Chapter 79: Family Matters Should Stay Within the Family

“Although Gao Quan hasn’t been seen these days, he’s been extremely busy outside, working tirelessly. He really did a lot to help Xin escape prison so quickly.”

Inside the main house, upon hearing Zhang Fu’s words, the three brothers—Zhang Yue, Zhang Chao, and Zhang Jiu—were puzzled. Yet Zhang Fu said only that much without further explanation, leaving no one to ask more. After all, a high-ranking duke had no reason nor need to defend a servant, so the matter was simply dropped. When Zhang Chao mentioned receiving an invitation from Zhang Fu to go hunting the next day, Zhang Fu’s expression changed slightly.

“Since it’s the second brother who’s inviting, Brother Chao can go alone. Brother Xin says he’ll set off for Jiaozhi to take up his post soon. Brother Jiu, stay with your father properly and move back to live there tomorrow. Brother Yue is probably not familiar with hunting and such; there’s no need for him to accompany those frivolous young men who only know how to hunt and play. He should just do his own things. I’ll send a message to the second brother myself—he won’t blame you for such a trivial matter.”

Hearing this, the three brothers breathed a sigh of relief. Zhang Chao had always loved weapons since childhood. After meeting friends in Nanjing, they mostly discussed martial arts, so hunting was only natural for him. Zhang Yue and Zhang Jiu both knew their limits—going hunting would only result in embarrassment. One was concerned about his father, and the other had other plans. They were glad to have an excuse now.

“Thank you, Uncle.”

“Alright, it’s getting late. Go back and rest early; you all have tasks tomorrow.”

As the three brothers stood up to take their leave, a faint smile appeared on Zhang Fu’s face—filled with relief but also a hint of melancholy. Zhang Chao, though reckless and somewhat frivolous, had a pure heart. Zhang Yue was steady and responsible, knowing when to advance or retreat, showing true leadership qualities. As for Zhang Jiu, though he nearly caused trouble this time, his filial piety alone could outweigh many faults.

Lady Wang had remained silent until now. Seeing Zhang Fu’s melancholic expression, she could guess what was on his mind. At thirty-seven or thirty-eight, she no longer harbored hopes of having children. The many young concubines in the mansion, all of whom seemed suitable for having sons, also showed no signs of pregnancy, which was indeed strange. At that moment, she opened her mouth slightly, but all her words turned into a sigh.

Zhang Fu was awakened by this sigh. Seeing Lady Wang wiping her eyes with a handkerchief, he comforted her gently, “The affairs of children are determined by fate. It’s useless for you to worry. My second and third brothers each have two sons, and these three are also good children. If things go wrong, we can adopt one—still your son.”
“Your Excellency is right,” Lady Wang said quickly, putting down the silk handkerchief. Her eyes were slightly red, but she forced a smile. “Your Excellency has spent half your life doing good deeds. How could you lack legitimate heirs? I’m just moved by the merits of these three children. To be honest, compared to the children of my second and third brothers, they seem more sensible in behavior.”
“Your Aunt is in Kaifeng. Though the old man is old, he still values rules and propriety, which is why he raised such good grandchildren. My second and third brothers grew up without their parents’ supervision, and I was away commanding troops most of the time. With little guidance themselves, how could they properly teach their younger siblings? Seeing their extravagant ways, I worry they might cause trouble.”
Watching her husband complain disapprovingly about his two brothers-in-law, Lady Wang wanted to mention the two invitations Zhang Yue had received, but after careful consideration, she held back. Yang Shiqi was a highly influential minister at the time, and visiting him could benefit their future. As for Da De Silk Shop, it was probably just the children longing for the fine silks from the south, wanting to bring some back for their elders—no need to make a fuss.
Early the next morning, the three brothers set off separately. Zhang Chao, who was going hunting, wore a green silk jacket with arrow sleeves, covered in a bright red orangutan-fur cloak, a sable-lined hat on his head, and deer-leather boots on his feet. He carried an inlaid rosewood bow, looking valiant and heroic. After mounting his horse, he shouted at Zhang Yue and Zhang Jiu, “When I return, I’ll definitely let you taste the game I hunt!”
Seeing Zhang Chao ride away at top speed, Zhang Jiu curled his lips and turned to leave. Suddenly, he stopped, turned around, and bowed respectfully to Zhang Yue, saying, “I realize I was wrong about what happened earlier. Thank you, Third Brother, for your guidance.”
Unprepared for this, Zhang Yue waited until Zhang Jiu boarded the carriage before smiling and clasping his hands. He thought to himself that though the boy could be annoying sometimes, he still had some sincerity and wasn’t one of those hopeless noble sons. He only hoped he would never need to use such a heavy hand to discipline his brother again—his own hand hurt terribly after hitting him.

Although he was supposed to go to Da De Silk Shop today, Zhang Yue did not head straight there but first visited the Du family’s residence. He had been there once on the second day of the new year, but Du Zhen had been summoned to the palace at that time, so he could only leave gifts and did not even dare mention meeting Du Zhen’s wife—after all, Du Zhen had left his wife and children in Zhang Yan in eastern Zhejiang to teach him in Kaifeng for four years, which made him feel somewhat guilty. So today, taking advantage of receiving a letter from Yang Shiqi, he came again.

Yet, as if fate had it in store, when he hurriedly arrived at the Du family’s house, he ran into Lady Qiu, Du Zhen’s wife, who was just about to leave. This time, there was no way to avoid her, so he had to muster the courage to greet her. Instead of giving him a cold look as he had expected, Lady Qiu examined him with a friendly smile for a while before speaking kindly to him.

“It’s rather unfortunate you came at this time. My husband has gone to visit guests and is not at home. Adding to that, the last time you came, you also didn’t meet anyone, so you’ve made two unnecessary trips. If I had known earlier, I would have told you—during these first seven days of the new year, my husband doesn’t have much free time. Since you are his favorite disciple, it’s enough to show your New Year greetings; it doesn’t matter if it’s a few days later. But enough about our family—since you’re in the capital, you might as well come often when you’re free. Even if my husband isn’t here, I’m still here.”

Although Zhang Yue felt that there was something beyond kindness in Lady Qiu’s gaze, he realized she wasn’t being insincere and thought to himself that he had been judging her unfairly. He quickly bowed in agreement. As Lady Qiu got into her sedan chair, carried away by four porters and several attendants, he turned around and mounted his horse, hesitating for a moment.

Should he go to Da De Silk Shop after all?

Lian Sheng and Lian Hu had looked as grim as bitter gourds when they saw Lady Qiu chatting warmly with their young master, but now their expressions eased slightly. Having followed Zhang Yue for several years, they guessed his hesitation and knew what was bothering him. So Lian Sheng rode closer and suggested in a low voice, “Young master, it’s still early, so it won’t take long to make that trip. Besides, I heard that Da De Silk Shop is very famous throughout the Jiangnan region. Why not buy some Suzhou or Hangzhou silk to give to the old lady and the other ladies?”

Although it was just an excuse, sometimes people simply need one. Zhang Yue agreed with a smile. The three of them rode along, following the directions on the letter, and arrived at the destination smoothly.