Chapter 95: Skillful Hands and Ingenious Deeds

Zhang Yue had lived in Kaifeng for many years, so he was naturally familiar with Prince Zhou Zhu Tu. Emperor Yongle, Zhu Di, had initially raised the banner of restoring order under the Heaven, but once he secured power, his methods were no less harsh than those of Emperor Jianwen. One after another, those princes who had thought it better for their brothers to rule rather than their nephews suffered misfortune. Even Prince Ning, who had once provided troops to Zhu Di, was exiled to Nanchang, with almost all his military power stripped from him. In contrast, Prince Zhou Zhu Tu, who returned from Yunnan, as Zhu Di’s full brother and not involved in politics, led a relatively carefree life. Just by observing that during this New Year’s audience, while other princes returned to their fiefdoms, Prince Zhou remained in Nanjing, it was clear that Zhu Di treated him differently.

A few years ago, Zhang Yue had accompanied his father to Prince Zhou’s mansion to pay respects, but it was impossible to meet the family members there. So today was his first time meeting Princess Chenliu. Though it was their first encounter, judging by her words, her character and temperament became immediately apparent—her speech was sharp and forceful yet logical. Seeing Zhang Bin and Zhang Jin suddenly become mute and humiliated as they were driven out of the pavilion, he couldn’t help but smile slightly.

Having hit an insurmountable obstacle, Zhang Bin and Zhang Jin could only accept their misfortune. But seeing Zhang Yue’s mocking smile, they couldn’t swallow their anger. Zhang Bin kicked the guard who had been easily pushed aside fiercely and shouted, “What are you waiting for? Since the princess said to clear the space, get these annoying kids out now!”

Hearing this, the two guards, who had previously looked listless, immediately perked up and charged at Zhang Yue and his companions. At that moment, a light laugh came from the side: “The princess just said to drive out the people in the pavilion and clear it—she didn’t mention anyone else. You two are overstepping your bounds. Didn’t you hear her order?”

It was the girl wearing a gauzy flowered headscarf who spoke. Upon hearing this, Princess Chenliu immediately raised her eyebrows and snapped, “I told you to leave! Who gave you the right to bring others along? If you keep being insolent, don’t blame me for having someone send you back!”

Realizing they had suffered a loss today, Zhang Bin and Zhang Jin, despite their resentment, had no choice but to swallow their anger. Without even glancing at those who had been thrown out of the pavilion, they bowed slightly to Princess Chenliu and stormed away with their guards. With someone too powerful present, they couldn’t afford to say anything harsh. Before leaving, they glared fiercely at Zhang Yue.

“The Prince of Hejian and the Duke of Britain are both heroes of unparalleled stature—how could their families produce such useless scoundrels!” The Princess of Chenliu, still angry, glared resentfully at the retreating figures before turning back. She glanced briefly at Sun Han of Fangling and Wan Shijie, but spent a long time studying Zhang Yue’s face before speaking seriously, “Hmm, since those two said you’re from the Zhang family of Xiangfu, we can consider ourselves fellow townspeople. But if not for your somewhat principled words just now, I wouldn’t have bothered. I hope you can truly achieve success through your own efforts from now on, so as not to give those worthless kids a chance to laugh at you!” After saying this, the Princess of Chenliu stopped looking at Zhang Yue and showed no intention of resting in the pavilion. Instead, she turned and affectionately took the girl wearing a gauzy flowered headscarf by the arm, shedding her earlier seriousness and revealing a innocent, cheerful smile. “Sister Wan, my father has always been proud of his chess skills and only respects Master Yao. Who would have thought he’d lose three games to you today? You must teach me well so I can beat him more often and stop him from constantly saying my play is terrible… Hey, what are you looking at?” Encouraged by this noble yet younger princess, Zhang Yue found it amusing, though he also thought she was quite cute. He exchanged a glance with the other three, ready to leave, when he suddenly noticed the girl with the gauzy flowered headscarf looking at him. The next moment, she even asked him a question. “Is Young Master Zhang’s given name Yue, and his courtesy name Yuanjie?” Zhang Yue was puzzled and nodded. The Princess of Chenliu became curious and quickly asked, “He didn’t introduce himself just now—how does Sister Wan know his name? Do you know him?” The girl with the gauzy flowered headscarf smiled gently and said to the Princess of Chenliu, “To let the princess know, this is the first time I’ve met Young Master Zhang. As for why I know his name, it’s because he’s my father’s only student—technically, I should call him my senior. As for my father, he doesn’t care much, but my mother often talks about him; his name is quite well-known.” After saying this, she bowed to Zhang Yue and said, “I’m Du Wan, your junior sister. I pay my respects to Senior Zhang.”

It was only then that Zhang Yue realized the person before him was Du Zhen’s only daughter, his junior sister. He immediately remembered the unusually warm reception from Lady Qiu of the Du family when he had gone there to avoid the snow and eat free. Surprised, he also felt a hint of embarrassment. After they met, he suddenly recalled that Princess Chenliu had mentioned playing chess and also mentioned Master Yao. By that logic, King Zhou and Daoyan must both be at Qixia Temple, likely in the lecture hall, which explained why Prince Anyang, Zhu Zhanhuan, had run into trouble earlier. Since he hadn’t taken the risk of entering that lecture hall before, and now he had the chance, he asked Princess Chenliu, “Princess, I came to Qixia Temple today with three friends. While visiting the peach forest to see the peach blossoms is one reason, it’s also because Master Yao has been living here at Qixia Temple recently. I just heard you mention Master Yao. I was wondering…” “Did you come here to see Master Yao?” Princess Chenliu looked at Zhang Yue in surprise, then glanced at the three others, and smiled. “That’s quite unusual. Although Master Yao holds a high position in the court and is well-treated by the emperor, people in the common folk don’t speak highly of him, and scholars mostly criticize him. Well, Master Yao simply refuses to see court officials but is always kind to younger people. He should have no problem seeing you. Besides, even if he doesn’t care about others’ faces, he’ll at least show respect to Sister Waner.” Zhang Yue found this even more strange. Du Zhen had never explained why his daughter had such a close relationship with Daoyan. As he pondered, Princess Chenliu nodded and led Du Wan away. So, he called out to Zhang Han from Fangling and Wan Shijie, and hurried after them. The group left the peach forest and returned to the temple along the same path. Princess Chenliu and the others indeed entered the lecture hall from which Prince Anyang, Zhu Zhanhuan, had just come out. The four of them exchanged glances, thinking they had encountered a fortunate coincidence that day. The lecture hall was empty; no one was inside. It wasn’t until they exited through the back door that they saw the truth—a quiet courtyard hidden among lush bamboo groves. Up close, the courtyard consisted of just a flower bed, with three simple rooms along the wall. Compared to the multi-eaved and ornate halls of Qixia Temple, this place was almost spartan in its simplicity.