Dandere General and his Lord

23. Changing Winds

Cheng Qianye looked at Helan Zhen, the young general whom she had promoted personally.

He was both good at martial arts and had the ability to lead troops. 

Promoting him was easier than promoting Yu Dunsu because he was part of an aristocratic family and had a noble background.

But owing to this background, he possessed a somewhat haughty character and offended people easily, which was a shortcoming of his. Cheng Qianye thought that she could seize this opportunity to give him a wake-up call.

“General Helan has my confidence, I won’t let you be wronged. I will make sure to investigate this matter carefully, but for the sake of fairness and in order to restore your innocence, I must ask General to be wronged for a few days.”

Two armoured soldiers stepped forward and bound Helan Zhen’s hands behind his back.

“My Lord!” Helan Zhen did not dare to resist as he raised his head in alarm.

Cheng Qianye could see that he was truly frightened and was unable to bear the discomfort in her heart. She personally helped him rise to his feet and consoled him, “Don’t worry, I will find out the truth of this matter and restore your innocence.”

Her gaze swept across the crowd and stopped on Zhang Fu for a moment before moving over and falling on Xiao Jin.

“I will have…. Minister Xiao work on your case personally, can you rest assured?”

Helan Zhen was filled with gratitude as he lowered his head and said, “Thank you, My Lord.”

Cheng Qianye patted him on the back and ordered the men to take him down.

Afterwards, the rest of the people detained at the front all confessed their crimes, one by one.

There was no one who was wrongfully accused or omitted. The spectators were all secretly apprehensive. 

Those detained at the back of the group felt more and more afraid to deny their deception. No matter how they wracked their brains, many of them couldn’t figure out where they had slipped up and gave the game away.

After Cheng Qianye finished dealing with this group of people and their affairs, she stood up and looked around at everyone who was there.

Those civil and military officials had put away the contempt they usually carried in their hearts as they bowed their heads in reverence. 

Back in the Lord’s Mansion, in the discussion hall.

Cheng Qianye took the cup of tea from Xiao Qiu and took two sips. With a sigh of relief, she gently put down the cup of tea.

At this moment, Xiao Jin and Zhang Fu were the only ones left in front of her.

Zhang Fu saluted slightly, “My Lord, today you have really opened Chen’s1 eyes.”

Ever since that banquet, Zhang Fu distinctly felt Cheng Qianye’s indifference towards him. Recently, a number of events had taken place in succession, however, the Lord hadn’t involved him at all, so much so that he wasn’t even informed of anything.

He had always been conceited, aware of the fact that he possessed above average intellect and had the ability to guess how a situation would play out due to his insight. 

Furthermore, he had followed the old Marquis Jin Wei for many years, and had built up his own intelligence network. It was rare for him to be so completely ignorant of the matters around him like he was today.

Zhang Fu could keenly sense that something wasn’t right. Something seemed to have escaped from his grasp and appeared to be moving in a completely uncontrollable direction.

“Zhang Fu.” Cheng Qianye was looking straight at him. “Don’t you have anything you wish to say to me?”

“What does My Lord mean?” Zhang Fu’s appearance was as refined and gentle as always as he smiled shallowly and said, “Is it possible that My Lord feels that Weichen2 is suspicious? Does My Lord have suspicions that Weichen is a spy from an enemy state?”

“No. That’s not what I’m talking about.” Cheng Qianye stated bluntly, “I’m talking about the banquet that day. You obviously knew that the food that Xiao Xiu delivered was poisoned. Why didn’t you tell me?” 

Zhang Fu’s ever present smiling facade finally stiffened.

Those long and narrow eyes on his clear, white face squinted slightly and he pursed his lips, not responding.

His mind whirled quickly. He couldn’t figure out where he had slipped up. How did the Lord know this?

Cheng Qianye looked at him and saw this hard to come by scene of him falling into a fluster.

She opened her mouth and spoke, “Father has always said that Zhang Gong’s3 mind is filled with a myriad of strategies and possesses a talent that has heaven and earth under one’s control.4 Ever since I succeeded to the throne, I have always admired and respected you, hoping that one day, just as you did for my father, you would whole-heartedly assist me to govern the country, becoming my right-hand man.”

“Now I have realized my mistake! Although Gong is a great talent, your heart is not present with me, and it would be useless to force you to stay with me.”

Zhang knelt on both knees, his expression grim and his muscles tensed. “My Lord, please hear Chen out.”

“Speak.” Cheng Qianye sat motionlessly.

“Chen saw that My Lord was in no danger, so Chen decided to sit back and see what he intended to do.” Zhang Fu clarified his thoughts as he looked up and explained.

“A few days ago, Chen really did notice that Xiao Xiu was acting suspicious. Chen suspected that he was jealous because of how much My Lord doted on Mo Qiao Sheng. So, Chen secretly dispatched some people to keep an eye on him, and sure enough, he laid out a crude and ridiculous trap in order to frame that slave, Mo Qiao Sheng.”

“However, Chen thinks that these matters of contention within My Lord’s harem are My Lord’s private affairs. Beizhi5 is merely an unfamiliar official, and it is therefore inconvenient for me to meddle in these matters and get too wordy. However, if Xiao Xiu had dared to take the poisoned things and actually given it to My Lord that day, Chen would have certainly prevented him. My Lord, please do not misunderstand Weichen’s loyalty towards My Lord.”

So that’s how it is.

Cheng Qianye found that she had received an answer that was contrary to her expectations.

What she could perceive with her eyes were the immediate emotions of others. This was equivalent to seeing the direct result. As for the cause behind this result, there could be all sorts of strange reasons.

“It wasn’t that you felt this matter was inappropriate for you to interfere in.” Cheng Qianye exposed him. “Rather, you wanted to test my basic ability to examine and distinguish such matters.”

“Zhang Fu, I have no opinion of you wishing to analyze my capabilities. However, you should not regard human life as though it is insignificant.”

“If Xiao Xiu had not controlled the dosage, the person who ate it would have lost their life and already gone to the Yellow Springs.6 Nevertheless, you watched on unfeelingly, without saying a single word as, Xiao Xiu passed it onto my maidservant.”

“You knew perfectly well that Mo Qiao Sheng was framed. I had put him in jail, and maybe he would have been tortured to death, but you were still completely unmoved.”

“In your eyes, maids and slaves are all lowly people. For the sake of a little trial, is it of no concern if the lives of these people are destroyed?”

Zhang Fu opened his mouth slightly. In his conception, the life of a slave was indeed of little value.

He had just recently witnessed Cheng Qianye kill someone decisively, with blood splashing on the spot. He had never imagined that the Lord would actually care about this.

“I know that you think of them as ants. But whenever I think of human life, my heart is always filled with awe. This is the difference in our natures.” Cheng Qianye displayed her disappointment. “If one’s principles are different, then they cannot work together. Besides, in your heart, you’ve never regarded me as your Lord.”

She waved her hand and took the tray of gold and silver Biyun was offering to her. She personally reached out her hand to Zhang Fu and helped him to his feet.

“With Zhang Gong’s talent, there is no land under the heavens you cannot go to. Since Zhang Gong’s heart is not here with me, I won’t keep you here. I won’t pay attention to this matter and I don’t blame you for anything.”

Zhang Fu’s complexion was ashen, and he had a fierce look in his eyes. The air was filled with silence for a moment before he left with a flourish of his sleeves. 

Xiao Jin rushed over to Cheng Qianye before cupping his fists respectfully and saying anxiously, “My Lord!”

Cheng Qianye spread out her hands in front of him. “What do you want to say? It’s too late now. I’ve already said everything.”

Xiao Jin hesitated for a moment with his brows wrinkled before kneeling in front of her. “My Lord, forgive Chen for being forthright. Zhang Fu is a dragon among men.7 If he is your minister, it is really the great fortune of our Great Jin, but if he is your foe, it would be a great calamity for our Great Jin.”

His voice sank as he continued, “If My Lord cannot tolerate him, you must not let him go so easily.”

“Don’t be so anxious. He has done a great many things for our Great Jin and accomplished numerous praiseworthy achievements. The both of us will go and send him off tomorrow morning.” Cheng Qianye laughed and helped him to his feet. She blinked and said, “Perhaps the winds will change direction.”

Early morning, the next day, the sky was still dusky.

Zhang Fu walked outside the city with two servants and a humble bit of baggage behind him, lonely and dejected, with no one to see him off.

He had stayed up all night and his complexion at this moment did not fool anyone. His chest felt as though it was stifled by a huge stone and he could neither spit it out or swallow it down. Throughout his entire life, this was the first time that he had felt so embarrassed and defeated.

Inside the traveller’s pavilion8 at the side of the road, he saw two familiar figures.

Zhang Fu’s eyes turned red as he looked at the young and handsome face of the person he had once turned his nose up at. His fists clenched inside his sleeves as he grudgingly stepped forward and made his salutations.

Cheng Qianye set the food and wine on top of the table and personally poured the alcohol into two cups and raised his cup. “Allowing Zhang Gong to be wronged, It’s my fault. A cup of wine to send off Zhang Gong.”

Zhang Fu did not take the wine or reply

Cheng Qianye drank both cups of wine to show him that the wine was safe to drink.

She poured the wine once again. “This cup of wine is to thank Zhang Gong for your many years of hard work and the heroic contributions you have made for my Great Jin. You couldn’t be loyal to me, this is because of my lack of virtue and no fault of yours.”

Zhang Fu took the cup of wine before gently bumping it against her cup and drinking it all in one mouthful.

Cheng Qianye poured the wine for a third time.

“Zhang Gong is leaving and the road is long, I don’t know when we will see each other again. Please drink this cup, not as a monarch and his subject, but with the sentiment of our brotherhood.”

Zhang Fu stared at the cup of wine in his hand which was filled with wine, the wine swaying gently.

After a long while, he put down the cup of wine.

He spread out his long sleeves and prostrated.

“Chen, from this moment onward, will only follow My Lord’s commands, without any half-heartedness. My Lord, please give Chen another chance.”

Cheng Qianye’s heart was filled with exultation as she looked at the edge of gold as it emerged around the brilliant amethyst. She suppressed the gleeful laughter that nearly erupted from her mouth three times before helping him to his feet. She pounded her fist against his shoulder and said joyously:

“My good brother, I knew you would become one of my people sooner or later!”

~

1. (臣 – Chen) – This Official/Subject/Minister / I, Your Servant [Form of self-address used when speaking to a sovereign.]
2. (微臣 – Weichen) – More humble version of Chen. Literally; This small official / Your humble servant.
3. (公 – Gong) – A respectful designation for an elder / A respectful salutation. Basically she’s saying smth along the lines of “the respected Mr. Zhang” just a simple honorific.
4. (经天纬地 – jīng tiān wěi dì) – Idiom meaning having great ability / high in talent.
5. (卑职 – Beizhi) – Your humble subordinate, I. [Used by subordinate officials when speaking to their superiors.]
6. Yellow Springs – World of the dead; Underworld; Netherworld.
7. (人中龙凤 – rén zhōng lóng fèng) – Idiom – Dragon and phoenix among men; An outstanding person / Giant among men.
8. Small roadside pavilion built every 10 li(5km) for travellers to rest in.