Chapter 587: An Unexpected Encounter

Since Kaifeng was located near the Yellow River, although floods were a constant threat in summer, calm waters made it the best route for traveling between the north and south. Zhang Yue and his companions chose to sail north along the Yellow River and then proceed to Tongzhou via the Huitong River. Zhang Fu, who had important duties to attend, could not afford to delay and rushed back to the capital right after the burial and sacrifices.

It was now spring, with flowers in bloom, so Zhang Yue and his group had a smooth journey. However, since they had to take the canal instead of the Yellow River, passing through Anshan Lake, they encountered an endless stream of grain and merchant ships along the way, slowing down their progress.

Zhang Yue had disembarked here when he was assigned to Shandong before and switched to land travel. Returning to this place, he found the small village he remembered now twice as bustling, even showing signs of becoming a small town, which filled him with emotion. Since this was now part of Shandong territory, taking advantage of a stopover for the night, he decided to go ashore with Niu Gan and three other guards, along with a few servants to fetch food and drinks.

Wearing a green cloth robe, he didn’t stand out as he walked through the dock. Wanting to see this newly formed town, he sent the servants to shop while he explored around with Niu Gan and the others. When he casually entered a small inn, he saw a woman sitting at a table by the wall—someone he would never forget in his life.

Not only him, but Tang Sair, who was sitting there, also didn’t expect to meet Zhang Yue here. At that moment, she was alone; Tang Qingshuang, who was always by her side, was absent. With her head covered in a green cloth, wearing a blue-collared shirt and black shoes, and without any makeup, she looked like an ordinary rural woman. After dismissing a few annoying merchants who tried to approach her, she held a small porcelain bowl of wine and stared at Zhang Yue intently for a while before offering a faint smile.

“Young Master Zhang, it’s been a long time.”

“Indeed, it has.”

Although Zhang Yue had only met Tang Sair once at the Meng family’s house, and had heard almost no news about her since Feng Yuanming mentioned her once, the imperial warrant for her arrest still existed. Looking at her face, which hadn’t changed much, he felt inclined to sigh. But since she hadn’t tried to attack him when they met, nor had she left immediately, he simply stepped forward and said, “I didn’t expect you to still be in Shandong.”

“I’m just taking the opportunity of the Qingming Festival to visit my late husband’s grave; I don’t plan to stay in Shandong for long,” Tang Sair smiled faintly. Seeing Zhang Yue standing there, she casually said, “Since we’ve met, it must be fate. Why don’t you sit down and have a drink? After all, your sister-in-law is my junior sister in the sect—she’s not an outsider.”

Zhang Yue had never expected to see Tang Sair again, so he wasn’t prepared for her to say such things. Although there was a clear difference between officials and bandits, he could try to keep her around, but if she resorted to extreme measures, it would also cause him trouble. After all, Feng Yuanming was indeed the master of this White Lotus Sect—though only in terms of medicine.

Glancing back at the four guards standing motionless behind him, he felt that standing there would only draw more attention, so he sat down as she suggested. Seeing Tang Sair wave her hand to have another set of dishes and utensils brought over and carelessly fill his wine cup, he grew even more confused.

He remembered that back in Qingzhou, he had carried out executions by order, killing hundreds of people in one go, most of them White Lotus Sect members. It wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say he had a deep grudge against her.

“As I get older, my heart softens. I haven’t killed many people in recent years,” Tang Sair said indifferently after raising the crude white porcelain cup and taking a sip. Noticing Zhang Yue’s tense expression, she put down the cup. “I’m not like you. Though you’re a civil official, the number of people you’ve killed over the years must be beyond counting, right? But aging has its advantages—at least I’m more shrewd now and won’t be deceived without realizing it. Yue Changtian is dead, and the Crown Prince of Han is dead too. I’ve avenged most of my grudges. You don’t have to worry that I’ll keep pestering you.”

It certainly felt good no longer having such a sharp blade hanging over his head, but hearing those two names mentioned by Tang Sair made Zhang Yue take a deep breath. On the night of the chaos in the capital, he heard that a body had appeared in an alley near his home. After things settled, he asked Hu Qi to investigate. When he found out it was Yue Changtian, he simply didn’t mention it to anyone else. As for the death of the Crown Prince of Han, he had never considered it to be related to her. Now it seemed it might also be her doing?

“Miss Tang, is that all you want to tell me?”

“I just want to tell you—don’t underestimate women!” Tang Sair filled a cup to the brim, drank it in one gulp, then set the cup down on the table casually. “Once a woman becomes obsessed and crazy, she’s capable of anything. If the government could be fairer and kinder, if there were fewer wars, maybe I’d use these hands that have killed people to cook simple meals and lead a peaceful life. But if not, I’m ready to go all out! I advise you to be extra careful—there’s also a crazy woman watching you!”
With that, she stood up, pointed at Zhang Yue, and gave a slight nod to the clerk busy in the shop: “Today’s bill is on this young master!”
Hearing her matter-of-fact tone and seeing the blue-clothed figure leave through the door, Zhang Yue almost ordered someone to chase after her, but he held back. He was no longer the local official in Shandong, nor an official in the Ministry of Punishments in charge of maritime arrests. What good would it be to capture this leader of the White Lotus Sect? It would only be an even more troublesome issue. Besides, she had clearly said she intended to quit, so there was no need for him to meddle. Moreover, those two dead men were also ones he wanted to get rid of.
After settling the bill and leaving the inn, he glanced along the streets but couldn’t find Tang Sair anywhere. He turned back and instructed the four people who had followed him not to mention their accidental encounter today, then continued on his original route. It wasn’t until dark that he returned to the ship. By then, the messengers in charge of procurement had all returned. Zhang Chao was waiting at the bow specifically; as soon as he saw Zhang Yue board, he complained a bit before bringing up important news.
“Minister Lu Zhen of the Ministry of Rites has been released from prison and reinstated in his position.”
Thinking of how resolute Zhu Di had been when locking ministers in prison and how slow he was when releasing them, Zhang Yue felt that the emperor’s moods were indeed unpredictable. He asked, “How long ago was this?”
“About five or six days ago. It was news from an official ship traveling south from the capital to Nanjing. Since the Imperial Birthday is approaching, the emperor will attend Tianmen Gate to receive congratulations from officials and meet envoys from foreign nations. With Minister Lu missing from the Ministry of Rites, efficiency has been low these past few months, so he was finally released and reinstated.”
What kind of reason is that? If that’s really the reason, the other minister of the Ministry of Rites, Jin Chun, must be furious!

Though he thought so, Zhang Yue still admired Lu Zhen’s ability to manage three departments efficiently. The Ministry of Rites had always been a relatively idle department; although it oversaw the annual imperial examinations, its examiners were appointed by higher authorities, and it didn’t hold much real power. Yet Lu Zhen managed to seize control in every aspect and eliminate rivals while remaining firmly in power. Last time, Zhang Yue had heard the emperor fly into a rage, only for Lu Zhen to be pardoned effortlessly—this showed clearly how favored he was by the emperor.

The minor setbacks during the journey were like ripples on a calm surface, disappearing quickly. On March 23rd, the ship finally arrived at the Tongzhou dock. Gao Quan, who was staying in the capital, had been waiting in Tongzhou city early in the morning and met them in the afternoon. With the women’s luggage being substantial, six carriages were needed. He instructed his servants to watch over the porters unloading the goods from the ship and then hurried over to the three Zhang brothers.

Since the three brothers’ children were still young—the oldest not yet four and the youngest still in swaddling clothes—they might not withstand the bumpy journey. As they were all great-grandchildren, they had stayed in the capital earlier, along with Fang Shuixin’s family and Hong Luan’s family. The former were kept indoors, ignored by everyone, while the latter stayed because Zhang Fu had been unwell beforehand. After much thought, she asked Zhang Zhuo for permission, and they stayed. When Gao Quan reported that all the young masters were fine, everyone breathed a sigh of relief.

Just as Zhang Yue was about to mount his horse after the women boarded the carriages, he heard noise coming from the other side of the dock. Following the sound, he saw another passenger ship docked there. The source of the noise was a man in his thirties, surrounded by porters loading luggage and carriage drivers trying to solicit business. When he heard clearly what the man was saying, Zhang Yue couldn’t help but laugh.

It turned out to be haggling—nothing serious!

“Don’t think we’re outsiders who don’t know the market. My father is an official in the capital! It’s only a few dozen miles from Tongzhou to Beijing. You want to charge us so much for such a small group? How dare you! And it already costs ninety coins to transport all this luggage from the ship—pah, you must be daydreaming! Mother, don’t stop me. We’ve come all the way from Taihe to live a good life in the capital. Why should we suffer because of these laborers’ greed?”

Zhang Yue, who had intended to turn and set off, suddenly heard the words “Taihe” and immediately let go of the reins, turning back to look carefully. At that moment, he saw someone helping an old woman slowly get off the boat from the steps. The old woman was dressed very simply, as if she came from an ordinary family. Yet, recalling the suggestion he had made to Yang Shiqi earlier, he couldn’t help but become alert and quickly led Liansheng over there. As they got closer, he heard the man mutter again.
“Father is a high-ranking grand secretary of the Left Spring Court, yet now that we’ve arrived in Tongzhou, there isn’t even anyone to welcome us. What on earth is that worthless Yang Zhong doing!”