Chapter 92: A Friendship Appointment

Within a single night, news of Zhang Chaoyang’s prowess at the small training ground spread like a whirlwind throughout the city, becoming the topic of conversation in every street and alley. People marveled at the young nobleman’s exceptional martial skills and lofty aspirations, discussing the inheritance issues of certain prominent families. Some even dug up Zhang Chaoyang’s past failed engagement, mocking the Jin family for their poor judgment.

“Yesterday, the emperor visited the small training ground to inspect the troops. That nephew of the Duke of Ying showed incredible skill, hitting targets from a hundred paces away. Later, he even matched twenty strong warriors from the Shence Army in a contest. It’s said the emperor was so pleased that he took off his own brocade robe and bestowed it upon him!”

“Ah, this news has already spread throughout the capital—who doesn’t know it? That young Master Zhang is truly remarkable. When the emperor asked what reward he desired, he stubbornly insisted on joining the Jinxiang Guard. The emperor was overjoyed!”

“A son from a military family—given how happy the emperor is, I think the Duke of Ying’s title might eventually pass to him.”

“Heh, if that happens, those two brothers of the Duke of Ying might not be happy. After all, they are his full brothers, and their sons are his direct nephews. If the title falls to relatives of a lower rank… well, it’s only fair. After all, those two brothers are reckless and indulgent, and their sons aren’t even as good as others!”

“But the biggest fool here is that governor of Kaifeng. What kind of family is the Zhang family? Even though Lord Zhang Xin was captured by the Jinyiwei, he was released within two months, only to be demoted to Jiaozhi. With the Duke of Ying’s backing, the Zhang family of Xiangfu is safe! Now that Young Master Zhang has the emperor’s favor, that governor is in trouble!”

At that moment, in the Pearl Tower by Huowa Alley, three well-dressed patrons by the window were talking animatedly, spitting out words eagerly. One of them, a balding man in blue, was the most enthusiastic. In his excitement, he drank three bowls of wine in a row before finally slurringly adding one last remark:

“That Jin family stabbed others in the back at a critical moment—no matter what happens, they deserve it! It’s a shame those beautiful twin sisters missed such a good marriage opportunity!”

At the table next to them, a young man heard this and laughed, raising his cup to the youth across from him. “Yuanjie, everyone’s talking about this these days. Some even claim that Young Master Zhang shot a willow branch with his bow and hit it on the first try. Actually, if it weren’t for what you said back then, even with the Duke of Ying’s recommendation, your brother might not have caught the emperor’s attention right away.”

He spoke in such a low voice that no one outside could hear him. Zhang Yue, however, sighed for the Jin sisters in his heart. Coming back to his senses, he smiled faintly, raised his cup in response, but only took a small sip. After listening attentively to the discussions over there for a while, he said indifferently, “The Emperor has loved martial arts for ages. You heard what the Emperor asked that day too. Isn’t it normal for me to recommend my own elder brother?”
“It’s your first time meeting the Emperor, and everyone is striving hard to stand out. Yet you recommend someone else—how is that normal?” Wan Shijie irritably picked up the wine pot to fill his own cup, then calmly drank it all in one gulp, showing Zhang Yue the empty cup before asking again, “With such a great opportunity going to your elder brother, are you really unbothered?”
“Now you’re asking me this? Do you think I didn’t notice you trying to hide your shortcomings when writing poetry that day?”
Seeing Wan Shijie left speechless by his casual remark, Zhang Yue suddenly remembered the day Wan Shijie suddenly visited the Duke of Yingguo’s mansion. When others came to this once-mighty family, they were all neatly dressed, but this man still wore a plain cloth robe and was almost turned away by the gatekeeper. When Zhang Yue, having been informed, brought him in, the servants there gave him strange looks—even he found it striking—but Wan Shijie seemed unconcerned.
After interacting with him several times, Zhang Yue realized this guy really didn’t care about what others thought. Finding Wan Shijie straightforward and interesting, he thought he could be a good friend and introduced him to Sun Han from Fangling. Today, the four of them had agreed to go to Qixia Temple together at Pearl Tower, but half an hour after the scheduled time and after drinking quite a bit, Sun Han from Fangling still hadn’t arrived.
Just then, the sound of footsteps on the floorboards suddenly came. Soon, panting heavily, Fangling and Sun Han appeared at the top of the stairs. Seeing them still looking around, Zhang Yue quickly stood up to greet them.
Before even sitting down, Fangling exclaimed, “Oh my, you two still have the leisure to drink here? Don’t you know something serious has happened?”
After thinking it over, Zhang Yue couldn’t see anything serious happening at this moment, so he asked in surprise, “What happened?”

“The emperor has just issued an order for the King of Han to head to Le’an Prefecture—he must set off today!” Sun Han sat down heavily and whispered those words. Seeing Zhang Yue and Wan Shijie both freeze in shock, he quickly added, “This is news that just came from the palace; no one outside knows about it yet. It is said that the King of Han was so enraged he almost tore down the palace where he was imprisoned, yet the emperor still refuses to revoke his order. The King of Hengshan knelt at the entrance of the main hall for an hour before being forcibly dragged away.”

The King of Hengshan… Revenge came swiftly! Zhang Yue felt a chill in his heart, but kept a calm expression.

Although Wan Shijie wasn’t from a noble family like the other three, he was quite composed in emergencies and quickly regained his relaxed demeanor, picking up his wine cup again with pleasure. But Fangling, sitting next to him, firmly held down his right hand holding the cup and said in a low voice, “By the way, didn’t we say we were going to Qixia Temple today? Do you know that Master Yao has been staying at Qixia Temple to recover due to poor health recently?”

At the mention of Master Yao, Sun Han’s eyes widened, and Zhang Yue was stunned. Yet none of them reacted as quickly as Wan Shijie. The usually indifferent Wan Shijie suddenly started coughing violently after hearing this news. After finally calming down, he grabbed Fangling’s wrist tightly, his eyes shining brightly. “Master Yao? The one who helped the emperor win the Jingnan Campaign and wore official robes in court and monk’s robes outside? He’s… he’s at Qixia Temple today? What a coincidence! It’s getting late—let’s hurry to Qixia Temple!”

His reaction stunned Zhang Yue, as well as Fangling and Sun Han. Sun Han even stared at his face for a while before saying strangely, “Don’t the scholars from the south say that Master Yao lacks moral integrity? Even that book, *Daoyu Lu*, has been heavily criticized. His own sister refuses to see him—why are you so eager to meet him?”

“What do those pedants know?” Wan Shijie sneered instinctively. When he saw the strange looks on the three others’ faces, he cleared his throat and quickly changed his tone. “I simply think that Master Yao, who plans strategies from afar and was the only advisor by the emperor’s side during the Jingnan Campaign, truly has admirable determination and courage… Ah, are you guys going to Qixia Temple or not?”

Zhang Yue was also somewhat curious about the renowned monk Daoyan, but seeing Wan Shijie act like a fan worshiping an idol made it seem rather incredible to him. Fang Ling deliberately brought up Monk Daoyan to arouse others’ interest, and Sun Han had no strong opinions either. So, the four of them hurriedly went downstairs, got their mounts, and headed for Qixia Temple.