Chapter 202: A Mysterious Promotion

The Commander of Shandong was a high-ranking official of the second highest rank. Even without adhering to the traditional notion that scholars were inferior to military men, no one in the entire province could compare to him. Although Liu Zhong was not among the heroes who contributed to the Jingnan Campaign, he had fought alongside Zhang Fu in Jiaozhi and also shown merit during the northern expeditions. Over the years while guarding Shandong, he had never made any mistakes, so this lucrative position naturally went to him. Moreover, the Provincial Administration Office was located in Jinan Prefecture, while the Commander’s Office was in Qingzhou Prefecture—each operating independently, with the Commander’s Office being the largest, even the prefect having to be cautious around it.

When the invitation letter was replaced with formal attire for the ceremony, Zhang Yue grew increasingly puzzled on his way to the Commander’s Office. Liu Zhong hadn’t mentioned anything about birthdays when they met in the morning—why was someone suddenly sent to deliver an invitation? Yet all his doubts vanished once he arrived at the office. In front of the Commander’s Office street, there was a bustling crowd, with various carriages and horses parked along the walls. Those getting off the vehicles and horses were all dressed in bright clothes, carrying gifts either themselves or with others.

Looking at his own empty hands, Zhang Yue felt utterly inadequate. He could dismiss the words of the civil official who sent the invitation as mere formality, but these military men meant what they said. If he really brought gifts, he might even be driven away.

When he reached the entrance, he saw someone ahead of him smiling broadly as they presented a large red lacquered box along with a gift list. The servant who received the list glanced at it briefly before raising his voice and announcing, “Li, a gentleman from Qingzhou, sends his congratulations—gifts include a pair of emerald-colored horses!”

Hearing this loud announcement, Zhang Yue frowned immediately. He had attended birthday banquets in wealthy households in Kaifeng, Nanjing, and Beijing. Although there were servants to take gift lists there, it was never this ostentatious. Even though Liu Zhong was the Commander of Shandong, wasn’t he afraid that such a grand display would attract unwanted attention?

When it was his turn with empty hands, just as he wanted to show the invitation, the middle-aged servant in charge of the gift lists, who had always carried an arrogant expression, merely glanced behind him. Instantly, his face lit up with a smile as he bowed respectfully, saying, “Lord Zhang, you’ve finally arrived! My master has been waiting for you for days!”

“Someone, quickly take Lord Zhang and Lord Peng inside! My master is waiting!”

The first two servants immediately stepped forward to lead the way. As Zhang Yue followed Peng Shisan, murmurs of discussion arose behind them, all guessing Zhang Yue’s identity. The servant in charge of receiving gifts reverted to his arrogant demeanor until someone slipped him a silver bean and whispered who had just entered. Only then did he slowly brush dust off his sleeves.

“That’s the nephew of our master’s former superior. Our master specifically instructed him not to bring any gifts, otherwise, given his noble background, he wouldn’t have come empty-handed! As for asking about his former superior… I mean Lord Zhao. Your brain really isn’t working well. With our master’s status, how many people could even be called his former superior?”

Zhang Yue and Peng Shisan followed the servants around the screen wall and through the noisy outer courtyard. Soon, they saw in the distance a covered gate flanked by pillars adorned with hanging lotus flowers. Upon reaching the gate, the two leading servants stepped back with lowered hands. Inside, a woman in her early thirties came out to greet them. She bowed slightly and said with a smile, “Lord Zhang has arrived. Our master is waiting inside.”

“Since this is your first time here, you may not know our master’s temperament. Over the years he’s been in Shandong, he’s never exploited the local people like others—things like seizing official lands or invading people’s homes are things he never even considers. He values dignity greatly. That’s why whenever someone in the inner household has a birthday, outsiders flock to bring gifts. It’s not just you being an exception. These outsiders usually set up just a dozen tables in the outer courtyards’ halls before they’re allowed to enter the inner courtyard.”

After entering the covered gate and walking along the adjacent corridor, the woman continued to explain with a smile. It was only then that Zhang Yue realized that today was merely the birthday of Lady Yao, Liu Zhong’s second wife—a prominent and respected concubine. However, when he entered the spacious hall and looked around, he couldn’t find Lady Yao, the birthday celebrant, but saw Meng Tao instead.

When Zhang Yue stepped forward to pay his junior’s respects, Liu Zhong nodded cheerfully and said, “Today, we’re just using this as an excuse to have you here. It actually has nothing to do with any birthday celebration. That’s why I instructed you not to bring any gifts. As for the good news, I’ll tell you later. Brother Meng hasn’t returned from Shouguang County, so I had to bring his son instead. Those two over there are my eldest and second sons—they’re older than you but not as accomplished as you. Just call them eldest and second; there’s no need to be polite with them!”

That being said, Zhang Yue still stepped forward to greet them, addressing them as “Elder Brother Liu” and “Second Brother Liu”. Although Liu Zhong was straightforward and rough-around-the-edges, his two sons were meticulous people. Seeing that Zhang Yue didn’t act arrogantly just because he held an official position, they felt at ease and quickly became familiar with each other.

Next, several deputy officials from the military headquarters came with their sons and nephews to offer congratulations. Everyone then sat around and chatted. Zhang Yue’s seat was right next to Meng Tao, who promptly moved two lotus-patterned carved lacquer tables together and placed two chairs side by side. Peng Shisan, unaccustomed to such gatherings of noble youths, had Liu Zhong arrange food and drinks in a neighboring room and send his trusted bodyguards to keep him company while drinking. At first, everyone sat properly, but after a few rounds of drinks and gambling, things became chaotic.

Zhang Yue wasn’t good at drinking much nor did he want to drink too much, so he just sipped lightly. Suddenly, he felt someone tug at his sleeve. Turning his head, he saw Meng Tao winking at him.

“Brother Yue, my fourth sister asked me to tell you to come to my place after the banquet. You’re really impressive—getting that Miss Du to travel all the way from Jinan through the snow just to see you, and even coming to my house. Aren’t you afraid my fourth sister will get jealous?”

Hearing that Du Wan had suddenly come to Qingzhou, Zhang Yue was somewhat surprised. He then gave Meng Tao an annoyed look, thinking that if she had come, it must have been on Du Zhen’s orders and had nothing to do with personal feelings. After asking further, he learned that Du Wan had first gone to check on Lady Wu’s health and brought some medicinal herbs such as Fritillaria thunbergii, Atractylodes macrocephala, Gastrodia elata, and ginseng, along with a Buddhist scripture handwritten by Lady Du. He nodded in approval.

After the banquet, everyone gradually dispersed. Seeing that others had left, Zhang Yue got up to take his leave. But Liu Zhong said cheerfully, “Young Zhang Yue, do you know why I insisted on inviting you here today? It’s because of the good news! I just heard that you’re going to get promoted! Since there’s a shortage of staff in the Qingzhou government office, the Ministry of Personnel has promoted the current vice magistrate to magistrate and appointed you as a sixth-rank official in charge of patrol, finance, and water management. The current acting county magistrate will handle county affairs, and I think in about two months, you two won’t need to use the ‘acting’ title anymore.”

By now, everyone else had left, but Meng Tao and Liu Zhong’s two sons were still there. Hearing this, they both widened their eyes and soon showed unmistakable envy. Liu Zhong even smiled with deep emotion. Although Qingzhou now had a new prefect, he was originally just a minor official. Zhang Yue, though seemingly an acting deputy prefect, actually held considerable power. It had been less than three months since Zhang Yue took office, and such a rapid promotion was truly a stroke of luck!

Seeing Zhang Yue standing there in a daze, Liu Zhong patted his shoulder affectionately twice and said, “Among the four greatest joys in life, the wedding day and passing the imperial examinations are the most exhilarating. You’ve already achieved the latter, so you must seize the former! I’ve met Meng’s daughter once—she’s beautiful and virtuous. Make sure you propose to her soon!”

Mocked by Liu Zhong, Zhang Yue had no choice but to mumble a few words before hurrying away. Outside, he met Peng Shisan, and after waiting for Meng Tao to catch up, they went together to Meng’s house. Since they were all in the military headquarters, it was just a short distance from Liu’s house—after turning a corner, they arrived at the entrance and entered through the second gate.

Meng Tao had drunk a few too many drinks that night. His face was red as he leaned on Zhang Yue’s shoulder, babbling drunkenly about his sister’s virtues until Meng Min, along with several housewives, came over and made him stop talking.

“I told you to drink less, but you just can’t control yourself! Someone, help him inside to sober up!”

After arranging for Meng Tao to be taken care of, Meng Min turned and saw Zhang Yue standing there. She stepped forward politely and greeted him before explaining, “Sister Du arrived yesterday. After visiting my mother, she said Lord Du had important messages for you. I took her to your inn that day, but you didn’t return that night and stayed at the Han Wang Mansion. Today, I heard there’s a birthday banquet at Commander Liu’s house where you’re invited, so I asked Tao to deliver a message. Sister Du is in the next courtyard—go see her quickly!”

There was only a dim lantern in the courtyard, but Zhang Yue could clearly see the gentle smile on Meng Min’s face as she stood in the snow. Realizing that their acquaintance with Du Wan was merely casual and that he still didn’t know what important matter she had, he felt deeply grateful. He bowed deeply and said, “Thank you, Fourth Sister, for your kindness!”

Since the Yamen was not large enough, the Meng family couldn’t even accommodate themselves properly, let alone free up guest rooms. The room Du Wan stayed in was not a guest room but one where Meng Min had moved her sixth sister to live with her, thus freeing up the sixth sister’s bedroom. As soon as Zhang Yue entered, he caught sight of a figure sitting sideways by the window. He paused briefly before calling out, “Sister Wan.”

Apart from meeting once at Qixia Temple, they had traveled together all the way to Shandong since then. Du Wan and Zhang Yue had spoken no more than twenty sentences in total. She quickly stood up, exchanged greetings with Zhang Yue, and didn’t beat around the bush.

“Father originally planned to write to my elder brother, but since messengers are unreliable these days—and after all, letters serve as proof in such situations—he sent me instead. Father said that Qingzhou Prefecture currently faces three major problems: corvée labor, the White Lotus sect, and the regional princes. Although you wield the power of the Duke of Ying, you can’t reduce the corvée labor, eradicate the White Lotus sect, or control the regional princes. If the first two problems combine, they become a serious threat. If the regional princes stage any further unrest, as you’re not a military officer, no matter how capable you are, you won’t be able to resolve it. Therefore, to govern Qingzhou Prefecture, we must start with one key factor—new nobles.”

Zhang Yue could easily tell these were Du Zhen’s exact words. Yet what surprised him was that Du Zhen’s words seemed to imply he already knew about Zhang Yue’s latest appointment, as well as that the assassination attempt on the King of Han would go unresolved. Considering Du Wan had set off at least four or five days ago, could it be that his teacher possessed such extraordinary powers?