Chapter 386: The Reason Behind It All

Hupo lifted the curtain and entered the main hall, only to see Zhang Yue dressed in a thick fur coat, seemingly about to go out, with Du Wan standing beside him. Though panicked, upon seeing this scene, she forced down the words that were on her lips and stepped forward quickly, asking, “Young master, it’s already so late—do you still need to go out?”

“Mm, I just remembered an important matter and need to leave right away!” Zhang Yue quickly fastened his thick sable fur coat. Noticing Hupo’s worried expression, he didn’t have time to ask further and simply said, “It’s getting late. You should go to bed early too. If there’s anything or if you encounter any difficulties, just talk to the young mistress—she’s just like me. I might not be back for a while, so I’m counting on you all at home.”

Seeing Qiuhen also poking her head out from the west wing, Zhang Yue had no time to talk more. He nodded at her, took the lantern from Du Wan, put on his warm hat, and hurried out. It was already 2 a.m., and most of the Zhang family had gone to bed; the backyard was completely quiet. A layer of snow covered the ground, and boots made creaking sounds as he stepped on it. Just as he passed the second gate, he saw someone holding a lantern not far away, and soon voices called out.

“Who’s still out at this hour?”

“It’s me!”

Due to the many affairs in the capital recently, Gao Quan had been personally leading several strong servants to keep watch through the night for several days in a row. Hearing this familiar voice, he immediately raised the lantern and saw that it was indeed Zhang Yue. He quickly led his men forward to greet him, “Third young master, are you going out at such a late hour for some reason? If you really need to leave, I’ll hurry and send someone to prepare the horses!”

“Gao Quan, I have an urgent matter and need to leave. Go quickly to the stables in the south courtyard and prepare two horses… no, five horses. Also call Hu Qi and the other four—have them dress warmly. There’s no need for Lian Sheng and Lian Hu.”

Realizing that Zhang Yue must have a serious reason for being in such a hurry, Gao Quan ignored his duty of keeping watch and quickly instructed his men to carry out their tasks. He took the lantern from Zhang Yue and led the way. By the time they reached the east gate, five horses had already been brought outside. Hu Qi, Zhao Hu, and the others had put on thick yellow-brown cotton robes and followed Zhang Yue onto their horses without asking, racing away. Only after they disappeared into the night did Gao Quan regain his serious expression and wave for a servant to come over.

“Go to the second gate and see if your sister-in-law Linglong is there. If she is, hurry and have her report to the master. Tell him that the third young master suddenly encountered some issue and left again at night with four attendants, asking for his guidance. Go quickly!”
Even before Beiping was upgraded to Beijing, there had already been a curfew, and now that it had become the capital, this rule naturally still applied. As soon as Zhang Yue turned onto the main street leading to the front gate, he encountered night patrol guards from the Five Cities Military Command. After showing his official credentials, although the leading officer waved him through, he still warned, “Sir, thieves are rampant at night. Please be careful.”
Zhang Yue had already prepared to ride off, but upon hearing this, he stopped immediately and asked, “Are you saying that thieves are rampant in the capital at night?”
The officer was taken aback by Zhang Yue’s concern and hesitated before honestly answering, “The capital is close to the north, and after years of construction, it is now inhabited by craftsmen, convicts, and people migrated from various places. It’s a mix of good and bad people, so few people go out at night. Even those seeking medical treatment usually go in groups. You probably don’t go out at night often, right? In fact, wealthy families have servants to patrol, so thieves naturally don’t dare to bother them. Many poor families have also built wooden fences in their yards, so thieves often operate in groups.”
Due to the curfew, Zhang Yue certainly wouldn’t go out at night unless necessary. It was his first time hearing that the security in the capital was so poor. After thanking the officer for his warning, he rushed ahead with Hu Qi and the others. Fortunately, they didn’t encounter any reckless thieves along the way and soon reached the barracks behind Beianmen. After dismounting and walking a few steps inside, he saw Hai Shou, the deputy head of the Imperial Horse Supervision Bureau, coming out of a room with several eunuchs.
“Eunuch Hai!”
Hai Shou’s eyes widened upon seeing Zhang Yue, and he quickly approached in surprise, “Young Master Zhang? Didn’t Zhou Bailing say the emperor ordered you to go back? How come you’re here again… Ah, I see. You’re really thorough in your work. Don’t worry; Liu Gong and I are in charge of all security arrangements, so nothing will go wrong. The imperial horse guards are under Liu Gong’s supervision, and I’m in charge here. We’ve followed the emperor on northern expeditions before—this kind of task is a piece of cake for us…”

He ordered the eunuchs behind him to step back. Believing he had guessed Zhang Yue’s concerns, he stepped forward and said with a smile, “I know what you’re worried about. The Imperial Horse Guard is in charge of protecting the emperor, and everyone there is naturally loyal to the emperor and the Eastern Palace. The emperor has been unwell lately, so he’s mobilizing troops mainly for defense, not for battle. As a civil official, you’re being assigned this role simply because the emperor thought that without a civil official to oversee things, the Military Ministry would surely cause trouble. It’s not really that you’re going to fight.”

Since he was convinced that the message brought by the eunuch from Zhu Ning was a trap, Zhang Yue still decided to go after much deliberation. After all, what Hai Shou conveyed in the camp was an imperial edict, while what he said was just an oral instruction—although he was sure no one would dare fake Zhu Ning’s message, they might dare fake an imperial edict. Given Zhu Di’s capricious nature, there was a high chance he would forget the oral instruction by morning and blame Zhang Yue for leaving his post. But Hai Shou’s intention to show favor was beyond his expectations.

It seemed that in the palace, there were both factions loyal to princes like Zhu Gaoxu and Zhu Gaosui, as well as those supporting the Eastern Palace—so it wasn’t just the eunuchs who held all the power. If that was the case, the likelihood of certain events happening should be quite low.

After chatting for a while and learning that Zhang Yue planned to stay there overnight, Hai Shou didn’t say much more and instructed Zhou Bailing to follow Zhang Yue’s orders. Since Zhang Yue mentioned that the place was near the Beianmen Gate of the imperial city, Hai Shou simply said he would come personally to pick him up at Beianmen Gate at 2 o’clock the next day, then left with a few eunuchs. As soon as he left, Zhang Yue entered the barracks and said to Zhou Bailing, “Guarding and defending is your expertise. Rather than saying you should follow my orders, it’s more accurate to say I should follow yours. Old Zhou, we’ve known each other for a long time. Since Marquis Anyuan has chosen you this time, do you understand what that means?”

Zhou Bailing had already been prepared since Liu Sheng chose him. He didn’t say anything about thanking him but simply patted his chest and nodded firmly, “Since the marquis trusts and entrusts this task to me, I will surely not disappoint his expectations.”

The heavy snowfall stopped by the middle of the night, yet the capital was still covered in white, with snow accumulating up to half a foot deep in some areas. Due to the cancellation of court sessions, officials did not have to endure the hardship of traveling through the snow to attend court. The Chang’an Left Gate and Right Gate, usually crowded with officials, appeared rather deserted early in the morning. However, the eunuchs assigned to cleaning tasks had already gotten up early to clear the snow from the Meridian Gate, sweating profusely even in such bitter cold. By the time they finished clearing the main road, officials were already arriving near the Chang’an Left Gate at the end of the road.

Watching wave after wave of officials pass by—some heading to the Wenyuan Pavilion, some to the Six Departments Corridor, and others to the Guanglu Temple—the young eunuch who had been waiting at the Meridian Gate for nearly half an hour grew increasingly anxious. Although it wasn’t snowing, the ground was covered in snow, and after standing there for a while, his feet became completely frozen. By now, even his hands had lost sensation, and his thin round-collared shirt offered no protection against the cold wind. Worse still, he couldn’t rub his hands or stamp his feet to warm himself, so he had to endure it. From early morning until noon, he failed to see the person he was waiting for, almost turning into an ice pillar.

It wasn’t until noon that he saw Huang Yan, dressed in a brocade robe, approaching with several attendants. Seeing this savior, he rushed over quickly, his face filled with resentment and grievance, and whispered, “Eunuch Huang, that Zhang You has such audacity! I’ve waited at the Meridian Gate all morning, yet he never showed up! He ignored the emperor’s orders—now there’s no need for any excuse to put him to death…”

Before he could finish speaking, there was a sharp crack, and he felt a searing pain on his face. He staggered back two steps. Seeing Huang Yan standing there with a cold expression, even the stupidest person would realize he had said something wrong, but he didn’t know what it was and could only stand there dumbfounded, not even daring to cover his numb face with his hands.

“Where in the world have you found such a fool?” Seeing several guards at the Meridian Gate peering in, Huang Yan didn’t want to cause a bigger disturbance, so he snapped, “Stop standing there and come with me!”

After leaving Donghuamen, they walked along the moat for a while until fewer people were around. After passing Beihuafang, Huang Yan finally stopped and glared at the eunuch with one side of his face severely swollen, cursing, “Idiot! How dare Zhang Yue defy the emperor’s orders? He was already brought into the palace by Haishou from behind the imperial city at Xuanwu Gate. You fool kept waiting stubbornly at Wumen without even sending someone to check! And why do I want him dead? What I want is a living Zhang Yue whom I can control! I thought I could use this opportunity to intercede and save him, and at the same time make the emperor send Princess Chenliu out of the palace so she wouldn’t cause trouble. But what have you done?! If not for the fact that you’re my adopted son, I would have thrown you into the moat to feed the turtles!”

Hearing that things had taken such a turn, the young eunuch was stunned speechless. Soon, he thought of the most important question. Seeing Huang Yan’s fury, he timidly asked, “My lord, was this incident an accident caused by Lord Hai, or did they know about it and deliberately play tricks on us?”

“How should I know!” Huang Yan snapped through gritted teeth before taking a deep breath. “It must be an accident. Haishou went to pick him up in person early this morning. Besides, the camp is in the north, so it’s not strange to enter through Beianmen from Xuanwu Gate. With your face swollen, I’ll find someone to take over your duties. You stay hidden for a couple of days!”

At that moment, Huang Yan deeply regretted asking Zhu Ning for help along with Zhang Qian, Liu Yongcheng, and others back then—just to defuse the emperor’s anger. But now, nothing could be done without involving her in the Qianqing Palace. What a foolish mistake!