Seeing that all the dishes had arrived, Jiang Xiu braced himself under Pei Yuan Jin’s gaze and broke the silence. “Many thanks for the Great General’s hospitality. To tell the truth, this old man really is rather hungry.”
Zhang Zu Rui hurriedly said, “Had I known Young Master Pei was coming, I should have gone outside the city to welcome you in person.”
Although the Immortal Treasury Palace’s headquarters stood within Northern Zhou territory, jianghu sects and the government or imperial court generally kept to their own spheres. Relationships as close as those between the Spirit Sect and Southern Yu, or the Qinling Sect and Northern Zhou, were rare.
Fu Xi Yan did possess two identities, but for one thing, a Patrol Commissioner was hardly a high-ranking official and his authority was mostly internal. For another, the Fu family’s grand departure for the south had created the appearance of a falling-out with Wang Yu. Afterward, Fu Xi Yan followed Pei Yuan Jin all over the place, roaming the jianghu, which further faded the mark of officialdom from him. This mission to the Northern Lands was secret as well. Thus, in Zhang Zu Rui’s eyes, this group did not carry the color of the Northern Zhou court.
Jiang Xiu was somewhat puzzled as to how Zhang Zu Rui had known they were at the city gate and even sent someone to receive them. But seeing Pei Yuan Jin and Fu Xi Yan both treating it as perfectly natural, he could not be bothered to think too much about it.
Someone from Madam Zhang’s side suddenly came over saying the dishes needed to be tasted first. The Zhang household had never had such a rule before. General Zhang knew his wife was cautious by nature, so the missing chicken leg was probably the cause.
Fu Xi Yan, Pei Yuan Jin, and the others were all quick-witted. They immediately understood, pretended not to know anything, and allowed the servant to taste each dish one by one before bouncing away alive and well.
Zhang Zu Rui said, “An embarrassing household habit. Please forgive us.” The atmosphere was a little awkward. With those words, he had taken the responsibility away from Madam Zhang and onto himself.
Fu Xi Yan said, “Not at all. Watching him eat with such enthusiasm only made me hungrier.”
The joking remark diluted the lingering effect of “the mysteriously vanished chicken leg” and brought the two sides a little closer.
Fu Xi Yan smoothly launched into small talk with Zhang Zu Rui and successfully talked the Great General into having nothing left to say.
As a military man, Zhang Zu Rui had never known greetings could last this long, or that praise could be refined to such minute detail. He quickly found himself unable to withstand it and turned to ask the steward attending beside him, “Where’s that brat?”
The steward lowered his voice. “Two people came with Young Master Pei. The Young General went to deal with their matter.”
His voice was quiet, but to experts of Fu Xi Yan and Pei Yuan Jin’s level, it was no different from speaking directly into their ears. Neither man bothered hiding the curiosity in his eyes.
Zhang Zu Rui did not know the specific details and did not want to question him during the meal. He only said, “Once he finishes handling it, have him come to my study.”
Then it was finally time to eat.
Northern Lands cuisine combined characteristics of Northern Zhou and Mengwu. Several lamb dishes were savory without being gamey, tender without being greasy, smooth without being cloying. The sliced lamb in particular practically melted in the mouth and left an endless aftertaste. Fu Xi Yan ate while regretting that he had attacked the food too quickly. Had he known, he would have saved the space occupied by that chicken leg.
The guests finished the meal thoroughly satisfied, but the mistress of the household remained somewhat distracted. She had managed the household for many years and knew the kitchen could never make a mistake as absurd as serving a roast chicken missing one leg. An outsider must have entered the residence. Since that person had reached the kitchen, there was no guarantee they had not tampered with the food. That was why she had temporarily arranged for someone to taste the dishes. Fortunately, nothing had happened.
She was tense inside, but not a drop of it showed on her face as she continued entertaining her guests attentively.
Among military men, the Prince of Longnan had been the unrivaled choice to inherit the throne, and Zhang Zu Rui had been one of his supporters. Madam Zhang had gotten along reasonably well with Yu Su Huan back then, and when they met at banquets they could exchange a few words about household matters. Seeing the fine lines at the corners of Yu Su Huan’s eyes upon this reunion, she could not help feeling that the green hills remained while youth never returned.
Ever since seeing Zhang Zu Rui, the emotions Yu Su Huan had accumulated for years had surged uncontrollably. There had been too many people at the table, so she could only force them down. Once the banquet ended, however, she finally could not restrain herself and seized Madam Zhang’s hand.
Madam Zhang turned her head to look at her.
Yu Su Huan said nothing. Her lips moved soundlessly, forming the two words, “His Highness.”
Madam Zhang fell silent.
Yu Su Huan’s hand trembled faintly. When they first met, Zhang Zu Rui had treated her with great respect, yet he had continually avoided her gaze. Madam Zhang had done the same. If… if that person were truly still alive, their reactions would not have stopped at this.
So she had misunderstood. Fu Xi Yan had passed on the wrong message. It was…
Her thoughts dissolved into chaos. The violent rise and fall of her emotions shattered her willpower, and the exhaustion from the long journey suddenly made itself known. Her vision went black, and she collapsed.
Madam Zhang reacted quickly and caught her, only to be dragged sideways by her weight. The women cried out in alarm, and the room instantly descended into chaos.
Fortunately, a physician was already present.
Madam Zhang hurriedly arranged for Yu Su Huan to rest in a guest room, with Jiang Xiu and the Flower-Guarding Unit accompanying her to provide care. Zhang Zu Rui, meanwhile, invited Pei Yuan Jin and Fu Xi Yan to his study. Once everything had been arranged, Madam Zhang finally had a free hand to deal with the kitchen incident.
The steward had already investigated the cause and sequence of events. Even the food Fu Xi Yan had “destroyed” had been recovered.
Madam Zhang frowned. “I heard Fu Xi Yan was born into a noble family. How did it come to this?”
The steward knew the root of the problem lay with Zhang Chou, but he could hardly speak ill of her son in front of Madam Zhang, so he could only smile bitterly.
Madam Zhang raised a brow. “Who brought them back?”
“The Young General.”
No one knew a son better than his mother. Madam Zhang immediately understood where the problem had come from.
Even if the Prince of Longnan were dead, he had still been Zhang Zu Rui’s former lord. The Princess Consort of Longnan was therefore still their mistress. If word spread that they had neglected her like this, everyone in the Northern Lands would point at the Zhang family’s spine and curse them!
“He’s not home again today? When he comes back, tell him to report to me!”
The steward said, “The General also wishes to see the Young General. He has already given the order.”
Madam Zhang knew Zhang Zu Rui would discipline their son even more harshly than she would. She could not help feeling a little sorry for him, but when she remembered the way Zhang Chou usually charged around recklessly, that small amount of sympathy disappeared again.
“Then let his father teach him a lesson.”
Zhang Chou, who was still out, had no idea both his parents had already resolved to give him a beating, one at a time. At that moment he was staring at the middle-aged scholar, who was trembling as he wrote out a petition. If his father had not ordered him to receive people outside the city gate, he would never have known that the War Support Office’s reach had already extended this far.
Imagining his father’s shocked expression once he brought back the petition made heat rise in Zhang Chou’s chest.
He might ride around everywhere on a white horse in silver armor, but in reality he held no military post. That was why the officer guarding the city gate had called him “Young Master Zhang” earlier. The words sounded respectful, but in truth they were mocking. Only someone who relied on family protection and could not establish himself independently was called a young master. Yet Zhang Chou had studied military texts since childhood and had never neglected his martial arts. His father alone stubbornly kept him from joining the army. It was infuriating.
When the middle-aged scholar reached the final character, his brush stopped moving. Zhang Chou urged, “Why haven’t you signed it?”
The scholar said, “I… I… Maybe we should forget it, Young Master Zhang.”
Before Zhang Chou could speak, the woman sobbing beside them rushed over, snatched the brush from his hand, completed the final character, then decisively signed her own name and pressed her fingerprint beneath it.
Once someone took the lead, the others followed. Those who could write signed their names, while those who could not pressed fingerprints. Seven prints appeared on the petition in an instant.
Zhang Chou pushed aside the trembling scholar and took the petition with satisfaction. “Good. Since the ladies have entrusted this matter to me, I, Zhang, will certainly give you an explanation.”
The woman who had taken the lead said through tears, “This humble woman doesn’t know how to speak prettily. I only know our husbands are all good men who defend their homes and country. They have never done anything to betray the Northern Lands. They should not have been unjustly imprisoned with their lives or deaths unknown. Please… Young General, uphold justice for us!”
Once she knelt, the others copied her. “We beg the Young General to uphold justice for us.”
Zhang Chou’s blood immediately surged hot. He wished he could charge into the prison alone and rescue the wrongfully accused guards. But as the Great General’s son, he naturally knew Yujing was not a place where his father’s word alone ruled. If he acted recklessly, the consequences were unpredictable. So after reassuring the women, he tucked the petition away and headed toward the Great General’s residence.
Once he left, the middle-aged scholar stamped his foot. “You’ve gotten me killed this time.”
The leading woman said, “Brother, don’t worry. Only our names are on the petition. If anyone investigates, it won’t lead to you. Leave here quickly. We’ll pretend we never saw you. Even if something happens, we won’t give you up.”
The other women hurriedly agreed.
The middle-aged scholar shook his head in despair. He wanted to leave, certainly, but when he entered the city he had given his brother-in-law’s name, and afterward he had followed Zhang Chou away. If anything happened, escaping involvement would be impossible.
Still clinging to hope, he immediately took his old servant to find an inn near a gate on the opposite side of the city, planning to leave early the next morning. Yujing had always been strict about entry but lenient about departure. All he could do was hope the Young General did not move too quickly.
Meanwhile, while Zhang Chou was on his way home, Fu Xi Yan and the others had already finished eating and followed Zhang Zu Rui to his study.
The pleasantries were over. Next came serious business.
As soon as the study door closed, Zhang Zu Rui took a small box from inside his robe and placed it on the table. He opened it carefully, revealing the bloodstained pouch inside. “May I ask where you two obtained this?”
Fu Xi Yan had originally assumed that since Wang Ku had handed over an item once carried by the Prince of Longnan, he must be one of the prince’s men. Zhang Zu Rui’s sudden question overturned that assumption. Fu Xi Yan instinctively asked, “Great General, you don’t recognize this?”
Zhang Zu Rui said, “If Mirror Master Fu weren’t certain I recognized it, you wouldn’t have sent someone carrying it to ask me for help.”
True. Once Fu Xi Yan realized the soldiers guarding the gate were deliberately making things difficult, he had sent a member of the Flower-Guarding Unit to find Zhang Zu Rui with the pouch Yu Su Huan had produced.
At the time, he had prepared three layers of contingency. First, use his and Pei Yuan Jin’s names. If Zhang Zu Rui remained unmoved, show the pouch. If Zhang Zu Rui did not recognize it either, have the Flower-Guarding Unit deliver a message saying an old retainer of the princely household had come carrying an old possession of His Highness.
Unexpectedly, things had progressed only to the second step. The moment Zhang Zu Rui saw the pouch, he sent his son to the city gate to collect them without another word.
The Flower-Guarding Unit was not like Xiao Sang, who would invent conversation even when there was nothing to say just to warm the atmosphere. Once the mission was complete, the guard had said nothing extra. Thus, at the time, Zhang Zu Rui had not known an old member of the princely household was among the visitors.
Fu Xi Yan said, “Let’s speak plainly. I’m not the one who recognizes this. Aunt Yu does.”
Zhang Zu Rui paused. “Aunt Yu is…?”
Fu Xi Yan explained, “The Princess Consort of Longnan whom the Great General just met.”
Zhang Zu Rui thought for a moment, then understood. “So the Princess Consort went to the Immortal Treasury Palace.”
She was traveling with Pei Yuan Jin, Fu Xi Yan called her Aunt Yu, and her surname was Yu. Adding those clues together, Zhang Zu Rui naturally thought of Yu Su Huan, formerly Chief Manager of the Rain Division at the Immortal Treasury Palace and now head of the headquarters audit team.
He truly had not known this before. Otherwise, he would never have casually sent his son to collect them today and allowed him to neglect such honored guests.
He said with melancholy, “Has the Princess Consort been well all these years?”
Fu Xi Yan immediately countered, “Is the Great General asking for himself, or on someone else’s behalf?”