Chapter 581: Pitiable Situation, Worth Knowing

Although it was still the hundred-day mourning period for the Gu family, all the descendants—except for the two young ones, Zhang Jiu and Zhang Zi—had removed their mourning clothes and gone to work at the yamen. Zhang Fu had also been ordered to go to the Five Armies Command to handle affairs, leaving the mourning tent much quieter. Since it wasn’t a full day of mourning, the brothers Zhang Xin and Zhang Zhuo took turns receiving guests who came to pay their respects in the morning. As fewer guests arrived in the afternoon, Zhang Xin instructed Zhang Jiu to take over when more guests came, and he went to the study with Zhang Zhuo to talk.

It had been less than a year since he returned. Although his favorite books were already on the newly arranged bookshelf, and everything else in the study had been restored to its original state by the servant who used to take care of it, he still felt an indescribable sense of strangeness sitting there. Seeing Zhang Zhuo sit down, he glanced awkwardly at the scroll hanging on the wall that read “Calm the Mind” before sitting down behind the elm wood desk.

“Third brother, the old lady left a will before she died. You must already be aware of this.”

Although Zhang Zhuo had only been back for ten days, he had already heard Zhang Fu mention it. He was momentarily stunned before looking up and saying frankly, “Brother Fu has talked to me about this. Brother, let me speak honestly—though the old lady meant well, I feel unworthy of these things. Gold, silver, jewelry, and trinkets are fine; after all, they are her way of leaving me a memory. But lands and shops are absolutely out of the question. Yue and I have already divided the family’s lands after starting our official careers, and our expenses are covered. So please keep these for yourself. If you feel you can’t go against the old lady’s wishes, just leave me a share of the harvest at the end of the year.”

Back in the day, after failing the imperial examinations, he was looked down upon at home. So rather than having an unusual desire for wealth, he truly wanted recognition from others. Now that his sons were successful and his business was thriving, he no longer valued material possessions so much. If it weren’t for the fact that his properties were tied to nobles like Yuan Fang, Zhu Yong of the Chengguo Duke title, and Li Long of the Xiangcheng Earl title, he would have preferred not to take advantage of the family’s resources. There were just a few things that were hard to explain.

After hearing Zhang Zhuo’s words, Zhang Xin couldn’t help but examine him carefully. He had achieved success at a young age, winning first place in the provincial examinations at just 28 and rising rapidly through the official ranks. If not for his previous major mistake, he would never have paid attention to his two younger brothers. At least Zhang You had been trained in martial arts since childhood and was granted a title for his military achievements, while Zhang Zhuo had been promoted to the fifth rank just four years after entering government service—something he always attributed to having a good son. But now it seemed he had underestimated others.

“Where are your thoughts, third brother? There are still many estates in the family, and everything Mother left was meant for all of us. Why should I be the one to keep it for you? Mother left these things simply to keep our family together, and I naturally hope the same. Mother had already prepared two plots of land nearby. I think since Jiu Er won’t enter government service so soon, the larger one in the west can be yours…”

“Elder brother, let’s not talk about this now. Even if Mother has prepared the land, can we really build new houses and move out during the mourning period? It would be a joke if others saw that! With Mother gone, you are now the pillar of the family. From the way Second Sister-in-law looks, she must have truly understood and won’t be as petty as before. As long as you speak, everyone will listen. A harmonious family brings prosperity—this was Mother’s last wish.”

After saying these words slowly and deliberately, Zhang Zhuo stood up, bowed to Zhang Xin, and left the room. Only when he was back in the sunlight did he feel a surge of heat in his body, and he sighed deeply. Zhang Fu had already told him many things, yet Zhang Xin still wanted to test him, clearly worried about Zhang You returning with the title of Marquis of Yangwu. But didn’t Zhang Xin even consider that Zhang You wasn’t such a shallow and short-sighted person?

“Third Lord, Third Lord!”

As soon as he stepped out of the study door, Zhang Zhuo heard someone calling out to him. Recognizing it as a servant from the front yard, he frowned slightly. “Is it some important guest?”

“It’s not some particularly important guest… Ah, that’s not what I meant.” Being young, the servant quickly tried to correct himself and then explained, “It’s Wang Yu, a captain of the Shence Wei. After paying his respects, he intended to speak with the third young master. Hearing that the third young master isn’t here, he wants to leave one of his men behind, saying the third young master once asked to meet him. The head of the family can’t make a decision, and the fourth young master doesn’t know how to handle it either, so they sent me to ask the third lord what to do.”

Wang Yu, a captain of the Shence Wei?

Hearing this sudden name and official title, Zhang Zhuo took a long time to recover his senses. After searching his memory for a while, he finally remembered where he had heard this name, and suddenly grew alert. He didn’t have any particular feelings toward this person who had played a significant role in the prince of Zhao’s alleged rebellion two years ago, but since Zhang Yue had some acquaintance with him and had even come in person to offer his condolences, he naturally had to meet him. With that in mind, he ordered his servant to tidy up his hemp clothes and mourning sash before hurrying over.

Wang Yu, sitting in the flower hall of Zhang’s residence, was extremely uneasy despite being seated. Behind him, Shi Heng was even more restless, walking back and forth for a while before suddenly stepping forward and saying awkwardly, “Cousin-in-law, things aren’t certain yet. After all, you’ve achieved great merits before, so nothing will happen to you. Besides, even if the news from the Ministry of War isn’t good, I’m sure I can find a way out. If all else fails, I’ll take the military examinations—why stay here begging for help?”

“That’s a hereditary position as a deputy commander. Do you know how many sacrifices your father made to earn such a military rank?” Wang Yu glared at him sternly before sighing. “I’m just a lowly thousand-household officer, and I didn’t achieve any great merits before. I can barely take care of myself, let alone help you with such matters. Lord Zhang is kind-hearted, and besides, he once held a position in the Ministry of War…”

Zhang Zhuo, who had stopped outside in the porch for a while, had caught most of their conversation and gained some understanding. He quickened his pace and coughed once before entering. Sure enough, this alerted the two people inside. As soon as he stepped through the threshold, he saw the man sitting on the cypress chair stand up.

After greeting each other, some polite words were exchanged. He had thought that since it was Wang Yu’s first visit, he would surely try to probe things indirectly, but to his surprise, Wang Yu was straightforward and quickly explained the reason for his visit, which left him hesitant.

Due to delays in the development of the Shence Wei, even its commander, Zhang Xuan, was under investigation, and all other officers were living in fear. That’s why Wang Yu had said he could barely take care of himself before, but he wasn’t here for that reason today. He had no relatives left on his side. Although his uncle’s children had barely escaped disaster because of him, after such incidents, they could no longer be close to him. For this reason, he was determined to do his best to help Shi Heng, whom his mother-in-law had asked him to look after. Unbeknownst to him, the Military Examinations Department of the Ministry of War had announced that military rank inheritance would be much stricter than before, with both military and civil examinations required. He could only turn to Zhang Yue for information, fearing that delaying would harm Shi Heng.

Though still a teenager, his ambition and diligence truly amazed and impressed him! If it had been something else, Zhang Zhuo wouldn’t have hesitated to promise on Zhang Yue’s behalf, but since it was a matter of official business and he wasn’t very familiar with Wang Yu, after considering the timing and pondering for a while, he said earnestly, “I can’t make a decision for him. His leave has already expired, and he doesn’t get many chances to be at home. Judging by the time, he should be back soon. If Captain Wang doesn’t have anything urgent, he might as well wait a bit longer. But since it’s the mourning period for his late mother, we can only offer simple tea—please forgive us.”
Wang Yu was already pleasantly surprised by such words and quickly thanked him. Zhang Zhuo stayed with him for a while before leaving apologetically due to other guests. Wang Yu had no choice but to wait patiently and ordered Shi Heng to sit down. Having developed good patience over years of setbacks, Shi Heng, being young, couldn’t sit still and stood up after just twenty minutes.
“Cousin-in-law, what if he doesn’t come back? Let’s just leave…”
“If you don’t even have this much patience, how reckless will you be in battle?” Wang Yu rarely raised his voice at Shi Heng, but this time he scolded him sternly, “You’re skilled in martial arts and strategy, but you must change your impulsive temper! Shi Heng, if you want to become a general, you need to learn how to conduct yourself properly!”
Shi Heng blushed under Wang Yu’s rebuke and, though still dissatisfied, reluctantly sat back down. Lian Sheng, sent by Zhang Zhuo to keep an eye on things, stood outside for a while. After hearing what happened, he didn’t go in and quietly returned the way he came. Just as he was about to report, he heard noise outside. Realizing it was Zhang Yue returning, he rushed out like the wind and happened to see Zhang Yue entering through the west gate.
“Third young master, you’ve come just in time! The two guests in the flower hall have been waiting for you for a long time!”
Zhang Yue had already heard from the gatekeeper that Wang Yu and Shi Heng were looking for him, so he nodded. Although he should have changed into mourning clothes upon returning home, thinking of Shi Heng, he decided to see the guests first. Following Lian Sheng inside, he listened to a detailed account of their conversation and glared at him irritably, though he thought Wang Yu was someone worth getting along with.
If Wang Yu hadn’t been such a practical person, rising from an unremarkable position to a fifth-rank captain so quickly, he wouldn’t have been appointed so fast.

Upon entering the flower hall, he saw two people sitting on the chairs on the left. Wang Yu was dressed in a slightly worn sky-blue Lu silk robe, while the tall and burly Shi Heng wore a gray cloth robe and black cloth shoes, looking neat and tidy, with mourning bands given by the host family during the visit tied around his waist. Seeing both of them stand up at the same time, he stepped forward quickly and bowed to greet them. After sitting down and hearing Wang Yu explain the reason for his visit in person, he couldn’t help but feel emotional. He had just accompanied Zhu Zhanji to the front guard of the imperial army that day, and yet Shi Heng showed up right away—what a strange coincidence.