Chapter 695: The Lobbyist of the Duke of Yingguo’s Residence

Having known Zhang Yue for many years, Fang Ling occasionally encountered Du Zhen as well, but this was his first time entering the Du family’s residence. In the past, he would have gone to see that renowned, cold-faced scholar without hesitation, but now he had no such desire at all. Though he was the son of a noble family, he had few friends and no trustworthy relatives; his only confidants were Sun Han and Zhang Yue. Since Sun Han was not in the capital, even though he knew he shouldn’t come, Fang Ling still had no choice but to pay a visit.

From childhood onward, aside from Sun Han, who had grown up with him, Zhang Yue was the person who had helped him the most times. Even now, when it came to his own future, he couldn’t just stand by and do nothing.

“Brother Fang? It’s you who’s looking for me. Is something urgent?”

Hearing this call, Fang Ling immediately snapped out of his thoughts. Seeing Zhang Yue step through the threshold, he rushed forward without hesitation. Seeing his familiar smiling face, he glanced at the empty courtyard before gritting his teeth and saying, “Yuanjie, I really didn’t want to bother you, but the situation is extremely urgent… The Jinyiwei just received news that several people from Le’an have entered the capital. One of them… one of them has gone to the Duke of Yingguo’s residence!”

Zhang Yue had always been worried about Fang Ling’s past actions—spying had always been an extremely difficult task, let alone being a double agent. But after seeing Fang Ling handle things so effortlessly and even rise rapidly after Zhu Gaochi ascended the throne, his concerns lessened. When he saw Fang Ling in person today, he thought he might be in trouble, but upon hearing the last sentence, he was stunned speechless. He finally managed to swallow hard.

“How long ago did this happen?”

“They entered an hour ago. At least up until I came here to find you, they hadn’t come out yet.”

Zhang Yue didn’t ask silly questions like whether it was certain. Since Fang Ling had been with the Jinyiwei for quite some time, he would never make such a mistake—someone must have allowed them to enter. He knew Zhang Fu well; he was by no means someone ambitious enough to act recklessly. Moreover, having already made up his mind, he wouldn’t be swayed by any lobbyist. But the problem was that now, with the Jinyiwei detecting such activities, it would be impossible to defend oneself easily.

Many voices can crush gold; three people can create a tiger. Compared to that, what the empress dowager and the emperor thought was secondary!

Seeing Zhang Yue remain silent, Fang Ling grabbed a hat from the desk and put it on his head, then whispered, “Yuanjie, your great-uncle has twice demonstrated his ability to stabilize the country. But this matter is tiny on one hand and extremely serious on the other! I’m not the top figure in the Jinyiwei, and even if I were, I wouldn’t dare conceal this from you—just keep this in mind. I can’t be away for long; I must leave now. Take care! We might grow further apart in the future, but I’ll always consider you a confidant!”
It wasn’t until Fang Ling strode out that Zhang Yue came to his senses. He hurried after him but stopped at the door, moving his lips slightly as he murmured a thank you. Watching that tall figure disappear at the entrance, he leaned one hand on the doorframe, the other still holding the bamboo curtain.
He was lucky—no crossroads in friendships in this life!
In the study, Xiao Wu paced anxiously around Du Zhen, who remained calm, dipping his brush in ink to write on the long scroll. She could only keep circling the desk. Finally, when he paused, she rushed forward and asked, “Father, they said it’s urgent to see my brother-in-law—why don’t you go see who it is?”
“It’s to see your brother-in-law, not me. Why should I step in where I’m not needed?” Seeing Xiao Wu’s disapproval, Du Zhen didn’t explain further. Soon, he heard noise outside. Looking up, he saw Zhang Yue returning, with Xiao Wu anxiously pestering him with questions. He smiled and said, “Xiao Wu, take a break. Don’t worry needlessly. This is the capital—no one can do anything to your famous brother-in-law!”
“If you keep saying that, I’ll hide in some crack in the ground! It’s no big deal—just someone warning me in advance. It’s getting late; I should go back. I’ll come back to ask you questions when you have time.”
By now, Zhang Yue had shaken off his initial panic. First, Zhang Fu wasn’t a fool—he didn’t need him to rush over to remind him. Even if Fang Ling had come to inform him, rushing there would only make things worse. Seeing Du Zhen nod slightly without asking anything, he felt relieved. He bowed deeply and left to bid farewell to Mrs. Qiu.
“Father…”

Du Zhen was in a daze for a while before coming back to his senses upon hearing Xiao Wu’s voice. Seeing her looking at him with concern, he couldn’t help but laugh awkwardly. “It’s nothing. I just remembered some unimportant things. Don’t focus only on your sister and brother-in-law. There are also many messages coming from the north court these days. Shi Jie should be returning soon. Didn’t you say you wanted to surprise him when he gets back? Then hurry up and learn more skills from your mother so you can show off later.”

“Father, you always tease me!”

Duke Ying’s Mansion, Training Ground.

Nights in midsummer came late, and it was already close to dusk. The sky was dim, tinged with the dark red of the setting sun, creating a particularly oppressive atmosphere. The moon was faintly visible in the sky, and four blazing torches were planted in the four corners of the training ground, adding an even brighter red hue. The person in the center was slowly practicing with a sharp steel sword. Suddenly, the slow motion of the sword’s shadow flashed, turning into a burst of silver light—from a distance, only the shadow of the sword could be seen, not the person. The person standing silently beside the training ground suddenly exclaimed “Good!” and then clapped his hands several times.

After a while, the sword’s shadow disappeared, and the person holding the sword stepped down from the platform, holding it upside down. Using his free left hand, he took a soft towel handed to him by a servant to wipe the sweat from his face and neck. Then he sighed casually, “Time doesn’t spare anyone. I really am getting old. If I had truly trained hard back then, I would have been invincible. But now, it’s just an empty show.”

“Why should Duke Ying belittle yourself? Who doesn’t know that although you are the eldest son of the King of Hejian, your achievements were earned through hard fighting on the battlefield? Besides, the battlefield is full of sudden changes. While bravery is important, strategy is even more crucial. There have been very few famous generals like you, who are both brave and strategic, throughout history. Our Great Ming is fortunate to have you!”

Zhang Fu had heard plenty of flattery before, so when he heard this praise for his strategy, he glanced at the other person in surprise before saying indifferently, “The former emperor has just passed away, and the current emperor has just ascended the throne. The King of Han sent you all the way from Shandong just to say these things to me?”

“Of course not.”

Ming Qing had anticipated that overcoming the Duke of Yingguo would not be easy. Faced with Zhang Fu’s cold attitude, he was by no means discouraged. Instead, he stepped forward two paces and said with a smile, “My lord says that when Emperor Taizong rose up from a small region to conquer the whole country, it was partly thanks to the strategies of the Duke of Rongguo and partly due to the collective efforts of his generals. People like Zhang Wu and Chen Gui were once mere lower-ranking officers, not known for their bravery, wisdom, or tactics. But when opportunities arose, they stood out and became equal to the founding generals of the dynasty—this is what opportunity does! The Duke of Yingguo now holds high rank and honors, but how much real power does he actually possess? My lord won’t give value to empty titles. If the Duke can lend a hand, my lord will only keep Nanjing, while leaving Beizhili, Xuanfu, Shanxi, and Henan all to him!”

Even though Zhang Fu knew the King of Han would surely offer tempting rewards, he was still greatly astonished upon hearing this. He immediately sneered, “Does the King of Han think I’m a three-year-old child? If he does this and divides the land, how will he have the face to enter the ancestral temple in the future? Besides, if you could sneak here unnoticed, it’s mostly because of the King of Zhao’s help, right? The King of Zhao has ruled Beijing for years. If he’s conspiring with the King of Han, it’s probably to divide the country between north and south. What will become of me then?”

Seeing that Zhang Fu hadn’t outright refused firmly, Ming Qing was overjoyed. He quickly perked up and eagerly followed Zhang Fu, who was heading toward the weapon rack. Smiling, he said, “The Duke of Yingguo is the pillar of the nation. The King of Han always speaks of him with great admiration. He even said that during the battles against the Southern army, he realized that the only one who could match him in bravery was the Duke of Yingguo! As for the King of Zhao… to get anything in this world, one needs corresponding abilities, don’t you think?”

“So, the King of Han plans to treat the King of Zhao like what happened to the King of Ning?”

“The Duke of Yingguo is truly wise!”

When Zhu Di rose in rebellion during the Jingnan Campaign, Zhang Fu was just in his early twenties. He had experienced the joy of great victories, the panic of defeats, the heartbreak of his father’s death in battle, and the exhilaration of entering Nanjing triumphantly… Yet in his mind, Zhu Di’s success was largely not due to any particular famous general under him, but because Zhu Di dared to rely on an imperial edict from Emperor Jianwen, risking his own life at critical moments, betting that none of the Southern army generals would dare to kill him. Conquering the country wasn’t like fighting in Jiaozhi back then—without someone like Monk Daoyan or Yao Guangxiao, it would have been impossible to shake the realm.

Thus, as he carefully observed Mei Qing’s confident smiling face, he gradually wore a meaningful smile of his own. Suddenly, his right hand moved swiftly, and a blade as fast as a streak of light shot toward that head, ultimately resting on its neck. Due to the speed of the blade, a strand of Mei Qing’s hair fell to the ground, and his smiling face froze instantly.

“Does the Duke of Ying want to test my courage? Please allow me to speak the truth—just by coming here, I have already disregarded life and death. Moreover, His Highness the King of Han has already raised his troops. You must not misjudge the situation!”

At that moment, Zhang Fu’s hand didn’t tremble at all, as if what Mei Qing said wasn’t about the King of Han rebelling but some trivial matter. He steadily moved his long sword, pressing its blade tightly against Mei Qing’s neck, before saying slowly, “There’s no need for you to threaten me with such words. I won’t kill you.” Before Mei Qing could breathe a sigh of relief, he ordered in a deep voice, “Someone, take him down and tie him up!”

As soon as he finished speaking, several burly men suddenly rushed out from a corner of the training ground, surrounding Mei Qing and pressing him to the ground. In no time, they tied him tightly with hemp ropes. Seeing the man struggling desperately on the ground, staring at him as if unable to understand why he was treated like this, Zhang Fu lowered his sword and said indifferently, “Stuff a hemp nut in his mouth! Send someone else to prepare a horse—take him with me into the palace!”

Hearing those last words, Mei Qing felt as if his head had been struck by lightning; everything was completely chaotic. Before coming here, he had firmly promised King of Han Zhu Gaoxu that he could persuade him. Even while speaking confidently in front of Zhang Fu at the Duke of Ying’s residence, he still believed he could move him. How could he have imagined that Zhang Fu would make such a decision without even giving it much thought? While he still had the ability to speak, he tried one last time to speak through a strained voice.

“Duke of Ying, please think carefully! Now that you hold the rank of a duke and one of the Three Dukes, there is no higher title you can attain. In the future, you will surely be left idle! Even if you don’t think for yourself, you must think for your sons and family! I’m not exaggerating—just by being associated with the Zhang surname, they will surely face difficulties advancing in their careers, even Zhang Yue! Those old-fashioned officials in the court will continue to block his path. Only the King of Han has the vision…”

Mei Qing never finished speaking. After Zhang Fu gave him a signal, one of the household servants swung a knife heavily at the back of his neck, knocking him unconscious. Seeing his servants quickly cover Mei Qing’s mouth and drag him away like a dead dog, Zhang Fu put the knife back on the weapon rack before turning to look at Peng Shisan, who had appeared at some point unknown.
“Shisan, change into some clothes and come with me into the palace.”
Peng Shisan said nothing; he simply bowed silently and withdrew quietly. About as long as it took to eat a meal later, the east gate of the Duke of Yingguo’s residence opened, and suddenly more than a dozen people rushed out, each holding a horse. Peng Shisan, as an official, was still dressed in plain clothes, while the others wore all black, making them appear even darker and more sinister in the dim night. After a while, Zhang Fu, dressed in coarse clothes, came out carrying a yellow horse himself. In no time, all of them mounted their horses, and with the rapid sound of hooves, their figures gradually disappeared.

In the Buddha shrine in the back room of the main house, Lady Wang knelt in front of the jade Guanyin, counting the beads on her rosary as she recited scriptures. Though she had recited those words countless times before, she often found herself unable to remember the next line. Finally, after completing thirty repetitions, she saw Bi Luo standing there, holding Tian Ci in one arm and Zhang Tian in the other, with Xi Yu standing nearby, her face full of concern. Only then did she move her stiff knees to stand up and say calmly, “It’s getting late. Send the maids to put the children to bed. Everything is under the master’s control; nothing terrible will happen.”

Seeing the two of them relieved, she clenched her rosary tighter. It wasn’t that she feared danger for her family, but she had witnessed the horrors of the Jingnan Campaign firsthand. Could they really go through that same nightmare again?