Chapter 654: Sun Chuanting Has Come to Joseon Too

Looking at Zhang Yu, Song Xiang smiled and said, "Then we'll do it the way you said. I'll cooperate fully on my end."

Zhang Yu raised his head to look at Song Xiang, their eyes meeting, and a strange atmosphere began to shift between them.

After a long moment, Zhang Yu shook his head, stood up, and said, "It's getting late. Get some rest early."

Watching Zhang Yu's retreating figure, a flicker of disappointment passed through Song Xiang's eyes.

Having spent so much time together, it would be a lie to say she didn't like Zhang Yu. After all, before this, Song Xiang hadn't been around many men, and Zhang Yu was such an outstanding one.

Under such circumstances, it would be false to say no feelings had grown between them.

Song Xiang had originally thought everything would come together naturally and smoothly — after all, a man taking multiple wives and concubines was hardly a big deal, let alone for someone like Zhang Yu.

She hadn't even tried to take the position of Zhang Yu's principal wife; she was willing to be a concubine, to turn what had started as an act into something real.

But who could have imagined that Zhang Yu would be unwilling? That he would be avoiding her at every turn? Especially at times like this.

Song Xiang couldn't understand it.

She had even wondered at first whether Zhang Yu was afraid of his wife.

After all, Zhang Yu's wife was no ordinary woman — she was the granddaughter of Han Kuang, Chief Grand Secretary of the Grand Secretariat.

But after spending time with him, Song Xiang had come to understand that this was impossible. Zhang Yu was not the kind of man to be timid or fearful, and he was quite clever, handling matters with great wisdom. If he truly liked her and was willing to accept her, he would find a way to solve the problem.

With a dejected gaze, she looked away from Zhang Yu's back and turned to head back herself.

Hearing that the footsteps behind him had stopped, Zhang Yu paused.

In truth, how could he not see Song Xiang's feelings?

He was a smart man. But he knew very well that sometimes, even when you see something, you cannot show any response.

On the public side, His Majesty trusted him, which was why he had been sent to handle such an important matter. With the future uncertain and the task unfinished, how could he indulge in romantic affairs here and betray His Majesty's trust? If personal feelings delayed the real work, wouldn't he be a sinner against the Great Ming?

At that point, even dying ten thousand deaths would not atone for his crime.

And on the private side, he had come to Joseon, leaving home and career behind, abandoning his wife at home. His wife had to manage the household and care for his parents in his place. Under such circumstances, how could he go and find another woman out here and face the wife waiting for him back home?

Others might not care — after all, it was perfectly normal to bring someone along to attend to you when away from home. Not to mention concubines and the like; some matriarchs would even send their close maidservants along, partly to serve and partly to keep watch.

But Zhang Yu still couldn't get past that hurdle in his heart, and could only ignore Song Xiang.

Stepping back into his room and lying down on the bed, Zhang Yu forced himself not to think about such romantic matters, and instead began seriously considering his next plans.

Getting things done right was more important than anything.

The next morning, with the sky fully bright, Zhang Yu groggily rose from his bed.

He couldn't even remember when he had fallen asleep last night — it seemed he had truly exhausted himself thinking things over.

When he walked out of the room, Song Xiang was already waiting outside, with the basin of wash water prepared.

Zhang Yu began washing his face as usual, saying to Song Xiang, "Did I get up a bit late?"

"It's not like there's anything to do today anyway. You've been working too hard lately; sleeping a little longer isn't a bad thing." Song Xiang said casually, taking a towel from the side and handing it to Zhang Yu, continuing, "If anything comes up, I'll call you."

Zhang Yu nodded and said with a smile, "Thank you."

"We're an old married couple, don't say things like that. Come eat when you're done washing — I had them prepare the congee you like best. There was also some flour delivered yesterday, so I had them make youtiao." Song Xiang said in a casual tone.

With that, she turned and walked toward the back.

Listening to Song Xiang's words and watching her back, Zhang Yu felt a little dazed, but still stepped forward to follow.

After he had eaten a simple meal, someone ran in from outside to deliver news.

After dismissing the messenger, Song Xiang came before Zhang Yu and said, "They've arrived."

"Are they coming straight here, or reporting to the Joseon side first?"

"Coming here first." Song Xiang nodded and said, "They've also brought His Majesty's decree."

Hearing this, Zhang Yu was immediately excited, unable to even control the expression on his face.

He had been waiting for this imperial decree for so long, waiting for His Majesty's affirmative reply.

"Where are they? How far along are they?" Zhang Yu stood up excitedly and looked at Song Xiang.

"They're right outside." Song Xiang said quickly. "I've already had them invited in."

"Good, good!" Zhang Yu nodded and said, "Then let's wait a moment."

Before long, footsteps sounded from outside.

Several figures walked in from outside.

Seeing who had arrived, Zhang Yu was stunned, his eyes wide open, his voice filled with deep disbelief as he said, "Why is it you?"

At the head of the group was none other than Sun Chuanting.

Standing beside Sun Chuanting were Cao Wenzhao, and also Wu Xiang.

Hearing Zhang Yu's words, Sun Chuanting immediately laughed and said, "I told you he'd be shocked to see us."

"The Marshal is wise indeed." Cao Wenzhao said from the side.

Seeing that Zhang Yu still looked completely bewildered, Wu Xiang spoke up from beside him: "This matter is of great importance. His Majesty sent us here, on the one hand to take charge of the war against Japan, and on the other hand to help you. After all, this time Joseon is going to fight Japan, and we don't quite trust them yet — we need our own people stationed here to feel at ease."

"We've also brought equipment, and we'll select a Joseon army to arm. This force, apart from a small number of our own people, will be made up of Joseon soldiers. We've named it the Joseon Expeditionary Force, to march against Japan. And Lord Sun here will be the commander of this expeditionary force — this trip is also to discuss this matter with the King of Joseon."

Sun Chuanting nodded, took out a letter from his bosom, and said, "This is a secret letter from His Majesty for you. Read it yourself."

Zhang Yu did not immediately reach out to take it. Instead, he knelt respectfully on the ground and kowtowed, only then receiving the letter with both hands held in reverence.

Opening the letter and scanning through it quickly, Zhang Yu's eyes began to redden.

The contents of the letter were very simple — there weren't even many words. Zhu Youxiao had only given his reply on it, a very brief single sentence:

"Do a good job. If anything goes wrong, I'll have your back."

Just that one sentence made Zhang Yu feel tears welling up in his eyes.

This was what it meant to die for a patron who understands you.

Refolding the letter carefully and tucking it back away with great care, Zhang Yu looked at Sun Chuanting and the others and said with a smile, "Forgive me for making a spectacle of myself. Having been in Joseon for so long, I'm just too happy to see you all."

The others didn't call him out on it, and they all laughed together.

"Gentlemen, please have a seat. Let's sit down and chat." Zhang Yu said with a smile.

"We can chat, but before that, you should prepare us some food first. We've been running all the way here without eating properly—haven't even had breakfast yet, and our stomachs are growling with hunger." Cao Wenzhao said from the side.

"Alright, alright, no problem." Zhang Yu quickly nodded in agreement.

Before Zhang Yu could even give the order, Song Xiang beside him stood up and went to prepare the food.

Soon, the food was brought up.

Though the dishes were all very simple, they made up for it by being hot and served quickly.

After the group had eaten their fill, the leftovers were cleared away and tea was brought out—only then did the atmosphere feel right for conversation.

Sitting in his chair, Cao Wenzhao took a sip of the warm tea and said with satisfaction, "Now this is more like it."

"Let's get down to business." Sun Chuanting looked at Zhang Yu and said, "First, tell us your plan, and then we'll discuss the specifics of how to carry it out. We can also help you brainstorm."

Zhang Yu nodded and laid out his intentions.

After hearing Zhang Yu out, Cao Wenzhao gave him a thumbs up and said, "As expected of you. A scheme this vicious and full of tricks—no one but you could have come up with it."

Zhang Yu didn't mind at all. They were all fellow classmates, and he had long grown used to this kind of banter.

Zhang Yu turned his head to look at Sun Chuanting.

Sun Chuanting was the one calling the shots here. If he agreed, then things would be easier to handle; if he found it inappropriate and wanted changes, that would spell trouble.

Sun Chuanting thought for a moment, then suddenly looked up to see Zhang Yu watching him. Understanding dawned on him at once, and he quickly said, "Lord Zhang, you needn't overthink this. His Majesty has entrusted this matter to you, so proceed according to your plan. I had originally thought to see if there was anywhere I could be of help, but the plan Lord Zhang has devised is flawless—I won't presume to show off my meager skills before an expert. If there's anything you need me to cooperate with, I'll certainly help."

Zhang Yu said with a smile, "In that case, many thanks to Grand Marshal Sun."

"According to my plan, we first need to win over a certain individual. This man is called Park Jeong-yang, a very special figure among the elders faction in Joseon. He's not old enough, and his seniority isn't high, but he has a strong craving for power and great ambition. At the same time, he's also greedy for wealth and lustful. I want to exploit these weaknesses of his to try and break him down."

"That kind of man is easy to handle." Wu Xiang said from the side, "Hasn't that Fat Chen come over from the Imperial Household Department? Let him handle this matter. Within three days, I guarantee there will be results—absolutely no mistakes."

Zhang Yu turned to look at Song Xiang, waiting for her to provide intelligence.

Song Xiang didn't disappoint Zhang Yu either, saying directly, "Fat Chen—his real name is Chen Facai. He originally ran gambling dens and brothels in the Jiangnan region, and was later absorbed by the Imperial Household Department and dispatched to Joseon."

"Fat Chen's current business is trafficking Joseon people into the Great Ming. The Joseon maidservants he trains are in very high demand in the Great Ming. As soon as nobles and high officials hear that Joseon maidservants are being shipped over, they scramble to grab them. Before the new year, a stunningly beautiful maidservant sold for the high price of twelve thousand taels. General Cao Wenzhao once bought a Joseon maidservant himself, spending three thousand two hundred taels of silver."