Chapter 97: The Junior Sister Leaves a Message, the Brother Conveys His Feelings

When Zhang Yue came out of the inner room, he found it completely empty—Du Wan and Princess Chenliu of the Zhou Kingdom were nowhere to be seen, which puzzled him. After looking around, he spotted a silhouette moving in the corner. Curious, he stepped forward to take a closer look.
“Come out… come out right now!”
At that frantic voice, he instinctively sensed something was wrong and dodged to the side. Sure enough, moments later, a figure fell face down to the ground, still holding a black cat—it was the girl dressed as a boy from before. Confused, he froze for a moment before suddenly feeling a hand reach out toward him.
“What are you standing around for? Help me up… Ugh, damn you, Little Black! You always pick on me!”
Amused, Zhang Yue helped her up. Seeing how tenderly she held the black cat, he cleared his throat and asked, “May I ask, Miss Du and Princess Chenliu of the Zhou Kingdom have gone back?”
“Stop calling me ‘miss.’ Can’t you see how I’m dressed? Just call me Xiao Wu. That title was given to me by the old monk… um, Master Yao. Miss also calls me that.” Xiao Wu pouted and sized Zhang Yue up for a while before saying, “I don’t know where the King of Zhou and Princess Chenliu went. They’re nobles after all. But as for Miss… it’s strange. You don’t have extra arms or anything, so why does your wife praise you so highly? Your master even left home because of you.”
Her random remarks left Zhang Yue confused. It took him a while to realize she was referring to Lady Qiu, Du’s wife. The last part made him feel a headache. Fortunately, Xiao Wu didn’t press further. After a while, she muttered, “It’s getting late. Of course, Miss has gone home. She asked me to tell you that although she asked Master to come today, you don’t need to feel indebted to her. You already owe the Du family a lot. We can settle the accounts together someday. Um, that’s about it.”
Hearing this message, Zhang Yue was stunned. Seeing Xiao Wu teasing the black cat again, he suddenly had a question and asked directly, “Why didn’t you go back with your master?”
At that moment, a deep voice came from the inner room, “She and Little Black were both picked up by me and raised. I’m getting old and about to die. I wanted to find her a place to live, but she talks carelessly and has no sense of propriety. That’s why I had to entrust her to the Du family’s maid. The maid was worried that I’d be left unattended at Qixia Temple and that the young monks might be too rough, so she had her dress as a boy and stay here.”

As they spoke, Daoyan slowly emerged from the inner room. He had seemed energetic while sitting, but now he had to lean on a cane to walk, his frail appearance no longer concealable. Seeing this, Xiao Wu ignored the black cat, pushed it aside, rushed forward in a few strides, and firmly supported Daoyan’s right arm. She scolded, “Master, you’re being stubborn again. If you were going to come out, call me first. Standing there on your own with a cane—what if you fall?”
Zhang Yue had thought Xiao Wu was a servant from the Du family and hadn’t expected such a connection. Seeing Daoyan being supported by Xiao Wu with signs of fatigue on his aged face, he remembered Daoyan’s words earlier and quickly bowed to take his leave. Only after stepping outside and lifting the curtain did he see Sun Han from Fangling and Wan Shijie standing there, pacing back and forth.
“Yuanjie, you’re finally out! Xiao Sun and I were so worried!” Fangling rushed forward at once, examining Zhang Yue from head to toe for a while before confirming that nothing was missing from his body. Only then did he sigh in relief, then became curious, “We all came out in no time—why did it take you so long?”
Wan Shijie stared intently at Zhang Yue, his gaze as if trying to pry flesh from his body: “You stayed in there for so long. Could it be you’ve received the teachings from Master Yao and become his last successor?”
“A dog can’t spit out ivory!” Zhang Yue glared at him irritably and said with a forced smile, “Brother Wan, do you know what you asked and what Master Yao answered? I know everything clearly. The question I asked Master Yao was what the three people ahead of me had asked, and I asked him to tell me…”
Sun Han immediately shouted, “You trickster, Yuanjie! No wonder you stayed last—turns out you’re so cunning!”
“I don’t believe Master Yao, such a brilliant man, would fall for your tricks!” Fangling was full of doubt. Seeing Wan Shijie nod in agreement, he said with a smile, “Apart from those annoying kids, I had good luck today. I won’t have to worry about my father saying I only hang around bad company when I go back. By the way, Yuanjie, did your elder brother tell others that he was able to impress the emperor at the training ground thanks to your recommendation to the emperor one day?”

“Was that what my eldest brother said?” Seeing Fangling Sun Han nod in agreement, and recalling Zhang Chao’s straightforward and cheerful personality, Zhang Yue felt warmth in his heart. He immediately smiled and said, “As you all know, that day the emperor happened to visit Yang Shiqi’s home incognito. I merely mentioned it casually; there was no merit in making any recommendation at all.”
Wanshi Jie interjected, “I was there that day when you talked to the emperor. Don’t try to deny it.”
Sun Han sighed bitterly, his face showing unmistakable envy. “If it were someone else, they’d be scrambling to get noticed by the emperor, let alone think of their own brothers. To be honest with you, Yuan Jie, my uncle is a palace guard. Last time the emperor inquired casually, he recommended his own son. He never realized that my father held only a minor position, and I’m still just a student. My elder brother in Fangling is also part of the palace guard, always focused on rising in rank, never thinking of him.”
Fangling nodded gloomily, then smiled and patted Zhang Yue’s shoulders twice. “That’s why we really envy your brothers. You probably don’t know that after my eldest brother received an imperial robe, he not only said he wanted to join the Jinxiang Guard but also, when the emperor asked if he had any other requests, he mentioned that his third brother was smart and eager to learn, asking for the emperor’s favor. Just for that, Scholar Yang, who was with the emperor that day, spoke highly of him, and the emperor was very pleased.”
This was the first time Zhang Yue had heard about it. That day, Zhang Chao returned excited, and Zhang Fu only mentioned how outstanding Zhang Chao had performed, without going into details. After asking a few more questions, he felt a surge of warmth. Seeing Fangling and Sun Han looking somewhat depressed, he smiled and reassured them, “Don’t worry, opportunities will always come. I was extremely nervous during my first meeting with the emperor. If there’s another chance, I definitely won’t forget you two. As for Brother Wan… you don’t need me to worry about you.”
“That’s great! Sun and I can’t rely on our families, so we have to count on you! If you become an official in one of the six ministries or enter the cabinet, don’t forget to get us a high-ranking position too!”
“Who said I don’t need you to worry about me? You can’t just focus on Fang and Sun and forget about me. I want a high-ranking position too!”
The four of them joked with each other as they left Qixia Temple, then mounted their horses and rode off together. The sound of horse hooves mixed with their laughter, set against the vibrant spring scenery, exuding boundless vitality.