Chapter 146: Intentions

When Zhu Di was still the Prince of Yan, his three guards—Left, Middle, and Right—were renowned as the strongest forces in the land, with only the Danning Guard under Prince Ning Zhu Quan being comparable to them. After ascending the throne, Zhu Di appointed his eldest legitimate son Zhu Gaochi as crown prince, but he also doted greatly on Prince Han Zhu Gaoxu and Prince Zhao Zhu Gaosui. Prince Han Zhu Gaoxu even received the Tiance Three Guards, which were part of the emperor’s personal army. Although two of his guards were reduced last year, his private army in Shandong and the Tiance Middle Guard remained formidable.

Although Prince Zhao Zhu Gaosui received less favor than his brother Prince Han Zhu Gaoxu, he was much more restrained now, and his Changshan Three Guards were exceptionally strong. The commanders of these three guards held third-rank positions. Though not under the jurisdiction of the capital guards, even those commanders feared Prince Zhao’s power and had to yield to them. Among them, Meng Xian, the commander of the Middle Guard, was the most trusted as he was descended from meritorious officials. His mansion was located right in the middle of Beijing West Street, adjacent to the Mansion of Marquis Baoding, though slightly smaller in scale.

Meng Xian had many children. His legitimate wife, Lady Wu, gave birth to a legitimate son named Meng Fan, while the rest were born to his concubines. Since he had no daughters, he raised his eldest concubine’s daughter, Meng Min, as his own. Meng Min’s biological mother, Concubine Qin, had passed away early. As the eldest daughter and raised by her legitimate mother, she naturally had all her younger siblings under her control. Lady Wu, being in poor health, and with the concubines unable to agree on anything, it was usually Meng Min who managed the household, keeping everything in order.

One day, Meng Min was in Lady Wu’s room, chatting with her mother. They were discussing that it was springtime and it was time to send someone to check on the family’s estates. After coughing a few times, Lady Wu said with a smile, “It’s enough that you handle household affairs. There are estate managers and overseers who go there regularly. If you have to worry about those too, what’s the point of them? Min, I don’t worry about anything else now, but I’m only concerned about you. Since the Zhang family has come to Beijing, I want to find an opportunity to meet that old lady.”

“Mother, you’re not in good health. With the weather still unpredictable, it’s better if you stay indoors.”

“I’m fine. Although marriage is arranged by parents and matchmakers, I’ve only heard from your father. I haven’t met that Zhang Yue yet, so I’m still a bit uneasy. Though you’re not my biological daughter, I raised you, so I must make sure everything is proper before sending you off.”

Even though Meng Min had always been open and unreserved, seeing Lady Wu’s conversation centered entirely on her own marriage still made her blush slightly. She then said boldly, “Mother, they haven’t given their consent yet, so please don’t worry too much about it. My younger brothers and sisters are still young; if I get married, the household might become chaotic. My sixth sister is already thirteen, and she seems sensible—I need to ensure she can take over eventually.”
“If it weren’t for you, with all those concubines and troublesome younger siblings, who knows what chaos would reign in this household!” Lady Wu smiled, holding Meng Min’s hand, her face showing unmistakable satisfaction. “Although your younger brother is my biological child, he can’t compare to you in terms of care. As for your sixth sister, you don’t need to worry constantly. If she’s truly determined, she’ll study hard on her own—after all, that’s how you got here too. Besides, Zhang Yue is great in every way…”
Thinking of the elderly matriarch in the Zhang family whom even the Duke of Ying had to respect, Lady Wu felt a hint of concern. “Zhang Yue may be great in every way, but there are three branches in the family—plus the eldest and second branches—with many siblings and elders. Here, you’re the responsible daughter-in-law, but there you’ll have to be a new bride setting rules. That’s what bothers me.”
Even though Meng Min wasn’t shy, she finally grew annoyed. “Mother, nothing has been decided yet! Stop bringing it up all the time!”
But Lady Wu seemed unaware of Meng Min’s annoyance. Though silent, she continued to ponder the dowry, the wedding date, and her future son-in-law. She had always been a traditional woman who put her husband first, knowing little about court affairs. With so many eligible noble youths in Beijing, she couldn’t understand why her husband was so set on Zhang Yue, who wasn’t particularly outstanding.
She didn’t think about these things, but Meng Min had her own thoughts. She was close friends with the Princess of Anyang, had met the Crown Prince’s wife a few times, and got along well with the Princess of Chenliu. Although her father never discussed court matters in front of her, she heard many things inadvertently, and thanks to her deep understanding of him, she couldn’t help but consider the implications of this marriage he was pushing so hard for.
Yet Zhang Yue had made a very good impression on her from the first encounter, and the same was true for the next two meetings. With marriage arranged by parents and matchmakers, her life was bound by these eight words. She feared that if her father’s intentions were too strong, it would be difficult for her to live independently in the future.
“Madam, Miss!”

Hearing this call, Lady Wu and Meng Min both snapped out of their daze. Seeing Hong Xiu enter from the door, Meng Min immediately felt puzzled, “Where have you been?” Hong Xiu simply smiled, winked at her young master, then bowed to Lady Wu, saying with a smile, “Madam, the Duke of England’s household… no, it should be said that the third young master of the Zhang family just sent someone over, saying he has something to give to the young lady. The woman who brought it is still outside. Shall I ask her in?” Hearing this, Lady Wu laughed right away. Without even looking at Meng Min’s still astonished face, she repeatedly told Hong Xiu to go and invite the person in. When the neatly dressed woman in a crimson front-buttoned shirt followed Hong Xiu in and bowed deeply, Lady Wu quickly told her to stand up, then asked with a smile, “What did your young master send you to deliver?” That woman was originally Sun Shi’s maid. She had initially only known that the fourth young lady of the Meng family was an illegitimate child. Now, seeing Meng Min sitting close to Lady Wu on the kang, looking like a close mother-daughter pair, she realized that this young lady was likely raised by her legitimate mother, which surprised her. Hearing Lady Wu’s question, she quickly presented a lacquered box, saying with a smile, “The young master only gave this box. I don’t know what’s inside. He just said it’s a clever item he got from the old lady yesterday, and asked the fourth young lady to share it with her sisters for fun.” Hearing this, Lady Wu laughed again, thinking to herself that young men always needed excuses when sending gifts. Taking the lacquered box from the maid, she glanced at Meng Min before simply opening it. Inside were four small sandalwood fans with gold inlay on the handles. Her heart stirred, and she picked up one, opened it to examine it, then closed it again. “Ming’er, Brother Yue really remembers you sisters. These four fans must have been bestowed by the palace. But since they’re still young, keep one for your sixth sister and store the rest properly. Hmm… as a return gift…” Hearing the word “return gift,” the maid quickly said with a smile, “Madam, it’s just a few fans given to the young ladies for fun. There’s no need to talk about a return gift. Yesterday, the master of your household also sent a precious Duan inkstone. The young master said he would visit to express his gratitude when he has time.”

Mrs. Wu couldn’t think of what to give in return for a while. Hearing this, she admired her husband’s quick decision-making. After chatting with the manager’s wife for a while longer, she ordered her maid to send her away. Then she handed the lacquered box to Meng Min, saying, “It’s pointless to give it to those kids. Just do as I said earlier. Although your father sent something over, he is him and you are you—think carefully about what to give in return. This is done in front of elders, so it’s not considered private giving and doesn’t violate etiquette.”

Meanwhile, Meng Min returned to her room, struggling to decide what to give in return. Meanwhile, Zhang Yue waited for the two manager’s wives to return. After hearing their report on the gift-giving process, he couldn’t help but give each of them some money for wine. After they left, he looked at Du Wan’s reply letter in his hand and thought of what she had said about the Meng family. Sitting down at his desk, he couldn’t help but sigh bitterly.

Such an extravagant folding fan could naturally only be given to a woman. Although there were many noble daughters he had met at the Meng family’s poetry gathering, the ones who left the deepest impression on him were only Meng Min and Du Wan. So, he only had these two options. One was his brother-in-law’s cousin, and the other was his mentor’s daughter. Giving gifts to them wasn’t inappropriate, but he had no control over how they would feel about them.

He wasn’t Huo Qubing, who said, “How can I have a family until the Xiongnu are destroyed?” This marriage would likely take place within the next two years. Since he couldn’t control it, as Zhang Qing said, rather than getting married blindly, it was better to choose someone he liked. But why was Meng Xian precisely the commander of the guards in Changshan?

Thinking of this, he gently opened Du Wan’s letter. Inside, there were a few lines of elegant handwriting, mostly expressing gratitude. Additionally, she mentioned that her father still hadn’t sent any news and asked him to try to find out something. At this, he immediately frowned. Even though Zhang Yue said he had asked the commander of Shandong to look into it, what if they really encountered a problem even that commander couldn’t solve, or if the difficulties Du Zhen faced were beyond anyone’s reach? What could he do then?

Also, why had Yang Shiqi sent him to Shandong? Was it to let him gain more experience and help Du Zhen, or did he think his background would help him gain a foothold there?

Disturbed, he closed the letter, stood up, and stepped through the curtain into the main room. As soon as he stepped outside, he saw Hu Bo coming in from the outside, holding something in her hands. His heart stirred, and he hurried over. Before he could ask anything, Hu Bo handed him a letter right away.

“Young master, you’ve been asking constantly about Lord Du’s letter. I just passed by Chuihua Gate and saw a servant handing it to Lady Liu, so I hurried to bring it to you.”
Zhang Yue was preoccupied, and upon hearing it was Du Zhen’s letter, he was immediately moved. After hearing Hu Bo’s explanation, he turned around and nodded. He went to his desk, opened the sealed letter, but found only a thin sheet of paper inside. To his great disappointment, the letter merely stated briefly that he had taken up his post in Shandong, that everything was fine, and he shouldn’t worry—nothing about what he wanted to know was mentioned at all.
Was there really something going on in Shandong, or not?