Chapter 357: Once Shared Hardships—Could They Share Prosperity Now?

Once bitten by a snake, one fears ropes for years. Gu’s wife suffered headaches at the mere mention of “imperial grant.” Though she was unaware of how much trouble Zhang Yue had gone through for that sable fur coat, the incident involving the Imperial Sword was indeed a well-documented fact. Hearing that the emperor had personally inscribed a message and ordered it hung in Ruiqing Hall, she hurriedly instructed Bai Fang to send someone to ensure it was guarded day and night by the butler Gao Quan, to prevent further chaos.

In Kaifeng, Henan, the Zhang family’s main hall had been Ruiqing Hall. Even after moving to their new home in Beijing, Gu’s wife insisted on using this name for the main hall to show they never forgot their roots. The large plaque in red gold on black background with golden characters in the middle of the hall was written by Zhang Fu, the Duke of Ying. Though not as elegant as a scholar’s calligraphy, it exuded a bold spirit.

The imperial inscription was a quote from The Art of War—“Thus, command them with words and regulate them with force; this ensures victory.”

Seeing the two middle-aged servants hang the imperial treasure on the wall at the back of Ruiqing Hall, Zhang Yue couldn’t help but sigh. It wasn’t that he refused to follow the emperor’s order to hide Zhu Di’s inscription—it was because there was already a large plaque written by Zhang Fu above it. Hanging the emperor’s own handwriting below would be a grave act of disrespect. Now that that wall was cleared to display only the imperial inscription, it would be harder for others to find fault. He certainly didn’t want to remove Zhang Fu’s plaque!

Butler Gao Quan, who had just heard the old lady’s instructions outside, entered the back hall and, after examining the imperial inscription for a while, said to Zhang Yue with a smile, “It seems the emperor truly values the third young master. He’s received rewards every year, and they’re always different. I’ve heard that the emperor’s handwriting is rare even among high-ranking officials. Your uncles have served for years but never received such great favor—only the third young master seems destined for it.”

Now that the inscription was hung, Zhang Yue was about to head to the northern courtyard to see his grandmother when he heard these words and couldn’t help but think of another piece of news he’d heard from Zhu Di. Since the founding of the Ming Dynasty, titles had mostly been granted based on military achievements. If his second uncle, Zhang You, could truly defeat the pirates in the eastern islands and clear the coastal areas, he would likely be granted a title upon returning to the court. Even if it were just a non-hereditary count, it would be a great honor for the Zhang family.

Looking back now, it’s highly likely that my uncle Zhang Xin was punished and demoted not just because he used to be on good terms with the Prince of Han—after all, nearly three years have passed. Zhu Di highly valued Zhang You and Zhang Chao, father and son, and trusted them greatly. So why did he deliberately prevent Zhang Xin from returning? Moreover, if my second uncle Zhang You were truly granted the title of earl, it would mean the order of birth within the family would be reversed, inevitably leading to unrest in the future.

With these thoughts in mind, he walked along the path absentmindedly. When he reached the second gate, he heard someone calling him and stopped. Turning around, he saw Zhang Jiu. The brothers had been separated for only three months, but he noticed that his younger brother had grown taller. After greeting each other with a smile, they joked around a bit. When he learned that Zhang Jiu had been granted the status of a supervised student and had just started studying at the Imperial Academy a few days ago, returning home on a day off, he raised an eyebrow.

“The rules at the Imperial Academy are strict, and it’s rare to leave there. Although ordinary people probably won’t bother you, you still need to be cautious, so as not to end up like your elder brother in your room, who got taken advantage of. If you suffer injustice, it’s fine to yield if you’re wrong, but if someone deliberately looks for trouble, endure it for now and tell us brothers later; we’ll find a way to avenge you.”

Since entering the Imperial Academy, Zhang Jiu had been constantly nagged by his grandmother and mother, leaving his ears tough from their constant warnings. So as soon as Zhang Yue spoke, he was ready to agree wholeheartedly, but he froze at the end. His grandmother and mother had only advised him to be cautious and not overreach—why was Zhang Yue so direct? Didn’t the elders always tell him to learn from Zhang Yue’s maturity and not be swayed by momentary anger?

Seeing Zhang Jiu’s confused expression, Zhang Yue smiled and pulled him into the second gate, past the screen wall. Then he explained, “If others respect me, I’ll respect them even more. But you must remember: if they offend me, I’ll definitely offend them back! There are certainly people of good character and strong academic abilities at the Imperial Academy, but there are also descendants of nobles and even imperial relatives. If they think you’re easy to manipulate, they’ll surely take advantage of you. Among the students from humble backgrounds, some haven’t improved much in their studies and enjoy seeing the sons of officials embarrassed. If it weren’t for Professor Chen protecting the seventh brother back then, and if not for your elder brother in your room helping out a bit, it would have been hard for him to survive there. Yet even your elder brother in your room was eventually betrayed. In short, just focus on studying hard. If you encounter any problems, come to us brothers.”

“Thank you, Third Brother. I understand!” Zhang Jiu nodded vigorously. Then he remembered the incident with the Imperial Sword not long ago and quickly recounted everything in detail. With lingering fear, he added, “Second Brother is impatient and went straight to Marquis Anyuan for advice. Fortunately, Marquis Anyuan assured him that he would definitely help if anything happened. I went to see Elder Brother Wan and Elder Brother Xia, but they both said it was your doing, Third Brother, and told me not to worry. I didn’t believe them at first. Even Seventh Brother took time off to come home and check on things. By the way, I heard that Scholar Xiao Yang specifically asked the emperor to investigate those who discussed this matter in the palace and several people were caught. Some had their ranks reduced, some were recorded in the official records, and things quickly settled down.”

Yang Rong? If it were Yang Shiqi who did this, Zhang Yue wouldn’t be surprised at all. After all, Yang Shiqi was on very good terms with his father-in-law Du Zhen and the Shen Du and Shen Can brothers, and he would surely despise such schemes. But Du Zhen had also said that Yang Rong was the most astute person, who would always act from his own perspective. It seemed a bit strange to think that he did this purely to help them.

The two brothers talked as they walked and soon arrived at the northern courtyard. A maid had already announced their arrival. One of them had finally gotten a day off after starting school for the first time, while the other had just returned home after months away. So both Zhang Yue and Zhang Jiu bowed four times upon entering. After they stood up, Lady Gu took one of each in her arms. She shook her head at Zhang Yue and sighed, saying he had lost weight, while nodding and smiling at Zhang Jiu, saying he had grown taller. Bai Fang beside her couldn’t contain her laughter, and the other maids also hid their smiles.

“Now, in our family, aside from the two youngest, everyone else is an adult.”

Elderly people naturally loved their grandchildren. With one being the eldest grandson of the eldest branch and the other a grandson favored by the emperor, Lady Gu liked them even more the more she saw them. As she watched the two brothers sit on the chairs on the left, she couldn’t help but ask a few questions. Just then, a announcement came from outside: “Old Lady, the First Lady, the Second Lady, and Brother Zi have arrived.”

As soon as those words faded, the sky-blue patterned curtain in front of the door was lifted, and three women and a child entered one after another. At the front was Lady Feng, holding four-year-old Zhang Zi, with Lady Dongfang in the middle and Ying Ge at the back, her eyes fixed on Zhang Zi ahead. Lady Feng was pleased to see Zhang Jiu, but still bowed first before lifting her kneeling son to take a close look at him.

East Family’s wife couldn’t help but mutter, “It’s only been a few days since we entered the Imperial Academy, and the eldest daughter-in-law already can’t bear to part with Brother Jiu. My husband and Chao are both out at sea now—don’t I also wake up every night worried? Even Qi often stays in the military camp and doesn’t return home. It’s me who suffers the most here.”

Upon hearing this, Lady Feng immediately thought of her husband still in Jiaozhi and felt extremely displeased. Yet, despite being annoyed by East Family’s sharp words, she feared a quarrel and chose not to respond. Seeing the tense atmosphere in the room, Yingge hurriedly pushed her son Zhang Bi forward, hoping for the best. When Zhang Yue saw the cute little boy stepping forward cluelessly while Lady Gu remained stern with furrowed brows, he stood up, picked up Zhang Bi, and placed him on the kang.

“To see one’s son succeed, one must be willing to sacrifice. Look at Brother Yue—he also went through many dangers to get where he is today. Enough, enough. Since Brother Jiu has come back so rarely, the eldest daughter-in-law should spend time chatting with him. Who knows when he’ll return next? As for the second daughter-in-law, there’s no need to complain. During this New Year, just the gifts bestowed upon you by the Imperial Concubine were quite substantial. If not for their father and son fighting in battle, how could you have so many things?”

After saying this, Zhang Bi called out to his grandmother in a clear voice, which slightly eased Lady Gu’s expression. Seeing the old lady angry again, Lady Feng and East Family’s wife didn’t dare argue and quickly stepped forward to apologize. Lady Gu then sent East Family’s wife to distribute the monthly salaries for the next month and asked Lady Feng to take Zhang Jiu back. Noticing Yingge staring at Zhang Bi beside her, she said indifferently, “It’s rare for me to see Brother Bi. Keep him here with Brother Yue; you all may go back.”

Lady Feng was stunned for a moment before quickly nodding in agreement. Yingge, however, couldn’t hide her joy. With each woman holding her own thoughts, they got up together to leave with Zhang Jiu. Only after they all left did Lady Gu sigh wearily, rubbing her forehead: “The older I get, the more I like to argue. It’s truly exhausting… Brother Yue, what did the emperor ask you?”

“Grandmother, the emperor was in a good mood today. He kept me around just to watch me write the scroll of The Art of War he bestowed upon us, gave me some encouragement, and then asked about my second uncle.”

Bai Fang saw Lady Gu holding Zhang Bi in her arms and stroking his head. Hearing these words, she suddenly stopped and, after figuring out what was meant, sent the maids out into the yard, then herself slipped outside. At that moment, Zhang Yue continued, “The emperor’s intention is that since your second uncle has made contributions in suppressing the pirates this time, plus his previous military achievements in Jiaozhi, he will likely be granted a title upon his return.”

“A title…” Lady Gu could no longer pay attention to Zhang Bi. She left him behind, stood up, her face a mix of shock and joy. “Even if it’s not an hereditary title, it should at least be that of a marquis or a military commander. Your second uncle has loved weapons and combat since childhood, and he’s very stubborn. He greatly admires your eldest uncle. I never thought the Zhang family could produce someone like him… It’s a pity your eldest uncle isn’t as decisive, as smart, or as lucky as him.”

At this point, she suddenly smiled bitterly. “It’s certainly good that your second uncle will be granted a title, but since your eldest uncle is still in Jiaozhi and hasn’t returned, I hope the emperor will show some mercy and allow him to come back, even if it’s just to idle around. I’m already an old woman; I really don’t want to see my gray hair accompany the departure of my young ones.”

Zhang Yue quickly comforted her a few words, but in his mind, he thought of the crown prince and the crown prince heir who were in Nanjing. The emperor had left the crown prince in Nanjing for nearly three years, with only the Prince of Zhao by his side. Although the Prince of Han had repeatedly acted rebelliously, the emperor turned a blind eye. Nowadays, ordinary families might disregard lineage and focus only on ability, but among three brothers born of the same mother in the imperial family, hierarchy determined who would be ruler and who would be subject. Naturally, those two were unwilling to accept that.

It was the same at home. In the past, they had stood together through hardships; now, with wealth, might conflicts arise?

Recalling the message sent by Princess Chenliu, Zhu Ning, back in Nanjing, he pondered for a moment before speaking again, “Now that our whole family has moved away from Kaifeng, many branches of the Zhang family still live there. After all, it’s a family that has existed for over a hundred years, with many wide-ranging connections. It’s even said they have close ties with several princes of the Zhou family. Remember, dragons give birth to nine different kinds of offspring. Some of the princes around the Prince of Zhou have always behaved recklessly. If someone uses that as an excuse, even we might be held accountable.”

Previously, the eldest son served as an official in the capital, the second son fought in Jiaozhi, and the third son couldn’t handle things alone. Thus, Lady Gu inevitably took charge of family affairs. Now that she realized the seriousness of the situation, she nodded immediately. “This indeed cannot be underestimated. I’ll send someone back with a letter right away. There are still my two former sisters-in-law and a few elders there; I’ll ask them to take care of it properly. If they go too far, expel them from the family to prevent them from becoming a threat in the future!”