Zhu Qingyu dared not pause for a single moment, nearly running out of breath. Only after she had dashed out of the main gate of the government office did she stop, leaning against the stone lion by the entrance, bending over to catch her breath.
It had been a very long time since she had run like this—not since her school days, during physical education exams.
From the corner of the wall, someone asked hesitantly:
"Madam?"
Zhu Qingyu looked over and saw it was the Zhang family’s coachman.
The coachman was crouched in the corner, his face full of panic. When he realized it really was Zhu Qingyu, he immediately felt a sense of relief, rushed over, and blurted out:
"Madam, you’re out! Have you seen the master? The others came out long ago, but I’ve been waiting here for the master."
Zhu Qingyu’s heart sank.
"I didn’t see the master. What happened last night? What about the others? Tell me everything."
The coachman looked utterly bewildered.
"I don’t know what happened either. Last night, I was waiting in the servants’ quarters with the other coachmen. Suddenly, a bunch of soldiers surrounded the gate and wouldn’t let us leave. They only let us out at the Hour of the Rabbit (around 5-7 a.m.). After that, the various masters gradually came out, but our master never showed up. I vaguely heard someone saying someone had died or been arrested—it scared me to death. Later, I saw Mr. Xue and Madam Xue, and I wanted to ask them, but there were too many people and too much chaos; I couldn’t push through to them. They left before I could say anything, so I just stayed here waiting."
The Zhang and Xue families had always had a good relationship. Just as Zhu Qingyu used to sit with Madam Xue at banquets, Zhang Shen usually sat with Chief Merchant Xue.
To find out what had happened to Zhang Shen and what occurred last night, she would probably have to go to the Xue residence and ask Chief Merchant Xue.
But more importantly, she needed to get home first and confirm her third sister’s condition.
Still leaning on the stone lion, not fully recovered from the run, Zhu Qingyu instructed the coachman:
"Bring the carriage around. We’ll go back first."
This street near the government office was lined with the homes of Yangzhou’s most powerful and influential families. As the carriage made its way back to the Zhang residence, Zhu Qingyu looked out the window and saw several houses sealed with official wax seals by the authorities.
In just one night, Heaven only knew how many families in Yangzhou had been ruined. This discovery only made her heart heavier, and she wondered if the same scene awaited the Zhang household now.
Unsure whether the Embroidered Uniform Guard (Jinyiwei) were truly lying in wait at the Zhang house to trap her, as Gu Zhao had claimed, Zhu Qingyu did not rashly go straight home. She didn’t even stop at the medical clinic.
If Zhang Shen and Zhang Ruohua had indeed been thrown into the Embroidered Uniform Guard’s prison, it was better for her to stay outside and figure out a way to help than for everyone to be trapped inside with no options.
She had the coachman first drive to the street behind the Zhang residence, stopped at the teahouse on the corner, and went upstairs to a seat by the window. From there, she could clearly see the back gate of the Zhang house.
The back gate was firmly shut, eerily quiet with no one coming or going—but it wasn’t sealed with an official notice either.
As she watched, a little girl’s voice rang out:
"Are you Doctor Zhu of the Zhu family medical clinic?"
Zhu Qingyu frowned and looked over, saying nothing.
The little girl was carrying a basket of white magnolia flowers. She seemed to be selling them to customers in the teahouse. When she reached Zhu Qingyu’s table and saw the troubled expression on her face, she stopped hesitantly, then took two garlands of white magnolias from her basket and placed them on the table, saying:
"Last time, thank you, Doctor Zhu, for saving my mother. My elder brother said that other medical clinics charge at least a hundred coppers for a consultation, but you only charged us twenty because of your kindness. I have nothing else to repay you with—these are white orchids I picked from the mountains this morning, the freshest and most fragrant, for you to enjoy."
Zhu Qingyu recalled that night when a half-grown boy had carried their mother on his back to the clinic, with this young girl indeed following behind.
Seeing the girl about to leave, Zhu Qingyu called her back:
"Little sister, come here. I need you to deliver a message for me."
Upon hearing she could help, the girl, who had been a bit timid just moments ago, immediately ran over:
"Madam, please tell me. What message should I deliver?"
Drawing the girl close, Zhu Qingyu pointed out the back door of the Zhang family by the window for her to recognize, then took out a piece of silver worth about one tael and handed it to her, saying:
"Go knock on that door. When someone comes out, tell them that yesterday, the third young lady of this household bought flowers from you but didn’t bring money, and asked you to come collect it this morning. If the people inside refuse to pay and tell you to leave, don’t argue—just come back and tell me the truth. If the third young lady comes out herself, say you must have mistaken the household, then also come back and tell me the truth. Only one thing—don’t mention me, alright?"
The girl nodded vigorously but refused to take the silver, replying:
"It’s just delivering a message. How could I take your money, Doctor Zhu? Wait for me—I’ll go now."
Though the girl was small, she was quick on her feet. Carrying her basket, she scurried down the road, rustling all the way, and soon reached the Zhang family’s back door, where she pounded loudly for entry.
Ordinarily, there would be a steward woman guarding the back door, and someone would answer. But the girl knocked for quite a while before anyone appeared.
The girl was stubborn and determined. She had promised to deliver a message, and since it hadn’t been delivered, she refused to give up, continuing to pound on the door.
After a while, the back door finally opened, and someone stepped out.
Zhu Qingyu pressed closer to the window, peering carefully—it was the head steward!
Beside the head steward were several servants carrying clubs.
Seeing this, the girl seemed a bit frightened and stepped back, but she still spoke with the head steward. He gave some orders to someone inside, neither paying her nor sending her away.
A moment later, Zhang Ruohua appeared at the doorstep.
Seeing Zhang Ruohua safe and sound at the door, Zhu Qingyu felt half the anxiety that had been gripping her since that morning finally ease. Tears nearly came to her eyes. She hurried downstairs and called to the driver: "Turn back!"
The head steward, who had been skeptical of the suddenly appearing girl from the start, was keeping a sharp eye on the surroundings. When he spotted the Zhang family carriage emerging from the street corner, he suddenly shouted:
"The master and the madam are back!"
Zhang Ruohua, who had been asking the girl at the door, "I didn’t even go out yesterday. How could I have bought flowers from you without paying? Who sent you?"—upon hearing that her brother and sister-in-law had returned, immediately forgot about the girl. She reached into her pocket, pulled out a piece of silver—two or three taels, enough to buy a wagonload of white orchids—shoved it into the girl’s hands, and said hastily:
"Fine, fine, I did buy them. Now go quickly."
The carriage, only half a street away, pulled up to the door in no time. Not even waiting for Zhu Qingyu to alight, Zhang Ruohua lifted the carriage curtain the moment the horses stopped and scrambled inside, saying:
"Second brother, sister-in-law, you’re finally back! You scared me to death! Oh, sister-in-law, where’s second brother?"
Zhu Qingyu didn’t plan to get out of the carriage, so she took Zhang Ruohua’s hand to steady her.
“Third Sister, how is everything at home? Did anyone come by yesterday?”
Sensing something was wrong, Zhang Ruohua’s hands began to tremble.
“The house next door was raided last night. It was terrifying—there was beating and killing everywhere. Our home is fine, no one came. Sister-in-law, where’s Second Brother? Why isn’t he back with you?”
