Chapter 296: Writing Notes by Imperial Order, Husband and Wife Discuss Together
Zhu Di was not a particularly tolerant emperor, but compared to his father, Emperor Hongwu Zhu Yuanzhang, he was at least extremely lenient toward meritorious officials. Since his ascension to the throne, many of those granted titles of duke, marquis, or earl for their contributions during the Jingnan Campaign had become corrupt or offended him in some way. Some were imprisoned or exiled to distant places, but most were soon reinstated with a simple imperial edict and continued to enjoy his favor.
However, civil officials could not be compared to these meritorious officials, especially those who served in the imperial court—such roles were extremely arduous, often involving imprisonment by the Jinyiwei, and their fate rested entirely in the emperor’s hands. Of course, exceptions did exist.
When Nanjing was conquered, many former officials of the Jianwen regime served the new dynasty, while others perished in cases like that of Fang Xiaoru. Yet most chose to retire to the countryside and avoid serving in government. Although Zhu Di summoned some of them, he was not as forceful as Zhu Yuanzhang had been in recruiting scholars from the Jiangnan region. If they refused, he did not insist, allowing Du Zhen to hide for over a decade without endangering his family. Now, in the 17th year of the Yongle era, even those loyal to the old regime knew everything had settled. Even if they remained faithful to Emperor Jianwen Zhu Yunwen, most eventually allowed their descendants to pursue official careers.
For those hoping for a successful political career, the imperial examinations were still two years away, so the provincial recommendations right before their eyes were much more appealing. After another round of calls for honest advice, Zhu Di issued an edict ordering provincial administrative offices to recommend virtuous commoners over forty years old who were well-versed in classics, history, and current affairs to come to Beijing for evaluation, with the aim of appointing them as provincial officials. This edict caused a stir throughout the court and the public, and the previous decree gradually fell into neglect.
Du Zhen was appointed as a lecturer in the Hanlin Academy. A provincial governor ranked at the second rank could either head the Censorate or serve as a high-ranking official in one of the six ministries upon returning to the capital. From this perspective, being demoted from a second-rank provincial governor to a fifth-rank lecturer in the Hanlin Academy could indeed be considered a demotion. Yet everyone aware of the situation knew that Du Zhen had previously been a fifth-rank lecturer in the Hanlin Academy. Being promoted to provincial governor was already an advancement, so this so-called demotion was merely a change from “lecturer” to “speaker”—essentially returning to his original position after a detour. Rather than a demotion, it could be seen as a sign of continued imperial favor.
On this day, Zhu Di, who had moved to Renshou Palace, as usual listened to several cabinet ministers report on government affairs. Just as it was coming to an end, a young eunuch suddenly entered through a side door and stood at attention beside him. Only after Yang Rong, Jin Youzi, and the others left did he step forward, take something out of his sleeve, kneel down, and present it with both hands, declaring loudly, “Your Majesty, Zhang Yue has sent a letter to the Tongzhengsi.”
“Zhang Yue? Sent it again?”
Zhu Di raised his eyebrows, immediately recalling Du Zhen, who had just returned to the Hanlin Academy a few days earlier and even drafted an edict for him. Thinking of how that stern man remained as useful as ever, he couldn’t help but smile and say, “I never thought that even during his honeymoon, when he should be deeply in love, he would still keep sending letters. He does seem to know his duties. If he had no ambition at all, I might as well issue an order to set him free! Bring it here; I want to see what he’s written this time.”
No one in the main hall dared to speak in response to his muttering. The young eunuch quickly stood up, bowed deeply, and hurried forward to respectfully place the letter on the imperial desk before retreating silently. While Zhu Di was bent over reading the letter, the two eunuchs serving him exchanged a glance and then lowered their heads again.
“‘The Master said, “Wealth and rank are things people desire, but if not obtained through proper means, one should not possess them. Poverty and low status are things people dislike, but if not avoided through proper means, one should not abandon them. If a gentleman abandons benevolence, how can he gain a good reputation? A gentleman never violates benevolence, even in urgent situations or times of hardship.” He then said, “A gentleman loves wealth but acquires it through proper means. But what are proper means of acquiring wealth? The state relies on taxes, eight or nine-tenths of which come from farmers—this is the usual way. Yet how many farmers are there in the world, and how many are not?””
Upon reading this, Zhu Di couldn’t help but laugh in amazement. He had merely joked about having Zhang Yue read The Analects, but this guy kept producing elaborate essays over and over again—quite interesting indeed. Since there was nothing to lean on on the throne, he simply stood up, took the letter, and went straight to the back hall, where he sat down on a grand chair covered with a brocaded cushion, resting his head back as he read carefully. At first, he was somewhat amused, but as he read on, his smile faded, and he began tapping gently on the armrest with his finger, lost in thought.
Worried about her husband and daughter left in Nanjing, Sun Shi began packing to return even though Zhang Yue had been married for just half a month. Early that day, she sent letters to the Tongzhengsi, and remembering that her mother would go to the Tongzhou dock by boat in the afternoon, Zhang Yue hurried back home. He dismounted in front of the west gate, tossed the reins to a servant who came out to greet him, and rushed inside. When he reached the west courtyard, he found no one there; learning that Sun Shi was at her own place, he hurried over there immediately.
“Mother, are your things ready?”
Sun Shi was giving instructions to Du Wan while holding her hand. Hearing this voice, she quickly turned around. Seeing it was Zhang Yue, she smiled and said, “It’s just some daily clothes—three boxes in total. They’ve already been packed. There are many rules and intrigues in this large house. Take good care of your wife and don’t let her fall victim to others’ schemes. Since you don’t have to handle affairs for now, spend more time with her.”
Du Wan had initially been worried about her mother-in-law’s temper. After spending half a month with Sun Shi, she was glad to have met such a kind and gentle woman. Hearing these words, she felt warm inside and immediately smiled, saying, “Mother, don’t worry about me. Aside from going to the main house to talk to the old lady, I don’t get involved in other matters. There are no intrigues at all. And he isn’t really ignoring things either; he even discussed an article with me yesterday…”
“Good, good. I know that after marriage, the husband and wife should support each other.” The more Sun Shi watched the young couple, the happier she became. She reached out and joined Zhang Yue and Du Wan’s hands together. “Now that the master and I are not here, everything depends on you two. In short, live well and give me a healthy son soon!”
Seeing Du Wan still blushing, Zhang Yue chuckled to himself. Just as he was about to give a perfunctory reply to Sun Shi’s usual lines, a clear voice came from outside, “Third madam is right. Maybe by the time you return from Nanjing next time, it will be time to hold a grandson! Look, the kitchen just steamed ginkgo cakes for grandchildren. The old lady immediately ordered the servants to bring them over.”
As they spoke, the three of them saw Bai Fang coming in, holding a tray. Hearing this auspicious news, Sun Shi’s face lit up. She quickly took the tray and placed it on the kang table, then lifted the lid. Without needing to say more, Zhang Yue quickly took a piece and put it in his mouth, then clapped his hands and said, “I’ve already eaten some. Should that be enough to ensure many children in the future? Bai Fang, go back and tell the old lady I’ll go thank her soon. Mother, you should also go back to your room and get ready, so you don’t forget anything.”
Madam Sun gave Du Wan a meaningful look, then showed an understanding expression as she hurriedly called Bai Fang to go with her. In her heart, she admired those three girls who had managed to avoid trouble at critical moments. After leaving, seeing that her son and daughter-in-law still wanted to see them off, she had no choice but to send them back. It was only after the peach-red silk door curtain gently fell that she turned around.
“Third Madam, this time we really must congratulate you. Everyone in the household is praising you now. Not only is Third Lady beautiful, but more importantly, she has a kind temperament—she even surpasses the First Lady, who is usually the one praised by the old lady.”
“That’s just flattery. She’s still young; how can she compare to my son’s wife?”
Though she said this, Madam Sun was extremely proud inside. Although her son was good, and her daughter-in-law was strong from another family, these past few days she had grown to like her daughter-in-law more and more. She also noticed that Lady Gu seemed to respect Du Wan as well, which made her feel at ease to set off early. After all, her son’s side was secure, but who knew what might happen with her husband’s side?
Zhang Yue naturally had no idea that while his mother was pleased with his daughter-in-law, she was worried about his father’s situation. Returning to the kang and sitting down, he discussed with Du Wan the article they had just submitted, joking about the suspicion of those officials in the Department of State Affairs: “In all of Beijing, there are probably only a few people with the authority to submit direct memorials. This time, I’m truly using a tiger’s skin as a banner, ordered to read the Analects and write letters. Luckily, you helped revise it again yesterday; otherwise, if I had forgotten to avoid that certain character, all our efforts would have been in vain.”
Recalling that she had originally gone to the study to bring some snacks but was instead pulled in by Zhang Yue to help revise the article, Du Wan couldn’t help but smile. On her first day after marriage, although she received gifts, she also had to give away many embroidered items. At that time, she felt quite guilty—except for a few simple pieces, everything else was done with the help of Chunying and a few maids. Fortunately, no one made things difficult for her. She had planned to practice diligently after marriage, but today the old lady asked her to copy Buddhist scriptures, and tomorrow her sister-in-law asked her to check the accounts. In short, she hardly had any free time. The only day she was free was yesterday, but it was wasted on this task assigned by Zhang Yue.
However, now wasn’t the time to think about such things. Du Wan had grown up at home with her mother and, due to their family’s circumstances, had also managed the farm’s output, so she knew something about rural life. As for things she didn’t understand, Zhang Yue would explain them to her one by one. Yet, regarding the article her husband had just submitted, she was still worried: “Although the emperor trusts you greatly, you’re still young. This set of notes deals with such important matters—will the emperor blame you?”
“If I do nothing, the Emperor will be displeased,” said Zhang Yue as he pulled Du Wan into the room to the west and had her sit down at the desk. Then, as if by magic, he produced another letter. “Since I’m ordered to read The Analects, it would be boring if I used the same old methods as everyone else. I need to come up with something new. Including this one, I’ve already delivered three letters in total. As the saying goes, subtle influence works best—surely the Emperor must be moved. My virtuous wife has profound knowledge; could you please check if there are any mistakes in my wording?”
Since he already called her virtuous wife, how could she refuse? Du Wan gave Zhang Yue a sideways glance but still carefully began to read it. The household affairs of this large mansion were under the control of the Dongfang family, and she neither had the chance nor the desire to interfere. If she could help Zhang Yue, that would be best of all.