Perfect Match – CH 064

Chapter 64

In Gongchang, Shaanxi, Qinzhou Guard.

Teng Yue stood in the courtyard where the Guard Commander had arranged for him to stay, listening to the commotion outside the courtyard wall, like waves of air surging over it one after another.

He ordered his men, “Our men should not make a move. Just keep an eye on things secretly and make sure Zhou Hang does not get into trouble.”

Zhou Hang, the Right Vice Minister of the Court of Judicial Review, a trusted confidant promoted by the Chief Eunuch Hong Jin, had traveled a thousand miles from the capital to Shaanxi specifically to oversee the Chief Eunuch’s plan to purge the military settlements.

The Chief Eunuch’s plan to clear out the military farms and replenish the national treasury, in reality, meant that while he would not touch the land owned by his own cronies or relatives of the imperial family, the already impoverished military households in various regions became the targets of increased taxes.

For example, a considerable portion of the land under the Qinzhou Guard was in the hands of the Prince of Qin’s Mansion. Teng Yue’s investigation revealed that Zhu Tingguang’s Prince of Yanshan’s Mansion had seized a significant amount. Furthermore, Zhu Tingguang and his father and brothers, insatiably greedy, continued to encroach on surrounding military farms, expanding their territory. Recently, they had acquired even more, including land belonging to the Zhang family of the neighboring Yongchang Marquis’s Mansion.

The Prince of Yanshan’s Mansion wanted to curry favor with the Zhang family of the Yongchang Marquis, but in return, they were taking the military lands of the soldiers in Shaanxi. However, the Yongchang Marquis was a benefactor of the Chief Eunuch, and the Prince of Yanshan’s Mansion was a relative of the imperial clan. The Right Vice Minister Zhou Hang would not touch them in the slightest, only continuously increasing taxes on the military households of the Qinzhou Guard.

This morning, they arrested seven or eight military households who refused to pay taxes as an example, but this caused a stir, with most of the military households in the Qinzhou Guard coming to their door.

Teng Yue had spent these past few days appeasing the restless military households in various places and cleaning up the mess Zhou Hang had made.

He was tired of this job, so for now, he only had his personal guards keep a close watch and had Tang Zuo prepare a meal for them to eat in the courtyard.

The weather grew increasingly hot, and even standing in the shade, Teng Yue was sweating profusely.

Tang Zuo, while instructing people to prepare the meal, asked him, “General, are you feeling hot and tired? You do not look too well. Shall I get you some cool tea?”

Teng Yue had not had a proper rest for half a month and was indeed tired. The heat was making him particularly irritable. In previous years, this time of year, Ningxia was relatively cool, but the midday sun in Qin Prefecture was scorching.

He nodded to Tang Zuo, but Tang Zuo’s words suddenly reminded him of something.

The day he hurriedly left Xi’an, Yunniang’s complexion had not been good, and her expression was somewhat strange. However, there had not been any news from home these past few days, so it seemed she was indeed just tired.

Tang Zuo brought over the cool tea. Teng Yue drank it, calculating the time. He figured the two cartloads of medicinal herbs he’d sent her should have arrived in Xi’an a few days ago.

He had told her it was only two cartloads of herbs; he wondered what her reaction would be when she saw it was two whole convoys.

Teng Yue picked up his chopsticks and took a bite of the pickled melon. The image of her, with her small, willow-leaf eyebrows and wide, oval eyes, involuntarily flashed before his eyes.

Thinking of this, Teng Yue wanted to laugh.

But if she refused to take so much or dared to calculate the bill and give him the money for the medicine, he would be angry.

He glanced around. He was eating alone at a small round table; the stool beside him was empty. He instinctively pulled the stool over to his side, but unfortunately, it was no longer occupied.

That night, after returning to Xi’an from the Great Ci’en Temple and failing to find her, he heard of the commotion at the Prince of Yanshan’s Mansion and rushed there.

When he arrived, he saw, under the cold moonlight, the sounds of fighting echoing through the Prince of Yanshan’s Mansion. She was frantically running through the deep alleys of the mansion, a cold arrow suddenly appearing behind her, and she was like a rabbit targeted by a hunter. At that moment, he was so startled that cold sweat broke out on his brow.

But when he angrily grabbed her, she complained that, in his anger, his grip hurt her.

Why did she not consider that if she dared to do something so dangerous, she would not allow him to be angry and fearful?

Thinking of this, Teng Yue crunched loudly as he chewed on the pickled melon.

But then he remembered how she had watched her older cousin wake up and how her aunt had agreed to the marriage between her cousin and Shen Yanxing. Tears had streamed down her face, and when her aunt and everyone else came to thank her, her delicate eyebrows furrowed and raised, a little flustered, and her face flushed slightly.

Her little mouth started to ramble again, saying something like, “To be honest, I just wanted to ask the Second Madam for some money.”

Thinking of this, Teng Yue laughed out loud while eating.

Tang Zuo looked at him in surprise.

At the small round table where the general was eating, there was no one else but the general himself. Who was the general laughing with?

He blinked in surprise, seeing that the man was not only laughing incessantly but also muttering something with a smile.

“So silly…”

Tang Zuo: ?

The general not only laughed but also talked to someone?

He could not possibly be so annoyed by the constant noise outside that he developed hysteria, could he?

Teng Yue certainly was not hysterical, but the more he ate, the more bland and tasteless his food became.

Without her, without her rambling, unrestrained tongue, the whole world seemed dull and lifeless.

He wanted to go home; he wanted to go home immediately.

But no matter how eager he was to return home, he could not. Instead, Kong Hui hurried over to him.

“Good heavens, it’s complete chaos outside, and you still have the time to eat so leisurely?”

Teng Yue snapped out of his reverie and asked if he had eaten. “Want to eat with me? It’s so boring.”

Kong Hui did not understand. What was so interesting about eating? He only knew that things were in complete chaos outside. “You were still managing things a few days ago, and it was always useful. Why did you just give up today?”

Teng Yue said he really wanted to give up. “That Zhou Hang is acting on the orders of the Chief Eunuch, bullying my Shaanxi military households everywhere. I have to clean up his mess. This job is pointless; I do not want to do it anymore.”

“Then what do you want to do? What if we end up like in Liaodong, with two major incidents? You, the high-ranking official in charge of military lands, will be the first to get the knife.”

Kong Hui did not believe Teng Yue was really indifferent. Seeing a stool right next to him, he was about to sit down.

“What exactly are your plans?”

Before he could even sit down, Teng Yue pushed him aside. “Can you not sit on one of the other stools?”

Kong Hui was surprised, pointing to the stool beside him. “Is this not empty? No one’s here; why can I not sit?”

Teng Yue did not want to explain, simply pointing to the other side for him to sit down.

“Of course, I have plans. I am not going to clean up Zhou Hang’s mess anymore. This time, I am going to just kick him out.”

He told Kong Hui that Zhou Hang, relying on the powerful eunuch behind him, not only disregarded officials throughout Shaanxi but also treated these soldiers and households who protected the country as ants he could bully at will.

“Today, he arrested seven or eight so-called tax-evading military households and publicly flogged them. How could this not provoke such public outrage?”

He said that Zhou Hang himself had brought this upon himself. “Then let him bear the consequences. If his men cannot withstand the military households he’s provoked, and they see blood, he will know fear. This Shaanxi military region is not a place for him to swagger around.”

Kong Hui understood his meaning.

Kong Hui said this was one way, “But if you leave it alone, you will offend Zhou Hang.”

Teng Yue chuckled, “Have I not offended enough people already? Even if I did not offend him, he would not treat me well.”

Kong Hui sighed at this, saying Teng Yue was right, “Back in Jinzhou, the family of Xue Dengguan, whom you killed with an arrow, searched for months in the capital, and the person he was looking for was Zhou Hang. Guess what? After Shi Zeyou returned to the capital, he also had contact with Zhou Hang a few times. All those people who do not get along with you have gathered together.”

Teng Yue was not surprised at all, not even raising an eyebrow.

“A den of snakes and rats.”

But above these snakes and rats was the all-powerful Chief Eunuch.

Tang Zuo brought over bowls and chopsticks, and Kong Hui ate a few bites of rice with Teng Yue.

“Over in Ningxia, the people under Prince Enhua’s command are also quite troubled by the Chief Eunuch’s military settlements. Wang Fuxiang came to deliver news that Prince Enhua is rather restless.”

He said Prince Enhua had somehow summoned a monk and a Taoist priest to divine his fate.

“He keeps calling him ‘Old Emperor,’ flattering him to the point of losing his bearings. This news has even reached Wang Fuxiang’s ears, showing that the rebellion is about to break out. My uncle sent a letter, meaning that Prince Enhua’s Mansion still needs to maintain order and wants to transfer you back to Ningxia, which would also coincide with the Chief Eunuch’s order to clear out the military settlements so you do not become a thorn in his side.”

Teng Yue did not respond immediately, pinching his brow.

Kong Hui asked him, “What? Do you not want to leave?”

Teng Yue glanced at him and suddenly said, “I do not have children yet.”

Kong Hui was taken aback.

“I am not married yet!”

The two looked at each other and laughed.

But as they laughed, the smiles on their faces faded.

A gust of wind swirled in the courtyard, whipping up withered leaves from the grass. The whirlwind reached the round table under the tree, causing the bowls and plates to clatter.

The clouds above had gathered densely, obscuring the sun, as if a sudden storm were imminent.

Teng Yue looked up at the sky, and Kong Hui looked up as well.

The latter said softly, “A storm is brewing. This storm will likely arrive within the next few months.”

Teng Yue remained silent for a long while.

Soon, one of his personal guards, whom he had sent out, came running in, saying…

“General, the soldiers of the Qinzhou Guard have attacked! Two of Vice Minister Zhou’s guards have been slashed, blood splattered all over Vice Minister Zhou’s face, and he was hit on the head with a club…”

Teng Yue and Kong Hui exchanged a glance and put down their chopsticks.

The Right Vice Minister of the Court of Judicial Review from the capital had been struck on the head and was bleeding.

But in the chaos of the crowd, it was impossible to pinpoint who had struck him.

He was so angry that he wanted to arrest all the soldiers.

Teng Yue, however, said that the Qinzhou Guard had several thousand soldiers. “Where do you plan to get troops from, Vice Minister, to arrest all these enraged thousands?”

He replied, “I do not have that many soldiers.”

“You…”

Zhou Hang glared at him angrily, but Teng Yue pretended not to see it and softened his tone, offering a word of advice.

“Previously, when taxes were collected from the common people, they had no choice but to endure it because they were unarmed. But this time, Vice Minister, you are collecting from military households’ rations. This situation is hardly unexpected. You’ve only just been promoted to the Court of Judicial Review; it would be a pity if you lost your life in this remote border region. I think you should leave.”

Although his words sounded like advice, he had deliberately allowed these military households to cause trouble before making these sarcastic remarks.

Zhou Hang was seething with hatred but utterly helpless.

If these Shaanxi military households truly went mad, Teng Yue was willing to risk everything. Their disobedience to the Ninth Prince was their problem, but Zhou Hang would perish here.

“As long as the green hills remain, there’s always firewood to burn,” Zhou Hang thought bitterly, but only let out a heavy snort.

Two days later, he prepared to head north to Ningxia.

When Teng Yue saw him off, he narrowed his eyes. The Prince Enhua, lurking in Ningxia City, was even more unruly. What would become of Zhou, the Right Vice Minister of the Court of Judicial Review? No one knew.

*

In Xi’an Prefecture, at the Teng family Mansion.

At the gate, Teng Xiao, dressed in her departure clothes, was abruptly stopped.

Her face turned pale as she stared at her mother.

“Why should Mother stop me? Master is unconscious, she’s outside the city, why can I not go see her?!”

The master she referred to was none other than Shen Run, Shen Yanxing’s aunt, who specialized in mechanisms and hidden weapons.

Teng Xiao’s current skills were due to Shen Run’s guidance, and she desperately wanted to become Shen Run’s apprentice, even though Old Madam Lin and Shen Run both disagreed. She addressed Shen Run only as “Master.”

Before the New Year, when she and Teng Yue went to visit Shen Run outside the city, they left someone with Shen Run. Unexpectedly, this person returned this morning with news that Shen Run had been unwell these past few days and had even fallen unconscious last night, not waking up until this morning.

Shen Yanxing stayed in the city to take care of Yang Youyun, while Shen Xiu followed Teng Yue to the garrison. Neither of them was by Shen Run’s side when the incident occurred. She collapsed unconscious, falling off a stool and bleeding from her forehead.

Upon hearing this, Teng Xiao rushed to the outskirts of the city.

“Master has no children nor any other disciples. Brother Yanxing is overwhelmed. Why can I not go see her? Should she just lie here all alone in bed if something happens to her?!”

Teng Xiao shouted at her mother.

Old Madam Lin’s heart pounded with anger.

“Mother already said I will go look after her for you. You should stay home. Tomorrow is Young Lady Huang’s coming-of-age ceremony. They invited you to be their officiant, which is a favor to our family, and you already agreed. It’s already late today. If you leave the city now, how will you go to the Huang family tomorrow? Would not that be breaking your promise?”

But Teng Xiao only sneered.

“Mother, what do you mean by breaking a promise? So many girls in the Huang family—any one of them could be the officiant for Fifth Miss Huang! Does it have to be me? It’s just that you think this will save face for me, but what does face matter? Master’s health has always been poor, and you usually will not let me visit her. Now she’s unconscious, and you still will not let me go?”

She paused, then suddenly her voice went hoarse. “Have you not considered that this might be the last time I see Master?”

She looked directly at her mother.

“Mother, compared to the face the Huang family offers, which is more important?!”

Teng Xiao said, tears streaming down her face. She ripped aside the maid blocking her way, not wanting to argue with her mother anymore, and turned to leave.

“Get out of my way!”

Old Madam Lin, seeing her daughter acting recklessly and going mad, grew even angrier.

She pointed at the old woman and had her restrained.

“What do you know? The head of the Huang family, Huang Xiqing, has always looked after and promoted your second brother. The Teng family has a weak foundation and is now making enemies everywhere. The Huang family is still wholeheartedly helping us. Inviting you to be their officiant is a way of telling others that they want to protect our family. How can you be so willful here, not thinking about the family at all?”

Teng Xiao would not listen. “Even if I do not attend Fifth Young Lady Huang’s coming-of-age ceremony, will the Huang family sever ties with us? It’s you, Mother, who’s overly anxious and fearful, afraid of everything, unable to sleep, only thinking about how to get along with everyone to survive. Before, you forced me to study with those I did not like at the Zheng family, and now, for the sake of her coming-of-age ceremony, you are preventing me from seeing my Master!”

She turned to Old Madam Lin and said.

“Mother, how am I any different from those ungrateful people?”

She looked at her mother, as if finally rebelling after being suppressed for too long, and shouted loudly.

“I am going today, and no one can stop me!”

Her mind was made up, and she possessed some martial arts skills; one or two maids could not stop her.

Old Madam Lin, also enraged, immediately sent for reinforcements.

“If one or two cannot stop her, then send ten or eight! I want to see just how capable she really is!”

Sounds carried, and soon a large group of maids rushed over, surrounding Teng Xiao.

“Miss, Miss, please listen to the Old Madam…”

They shouted until Teng Xiao’s face turned red, her eyes red-rimmed.

Suddenly, she pulled a small crossbow from her sleeve and fired it at a tree outside the crowd.

The crossbow bolt whooshed through the air, whistling over everyone’s heads, and embedded itself firmly in the tree trunk in the courtyard.

The servants surrounding Teng Xiao were all startled, while Teng Xiao swept her crossbow bolts across the crowd.

“Let’s see who dares to stop me now?!”

Everyone in the household knew she was skilled in crafting traps and hidden weapons, and they had all witnessed the power of Teng Xiao’s creations. Now, the servants were all dumbfounded, no one daring to step forward, all looking helplessly at Old Madam Lin.

Old Madam Lin saw that her daughter had prepared the crossbow before leaving, indicating that she had anticipated her daughter’s insistence on going, despite her reluctance.

The servants were also flesh and blood, born of parents; she could not allow any of the household’s servants to be injured by arrows.

She pushed through the crowd of servants, stepping forward step by step, and stood directly in front of her daughter.

“Do not hurt them. I am the one who will not let you leave. If you are so capable, take your crossbow and shoot me.”

She wanted to see if her daughter, whom she had raised single-handedly, would even lay a hand on her, her mother, just to leave.

She stared directly at Teng Xiao, betting that her daughter, whom she had raised alone, would not dare treat her like this.

Previously, when she was sent to study at the Zheng family’s school, she was unwilling, but at most, there were a few arguments and a period of coldness.

Most of the time, she was obedient; even if she was a little annoyed, she would not go too far.

Therefore, she did not take away her courtyard full of magical trinkets. After Teng Yue found her a tutor in the residence, she acquiesced and did not force her to go to the Zheng family’s school anymore.

But going to the Huang family as an officiant was different. She could not stay at home forever with these magical trinkets and hidden weapons; if she did, she would only end up like Shen Run.

She needed to go out and socialize, and the opportunity to be an officiant for the Huang family was perfect.

But now, for Shen Run, she was willing to abandon the Huang family and even took out a crossbow to shoot someone.

Old Madam Lin looked at her daughter and saw that the crossbow in her hand was indeed trembling, and she dared not aim at her.

She felt a little relieved and spoke again.

“If you return to Chengfeng Garden now, you can go to the Huang family as an officiant tomorrow. I will personally go to Shen Run’s place for you, and I will not pursue the rest.”

She assumed her daughter would still obey; would she really aim that crossbow at her, her mother?

She saw Teng Xiao’s crossbow tremble again.

However, the next moment, she suddenly gripped the crossbow tightly, raised it, and aimed it at her.

“Mother, I… I must go today!”

As soon as the words left her lips, Old Madam Lin stared at the crossbow aimed at her, stunned and frozen on the spot.

It felt as if someone had twisted her heart; she looked at her raised daughter in shock and pain.

“Teng Xiao, you dare to point a crossbow at your mother?”

She could not believe it; her words trembled.

But she looked at Teng Xiao and walked step by step towards the crossbow.

“Do you dare shoot me?”

Her husband died when her daughter was two or three years old. Her daughter did not remember her father; it was her mother who raised her from that tiny infant.

But the older her daughter grew, the worse she became with her mother. The arguments and cold wars of the past were one thing, but today, she dared to aim a crossbow bolt at her.

Old Madam Lin’s heart ached, but she did not budge an inch.

“If you do not shoot me down, I will not let you leave this door!”

As she said this, she saw her daughter’s eyes turn red, tears streaming down her face. Her daughter looked at her, sobbing, and Old Madam Lin looked back.

Then, in the next instant, the crossbow bolt in Teng Xiao’s hand shot out.

It was aimed directly at Old Madam Lin, her mother.

Old Madam Lin stared in horror at the sharp crossbow bolt, shot from her daughter’s hand, heading straight for her.

She was motionless, unable to hear or see anything; she only stared fixedly at her daughter.

Some called out “Old Madam,” others “Young Lady,” some tried to push her, but others grabbed her arm and pulled her away.

Teng Xiao’s crossbow bolt grazed her arm, tearing her sleeve and leaving a shallow wound.

But Old Madam Lin felt as if the bolt had pierced her heart, causing excruciating pain throughout her body.

She stared intently at her daughter/young lady.

“You really attacked your mother?”

Teng Xiao, who had been terrified, felt her mother’s question overwhelm her, making her almost unable to stand.

In her panic, she turned to look at Deng Ruyun, who was pushing through the crowd.

“Sister-in-law…”

She dropped the crossbow bolt and rushed into Deng Ruyun’s arms.

Deng Ruyun rushed over upon hearing the news; she had witnessed the scene.

Teng Xiao threw herself into her arms, and Deng Ruyun quickly embraced the little girl. Turning to look at Old Madam Lin, she saw that tears were streaming down Old Madam Lin’s face, her eyes red and swollen.

Silence reigned before the hanging flower gate.

Teng Xiao wept in Deng Ruyun’s arms, unsure if she would ever be able to go outside the city to see her master again. She could only cry helplessly.

“What about Master? Sister-in-law, what about Master?”

Deng Ruyun did not know how to answer, but then she heard Old Madam Lin’s voice, hoarse and almost silent.

Deng Ruyun had never seen Old Madam Lin like this before. The Old Madam Lin she knew was thoughtful, resourceful, and always had a plan, even in her anxiety and desperation.

But now, she only saw Old Madam Lin’s tears flowing uncontrollably as she looked at Teng Xiao and spoke hoarsely.

“So, in your eyes, I am not your mother…”

The light dimmed, and in the chaos, the lanterns by the hanging flower gate remained unlit, swaying weakly in the wind.

Two claps of thunder rolled in from the clouds, the impending rain vying with the oppressive heat on the dry earth.

Deng Ruyun, holding Teng Xiao, heard her sob even harder at those words.

She did not know if she could still go, so she could only bury her face in Deng Ruyun’s arms, holding her tightly.

Old Madam Lin, unsure if she could stop her daughter from going, also looked at Deng Ruyun at that moment.

Deng Ruyun should not interfere. If she did not let Teng Xiao go, and Shen Run died tonight, Teng Xiao would suffer for the rest of her life. If she tried to persuade Old Madam Lin to let Teng Xiao go, what grounds did she have?

She thought it over and spoke.

“I will take Xiao’er to the Shen family outside the city. If Aunt Shen is alright, we will definitely return from outside the city when the gates open tomorrow.”

Upon hearing this, Teng Xiao gripped her clothes tightly, and Old Madam Lin looked at Deng Ruyun, her eyes also hardening.

This compromise would allow Teng Xiao to see Shen Run and be at ease, without delaying the Huang family’s coming-of-age ceremony tomorrow.

The mother and daughter had previously been at odds, neither willing to back down, hurting each other to the point of tears. But the simplest solution was Deng Ruyun’s compromise.

However, the decision rested with Old Madam Lin.

Teng Xiao stole a glance at her mother from Deng Ruyun’s embrace.

Old Madam Lin did not speak but gave Deng Ruyun a barely perceptible nod.

Deng Ruyun then called for someone to prepare the carriage. Upon hearing this, Teng Xiao clung to her even tighter, refusing to let go.

“Sister-in-law, sister-in-law!”

What would she do without her sister-in-law?!

Deng Ruyun patted her shoulder, telling her to wait for her in the carriage.

Old Madam Lin watched her daughter run off, only turning away after she had disappeared around the corner for a long while.

However, her expression still seemed deeply wounded. She looked at Deng Ruyun, her voice extremely low.

“Yunniang, thank you for your trouble. If Shen Run is truly not well, then there’s no need to bring her back tomorrow.”

After speaking, Old Madam Lin seemed utterly exhausted. She silently turned and slowly left.

Deng Ruyun watched Old Madam Lin’s retreating figure and sighed softly.

… …

The next day, just as dawn broke, Deng Ruyun returned with Teng Xiao.

Shen Run was unharmed. Shen Yanxing had arrived earlier and even brought a physician from Xi’an. They arrived shortly after, and she woke up.

Relieved, Teng Xiao insisted that Deng Ruyun take her home early.

At this moment, Deng Ruyun asked Teng Xiao to go to Canglang Pavilion to pay her respects to Old Madam Lin.

Old Madam Lin, though not seeing her daughter through the door, sat silently in her room, her heart pounding uncontrollably.

But she did not open the door. Teng Xiao waited outside for a moment and then left.

For a moment, she wanted to open the door and call out to her, but remembering the arrow Teng Xiao had shot at her yesterday, she pursed her lips and remained silent.

In Teng Xiao’s eyes, she was no longer her mother.

… …

The Huang family’s coming-of-age ceremony went very smoothly. Teng Xiao, as the officiant, handled everything perfectly, and Madam Huang even praised her several times in public.

Two days after Young Lady Huang’s coming-of-age ceremony, Teng Yue was to return.

However, before he arrived, the promotion order arrived.

Recommended by Huang Xiqing, and after reviewing Teng Yue’s recent achievements, the court promoted him to Ningxia Guerrilla General, commanding 3,000 soldiers at the garrison in Ningxia, patrolling the Great Wall defense line around the Three Passes, and guarding a flank!

The entire Teng family rejoiced upon receiving the promotion order.

The next day, Teng Yue arrived home.

Deng Ruyun felt a deep sigh; there were some things she needed to say to him.