Chapter 89: Taking Advantage of a Free Meal on the Way

Having stolen half a day of leisure, Zhu Di enjoyed a carefree time at Yang Shiqi’s home, casually commenting on poetry. Yet he did not stay for lunch, saying instead he wanted to take Zhu Zhanji to visit a few meritorious officials.

Yang Shiqi and Yang Rong tried to dissuade him, originally intending to see the group off to the gate, but Zhu Di stopped them, saying it was better not to attract too much attention, so they could only see them off to the second gate. Even after the group disappeared from sight, everyone waited another fifteen minutes, assuming Zhu Di and the others had left, before returning to the pavilion with mixed feelings.

The snow outside was falling heavier, piling up on the branches of the red plum trees. Yet the group, almost all without snowproof clothing, was inexplicably excited. Those whose poetry had received some praise seemed to float as they walked, their expressions radiant. However, most eyes were on Zhang Yue, despite him not having done anything outstanding since then.

Zhang Yue had prepared that classic poem “Bu Suan Zi: Ode to the Plum,” but ultimately did not use it, which relieved him greatly—having already drawn considerable attention upon arrival, another stunning performance would have been excessive. The scholars who had initially ignored him now showed more friendliness, though he found it uninteresting and only exchanged a few words with Wan Shijie.

Back in the pavilion, Yang Shiqi and Yang Rong, seeing everyone overly excited, understood and encouraged them with smiles, while the latter gave some advice. It was nearly noon, and seeing the time, the scholars began to leave one by one. Yang Shiqi did not try to hold them back. After thinking for a moment, Zhang Yue stayed behind last. When he stood up, Yang Rong stepped forward and spoke cheerfully.

“The Emperor rarely pays attention to the younger generation of civil and military officials. Today, during the Festival, you’ve been quite fortunate. The Emperor is likely heading to the Duke of Ying or the Duke of Cheng’s residences. If you rush back now, you might run into him again. One encounter is luck, but two could arouse suspicion. It’s still early—why not go visit your teacher? He happens to have a day off today, and you can take advantage of his lunch. It would be a nice story for the teacher and student to talk about today’s events.”

Yang Shiqi didn’t expect Yang Rong to rush ahead of him just to say such things, and he was momentarily speechless with laughter. Yet he had to admit that in the cabinet, Yang Rong’s greatest strength lay in his excellent ability to assess situations. At this moment, if Zhang Yue hurried back to the Duke of Ying’s residence and ran into that imperial entourage again, it might backfire. So he stayed silent and merely gave Zhang Yue, who looked surprised, a slight nod.

Zhang Yue wasn’t stupid. Though Yang Rong’s jest had put him in some embarrassment, after thinking it over, he realized the reminder was timely, so he quickly agreed and then bowed to take his leave.

However, when he followed the butler Yang Zhong to the gate, glanced at his well-fed and energetic black horse, and looked up at the heavy snowflakes falling from the sky, he had an idea—visiting Du Zhen on such a snowy day in the middle of the day, when it was definitely not suitable for making visits, was almost like heading straight to lunch.

Fortunately, Gongyuan Street and Xu’s Residence Street were quite close. It took less than the time it takes to drink a cup of tea to ride there, and he arrived at Du’s residence. In just that short while, his cloak was almost completely soaked by the snow, and his leather hat was filled with snowflakes, making his head feel unbearably cold. Thankfully, Yue Shan recognized him at once, sent his companion Lao Wei to give the news, and hurriedly invited him inside, frantically helping him remove his half-soaked cloak while complaining nonstop.

“Where have you come from, young master? With such heavy snow, you should have worn a raincoat and a conical hat when you left. That velvet cloak and leather hat may seem warm, but they’re completely useless in this weather! Luckily, you didn’t travel too far, otherwise your inner clothes would have gotten wet too. Even if you didn’t prepare anything when you left in the morning, you should have borrowed a set from someone else when leaving their house.”

After hearing Yue Shan’s endless chatter, Zhang Yue finally remembered that after rushing onto his horse at Yang’s residence gate, he seemed to hear someone shouting behind him. With the strong wind and heavy snow, he glanced back but couldn’t see clearly and forgot about it. Now thinking back, they must have already prepared snowproof gear, but he ran too fast and missed it.

By then, Lao Wei had already rushed back, carrying a set of snowproof clothing. Zhang Yue put on a green conical hat, a green raincoat, and a pair of camphor wood clogs, but refused to use the green silk oil umbrella. He rushed out like the wind toward the second gate. Yue Shan followed him out of the house and couldn’t help but exclaim when he saw Zhang Yue walking swiftly on the snow in those camphor wood clogs.

“Sir, go slowly—be careful not to slip!”
“Brother Yue, you’re being too attentive. If outsiders saw this, they’d think it’s our young master!”
Hearing this, Yue Shan immediately turned his head and glared at Lao Wei irritably before sneering mysteriously, “Though it’s not our young master, he’s pretty much the same. Haven’t you heard the gossip from the maids in the inner courtyard? The madam has already made up her mind seven or eight times over—so it’s only a matter of time before the master agrees.”
“Is that true…? Now that you mention it, I do remember hearing about it a few days ago…”
While the two by the door chatted idly, Zhang Yue had already arrived at Du Zhen’s inner study under the guidance of a servant. It was a place he had been before. He took off his snowproof clothes in the corridor and shook off the remaining snow before gently pushing the door open and entering. However, there was more than just Du Zhen in the study—Madam Qiu, whom he had met once before, was also there.
Seeing Zhang Yue’s hair slightly damp from the snow, Du Zhen couldn’t help frowning and asking, “Why did you come all this way in such heavy snow?”
“Sir, I came all this way just to see you. How can you ask such a thing?” Madam Qiu replied with a kind but reproachful look. She then examined Zhang Yue carefully before stepping forward concernfully. “It’s cold and windy, with snow falling too. Look at your disheveled state. Let’s talk about whatever it is later. Go change into some clothes first. It’s right in the middle of the day—stay for a meal first!”
Zhang Yue never expected that before he could even say a few words to Du Zhen, Madam Qiu would send him to another room to change, even arranging for him to eat. He didn’t know what to say for a moment. When he took off his cold clothes in the room with a charcoal fire and changed into new clothes with the help of Mo Yu and Ming Di, he was even more surprised.
The size of the clothes matched his figure perfectly—how could such a coincidence exist?
At that moment, the usually talkative Ming Di grinned and said, “The third young master’s figure is indeed similar to Mo Yu’s. It’s no wonder he once served as a mannequin. The madam prepared four sets of clothes, originally planning to give them to the third young master on the Lantern Festival on the 15th day of the first lunar month. Now they’re being used, so those clothes will have to be prepared again later!”
Mo Yu, however, wasn’t concerned about the quality of the clothes—after all, he had worn them all before. Noticing the white cloth tied around Zhang Yue’s left shoulder, he asked worriedly, “Third young master, are you injured in your left shoulder?”

“It’s no big deal.” Zhang Yue gently pressed his right hand on his left shoulder with an indifferent smile. “It’s just a wasp sting.”