Chapter 238: The Foundation of Love Lies in Trust

As Tang Sair left, seeing Zhang Yue rush after her, Feng Yuanming couldn’t help but sigh deeply, listlessly lifting the curtain and leaving the room. It was only then that Meng Min unconsciously relaxed her grip, only to stagger and collapse into a chair, filled with shock. Since the founding of the Ming Dynasty, the White Lotus Sect had been banned—was this young woman, who seemed only a few years older than her, actually the current leader of the sect? Ridiculously, she had even tried to persuade others not to believe in that heresy…
That proud and sharp-tongued woman also left a deep impression on Du Wan. She had played chess with Monk Daoyan for months. Everyone said the old monk had gone mad in his old age, criticizing countless Confucian predecessors in his book “Daoyu Lu,” but that was merely slander against sages. Yet Tang Sair’s words completely overturned the Confucian concept of ruler and subject, and her reckless, rebellious statements were even more alarming.
To dare defy such a world as a frail woman, to call herself a thief without fear—though it was surely like throwing eggs at stones, though she knew chaos would lead to bloodshed—this woman was truly extraordinary.
One felt regret, another felt unease, but the third person’s reaction was quite different. Huobo glanced at Du Wan and Meng Min and quietly left the room. Beyond the curtain, the room was gloomy and quiet, while outside, the sun shone brightly, the spring breeze was warm, carrying the scent of new leaves and flowers. From the east wing, the sound of children reading aloud reached their ears, along with the rustling of sweeping, the clanging of pots and pans in the kitchen, and countless other indescribable noises. Yet compared to this fine weather, her heart was filled with gloom.
“Huobo, are you going back?”
Briefly startled, Huobo saw Hongxiu approaching with a smile, clearly unaware of what had just happened inside. She was never one to talk much, so she forced a smile and said, “Sister Lingxi left on some business, and Sister Qiuhen isn’t feeling well, so I must hurry back. By the way, have you seen my young master?”
“You mean Young Master Yue?” Hongxiu replied irritably, “As soon as that girl left, he rushed out, met up with a few attendants outside, chatted for a while, and then left—probably heading to the government office. Ugh, he just told me to clear some space. I can’t talk to you anymore; I need to hurry or he’ll be even angrier than the lady!”

After greeting Red Sleeve, she hurried away. Amber also had no intention of staying longer and quickly carried the food box through the back door of Chunshui Street into the rear courtyard of the government office. Following the path, she entered a small door in the southwest, which led to Zhang Yue’s office. She handed the food box to the Cui family members and then went to her own room. Only then did she feel her knees weaken; she staggered to the bed and sat down heavily.

That woman was actually the leader of the White Lotus Sect! If she wasn’t mistaken, the bearded man who should have been her cousin was likely also part of the White Lotus Sect. What exactly did he want? After all, officials and thieves could never coexist—could one really expect the White Lotus Sect to take over the world?

Her first reaction was to send every available person to chase Tang Sair, then she thought of closing the gates of Qingzhou City and searching everywhere. But once calm, Zhang Yue had to abandon this tempting idea. Not to mention the huge disturbance caused by sealing the city gates, even the time needed to issue orders would be enough for them to escape. Since Tang Sair dared to enter the city, she must have some backing. Moreover, it was extremely important—how could he explain why the leader of the White Lotus Sect had gone to the Meng family?

So, he personally went to the Meng family and instructed Meng Min and Du Wan not to reveal what had happened that day. After returning to the government office, he immediately drew a detailed picture and sent Hu Qi to deliver it to Mu Ning via the Imperial Guards. After finishing these arrangements, hearing that Ling Hua had gathered all the officials for a meeting, he rushed over. He thought he would have to endure hardships first and enjoy later, but this time Ling Hua merely gave him a meaningful glance before casually delivering a few words.

“Let Judge Zhao and Judge Cao handle the matter in Le’an. After all, you’re in charge of criminal affairs, and with Judge Jia’s assistance, that should be enough. Even if nothing is found after ten days and no one needs to be dismissed, it’s still a task everyone must share. The office can’t have everyone focusing on this single case. Yuan Jie, since you enjoy good reputations among the people now, and with the summer harvest just over a dozen or twenty days away, it’s up to you to keep the people calm and satisfied. You can’t put the cart before the horse—stabilizing public sentiment is most important. It’s right to investigate cases while also soothing the people. Otherwise, if one case follows another, things will only get worse.”

Ling Hua, who was originally just a deputy magistrate in the government office handling trivial matters, was suddenly promoted to magistrate, which even sparked significant controversy. However, after spending more time with him, Zhang Yue came to see him as an ideal superior. Although Ling Hua inevitably had an ambition to climb the ranks, he was exceptional at delegating power, ensuring that his subordinates had far greater rights and responsibilities than what their official salaries entailed. More importantly, he was willing to take on the responsibilities himself.

Thus, despite being a hard-to-find excellent boss—even though Ling Hua wasn’t even a formally recognized Jinshi—he still enjoyed great popularity and respect among his subordinates. Today’s meeting concluded with a perfect outcome, accepted wholeheartedly by everyone.

Having been on their feet for at least two hours in Le’an during the day, the officials couldn’t help but complain when they left the main hall as the sun set. Zhang Yue was also shocked upon returning and felt severe back and waist pain. After passing through a small door on the west side of the hall and taking a side path, by the time he reached his own gate, his legs felt as heavy as lead. He struggled to climb onto the kang in the west room of the main house, then moved his neck around for a while before adjusting the chair back and pillow against the wall, eager to fall asleep right away.

Just then, Ling Xi entered carrying a tray with a piece of tung wood. Seeing Zhang Yue’s exhausted appearance, she quickly said, “Young master, you’ve been busy all day. So the kitchen prepared a simple bowl of knife-cut noodles with extra aged vinegar to stimulate your appetite. Finish eating quickly and soak your feet; go to bed early today.”

Zhang Yue glanced at the bowl on the kang table. The snow-white noodles were topped with diced meat and green garlic, and the clear broth carried a strong scent of aged vinegar that piqued his appetite. But instead of eating right away, he took a big gulp of the broth first. The strong taste of the vinegar invigorated him, and he quickly finished the noodles. Setting the bowl aside, he asked, “Qiu Hen isn’t feeling well today, and Hu Bo is also absent. I saw her fine this afternoon.”

“She…” Though she disliked talking about others behind their backs, Ling Xi hesitated for a moment before deciding to tell the truth. “Since returning from the Meng family, she’s been locked in her room and hasn’t come out. I went to see her after returning, and she seemed off—like she had cried. When I asked her what was wrong, she refused to say and wouldn’t eat dinner either. I don’t know what’s going on.”

Had Hu Bo really cried?

Even if Tang Sair suddenly appeared and startled him today, it shouldn’t have been such a reaction! Zhang Yue instinctively felt something was wrong. Compared to Qiu Hen, who was naturally cheerful and carefree, Amber was quiet and seldom showed her thoughts. What was going on this time? Without even looking at the tea offered for after dinner, he jumped off the bed, put on his shoes, and headed toward the east wing room.

Although it was night, no lights were on in the room, so Zhang Yue instinctively frowned as he stepped inside. Coming suddenly from the bright main room, his eyes struggled to adjust. After squinting for a while, he finally saw a figure sitting by the wall, hugging their knees. He called out, but seeing no response, he walked straight over. Just as he was about to reach the bed, his leg seemed to trip over something, followed by a thud.

In an instant, the figure on the bed leaped down with unimaginable agility, shouting anxiously, “Is the young master alright?”

“I’m fine.”

It wasn’t Zhang Yue who fell to the ground, but a stool that somehow lay not far in front of the bed. He had only stumbled slightly. Still, he grabbed the hand Amber offered and carefully moved forward a few steps before finally sitting down at the edge of the bed.

“Lingxi said you seemed off since returning from the Meng family in the afternoon and didn’t eat dinner. What exactly happened?”

“Do you believe in fate, young master?”

Hearing this abrupt and nonsensical question, Zhang Yue was momentarily stunned. Then, after some thought, he said, “I believe in fate, but I also don’t. If it weren’t for fate, I wouldn’t have been born into this world, nor would I have met the people around me now. Most of a person’s background and experiences are predetermined and unchangeable, so I believe many things are determined by fate.”

“However, if one relies solely on what fate has decreed in life, that won’t work either. ‘Man can conquer nature’ is just a bold statement, but if you don’t do anything, how can you know it’s impossible to change the predetermined path? Take me for example—if I muddled through life, I would forever be seen as a weak, sickly person. My grandmother wouldn’t give me a second glance, the Duke of Britain wouldn’t remember me as his own nephew, let alone others. So I can only say that fate is half right and half wrong—half is irresistible, and half can be changed.”

“Can fate really be changed?”

“If you don’t try, how will you know?”

Hearing this voice filled with boundless confidence, Amber was momentarily stunned, then whispered, “The young master has always asked me why I carry such heavy worries. I’ve wanted to tell him for a long time, but I never dared. Because of these worries, I sleep lightly at night and dare not speak much during the day, fearing that a single wrong word could bring disaster. My own life doesn’t matter, but I can’t burden others, I can’t…”
“Can’t burden your family, right?” Zhang Yue felt the hand in his grasp tremble slightly, so he tilted his body slightly. In the darkness, he could faintly see Amber’s face; the rest of her features were indistinct, only her eyes were visible. “Last time you were seriously ill, you spoke in your sleep, so I guessed it. The Qiu family of the former Qi State had their titles taken away and were exiled to Hainan. You were kept behind by your family because of your illness. Am I right?”
“So the young master already knows…”
With her greatest secret exposed, Amber didn’t feel relieved but rather an inexplicable sense of loss and absurdity. Her grandfather had been on good terms with Duke Zhang Fu back then. When she first arrived at the Duke’s residence, she was on high alert day and night, only for Zhang Fu not to recognize her at all. Lady Wang, seeing her caution, sent her along with the others to Kaifeng. After serving Zhang Yue for seven years, she had been burdened with worries day and night. She should have known that it was only a matter of time before everything was revealed.
“Today is the first time I’ve met that Tang Sect leader. Her identity originally had nothing to do with me, but the cousin I met before wore a hand-made sash identical to that of the Tang Sect leader. Such sewing skills are by no means ordinary; it’s extremely complicated to make, so it can’t be a coincidence. I’m very scared. I don’t know why he’s in Shandong, why he’s connected to the White Lotus Sect banned by the court, or what he really intends to do. If it was treason before due to military defeat, will treason be added to it later?”
Feeling that Amber seemed to be in a state of frenzied agitation, Zhang Yue suddenly grew alarmed, realizing that long-suppressed emotions could be terrifying once unleashed. In a hurry, he hugged her and gently patted her back. After a long while, the trembling Amber finally calmed down in his arms, resting her head gently on his shoulder.

“I’ve always been envious of the young master and Sister Qiuhen,” Amber sighed softly in the darkness, then whispered, “The young master always looks forward, while Sister Qiuhen seems to be his shadow—never looking around. She often tells me how much she likes the young master and asks if I like him too, often wondering what the future young mistress will be like… How could she know that I don’t even know if I have a tomorrow, let alone talk about liking someone?”
“Everyone has a tomorrow, and you certainly do too,” Zhang Yue gently stroked Amber’s silk-like, smooth hair, his heart filled with warm tenderness. “We’ve spent seven years together, side by side—whether we like each other or not, at least we can trust one another. Amber, believe me—tomorrow will definitely be better than today!”
Trust… Amber felt this comforting word fill her entire heart, and she let out a long sigh. Ever since leaving her parents, she had never dared to rely on others, nor had she hoped for any warm embrace. But today, she could finally relax. Slowly, she reached out and awkwardly hugged Zhang Yue’s waist, then spoke up.
“Can the young master tell that story about the donkey’s ears again?”
Hearing this utterly unreasonable request, Zhang Yue couldn’t help but smile bitterly—with such a delicate and charming woman in his arms, and he wasn’t some indecent man. Telling a story under these circumstances was truly the greatest torment in life. Yet, how could he just walk away now?
“Once upon a time, there was a barber…”
Zhang Yue’s low voice echoed in the quiet room as the night grew deeper.