“That’s right! So I called you right away!” The man calling was Zhang Feng’s younger brother, Zhang Cheng. His daughter had married the heir to a large company and they had collaborated on an armaments business due to the Zhang’s direct connections. “Your niece’s husband is waiting for news at my house right now, and we’ve booked the most expensive tickets to fly out to you tonight.”
“Tell me from the beginning, what’s going on?” Zhang Feng inhaled deeply and gripped the phone as she leaned back on the wall of Grandfather Huo’s bedroom on the second floor. She gradually calmed down. “Today is the first day of the Lunar New Year, how did you know the banks froze their accounts?”
“How could we not know? They have a huge company so there’s naturally a few contacts within the bank. The contacts said they just received news and called my in-laws right away. You know, we are preparing to send money abroad—with this happening right now, we can’t send sh*t!”
Zhang Feng’s brother, Zhang Cheng was nearly 60 and didn’t take care of himself. He was in poor health and would wheeze like a dog whenever he was agitated. Zhang Feng was concerned for his health and quickly replied, “Calm down! How serious is this anyway? It’s not worth fussing over. So what if they freeze the accounts? Just you wait, I’ll see how they’ll be able to freeze them and then have them kneel while they reactivate them!”
Zhang Cheng balked at his older sister’s words: she wasn’t afraid at all. “Sister, are you that confident?” He probed further, “The Chief will stand up for us?”
“Why are you still calling him Chief now, it’ll be Brother-in-law very soon!” Zhang Feng muffled a laugh and immediately warned her brother, “Don’t tell anyone for now. Once we obtain the marriage certificate and I take him back home to see the family, the bank will have to reactivate th accounts even if the main branch was the one to freeze them.”
“Oh? The Chief is going to marry you?! Is that true?!” Originally frustrated by today’s news from the bank, Zhang Cheng was ecstatic to hear his sister’s update. “Don’t be joking around now; this is serious. Once you get the marriage certificate, Mom and Dad can finally be proud.”
“To h*ll with it! You’re making it sound as if they’re not proud right now!” Zhang Feng laughed. The truth was, the Zhang’s had been proud since Zhang Feng took the opportunity to tell Grandfather Huo the truth about Zhang Baochen when Huo Guanyuan had perished 16 years ago. The Zhang’s had thought they were just helping Zhang Feng raise a bastard child, but had later discovered he had a important background. They had used the smallest investment to grow the largest return.
“Sister, that’s not the same at all. You’ll be the legitimate wife now, the legitimate wife of the Chief, so I’ll be the Chief’s Brother-in-law! If we think about history, that’s basically the Royal Uncle!” Zhang Cheng was now completely relieved.
Zhang Feng could even hear him speak to his son-in-law. “Don’t panic, this is all normal. It’s just the local bank stirring trouble, so just ignore them. We’ll show them who’s boss after the new year!”
“Hey! Don’t blabber!” Zhang Feng quickly shut down her brother’s rant. This was really not the time to reveal the news. Huo Shaoheng and Huo Guanchen didn’t approve of her marriage to Grandfather Huo, so the marriage would have to be discreet in order to prevent them from meddling. The most important thing right now was to go back to Huo manor to retrieve Grandfather Huo’s personal identification, military identification, and household registration so they could go the Civil Affairs Bureau to register their marriage certificate. Zhang Feng ended the call and leaned back against the wall to ponder some more before peering into Grandfather Huo’s room to see he was really sleeping. She knew he had an ill temper and waking him up for this would enrage him. Zhang Feng curbed herself and decided it wouldn’t hurt to wait a little while more. The banks weren’t open today anyway and only part of its businesses would resume hours tomorrow anyway. They wouldn’t be able to send money regardless if the accounts were frozen or not, and Zhang Feng was not even inclined to do so anymore. As long as she could marry Grandfather Huo, she would enjoy a luxurious life in the Empire—why should she go abroad? She had no interest in living like a rat, hiding in the shadows of a foreign country. Zhang Feng adjusted the blankets for Grandfather Huo and went downstairs to have dinner with her family and the Qian’s guests.
Everyone instantly made room for her at the table once she entered the dining hall.
“Sister Zhang, please have a seat!”
“Aunt Zhang, I toast you! I wish for you to only look younger and more beautiful year after year!”
“Aunt? You’re making our Sister Zhang sound old! Just look at her— people would believe that she’s my younger sister!”
“To h*ll with you! You’re exaggerating!” A distant relative of the Zhang’s chuckled and pointed at the handsome 30 something year old man calling Zhang Feng, “younger sister.””Just look at your ugly mug, how dare you call our Sister Zhang your younger sister?”
Zhang Feng looked at the handsome young man with a smile before sitting elegantly, “Eat as much as you please. This place is a bit shabby. I’ll invite you all over to the Huo manor next time.”
These relatives had only heard of the Huo manor but had never actually visited before. However, they all knew that it wasn’t a place that anyone could merely wander into. The security check alone took more than an hour.
“Huh? What is Sister Zhang talking about? When would be able to visit the Huo manor?! That’s where all the high ranking military officers live.”
“That’s a secret.” Zhang Feng smiled coyly. “Ok stop asking about me now! How have you all been doing?”
“How’s business?”
“What about you? Is your boss giving you a hard time?”
“Is your son about to start high school? Where is he going? No. 4 High School? Or the R University affiliate high school?”
Zhang Feng held a bowl of bird’s nest soup and stirred slowly without taking a bite. She asked after everyone at the table and appeared as the head of the household. Everyone obeyed her because they knew she had the ability and support of a powerful person, so they served up endless flattery. The meal lasted from the afternoon until late in the evening, and the guests reluctantly said goodbye. However, before they could step out of the apartment, loud knocks sounded from front door.
“Who is this? What a disturbance!” Zhang Feng raised her fine brows, and then said, “Mrs. Chang! Go see what’s the matter!”
Mrs. Chang was the housekeeper Zhang Feng had hired for her own house. Mrs. Chang had always lived there, cleaning and cooking even before the Zhang’s had moved back in. She was a plump woman in her fifties and wore a purple traditional jacket with knotted buttons. Rushing over to the door, she shouted as soon as she opened it, “Are you blind or something! What the h*ll are you knocking like this for? Don’t you know whose house this is?!”
She was greeted with a heavy silence. Four men stood there, dressed in navy blue winter military uniforms, white gloves, with the red armbands and the insignia of two bars and one star on their shoulders denoting the rank of Major. They all scanned Mrs. Chang with piercing eyes.
“W-W-Who are you people? What are you doing here?” Mrs. Chang realized that these four were military officers and her knees turned to jelly. She muffled her mouth as soon as she realized how she had insulted them and quickly moved out of their way. The people at the door froze at the sight of the officers; they had no idea what was going on.
“Is this Suite 218, Tower B of the Chunhui Building, Chaoyang District, Third Ring Road?” The officer in the lead asked in a gravelly voice. His tone was as heavy as a whip, and it lashed painfully on the chests of all the guests.
“Yes…” Mrs. Chang stabilized herself on the door frame and nearly kneeled.
The officer keenly looked over the room, and then asked, “Who is Zhang Feng?”
“I am. May I ask what’s the matter?” Zhang Feng gracefully walked over. “Are you here to pick up Elder Huo?” She looked at the color of the officers’ uniforms and recognized that they were military police holding the rank of Major. She assumed they were here to retrieve Grandfather Huo. After all, Grandfather Huo was an important person who couldn’t simply live with them outside of the military housing area. She was almost surprised that it had taken them this long to pick him up.
“You’re Zhang Feng? Special home care Head Nurse of the Inpatient Department of the 314 Military Hospital? Rank of Lieutenant? Serving General Huo Xuenong?” The officer took out a document and read off of it.
Perplexed, Zhang Feng decided to nod anyway. “Yes, I’m Zhang Feng. Are you here to pick up Grandfather Huo? He’s resting on the second floor.” Her apartment was a multi-level high rise unit that was very spacious and comfortable. The guests immediately smiled with relief when they overheard that Grandfather Huo was in the apartment too; the previous tension dissipating. Everyone looked at each other knowingly and almost burst into laughter.
Suddenly, the officer at the door waved his hand and said loudly, “Zhang Feng, you are suspected of abusing power for personal gain, embezzlement, falsifying of records, disrupting armament supplies, as well as failing to declare large sums of money. The Second Brigade of the Military Police is arresting you; this is the arrest warrant.” He turned back to his soldiers and said, “Take her away!”
Several soldiers stormed in from behind the officer and fluidly slapped handcuffs on Zhang Feng’s wrists before leading her out of the apartment.
“What are you doing? How dare you?! I’m going to take you to military court! The Chief won’t let this go!” Zhang Feng screeched as she struggled against the soldiers. When she looked up, she could see that, past the four Military Police Officers, was a tall man with his back to her. He wore an army green uniform and the one star and one leaf insignia glittering on his shoulder. Upon hearing Zhang Feng’s screams, the man turned around, and her heart fell at his steely gaze. It was Huo Shaoheng.