Chapter 863: Loving Son, Blackmail

Staring at his son before him, Zhang Yue couldn’t help but reach out and rub his little head firmly. His son often traveled far and wide, and now that he had settled down, he mostly neglected household affairs, leaving it to Du Wan to raise the children. Seeing his son grow up day by day—though he still acted mischievously and made decisions on his own sometimes—Zhang Yue was naturally very pleased most of the time. However, this time, with his wife asking his son to deliver such a message, he felt a bit puzzled.
“How did your mother ask you to bring this message?”
“I snuck home from school at noon and saw her writing a letter. She wrote one piece of paper, crumpled it up, and threw it into the fire. She wrote another one and did the same. I went up to her and said, ‘You always teach me that we should cherish every grain of rice and every piece of wood, as they’re not to be wasted. Now, the small paper used at home costs 1,300 coins per sheet, and larger paper costs 1,600 coins. Why are you wasting it now?’”
Seeing Tian Ci staring at Jing Guan with wide eyes in amazement, Zhang Yue began to feel a headache. He had heard before that during the Winter Solstice holiday, Jing Guan and Tian Ci, along with Meng Ang and a few other kids around the same age who got along well, had been busy nonstop. In the end, they still hadn’t finished their homework and refused to let the servants help them look into it, so they even asked to extend the time by a month. He thought it was good for his son to care about the people’s livelihood, but who would have thought that before even submitting their homework, Jing Guan was already criticizing his mother for wasting things? Rubbing his forehead, he couldn’t help but sigh again.
“You really shouldn’t give your mother extra worries…” Thinking about how shocked Du Wan must have been upon hearing what Xiao Wu brought back, and imagining her expression when stopped by the kid’s words, Zhang Yue realized he would likely be stunned too. So he patted his son’s forehead and asked, “Did your mother scold you after that?”
Jing Guan covered his head sadly before softly grumbling, “She didn’t. She was stunned for a while first, then she praised me for being sensible and knowing how to cherish things!” At this, excitement appeared on the kid’s face. “But seeing how worried she looked, I said I was old enough to help her, so she asked me to bring dinner to Dad at night and also pass on this message. I promised her I’d keep it a secret!”

Zhang Yue had never been a strict father. At this moment, seeing his son with his head tilted up, wearing an adorable expression as if begging for praise, the thrilling experiences of the past day and night without any danger seemed to fade a bit. In the end, he couldn’t help but laugh: “Good, truly worthy of being the eldest son in the family. Even when I’m not around, you can still act as the pillar of the household!”

Tian Ci glanced at Zhang Yue, then at Jing Guan, who was beaming with joy. His little head was already a bit confused. Although his mother, Lady Wang, loved him, whenever it came to discipline, he could only listen obediently. With his father, Zhang Fu, around, he would never even get a smile from him. But Jing Guan had also defied his mother—why was Zhang Yue still praising him?

Zhang Yue turned and saw Tian Ci’s puzzled face, which immediately reminded him of Zhang Fu’s stern expression. This Lady Wang was different from the others—she loved Tian Ci but didn’t spoil him. Yet Zhang Fu wasn’t much different from Jia Zheng; whenever he looked at his son, he seemed imperfect in every way. That’s why Tian Ci was naturally afraid of his father. So, he stepped forward and gently placed a hand on the shoulder of this future head of the British Duke’s household.

“Tian Ci, don’t you understand why I praised Jing Guan?”

Tian Ci immediately shook his head and stammered, “If it were my mother, I would definitely be punished for speaking back like that.”

“He was wrong to defy his mother,” Zhang Yue said warningly, glancing at Jing Guan, who wanted to argue, successfully making the little boy shut up and stand behind him. Then he spoke gently, “But what he said was true. That’s why your sister-in-law said earlier that he’s sensible and knows how to cherish things.”

“A piece of paper, a thread, a grain of rice—none of them seem valuable. But by learning to cherish these small things now, one will learn to cherish the common people in the future. That’s why your sister-in-law and I asked you to investigate prices. For example, if the price of paper rises by ten wen, it might not matter much to you, but it could prevent poor scholars from affording it, forcing them to abandon their studies and lose their knowledge. If the price of meat rises by ten wen, more people won’t be able to afford it, leaving them weak and prone to illness or even early death. And if the price of rice rises by ten wen, it could lead to great turmoil in the country. So, don’t get into the habit of wasting things out of anger. The same goes when dealing with elders—always try to persuade them. Of course, don’t be as blunt as your nephew Jing Guan!”

Zhang Yue spoke again, casting another glance at Jing Guan. It was his own son—had it not been Du Wan but some other elder, and at a time when he was in a desperate situation, for his son to spout such things, it would be an understatement not to scold him harshly—at least, if it were him, he certainly wouldn’t have the mood at that moment. After talking to the two children for a while longer, he summoned his attendants and instructed them to take Tian Ci home properly, then once again fixed his gaze on Jing Guan preemptively.
“It’s so late. Stop following Uncle Zhong to English Park. You’ll have plenty of chances to see your auntie in the future. Go home and don’t worry your mother!”
Jing Guan didn’t expect his ulterior motives to be seen through so quickly—he had deliberately brought Tian Ci along not only for convenience but also because he wanted to visit Zhang Jing, who was temporarily staying at English Park. Thus, he could only lower his head dejectedly and say, “Yes, Father.”
Watching the two kids and the dozen or so attendants mount their horses and go their separate ways, Zhang Yue stood for a while longer before turning and entering the yamen. After taking a few steps, he suddenly sensed something and looked up at the sky. It was winter, and it darkened early. Although it was only the hour of Xu, the sky was already pitch dark. At this moment, scattered snowflakes had begun to fall again, rolling in the bitter cold wind and piling onto people’s heads and faces from all directions.
He casually caught one with his hand. The snowflake was merely a tiny, gentle piece that melted into a drop of warm water on his already stiff fingers in an instant, disappearing soon after. On the bluestone ground, the black tiles, and the bare trees, ice from the heavy snow a few days ago still covered everything. These scattered snowflakes seemed to have no effect at all, merely adding a little more weight to the already frozen, snow-white surfaces. It was uncertain whether the ice on the rooftops would grow thicker after another night of light snow, whether the bluestone ground would become slippery, or whether any more bare branches would break under the weight.
Shaking off the snowflakes from his clothes, Zhang Yue walked inside, his mind filled with chaotic thoughts. They say spring rain nourishes things silently, but winter snow should not be underestimated either. This seemingly insignificant bout of light snow now—unknown whether it would become the last straw that breaks the camel’s back.
After returning to the yamen for dinner, he changed into casual clothes and instructed his trusted servants to go to the Yang family if needed. Then he quietly left the Ministry of War through a side door, leading his horse into the light snow.

Although his attendants could not enter the Ministry of War, Zhang Yue had already found a place across the North Bridge of the Yu River, where two of his family’s attendants waited there every day. When there was nothing to do, they simply rested in the room, drinking tea and chatting; when needed, they could be put to use. Yet none of them expected that this time it wasn’t a messenger from the palace but Zhang Yue himself who came.

Ever since the emperor led his army on a northern inspection tour, Yang Shiqi had been on duty in the palace almost every day. Though he was the top figure in the Cabinet, the Cabinet still did not yet have a clear distinction between chief and deputy ministers—everyone’s seniority and position varied. The difference between him, Yang Rong, and Jin Youzi was not significant, and since Du Zhen and Yang Pu, who joined later, were not people who sought attention, the five-day rotation schedule was easily manageable. Now that Yang Rong had gone to Yunnan to assist with military affairs, and Jin Youzi and Du Zhen had followed the emperor on the northern tour, only he and Yang Pu remained in the capital. Yang Pu being excessively humble, he naturally couldn’t do without Yang Shiqi’s guidance. Thus, the literary gatherings at the Yang residence were temporarily suspended, and Yang Ji was free.

Not long after Yang Ji and his mother arrived in the capital, Yang Shiqi brought the rest of the family along as well. With all these people, the Yang residence became even more lively. However, Lady Yang had always been in poor health, and her eldest daughter-in-law often stayed by her side. As a lady from a scholarly family who already had a son, she was somewhat reserved in matters of the bedroom. The concubines, on the other hand, were overly cautious and timid. With little supervision and his father absent, Yang Ji naturally grew bolder and often returned home late.

In the evening, he returned home as usual in the carriage covered with a grid-patterned cotton cloth. Stepping down from the carriage in front of the door, he felt the howling cold wind mixed with snowflakes. Glancing at the guards standing like pillars, he couldn’t help but tighten his woolen cloak to keep out the cold and pull up his hood to cover his head. The butler, Yang Zhong, sent his son to take care of the carriage and accompanied Yang Ji inside, whispering, “Young master, someone came looking for you this afternoon, saying it was an urgent matter. I told them I didn’t know where you were, but they insisted on staying and are still waiting at the gate now.”

“Looking for me?”

Yang Ji immediately grew suspicious. He had many friends outside, but few who could truly be called good friends. Of course, he liked to hear nice things said about him, but Zhang Yue had warned him, and Wan Shijie had even taken him around secretly to hear those who flattered him in front of others mocking him as an ignorant good-for-nothing. So he quickly saw through reality. Those once-so-called friends were fine for drinking, eating, and having fun, but not for handling matters or making connections. Now that Wan Shijie was gone and Zhang Yue was extremely busy, he naturally focused on business while occasionally hiding his identity to act out superficially—nothing more.

If that was the case, who would come looking for him?

With these doubts in mind, he went to the entrance. As soon as he saw the man sitting inside, dressed in a blue silk coat and looking fairly respectable, he was shocked and froze on the spot.

“Young Master Yang!”

Hearing this, Yang Ji, who was already uneasy, was utterly terrified and momentarily stunned. Stammering, he asked, “How… how did you find me here?”

“Need I say? Who in the capital doesn’t know Young Master Yang from the grand councilor’s family? Of course I knew to come here.” The man in the blue coat stood up, smiled warmly, and bowed. Noticing Yang Zhong standing behind Yang Ji, he winked and said, “Young Master Yang, do you really want to keep me here to talk? Some things… better not be overheard by others.”

“Stop talking!” Yang Ji cut him off decisively. Without turning around, he ordered Yang Zhong, “This is my guest. I’ll talk to him in the flower hall. Keep the door open for now; I still need to see off a guest later.”

Although Yang Zhong didn’t understand who this guest of Yang Ji’s was, something about the situation felt off. Seeing the man calmly follow Yang Ji out of the entrance and head down the corridor toward the flower hall, he gradually frowned, sensing something bad was about to happen. Back then, when Zhang Yue told their master that the eldest young master was running a tavern outside, the master was so angry he almost imposed family discipline, but was persuaded otherwise. At least the second young master was studious despite his lack of seriousness. At least no more of those shady friends were coming around. But the man who came today was truly strange.

After much thought, seeing that Yang Ji and the other man still hadn’t appeared, Yang Zhong grew cautious. He quickly called his son over and gave him detailed instructions to keep a close eye on things at home, then had horses prepared. Outside the main gate, as he stepped onto the stepping stone to mount his horse, he saw two riders approaching faintly from the alley. At a glance, he found the man ahead somewhat familiar. When the riders got closer and his features became clearer, he was both surprised and delighted, and hurriedly stepped forward to greet them.

“Lord Zhang, what a coincidence! I was just on my way to the yamen to look for you—here you are!”

“You came to find me?” Without waiting for anyone to help him with the horse, Zhang Yue swiftly dismounted, tossed the reins aside, and upon hearing these words, combined with what Du Wan had asked Jing Guan to convey, he immediately had a suspicion. “Is there something wrong with Brother Yang?”

“Just now, some strangers showed up at the front gate and waited for the young master all afternoon, insisting it was an urgent matter. When the young master returned, he was stunned upon seeing them. Without hesitation, he invited them to the flower hall to talk. I’m really worried…”

“In that case, tell the people at home not to go outside, and then take me to take a look!”

After gathering with his two attendants, Zhang Yue didn’t go straight to the Yang family’s house. Instead, he went to the Military Affairs Ministry’s spy agency in Yangzhou Alley to assign some people, before arriving here. As he followed Yang Zhong along the corridor to the flower hall, learning that Yang Ji had also ordered all outsiders to leave so as not to disturb them, he became even more certain of his suspicions. So, from a distance, watching the lit area, he signaled to Yang Zhong and then walked slowly forward. As the room grew closer, he heard a rather bold voice.

“Young Master Yang has only one son. If Yunzhu can truly give you another son and a daughter, the family will thrive even more, and Grand Secretary Yang will surely be happy!”