Chapter 528: Flowers Remain the Same Year After Year, But People Change

In the main hall, Zhang Yue had a warm towel over his face, resting his head on the armrest of a chair as he closed his eyes to rest. Riding in the bitter cold was already a grueling task, let alone arriving at Zhangjiakou Fort without even sitting down. The officers there all had loud voices, and unbeknownst to him, he began to shout as well, leaving his throat sore and dry. His aching feet were submerged in scalding hot water, while skillful hands massaged various acupoints, helping to relieve his fatigue. The room was filled with a warm atmosphere that made one feel relaxed without even realizing it.

“Young master!”

Hearing this familiar voice outside, Zhang Yue snapped back to reality. He quickly wiped his face with the warm towel and then said to Qiu Hen, who was busy, “Lao Peng has arrived. I can take care of myself here. Go wash your hands, make two cups of strong tea, and add some hot water to this basin.” He originally intended to tell Qiu Hen to go to bed first, but seeing her nod eagerly as if afraid of missing anything, he changed his mind and said, “Also, put a hot compress in your bed. Although there’s a heated bed, it’s colder here at night than in the capital.”

Qiu Hen agreed, clearly pleased. She dried her hands with a towel nearby and then got up to leave. Soon after, Peng Shisan entered the room. Seeing Zhang Yue wincing as he massaged his shoulders, he couldn’t help but tease, “Young master, you must now realize that the hardest thing in this world isn’t studying for the imperial exams—it’s the trials in the military. After traveling back and forth to Zhangjiakou, your skin on your legs must be worn thin! Since you’re sore all over, why not let Miss Qiu Hen massage you? Those two, Sheng Lian and Hu Tu, are completely useless for this kind of work!”

“Tch!” Zhang Yue glared at Peng Shisan irritably, then pointed to the chair next to him and told him to sit down. Only then did he ask, “How did things go during the day? Those merchants are all old foxes; their tricks are probably hard to deal with.”

“Not just hard to deal with—they’re simply taking advantage of me, a burly guy with a simple mind!”

Peng Shisan sat down carelessly and soon chuckled, saying, “Some were trying to see how long you, as the governor of Xuanfu, could hold your ground and whether you could get the emperor to restore trade—though what was more important was restoring civilian trade. Others hinted that there were many horses among the Tartars, making it more cost-effective to raise them there than in the Central Plains. Still others were even more direct, quietly asking if there was internal strife among the Tartars. They were all waiting in the west wing room at that time. I told those two guys to occasionally speak in Mongolian in the east wing room; someone would surely overhear them. Of course, I had already ordered increased security.”

If Zhang Yue hadn’t known Peng Shisan wasn’t someone reckless without strategy, he might have really thought Peng Shisan had suffered a loss after hearing those last words. Smiling and shaking his head, he tapped gently on the armrest on his right and said thoughtfully, “Even if there are spies in Xuanfu City, their number can’t be large. They certainly wouldn’t risk getting exposed by killing inside the city, after all, it’s right next to the military headquarters. If they rashly break in and fail, it could implicate their other spies.”

As the two were talking, Qiuhen entered the room again. Holding a delicate tea tray, she first handed a cup to Zhang Yue before turning away. Before she could speak, Peng Shisan reached out and took another cup, drinking it down in one gulp. After finishing, he wiped his mouth and realized the tea seemed a bit different. He smacked his lips thoughtfully.

“This doesn’t seem to be the tea we brought from the capital before?”

After serving the tea, Qiuhen went outside and brought in a pot of hot water. She first had Zhang Yue lift his feet off the copper basin, then slowly added hot water to it, testing the temperature with her hand. When it was just right, she set the copper pot aside and squatted down to wash Zhang Yue’s feet with the hot water. Hearing Peng Shisan’s words, she looked up and smiled.

“It’s a recipe devised by Miss Xiao Wu and Doctor Feng. They say it can relieve fatigue and promote saliva production. Drinking a few cups at night can boost energy without causing insomnia. It works no matter what water is used to brew it, and no expensive herbs are involved. That’s why the young mistress specifically instructed me to bring several jars before coming here. I gave two jars to Marquis Wu’an and two to the eldest son-in-law. Now, only two jars are left.”

Hearing this, Zhang Yue smiled at Peng Shisan and said, “If you like it, Peng, just bring it out and brew it regularly. Here in Xuanfu, we eat a lot of meat but have little vegetables. We really need to drink plenty of tea. No wonder the tribes outside the city value tea bricks the most. Without them, they can only eat meat and milk all day—how could they stand such greasiness!”

“So, since Arutai has once again harbored rebellious thoughts, how could the other Tatar chieftains be happy? With war breaking out, at least there will be fewer tea bricks available. Now that the news of the Tatar envoy’s arrival has spread, not only will Arutai be anxious, but other chieftains will likely also take action. If they fall apart, the enemy troops will sweep through them effortlessly, and the outcome of this battle is obvious.”

Zhang Yue wasn’t worried about losing the battle. He knew that on the grasslands, just as dynasties changed in the Central Plains, tribes rose and fell in succession—Xiongnu, Turks, Uyghurs, Khitans, Jurchens, Mongols… The Tatars were merely one branch of the Mongols. Even if they were completely defeated in this battle, the Oirat tribes would still be lurking nearby. Thus, the best approach was to use both soft and hard tactics, just like the world police in later times—negotiating while imposing sanctions. Both methods were necessary.

After hesitating for a while, he quietly instructed Peng Shisan, “The capital garrison has been gathering for drills recently, and the important matters in Xuanfu have temporarily come to a halt. So, Zhou Bailing will be returning to the capital with his men tomorrow. With him gone, in others’ eyes, I’ll lose a key ally, making it much easier for me to carry out some maneuvers. Those merchants will probably come again tomorrow. You might as well pretend to blurt out that I need to visit Zhangjiakou Fort again in the next few days and will borrow a hundred soldiers from the military headquarters to accompany me.”

After a brief thought, Peng Shisan immediately understood. “Just by saying that, those self-righteous people will think the young master is escorting that envoy back to Tataria via Zhangjiakou Fort?”

Seeing Zhang Yue nod with a smile, Peng Shisan stood up quickly, bowed with a grin, and said, “Then I’ll train those four kids thoroughly tomorrow and make the necessary arrangements. I’ll go to the military headquarters to borrow soldiers—everything will be taken care of! It’s getting late, so I’ll go back to bed. Young master, you should rest early too—don’t stay up too late!”

The earlier part was fine, but the last sentence made no sense. Seeing Peng Shisan rush out of the room, Zhang Yue angrily threw aside the towel he hadn’t had time to discard earlier. Feeling more weight on his feet, he looked down at Qiu Hen, who was still crouched on the ground. Her face was flushed, with the red spreading from her cheeks to the base of her neck.

Just now, Peng Shisan’s teasing of Qiuhen reached her ears, bringing joy to her heart, but it made her even less daring to lift her head. Linglong, who was by the second madam’s side, had gotten married, and Pearl and Shaoyao, who were by her own madam’s side, also had their own partners. Although they all led comfortable lives, if she wanted, she could choose a good man from the servants or outsiders to marry. Yet, since childhood, she had served Zhang Yue, and at some point, her heart completely belonged to him—she could no longer see any other man in her eyes. She knew she was just a maid and that she could at most occupy a small place in his heart, but she still hoped to stay there forever.

“Qiuhen, you’ve rushed along the way so quickly. You should rest early once we arrive, instead of keeping busy following me around.”

Qiuhen, lost in her thoughts, suddenly heard these words and paused her work. She quickly explained, “I and the young lady set off last morning and rested for one night in Huailaiwei. The carriage was very stable, and I kept chatting with the young lady along the way, so I didn’t feel too tired. Besides, the madam and the young mistress had already decided on the schedule—tomorrow is the 23rd day of the 12th lunar month, the Minor New Year. If it weren’t for my urging, the young lady would have continued traveling day and night to reach Xuanfu early in the morning!”

The Minor New Year is tomorrow? Does that mean New Year’s Eve is coming soon?

Zhang Yue was stunned and instinctively narrowed his eyes. Ever since leaving Kaifeng, each New Year he had experienced seemed different. The first year was at the British Duke’s residence in Nanjing, when he was worried about his uncle Zhang Xin; the second year was also at the British Duke’s residence in Beijing, during which the British Duke Zhang Fuzhong was seriously ill; the third year was in Qingzhou, where he spent the New Year with Du Wanling, Xiuhen, and others—it was a lively and warm night; the fourth year was a family reunion in Nanjing, with his parents, sister, and wife, enjoying the dazzling fireworks—a truly memorable experience; the fifth year was at the mansion in Beijing… Unconsciously, it was already the sixth year?

It truly fits the saying: “Flowers may look the same from year to year, but the people change.”

“It’s so fast…”

“Young master, what’s so fast?”

Coming back to his senses, Zhang Yue saw Qiuhen looking up at him and smiled while shaking his head. “I just meant time passes really quickly. We spend New Year’s in different places every year. By the way, when I first taught you to write, I wasn’t as tall as you now. Now, I’m even a head taller than you.”

Hearing these words, Qiu Hen was momentarily stunned, so much so that she didn’t even notice Zhang Yue snatching the towel. Once she came back to her senses, she hurried to the inner room to get new shoes and socks. Ignoring whatever Zhang Yue said, she personally helped him put on the cotton socks, then took the pair of cotton shoes she had made by hand and carefully slipped them on his feet. At that moment, the words she had only dared to think about or mention to Hu Bo suddenly came out.

“Young master, I’ve always wanted to say that I’m willing to stay and serve you for a lifetime.”

She bent her head again to put on the other shoe for Zhang Yue, whispering, “I don’t want any title. As long as I can stay in your room, I’m willing to be a maid for a lifetime. I’m foolish, lacking the wisdom of the young mistress, and not as perceptive as Lingxi or Hu Bo. All I know is that you are like the sky—without you, the sky is just gray…”