Chapter 77: Family Wealth

Taipingli was located near Tongqing Gate in Nanjing, with the Imperial City to the west and the Imperial Academy to the east, making it a highly convenient area. Most of the residents here were officials from the six ministries; there were even quite a number of vice ministers, which is why it was often called “Vice Ministers’ Lane.” Luxury houses stood on both sides of the street, with their main entrances constantly crowded with visitors, while the back doors were also bustling with traffic—making it a must-visit place for officials from other regions coming to Nanjing.

Abolishing the Secretariat and elevating the six ministries was a policy established by Emperor Taizu Zhu Yuanzhang. Although Emperor Yongle Zhu Di established the Wenyuan Pavilion and promoted a group of lower-ranking civil officials to assist in governance, he still did not undermine the real power of the ministers in the six ministries. Even though the move of the capital had been finalized, Taipingli continued to thrive day by day.

Yet these days, a gloomy atmosphere seemed to have settled over Taipingli. Seals from the Jinyiwei were placed on the entrances of one house on West Street and two houses on East Street, and suddenly three vice ministers ended up in the Jinyiwei’s prison. Although the Ministry of Works, Ministry of Punishments, and Ministry of Rites were known among the six ministries for being hardworking, exhausting, and unpopular, the vice ministers were still high-ranking officials of the third rank. To have them imprisoned so abruptly was truly alarming.

When some people saw the seal on Zhang’s house removed and others saw a figure resembling Zhang Xin entering that seemingly long-abandoned mansion, quite a stir arose among the residents of Taipingli. However, at such a critical moment, it was impossible to pay a visit, so the household owners could only send servants to wander around Zhang’s house.

Zhang’s house, having survived the disaster, was now eerily quiet. When the Jinyiwei came to seal the doors, although there was a loyal old steward left behind, none of the masters were there. So even though it was only a sealing rather than a search, many items were stolen. After sealing the house, a courtyard was left for people to live in, but many impatient servants fled. By now, only three out of ten servants remained, staying obediently at the house waiting for their master to return.

At that moment, an old steward with gray hair stared in disbelief at Zhang Xin, who was helped into the house by Zhang Jiu. After staring for a long time, he staggered forward, knees buckling, and collapsed to the ground, wailing, “Master, it’s all my fault. I failed to control those heartless people. I have failed your trust…”

Following closely behind Zhang Xin, Zhang Yue watched the white-haired butler wailing bitterly, and his heart suddenly ached as well. Seeing Zhang Xin’s shoulders trembling slightly, he let out a long sigh and closed his eyes; noticing Zhang Jiu standing there frozen in shock; and seeing the butler’s forehead covered in marks that were indistinguishable from bruises or dirt, he could no longer hold back. He stepped forward and pulled the man up from the ground.

After a long while, Zhang Xin opened his eyes and slowly walked over. He gave the bewildered old butler a slight nod and said, “It happened suddenly, and it’s only natural you couldn’t react right away. There’s no need to blame yourself too much. Later, take a few people to clean out the main house, then gather everyone in the courtyard in front of it. I have orders to give.”

The old butler quickly bowed in agreement and then rushed off like the wind, his steps so brisk that one could hardly tell he had been in a dazed state just moments before—instead, he appeared full of energy.

“This is Gao Quan’s uncle, a lifelong servant of our Zhang family. Despite his white hair, he’s always been strong. It’s only because he lacks direction that he looked so despondent earlier,” Zhang Xin said with a smile to Zhang Yue. Then he shook off Zhang Jiu’s arm, no longer showing the confusion he had when he first arrived at the Northern Pacification Bureau. “It takes a long journey to test a horse’s strength, and time reveals a person’s true nature. Many promises made in normal times are false; only when faced with crisis can we tell who will stay by our side.”

“Brother Yue, do you understand?”

Zhang Yue originally thought his uncle Zhang Xin was giving instructions to Zhang Jiu. Realizing what was happening, he was puzzled but quickly agreed. Seeing Zhang Xin turn to give similar advice to Zhang Chao and Zhang Jiu, he grew even more curious—had his uncle gained some profound insight after spending over a month in the imperial prison?

Along the way from the Outer Gate to the Inner Gate, although the surroundings weren’t extremely dilapidated, the family’s crisis had caused the gardeners to scatter, leaving no one to take care of the plants. Coupled with the cold weather, many places exuded a sense of desolation. When the three brothers accompanied Zhang Xin to the main house and saw the scattered tables, chairs, and furniture, as well as the empty walls and traces left on some gold- and jade-inlaid items, none of them could maintain a cheerful expression.

Everyone had first eaten at the Duke of Ying’s residence. They only came here after the Jinyiwei removed the seals from all the places. Comparing the grandeur of the other place with the decay here, it was natural for them to feel deeply affected.

Zhang Xin went straight to the main seat and sat down. As soon as he did, he noticed that the otherwise sturdy armchair swayed slightly. He couldn’t help but smile, then quickly became serious and said, “Due to my carelessness, I’ve caused my entire family to run around constantly and spent countless amounts of money. I, Zhang Xin, am truly a sinner of the Zhang family. Two thousand taels of gold could buy tens of thousands of acres of farmland, numerous concubines, several mansions, and cover the family’s expenses for years… Yet now it’s all been dumped on me alone.”

Zhang Jiu was extremely uneasy upon hearing this and immediately cried out, “Father…” But after saying just that one word, he met his father’s cold gaze and was so frightened that he shrank back, unable to utter another word. Zhang Yue, on the other hand, felt that Zhang Xin’s words were not pretentious lies but rather the heartfelt sentiments of someone who had been in prison for over a month. So he gently cleared his throat.

“Uncle, when the three of us brothers came to Nanjing, both our grandmother and my second uncle as well as my father told us that since we’re one family, we share weal and woe, and must stick together in critical moments. Uncle, you mentioned how much can be bought with two thousand taels of gold, but in our eyes, what matters most is getting you out safely. After all, money can be earned again, but the Zhang family can’t do without you.”

Although Zhang Xin and Duke Zhang Fu had talked for a long time in the study, and after hearing that his son had acted rashly and nearly caused disaster, that Zhang Chao had made many friends who would soon join the army, and about Zhang Yue’s various extraordinary behaviors, he had already sensed the changes in his family during his time in prison. Yet even so, upon hearing Zhang Yue’s sincere and reasonable words, he still couldn’t help but feel emotional.

His third brother truly had raised a good son!

But now was not the time for such sentimentality. After asking a few questions about his hometown, he ordered in an unambiguous tone, “This house wasn’t bestowed by the emperor. It was bought with my mother-in-law’s dowry money after I became the Right Vice Minister of the Ministry of Works. Since I’m going to Jiaozhi and don’t know when I’ll return, it’s better to sell the house. The valuables were probably taken away when it was seized, but the heavy items in the warehouse should still be there—sell those too. Together with the two hundred taels of gold hidden under the steps of the garden pavilion, it should be enough to repay the money lent by my second and third brothers and cover the family’s financial shortfall.”

At these words, Zhang Yue and Zhang Chao were both stunned. The latter instinctively refused, saying, “Uncle, how can that be! Brothers should support and help each other. My father also said it’s his duty. When the four of us grow up, we’ll be just like Uncle, Father, and Third Uncle—how can we draw such a clear line?”
Zhang Xin wasn’t expecting such a reply. He was briefly taken aback before smiling and saying, “Silly child, your father and Third Uncle helped me out out of concern for brotherly bonds. But if I accepted it shamelessly, how could I repay their kindness? It’s like borrowing money from your younger brother—could you really have the nerve not to repay it for life?”
The analogy was simple, leaving Zhang Chao scratching his head, unsure what to say. He could only look to Zhang Yue for help. But seeing Zhang Xin’s firm determination, and knowing that those who could argue against him—his Second Uncle and Father—were not present, he resorted to delaying tactics.
“Uncle, maybe we should put this off for now?”
“No need to delay. I’ll be going to Zhengpingzhou to take up my post in three days. Even if I can’t resolve this before leaving, I’ll entrust the Duke of Yingguo to handle these family affairs after I go.”