This time, less than a month has passed since my last visit to Jibei City, and there are notable changes to the city.
If the Jibei City of the last visit was shrouded by ominous clouds and a dreary and oppressive mood, today’s Jibei City is bright and lively. Despite still being the dead of winter, there is vitality everywhere.
These changes are credited to the newly appointed governor, Su Xingze.
Upon receiving the Imperial Court’s decree, all members of the Zhang family were imprisoned. The family was exterminated. Thanks to Su Rong’s plea on behalf of Zhang Mao, the Crown Prince showed mercy and the death sentence of Zhang Mao’s mother and younger brother was commuted. They were only exiled.
Su Rong raised a thumb to Su Xingze in Drunken Goose Tavern, "Big brother, you’re awesome. You have changed the look of Jibei City in such a short time."
"I need to thank those two from the Zhang family. They had sent people to assist me when they learned I was appointed to Jibei City. They know Jibei City very well. With their help, I was able to quickly make changes," said Su Xingze.
Su Rong nodded and asked while gnawing on a drunken goose, "Did Zhang Mao’s mother and younger brother get to see Zhang Mao before they were exiled?"
"They did," Su Xingze replied. "I had them taken to the army before they were exiled. But, the word goes that Zhang Mao’s mother cursed and even tried to kill him with a knife upon seeing him. She called him a curse and regretted giving birth to him, saying she should have strangled him at birth. Zhang Mao didn’t utter a word after receiving the scolding. In addition, his mother managed to strike him in the chest with a dagger. His younger brother was young and didn’t say anything. He only cried. Everyone in the Zhang family could have been saved from exile; that wouldn’t have been difficult. But this happened, and since Zhang Mao didn’t mention relocation, the government office sent them off to their place of exile."
"If Zhang’s Mother had been wise, she would have known that without Zhang Mao’s loyalty to me, he would have already died, and the Zhang Family couldn’t have seized power. His mother should have thanked him for being a good son – otherwise, her beloved younger son would have shared the same fate. Now, she has two sons left, why would she hate Zhang Mao? Going as far as to attack him with a knife?", said Su Rong. "Only Zhang Mao and Zhang Yun are the smart ones in the Zhang family."
Su Xingze said, "Lady Zhang must have dreamt of becoming the Empress. Now that this dream is shattered, it’s only natural that she blames Zhang Mao. Her fury must have driven her to ruin the Zhang family."
"Ridiculous." Su Rong summed it up in a word.
Su Xingze said, "That’s better, Zhang Mao and his mother have irreversibly ended their relationship. This way, Zhang Mao won’t have to hold onto any filial ties."
Su Rong asked, "Was he seriously injured?"
He had already suffered a leg injury, which hadn’t healed, and now he’s been stabbed again.
"He was seriously injured, but with Doctor Zhang by his side, he’s not in danger of losing his life." Su Xingze said, "He could have dodged the attack, but consciously chose not to."
Su Rong nodded, as she could guess Zhang Mao’s thoughts at that moment - one stab ended their familial bond. Since his own mother could attack him, he no longer needed to consider her feelings.
Su Xingze said again, "The gold and silver in the Zhang family’s private stash, at least, those on the account books, have all been seized and placed in the national treasury."
"And how about those not on the account books?" asked Su Rong.
Su Xingze looked at her. "They were previously held by Zhang Ping himself. But upon his death, they naturally went to Zhang Yun. The Zhang family had mined a gold mine several years ago, which was used to support their troops. It isn’t known how much was spent and how much remains. Since Zhang Yun is now loyal to you, I decided to not thoroughly investigate and confiscate the treasury."
Su Rong smiled, "Even if you tried to find it, you wouldn’t have been able to. Not now that it’s in Zhang Yun’s hands."
"We might not have found it in such a short time, but given more time, it’s not impossible. The difficult part is not finding it, but making him give it up willingly." Su Xingze said, "However, now that he belongs to you, there’s no need for such actions. I’ll let you know, and I’ll update the Crown Prince on these developments."
Su Rong nodded, then asked Su Xingze, "Do you know where the wages for the 300,000 soldiers on the frontier I borrowed from the Imperial Court come from?"
Su Xingze was taken aback, "You didn’t provide their wages?
"No," she shrugged.
Su Xingze looked at her in surprise, "That’s because those 300,000 once belonged to Zhang Ping’s private Jibei army who weren’t in the Imperial Court’s system, so the Imperial Court never provided their wages."
Su Rong suddenly laughed, "So, I didn’t have to worry about it, and nobody came to me for wages. It must be Zhang Yun who is supporting these 300,000 soldiers."
Su Xingze put his hand on his forehead and rubbed it with a bit of frustration, "I actually overlooked this issue." He then asked, "Did you have any difficulty borrowing troops from the Imperial Court this time?"
Su Rong shook her head, "No, His Majesty agreed readily. There was no opposition from the major officials in court. I signed an agreement and directly took the 300,000 soldiers with the Tiger Talisman and His Majesty’s decree."
Su Xingze nodded and breathed a sigh of relief, "That’s good."
After finishing their meal, Su Xingze took Su Rong back to the government office.
On the way, he asked her, "How is Mother and all the sisters back home? Did you see Father and your stepmothers in Jiangzhou? Are they all well?"
"Everybody is fine," replied Su Rong, "Mother didn’t want me to leave, but I promised to bring her to stay with me for a while after I’ve settled down in Nanchu."
Su Xingze laughed, "The moment you left, you took Mother’s heart with you."
Su Rong chuckled, "I’ll give you a suggestion, get married soon. Then, Mother will stay by your side for the sake of her grandson."
Su Xingze laughed, "If that’s the case, better to hold onto you!"
When they arrived back at the government office, Su Rong didn’t rest. Su Xingze had official tasks to deal with, and she stayed with him in the study room for half the day, until after dinner, when she resumed her journey and left Jibei City.
Su Xingze had planned to escort her out of the city, but she firmly refused, "Please, big brother, stay here. I did not ask for an escort in the Capital City, and I didn’t agree to have Father and my stepmothers escort me in Jiangzhou. Now that I am here in Jibei City, I don’t want you escorting me out either. I don’t want to feel upset about this."
Helplessly, Su Xingze paused at the gate and watched her depart.
Su Rong took the initiative to hug him, "Big brother, mom and dad will always be our mom and dad. You will always be my big brother. My stepmothers and sisters will always be my stepmothers and sisters. Even if I go to Nanchu, nothing will change."
Su Xingze felt his eyes welling up and affectionately patted her head, "It’s good that you understand. Take care of yourself."
"Mmm." Su Rong released him and climbed into the carriage.
As the carriage disappeared into the distance, Su Xingze remained standing at the gate. Even when the carriage had faded out of sight, he continued to stand there.
He reminisced about their shared memories, from childhood till now. He had always thought that he would worried about her for the rest of his life because she was always the troublesome one. Even after she married, as her older brother, he couldn’t relax. He might even have to threaten her husband every now and then. He didn’t imagine she would end up in Nanchu, one day being thousands of miles away from him, and not allowing him to follow her.
In that case, all he could do was wish her well. Hope everything goes smoothly for her, hope that she attains a high-ranking position, hope that she enjoys health and happiness year after year, and peace with every passing age.
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