Chapter 248: A Gentleman Prevents Disasters Before They Occur

Late April and early May were traditionally the busy season for sharpening sickles and harvesting rice. Even if a major incident suddenly arose, ordinary people had no time to pay attention; they simply made the most of the fine weather to work hard in the fields. After all, if it rained suddenly at such a time, not only would the wheat rot in the fields, but work in the drying areas would also be impossible. Thus, although some idle villagers occasionally whispered about the so-called White Lotus Sect, most chose to ignore it as it didn’t concern them.
If the sky fell, there would always be tall people to hold it up!
Those devout believers who once worshipped the Buddha Mother had petitioned various government offices, but the authorities were highly vigilant. Whenever too many people gathered, officials would come to suppress them, splashing them with thick, stinky ink that left a lasting stain. Over time, fewer and fewer people gathered. Moreover, the authorities launched military campaigns, posted notices, and imposed strict restrictions, destroying more than half of the White Lotus Sect’s network. Even the few surviving core members had no choice but to hide temporarily, waiting for their leader, Tang Sair, to take action.
With so many people captured this time, the prisons in both Qingzhou Prefecture and Yidu County were completely overcrowded, forcing many prisoners to be temporarily held in the military headquarters. Faced with Du Zhen, the provincial governor who had shown up unannounced, Magistrate Ling Hua willingly vacated his house to live with Zhang Yue. At first, he admired Du Zhen’s decisive actions, then was shocked, and eventually became completely terrified.
It was the third day of the Qingzhou military’s massive crackdown on White Lotus Sect members. Seeing and hearing everything that was happening, Ling Hua could no longer bear it. After the court session ended, he stopped Zhang Yue and asked anxiously, “Brother Zhang, even if Lord Du intends to eradicate the White Lotus Sect from our Qingzhou Prefecture, there’s no need to search as far as the Han King’s estates, right? We both know the Han King’s temper well. If things get out of control, even Lord Du might not come out unscathed…”
When Zhang Yue returned victorious that day, he learned that his mentor had actually come to Qingzhou in person. After witnessing the scale of the crackdown, he was so shocked he was almost numb. Compared to his own efforts—capturing just a small stronghold and a few hundred people—Du Zhen had mobilized thousands of troops from Qingzhou’s military forces, acting with precision, determination, and ruthlessness.

Most importantly, his teacher with the icy expression showed no hesitation in targeting the princes; he directly captured many important criminals from the Han King’s two estates and also seized standard weapons from several military units there! He absolutely couldn’t believe that Du Zhen could uncover so many clues by himself just by going to Qingzhou. There was only one possibility in this situation—there must be a vast intelligence network backing it up, and across entire Shandong, only the Jinyiwei could pull off such a thing.

“Lord Ling, I might as well tell you the truth. Aside from official duties these past few days, I haven’t spoken to Lord Du in private at all.”

Ling Hua’s face instantly froze as he blurted out, “How is that possible! You’re his student!” At that moment, he still had a sentence unsaid—“You’re his future son-in-law!”

“He’s always said he’s too busy with work to discuss personal matters,” Zhang Yue said with a wry smile, shrugging helplessly. “Not to mention me, Miss Du is Lord Du’s own daughter, yet she hasn’t seen him either these days. That’s just his temperament—once he decides on something, no one can change his mind. But now that everyone who needs to be captured has been caught, the next step is to report to the imperial court.”

Seeing that Zhang Yue, though seemingly helpless, clearly still didn’t know anything, Ling Hua angrily stamped his foot and said, “The imperial censor overseeing Shandong has already accused Lord Du. This is news from the Bureau of Administration—it’s absolutely reliable. I heard even you’re implicated! I thought since Lord Du is the Right Minister of Administration, he must have heard about it already, and you surely would know too. After all this fuss, you really don’t know?”

Zhang Yue indeed heard this news for the first time and was stunned. Once he recovered, he quickly pulled Ling Hua to a side room used for rest and asked in detail about what had happened. Upon learning that it was several officials in the Bureau of Administration who already resented Du Zhen who secretly tipped off the imperial censor, and that the memorial had been sent days ago, he gasped in shock.

“Brother Zhang, what you did wasn’t that bad. Releasing those people could be seen as soothing the people and showing the court’s kindness. The high officials in the court can easily brush it off with a few words. But Lord Du…”

The more Ling Hua thought about it, the more regretful he became. He realized he shouldn’t have assumed Zhang Yue had influential connections at court. After all, Zhang Fu, the Duke of Britain who held the emperor’s favor, was currently training troops in Shangxuanfu. Seeing Zhang Yue’s furrowed brows and pale face, Ling Hua had no choice but to swallow the rest of his words and earnestly persuade him, “Anyway, you need to meet Lord Du. While achieving merit is important, there’s no need to alienate people to the point of causing harm. For instance, even if we seize the Han King’s weakness this time, the court may not investigate deeply—it could instead harm him…”

Ling Hua went on to ramble on for a long time, while Zhang Yue grew increasingly anxious. In the end, he thanked him and hurried off to the back office to look for Du Zhen. To his frustration, Du Zhen’s two loyal scribes said he had gone to the prison to interrogate prisoners, and when Zhang Yue arrived at the prison, he was turned away. He was forced to return to his own office in disappointment.

It was already early summer, and the doors outside the house were covered with bamboo curtains lined with wooden panels. Through the sparse gaps, one could faintly see people inside. But after pulling back the curtains and entering, Zhang Yue saw that Du Wan was sitting at the west end of the kang. She was wearing a off-white gauze shirt with a front closure, along with a silver-gray silk skirt with embroidered threads. Her black hair was tied back with a silver comb. Though neatly dressed, her face showed no signs of anxiety. Lingxi Hupu Qiuhen was sitting beside her, talking to her, but Chunying and Xiao Wu were nowhere to be seen.

When Zhang Yue entered, Du Wan stood up to greet him, “Senior brother, have you finished handling matters at the front office?”

“More or less,” Zhang Yue replied. Seeing Du Wan’s hopeful expression, he decided to be honest. “But Master went to the prison to interrogate prisoners. I tried to meet him alone but was stopped. It’s been five full days since he arrived in Qingzhou Prefecture, yet I still haven’t had a chance to speak to him privately. Aside from official business, he refuses to see me.”

“He won’t even see you…” Du Wan was stunned. After muttering something to herself, she gasped, “Could it be he has some reason to keep you at arm’s length?”

“If that’s really what he thinks, then he’s mistaken. A teacher is like a father for life—not only do I see it that way, but so do everyone else. Besides, they’ve even accused me along with him.”

Zhang Yue sat in the main seat on the kang and recounted in detail what Ling Hua had told her earlier. With a wry smile, she said, “I wanted to bring this up with the sir, but I just can’t seem to find him. It was the same a few days ago—when I went to the study, Mingdi said the sir was at work; when I went back in the evening, Moyu said either the sir had gone out or wasn’t seeing anyone, or was resting… Even if we only discuss business matters and not personal relationships now, isn’t this going too far?”
Both Lingxi and Qiuhen Hupo were well aware of Mr. Du’s peculiarities. They had only known that Du Zhen was rising through the ranks, but even after becoming the governor, his temperament remained elusive. At that moment, Qiuhen opened her mouth to speak, but before she could say anything, she felt a gentle pinch on her back. In her brief shock, her arms were grabbed from both sides, and she was forced outside against her will. It wasn’t until the green bamboo curtain was drawn that she came to her senses and quickly broke free from those hands.
“Sister Lingxi, even if what the young master and Miss Du are discussing is important, it’s not a big deal for us to be there, right? They’re worried right now—maybe we can even offer some advice.”
“Mr. Du is the young master’s mentor and Miss Du’s father. What right do we have to stand there just because they’re talking about this?”, Lingxi snapped at Qiuhen before speaking earnestly, “Although Miss Du never acts superior to us, we still need to know our place. We shouldn’t interfere in such matters.”
“Haven’t I already said… Mr. Du is already such a high-ranking official, yet he still has the same strange temper as before. Why doesn’t he discuss things with his students instead of avoiding them, and even having to consult his own daughter? What’s the point of avoiding everything?”
While Qiuhen and Lingxi argued quietly, Hupo went to the west wing room to tidy things up, her mind far from calm. Though she didn’t go around asking questions recklessly, Zhang Yue didn’t hide everything from her, and she knew her cousin was still missing. But seeing Du Zhen cracking down on the remnants of the White Lotus Sect so forcefully, who knew if the next person caught wouldn’t be him?
Du Zhen wasn’t the kind of person who would show mercy under the law!
Inside the room, Zhang Yue and Du Wan exchanged worried glances. With one being their teacher and the other their father, they naturally knew well what kind of temper their loved ones had, but the more they knew, the more anxious they became. After a long silence, the two almost spoke at the same time.
“Don’t worry. I’ll think of more ways. The sir can’t just keep avoiding us forever.”

“Don’t worry. Father must have a plan. If nothing else works, I’ll go ask Mingdi and Moyu for help.” As soon as these words were spoken, the two exchanged a smile, but it vanished in an instant, and neither could smile again, feeling as if a heavy stone weighed on their hearts. Everyone knew the saying about burning one’s bridges; although the danger now seemed much less severe than the bloody battlefields of old, isn’t there an old saying that goes, “A soft knife cuts deeper without leaving a trace”? Du Zhen, on the other hand, seemed utterly unconcerned about the turmoil he had caused, and it wasn’t until dusk that he leisurely stepped out of the prison. He casually handed a document to Mingdi, who was waiting outside, and gave a brief instruction: “Send this document to the Central Administration in the capital overnight.”