Chapter 266: Thunderous Force

The plan for a year lies in spring, and the plan for a day lies in the morning. Ordinary people must rise early to start their day’s work, while even the wealthy cannot sleep in until they naturally wake up—servants in charge of cleaning and shopping get up early, and those who attend to their masters are also alert, getting up at the proper time to prepare and serve. Even the masters of various houses rarely have the luxury of sleeping in; some must rise early to attend court, some to pay respects to their elders, some to study, and some to manage affairs… The mornings at the Zhang household are also busy.

Zhang Yue had always had the habit of rising early. That morning, after washing up, he went to the courtyard in front of the outer study to practice martial arts with Peng Shisan for half an hour, then read for another half hour in the study. Thinking that his grandmother, Lady Gu, must have gotten up as well, he went to the north courtyard to greet her, before returning to his own room for breakfast. After that, Zhang Jiu came to ask him questions about his studies. By the end of this busy morning, before he could even catch his breath, a messenger came to say that Rong Shan, the steward of the Duke of Ying’s household, wanted to see him.

When he went to the outer study again to meet the guest, he noticed Rong Shan looking extremely tired, which puzzled him. Upon learning that the man had traveled back and forth to Xuanfu in just four days and that he was limping, he realized how exhausting such a journey must have been, and he felt grateful. After hearing Rong Shan repeat Zhang Fu’s words, he quickly bowed deeply in thanks.

Rong Shan had rushed back and forth on horseback, causing his skin to wear out, and he still felt a dull pain. But seeing Zhang Yue’s gesture, he hurriedly stepped back, not daring to accept further thanks: “Young Master Yue, I was merely acting on my wife’s orders. This is just my duty. You’re not being kind to me by doing this!”

“Uncle Rong, at your age, traveling back and forth to Xuanfu just to deliver messages must have been very tiring. Of course, I should thank you. In fact, if my uncle had a message, he could have sent someone to take me to the Duke of Ying’s household. You really didn’t need to make this trip yourself; you should have rested at home first.”

Hearing Zhang Yue say this, Rong Shan felt that the trip had been worthwhile and smiled, saying, “Though I’m old, my strength is still sufficient. I just returned early this morning. My wife ordered me to come here first to see Young Master Yue, so that I could convey those messages to the master sooner. My wife has been acting strangely lately—there was no reaction before, but now she often can’t sleep at night and feels extremely sleepy during the day. So even if you go to the Duke of Ying’s household, it’s unlikely you’ll see her. It’s better that I make this trip.”

After thinking for a moment, he repeated to Zhang Yue the words he had first instructed Lady Wang with, explaining that Xi Yu had already started handling it and asking Zhang Yue to get ready. Extremely tired, he finished saying everything that needed to be said before taking his leave, his steps already a bit unsteady as he left. Zhang Yue quickly ordered Lian Sheng and Lian Hu outside to help support him, then stood at the door watching him go before returning to the study.

Although Rong Shan implied that he didn’t need to visit Lady Wang, having received such a favor from her, he couldn’t be so shameless as to show no gratitude. He selected a piece of antique Chengxin Hall paper from the box and personally ground ink in a inkstone, then picked up his pen and began writing swiftly. After writing “prostrate in deep reverence a hundred times,” he sealed the letter and went to the warehouse to find the steward Gao Quan. He chose a few local specialties brought back by Ling Xi and the others from Shandong and, along with the letter, had two reliable attendants send them to the Duke of Ying’s residence.

Just two days later, Zhang Yue received an imperial edict at home—though he was prepared for it, the actual edict had a much greater impact than Zhu Di’s casual remarks. Zhu Di had initially mentioned execution by severe punishment, but the documents accompanying the edict listed 423 people to be executed, including over 300 stationed at the border. The only relief was that those he had eliminated under the pretense of being insiders were not punished, but even that was astonishing enough.

The eunuch delivering the edict this time was not Zhang Qian, but Lu Feng, the young eunuch who had summoned Zhang Yue into the palace earlier. He had a few moles on his forehead and a high-pitched, bright voice. After delivering the required words, he said with a smile, “Lord Zhang, you are an imperial envoy this time. I am sent by the Emperor, along with 500 soldiers from the capital garrison. When passing through Jinan Prefecture, we will also investigate cases of dereliction of duty by the provincial administration. I heard that if it weren’t for the malfeasance of the provincial administration, Lord Du wouldn’t have been imprisoned by the Jinyiwei. This is a good chance for Lord Zhang to get your revenge.”

Previously he had referred to himself as “young,” but now he called himself “I.” His tone carried both a reminder and an implication. How could Zhang Yue not realize that Lu Feng was an ambitious man? Recalling that Yuan Fei had sent word through someone before, and that Zhu Di had already ordered the establishment of the Dongji Factory, the notorious Eastern Depot, he naturally began to make plans.

Some matters inevitably fell on Lu Feng, a young man who had just been promoted to the position of Left Junior Supervisor of the Fourth-Rank Imperial Surveillance Agency!

As he was acting under imperial orders, Zhang Yue had already prepared all his belongings in advance. So when Lu Feng said they should set off immediately, he promptly had his servants load all the suitcases and luggage onto the carriage. After bidding farewell to his grandmother, Lady Gu, he mounted the horse and set off with Lu Feng. Compared to his last departure from the capital with the Meng family, this time’s grandeur could be described in a twisted poem—leaving the capital with earth-shattering momentum, carrying out orders to kill by imperial decree.

Since Liu Sheng was now in charge of the capital’s military forces, and Lady Wang had sought out Liu Sheng’s wife as advised by Zhang Fu, the soldiers accompanying them were all elite warriors—none weak, old, sick, or disabled. They included archers, musketeers, and everything else needed. When the group boarded a ship in Tongzhou, the port workers were shocked to see such a group of fierce soldiers and even forgot to help unload goods from other ships. They didn’t relax until the three official ships sailed away.

Because of these three official ships, the grain ships and other vessels on the canal were delayed for a long time before they could dock one by one. Everyone on the ships was talking about those formidable capital soldiers. On one of the ships approaching the shore, Du Wan supported her mother, Lady Qiu, on the deck at the bow. It wasn’t until the three official ships were out of sight that she spoke up, “Mother, let’s go inside and pack our things.”

“That man on the bow must be Yuan Jie. I’m sure of it,” said Lady Qiu, not taking her eyes off him and frowning tightly. “If I calculate correctly, Yuan Jie has been back in Beijing for less than a month. Weren’t they saying he was also a criminal? How did he suddenly leave the capital? It’s all because we wasted so much time in Jinan Prefecture. Indeed, there are more people who take advantage of others in trouble than those who offer help. Those people even resorted to despicable tactics, almost rummaging through our luggage!”

Du Wan sighed inwardly—her father, as the Right Governor, had been upright and honest, but the officials in the governor’s office thought he held leverage over them and set their sights on her and her mother. If it weren’t for her racking her brains to escape, it would have been difficult for them to leave Jinan Prefecture. Yet who would have thought that after finally returning to Tongzhou, they would have to watch Zhang Yue leave with such a grand display?

What exactly was happening in Beijing?

Zhang Yue was unaware that he had passed by Lady Qiu and her daughter Du Wan. The official boat moved down the canal at a moderate pace. Though he wasn’t the type to seek attention, Lu Feng was extremely proud of himself. During the Hongwu era, a strict rule was established prohibiting eunuchs from interfering in politics. Yet since that time, first Zheng and Zhang Qian, and later other high-ranking eunuchs, had been sent out of the capital on imperial orders. All the palace eunuchs regarded such assignments as the greatest opportunities. Coupled with a rumor he had heard earlier, his ambition grew even stronger.

If he could indeed secure the lucrative position of head eunuch at the Eastern Investigation Bureau, his power would surely rival that of a commander of the Jinyiwei! In his mind, stopping in every county along the way was the way to demonstrate the authority of an emperor’s close attendant. However, this fervent ambition was shattered by a simple remark from Zhang Yue.

“Eunuch Lu, aside from the officials outside, there are countless inner and outer officials in the capital watching us.”

Although showing off was inherent in eunuchs, Lu Feng, who was determined to climb the ranks, was certainly not foolish. Realizing it would be unwise to show off at this moment and risk being reported, he immediately extinguished his ambition. Even without Zhang Qian’s connections, just because Zhang Yue was the nephew of the Duke of Yingguo and had five hundred soldiers under his command, Lu Feng didn’t dare ignore his words. From then on, he treated Zhang Yue with exaggerated courtesy.

Seeing others eager to please him, Zhang Yue naturally seized this opportunity. By the time the official boat reached Dongchang Prefecture, their relationship had evolved from indifferent to very close.

Although Zhang Yue held only a sixth-rank position while Lu Feng was a fourth-rank official, Lu Feng still showed humility when disembarking. Only when Zhang Yue insisted on staying behind did he leave triumphantly first. Upon seeing that only a few officials from the provincial administration had come to greet them, he became furious. Clutching the imperial edict hidden in his sleeve, he felt reassured.

That Lady Du had almost eradicated the White Lotus cult bandits within a year of arriving, yet these people not only failed to notice anything but even turned against her, thinking the emperor was such an easily deceived fool? Last time, the assassination attempt on the Prince of Han led to the downfall of many officials from the inspection department; now it was the turn of these people from the provincial administration!

Zhang Yue, who was slightly behind, noticed Lu Feng’s subtle actions, confirming his earlier suspicions. His task was to commit murder, not to investigate any charges of negligence or dereliction of duty at the provincial administration—this must be a task specifically assigned to Lu Feng. Having spent time with Lu Feng, he used a few clever tactics to learn everything about him.

At that time, there was still no good policy promoting literacy among the eunuchs during the Xuande era; Lu Feng, like most eunuchs in the palace, was illiterate. It was much easier to control such people than those who could read and understand reason. Just as he had thought, once in power, Lu Feng acted without much hesitation. After arriving in Jinan Prefecture by land, he immediately took out the imperial edict—more out of memorization than actual reading—and proudly dismissed a total of seven officials, from the Left Governor Zhang Hai down to various advisory officials. Unlike Zhu Di’s furious dismissal of the officials from the Censorate, the newly appointed officials who came by land arrived at the Jinan inn the day before, striking with great force.