Chapter 258: Between Civil and Military Affairs

Though only half a year had passed since they parted, both Zhang Qian and Zhang Yue had lost some weight compared to last year. During the New Year, Siam, Champa, Java, Sumatra, Nibala, Malacca, Nanbali, Haray, Shahrukh, Trinidad, and Samarkand all sent tributes together. Taking this as an excuse, Zhang Qian hurried back to the capital and, together with officials from the Ministry of Rites, worked nonstop for over two months to arrange everything properly. Even though he was strong, he barely managed to hold on during that time and needed several days of rest afterward. As for Zhang Yue, there was hardly anything smooth in his duties.

At this moment, after meeting, the two sat down in their respective roles as host and guest. A servant brought tea before quietly retreating. Zhang Qian, a regular visitor to the Duke of Yingguo’s residence, glanced at Biluo standing behind Zhang Yue and realized she was the queen’s trusted maid, so he understood the situation. After exchanging a few polite words, he got straight to the point.

“The third young master has been back for several days, but I’ve been wondering why there’s been no activity since his return. Actually, the emperor has been furious several times over this matter. The King of Han angered the emperor by causing trouble along the way while traveling by boat to the capital, leading to an imperial edict forbidding him from entering Beijing and sending him back to Le’an Prefecture. Just today, the censor who submitted the accusation against him was punished with thirty blows of the court rod, nearly costing him his life. No one is luckier than him in terms of misfortune. In contrast, your teacher is still safe in the Jinyiwei, and you yourself are comfortably at home—truly extremely lucky.”

Zhang Yue was already dissatisfied with being accused for no apparent reason, but hearing that Emperor Yongle, Zhu Di, had even resorted to such severe punishment filled him with dread. After pondering for a long time, he cautiously asked, “Eunuch Zhang, what exactly is the emperor’s attitude toward this?”

“During today’s court session, the emperor focused solely on the fact that the censor hadn’t submitted a single report in three months, yet when he finally did, he used many false and exaggerated statements. He didn’t say anything else. The two censors from the Censorate were very dissatisfied and argued forcefully, even bringing up the matter of Lord Du being promoted beyond his rank. In the end, the emperor left in anger and ordered another round of punishment with the court rod, silencing those in the Censorate. Actually, the emperor’s anger wasn’t just due to this matter…”

Zhang Qian pondered for a moment. Remembering how Zhang Yue had once done him a great favor and considering the special relationship between him and the Zhang family, he decided to speak the truth: “Previously, when Meng Xian exposed the Han King’s misdeeds, several high-ranking officials expressed dissatisfaction, claiming that Meng Xian was plotting against the vassal kings. The Baoding Marquis was under great pressure and thus dared not intercede, which also led to reprimands for the Zhao King. Now, with Lord Du causing all this trouble, many military officials and meritorious generals think it’s an overreaction. If you weren’t the nephew of the Duke of Yingguo, even just those who contributed to the Jingnan Campaign would have made sure you faced consequences.”

Hearing this, Zhang Yue suddenly understood but remained cautious—since the Han King was now stationed in Le’an, did he still have such influence among the military officials in the capital? In other words, were there still so many who favored the Han King, to the point of ignoring solid evidence against him?

Thinking this, he stood up and pretended to be indignant, saying, “But Lord Du has always been impartial. This time, he simply used the military forces from the Military Commission legitimately, not deliberately implicating the Han King!”

“The emperor trusts Lord Du’s character. If he had originally been the crown prince, the Jinyiwei would have taken him back to Beijing, and the emperor’s first move would have been to execute him!” Zhang Qian’s tone suddenly became grave. He continued, “Many meritorious generals and military officials have privately met with the emperor and made their positions clear. Even if the Han King isn’t fit to be the heir, he has still earned countless merits by serving the emperor closely in the past. He can’t be humiliated by civil officials. So, this is actually a conflict between civil and military powers.”

Wasn’t this exaggerating things?

Stunned, Zhang Yue stood there frozen for a long time before regaining his senses. He then bowed deeply to Zhang Qian. If it weren’t for Zhang Qian’s frequent presence by Zhu Di’s side, such reasoning wouldn’t have been possible. One should speak only half the truth when dealing with others. Had it not been for Zhang Qian’s loyalty to the late Concubine Zhang and Zhang Fu, as well as their prior friendship, he would never have revealed such things to him. Fortunately, he hadn’t rashly gone around seeking favors upon returning; otherwise, he would have doomed Du Zhen!

Zhang Qian hadn’t come across Zhang Yue by chance. He had already known he was at the Duke of Yingguo’s residence and took this trip as an opportunity to deliver his message. He quickly helped Zhang Yue up, said a few more words jokingly, and then followed Zhang Yue and Bi Luo to the main house in the Lady Wang’s northern courtyard.

It turned out that Bi Luo’s earlier guess was half correct. Although the doctor hadn’t spread the news around, Lady Deng returned to the palace and, after spreading the word, everyone from top to bottom now knew about it. Though there was nothing inappropriate about this matter, and she herself truly hoped to have another son, Lady Wang still felt displeased by Lady Deng’s actions. However, this time Zhang Qian had come to deliver gifts on behalf of several concubines in the palace, so she naturally couldn’t say much. After thanking him, she ordered Xi Yu to prepare a gift in return. After chatting with Zhang Qian for a while, once everything was ready, she simply instructed Zhang Yue to see him off when he left. As soon as they left, Lady Wang asked Bi Luo what Zhang Qian had said to Zhang Yue in the Wuying Hall. After hearing Bi Luo repeat everything in detail, she frowned thoughtfully. After parting ways with Zhang Qian at the gate of the Duke of Ying’s residence, Zhang Yue mounted his horse and headed straight home. It was already evening, and curfew was approaching; there were very few people on the road. Yet when he and Peng Shisan dismounted at the doorstep, they saw several carriages still parked there. Looking at the sky, he felt puzzled. He stepped forward, called over a servant to ask, and then learned that the Lady of Baoding Marquis was still at home. “The Lady of Baoding Marquis and the eldest miss came together. They’ve been in the main house talking with the old lady since dinner. The third young master is a few steps behind; you might be able to catch up with him by the Chuihua Gate.” Although his eldest sister, Zhang Qing, often returned home, the Lady of Baoding Marquis was rare to see. So upon hearing this, Zhang Yue was puzzled. Walking along the corridor, when he reached the Chuihua Gate after passing through the courtyard, he saw many lanterns lit there, as if someone was seeing someone off. He hurried over quickly. It was Feng Shi and Dong Fang Shi, the sister-in-laws, who came out to see him off. Feng Shi didn’t look around much, but Dong Fang Shi had sharp eyes and spotted Zhang Yue at once. She greeted him with a smile, “Oh, it’s Brother Yue who’s back! What a coincidence!” Lady Lu of Baoding Marquis rarely went out. She had only met Zhang Yue a few times when he stayed at the Baoding Marquis’s residence in Nanjing. Now, seeing Zhang Yue approach to greet her, she examined him carefully under the light of the lanterns for a while before smiling and saying, “It’s true that working outside is hard. Brother Yue seems much thinner than before. Good boy, if not for your hard work, my sister-in-law and nieces and nephews would have suffered greatly this time.”

With Zhang Qian’s earlier reminder, Zhang Yue naturally understood that Marquis Baoding Meng Ying was not the kind to abandon others in trouble—given the circumstances, and since most of it was Meng Xian’s own fault, it wouldn’t be fair to blame Marquis Baoding. Thus, when Lady Lu suddenly expressed her gratitude, he promptly declined, saying he didn’t dare accept it.
“Everyone abandons others in crisis—your youth makes things even harder for you.”
Lady Lu was a typical housewife who didn’t understand the bigger world’s affairs. She found Zhang Yue increasingly satisfactory and thought that if her niece Meng Min could marry him, it would be a perfect match. She took Zhang Yue’s hand and spoke a few more words before remembering it was time to leave. After a brief pause, she invited him, “We should keep in touch more often as family. Your brothers are quite mischievous; spending time with them will help them learn good manners.”
Although he didn’t know how long he could stay in Beijing, since Lady Lu suggested it, Zhang Yue readily agreed. Zhang Qing, who had come along with her mother-in-law, didn’t say much, only reminding Zhang Yue to be careful before helping Lady Lu leave. The people at the door watched as Lady Lu and her entourage departed until the glow of the lanterns faded, after which they turned back inside.
Although Dong Fang was now a second-rank consort, she was always ambitious. She naturally envied Lady Lu, who was around the same age but already a marquis’s wife. After all, even compared to the elderly Lady Gu, her status still paled in comparison. Being highly pragmatic, she grew even more displeased when she remembered how Lady Lu gave equal gifts to all households. When Zhang Yue mentioned the good news from the Duke of Yingguo’s household, she froze briefly before muttering,
“Indeed, good news keeps coming—first it was one of the concubines from my third brother’s household, then one from my husband’s family, and now even the Duchess of Yingguo has news. It seems it’s time for the Zhang family to have more members this year.”
As soon as she finished speaking, a young wife rushed over with a lantern, bowing quickly and shouting, “Second Madam, Concubine Fang is vomiting severely. Second Master says we must hurry and call a doctor!”
“At this late hour, can’t she wait a bit?” Dong Fang’s face twisted in annoyance. Reluctantly, she ordered an older maid to go fetch a doctor, still sneering, “Everyone in this house has had such moments. It’s just that she’s the most troublesome. If she’s like this even before giving birth, imagine how much more so later!”

“Second sister-in-law, since she fell into the water early on and her pregnancy is unstable, it’s only proper to invite a doctor to take a look.” Lady Feng really couldn’t stand Dong Fang’s attitude, so she immediately retorted, “She comes from a noble family after all; we can’t let people laugh at our Zhang family for not even bothering to hire a doctor! Second sister-in-law, you’d better go back to your room right away. I’ll go inform the old lady myself.”
After saying that, she nodded at Zhang Yue, “Brother Yue, the old lady said you should go to the main house in the north courtyard after returning. Let’s go first.”
Seeing Dong Fang’s face turn blue, Zhang Yue really didn’t want to stay and watch her expression. With a nod, he quickly followed Lady Feng and left. He remembered what Feng Yuanming had said after taking her pulse back then.
According to Feng Yuanming, this Lady Fang wasn’t only in good health but likely also very skilled in swimming; otherwise, with a pregnant body when she fell into the water, the baby in her womb would have long been lost. Duke Qian Mu Sheng really played the role of matchmaker well!