Chapter 50: Adding Salt to the Wound, a Letter from the Capital

As the saying goes, good news stays within the door while bad news spreads far and wide. The incident of the Jinyiwei visiting the Zhang family quickly spread among the upper circles of Kaifeng Prefecture. Moreover, some gossipers claimed to have seen the head of the Zhang family, Zhang Xin, a third-rank official in the Ministry of Works, surrounded by the Jinyiwei and forced to leave his home. Thus, no matter how tightly the Zhang family tried to keep secrets, they still leaked, and the rumors grew increasingly exaggerated, even drawing comparisons to the noble families that had fallen during the Hongwu era.

While outside rumors abounded, the Zhang family’s household was also filled with anxiety. In the past, the maids serving the various masters enjoyed more respect and were less likely to be beaten or scolded. But this time, the shouting and scolding in each household were more intense than ever. The irritable Dongfang family even resorted to using a heavy paddle to strike people. Eventually, out of concern for Gu Shi, who was still recovering, they stopped after just ten strokes.

“Sister Mingyue has also been with the mistress for years, yet now she’s beaten without any regard for her dignity.”
“Shut up! It’s not the right time to talk. The mistress is in a bad mood right now. Once she gets angry, none of us matter—look at Mingyue as an example.”
“It’s all the Jin family’s fault! The second master said he was just going to the Jin family to delay the marriage, but who would have thought they’d actually demand to cancel it? They’re nothing but nouveau riche who think they can dictate terms. Do they really think the Zhang family will just give up so easily?”
“Sister Linglong, after being beaten like this, will the mistress still keep Sister Mingyue?”
“The mistress is probably just angry because she said something wrong… Sigh, who knows what will happen in the future? We’re just here out of sisterly duty to check on her. If the head of the family is fine this time, then everything will be okay. But if something happens…”

It wasn’t until the group had gone far away that Huobo emerged from behind the big tree, her usually quiet face showing deep concern. Having spent four years in the Zhang family, though life there wasn’t as good as it used to be back home, it was still much better than she had imagined. Zhang Yue was never arrogant, and the masters and mistresses were kind-hearted. For her, who had experienced great upheavals, being able to live peacefully like this was enough. But could the same disasters that had befallen her own family also strike this noble household?

Along the way, she was in a daze. By the time she returned to the western courtyard, her face was red from the cold, yet she wasn’t aware of it. It wasn’t until she entered the eastern chamber and was hit by the heat inside that she shivered violently and sneezed several times before coming to her senses. Hearing the noise, Qiu Hen lifted the curtain and came out from the inner room. Seeing her pale complexion, she quickly poured her some hot tea.
“It’s such a cold day. I said I’d send a maid to the tea room, but you insisted on going yourself. Look at how frozen you are…” Qiu Hen nagged for a while, but noticing Amber’s unusual expression, she gradually stopped talking. After a long pause, she asked softly, “Did you hear someone spouting nonsense outside?”
Zhang Yue also heard noise outside and lifted the curtain to come out. Seeing Amber sitting there, looking distraught with a teacup in her hands, he was momentarily stunned before recalling something. Ever since that day, the family had been anxiously waiting for news from Nanjing. Three days had passed, and it was said that his uncle had already been secretly taken out of Kaifeng City, yet there was still no word. How could anyone not consider the worst? If Amber had been accused of a crime in an official family, she must be terrified now.
“Amber!”
Amber jolted back to reality. Seeing Zhang Yue staring at her intently, she quickly put down the teacup and stood up. Then, hesitantly, she said, “Please forgive me, young master. I was lost in thought.” After a brief pause, the usually quiet girl couldn’t help but recount everything she had heard from people on the road. Then, anxiously, she asked, “Young master, is things really that serious?”
Though the question was simple, Zhang Yue couldn’t answer it at the moment. His father and second uncle were not at home, and they had spent very little time there these past three days. His mother was bedridden, his aunt Feng and aunt Dong Fang were both deeply shaken, and Lingxi had to take care of his grandmother Gu, who hadn’t recovered yet. With no one to manage household affairs, the 14-year-old boy had to go to the small meeting room three times a day to handle those tedious tasks. How could he know more than Amber?
Seeing Qiu Hen watching him expectantly, he was thinking about making up some words to comfort them when suddenly the door curtain outside was pushed open, and a bitterly cold wind rushed in.
“Third young master, the old lady asks you to go there right away!”
Seeing it was Huaer, a maid from Grandma Gu’s room, Zhang Yue quickly asked, “Is it just me, or should my eldest brother, second brother, and fourth brother come too?”

“The old lady only passed it on to the third young master, you. I didn’t hear of anyone else,” Hua Er wasn’t as composed as Ling Xi. Noticing Qiu Hen and Hu Bo in the room, she tilted her head, thought for a moment, and added in a low voice, “I only know that just now, Lady Gao Da brought something to see the old lady—it seemed to be a letter.”
Hearing it was a letter, Zhang Yue, who had been hesitant before, didn’t dare delay any longer. After giving a few instructions to Qiu Hen and Hu Bo, he hurriedly followed Hua Er out. At first, he could walk steadily, but soon his pace quickened, and before long he had left Hua Er far behind. Rushing into the main hall like a gust of wind, he felt the pain in his chest, caused by the cold wind, gradually subside as warmth spread through it. He then immediately turned into the room on the left.
Gu Shi, sitting on the bed, was intently reading the letter in her hands. Hearing the noise, she looked up and saw Zhang Yue sweating. She smiled slightly. “I thought it would take at least another cup of tea before you arrived, but you’re so fast. You’re usually so calm. Though the situation is different now, you still need to stay composed. What does a little slower pace matter? Come, sit over here.”
Seeing Gu Shi gently tap the bed beside her, Zhang Yue was momentarily stunned. Although four years had passed and he had gradually developed a sense of belonging to this large family, he wasn’t necessarily very close to his grandmother. After all, lacking a blood tie and given that his grandmother was a typical matriarch of a feudal family, even though he had received praise, guidance, and reprimands from her, he always felt a distance between them. He had fulfilled his duty as a filial child, but perhaps not with his whole heart.
But now he had no time to ponder such things, so he quickly went to sit by the bed as she suggested. Just as he was about to speak, he saw Gu Shi hand him the two or three sheets of paper. Instinctively, he reached out to take them, only to feel astonished.
“Take a look. It’s pretty much as you guessed.”
Hearing this, Zhang Yue immediately bent down and skimmed through the letter quickly. Only after reading it entirely did he feel a sense of suffocation—by chance, not only had he guessed correctly, but the situation seemed even more serious.

Emperor Yongle, who had always indulged Prince Han Zhu Gaoxu, finally realized his mistake this time. Not only did he execute Ji Gang, but he also summoned Prince Han from Qingzhou to Nanjing to face punishment, causing great turmoil in the city. Those who had once shared close comradeship with Prince Han and were meritorious heroes from the Jingnan Campaign initially intended to intercede, but after seeing many of those who had supported Prince Han dismissed, they also stayed quiet. Thus, it is likely that his uncle Zhang Xin was merely a victim of the emperor’s fierce wrath. The question is, does such wrath come in varying degrees—was it a truly devastating blow or just a loud thunder with little actual impact?