Chapter 418: Chaos and Military Matters

The main house in the western courtyard of the Zhang family.

Feng Yuanming, dressed in a green silk robe, examined Du Wan’s right hand for a while before putting it down and saying to Mrs. Sun, who stood nearby with a worried expression, “It’s no problem. She’s always been careful to take care of herself, and she’s also cheerful by nature. The sudden shock last night had limited impact. To speak disrespectfully, it was the three main halls in the palace that were struck by lightning and caught fire—not any courtyard in the Zhang family—so it shouldn’t have affected her pregnancy. But since it’s less than two months left, we need to prepare everything properly in case anything happens.”

“Amitabha!” Mrs. Sun said in relief upon hearing there was no issue, clasping her hands together. But when she heard the word “in case,” her expression turned awkward, and she began to grumble at this silent doctor. Only when she saw Du Wan unbothered did she sigh in relief and quickly nodded. “Since Dr. Feng says so, I’ll immediately arrange for a midwife to come and stay at home, and we’ll prepare a clean room for her. But there’s still almost two months left… At least this time Wan will give birth in summer, which is better than in the cold.”

Seeing Mrs. Sun’s cheerful expression as she brought over a bowl of bird’s nest porridge, Du Wan, despite having no appetite at all, couldn’t refuse her mother-in-law’s kindness and took it. After forcing herself to finish the bowl, she noticed Feng Yuanming, who usually didn’t like to sit still, still sitting on the embroidered cushion chatting with Xiao Wu, seemingly intending to stay. This made her think, so she took Mrs. Sun’s hand and said with a smile, “Mother, you didn’t even go to the main house in the northern courtyard to see the old lady because of me this morning. Now that everything’s fine, you should go and pay her my regards. I’ve troubled everyone all morning; I really feel guilty.”

Hearing her daughter-in-law’s words, Mrs. Sun saw that there were doctors and maids in the room, so she assumed nothing would go wrong and agreed. Before leaving, she gave Amber and Qiuhen many instructions, then left with the two maids. As soon as she left, Xiao Wu came over smiling and sat next to Du Wan.

“Miss, your mother-in-law is as kind to you as always—nothing like those mothers-in-law in novels!”

“I’ve told you so many times—why can’t you change your wording? It’s ‘sister,’ not ‘miss’!” Du Wan glared at Xiao Wu irritably. Seeing her bright smile, she pulled her into a hug and gently tickled her nose. “If the elders here weren’t reasonable, even if your parents indulged you, you wouldn’t be able to come here all the time. Thankfully, Father never believed in the idea that a woman without talent is virtuous; otherwise, you wouldn’t have been able to learn medicine from Dr. Feng!”
“Lord Du is an enlightened person, not one of those pedantic scholars. Otherwise, how would he have taken Xiao Wu as his daughter?”
Feng Yuanming said this with a smile before looking at Xiao Wu affectionately. Then, his expression gradually turned thoughtful, and he sighed. “Just now, the third madam was here, so I hesitated to say certain things. Miss Du, you know, I used to have another apprentice besides Xiao Wu. Last night, she suddenly showed up. I advised her to live a proper life and not be so stubborn, but she left me a packet of silver, kowtowed three times, said something nonsensical, and left.”
Qiu Hen and Xiao Wu were still a bit confused, but Du Wan and Hu Po knew about that incident from before. Thinking of how her father and Zhang Yue had almost destroyed the White Lotus Sect in Shandong, Du Wan felt anxious and said to Qiu Hen and Xiao Wu, “Qiu Hen, I forgot just now—take Xiao Wu to the old lady and give her the ginseng and herbal tea she brought.”
Knowing that Du Wan wanted to talk to her alone, Qiu Hen bit her lip and pulled the reluctant Xiao Wu away. After the two left with the items, Hu Po stood up and said, “Young mistress, I’ll wait outside.”
Seeing Hu Po bow slightly and step outside through the curtain, Du Wan wanted to call her back but held back. Looking at Feng Yuanming’s puzzled expression, she asked in a serious tone, “May I ask, Dr. Feng, what did she say?”
“The first thing she said was the most confusing—something about ‘an innocent man is blameless, but one who possesses treasure is guilty.’”

In his early years, Feng Yuanming was also a scholar; to study medicine, he even mastered the I Ching. Yet he still found it hard to understand his perceptive eldest disciple. For example, he couldn’t figure out whether Tang Sair’s words were about her own background or meant as a warning. Seeing Du Wan deep in thought, he continued, “After saying that, she added that the White Lotus Sect didn’t perish at the hands of Lord Du and Lord Zhang, but because it was betrayed. So first, she had to deal with those powerful figures who only knew how to exploit others. Once she had more time, she might settle accounts with you… Look at the nonsense she’s spouting! She also said that if it weren’t for your righteous words back then, which shook that traitor’s resolve, she might not have been able to kill him for revenge… Anyway, I’m completely confused.”

At this point, Feng Yuanming couldn’t help but sigh. Although Xiao Wu was talented, he was still far inferior to Tang Sair. Having spent the latter part of his life alone, he had no regrets about taking Tang Sair as his first disciple. He even thought that her kind nature, combined with her skill in medicine, might allow her to surpass him. Now it seemed that aside from everything else, she couldn’t let go of her emotional burdens or change her extreme temperament. Honestly, his own reclusive nature as a master might have influenced her as well.

Though Feng Yuanming spoke in a disjointed manner, Du Wan already recalled that night in late December last year. She then remembered the strange noises on the roof, the prefect of Shuntian Prefecture personally knocking on the Zhang family’s door, and Zhang Yue mentioning a body of unknown identity in a nearby alley, along with a military-style crossbow—though the matter seemed to be dropped eventually. The couple had no idea what was going on at the time. But if what Feng Yuanming said was true, then the identity of that body could only be…

In an instant, she figured out everything and comforted Feng Yuanming, “Doctor Feng, don’t worry about these matters. Since she came to see you secretly, it means she’s not yet extreme enough to act recklessly. As for the Du and Zhang families, she said she has to wait until she’s free… Besides, since the incident in Qingzhou, have you heard of her showing up outside? Just think of it as her coming to see you and sharing her thoughts.”

“I hope so.”

Feng Yuanming opened his mouth but could only utter those words. Last night, lightning suddenly struck the three main halls, and he was truly worried that Tang Sair might cause some trouble again.

That evening, as Zhang Yue left the Ministry of War, he happened to meet his second uncle Zhang You at the Five Archways. The two uncles then walked back together. Thinking of the rampant discussions among the six ministries, he asked about the situation at the General Headquarters of the Five Armies. Zhang You merely smiled irritably.

“Heaven decides when to thunder and rain—how can humans control that? We military officers don’t even know how many people we’ve killed; none of us can guarantee we’ve never taken an innocent life. If we really believed in such notions of fate and gods, wouldn’t we suffer nightmares every night? Most people just think it’s unfortunate that the lightning started the fire this time. As for submitting petitions… that’s the business of civil officials; it has nothing to do with us. As for us, we’re just upset that the three main halls were destroyed and money was wasted—we don’t see any connection to other matters.”

Hearing this straightforward reply, Zhang Yue was momentarily stunned before realizing that military officers indeed didn’t have as many worries as civil officials. When they turned into his own alley, he suddenly remembered something Minister Fang Bin had mentioned earlier that day. After a brief thought, he asked, “Second uncle, the situation in Jiaozhi is deteriorating. This time, the Ministry of War has supplied more troops, food, weapons, etc. The emperor has also ordered horses to be conscripted from Yunnan. I heard that the Duke of Qian even submitted a petition saying that the regions of Yunnan and Guizhou are under too much strain, and that the southwestern tribes are becoming restless.”

Zhang You appeared cheerful on the surface but was actually very meticulous. When Zhang Yue brought up the topic, he remembered the argument from a month earlier. Although the Gu family had spared his face by calling him aside alone to scold him, he was still extremely annoyed by the fuss caused by family matters. After trying to find out more, he gave Fang Shuixin an answer and hadn’t gone to her house for half a month already. The situation in the southwest was changing rapidly, while his own family was still in turmoil.

If he had known this, he wouldn’t have agreed to Mu Sheng’s request in the first place. After all, it was his own lack of determination that led to this…

Shaking his head to dispel these chaotic thoughts, Zhang You fell deep into contemplation again. Unlike his colleagues at the General Headquarters of the Left Army, those dukes and marquises who thought their noble titles and ranks far surpassed those of the Ministry of War officials and often acted condescendingly when dealing with them, he knew that if he were to lead troops, he would have to rely on the Ministry of War for everything. Even though he was a count and wasn’t afraid of the influence of the Military Recruitment Bureau, which held real power, the Armory Bureau controlled the fate of the army—so since this place was now under his nephew’s management, it was a natural advantage.

So, he stared at Zhang Yue for a while before saying bluntly, “That day at the British Duke’s residence, my lord and the British Duke already told you that Marquis of Fengcheng was too cautious. Though he won battles repeatedly, he never managed to capture the enemy leader. His illness this time only cost him another good opportunity. Although the Duke of Qian was descended from famous generals, he was overly cautious and retreated at the slightest setback. You must understand that the people in the southwest are more afraid of the might of the army from the past and those soldiers who never put down their weapons than of the Duke of Qian, who governs Yunnan. If the situation in Jiaozhi remains stagnant while the people in the southwest stay quiet, that would be strange!”
He dismounted at the west gate, casually handed the reins to the gatekeeper who came out to greet him, and then entered the gate with Zhang Yue. When they reached the second gate and passed by the large screen wall, he suddenly stopped and said to Zhang Yue behind him, “Marquis of Fengcheng is seriously ill this time. Rongzhi Bo Chen Zhi can’t handle things alone. Even if your strategies impress the emperor, someone needs to carry them out. Brother Zhang Fu is a pillar of the nation, and the emperor will surely not let him go again. You may have the will, but you’re not a military commander who can lead troops. But I can go!”
Even though Zhang Yue had briefly considered such a possibility earlier, he was still deeply moved upon hearing this. Jiaozhi was in complete disarray—except for Huang Fu, who served as the governor of Jiaozhi and held the title of minister, other civil officials assigned there were essentially being demoted. If it weren’t for Huang Fu calming them down one by one, they probably wouldn’t even have the motivation to do anything. As for the military generals and nobles who had been to Jiannan, most of them had returned in disgrace and would never volunteer to go again. Yet Zhang You, who had only returned to rest for two years, was willing to go again!
“Aunt, aren’t you afraid of getting stuck in trouble?”
“Those who fear difficulty and seek ease instead of taking on challenges are not true generals! Besides, I don’t want my body to rust here in the capital!”
Noticing the passion that flashed across Zhang You’s face for a moment, Zhang Yue nodded thoughtfully. “Since Aunt is determined that no one else but you can do this, how about we meet at my Zixing Studio after dinner to discuss it?”