Chapter 98: Sowing Discord and Causing Trouble

In front of the former Zhang family residence in Taipingli.

Taking one last look at the large mansion, Zhang Jiu’s eyes revealed an undeniable sense of melancholy. After all, he had been born and raised in this house. Although he had spent four years in the Zhang family’s old home in Kaifeng, this place held far greater significance for him. Now, with his father Zhang Xin exiled to Jiaozhi, it was uncertain when he would return. He had to personally dispose of the family assets, and eventually even sell the mansion—a pain only he could understand.

Seeing Zhang Jiu’s gloomy expression, the old steward Gao Sheng, though empathetic, had to persuade him, “Young master, as long as the mountains remain, there will always be firewood. The court is currently building a new capital in Beijing, and it won’t be the same as before. When your father returns or you enter officialdom, we can buy another large mansion in Beijing. Then we can bring your wife here, and the family will still live happily together, won’t we?”

Zhang Jiu looked up at the blue sky, striving to hold back his sorrow. After a long while, he nodded firmly. “You’re right. What we lose today can be regained someday. Let’s go. This place now belongs to others.”

Once in the carriage with the curtains drawn, Zhang Jiu took out the account books and began to examine them carefully page by page. One doesn’t realize the value of daily necessities until they’re lost. In the past, he hadn’t had to worry about anything—his food, clothing, shelter, and transportation were taken care of, and even his monthly allowance was managed by the maids for minor expenses. But now, as he sold off the family assets and saw everything turned into numbers—though it was all handled by the old steward Gao Sheng, he still learned a lot about the ways of the world.

“Seventy thousand strings of coins, seventeen thousand taels of silver… Even if we sell the mansion and all assets, it still isn’t as much as the gold we brought to Nanjing back then…”

Muttering to himself, he finally understood why his father had insisted on selling the assets. At first, he hadn’t realized the value of those two thousand taels of gold, but now he understood that to exonerate his father, from his grandmother to his uncles, they had done their utmost by contributing so much money. At that moment, he clutched the account book tightly to his chest and took a deep breath.

The carriage kept racing on for who knew how long. Just as Zhang Jiu thought everything was taken care of, his luggage was packed, and it was only a few days away before he should bid farewell to Zhang Fu and Lady Wang and set off, he suddenly felt a jolt, nearly falling from his seat. Annoyed, he quickly lifted the curtain and demanded sharply, “What’s going on?”
“Young master, there’s someone else’s entourage!” Zhang Jiu had already dismissed most of the household servants, keeping only a few loyal ones from the Zhang family of Xiangfu, and the coachman was one of them. Seeing the group in bright clothes ahead, his expression changed abruptly again, and he said anxiously, “It’s Lord Zhang Er, the commander of the Shence Wei. Should we move aside?”
After arriving in the capital for so long, apart from New Year’s Eve, Zhang Jiu had only met Zhang Fu once. Even when he was still in Nanjing, he had little contact with this second uncle. This time, he let the coachman drive the carriage to the side and ordered the old steward Gao Sheng and a few attendants to retreat as well, then lowered the curtain.
He thought it would be fine if they passed by, but suddenly the sound of horse hooves stopped, followed by voices greeting them from outside. Realizing something was wrong, he quickly lifted the curtain and saw Zhang Fu riding on a tall horse.
“Second uncle.”
“It’s family members; there’s no need to avoid each other.” Though his words were kind, Zhang Fu’s face still showed undisguised arrogance. “I heard you, Jiu, are going back? How can that be? The legitimate eldest grandson should return to that wretched place of Kaifeng, while the illegitimate sons from the second and third branches take over my elder brother’s house. Anyone should know that legitimacy comes before seniority. My elder brother is truly foolish!”
If this had happened before Zhang Jiu went to Nanjing, he would have taken it for granted. But after going through so many things, he had long shed the image of the pampered, naive youth he used to be. Now, he simply smiled slightly, neither agreeing nor arguing.
Zhang Fu thought Zhang Jiu’s silence was due to hesitation, so he intensified his tone, “Your father was exiled to Jiaozhi. It’s natural your branch lacks confidence speaking up at home. What would it be like if the second and third branches dominated? Aside from your illegitimate brother, you’re the youngest among the brothers, yet you’ve been known as a prodigy since childhood. Your elder brother ignores you and only promotes the eldest and third sons. You should think carefully about why and stop being so weak that others get all the attention.”

After giving another scolding, seeing that Zhang Jiu only nodded without saying a word, Zhang Fen grew somewhat disinterested and quickly ordered his attendants to leave at top speed. Once they were gone, Zhang Jiu put away his respectful and obedient demeanor and sneered coldly.

Gao Sheng, who had been watching for an opportunity, fearing that Zhang Fen’s words might cause the young master to have some bad thoughts, hurried forward and said, “Young master, our lord said before leaving that he hopes you, the second young master, and the third young master can get along harmoniously and follow all the Duke of Yingguo’s instructions…”

“I already know that,” Zhang Jiu replied, casually lowering the carriage curtain and ordering the driver to set off. He didn’t say the other part he had been about to say: “If my second uncle is trying to incite me to hate my first uncle, elder brother, and third brother, would I really be that stupid?”

By the time the group reached Hubu Street, the sun was already setting. Before they even reached their destination, Zhang Jiu heard a noisy commotion and frowned. He quickly peeked out and saw the usually solemn gates of the Duke’s mansion in chaos—a young man dressed in a autumn-scented python-colored robe was shouting angrily while waving a horsewhip, looking extremely arrogant and domineering.

Just then, he suddenly heard the sound of horse hooves behind him. When he looked up, he saw Zhang Yue returning with a few attendants.

“Third brother!”

“Xiao Si, you’re back too!”

Zhang Yue effortlessly jumped down from his large black horse and was also shocked by the chaotic scene at the gates. When he recognized the python-colored-robed young man waving his whip angrily at the gatekeepers, his eyes flashed with intensity—even if he turned to ashes, he would still recognize him as Zhu Zhanqi, the King of Hengshan. He had known this man was arrogant and foolish, but he never expected him to dare cause trouble right at the Duke of Yingguo’s mansion.

Zhang Jiu, however, didn’t know Zhu Zhanqi and really disliked his arrogant behavior. He clenched his fist, ready to scold him, but suddenly a hand reached out to stop him. Glancing at Zhang Yue in confusion, he asked doubtfully, “Third brother, are you going to let such a madman cause trouble right in front of the Duke of Yingguo’s mansion?”

Zhang Yue didn’t answer. Instead, he gave Gao Sheng a signal, ordering him to take the carriage around to the back door first. He himself took a few attendants and hid in an unremarkable alley nearby. Seeing that there wasn’t a single onlooker at the gates, he then whispered an explanation to the puzzled Zhang Jiu: “That’s the King of Hengshan.”

Upon hearing it was the King of Hengshan, Zhang Jiu immediately thought of the two whips Zhang Yue had received last time. His gaze quickly fell on his elder brother’s left shoulder, and he soon understood why Zhang Yue had stopped him, his face turning red. If Zhu Zhanqi could beat Zhang Yue as if nothing had happened, he would surely suffer if he went up to confront him now. But if they allowed such a worthless imperial grandson to cause chaos in the Duke of Ying’s mansion, wouldn’t that be shameful?