Chapter 294: Loyalty and Friendship

The Meng family’s ancestral home was in Haifeng, Shandong, but ever since Meng Shan, the first-generation Marquis of Baoding, entered official service, the family moved away from Haifeng. Yet their ancestral graves and family temple remained, and to this day, many clan members still live in the ancestral house. Now that Meng Xian’s legitimate wife, Lady Wu, had passed away, she naturally had to be buried in Haifeng. Thus, after the seventh day following her death, the family began preparing for the funeral. Heartbroken over the loss of his wife, Meng Xian let the several senior managers sent by the Marquis of Baoding handle all matters, staying in his study most of the time, appearing only when necessary.

All children of the Meng family, whether legitimate or not, were required to observe a three-year mourning period for Lady Wu, while as her husband, Meng Xian only needed to mourn for one year. One day, a rare visitor arrived at the Meng family’s residence. After showing just one token of identification, he was allowed into the study.

At that moment, Meng Xian stared at the beardless old man across from him in the study, his brows furrowed tightly. After a long while, he grunted in dissatisfaction.

“Eunuch Huang, at a time when everyone avoids me like a serpent or scorpion, I am naturally grateful that you came to visit. But with my wife’s body still warm, you come talking about some noble lady—this is too much! Though I, Meng Xian, may not be a perfect gentleman, I’m not so heartless or ungrateful! My wife and I were married young; she was kind and unjealous. She even waited until I returned home before passing away with a smile. I swore before her spirit that I would never remarry in this life!”

Upon hearing this, the old man chuckled harshly, his voice sharp and grating: “Lord Meng, even if your wife knew what was happening below, she surely wouldn’t want you to waste your life like this. Deep marital affection is indeed admirable, but you must also think about your future. The Marquis of Baoding is clearly trying to protect himself—don’t expect him to say a word in your favor. Most of the other military officials are also angry with you. If things go wrong, you might end up as a minor official in Xuanfu for the rest of your life!”

During the Yongle era, the old system of the Hongwu era continued, with eunuchs organized into twelve bureaus and four departments, led by the Bureau of Ceremonial, each headed by senior and junior eunuchs. Even capable figures like Zheng He, who had brought glory to China in the West, ranked second among all the eunuchs in the palace—his seniority not matching that of another man: Huang Yan, the eunuch in charge of the Bureau of Ceremonial. Back when Prince Zhu Di had not yet been granted a fief, Huang Yan had served at his side, watching the three brothers Zhu Gaochi, Zhu Gaoxu, and Zhu Gaosui grow up. He was closest to Zhu Gaosui and also had a good relationship with Meng Xian.

Although he was but a warrior, Meng Xian had, since childhood, strived to surpass his legitimate younger brother Meng Ying by dedicating himself hard to archery and horsemanship as well as putting considerable effort into studying. The study was as large as ten steps on each side, with bookshelves filled to the brim with books. To ease the grief of losing his wife shortly after being released from prison, he had deliberately taken up reading The Analects these past few days. Hearing these words, he immediately threw the book aside.

“The Duke of Yingguo has always been fair in handling affairs. Now that he is training troops in Xuanfu, as long as I handle things diligently, it’s not certain that I can never be reinstated!”

“The Duke of Yingguo?” Huang Yan raised an eyebrow and said darkly, “When I served the emperor, he was just a child. How could I not know his temper? His caution even surpasses that of his father, Zhang Yu. If even the Marquis of Baoding won’t help you, how could he possibly give you a chance to be easily reinstated? Not to mention anything else, the Zhang family and the Meng family are related through marriage. I heard you once intended to marry your daughter to that Zhang Yue—what’s the situation now? Don’t tell me you don’t know that the Zhang family is getting a new bride in today!”

The more he spoke, the more excited he became. He then stood up abruptly, pointed at the stacks of books on the surrounding shelves, and raised his voice: “What’s the use of locking yourself in to read at a time like this? Do you think you can abandon martial arts for literature and become the top scholar? Those tales about ‘houses of gold in books’ are just lies. Once the army is sent out, all these civil officials will be terrified! Those like Fang Xiaoru, who were once in high favor, had their entire families executed, while others like Yang Rong kowtowed in submission. So, no matter what you do, you must have troops at your disposal!”

Even someone as bold as Meng Xian couldn’t help but gasp at these words and slumped back in his armchair. After a long while, as he saw Huang Yan’s piercing gaze fixed on him, he finally spoke in a hoarse voice, “Eunuch Huang, I might as well tell you the truth. Aside from never remarrying in this life, I’m willing to follow your orders on everything else.”

That damned simple-minded fool!

At that moment, Huang Yan was so furious he wanted to beat Meng Xian senseless. In terms of seniority, he far surpassed others in the palace, and in terms of connections, as the eunuch in charge of the Imperial Secretariat, he had control over all the eunuchs in the palace. That’s why he still harbored resentment over Zhu Di’s decision to assign Zheng and Zhang Qian that time. A few days ago, he had racked his brains to get some information from Zhu Di, and then used every trick in the book to avoid being removed from his position in old age. Yet this matter still weighed heavily on him.

He had been sent to Korea eleven times, reaping countless benefits in the process. Seeing that Zhu Di’s suspicion grew ever stronger and realizing he might not meet a good end, he had to find an alternative plan. After all, the crown prince, Zhu Gaochi, was his enemy. It had been he who first reported the Prince of Yan to Zhu Gaochi through a letter meant to sow discord, so his fate would surely be dire if the crown prince ascended the throne. Although Meng Xian was now in decline, the middle-ranking officers and low-ranking soldiers under his command in Changshan still mostly supported him. Moreover, Meng Xian had once had extensive connections; if given a chance to recover, he would be better than those two incompetent commanders in Changshan who only cared about money and not actual work.

Suppressing his anger, he finally decided not to dwell on the issue. Sitting back down, he sighed, “I had originally thought of finding a wealthy family to act as a matchmaker for you, but it seems that’s no longer possible. Spend this year in mourning your deceased wife properly. When you go to Xuanfu, don’t try to take credit for others’ achievements. Zhang Fu is cautious by nature and favors steady, careful people. If you stay low-key, he might remember our old friendship.”

Meng Xian thought of himself as clever, but Huang Yan’s words were like a revelation, helping him grasp some key points. Both of them had been released from the Jinyiwei and had run into that Han King. Du Zhen’s daughter’s marriage was a grand affair, with even the crown prince secretly sending her many gold and silver ornaments. Yet Meng Xian, having lost his wife, was in such despair that few even came to offer condolences.

It turned out it was because he had acted too deliberately!

Thinking about how Huang Yan still came to visit him at such a time and gave him such valuable advice, while his own refusal had been utterly heartless, Meng Xian felt somewhat ashamed. However, his guilt toward Lady Wu made it impossible for him to accept the suggestion of remarrying after a year. After much deliberation, an idea struck him: “Eunuch Huang, rather than acting as a matchmaker for me, why not help my fourth daughter? My wife always doted on her the most. I originally thought… In short, I hope she can get a splendid marriage!”

Your daughter will have to wait three years before she can marry! Huang Yan cursed inwardly but still nodded with a faint smile, then forgot about it as soon as he left. Who knew what would happen in three years? Besides, good families cared either about family background or legitimacy—who would be willing to wait three years? The marriage he suggested for Meng Xian was with the sister of Peng Xu, the commander of the Yulin Front Guard. Her family background wasn’t great, but once Meng Xian married her, he would surely gain control over half of the Yulin Front Guard. How could Meng Min handle such matters?

After pondering the possibility of Meng Xian’s reinstatement, Huang Yan ultimately decided to take drastic action against both Zhu Di and his son, Prince Zhao Zhu Gao Sui. It was infuriating—Zheng He and Zhang Qian had already been ordered to appoint new eunuchs for the Imperial Horse Supervision Office, leaving him with no chance to intervene. Otherwise, wouldn’t all the palace guards be under his control? Why rely on Meng Xian then?

According to ritual customs, before the parents’ graves were buried, filial sons had to live in a simple hut built temporarily against the east wall outside the gate, using mats and pillows for sleep, while daughters only needed a separate quiet room—though the mourning attire was the same for both. During the hundred-day mourning period, Meng’s kitchen continued to supply servants with vegetables, but the household masters could only have porridge. Older and more understanding people might endure it, but the two concubines and several younger children suffered in silence, forcing their trusted maids to secretly hide some treats for them to eat at night.

Though done secretly, the servants were all aware of this. Seeing Meng Min growing thinner day by day with no brightness in her eyes, Hong Xiu grew anxious. That evening, she sneaked into the kitchen and obtained two dates cakes from a familiar cook. But when she finally returned, hiding the food, and placed the dish in front of Meng Min, she saw her shake her head stubbornly.

“Miss, though the rituals require this, if Madam finds out, she surely won’t be at peace,” Hong Xiu pleaded, staring at Meng Min’s plain linen clothes. “I asked the kitchen. It seems someone also secretly brings treats to the two young masters. Otherwise, how could they endure crying day and night?”

Meng Min remained resolute, shaking her head again. Seeing Hong Xiu angrily pick up the dish to leave, she called her back and asked softly, “Please go persuade Doctor Feng again. Tell him what happened before was just a joke. With his help, Mother was able to see Father released from prison. Now no one will blame him. Father even said he would give him money to send him home. If he really had to commit suicide because of Mother’s death, what would become of our Meng family? I can’t personally thank him now that I’m in mourning. Please thank him for me.”

Hearing Meng Min’s words, Hong Xiu felt her heart ache. Gritting her teeth, she said, “Miss, do you still have time to worry about others at a time like this? Do you know that Young Master Yue is getting married to Miss Du today? They…”

“Was that what Eldest Sister said when she came here before?”

Meng Min gently tightened the bamboo staff in her hand, then pulled at her hemp robe and raised her head to ask, “Previously, Sister Du and the three young masters of the Zhang family all came to pay their respects and offer condolences. Now that both families are celebrating, although our family is in mourning, we can’t possibly refuse to send a gift. Since your sister-in-law told you, did she prepare a congratulatory gift on behalf of our family?”
“Miss!” Hong Xiu was truly shocked and angry at that moment. Finally, in frustration, she stamped her foot and said, “The eldest madam did indeed send a gift on our family’s behalf—just a pair of matching rings!”
Volume 8: The Emperor’s Sword
Writing notes by imperial order, silently bringing nourishment. Wearing the Emperor’s Sword at the waist, gracefully heading south to the Jiangnan region.