Chapter 464: One Should Not Play Two Games at Once

As the actual ruler of the Imperial Secretariat and the head of the Eastern Depot, these titles were enough to set Lu Feng apart from other high-ranking eunuchs. Yet these days, he no longer carried his usual confidence and vigor; his brows were always furrowed, and even in his early thirties, he had developed more forehead wrinkles. Every morning when he combed his hair, he would find white strands. He couldn’t understand why—he had originally intended to use his position in the Eastern Depot to seize control over civil and military officials, but somehow he found himself trapped and unable to move.

Frustrated, he entered the North Pacification Commission’s prison for the first time, yet his eyes paid no attention to the gloomy surroundings. It wasn’t until an angry voice rang in his ears that he snapped back to reality.
“How bold! Daring to enter the North Pacification Commission’s prison without permission! Come on, seize these lawless scoundrels!”

Someone had broken into the prison? Lu Feng raised his head at the sound and recognized the person nearby. Seeing his attendants rushing over, he instinctively shouted, “Stop! What kind of behavior is this?”

As those men hesitantly stopped and turned around, he turned sharply to glare at the little eunuch who was pretending to be powerful. He regretted not bringing Cheng Jiu, the clever boy, with him. Suddenly remembering something, his face turned fierce. “It’s you who’s lawless! Who do you think you are, daring to ignore my orders? Bring this kid outside and keep a close eye on him—don’t let him say another word!”

Apart from that little eunuch, Lu Feng had brought only his most trusted men. As soon as he finished speaking, Liang Ming rushed forward and slashed sharply at the back of the eunuch’s neck, knocking him unconscious. The others exchanged glances before quickly dividing up to drag the man out. Only then did Lu Feng take out a white handkerchief to wipe his forehead, feeling annoyed.

All his efforts had backfired—this time, he had almost been used as a pawn! He had intended to report that someone had infiltrated the prison, but this usually dull-witted boy insisted he go and check in person, clearly with ulterior motives. Now, calming himself down, he acted as if he hadn’t seen Zhang Yue and walked straight toward Wu Chengda.

“Idiot, is now the time to deliver meals? These people in this prison are all extremely important. If their meals aren’t regular, and something happens to them, your worthless life isn’t even worth their fingernail! We’ll spare you this time—just finish your task quickly and take them out without anyone seeing!”
Wu Chengda, who thought he was doomed this time, listened to the scolding in a daze until the harsh sound of a door closing reached his ears, startling him back to reality. Seeing Xia Xuan, the son of Xia Yuanji, still talking to Xia Yuanji, he grew furious. Just as he was about to shout, he suddenly noticed Zhang Yue turning his head to look at him, so he immediately shut his mouth. After what felt like an eternity, he finally saw Zhang Yue and Xiao Wu coming over. He immediately put on a smile, took the heavy bundle, and placed it on a wooden table outside the cell.
“Please rest assured, sir. I’ll make sure every item in this bundle is delivered to Lord Du without missing a thing. It’s getting late, so let’s hurry! Hey, over there, it’s time to go—don’t dawdle!”
Zhang Yue turned back, gave a nod to Du Zhen, and saw Xia Xuan approaching in a dazed state, while Xia Yuanji, with gray hair, stood there with a complex expression. After a moment’s thought, he untied the money pouch from his waist and stuffed it all into Wu Chengda’s hands. “Take good care of my father-in-law and Lord Xia and Lord Wu. This money is my way of treating you to a feast.”
Wu Chengda quickly felt it and realized it wasn’t copper coins but silver pieces. He immediately smiled broadly and agreed repeatedly. By then, Xia Xuan had recovered from his initial shock at seeing his father and, recalling what had just happened, felt some fear. Hearing Zhang Yue’s words, he remembered his identity and quickly stepped forward to thank him. Xiao Wu, however, wasn’t paying attention; his eyes were fixed on the wooden bars, wishing he could punch holes in them to let people out.
After a brief delay, Wu Chengda hurriedly led them outside. Once they reached the side door of the southern prison, he took them straight through a path to the outside. But as soon as the paint-chipped doors opened, he saw several brightly dressed Jinyiwei standing in front. The shock was immense, and his legs started trembling.
“Lord Zhang, Eunuch Lu is waiting in the carriage over there. Please go and meet him.”

Faced with Mu Ning’s serious expression, Zhang Yue couldn’t help but think of a common saying—“One’s body may be in Cao’s camp, but one’s heart remains with Han.” After nodding in agreement, he instructed Xiao Wu to go and meet Du Wan first; there was no need to wait for him. Then he followed those Jinyiwei officers toward the other end of the alley. Only after the group left did Wu Cheng finally let out a long sigh. Ignoring Xiao Wu and Xia Xuan, who were still looking in that direction, he stepped back a few paces and slammed the door shut, firmly resolving in his heart.

Ten days… no, at least half a month—he would never engage in such life-threatening activities again! Making money was important, but one’s life was even more crucial!

Lu Feng’s carriage was an ordinary cloud-patterned green curtain carriage, but its interior was quite extraordinary. There were embroidered green silk chairs and cushions, a brocade carpet, a small mahogany table in the plum blossom pattern, and the carriage walls made of red pine had been painted several times with varnish and then lined with velvet from the inside. After getting into the carriage, Zhang Yue saw Lu Feng preparing tea with a purple clay teapot and couldn’t help but smile slightly.

“Lord Lu really knows how to enjoy life.”

“Lord Zhang, aren’t you deliberately making things difficult for me? Why not come to visit me at a better time? It’s rare for me to come to the Northern Pacification Commission for inspections, and yet I happen to run into you!” Lu Feng put down the teapot and, seeing Zhang Yue sit across from him, said irritably, “Although I can cover this up for you, your audacity is too great. It was me who saw this time—what if it were someone else?”

“Lord Lu, you should know that this is the imperial prison of the Northern Pacification Commission. Besides you, only the leaders of the Eastern Depot and the Jinyiwei can enter. If it weren’t for the people watching outside being caught red-handed, it would be easy to slip out from the other side. If someone else had caught me, I would have no choice but to accept my fate.” Zhang Yue smiled slightly, raised the small purple clay teacup, took a casual sip, and then said slowly, “Of course, I’m not that bold. I’m leaving in a few days, right? Coming to visit my father-in-law before leaving is a way to clear my name in front of the emperor. Naturally, such things shouldn’t be made public, so I used the same old route as others to avoid gossip.”

Lu Feng clenched the teacup in his hand so tightly that his fingers began to burn painfully. He quickly set it down on the side table and gently rubbed his red fingers, his mood instantly turning extremely bad. He knew Zhang Yue’s temper well—he would never speak carelessly. If he said so, it must indeed be an act approved by the emperor! Back then, he had detained the sentries outside. Fortunately, he had weighed the pros and cons promptly and hadn’t acted rashly; otherwise, while Zhang Yue would have suffered, the emperor would have been angry at him for making a fuss, and he too would have faced shame.

Thinking of this, he let out a sigh in relief and forced a smile. “Fortunately, considering our special relationship and the fact that Lord Du has indeed been wronged, I decided to resolve things peacefully. Otherwise, wouldn’t I just become a troublemaker?”

Had Liu Da and those two craftsmen created this purple clay teapot and cups? Zhang Yue drank the tea in the cup in one gulp, and an unrelated thought suddenly crossed his mind. Then he smiled and said, “Lord Lu and I are close friends who have shared life and death. That’s why I knew you would definitely help cover this up. I’ll remember this favor. By the way, the day before yesterday, I heard from the Crown Prince that Lord Lu once mentioned to the emperor the idea of having the Crown Prince join the emperor on a northern expedition.”

Lu Feng, who was picking up the teapot to refill Zhang Yue’s cup, couldn’t help but smile slightly upon hearing those words, thinking that Zhang Yue’s words were indeed comforting. But when he heard the last sentence, he was momentarily stunned, and most of the scalding tea spilled onto the side table. Realizing what had happened, he hurriedly grabbed a silk handkerchief to wipe the spill before setting down the teapot.

At that time, the emperor was riding and shooting arrows with a group of nobles. He had no choice but to do this. After being praised by Zhang Yue, he took the chance to mutter something quietly—probably no one other than the emperor could have heard it. How could it have reached the Crown Prince’s ears? Wait, the nobles were indeed far away, but there were many eunuchs nearby… Those damned eunuchs must have reported it to some eunuch who disliked him. If the Crown Prince got angry because of this, it would be bad. But denying it outright wasn’t right either…

Thinking about how he had been trapped and helpless, with no one to consult, and recalling that Zhang Yue had said he owed him a favor and had helped him countless times, he began to waver. After much deliberation, he gritted his teeth, leaned forward on the side table, and lowered his voice again.

“Lord Zhang, we’ve known each other for a long time. I have a matter I’d like to consult you on. Suppose someone makes a mistake by accident, and then someone who knows about it takes the opportunity to blackmail them into doing as they say. If they refuse, their superior will surely punish them severely; but if they comply, they’ll inevitably offend the successor who has great prospects of becoming the superior. What should they do?”
“It depends on the severity of the mistake they made, and they need to make a choice,” Zhang Yue replied. He had originally planned to guide the other party step by step, but Lu Feng revealed everything at once. After a brief pause, he understood the other party’s dilemma. After some thought, he seized the opportunity to say, “One shouldn’t play both sides. Instead of staying neutral, it’s better to choose a side. After all, if someone can use a weakness to control another person, they’ll likely abandon that person once their own goals are achieved. By then, it will be too late to regret it. Rather than hesitating, it’s better to openly confess the truth to the successor, even at the risk of punishment, than to end up as a pawn in the future!”