Chapter 113: Whose Good Intentions?

A month passed in the blink of an eye.
Zhang Zhuoyuan wanted Zhang Yue to stay indoors and focus on his studies, but after Lord Cheng Guogong Zhu Yong visited him that day, he realized this was the capital, not Kaifeng. Staying completely indoors wasn’t a good idea—there should be no extreme measures. So, after giving his son strict instructions, he stopped interfering with Zhang Yue’s affairs and focused on reviewing his own studies, refraining from setting any additional tasks for him.
Exams also required talent. Compared to Zhang Yue, Zhang Zhuoyuan’s talent in this area was clearly ordinary; otherwise, he wouldn’t have taken the exams for over a decade before finally passing. Of course, there were many others who spent their entire lives as mere candidates without success.
It was now May, and the weather was growing hotter. Early that morning, the bright sun hung high in the sky, emitting intense heat. By the time Zhang Yue arrived at the Du family’s door under the scorching sun, he was already drenched in sweat, with his blue robe mostly soaked. He jumped off his horse and casually handed the reins to Yue Shan, who came to greet him, then wiped his sweat before entering.
Although Du Zhen was not there, he had been instructed in advance. Moreover, Lady Qiu of the Du family often sent things over from time to time—either Du Zhen’s old textbooks, exam questions he had left behind, or homemade snacks. Zhang Yue couldn’t refuse, so he often visited. Fortunately, considering the upcoming provincial exams, Lady Qiu would only keep him for about an hour each time.
This time, however, as soon as he passed the screen gate and entered the outer courtyard, he encountered Nan Bo, the old servant who had served Du Zhen in Kaifeng for many years. As Nan Bo greeted him with a smile, the gray-haired man said, “Young master, there’s a guest here today. The mistress is receiving them in the flower hall across the courtyard. She said if you come, go straight there—it’s Lord Liang from the Eastern Palace.”
As someone who visited frequently, Zhang Yue naturally knew the way, so he declined Nan Bo’s offer to guide him and led Liansheng and Lianhu inside. After walking a short distance along the cobblestone path and passing through another moon gate, they arrived at the western courtyard of the Du residence. There were three flower halls ahead, with bamboo curtains hanging in front of them. Two young servants, still in their childhood hairstyles, stood at the steps. When they saw him, one of them called out loudly, while the other stopped for a moment before running over quickly.
“The mistress says to let the young master enter straight away.”

Zhang Yue instructed Lian Sheng and Lian Hu to wait outside, then took the boxes from their hands. Upon reaching the entrance of the flower hall, the servant at the front lifted the bamboo curtains high. As he bent down to enter, he saw an old man in a gauze robe and gauze hat on his left, roughly of the same age as Yang Shiqi—presumably the Lord Liang mentioned by Nan Bo. At the main seat stood four screen panels painted with flowers, birds, and landscapes; though no one was visible, it was undoubtedly Lady Qiu, Du Zhen’s wife, sitting behind them.

Zhang Yue handed the items to a maid nearby and first paid his respects to Lady Qiu. Since they were familiar with each other, as soon as he bent down, Lady Qiu said it was enough, then added, “Hurry and meet Lord Liang. He is a scholar of the Hanlin Academy and also serves as a right advisor in the Eastern Palace’s Right Spring Department. Lord Liang once served as chief editor of the Yongle Encyclopedia—few in the court can compare to his knowledge, and the emperor holds him in high esteem. Your teacher also has great respect for Lord Liang. I heard you are about to take the provincial examinations. Since your teacher is not here, if you have any difficulties, feel free to consult Lord Liang. He is well-known for going out of his way to help younger scholars.”

Zhang Yue knew that to become a scholar in the Hanlin Academy these days required not only profound knowledge but also being one of the emperor’s most trusted civil officials. Moreover, this Lord Liang was an official of the Eastern Palace and someone respected by Du Zhen. So, after Lady Qiu introduced him, Zhang Yue quickly stepped forward to bow in greeting before taking his seat at the back. As soon as he sat down, he heard a kind voice.

“Lady Du has already said I go out of my way to help younger scholars. It seems I can’t avoid helping you this time!” Lord Liang smiled slightly, then nodded at Zhang Yue and said, “You are still young. Don’t become complacent because of your background. Don’t disappoint your teacher’s expectations. Since your teacher is not here these days, feel free to come to me if you have any questions.”

After giving these words of encouragement, Lord Liang heard a servant report from the corridor that the books were ready, so he got up and happily took his leave. Since Lady Qiu couldn’t see him off herself, she ordered her butler to escort him to the door. Once they left, she ordered the two maids standing by to remove the screen panels and waved for Zhang Yue to come over.

“Academician Liang is here today to borrow books. I thought you had said you’d come today, so I kept him for a while longer. Sure enough, you happened to arrive just in time.” Lady Qiu’s expression grew even kinder as she smiled and added, “During the Emperor’s northern tour, among the Hanlin Academy scholars left to assist the crown prince, one is Yang Shiqi, and the other is this Liang Qian, also known as Liang Yongzhi—they are the crown prince’s right-hand men. They are both your mentors and highly learned. If you have any questions, feel free to consult them; it will also be beneficial for your future career… Ahem, if your husband finds out, he’ll surely blame me for meddling. But since there’s such an opportunity, how could I let you miss it?”
Zhang Yue knew Lady Qiu meant well, so he quickly thanked her. He then mentioned things like the unbearable heat and the need to take care of his health. After chatting idly for about half an hour, he declined her invitation to stay for dinner and got up to leave. Only after leaving the small garden hall did he realize that Lian Sheng and Lian Hu were nowhere to be seen. Curious, he asked the two servants at the steps, but they stammered and failed to explain what had happened.
Could two living people really have disappeared from the Du family’s residence?
Faced with this baffling situation, Zhang Yue didn’t want to go back into the small garden hall to see Lady Du and Lady Qiu, so he left the western courtyard. As soon as he stepped outside, he saw his two missing bookboys standing in a corner, along with a young man dressed like a servant. His back seemed familiar. At that moment, Lian Sheng and Lian Hu had seen him, but the young man facing away still hadn’t noticed, continuing to talk nonstop.
“Did you two actually remember what I just said? You’re so stupid! I’ve already said it three times!”
“Okay.”
“Finally, you remembered. When you tell your master, remember to phrase it carefully, and definitely don’t let anything slip! If he finds out, you’ll regret it!”
Zhang Yue listened from behind, surprised, then burst into silent laughter. He always thought that whenever he visited the Du family, Lian Sheng and Lian Hu would come back with some sensible words. It turned out it wasn’t because they had improved, but because someone was giving them hints. However, no matter how he looked at it, that person didn’t seem like someone who could come up with such sensible advice. So he gently coughed.
At that cough, the man jumped aside like a startled deer. When he turned around and saw Zhang Yue, he froze. After a long while, he showed an annoyed expression, stamped his foot at Lian Sheng and Lian Hu, and shouted, “You two fools! Why didn’t you warn me when someone was coming?”

When the young master came over, how dare we make a sound? Lian Sheng and Lian Hu exchanged glances for a moment before both letting out a sigh of relief, thinking that their unlucky days were finally over—they wouldn’t have to put up with that mischievous little girl anymore. So, when Zhang Yue approached, the two of them quickly slipped away without a word, ignoring the little girl’s furious shouting behind them.

“Miss Xiao Wu, it’s our reunion.”

“Who wants to see you…” Xiao Wu grumbled irritably before suddenly lifting her head without hesitation. “Since you heard what was said just now, it doesn’t matter whether you listen or not. This is… something the master mentioned before, that’s why I kindly warned those two guys. I’ve said all I need to say. I’m going to Qixia Temple to see Master Yao!”

Seeing Xiao Wu turn and walk away, Zhang Yue couldn’t help but smile. Before she could take a few steps, he said, “Please convey my regards to Miss Du. I’ve taken this warning to heart and will be more careful in my actions from now on.”

As soon as he finished speaking, Xiao Wu turned back angrily, her pretty face red with fury. “This was all my own decision. What does it have to do with Miss Du! Hmph! The master left Miss Du and the madam at home and went off to Kaifeng to recruit disciples. Miss Du hates you enough—how would she help you! This capital is a place full of trouble. You, a mere scholar, shouldn’t just focus on showing off and risk losing your life!”

With that, Xiao Wu dashed off like the wind and disappeared in an instant.

Zhang Yue gazed thoughtfully in the direction she left, feeling somewhat reassured. Whether this was a warning left by Du Zhen or a reminder from Du Wan, it shared similarities with Zhang Fu’s earlier instructions to Lady Wang. After going outside to meet Lian Sheng and Lian Hu, seeing the two brothers’ anxious expressions, he didn’t bother asking further and simply mounted his horse, whipping it into motion.

“Elder brother, do you think the young master is angry with us?”

“Sigh, if we had known this, we should have told the young master the first time we met that girl at the Du family’s house!” Lian Sheng snapped his whip in frustration, still shaken. “If it weren’t for that girl, whose temper is even worse than Miss Du’s and who’s quite skilled, we wouldn’t have been coerced by her for so many days! Better a quick pain than a long one. Once the young master calms down, everything should be fine… Ah, stop talking! The young master has already left. If we lose track of him, how will we explain this to the master?”

The two brothers hurriedly mounted their horses and rushed after them, praying fervently to the gods—Lord, it was all that little girl who caused this trouble; it had nothing to do with us brothers at all!