this afternoon—just move the tables and chairs over there and have some fun. Remember not to make too much noise, and be careful with the iron stove and skewers, otherwise those mothers will scold us.”

“Thank you, young master!” At this moment, all the young girls were overjoyed. Crystal, still thinking about what he had said earlier, asked carefully, “Young master, Miss Xiao Wu is here too, along with Sister Qiu Hen and Sister Hu Bo…”

“As long as you can call them, getting anyone to come is your skill. If your future wife feels up to it, she’ll surely come over to join in the fun.”

Watching the girls cheer and scatter, Zhang Yue shook his head with a smile before quickly stepping inside through the curtain. Just then, Xiao Wu heard the noise and poked her head out of the inner room, asking what the commotion was about. He explained it with a smile, and soon the girl’s eyes lit up as she rushed out. Inside, Zhang Yue saw Du Wan leaning against the wall, while Jingguan was crawling around on the kang. He stepped forward, picked up his son, and gently kissed his wife’s cheek.

“Once the baby is born, when we have some free time, let’s take them along for a picnic and barbecue in the countryside, and maybe even camping! How about it? Do you feel well today? If so, let’s go check out the fun later!”

Du Wan was startled by Zhang Yue’s sudden gesture. When she heard the string of new terms he mentioned, and recalling what he had said to Xiao Wu outside, she couldn’t help but laugh.

“That’s what you said. Don’t forget it later! As for our son, how many times have you held him? As for going to watch the fun… it’s all your fault. Since Mother Cui isn’t here, I guess you’ve stirred up my cravings. I won’t go to the windy place—you’re punished by grilling meat for me in the yard. I definitely want to eat a couple of skewers today!”