Chapter 307: The Qilin Robe and the Imperial Sword

“By the decree of the Emperor, entrusted with heaven’s mandate: To govern a nation and uphold righteousness, one must employ capable talents; to secure the state, one must offer sound strategies. Zhang Yue, acting as the deputy magistrate of Qingzhou Prefecture, has been diligent in his duties, upright and pure in character, respectful and kind, and humble as a valley. He previously submitted suggestions regarding salt affairs and led several hundred soldiers to defeat notorious bandits. Despite these merits, he has not yet received recognition. Yet he remains neither arrogant nor impatient, making him an exemplary subject. Hence, he is hereby appointed as a Fifth-Rank Advisor, tasked with overseeing the storage of summer grain in the capital and reporting any instances of corruption. He is also granted a robe of bright red silk gauze and an imperial sword!”

Since the Shen Du and Shen Can brothers were summoned to serve in the court by imperial decree, almost all edicts were drafted by them. Today’s decree was written by Shen Can and finalized by Shen Du—both scholars putting in full effort. The meaning of the decree was clearly stated, but to Zhang Yue, it seemed utterly unbelievable. Even as he kowtowed in gratitude, he was still confused.

Being appointed as an advisor was one thing, but being granted an official robe and sword was rather strange. Moreover, overseeing the storage of summer grain in Nanjing and reporting corruption—what authority did he have for this? He was neither an imperial censor nor a member of the Jinyiwei. What kind of role was this? Furthermore, the decree made no mention of his official duties—what was going on? Had the Cabinet simply allowed such an unreasonable decree to be issued?

Zhang Yue was bewildered, but Lu Feng was not. Seeing Zhang Yue kowtowing in thanks, he closed the decree, which seemed like incomprehensible scripture to him, and solemnly handed it over. After Zhang Yue respectfully accepted it and stood up, Lu Feng gave a slight nod. Cheng Jiu immediately handed the neatly folded bright red silk gauze robe and sword to a servant behind Zhang Yue.

After completing this official matter, Zhang Yue invited him to Ruiqing Hall for tea, to which Lu Feng readily agreed. Once seated, he waved his hand to dismiss Cheng Jiu and the two eunuchs. Seeing Zhang Yue skillfully send away the servants as well, Lu Feng chuckled.

“A sword is given to a hero. In the past, emperors have always granted swords to military officials; it has never happened before that a civil official receives one. You, Lord Zhang, are the first to do so. And this sword is no ordinary one—it was once worn by the emperor himself, has been used to kill and seen blood. It’s not meant for you to display at home; it’s an imperial sword for you to take with you. That decree just now was an official one that went through the Cabinet and the six ministries. But we also have a secret decree for you.”

Seeing Lu Feng take out something resembling a slip of paper from his sleeve, Zhang Yue suddenly understood—more trouble was ahead. After listening to the reading again, his heart pounded wildly; even holding that light piece of paper in his hand, he still felt it was unreal. It wasn’t until Lu Feng explained everything in detail that he truly grasped the emperor’s intentions.

He had thought Zhu Di wanted to send him away from Beijing to avoid trouble at this critical moment, but instead, the emperor had already made up his mind to start lifting the sea ban starting with the Mingzhou Maritime Administration. With this secret order and the sword just bestowed upon him, he could control the eunuch in charge of the Mingzhou Maritime Administration and access all records and accounts. Of course, this power wasn’t unchecked—after all, accompanying him would be Lu Feng, who was about to be promoted to head the Eastern Depot. In other words, this future supervisor would keep an eye on him the whole time.

This was indeed Zhu Di’s way of using people—monitoring one after another, ensuring no one dared to harbor rebellious thoughts.

Ever since he heard he was going to the south, Lu Feng was overjoyed. Back in Qingzhou, he had easily fulfilled the promises he made to those families, taking the gold and silver without any guilt. Now, going to the even richer regions of the south, surely he could reap a huge profit! Last time, Zhang Yue hadn’t interfered in his affairs at all, so this time would likely be no different.

“Lord Zhang, rest assured. This time, when I go to the south, I’ll only act as an eyesore—never speak out of turn. You make all the decisions. If anyone dares to oppose you, I’ll handle it for you!”

Perhaps recalling the oppression he had suffered in the past, Lu Feng’s smile turned somewhat sinister, his voice becoming thinner and sharper: “Don’t underestimate the Mingzhou Maritime Administration. The eunuch in charge is Wang Darong, a close confidant of the Grand Eunuch Huang from the Court of Rites. He must have paid Huang a considerable amount of silver each year—what he’s done in secret is beyond knowing. Fortunately, no one knows you’re targeting him. Let’s first pay respects to the Crown Prince and Grand Prince in Nanjing, then take our time dealing with him!”

To write those articles, Zhang Yue had studied countless classics during the preparations for the marriage and consulted Du Zhen about many of the dynasty’s systems. The three major maritime administrations in Mingzhou, Quanzhou, and Guangzhou were all closed during the Hongwu era and reopened only during the Yongle era. Zhu Di appointed eunuchs as supervisors, turning the so-called maritime administrators into mere puppets. So, seeing Lu Feng’s vengeful attitude now, he didn’t pay much attention.

After all, it was dogs fighting—what was there to be surprised about?

Faced with Zhang Yue’s straightforward attitude, Lu Feng was extremely pleased. He quickly decided to speak openly: “Lord Zhang, there’s something our family must tell you, so you won’t make a mistake. The reason your suggestions became so widely known is entirely because of that old scoundrel Huang Yan. When our family sent things to Renshou Palace, he intercepted them and checked a few pages. Having been in the palace for so long, he’s probably not as illiterate as us and must have figured out something. Because of this, the emperor took his anger out on the maids serving in Renshou Palace, beating to death seven or eight of them. In truth, they were just scapegoats!”
Although Zhang Yue had already received definite news, he immediately put on an expression of surprise. Pretending to be eager, he asked for details. He couldn’t help but curse angrily before expressing his feelings again. Only after seeing Lu Feng leave satisfied did he finally sigh in relief and head back inside.
At this moment, the incense altar in the courtyard had been removed, but the servants coming and going still remembered the grand occasion earlier, looking at Zhang Yue with reverence. Preoccupied, Zhang Yue paid no attention to those intense gazes and kept his head down, walking straight to the northern courtyard of the Gu family. As soon as he entered, several young girls surrounded him, cheering and congratulating him. Finally, Bai Fang stepped out from behind the curtain and called out, “The old lady is still waiting for the third young master to come in and respond. Don’t just focus on getting congratulations and rewards!”
At those words, the group of girls stuck out their tongues and scattered. Zhang Yue wouldn’t argue with a group of twelve- or thirteen-year-old girls, so he stepped over the threshold beside Bai Fang and entered the house. Glancing around, he found the room wasn’t as crowded as he had expected. Lady Gu sat smiling in the east corner, while Du Wan, dressed in a jade-colored pleated jacket and silver-red armor, stood beside her, talking. There was only Bai Fang behind them.
“Our loyal emperor’s minister has returned!”
Lady Gu joked with a smile. When she saw Zhang Yue approaching to bow, she immediately bent down to pull him up. “With this imperial edict arriving today, I wonder how many people’s hearts it has calmed. Just now, they were buzzing around me nonstop. I got annoyed and sent them away. You kept that eunuch Lu around for so long—there must be other instructions. Those are matters of state, and I don’t want to ask too much.”

I only have one piece of advice for you: since this is an unprecedented act of imperial grace, you must be extremely cautious. As for who from your entourage needs what and how much money is required, just go to the treasury to claim it. I don’t know how long your trip to the south will take. My point is, Wan’er, your new bride has yet to meet her father-in-law—why not take her with you to Nanjing? What do you think?”

Hearing Lady Gu’s words, Du Wan couldn’t help lifting her head, only to meet Zhang Yue’s gaze. Seeing him nod at her with a smile, she curled her lips slightly but advised, “Madam, the emperor has personally sent him to the south. What would it look like if I followed? It would be better if I selected a few suitable people to go to Nanjing first. That way, it won’t draw attention and I can still fulfill my filial duties.”

“I was just thinking that as a newlywed couple, you two are inseparable,” said Lady Gu teasingly, though inwardly satisfied. She then said to Zhang Yue, “Your wife is both filial and thoughtful, always considering your well-being. I wonder what good deeds you must have done in past lives to deserve such fortune. Those few days, she was made to work like a clerk—her wrists even swelled—yet she never complained in front of me. She deserves half the credit for your promotion this time; be sure to thank your virtuous wife properly.”

Zhang Yue smiled in agreement. When he returned to his room from the north courtyard, he sat down on the warm kang and curiously unfolded the splendidly embroidered red robe. Upon recognizing the patterns on it, he gasped in shock. Du Wan, sitting across from him, also saw it clearly and raised her eyebrows.

“Only officials of rank four or higher are allowed to wear red. Isn’t this reward from the emperor too eye-catching? Also, why would he suddenly bestow a sword on you?”

At that moment, Qiu Hen came out of the inner room. Hearing this, she asked curiously, “Young mistress, is this robe very expensive? I remember when the eldest young master won a great victory in the martial trials, the emperor also rewarded him. Is it strange that he rewards our young master too?”

Seeing Zhang Yue’s thoughtful expression, Du Wan explained to Qiu Hen, “This isn’t an ordinary official robe; it’s a Qilin robe worn only by dukes, marquises, and earls. According to our dynasty’s rules, wearing it incorrectly is a grave offense. Besides dukes, marquises, and earls, this robe is occasionally bestowed upon military officials, but mostly on middle-ranking officials sent on special missions or stationed abroad. As for others…”

Setting the robe aside, Zhang Yue said with a wry smile, “If I’m not mistaken, I’m the first.”

Qiu Hen seemed to understand half of it, only grasping the three words “the first.” She was instantly both shocked and delighted: “So that means the young master is truly extraordinary—something others don’t have but he does? The second madam often talks about dignity and honor; this is truly remarkable dignity and honor—everyone will stare at him if he wears it outside.”

At that moment, Ling Xi and Hu Bo, who had followed behind hearing the noise, felt both annoyed and amused. They quickly pulled Qiu Hen back. Soon, words like “A tree that stands out in the forest will surely be uprooted by the wind” could be heard from inside, causing Zhang Yue and Du Wan to smile at each other. After chatting for a while, Zhang Yue turned his attention to the sword, which had no unnecessary decorations like gold or jade inlays. It suddenly seemed familiar to him, so he grabbed it and pulled it out in an instant.

Although it was daytime, the room lit by oil lamps was still dim, making the brilliant light from the sword extremely dazzling. Though it wasn’t yet suitable for cutting anything with an imperial sword, just by looking at its extremely thin blade, its cold gleam, and the small notches on it, Zhang Yue could conclude that much of what Lu Feng had said was true. And then, he finally remembered where that strange sense of similarity came from.