Chapter 304: The Princess Sends a Message

Since they were at home, Zhang Yue naturally didn’t need to wear such formal outer garments, so he put on a worn half-old light blue velvet coat before going out with Du Wan. Upon arriving in the main hall, he saw Zhang Jiu already dressed, wearing a long robe adorned with rose-purple patterns symbolizing wealth and prosperity. His black hair was tied back with an ivory horn clip, giving him an air of prosperity and joy. Zhang Chao and Zhang Qi, his brothers, had also returned by some unknown time and were standing by. However, his second uncle, Zhang You, was nowhere in sight—most likely busy with official or personal matters.

Since her husband had been exiled to Jiaozhi and Zhang Jiu had failed repeatedly in the imperial examinations, the Feng family had lost its former pride. Now, faced with such good news, she couldn’t help but stand beside the Gu family, smiling and chatting. The imperial robe had been carefully folded by the maids and placed on a rosewood tray painted red; most people in the room regarded it with awe.

Seeing Zhang Yue approach with a smile and bow, the Gu family’s expression remained unchanged, arousing even more speculation in her heart. Yet, not wanting to create trouble, she skillfully changed the subject and ordered Bai Fang to take food outside. At that moment, several maids had just gone to set up tables and chairs in the back room. Du Wan and Li Yun each supported one side of the Gu family, with Feng Shi and Dong Fang Shi following closely behind. In contrast, Zhang Qi’s wife, Zhao Fen, was left behind. Just as Zhang Yue was about to follow Zhang Chao and Zhang Qi inside, someone pulled at his sleeve.

“Third brother…”
Turning around, he saw Zhang Jiu standing behind him, looking uneasy. Zhang Yue smiled, patted his arm gently, and whispered, “If Grandma or anyone else asks later, don’t say anything. I’ll handle it. It’s just the two of us; no one would dare to question the emperor. Don’t get yourself into trouble, understand? Your aunt is so happy rarely—just let her be happy for once. That would be showing filial piety as her son.”

Hearing Zhang Yue’s words, Zhang Jiu was stunned. After following him in blankly, he saw Lady Gu sitting on the central couch, with everyone else already seated according to rank. Four bowls of dishes were placed on each table, so he quickly took a seat at the last chair. Lady Feng and Lady Dongfang rarely ate here and were originally supposed to stand and serve, but only after Lady Gu gave the order did they sit down. Then, Li Yun, Zhao Fen, and Du Wan, the three daughter-in-laws, brought the food, set the utensils, and arranged the tableware, with several maids standing by. In just fifteen minutes, the quiet meal was over. After the tables and other items were cleared away, tea was served after rinsing the mouth. Only then did Lady Gu pick up her teacup and speak.

“Brother Yue, how did you and Brother Jiu encounter the emperor today?”

Well-prepared, Zhang Yue recounted his experiences from the trip, making a few additions and omissions when describing his encounter with Zhu Di. Others couldn’t tell, but it seemed the emperor liked Zhang Jiu quite a bit and thus bestowed upon him a heavy coat, just like Lady Feng and Lady Dongfang. As for Du Wan, having just spoken with Zhang Yue, she knew there must be a reason behind it but showed no outward reaction. Even though Lady Gu suspected Zhang Yue might not be telling the whole truth, she didn’t ask too many questions at that moment. Only Zhang Jiu blushed.

“Since Brother Jiu has been out in the cold wind for so long, he should go back with your mother and rest properly. Keep the emperor’s gift carefully and study hard tomorrow—don’t let down his expectations. Brother Chao and the other brothers should also go back with their wives. Military drills aren’t a joke; get some rest so you can handle tomorrow. Brother Yue and your wife should stay and copy a few pages of Buddhist scriptures for me.”

After making these arrangements, everyone went back to their rooms. However, Lady Gu found the back rooms too cold, so she took Zhang Yue and Du Wan to the warm pavilion. She ordered the maids to stay outside and prevent anyone from entering. Then she pulled Du Wan to sit on the kang and asked Zhang Yue with a half-smile, “Now that there are no outsiders around, there’s no need to use those pretentious words to deceive me. Tell me honestly what really happened. Don’t think just because I’m old, I’ll be easy to fool.”

Knowing his grandmother was sharp, Zhang Yue stopped hiding things and told her everything that had happened that day, finally explaining, “The emperor has always been like this. He questioned me in the same way back then. Although my fourth brother was momentarily distracted, I managed to cover for him. Since the emperor gave him that heavy coat, it shows he still cares about him and might recall my uncle’s past merits and grant him amnesty at any time.”

Gu Shi had endured countless hardships throughout most of her life, so she knew full well that Zhang Yue’s words were merely comforting. She told Zhang Yue to sit on the kang opposite and then sighed, “Jiu Geer is a year older than you were when you first arrived in Nanjing, yet he can’t compare to your quick wits. When he met the emperor, he must have been so terrified his legs turned to water. Thankfully, you handled it well. Since it’s the emperor’s order, starting tomorrow I’ll have someone ensure he trains diligently, so as not to give the emperor the impression that he’s weak. As for you, I hear you and Wan Er are busy until the wee hours every day. What exactly are you up to?”

Although Zhu Di had ordered that those notes not be mentioned casually, since the grandmother asked, Zhang Yue couldn’t just keep it to himself and had to reveal some details. After all, with her extensive life experience, she always knew how much to reveal. Sure enough, after he gave a brief explanation, Gu Shi was immediately deeply moved.

“I always thought you were calm, but I never imagined you were so bold!” Gu Shi said, glancing at Du Wan before gently patting her hand. “And you, allowing him to act recklessly in such an important matter!”

Though her words sounded like reproaches, Gu Shi’s face showed relief, and her gaze toward her grandson and daughter-in-law grew even softer. She was pleased by Zhang Yue’s remarkable performance over the years, his loyalty to his brothers, and his willingness to take responsibility at critical moments.

After a moment’s thought, she warned him concerningly, “Since the emperor has given the order, this matter rests with me. Don’t mention it to anyone else; I’ll keep it a secret. Over these three days, you and Wan Er should carefully plan everything else aside, ensuring nothing is overlooked. Even if the emperor can’t rely on you immediately due to your youth, he certainly won’t ignore your contributions!”

With Gu Shi’s words, for three days straight, Zhang Yue stayed indoors except for his morning and evening visits to pay respects. He spent time in the warm pavilion discussing details with Du Wan, eventually compiling a thick stack of papers. Lingxi and the others who brought tea, snacks, and meals often saw the two arguing inside. Though they couldn’t understand what they were saying, they could tell from their expressions and would secretly laugh and gossip. Xiao Wu, on the other hand, appeared out of nowhere from some hidden corner. Since she wasn’t part of Du Wan’s dowry maidens, everyone left her alone.

Despite being extremely cautious, some revisions were still necessary, and it wasn’t until the last day that the couple began transcribing the text. Since Zhang Yue had initially copied the script after studying the handwriting of the brothers Shen Du and Shen Can, and Du Wan had also received guidance from these two masters, she took on half of the transcription work. Even so, they were busy until the early hours of the morning, too tired to even lift their wrists when they put down their pens.

Having been focused on writing nonstop, Zhang Yue now suffered from aching hands and a dry throat. When he reached for the teacup, he found the tea had long cooled. Seeing Du Wan’s exhausted face, he quickly got up and stepped outside. Only after lifting the curtain did he discover Lingxi and Qiuhen were dozing off back to back on the kang outside. Remembering that they had also stayed up for days, he hesitated for a moment. Just as he was about to call them, Amber came in from outside, carrying a tray.

Amber moved as lightly as a lynx. With one hand holding the tray and the other lowering the thick curtain, she stepped forward quickly and whispered, “Sisters Lingxi and Qiuhen really can’t hold on any longer, so I let them take a short nap. As the old lady instructed, the kitchen must stay staffed at night these days. This is freshly cooked bird’s nest porridge—please have some before going to bed, young master and young mistress.”

Zhang Yue had come out intending to order some midnight snacks, so hearing this was exactly what he wanted. Following Amber into the warm pavilion, before she could set down the tray, he picked up one of the porcelain bowls and placed it in front of Du Wan, then took another for himself. Seeing Amber about to leave, he quickly called her back and added, “If you’re hungry, I remember there are some snacks from this afternoon still outside. Warm them up by the charcoal stove to stave off hunger. Also, although there’s a heated kang outside, it’s still cold. Tell Lingxi and Qiuhen to go back inside to sleep. We’ve finished here—go tidy up in the east room and then go to bed too.”

“This…”

“Stop hesitating. With me here for the young lady and the groom, you can go ahead and sleep in peace.”

Seeing Xiao Wu appear out of nowhere, drinking porridge with a small spoon, Du Wan almost choked. Annoyed, she called him over. Seeing that Zhang Yue had insisted Amber go rest, she asked softly, “Where have you been? I haven’t seen you all afternoon!”

“I asked the old lady before leaving, so when the carriage brought me back, the door was left open for me,” Xiao Wu said with a smile as she sat on the kang. She only put away her playful expression after Zhang Yue turned around. “It was the princess who sent someone to call me over tonight. Since you and the groom were both busy, I didn’t want to disturb you. The selection of attendants for the princess has been put on hold for now—apparently, King Zhou has fallen ill, quite seriously, so the princess needs to return to take care of him. She’s leaving tomorrow. Knowing you’re busy with important matters, she asked that you not go to see her off.”

Though it wasn’t good news, both Zhang Yue and Du Wan felt relieved upon hearing it—given Zhu Ning’s indifferent attitude toward marriage, putting off the selection of attendants might indeed be what she wanted. Still, it was rather coincidental that King Zhou fell ill just now; could it be that he couldn’t make decisions about his daughter’s marriage?

Soon after, Xiao Wu revealed another major piece of news: “The princess sent me over for another important matter. Eunuch Huang from the Imperial Court is doing everything in his power to find out why you met the emperor several times before. The princess said he’s the most senior eunuch in the emperor’s court, having served in the Prince Yan’s palace in the past. He’s extremely cunning, and she wants you to be careful.”