Chapter 459: The Troublesome Reward

After acting on impulse and insulting Lady Gu in front of everyone, Lady Dongfang eventually remembered how formidable her mother-in-law was, and as a result, she couldn’t sleep well for two days straight. On the third day, filled with anxiety, she dared not delay any longer and went to the main house in the northern courtyard to kowtow and apologize to Lady Gu. Tears streaming down her face, she admitted her mistakes and vaguely acknowledged her previous wrongdoings. Her unadorned face was sallow, resembling that of a frightened young wife.

Although Lady Gu was initially so angry that she wanted to divorce Zhang You as soon as he returned, she could only barely suppress her disgust at that moment. After giving her a few cursory words of reprimand, she sent her away.

Things were not as they used to be. If a divorce scandal broke out, how could the family maintain its dignity? Lady Dongfang still had two legitimate sons, so dealing with her was easy, but those two younger ones would face hard times in the future and might even come to hate their grandmother. The family’s peace could only last for now; once she passed away, everything would fall into chaos. Why cause trouble just before her death?

Everyone in the family knew that Lady Gu’s health might deteriorate soon, so they all obeyed this elder matriarch. The three daughters-in-law took turns serving her in the main house. No sooner had Lady Dongfang left than Li Yun entered, smiling and saying that Xiao Jing in the third branch was causing a ruckus, asking Du Wan to go check on her. Naturally concerned for her great-granddaughter, Lady Gu quickly instructed Du Wan to go. Full of curiosity, Du Wan returned to her own courtyard only to find Xiao Wu pacing back and forth outside. She immediately understood what was going on.

“I thought this kid was always just content to eat and sleep, but why has he changed suddenly? It must be you at work! Weren’t you supposed to see the princess today? Why are you back so soon?” Du Wan, who had been smiling, felt her heart sink upon seeing Xiao Wu’s anxious expression. “Is something wrong with Mom? Or is there something else going on with Dad… Could it be your brother-in-law…”

“It’s all because the princess rushed me back. I don’t know what’s going on, but it seems very urgent!” Xiao Wu took out the still-warm letter from his bosom and handed it to her. Seeing Du Wan quickly open it, he hurriedly stood on tiptoes beside her and peered over her shoulder. After reading a few lines, he asked in confusion, “Sis, where is Xinghe?”

“Xinghe is within the territory of Xuanfu…”

Du Wan had read many books, but her familiarity with geography mostly came from the atlases left by Dao Yan. After Dao Yan passed away and was posthumously granted the title of Duke of Rongguo, those books were given to Xiao Wu, who then brought them to her. When Zhang Yue went to the government office to handle affairs, she spent her time at home either doing needlework or reading. She not only finished all of Zhang Yue’s collected books but also thoroughly read through the atlases left by Dao Yan.

At that moment, feeling heavy-hearted, she took a deep breath before continuing, “Xinghe’s defensive post is located at Zhangjiakou Fort, north of Wanquan Right Guard, isolated outside the Great Wall—right at the front line facing the Mongol Yuan forces. Although it’s fortified and has only a little over a thousand soldiers, it’s backed by Xuanfu Town, from which reinforcements can arrive at any time. It also coordinates with Kaiping, making it a crucial location in the north. I remember when the Duke of Yingguo was training troops in Xuanfu, he inspected Xinghe and Kaiping several times.”

“Sis, don’t talk about such complicated things. I just want to know if that place is dangerous.”

Dangerous… How could it not be dangerous! She had known that the emperor’s question to her had deeper implications, and now it was indeed proven! Du Wan felt her heart turmoil as she didn’t know how to answer Xiao Wu’s question. Seeing Du Wan walk into the room silently, Xiao Wu grew increasingly anxious. She rushed after her, pushed aside the curtain, and said without hesitation, “If Xinghe is really that dangerous, sis, you must find a way—make sure my brother-in-law doesn’t go there.”

Inside the room, Hu Bo and Qiu Hen were doing needlework. Hearing this, Qiu Hen immediately dropped her bamboo needlework and jumped up, while Hu Bo pricked her finger with a needle but didn’t have time to care about the blood droplets. She also stood up right away. Even Lingxi, who had taken the chance to return from the Gu family’s place and was watching Xiao Jingguan in the inner room, was alarmed. She hurriedly pulled back the curtain and stepped out. Seeing Du Wan’s solemn expression, she knew Xiao Wu’s words were not unfounded.

Just as the room was completely silent, a sudden commotion came from outside. Soon after, Crystal, who was doing some chores in the yard, rushed into the house cheerfully and started shouting as soon as she stopped: “Young mistress, good news, wonderful news! The emperor has specially appointed your husband as a Fengzheng Daifu and as an Jinxiu Shengxi Ru Yin, while he remains the governor of Ying Tian Fu. As your husband’s past merits had not been recognized before, he has now been promoted to Jinxiu Shengxi Ru Yin and also given the title of Fengzheng Daifu. In addition, he has been rewarded with ten sections of land, 100 taels of white gold, 500 pieces of paper money, as well as gifts for you and Xiao Jing Guan. The imperial messenger is right outside right now. Since your husband is on his way home, the old lady has sent someone to tell you to get ready quickly.”

Just moments ago, they had been filled with fear at the mention of danger, but now such good news had arrived, leaving everyone in the room somewhat stunned. Xiao Wu and Qiu Hen, who were straightforward people, thought that the previous incident must have been a mistake upon hearing this and immediately turned from worry to joy. However, Lingxi and Hupo, who were more thoughtful, felt that these unexpected rewards seemed suspicious.

Du Wan furrowed her brows even more. Knowing that she couldn’t get anything more out of Crystal, the little girl, she dismissed her with a few words. After much deliberation, she instructed Lingxi to go to the second gate to find out the reason behind these rewards, then left Hupo to watch over Jing Guan while she took Qiu Hen to the main house in the north courtyard.

Zhang Yue, who had rushed back after going through much trouble, finally received the imperial edict. To his great surprise, it was not a reward for his past achievements in suppressing rebellions, but rather for his efforts in defending against Japanese pirates in the south two years ago and for his contributions to opening up maritime trade.

It had been two years since the Ningbo Maritime Administration began allowing maritime trade. Although the tax benefits from this policy were not yet evident, one thing was very clear: the number of tribute missions had greatly decreased, foreign envoys no longer came in large groups, and the taxes collected by the administration were better than expected. Naturally, this was due to strict maritime patrols, relatively low levels of smuggling, and modest commercial taxes. But the biggest reason was that a certain eunuch in charge was not implicated because of Huang Yan, so they did not dare falsify the accounts.

After Hai Shouxuan, the deputy supervisor of the Imperial Horse Stables, delivered this imperial edict, he waited until Zhang Yue stood up before saying with a smile, “The edict is done, but I have another message to convey to Lord Zhang. Due to the grain storage issues in Xuanfu, the Emperor has been displeased for several days. Yesterday, Scholar Yang recommended you to oversee the military supplies and rations for the troops in Xuanfu, as well as to inspect Xinghe and Kaiping. The Emperor has already given his approval today and also said that, as per protocol, the Censorate should send an imperial censor. To avoid having one person hold all the power, you may choose someone to accompany you. Additionally, since over ten thousand troops will be participating in this northern expedition to Xuanfu, military supplies and rations are of utmost importance, so you are to bring five hundred men from the capital camp along. They can be reassigned to the main army during the grand review next spring! The edict is likely to arrive in a few days; I’m just giving you a heads up in advance.”

Zhang Yue hadn’t expected that just yesterday he had received news from Yang Shiqi, who also said that such matters were being discussed with Yang Rong. Today, Hai Shouxuan brought him internal news right after that. Knowing that this eunuch from Korea was insatiable, he naturally wouldn’t let him go empty-handed. After inviting him to Ruiqing Hall for tea, half of the 200 taels of gold changed hands immediately. Seeing that the rewards from this trip were more than he had imagined, Hai Shouxuan decided to offer even more.

“I know Lord Zhang must be worried about Lord Du. A few days ago, when I met Lu Feng, I specifically asked him. He said that even in the imperial prison of the Northern Pacification Commission, there are different levels of treatment. Someone like Minister Du, the Grand Secretary, will certainly not be mistreated or harmed in any way—so you needn’t worry. If you think about it, it’s the Emperor who holds him captive. If he were released so easily, it would mean admitting fault… Well, you know the Emperor’s temper well, so there’s no need for me to say more.”

Promotions and rewards were not new to the Zhang family. Previously, Zhang You’s appointment as a marquis and the imperial decrees given to him were far more grand than what Zhang Yue received this time, but they were still standard rewards according to protocol. This time, only Zhang Zhuo and Zhang Yue, father and son, were granted a fifth-rank honor, with accompanying rewards for their wives and children.

Du Wan received a pair of gold hairpins, while the infant Xiao Jingguan got a heavy gold longevity lock. The lock was in the shape of a lotus leaf with a carp, engraved with the extremely clichéd auspicious phrases “long life” and “prosperity.” Even so, Mrs. Gu kept fiddling with these items before finally instructing Du Wan to hide them properly.

With the lessons from before, such rewards did not cause a stir at home. Neither the Dong family nor the Feng family bothered to say anything. The Gu family also paid little attention to the other rewards and simply ordered someone to carry them back with Zhang Yue and Du Wan. Once everyone left, her expression darkened.

With people following them, Zhang Yue and Du Wan didn’t say much along the way. It wasn’t until everything was arranged and those who had helped carry the items left that he felt his hand being tightly grasped. Looking down, he saw Du Wan holding his hand with terrifying strength. Looking into her eyes, he saw for the first time not calmness or restraint, but a kind of heat akin to a volcanic eruption.

“If you knew you were going to such a dangerous place, why didn’t you tell me?”

Zhang Yue was shocked upon hearing this and didn’t expect Du Wan to already know. At that moment, Qiu Hen, who had planned to step outside, stopped in her tracks and turned around, her face filled with shock and concern. Ling Xi and Hu Bo had already reached the door and lifted the curtain; hearing this, they also stopped, but the less perceptive Xiao Wu turned around and rushed back in a flash.

“Brother-in-law, are you really going to that… Xinghe?”