Chapter 58: Many Calculations in State and Family Affairs

While a scene of family recognition was taking place in the main hall of the Duke of Britain’s residence, the Duke of Britain, Zhang Fu, was visiting the mansion of Duke Chengguo, Zhu Yong. In terms of age, Zhang Fu was over ten years older than Zhu Yong, but since both had once helped Emperor Yongle, Zhu Di, in establishing the dynasty, Zhang Fu and Zhu Yong treated each other as peers, with a friendship far deeper than that between ordinary military officers. Zhang Fu, who had just returned from Jiaozhi, was now resting at his residence, while Zhu Yong, who was under thirty, was in charge of the Central Military Command. Both, at the peak of their lives, were continuing their fathers’ legacies—truly the new generation’s twin gems of the Ming Dynasty.

At that moment, the two sat together drinking tea and playing chess, yet their minds were nowhere on the board. Though young, Zhu Yong had thick, curly beard, and even in the cold weather he wore only a brocade robe, giving off an air of unrestrained boldness. He picked up a black piece and slammed it heavily on the board, then frowned and said, “These past few days, people outside have been in a state of panic, whispering all sorts of things. The Prince of Han has repeatedly tried to see the emperor but been turned away. In your opinion, elder brother, does the emperor truly intend to punish the Prince of Han?”

“I encountered such situations as soon as I returned from Jiaozhi, and I can’t figure out what’s going on right now. Previously, the Prince of Han’s second son, the Prince of Hengshan, came to me asking for my intercession, speaking very earnestly. But the emperor’s heart is unfathomable. Though I can’t refuse to see him, I also dare not promise anything.”

Thinking back to the succession issue, although he had vaguely remained neutral—Zhu Yong being too young to participate—almost all the other military officers had supported the Prince of Han, Zhu Gaoxu. After that, there were continuous upheavals, and now this situation had arisen. Zhang Fu felt quite uneasy. Although his cousin Zhang Xin had been imprisoned for corruption, since the Jinyiwei was involved, he couldn’t help but consider worse possibilities. Yet, he had tried his best to remain impartial—could he really completely shut the Prince of Han out?

“The Crown Prince, the Prince of Han, the Prince of Zhao…”

Zhu Yong let out a long sigh. Seeing Zhang Fu carelessly place a piece, he also placed one casually, then said seriously, “Elder brother, you should rest well at home for now. I’ll try to gather information about your younger brother and inform you immediately if I find anything. But since the emperor is so enraged, I’m afraid his official career…”

“Younger brother, at a time like this, what’s there to talk about official careers?” Zhang Fu put down the chess pieces, stood up, and bowed deeply with solemnity. “My aunt only has this one legitimate son. If you can ensure his life this time, it will be a great kindness to me, Zhang Fu.”

Zhu Yong hurriedly stood up to offer support, then immediately smiled and gave his assurance. At this moment, neither of them had the heart to continue the game. After chatting a while more, Zhang Fu was personally escorted out by Zhu Yong.

Looking back as Zhu Yong turned to enter the house, just as he was about to get into the sedan chair, Zhang Fu suddenly remembered that his three nephews should have arrived in Nanjing by now. Glancing up, he happened to see Rong Shan had arrived somehow, so he frowned slightly and waved for him to follow into the sedan chair to serve.

Emperor Taizu Zhu Yuanzhang had been dead for many years, and the ban on military officials and nobles from using sedan chairs had long become just a document on paper. Zhang Fu’s sedan chair was a gift from the current emperor; it could not only accommodate one person but also two people standing by to serve. He rarely used it, only bringing out this ostentatious treasure-like heated sedan chair today due to the overcast weather and his old habit.

“Have they all arrived?”

By now, the sedan chair had been lifted by eight strong men outside. Although it was relatively stable, there was still some jolting. Rong Shan, standing with his head bowed, remained as firm as a nail, not swaying at all. Hearing the question, he replied respectfully, “Sir, I have already brought the three young masters home. My wife must have met them by now.”

“Hmm.” Zhang Fu nodded slightly and then asked, “How is Brother Jiu after four years? Is he still fine?”

“Young Master Jiu has grown taller a lot. He’s still as handsome as before. He’s probably a bit thinner because he misses his father, but he’s in good spirits.” Although Zhang Fu hadn’t asked about the others, Rong Shan was cautious. After thinking for a moment, he decided to mention the other two young masters as well. “Young Master Chao is the eldest and strong, with excellent martial skills. As for Young Master Yue… Sir, I discovered something strange today. It seems that among the three young masters who came to Nanjing this time, Young Master Yue is the leader.”

“Oh?”

Zhang Fu raised his eyebrows in surprise, feeling a bit puzzled, but then waved his hand indifferently and said, “You don’t need to guess about these things. They must have brought letters from the old lady. We’ll know once we see them.”

At that moment, he suddenly remembered that before the four campaigns in Jiaozhi, he had recalled the four bodyguards he had sent to the Zhang family in Xiangfu. Back then, Peng Shisan had told him about a strange incident, which he had found fascinating at the time but later forgotten. Now, thinking about it again, wasn’t the Young Master Yue mentioned by Rong Shan the same bold and interesting boy Peng Shisan had spoken of?

At this moment, Zhang Yue naturally had no idea that he had triggered certain memories in Duke Zhang Fu of Britain. Faced with his fourth brother Zhang Jiu’s astonishing words, he felt an intense urge of frustration deep in his heart.

Although father and son share a close bond that can lead to chaos, even if such a request were to be made, one would have to choose the right person. There wasn’t just Lady Wang here—there were also many concubines. With so many people around, who knew what accidents might happen? Moreover, this was the Jinyiwei prison, not an ordinary jail—had anyone ever heard of anyone visiting prisoners there?

Lady Wang was also stunned upon hearing this. Seeing Zhang Jiu kneeling stiffly on the ground, she quickly reached out to pull him up, soothingly saying, “Brother Jiu, don’t panic. As a woman, I can’t make such decisions. Wait until your great-uncle returns, and we can discuss this properly. You’ve come from afar and must be exhausted from the journey. Go take a bath, have something to eat, and get some rest.”

With that, she called for Bi Luo and, through persuasion and coaxing, managed to take Zhang Jiu away. She also instructed Zhang Chao and Zhang Yue to rest as well. Only after everyone left did she sigh in relief, putting aside her kind elder demeanor. She sternly warned the surrounding concubines. After they all left, she summoned Xi Yu.

“You’ve met the maids brought by the three young masters, right? Are they all reliable?”

“Reporting to my lady, I had the chance to talk to them under various pretexts. Among them, there are quite a few acquaintances,” Xi Yu replied with a slight smile before explaining, “Fang Cao and Yao Xiang, who are with Master Jiu, as well as Hu Bo, who is with Master Yue, were all maids sent by our lord to Kaifeng. The two with Master Chao are household-born maids. It seems they’re favored concubines—obedient but uncooperative. There’s also Qiu Hen with Master Yue—she’s shy and honest, and seems to be very close to Hu Bo.”

“So out of the six maids, three were sent from our household,” Lady Wang said with a faint smile, before shaking her head and sighing, “Brother Chao seems to be getting older. Taking two concubines on a trip like this is rather hasty. Back when those people were sent to Kaifeng, the old lady would surely have given him one or two. I wonder if they’re sick, dead, or something else… Anyway, tell the night maids to be careful and not to act arrogantly and embarrass others with their status as members of the duke’s family!”

“Madam, rest assured. I’ve already instructed them to be careful and cautious, so as to avoid any embarrassment.” At this, Xi Yu lowered her voice again and murmured, “Madam, the second and third masters in the western mansion are always worried that our master has no heirs. I think all three young masters are quite handsome…”
“That’s not something you should say!” Lady Wang’s expression darkened instantly as she scolded her angrily, “Our master is still in his prime. How dare you chatter about such trivial matters like those heartless people!”
Though she rebuked Xi Yu, Lady Wang couldn’t help but feel a strange sense of regret and hope. Not to mention the three brothers in Xiangfu—even her own two brothers-in-law all had many children. It was one thing that she herself had no children, but none of the maids in the household had any either. Could it be that fate had decreed that the Duke of Yingguo’s family would have no legitimate heirs?