Chapter 395: Such a Trivial Person Still Asks to Rebel

Most of the row houses near Wool Alley in the east of the city were rented by officers. Oftentimes, those who knew each other would visit one another, so dozens of households in the vicinity knew that the Lady Wang was beautiful, decisive, and excellent at managing household affairs. Women would often come by to chat, and although the men regretted that such a beautiful woman had married Wang Yu, who was nearly thirty, all the residents here were low-ranking officers—none of them more noble than the others. Since Wang Yu had just gotten a good position, all they could do was walk by the front alley when there was nothing to do, even if it meant listening through the wall.

So, that night, when they heard noises coming from the Wang household, some neighbors came to check in person, while others sent someone to look. The maid hired by the Wangs opened the door but hesitated, refusing to explain what was going on. It wasn’t until Wang Yu appeared at the door and explained that something had accidentally been broken inside that the crowd gradually dispersed. Yet, some curious people still shook their heads in suspicion. At first, it seemed Wang Yu’s uncle had arrived, but then there were clearly sounds of breaking things. Wang Yu couldn’t possibly be angry with his uncle—it must be the beautiful Lady Wang who had suffered. When many nosy people heard the sound of horse hooves and saw Wang Yu riding away angrily through the crack in the door, their suspicions were confirmed.

“Lady, the Mrs. Xiao from outside is knocking at the door. She says you can tell her whatever you need!”
Hearing the maid’s voice outside, Jin Su felt even more annoyed. Gritting her teeth, she ordered, “Go tell her thank you for her concern. My husband is out. I’ll visit her to express my gratitude another day. It’s already late—please ask her to go home and rest.”
After the maid replied and left, she stood up, paced back and forth in the room a few times, and finally stood there, staring at the still-bright lamp. As a child, her mother often nagged about marrying a noble man for a life of prosperity. She had vaguely remembered that. The first time she visited the Zhang family, she saw the true splendor of a wealthy household and wasn’t unenvious. But after such a huge upheaval in her family and her sister’s tragic fate, she had long lost hope.

All she wanted now was a harmonious life with her husband. Why did she have to encounter such terrible things!
“Su, Su!”

Jin Su, who was biting her lip tightly, was in a daze for a while before she could clearly hear that voice, and she was instantly shocked. She rushed forward in a few steps to open the door and saw her mother, Feng Lan, standing outside—thin and gaunt. She quickly helped her inside, and after closing the door, she asked anxiously, “It’s so cold, and it’s already late. Why aren’t you asleep yet, Mother?”

Having gone through extreme ups and downs in life, Feng Lan’s earlier tendency to disdain poverty and seek wealth and favor had long since faded. Although her son-in-law wasn’t wealthy, how many son-in-laws would be willing to live with a mother-in-law who brought no income? Noticing her daughter’s icy hands, she couldn’t help but say, “Although you all spoke in hushed tones earlier, the noise of breaking things could be heard by the neighbors. How could I not hear it? I waited until the son-in-law left and there was no sound before coming to check. You two never argue. If he happens to make a mistake, don’t take it to heart. After all, you’re now pregnant, and there’s also his uncle.”

The mention of “uncle” immediately changed Jin Su’s expression. Seeing this, Feng Lan assumed her daughter had quarreled with Wang Yu because of Gao Zheng, so she scolded, “If you angered him not for yourself but for his uncle, that’s even worse. He lost his parents at a young age and relies on his uncle’s support. It’s only right to be polite to him, especially since your marriage was arranged through his uncle…”

“Mother, stop!”
Interrupted by this sudden shout, Feng Lan was greatly surprised. She looked closely at Jin Su and saw that her face had turned blue. Alarmed, she soon heard muffled sounds coming from the inner room. Unable to contain her suspicion any longer, she rushed to the side door, lifted the curtain, and was stunned by what she saw.

“Heaven… What’s going on here?”
Seeing that her mother had discovered something, Jin Su quickly stepped forward and pulled her away, then pushed her onto a chair in the middle. Just as she was about to explain, she suddenly heard the sound of horse hooves and steady footsteps outside. Soon, these sounds turned into increasingly loud knocking and shouting. When the main door creaked open and chaotic footsteps grew louder in the courtyard, terrified, she tightly grabbed Feng Lan’s arm, her heart pounding in her throat.

“Sister Su, open the door! It’s Zhang Yue!”

When such a voice reached her ears, Jin Su, filled with fear, was stunned. After a brief pause, ignoring her pale-faced mother, she hurried forward and opened the door. Seeing the courtyard filled with soldiers in red coats, and even though she knew Zhang Yue would never harm her family for no reason, she still couldn’t help taking two steps back.

“Your husband has already gone to the palace to see the emperor. You don’t need to worry about anything here; just leave it to me.”

Zhang Yue nodded at Jin Su and said those clear words before stepping over the threshold. Seeing Feng Lan sitting in the grand armchair in the center, he bowed and then went straight to the side door, lifting the curtain to enter. Hu Qi followed closely behind, ordering his two brothers to guard the side door before entering the inner room as well. It was only then that Feng Lan felt an indescribable shiver—as the memories she had managed to suppress resurfaced.

It had been the same back then: suddenly, many fully armed soldiers rushed into her home, her husband was imprisoned, and their wealth was taken away. In just a moment, all her life’s efforts were ruined. She thought the nightmare was over—could her daughter and son-in-law suffer the same fate? So when Jin Su pulled her outside, she stood frozen like a statue. It wasn’t until they sat down in the west wing room and she heard the whole story that she gradually came back to her senses.

Rebellion… By Buddha, how could it be rebellion!

In the main bedroom, Gao Zheng had already woken up. His hands were tied, a handkerchief was stuffed in his mouth, and an iron chain was tied around his feet, leaving him completely immobile, though he was covered with a thick blanket. When Zhang Yue signaled Hu Qi to remove the handkerchief, this man reeking of alcohol didn’t curse but instead burst into laughter.

Seeing Zhang Yue standing there without any sign of impatience, he laughed until he was done, then coughed violently a few times before saying bitterly, “I always thought my nephew was indecisive and lacked ambition. I never expected him to have such courage at a critical moment. But Lord Zhang, since you know this is rebellion, why do you still dare let him go alone to see the emperor? Aren’t you afraid he’ll be caught off guard and suffer great harm, having never seen the emperor before? Do you really trust him that much?”

“Wang Yu is honest-hearted. It’s understandable he was nervous at first when meeting the emperor. Besides, even if it’s for your sake as his uncle, he will surely do his best. Of course, I trust him.”

“For my uncle? All the hard work I’ve put into this for so long has been ruined by him, and you still say he’s doing it for my uncle?”
“Working on this for so long… What have you actually done all this time? Planning to destroy your family?” Zhang Yue was already furious, and when he saw Gao Zheng speaking in such a evasive manner, his anger flared even more. “Your will is indeed well-written, but even if you want to rebel, you need to think about what support you have! Aside from a few clownish soldiers, a few ignorant and arrogant eunuchs, and a handful of soldiers who just want to rise in rank and get rich, who else supports you? Even if you really managed to take control of the capital, once the Imperial Palace called for support, there would be hundreds of thousands of soldiers in the capital garrisons—how could they not defeat you? Your nephew has already warned you that this will destroy your family, but you refuse to listen. You insist it’s either you die or I die—what more do you want from him?”
Gao Zheng retorted angrily, “What capital garrisons? Eunuch Chang, who commands the capital garrisons, has already agreed to join us. We’ve also contacted many officers in the capital guards. Once this is done, we’ll become the new group of meritorious officials…”
Only then did Zhang Yue realize that Eunuch Chang, the commander of the capital garrisons, was also involved. He sneered, “One is the highly accomplished Marquis of Anyuan, the other is a eunuch who became commander only because of the emperor’s trust. Do you really think the soldiers will listen to either of them? I don’t know who came up with this plan thinking they were clever—they clearly underestimate all the heroes in the land! With your mediocre skills, how do you expect to become meritorious officials? Look at all these meritorious officials from the Jingnan Campaign—none of them rose to power through schemes alone; they all had extensive combat experience.”
“You guys who enjoy wealth and glory from birth, what do you know? What’s the use of my brilliant writings? I fail the imperial examinations time after time. The Imperial Academy is only for the children of wealthy families—there’s no chance for me. If it weren’t for meeting Young Master Meng and him recommending me to Lord Meng Xian, I wouldn’t have had such an opportunity… Although the Prince of Zhao is of noble birth, he’s still hesitating and just preparing. Lord Meng Xian hasn’t made a final decision yet. All this noise is just because of that eunuch Huang… What’s the use of just making a fuss? The emperor conquered the land with his army back then. We’re here to help him make up his mind…”

Listening to these neurotic murmurs, Zhang Yue felt even more that this person was stubborn and beyond redemption. But when he reached the door, he heard the last sentence, which suddenly stirred his thoughts. He always felt that although this plan seemed thorough on the surface, it was actually full of flaws and shortcomings in every aspect. If it were really as Gao Zheng said, then everything that had happened up to this point would make sense.
These foolish guys were never united to begin with; with such weak capabilities, they still dared to plot rebellion—they really thought their lives were too long!