Chapter 158: Chaos Unleashed

The northernmost courtyard of the Du family was where Du Wan lived. The main house was used for daily living, while a spacious room to the west served as her study. On the desk beneath the window in the study, there were writing brushes, ink, paper, and inkstones. The bookshelves were filled to capacity with books. Aside from that, there was a simply colored vase on a small rosewood table nearby—at first glance, it might have seemed like the study of a humble scholar.

That day, Xiao Wu hurried back from Qingshou Temple. Seeing someone sitting in a daze at the desk, she sighed and walked over helplessly. She glanced at the book laid out on the desk and realized that although she recognized each character, she couldn’t understand what the text meant when put together. She gave up on this futile effort. While she had talent in other areas, reading was not one of them. It was already enough to be considered lucky not to be completely ignorant—just as Dao Yan, the old monk, would say.

After standing there for a long time and seeing that Du Wan was still lost in thought, she snapped, “Miss, it’s rare for me to come back. Is this just so you can watch me daydream?”

Du Wan finally snapped out of her trance. Seeing Xiao Wu standing there with pouted lips, she smiled, stood up, and pulled her over to sit on the couch outside. She first inquired about Dao Yan’s condition, learning that his health was unstable and he could hardly move around. Concern appeared on her face, and she said, “These past days, I’ve only been thinking about Father. I haven’t even had time to visit him…”

Xiao Wu didn’t understand. “Father? Isn’t he doing his job as the governor of Shandong? With such a high position, everyone in Shandong obeys him. Why are you so worried?”

“He’s been away for months, and in total, he’s only sent three letters—all good news, no bad news. I’m really worried.” Du Wan finally showed signs of frustration, pressing her temples hard. “An official assigned to a remote post, especially a governor, surely brings his family with him. But Father refuses to do so. When he talked to me before, his words were vague and unclear. I didn’t dare to tell Mother in detail. But the more I think about it, the more something seems off. Xiao Wu, a few days ago I asked Sister Liu to investigate. It seems the White Lotus Sect is very active in Shandong. If they cause trouble…”

“Miss, don’t scare me!”

Seeing Xiao Wu truly frightened, Du Wan couldn’t help but sigh inwardly. Though she was a woman and had led a hard life in her hometown, the Qiu family still insisted on hiring a tutor to teach her to read and write. She also finished reading all the books left at home by her father, even though she only understood them half-heartedly. However, families in the Jiangnan region were very rule-bound, so she had few opportunities to go out. It was only after reuniting with her father that he often talked to her about various matters in the court, and gradually she began to understand some of the bigger principles.

The Ming Dynasty originated from the White Lotus Sect. After coming to power, the greatest threats they feared were first the Mongol Yuan Dynasty and second, the White Lotus Sect. She wasn’t worried that the White Lotus Sect’s activities would actually endanger her father, a high-ranking official in the court, but rather that if they caused a major disturbance, the inspector general would bear the blame, and her father would also be held accountable. In that case, not to mention his future, his life might even be at risk.

Seeing that Du Wan not only failed to answer her question but also started to daydream, Xiao Wu angrily went over to the desk by the window and sat down, idly flipping through the book. At first, she paid little attention, but once she saw the name on it, her eyes widened instantly. Just as she turned to ask, Du Wan glanced over, so she waved the book between two fingers.

“Miss, you don’t read other books, so why are you reading his?”
“Great writings should be shared. His article has spread throughout Beijing, and it’s said to be highly praised among scholars. Of course I want to read it. If you liked literature too, I’m sure you’d have to read it several times.”

Du Wan snatched the book from Xiao Wu’s hands and was about to mock her when she heard noise outside. She quickly went outside and saw Lady Qiu bending in, her face still showing signs of worry. She hurried over to help her mother and then asked with a smile, “Mother, didn’t you go out to visit some familiar aunts and elders today? Why do you seem upset?”

As soon as Lady Qiu sat down, she waved her hand to send the two maids away and sighed for a while before saying, “I went to the Zhang family, but instead of any good news, I encountered bad news. They didn’t say anything about your marriage to Yuan Jie, but the emperor first ordered them to prioritize official duties over personal matters, saying there’s no rush for the marriage. That’s one thing, but I just found out that he happens to have been assigned to Shandong too! After returning, I heard from the Fang family that the White Lotus Sect is causing a lot of trouble in Shandong…”

Du Wan never expected that despite her efforts to keep it a secret from her mother, someone would still blab it out. She knew it was useless to blame the talkative housekeeper now, so she forced a smile and tried to comfort her mother.
“Mother, those outsiders don’t know anything about the White Lotus Sect or the Black Lotus Sect; it’s all just rumors. Please don’t believe them. If things were really that chaotic, Father, who is highly favored by the emperor, would surely not go to such a troubled place after returning to the capital. Besides, the emperor has always been kind to Young Master Zhang. He’s still young and inexperienced; they would surely choose a peaceful place for him to serve, and even the Duke of Yingguo wouldn’t agree to it.”
Seeing her mother’s frown ease, she realized that her mother generally didn’t care about matters outside the household, so her made-up story would surely work. But before she could breathe a sigh of relief, her mother firmly made up her mind.
“Your father has been in office for several months now and should have settled in by now. Since he’s away studying and can’t take care of the family, how can this high-ranking official go without anyone to look after him? Wan, tell the maids to pack our things. When we go to Shandong during the Yuan Festival, we’ll go with him! I won’t be at ease until I see your father standing safely in front of me! It’s good that we’re going together during the festival; we can take care of each other and won’t have to worry about anything on the road.”
Du Wan felt frustrated. She wanted to persuade her mother again, but the usually agreeable Qiu Shi was now determined like a rock, refusing to listen to a word. Soon after, she left, saying she needed to go back to her room to pack quickly. Watching her mother go back inside, and thinking of her father’s instructions before he left, she became even more anxious.
She was worried about her father and wanted to go to Shandong too, but if there really was a White Lotus Sect there, wouldn’t her mother and her as women just cause trouble for her father? Since all her efforts earlier had failed, who else could she turn to persuade her mother? Who else could possibly do that?
Zhang Yue certainly didn’t expect Qiu Shi to be ready to join him on the journey. After handling some matters at the Ministry of Personnel, he was now preparing at home for his appointment. Not only did he need to pack his luggage, but he also found that there were an unusually large number of people who wanted to accompany him to Shandong—Lian Sheng and Lian Hu were obvious choices, and Qiu Hen Hu Bo was essential too. The Duke of Yingguo, Zhang Fu, fearing he might fail, said he wanted to “borrow” Peng Shisan for him and assigned eight strong servants to accompany him. Moreover, his grandmother wanted to select personal attendants, and all the servants in the household were eager to volunteer.

Other things might have been tolerable, but Grandma Gu insisted on giving Lingxi to them, which truly caught him off guard the most. Not only did he not understand what was going on, but even Feng and Dongfang, after learning of it, were deeply puzzled, secretly thinking that the old lady had doted on Zhang Yue so much that he had forgotten all notions of hierarchy. Yet no matter how much Zhang Yue tried to decline, Grandma Gu paid no attention. That evening, she even ordered two of her daughters-in-law to take Lingxi, who had already packed her things, to the bamboo courtyard where the third branch lived, causing quite a stir among everyone.

Qiu Hen dared not say anything, Hu Bo didn’t care, Sun had gotten angry at first but now had resigned herself to it, and Zhang Zhuo also hoped his son would have a reliable person to take care of him during his journey, so things remained calm on that side. However, Feng and Dongfang, as sister-in-laws, were resentful. They agreed to go together to Grandma Gu’s main residence, both determined to make her give up this idea.

When they entered, their faces were still smiling, but soon harsh scolding from Grandma Gu could be heard inside. The maids standing outside trembled at hearing it, not to mention the ugly expressions on their faces when they came out. On the other hand, the two concubines in the main branch were overjoyed upon learning of this and all went to Concubine Luo’s place to chat. Poor Concubine Luo, who was always timid and didn’t get involved in affairs, was terrified after hearing what they said, but didn’t dare to ask them to leave.

Finally, when everyone left, Concubine Luo quickly ordered two maids to close the door and instructed them to say she had a headache and was asleep if anyone came looking for her. Back in her room, she saw her daughter Zhang Yi looking at something by the desk and wondered why. After asking, she found out it was the article written by Zhang Yue that had spread throughout Beijing. She sighed and said, “I used to think the third madam was weak, always letting the second madam take the lead, as if she couldn’t speak in front of the old lady. Who would have thought that because of having such a good son, she can now hold her head high? It’s a pity you’re a girl. If you were a boy, even if I had to sacrifice my face, I would still ask Brother Yue to help you!”

“Concubine…” Zhang Yi had always been gentle, and since Concubine Luo was timid, she didn’t dare to use an informal address even when alone with her mother. She lowered her head, rubbed the hem of her clothes, and then said softly, “A few days ago, when my elder sister came to see me, she said the third aunt mentioned… she said she would help watch over my affairs and definitely… definitely not…”

Though she spoke in a low voice, Auntie Luo certainly didn’t mishear. She immediately grabbed her wrist and asked, “What did you say? Is your elder sister really willing to take on this task?”
Seeing Zhang Yi nod shyly, she quickly clasped her hands together and repeated “Amitabha” several times, her face showing a mixture of joy and sorrow. “Thank heaven! You finally have someone noble to help you. Your elder sister is now the wife of the young marquis. I don’t expect you to marry into a wealthy family either—your temperament isn’t suited for handling such situations. I only hope you marry someone who will treat you well, so that you can live a peaceful life from now on. That would satisfy me completely!”