Chapter 201: Bad News and Good News

Although the vassal kings of the Ming Dynasty held high status, they were not involved in civil administration. Even Zhu Di, the Prince of Yan, despite his great influence in Beiping back then, was still subject to the control of the Beiping Military Commission and the Beiping Administrative Commission. Thus, when the Prince of Han asked this question, Zhang Qian and Liu Zhong, though filled with suspicion, managed to muddle through with vague answers, while Mu Ning and Zhang Yue remained silent. Once they left the Prince of Han’s mansion, Liu Zhong and Mu Ning pretended to have matters to attend to and left, while Zhang Qian took the opportunity to invite Zhang Yue to ride in the same carriage. As soon as the thick pine-colored cotton curtain was drawn shut, he removed the smile from his face.

“Lord Zhang, since the Prince of Han has said that there’s no need to investigate the assassination attempt and that he will handle it himself with the emperor, you can put this matter aside for now. However, one thing you must remember: the vacancies in the Provincial Surveillance Office and the Qingzhou Prefecture Office still haven’t been filled. Without a leader, these offices can’t function. Though it may seem unrelated to you, they will eventually be your superiors.”

Having taken on this troublesome task, Zhang Yue had been preoccupied with the Prince of Han’s assassination. Although the situation wasn’t fully resolved, he was satisfied to be able to set it aside for now. Hearing these words, he frowned.

His investigation was an extra duty; his proper role was as a county magistrate. He could temporarily neglect the affairs of Anqiu County because everything was well organized, and there were officials like Ma Cheng and over a dozen capable assistants to handle things. But the affairs of the Provincial Surveillance Office and the Qingzhou Prefecture Office were a hundred times more complicated than those of a county office. With snow falling every day, if no one took care of the prefecture office…

Zhang Qian knew Zhang Yue was young, and he mentioned these things only in the hope that Zhang Yue would remind Zhang Fu to find a solution, as leaving these important offices vacant was not a viable option. The rest of the journey was much easier for him, as his purpose here was merely to comfort the Prince of Han and investigate the assassination case. He didn’t need to worry about anything else—returning to the capital was just a matter of time. Though he was very curious about what the Prince of Han would report to the court, it wasn’t his concern, so he enjoyed chatting about everyday matters and told Zhang Yue quite a bit about overseas affairs.

Due to the snow making the roads difficult, they arrived at the Qingzhou Prefecture Office at dusk. Zhang Yue got off the carriage first, followed by Zhang Qian, who jumped down with the help of the driver. Just as Zhang Yue was about to bid farewell to Zhang Qian and head back to the inn, a young eunuch around seventeen or eighteen rushed up, his face filled with joy.

“Your Excellency Zhang, urgent news has just arrived from Beijing. It says that countries such as Siam, Champa, Java, Sumatra, Nibala, Malacca, Nanbali, Haray, Shahar, Trinidad, and Samarkand have sent envoys to pay tribute. Since Your Excellency Zheng has not returned yet, and no one else in the palace is as familiar with these foreign affairs as you are, the Ministry of Rites has asked the Emperor to urgently summon you back to the capital.”

The long list of names was difficult to remember. Zhang Yue managed to recall only five or six after listening to them all, but the young eunuch recited them fluently and completely. Zhang Qian, who had risen through the ranks by handling Western affairs, immediately became enthusiastic upon hearing this. He had come to Shandong out of necessity, and naturally hoped to return to his familiar duties. After taking the official documents from the young eunuch, he turned to Zhang Yue with a smile.

“Lord Zhang, it seems I’ll have to leave tomorrow!”

Although Zhang Yue understood that since King Zhu Gaoxu had made his stance clear, the assassination case was likely to be left unresolved, he still sensed that this was not a defused powder keg but rather a fuse that had just been lit. With Zhang Qian leaving the next day, Qingzhou Prefecture would be even more leaderless. If anything went wrong, the administrative authorities in Jinan would be unable to help quickly. What should be done then?

“Your Excellency Zhang plans to set off early tomorrow morning?”

Seeing Zhang Yue’s changing expression and his final words, Zhang Qian knew exactly what he was thinking. After all, it had been he who initiated this journey, and it would be convenient for him to just leave without taking responsibility for the mess. But it wouldn’t be right to ignore it completely. After some thought, he came up with a temporary solution.

“I’ll go see Commander Liu of Shandong’s military headquarters first, and then, on my way through Jinan, I’ll meet with Governor Du and Assistant Governor Zhang. If I also submit a joint petition urging action, it should help. Once I return to Beijing, I’ll ask the Duke of Ying to intercede. Anqiu isn’t far from Qingzhou Prefecture. I’ll inform Mu, the commander of the Jinyiwei, to keep you updated if there’s any news. In short, for this case, you should stay low-key—neither standing out nor muddying things. As long as you manage your affairs in Anqiu well, no one will be able to fault you. Also, as long as the assassination case remains unresolved and the supervisory authority lacks a leader, I’ll allow you to keep its seal. This is an imperial order, so you should act according to it. No one else has anything to say.”

The county magistrate’s official seal was a copper seal two inches and one fen wide and three fen thick, while the inspector’s seal, though also made of copper, was two inches and seven fen wide and six fen thick—so heavy it felt substantial in the hand. Knowing that Zhang Qian had already done his utmost to arrange everything, Zhang Yue felt both amused and helpless as he held the copper seal in the carriage. With everything settled and the imperial authorization document returned to Zhang Qian, why should he still be in charge of this? What use would a county magistrate have for such a thing? To smash people’s heads with it?

Back at the inn, Zhang Yue handed the heavy seal along with the blue cloth bundle to Peng Shisan to keep, then headed straight to the main room in the back courtyard. Thanks to the extra rewards and instructions given, the innkeeper and staff provided top-quality firewood and charcoal. As soon as he lifted the curtain, a wave of warmth hit him, dispelling the chill from his body.

The room was filled with the scent of medicine. The green curtain on the bed by the wall hung all the way to the floor, obscuring anyone inside, while Qiu Hen was curled up on a chair, sleeping soundly.

Zhang Yue casually removed his damp cloak and threw it aside. Seeing a dark green sleeveless cloak draped over the back of the chair next to Qiu Hen, he picked it up and gently covered her with it. At that moment, he heard the sleeping person mumble softly, “Hupo, sleep well. The young master will be back soon…”

Seeing that Qiu Hen remained childish in her sleep, even frowning slightly as if awake, Zhang Yue couldn’t help but chuckle. He left her behind and tiptoed to the bed, gently lifting the green curtain. He thought Hupo was asleep, but she was actually wide awake, staring at him intently. Though she seemed energetic, her complexion was even worse than when he left her the previous day—lacking the rosy hue from her fever.

“How did you wake up so early? If you’re sick, sleep more. We’ll return to Anqiu tomorrow.”

Feeling something was wrong, Zhang Yue sat down on the edge of the bed and spoke to her softly to comfort her. But just then, he suddenly felt his hand tightly grasped, and the icy coldness of her grip made him shiver. Seeing that Hupo’s arm was hanging outside the bed, with most of her shoulder and neck exposed, he frowned and used his other hand to pull the blanket up around her.

“If you’re already sick, why don’t you take care of yourself? What if you catch a cold from the cold?”

Hupo stared at Zhang Yue without blinking before murmuring after a long while, “Young master, it seems I’ve been with you for six years now…”

“After the New Year, it will be seven years in no time.” Zhang Yue sensed something ominous and comforted her with a smile, “Over these seven years, everyone has changed a lot. Qiu Hen has become more outspoken and lively, while you’ve grown more withdrawn. Although fate plays a role in this world, human effort also matters. Don’t always get stuck in your thoughts and keep everything to yourself! Having spent so much time together, you should trust me as well as yourself! Recover well, and once you’re healthy, I’ll take you and Qiu Hen to climb Mount Tai!”
Amber’s eyes lit up before dimming again. Though she wanted to tell him everything, the words always slipped away before she could speak them. Her own life didn’t matter much, but it involved the entire Qiu family. Even though she knew Zhang Yue was someone who could take responsibility, how could he bear such a heavy burden? She clenched her fists tightly, letting her sharp nails dig into her palms until the intense pain forced her to make up her mind.
She had to survive—for herself, for her family, and for those who still cared about her!
“Don’t worry, young master. Delicate flowers are precious, but wild grasses are tough. I… I won’t die!”
“What nonsense are you comparing things to?” Seeing that Amber seemed truly determined to be strong, Zhang Yue finally breathed a sigh of relief. He gently placed her hand back under the quilt and told her, “Sleep well. Don’t worry. I’m much taller than you—no matter what happens, I’ll hold it up.”
When Amber nodded and closed her eyes, Zhang Yue stood up and pulled back the green curtain. As he turned to leave, he glanced over and saw Qiu Hen, still holding her cloak, already awake, staring at him in silence. Watching her face, half-asleep yet filled with deep emotions, he walked over.
“It’s freezing outside. Go back to your room and sleep for a couple of hours. You’ve been working hard these past few days.”
“Young master, are you really going to take us to climb Mount Tai?”
Of all the things he said, Qiu Hen only heard this one. Zhang Yue was both annoyed and amused, so he said sternly, “That’s only possible if you both recover fully. I don’t want to have to carry you both halfway up the mountain! Go back and sleep to regain your strength so we can climb Mount Tai someday!”

Qiu Hen was overjoyed at this moment, so she nodded vigorously, stood up, stretched deeply, and left the room carrying her cloak. As soon as she left, Zhang Yue was about to send someone to watch outside when the door curtain was suddenly pushed open—it was Peng Shisan. As soon as Peng Shisan entered, he glanced at the bed covered with a green curtain, then pulled Zhang Yue outside. Once outside, he said with a smile, “Young master, Lord Liu from the military office sent someone with a message. He said someone in his family is having a birthday today, so he invites you to join the celebration. He also left two messages: first, no gifts are allowed, otherwise you’ll be sent back; second, he has some excellent news for you.”