I'll Play Alone Behind Closed Doors

Fengtian, Marshal's Mansion, Great Green House.

In the Western-style dining room, the long table was draped in snow-white linen, silverware gleaming softly under the crystal chandelier.

Yet the atmosphere at this lunch was somewhat stifling.

The news of the Feng Army's defeat was hardly a secret anymore.

"They say even the wind in Fengtian City carries a whiff of gunpowder." The speaker was the Second Concubine, who managed the mansion's inner courtyard and always carried weight with her words.

She prodded the Western pastries on her plate with a silver fork, not even lifting her eyelids.

"The more times like these, the steadier we need to be in this mansion. Fengzhi, you need to be more attentive. Those servants below have loose tongues—don't let them blabber outside. It's the Marshal's Mansion's face that gets lost."

Yu Fengzhi sat beside the head seat, nodding lightly at the words, her face somewhat pale.

How could she not worry?

Her husband and her eldest brother-in-law were both at the front, fighting such a bitter battle. She hadn't slept soundly in days.

"Second Mother is right. I've already instructed the servants."

"Instructed? Hah, those servants—which one of them doesn't turn with the wind?" The West Concubine curled her lip; she'd always disliked the Second Concubine's pretentious airs. "And those newspapers outside, the things they write are even worse! Stuff like 'the Feng Army can't take a hit,' 'the Marshal doesn't know how to use men'... it's all nonsense!"

"West Sister, say a little less." The Third Concubine set down her milk glass, her voice soft and soothing. "What do outsiders know? Every man in our family is a towering pillar of heaven and earth. Xueliang and Xueming—they're dragons and phoenixes among men. This is just a small setback. Once they catch their breath, they'll show them!"

The Third Concubine's younger brother had once been saved by Zhang Xueming, so she was firmly on his side from the heart.

Her words warmed Yu Fengzhi slightly, but the thought of her husband still buried in the Feng Army's mess made her heart clench again.

"That's right, that's right. Third Sister speaks the truth." The youngest, the Fifth Concubine, quickly smoothed things over. Her eyes sparkled as she smiled at Yu Fengzhi. "I actually have an idea. Now that the fighting's over, there must be plenty of our soldiers lying in the wounded camps. Shouldn't we womenfolk step out and pay them a visit? Let outsiders see that the Marshal's Mansion isn't just about shutting its doors and living in comfort."

The suggestion lit up everyone's eyes.

The Second Concubine shot the Fifth Concubine an approving look. Handled well, this could both soothe military morale and earn the mansion a good reputation.

Yu Fengzhi agreed at once. "Fifth Mother's idea is excellent. I'll prepare right away and take people to the wounded camp in a couple of days."

She paused, then added another note.

"Oh, and in a few days, the Gu family's younger sister will also be arriving in Fengtian. The household might get a bit livelier then."

The Feng-Shou War ended in a way no one had expected.

No humiliating treaties were signed. Zhang Yuting directly announced that the Three Eastern Provinces would secede from the Beiyang Government and implement self-rule.

This move left everyone who wanted to pick the fruits stranded in place.

Want to skim benefits off me?

Not a chance!

I'll play behind closed doors!

Then came a bloody storm that swept through the entire Feng Army.

The Army Reorganization Office, this newly established body, became a razor-sharp butcher's knife in Zhang Xueliang's hands.

The words "kill the officers" were no longer just a harsh line in the meeting room—they played out every single day.

From brigade commanders to regiment commanders, down to battalion commanders, one by one, officers who had fled the battlefield or mismanaged their commands were dragged out.

Those with solid evidence were taken outside the city and executed by firing squad.

Those with extenuating circumstances but undeniable guilt were dismissed, investigated, and barred from future service.

In just half a month, nearly a third of the Feng Army's officers at the regimental level and above had been replaced.

All of Fengtian was shrouded in this killing atmosphere.

But the instigator who had stirred up this storm, Zhang Xueming, played the role of a hands-off boss.

He never even took a post at the Army Reorganization Office, dumping this thankless task entirely onto his elder brother, Zhang Xueliang.

His excuse was that this was Father's chance for Big Brother to redeem himself through merit, so it wasn't his place to interfere.

When Yu Fengzhi carried a bowl of ginseng soup into the study, Zhang Xueming was sprawled over a map, scribbling and drawing.

"Take a break. Look at you—your eye sockets are black these days." She set the bowl on the desk with concern.

"It's fine, not tired." Zhang Xueming didn't look up, his pen tip drawing a large circle on the map, encircling the entire Bohai Sea.

Yu Fengzhi sat down beside him, hesitated, then spoke.

"Xueming... these past few days, several ladies have sent people to me, hoping to... pull some strings for what Big Brother is handling."

Zhang Xueming's pen stopped.

He looked up at his wife's troubled expression and smiled.

"Making things hard for you, aren't they?"

He reached out and pinched Yu Fengzhi's cheek. "If anyone comes to you about this kind of thing again, just turn them down flat. Say you can't make the call. Don't give face to anyone."

"But..."

"No buts." Zhang Xueming's tone left no room for argument. "These people—after the way they fought that battle, they still think they can pull strings to keep their Official Hats? Dream on!"