Chapter 346: Brothers Going Their Own Ways

The treasure ship achieved a great victory in fighting the Japanese pirates along the coast—killing 442 pirates, capturing 657, sinking seven pirate ships, and seizing fourteen!
Fan Tongli, the supervisor of Ningbo’s maritime affairs, colluded with the pirates, illegally issuing permits for civilian ships to act as foreign tribute vessels, and even attempted to assassinate the imperial envoy! A total of 112 traitors involved in these activities were captured across Ningbo.
Due to previous incidents involving pirates in Songjiang Prefecture, many officials in Beijing had already been in an uproar. When these two news items arrived one after another, chaos ensued. Officials who had previously opposed lifting the sea ban rushed to submit petitions, repeatedly asking the emperor to reverse his decision. Many questioned why Zhang Yue, who was originally sent to Jiangnan to investigate grain stores, suddenly headed to Ningbo. There were also many who petitioned to abolish the maritime administration due to the pirate problems. Some even went so far as to argue that the treasure ship expeditions were extremely costly and urged their abolition to allow the country to recover.
Before one issue could be resolved, another arose. While chaos reigned, a even bigger rumor suddenly spread throughout Beijing. The rumor claimed that Zhang Yue had been assassinated in Ningbo Prefecture and had accidentally broken the sword bestowed by the emperor! The entire court was shocked and sought confirmation from the emperor’s closest cabinet ministers. Yet neither Yang Rong nor Jin Youzi knew anything about it, though their expressions were grim.
The Zhang family had experienced successive good fortunes since the second half of the year, but the latest setback was Fang Shuixin’s miscarriage, which brought some disappointment. Although Lady Gu was worried about Lady Wang, who was still recovering, she was too old to venture outside in the cold wind, so she sent her daughter-in-law Feng to visit her from time to time. Despite her dislike for Fang Shuixin, out of concern for Zhang You, she felt this miscarriage was suspicious and assigned extra people to keep a close watch. These responsibilities left her exhausted, even to the point where she couldn’t attend to Zhang Yi, who had just gotten married. That day, when she heard such rumors from Dong Fangshi, her face turned deathly pale.

Madam Dongfang spent three days investigating carefully to confirm that this wasn’t just a baseless rumor before making the trip. She quickly urged, “Madam, though it’s just a rumor, it’s spread far and wide, which is why I had to come and inform you. Those people spoke very confidently, saying this isn’t an ordinary imperial sword but one worn by the emperor during his campaigns across the country. They even said he used it to kill people during the war against the Yuan dynasty. If that’s true, then Young Master Yue has really caused a huge disaster.”

“What does the court say about this?”

Hearing this, Madam Dongfang immediately thought of her husband and son who were still out at sea hunting pirates in the cold weather. She initially wanted to say something sarcastic, but remembering how confident Zhang You and Zhang Chao had seemed before leaving, and knowing that her husband, though not a hereditary noble, was now serving as a military commander for the first time, she suppressed her resentment. Yet her tone still carried a hint of complaint.

“The master isn’t here, and the Duke of Ying is still fighting in Xuanfu. It’s really difficult to get information from the court. This morning I went to the residence of the Marquis of Baoding and heard that the emperor is avoiding court sessions on the pretext of suffering from wind arthralgia. Everything is handled by the cabinet, and it’s unclear what the procedures are. It’s really because Young Master Yue was too reckless. He should have treasured this reward and kept it safely instead of carrying it around carelessly. Isn’t that just giving others an opportunity?”

Madam Gu closed her eyes tiredly and then waved her hand. “Go ahead, I need some time to think about this.”

Seeing Madam Dongfang quietly leave, Bai Fang gave a signal to the maids, sent them away, then brought over a small stool. She sat down under the kang and used a beauty hammer to massage Madam Gu’s legs. Seizing an opportunity, she whispered, “Madam, the third young master probably didn’t expect anyone to be that bold. Besides, someone tried to assassinate the imperial envoy in broad daylight, and he almost lost his life too.”

“What do you know?” Madam Gu suddenly opened her eyes and then smiled bitterly. “He may have survived this time, but if the emperor blames him, he might not be able to escape! Well, send someone to the Du family first to find out…”

Before she could finish speaking, a maid’s voice came from outside, “Madam, the seventh young master of the Gu family has arrived. He says he wants to see you. The steward outside is asking if you’re available. If not, he asks if the second or fourth young master can meet in your place.”

“The seventh young master of the Gu family?” Madam Gu was taken aback. “It’s not yet time for the imperial academy to close. Why would he come? Well, he’s not the kind to ask for favors for nothing. Maybe he has something important. Let him in.”

After about fifteen minutes, voices were heard outside, and soon a maid pulled back the curtain to let someone in. Gu Bin was wearing a blue silk cotton robe, exactly the winter clothes that the Gu family had sent earlier, and he also had a fox fur hat on his head; his face was red from the cold wind. As soon as he entered, he took off his hat and bowed. Lady Gu nodded and smiled, saying, “You’ve been studying at the Imperial Academy and rarely have free time. How did you manage to come here today?”
“Grandma, I heard many rumors at the Imperial Academy, and even some of the professors are discussing it. Professor Chen has always been kind to me. He hinted to me that this matter is quite strange. After all, it’s a thousand miles from Ningbo Prefecture to Beijing, and news can travel fast thanks to the postal system and fast horses. Yet such rumors have spread so widely—it’s really abnormal. That’s why I took a day off just to ask if my third cousin has sent any letters recently.”
She had thought Gu Bin came suddenly because of some trouble at the Imperial Academy. Hearing him mention this directly, Lady Gu felt a mix of emotions. She nodded in relief but also sighed.
“Good boy, I’m sorry you went to such trouble and even took time off to come here. I’m too old to handle these matters and only found out just now. I’ve been thinking about it too. Since Yue Ge left, there have been no letters from him, though his father and wife sent one letter. They said that because Yue Ge was acting under imperial orders in secrecy, even they didn’t know much about his whereabouts. Not only them, but even your second uncle and eldest cousin—we can only wait for official news from the court.”
Gu Bin had thought the Zhang family must have some definite information, so he was somewhat disappointed upon hearing Lady Gu’s words. Although he still wasn’t very skilled at navigating social situations, he wasn’t as aloof as before. After sitting for a while, he quickly changed the subject and talked casually about things at the Imperial Academy. Even so, being awkward with words, he only stayed for about half an hour before getting up to leave. Walking outside the courtyard, he was deep in thought, head bowed, and almost bumped into someone at the second gate.
“Oops… Hey, it’s Little Seven!”

Hearing this, Xiao Qi Ge, Gu Bin rubbed his head and looked up. Seeing it was Zhang Jiu, he hurriedly apologized. Just as he was about to leave, he heard Zhang Jiu speak: “Did Xiao Qi Ge come specially because of Third Brother’s matter? I just went to Xi Pai Lou Alley and happened to see First Brother Wan and Second Brother Xia. They happened to have a day off today. Although they reassured me that Third Brother is cautious by nature and wouldn’t be so careless, those rumors sounded so convincing that it’s really worrying. But Second Brother has already gone to Marquis An Yuan to inquire about the situation, so you can rest assured and return to the Imperial Academy.”

Although Gu Bin was a relative of the Zhang family, he was closest to Zhang Yue. After all, there was the past kindness Zhang Zhuo showed to the Gu family, and he had also received much help and advice from Zhang Yue as his classmate at the prefectural school. Usually, he could only exchange a few words with Zhang Chao and Zhang Qi, but he had hardly interacted with Zhang Jiu. Hearing these words, he felt an extremely strange sensation well up inside him. He didn’t even notice what Zhang Jiu said next or how he left.

Was this why the Gu family was in disarray and declining, while the Zhang family thrived—because the whole family rushed around whenever something happened?

Although the Zhang family had always covered various expenses, Gu Bin was proud by nature and refused to accept too much help. So today, he didn’t take a carriage but walked all the way from the Imperial Academy. Now, after leaving the east gate of the Zhang residence and walking along the road to the alley entrance, he stopped and thought carefully. But since he didn’t know much about the court, he couldn’t figure anything out after much deliberation.

Suddenly, he remembered something he had never used before, and his eyes lit up. At this moment, he didn’t care about the cost. He found the nearest carriage service and hired one to rush back to his dormitory at the Imperial Academy. From deep in his drawer, he retrieved a brocade pouch. Seeing that the piece of paper and jade pendant were still there, he breathed a sigh of relief. He immediately put them back as they were, then stuffed the pouch in his pocket and rushed out. He took a carriage all the way, hurrying to reach Yang’s residence on Front Gate Street.

After staying at the Imperial Academies in Nanjing and Beijing for over two years, this was the first time Gu Bin had visited an official family other than the Zhangs. He had passed by several marquis and earl residences along the way. Although Yang’s residence was far less grand than those mansions, seeing many carriages coming and going outside the west gate still made him nervous. It took him some effort to muster the courage to speak to the gatekeeper, but he was greatly disappointed.

“Sir is indeed not on duty today, but he is unwell, so he does not receive visitors. He hasn’t met these people who came to pay their respects; it’s not that we deliberately prevented word from reaching him.” The middle-aged gatekeeper was somewhat surprised by Gu Bin’s plain clothes but spoke very politely. “However, if the young master has any urgent matter, we can pass the message on for him.”

Gu Bin clenched the silk pouch in his hand, gritted his teeth, and handed it over. “Please deliver this to Lord Yang and tell him it’s a relic he left behind, brought by an old friend who has come to visit.”

The middle-aged gatekeeper glanced at the pouch and saw it was made of faded brocade, and he grew suspicious. Though he doubted that this man was just after charity, since he claimed it was a relic left by his master, he didn’t dare neglect it. He quickly took it and went to report to the supervisor. After passing through several hands, it finally reached Yang Rong in his study.

Yang Rong examined the jade pendant over and over, gradually forming an impression of it, though he was extremely surprised. When he had just passed the imperial examinations and joined the Hanlin Academy, at the height of his youth and success, he had thought of returning the favor he had once received. But as his status rose and he gained more favor, the person in question never came to see him. He had his servants inquire about them in their old residence, only to learn that they were outsiders who had long left. Thus, the debt of gratitude remained unresolved. Now, seeing the old relic again, he felt relieved and immediately ordered his servants to invite the man in.