Chapter 571: In the Still of the Night, When Honor and Disgrace Are Uncertain

After dinner, he personally escorted Lady Gu back, who hadn’t eaten much but seemed satisfied. He then sat there and chatted with the talkative old woman for a long time until the moon was high in the sky before finally excusing himself and walking back along the winding path.

His residence in the western courtyard was next to his parents’ courtyard. Since his parents were in Nanjing, only Lady Hongluan and her son lived there. Before reaching his own courtyard, he had to pass by the courtyard of the elders from the second branch of the family. Zhang Youyuan was in Jiaozhi, and Lady Dongfang stayed indoors, leaving that place equally deserted. Thus, the path became even more quiet after dark, with only the occasional chirping of insects adding a hint of life. Under the dim light of the lanterns, people’s shadows stretched long across the green brick walls.

Tonight, only Qiuhen accompanied him to see Lady Gu off. When they left the main house in the northern courtyard, two old women had offered to carry lanterns to see them off, but Zhang Yue preferred to walk alone, so he declined. Now, Qiuhen carried the lantern ahead. As they passed by the two closed courtyard gates, she suddenly stopped, turned around, and whispered, “Young master, a few months ago, Concubine Fang gave birth to a boy.”

Zhang Yue had been away for so long, with endless chaos outside, his grandmother’s unstable health, and his pregnant wife at home. He hadn’t had time to deal with anything other than gathering with his brothers. Hearing this, he was momentarily stunned before frowning and asking, “A boy? I haven’t heard anything about it.”

“After finishing her postpartum confinement, Concubine Fang insisted on having more children. She even drove away the maids who were supposed to take care of her, let alone the wet nurse who had already been prepared. Now, she handles everything related to the child personally, ignoring everything else. Not even the old lady has seen the child. The old lady later said to let her do as she wants, as long as nothing goes wrong in the future.”

As she spoke, Qiuhen shuddered and then whispered, “Young master, everyone in the family says she’s gone mad. There was supposed to be a celebration for the full moon, but she refused outright and threw away all the gifts given by others. But once, when I passed by the back window, I faintly heard a cry, and I also heard her muttering… that she regretted it.”

Regretted it…

Looking at the lifeless courtyard, Zhang Yue couldn’t help but sigh. He wondered whether Fang Shuixin regretted giving in to her impulses and marrying a man already married, or regretted leaving home rashly only to return to this large mansion, or perhaps regretted being provoked into causing all the trouble. Though he had little memory of Fang Shuixin, he imagined she must once have been a passionate Puyi girl, now reduced to a shadow hiding inside the house.

“Let’s go, Qiuhen.”

Seeing Qiuhen still standing at the courtyard gate, her gaze seemingly trying to pierce through the solid wooden door, Zhang Yue stepped forward, took her hand, and said thoughtfully, “Now that she has a child, she has hope—better than living in confusion before. Everyone chooses their own path. She grew up unrestrained, following her heart, and now she probably doesn’t want others’ pity.”

Qiuhen, who had been lost in thought, was startled by Zhang Yue’s words and nodded firmly. Looking down at his hand holding hers, she smiled joyfully, then turned with the lantern, lifting her head to gaze at the bright moon in the sky.

People said that the daughters of the Tusi lords in the southwest were as noble as the young ladies of wealthy families here. Fang Shuixin used to be the center of attention, but now her life seemed to have dropped from the clouds to the mud, which must make her regretful. But she was different. All she wanted was for her master to have her in his heart, to be able to stay with him happily for life and watch over him—that was her greatest happiness.

After passing by the courtyard of the Hongluan mother and child, they reached the western courtyard. Qiuhen held the lantern high to light Zhang Yue’s way in, accompanying him to the main house before going to check on the eastern wing. Seeing that Xiao Jingguan was already asleep with the nurse beside her, she quietly left and went straight to prepare the bed in the western wing. Ever since Zhang Yue returned from the north, he had been living here.

After making the bed, she hurried to the small kitchen to fetch water. Since the water wasn’t ready yet, she simply chatted idly with the maid for a while before returning to the room with the teapot. She brewed tea and used a hot water bottle to warm the bed, busy without a moment’s rest. Yet despite this, she was very happy, eventually humming a song softly, though it was indistinctly heard.

“What are you singing?”

As soon as she set down the curtain, she felt someone suddenly pressing on her shoulder from behind. After a moment of panic, she realized it was Zhang Yue’s voice, and her body froze instantly. Not daring to turn around, she stood there with her head lowered and said, “It’s those Tang poems the young master taught me back then. I just made up some simple melodies and sing them in my free time to help me remember them.”

“What poems are they? Sing them for me.”

With her back to Zhang Yue, Qiu Hen’s cheeks were flushed red. She glanced at the high ceiling before softly beginning to sing, “Two orioles sing among the green willows; a row of egrets fly up to the blue sky. The window frames the eternal snow of the Western Mountains; by the door lie ships from distant Eastern Wu.”

“A pot of wine among the flowers; drinking alone, with no friend by my side. I raise my cup to invite the moon; with my shadow, we’re three…”

“The south of the Yangtze is beautiful; its scenery is familiar to me. At sunrise, the river flowers are redder than fire; in spring, the river water is as green as blue. How can I not miss the south of the Yangtze?”

Those catchy Tang poems paired with simple melodies sounded extraordinary in Zhang Yue’s ears. He remembered teaching Qiu Hen to write hand in hand when she was young, often taking out those Tang poems to teach her by heart and having her copy them down. She would always complain that it was too troublesome and that she couldn’t remember them, but gradually he found that she had actually memorized quite a few. Back then, he was proud thinking it was because of his good teaching, never realizing that she had been using such a trick to force memorization.

“Then do you still remember how many poems I taught you?”

“Of course I do. A total of 362 poems. The young master taught me one per day—almost a whole year. Later, you started teaching me other things, like Song lyrics and Han prose, but I still think Tang poems are the most beautiful.”

As she spoke, Qiu Hen recalled those days. At that time, she didn’t know many characters yet. After Zhang Yue taught her a few times, she had to go to school, so she would ask Hu Bo to explain the meanings to her again. She had written every word of every poem countless times on the blue brick floor with a brush dipped in water, just to earn his smile and praise when he returned. Though she still lacked knowledge and her handwriting was far inferior to Hu Bo’s, at least she was no longer that illiterate girl.

“When I first taught you, you were so tiny. By the way, do you still remember? You used to be talkative, but in front of others, you always pretended to be honest and cautious.”

“Young master!” Though Qiu Hen was feeling sweet at that moment, hearing Zhang Yue’s teasing tone made her stomp her foot angrily. She then turned around like a whirlwind, looking displeased, and said, “What do you mean ‘too young’? Weren’t you even younger than me back then? Besides, it was you who taught me—nothing matters when you’re in your own room, but you have to think three times before saying anything outside. Now I dare not speak once I go outside.”
“So it’s still my fault?”
Zhang Yue couldn’t help but laugh. When he first came to this world, although he quickly adapted to the local customs, he was afraid of revealing any weaknesses, so he would often try to get information from Qiu Hen whenever he had time. At that time, he had considered getting rid of the girl who had taken care of him for so many years, but after extracting all the information she knew, he gradually gave up on that idea. She was cheerful and obedient, and had a good temper—why go to the extra trouble?
Seeing her face turn red, he stopped teasing her. After washing his feet, he went to the bed that had been warmed in advance, sitting upright with his back against the pillow. The temperature difference between day and night in the north in autumn was extremely large, and even the howling wind outside could be heard. The suite had only one door leading to the outer room, with thick curtains hanging in front, keeping it quite warm.
After handing the copper basin to Crystal, who was waiting outside, Qiu Hen went back inside. Seeing Zhang Yue still sitting there, she hurried over. Just as she was about to urge him to go to bed, he suddenly grabbed her hand. Although their relationship had already been officially recognized, and the old lady had confirmed it in front of the duchess, the final step hadn’t yet been taken. She felt awkward for a moment, hesitated briefly, before taking off her shoes and sitting down. The two hot water bottles placed earlier had already made the blanket extremely hot, and now, with Zhang Yue sitting so close, she felt even more overheated. When a gentle kiss landed on her cheek, she felt as if her whole body was on fire, not even noticing when the green gauze curtain hanging on the hook had fallen down.
The next day, the Zhang family’s compound was busy as usual before dawn. The several maids in the western courtyard were carefully selected by Lady Gu. Although they were sometimes mischievous and talkative, they were all extremely obedient at this time. Crystal had cleaned the room last night and now quickly dressed Zhang Yue. After sending him out, she rushed back to the inner room. Seeing Qiu Hen biting her lip as she dressed herself, she couldn’t help but step forward to help, winking at her with a smile.

Lady Gu had dinner at Zhang Yue’s place yesterday and caused quite a stir. After returning, she was busy talking and stayed up late, so she was a bit sluggish that morning. Yet, having cultivated a meticulous nature, she didn’t want her routine disrupted by illness, so she still forced herself to get up. Although she was supposed to pay respects in the morning and evening, Zhang Yue rushed off to court early, and he hadn’t gotten up yet when she went to pay her respects in the morning. Only Zhang Xin came with the other younger members of the family. After everyone left, she kept Zhang Bi and Zhang Jing, the siblings, to have breakfast together. It was only when someone from the western courtyard brought news that she learned about what had happened the previous night.

“Tell Chao Ge’s wife about this. She’s in charge of the household now. Since everything has already been decided, she can think about adding more things as needed.”

After giving these instructions, she remembered Zhang Yue mentioning that he was part of the entourage accompanying the emperor, and she couldn’t help but feel worried. Learning from the previous incident, he would surely not be late this time. But who knew if the emperor would act immediately after sending Zhang Yue back? If it were just a few civil officials punished, it wouldn’t be a big deal, but if the emperor’s wrath struck, she didn’t know what would happen to her family. Just then, she heard the sound of the door curtain moving. Turning around, she saw Bai Fang.

“Madam, someone from the Duke of Yingguo’s residence just brought news—the Duke has returned!”

Zhang Fu had returned!

After confirming this news, Lady Gu finally felt relieved. Although the first generation of the Zhang family’s title came from Duke Rongguo, Zhang Yu, it was Zhang Fu’s repeated military achievements that brought true prosperity. Her greatest concern had been that he, being in his prime, might suffer some mishap. Now she could rest easy—this time, with the border pacified, they might enjoy a few years of peace, and Lady Wang wouldn’t have to live in constant fear. At Zhang Fu’s age, if he could live another twenty or thirty years and have more sons, the succession in his family wouldn’t be a problem.

Everything that needed to be done had been done. At least, even if fate took her life now, she would have no regrets.

In the evening, Zhang Fu, who had just returned home, came personally to this residence to pay his respects to Lady Gu. He was used to the hardships of war. Although this expedition had been exhausting for nearly half a year, he still seemed full of energy. So, as Lady Gu kept talking nonstop, he just smiled and comforted her. After dinner, once he saw her asleep, he prepared to leave. He was usually serious and unsmiling, and most of the younger members of the family feared him, so only Zhang Xin stayed at the door to wait for him.

“Thankfully you came; Mother momentarily forgot about Brother Yue. Otherwise, I wouldn’t have known how to tell her.” Zhang Xin paused for a moment before explaining, “He was originally scheduled to set off in three days, but it seems he received an urgent summons today. So he only sent a message back home and rushed off to Yunchou without time for any preparations. I also heard that a group of high-ranking officials will set off tomorrow to Yunchou to present a memorial to suppress the barbarians. Among them are Mu Xin, the Marquis’s Deputy Commander, Zhao Litong, the Chief Secretary of the ZhaoWangfu, and Guo Dun, the Vice Minister of Rites.”
“I’m aware of this,” Zhang Fu said, frowning slightly but not surprised. He nodded gently and added, “Although I’ve made some minor contributions in this campaign, there’s nothing much to reward me for. There were some issues with the Shence Wei troops sent with the army, and my younger brother will likely suffer consequences—his merits and faults will probably cancel each other out. After all, his position isn’t prominent, and since the emperor shows leniency due to his Zhang family background, he won’t be harshly punished. But others won’t be so lucky. Chen Yu, the Marquis of Taining, is in trouble this time due to the delayed delivery of military provisions; his fate looks grim.”
“The Marquis of Taining?” Zhang Xin was greatly surprised upon hearing this. “The late Duke of Jingguo was highly favored by the emperor—responsible for building Beijing and managing the imperial harem. And this Marquis of Taining is after all the eldest son of the Duke of Jingguo. How could this happen…”
“When the emperor is angry, his mistakes become even more apparent. At the very least, he’ll be imprisoned. If things get worse, he might even be demoted. However, since that title was earned by the original Duke of Jingguo on the battlefield, it should not pose too much of a problem.”