Chapter 29: Unpredictable Human Hearts

The mere mention of the Jinyiwei sent shock through even those who had their own secret plans. Seeing those dozen men in blue cotton armor dismount in unison at a single command, the crowd quickly scattered to one side, gazing at their bright uniforms with a mixture of awe and longing.
Though no one wanted to be a military household member, serving in the Jinyiwei would be a blessing for eight generations!
Only after all his subordinates had dismounted did the middle-aged man in bright red robes jump off his horse, toss the reins to a nearby officer, and stroll over leisurely. As he approached, everyone scrambled to move aside, and Zhang Yue, who had remained still until then, also snapped out of his daze and quickly cleared a path for him.
To his surprise, however, the man did not head toward the main entrance of Daxiangguo Temple but instead came straight toward him, scrutinizing his face with eyes sharp as those of an eagle. At that moment, Zhang Yue’s mind flashed—could it be that the Zhang family was looking for him?
“I am Mu Ning, a hundredth officer of the Henan detachment of the Jinyiwei. May I ask if you are the third young master?”
Although the title had previously lacked the “Zhang” surname, Zhang Yue had no doubts anymore. He stepped back and bowed deeply, saying, “Zhang Yue pays his respects to Lord Mu.”
“I am but a humble hundredth officer; I certainly don’t deserve such honor!”
Just as Zhang Yue straightened up, a powerful force seized his arm, preventing him from bending further. Hearing these words of humility, he slowly rose to his full height. Seeing the once gloomy face suddenly transformed into a warm, smiling one, he felt as though he were watching a Sichuan opera mask change. Of course, despite his inner thoughts, he kept them to himself and showed a surprised expression on his face.
“How did Lord Mu know I was at Daxiangguo Temple?”
“Madam Zhang ordered the Kaifeng Prefecture and Xiangfu County governments to search for the third young master and the two young ladies. The officials from the Henan Military Command also informed our commander. By now, the hundredth officers have already sent people out. I was lucky enough to intercept a group trying to cause trouble at Daxiangguo Temple, and that’s how I learned that the third young master and the two young ladies were there.”

The information contained in these brief words took Zhang Yue some time to process. First, the fact that someone from his family had gone to inform the authorities meant that all his relatives were safe, and there were still people staying at the Zhang family’s ancestral home. Second, the fact that people from as high as the Jinyiwei were involved clearly indicated that he didn’t fully realize the status of his family. Third, the fact that this Baihu had intercepted a group of troublemakers on the way showed that the soup distribution site had already attracted the attention of outsiders.

It seems I’m still too inexperienced!

Zhang Yue inwardly smiled bitterly at his assumptions, but of course he didn’t forget to express his sincere gratitude to them. However, as he stood at the entrance of Daxiangguo Temple, chatting warmly with this Baihu, observers had a different perception.

People certainly knew that the Zhang family of Xiangfu was a prominent family, and they knew that the Duke of Yingguo was a powerful figure in the capital. But knowing something and experiencing it firsthand were two different things. At that moment, those men who had initially harbored some kind of hope were now drenched in cold sweat, trying their best to hide in the least noticeable corners of the crowd, lamenting their fate.

That was the Jinyiwei—the most feared and ferocious military force!

The two men, one large and one small, who clearly didn’t seem to care about others’ thoughts, continued to stand there talking. Faced with Mu Ning’s relentless questions, like those of an interrogator, Zhang Yue had no choice but to detail everything he had seen and experienced since escaping from home, omitting only those details that might cause trouble.

For example, he skillfully hid the fact that people had set up roadblocks, even overturned what appeared to be the carriage of the Prince of Xin’an, forcing him to disguise himself as a leper to get through—after all, those were matters for the authorities to handle, not something he needed to report and risk trouble over. Thus, while answering smoothly, he secretly resolved to make sure to give Qiu Hen and the others careful instructions later.

“The old lady and her party are currently on a boat near Sha River. But with bandits everywhere in Kaifeng, many roads submerged in water, and women among them in the temple, it’s very difficult for us to escort them. Therefore, we must ask the third young master and the two young ladies to stay at Daxiangguo Temple for a while longer.”

At this point, Mu Ning paused slightly, turned his head with a stern expression to glance at the crowd around, and then said with a bright smile, “Many wealthy families in Kaifeng City take refuge in temples and Taoist shrines. It’s rare to see someone as generous as the Third Young Master. But people’s hearts are hard to fathom; if you treat them well, they might think you can be exploited. Since all those in the temple are women, it’s not appropriate for me to enter. I’ll go back and send a message of safety to the old lady. Also, I’ll leave six guards here in case anything happens.”

Zhang Yue had initially been skeptical of this young leader of the Jinyiwei, but now his words made sense, his arrangements were flawless, and he seemed to have only good intentions. He quickly thanked him sincerely. However, just as he saw Mu Ning turning to leave and prepared to step forward, Mu Ning suddenly stopped and turned back.

“Third Young Master, in the future, please think carefully before acting rashly. Your father was extremely worried this time, even the thousand-household officer… hehe…”

Faced with these nonsensical words, Zhang Yue stopped in his tracks, truly shocked—why had the Jinyiwei gone to such lengths to find someone, seemingly not out of respect for the Duke of Yingguo or his grandmother, Lady Gu, but rather related to his father, Zhang Zhuo?

As the group of well-dressed Jinyiwei rushed away, the crowd that had taken cover on the sides gradually started to move. But no one dared approach the temple gate—because there, aside from the Third Young Master, who was deep in thought with a frown, stood six Jinyiwei guards like nails in place!

The most confused were the family of three. The woman remained kneeling motionless, the injured man stared blankly at his daughter, and the little girl stood there like a wooden statue for a long time before suddenly bursting into loud tears.

Her heart-wrenching cries finally pulled Zhang Yue out of his endless doubts, reminding him that there was another tricky matter to deal with. But just as he walked toward the family, one of the Jinyiwei guards suddenly appeared beside him, whispered something in his ear, and pointed at the crowd.

The common people feared officials the most, so facing the even more feared Jinyiwei, they were naturally terrified. Soon, five or six people broke through the crowd and ran away as fast as they could, as if chased by vicious dogs. With their departure, chaos erupted among the crowd.

“It’s these guys! They actually want to bring outsiders to take away our rations!”
“That guy even threatened me, saying he’d kill me if I told anyone!”
“Smash those ungrateful wretches!”
Amidst such chaotic noises, dozens of people rushed after those who had just fled as if waking from a dream, while the rest slowly gathered around Zhang Yue with mocking smiles, saying that those five or six traitors didn’t deserve or have any right to stay there, and that the family of three might as well stay so as not to break the rules, and so on.
At this moment, Zhang Yue didn’t want to say another word, nor did he have the energy to comfort the crying girl. He nodded stiffly in agreement, then turned and walked back into the mountain gate.
Peng Shisan, who had watched the whole scene from the bell tower, slammed his fist against his head in frustration and muttered, “What kind of bunch are these?”
Du Zhen, dressed in white, looked down at the dejected Zhang Yue from above. After a long while, he slowly descended the stairs with his hands behind his back—although the process was different from what he had expected, the outcome was almost the same. Surely, the lesson for Zhang Yue would be the same, and that was enough.