Chapter 841: Husband and Wife as One—No Need to Yield

To the people of the capital, the name Zhang Yue had become widely known over the years. In terms of talent, though he was a graduate of the imperial examinations, his ranking was not prominent. Yet whenever he undertook something, it always sparked intense discussions. Some said he merely relied on his noble background; others claimed he was ruthless and cunning; still others believed he was an incarnation of some celestial being, knowledgeable in both astronomy and geography; and some even denounced him as a heartless murderer… So, on the noon day of the Winter Solstice, Zhang Yue sent people to return all the gifts sent to his father-in-law’s house, which immediately caused a great uproar.

Du Zhen’s stern reputation was well-known throughout the capital. Even his somewhat worn-out carriage, used when he attended court or handled affairs, was familiar to everyone. Thus, within just two years of Du Zhen settling in Wugong Hutong, Du Xueshi Hutong became famous far and wide—because gifts could never be delivered to their house during festivals, and in fact, few dared to send any. Yet this time, as Du Zhen accompanied the emperor on a northern inspection, such a incident occurred, which was truly strange.

“Even if Lord Zhang is capable, he can’t just step in and throw back the gifts meant for his father-in-law!”
“It’s not that simple. I heard the gifts were sent by officials of the sixth or seventh rank, some even with experience in military command—people who had nothing to do with Du Xueshi at all.”
“But after all, one shouldn’t hit those who smile…”
“Don’t you know? The family members sent by Lord Zhang left a message saying that Du’s family had a long-standing rule of not accepting gifts. If they didn’t return them, they shouldn’t blame him for using force!”

Du’s family had strict traditions. Although the words of those who sent gifts puzzled the servants, Zhang Yue gave just a few instructions, and those rumors didn’t spread at all. So when rumors appeared in the streets the next day, they made no mention of this incident. Zhang Yue immediately drafted a memorial and sent it to the palace. The next day, Cao Jixiang came to Zhang’s house with word that the empress dowager was already aware of the matter and would not believe the rumors. Yet Zhang Yue remained uneasy. Knowing that the Jinyiwei and the Eastern Depot wouldn’t pay attention to this, he ordered his own people to investigate thoroughly.

Half of the ten-day holiday had just passed, and a summary had already been placed on his desk. It included information about the five or six households that had left gifts, their interactions over these days, as well as details of the places and people visited by his family members and servants. Everything was detailed, but at first glance it seemed extremely trivial—clearly work done by Zhang Bu. Yet, despite being called a summary, it still consisted of over a dozen thick pages. As he flipped through them, Zhang Yue looked up at Zhang Bu and saw anxiety on his face.

“Sir, I’m not very good at this. If you think it’s not good enough…”

“You’ve done very well. Surely all the people below have been focusing on this task. Since a wide net is cast, many things will be caught. The fact that the summary is clear shows that you’ve made great progress over the years. As for distinguishing between what’s urgent and what’s not, that’s beyond your capabilities.”

Only then did Zhang Bu feel a bit relieved. After he left the study, Zhang Yue looked at the pile of trivial information and thought that Yuan Fang was indeed old and deserved to enjoy some peace. But with this elder stepping back and leaving the responsibility behind, he found it troublesome to choose someone to take over. His father was also old and still had to manage the family’s affairs; he couldn’t burden him with these matters.

Hu Qi had seemed suitable at first, but since he had already obtained an official position through legitimate means, it was impossible to have both responsibilities in one person’s hands. Zhang Bu could only compile information but not analyze it. Servants like Lian Sheng and Lian Hu, though loyal, had no experience with court affairs and couldn’t discern priorities. So, holding this thick stack of documents, he thought carefully for a long time before finally making up his mind. He folded everything neatly, put it in a large envelope, tucked it into his sleeve, and headed outside.

Upon arriving at his own courtyard, he heard laughter and chatter inside. Vaguely, he could also hear someone reciting poetry—it was Bai Juyi’s “The Charcoal Seller.” Bai Juyi’s poems ranged from passionate and sorrowful works like “The Song of Everlasting Sorrow” to reflective pieces like “The Song of the Pipa Player.” But only “The Charcoal Seller” resonated deeply with Zhang Yue—after all, he still couldn’t forget the hardships of his childhood in his past life. Unable to resist, he stopped at the door.

“Poor man, his clothes are thin; worried that charcoal is cheap, he wishes for cold weather… Half a bolt of red silk, a length of fine silk, tied to the ox’s head to be sold as charcoal.”

“Since you can recite this poem, do you know what it means?”

Du Wan shook her head, so Du Wan inside turned to Jing Guan and asked, “Jing Guan, you and Mr. Liang have been studying for a few months now. Do you know what this means?”

“Mother, this poem is about eunuchs in the Tang Dynasty controlling palace purchases, setting up permanent markets in the palace, and forcing people to sell their goods at low prices.”
“Exactly. Then let me ask you again—why would the charcoal seller, who was clearly not properly clothed, still wish for cold weather?”
“So that the charcoal can be sold at a good price.”
“Do you know how much a cartload of charcoal is worth?” After a brief silence, Du Wan spoke again, “It’s not just charcoal. Do you know how much one dan of rice costs, one bag of flour, one cartload of vegetables, or one bolt of high-quality silk? I’m not asking you to go around asking in the markets all day long. I want you to understand what life is like for the common people and to pay close attention to everything. Even if you live in luxury, you should be aware of the hardships in the world. This can’t be solved just by wearing old clothes or cutting back on food, nor can it be understood by merely studying books.”
“Yes, I understand, Mother.”
Zhang Yue, who was listening outside, didn’t know if Jing Guan truly understood Du Wan’s intentions, but he greatly approved of his wife’s way of educating her. He cleared his throat lightly and pulled back the curtain to enter. As soon as he entered, Du Wan quickly stood up, while Jing Guan, who had earlier seemed eager to learn, rushed over with a smile and called out, “Daddy!”
Zhang Yue rarely could keep a stern face in front of his children. After taking off his coat, he gently rubbed Jing Guan’s head and said to Jing Guan, “Don’t just ignore what your mother said. These days, in addition to the lessons assigned to you by Mr. Liang, there’s also this question your mother gave you—about a cartload of charcoal, one dan of rice, one bag of flour, one cartload of vegetables, one bolt of silk… Don’t just make things up by asking others casually. The New Year is approaching, and the prices for these things change every day. Find out the daily prices first!”
Jing Guan wasn’t a bookworm. Hearing this, he immediately realized it was an excuse to go out and play. He nodded his head rapidly. Seeing Zhang Yue wave his hand, he knew his parents still had more to say. He quickly looked up and asked, “So should Uncle Zhong and I work together to solve this question?”

“You sure don’t forget to include your loyal uncle!” Zhang Yue glared at the little kid irritably. After a brief thought, he nodded and said, “Alright, go to the Duke of Britain’s residence and bring him along. You might as well bring your sixth uncle and Cousin Ang too. But with so many people, the previous task was too simple. So, after this Winter Solstice holiday, give me a detailed list of prices in the capital. As for what’s on the list… it’s the items we buy for the New Year. Get a detailed list from the household manager.”

He had originally thought it would just be a stroll around the streets to complete this simple assignment, but unexpectedly, his father turned it into something extremely complicated in no time. Even someone as simple as Jing Guan could figure out how numerous the items they needed for the New Year would be. After staring at his father for a long time and seeing no sign of changing his mind, he had no choice but to agree with a sad face, then took the confused San San out.

Du Wan stood by with a smile, amused to see Zhang Yue bring the little kid under control with just a few words. She said with a chuckle, “Before, whenever I scolded him, he would look forward to you coming. Now that you’ve done this so quickly, he’ll be afraid of you too in the future. I was just worried that the child would grow up in comfort without understanding the hardships of the common people, so I reminded him. Your method is better.”

“If I hadn’t overheard you teaching him outside, I wouldn’t have said any of this. But once the academy is set up and Jing Guan and the others start attending classes, they’ll understand the hardships of the people. Hearing is not as good as seeing, and seeing is not as good as experiencing—don’t you think?”

“That’s right. If it weren’t for experiencing the fickleness of the world and the coldness of human relationships with my mother back in Zhang Yan, I wouldn’t have thought these things were so important. Not only Jing Guan, but also San San, Duan Wu, and Xiao Si need to understand these things in addition to studying and learning rules. Only by understanding the well-being of the people can one know the rise and fall of the world—that’s what our children should be like.”

As Du Wan was speaking, she felt a hand placed on her waist at some point. She was momentarily stunned. When she turned around, she saw that Zhang Yue had already come up to her. Though they were married for years, it was certainly not the time for intimacy during the day. Just as she was about to glare at him, she saw Zhang Yue put his index finger on his lips. Looking again, she noticed that Mother Feng and the two maids, who had been in the room just moments ago, were gone—likely having left the room.

“Let’s talk inside.”

“It’s broad daylight!”

“I said we’re talking. I’m not planning to do anything else.”

Seeing Zhang Yue’s innocent expression, Du Wan couldn’t help but feel frustrated and could only let him lead her into the inner room. After sitting down on the warm kang, she noticed that Zhang Yue avoided the empty seat on the east side and sat right next to her. She gave him a suspicious look until he took out a large envelope from his sleeve and placed it on the kang table, then pulled out a stack of papers from it—only then did she calm down.

“What is this?”

“Open it and see.”

Her husband kept it mysterious, so Du Wan gave him a glare before taking the items and flipping through them one by one. Soon, she stopped and looked at Zhang Yue in surprise. Zhang Yue had already told her about the matters of the Du family when he returned that day, and she had been puzzled. Now, just a few days later, he brought her these things—she naturally understood what it meant. She was both glad that he was protecting his family’s interests and worried that such actions might arouse suspicion. She couldn’t help but gently hold his hand.

“I know you’re worried about Father, but asking the Jinyiwei and the Eastern Depot for help—if something goes wrong, your reputation will be ruined. Stop investigating further. Even Father wouldn’t care about such things.”

“This isn’t internal information from the Jinyiwei or the Eastern Depot; it’s through my own channels.”

Seeing Du Wan freeze, Zhang Yue leaned in close to her ear and briefly explained everything that had happened before. Since this was the most crucial secret, he held her tightly in his arms and whispered in her ear. From the outside, it surely looked like just a loving couple. He felt her stiffen at first, then gradually soften, and finally, through her long eyelashes, he saw those eyes that had been tightly closed slowly opening.

“I’m glad you’re willing to tell me these things,” Du Wan said, placing her hands gently on those of Zhang Yue around her waist. She added in a low voice, “It’s a pity I can’t go with you to visit your elder… You didn’t show me these things just for those long-hidden secrets; there must be something you need me to help with.”

“He’s old now, and these matters must be entrusted to me. Although I have people under my command, they can only handle these trivial tasks. If anything is overlooked at a critical moment, it will cause trouble. Husband and wife are both separate yet one—you’re clever and understand the big picture; you’ve always been my excellent wife. When I was busy with external affairs, it was you who handled those correspondence letters. Naturally, I can only ask you for this favor.”

Du Wan had learned her handwriting by practicing under Shen Can, while Zhang Yue copied from Shen Du’s calligraphy models. Thus, it didn’t take much effort for Du Wan to imitate Zhang Yue’s handwriting. When he was the governor of Guangdong, almost all the letters sent to the capital were dictated by him at night, with her drafting them during the day. Even now that he had returned to the capital, she still handled most of the letters sent elsewhere. But while writing letters was one thing, the current situation was of entirely different significance. Reflecting on his words that husband and wife were both enemies and one entity, she couldn’t help but smile slightly.

“Good!”

Though it was just a single word, Zhang Yue could sense the firmness and certainty in it, which still filled his heart with warmth, making him hold her tighter. Though they couldn’t truly indulge in passion in broad daylight, being close together in the warmly lit room, with their thin clothes separating them at most, still brought a passionate sensation.

After finally separating slightly, Du Wan didn’t dare sit beside Zhang Yue anymore. She stood up and sat across from him, then they examined the dozen or so sheets of paper together over the table between them. After a quarter of an hour, she finally raised her head and said, “Back then, the Duke of Ying resigned as the commander of the Central Army, which allowed you to enter the Ministry of War without any doubts. I’m afraid Minister Zhang will also face trouble when he returns—could it be that someone is worried you’ll take his position as minister? If you and your father are in the ministry and the cabinet respectively, your alliance will be unbreakable. If someone is trying to create trouble, could it be they want your father to make way for you?”

Make way!

Hearing those words again, Zhang Yue’s expression darkened. After a long while, he spoke slowly, word by word, “My uncle and my father have both made way for me, but they ultimately had reservations. My father-in-law is different; he still has many complexities in his heart. Others have fathers and sons serving in the same court—what does it matter if a father and son also serve together?”