Chapter 325: The Emperor’s Grace

“By the decree of the Emperor, acting under heaven’s mandate, starting from next year, sea vessels shall be permitted to set sail from Ningbo Prefecture to trade in the East and West. All ships entering or leaving must first register at the Ningbo Maritime Office to obtain official permits; upon returning, they must also stay at the departure point. Those who violate this rule shall be punished.”
Though it was merely a brief statement, it caused a tremendous stir in the Ming Dynasty at that time. The sea ban had been in place for nearly fifty years, and before that, the country had been in chaos amid wars—no one thought about doing business overseas. Even those famous port cities from the Song and Yuan dynasties, and even the oldest elders, could no longer recall scenes of merchant ships coming and going. All they could remember were the magnificent depictions of treasure ships setting sail.
The common people might forget, and the populace might be confused, but officials could not stand by idly. While petitions opposing this policy used to pour into the Bureau of State Affairs like snowflakes, now they were like a torrential rainstorm, filling half of the bureau’s room. Sorting through them daily required a great deal of effort. What troubled the officials most was that some clerks from the Wenyuan Pavilion privately revealed that these petitions had already been dealt with by cabinet officials—the Emperor hadn’t even looked at them!
Zhu Di was too lazy to bother with these, but he read carefully the note sent by Zhang Yue. Although he received this note after issuing the decree, getting such a document at a time when there was constant debate in the court was somewhat comforting.
At that moment, under the pretext of suffering from wind-disease and resting at home, he sat leisurely on a rattan chair covered with thick furs, reviewing those meticulous handwriting again. As he read, he pondered deeply, his brows tightening and relaxing alternately, his index finger gently tapping the armrest, looking deeply thoughtful.
He naturally knew that neither Japan nor Korea, nor the countries in Southeast Asia, were skilled at building sea ships. Thus, when Japan and Korea sent envoys for tribute and trade, they mostly used the few sea ships bestowed by the Ming Dynasty. Envoys from Southeast Asia often came along with treasure ships. Though they claimed to be there for tribute, they were actually after the rewards from the court. Even knowing this, upon reading Zhang Yue’s blunt words, he couldn’t help but frown and scold him as audaciously bold.

However, there were detailed analyses of the subsequent measures taken to open the Ningbo maritime administration, as well as the possible changes in the attitudes of various countries, including the number of tribute envoys. Even Zhu Di, who was unaware this was a feasibility study report, deeply appreciated such a document, which was more focused, detailed, and clear than the previous submissions. He had previously only sent those documents to the Eastern Palace without showing them to anyone else, but now he intended to share this one and see the ministers’ reactions.

Knowing it was Zhang Yue’s work, it would at most cause more turmoil. The boy was no longer in Nanjing, and those civil officials couldn’t catch him anyway—let them argue then!

Glancing at the courtiers and eunuchs standing around, Zhu Di ordered in a deep voice, “Someone, summon Shen Du, the Hanlin Academician!”

Shen Du, in his sixties, was no longer young. Though a Hanlin Academician, he mostly handled copying rather than drafting imperial edicts, and it was unclear how many official documents had come from his pen. When summoned to Renshou Palace and told that he would be copying Zhang Yue’s writings, he felt a strange sense of absurdity.

A few years earlier, when they first met, he, his brother Shen Can, and Yang Shiqi had argued for quite some time over Zhang Yue’s courtesy name, witnessing his gradual rise from nothing. Although he thought his disciple Du Zhen was quite good, who would have imagined that such a young man would eventually stir the greatest upheaval in the court?

Though Shen Du was somewhat skeptical about lifting the maritime ban, he showed no sign of it. After sitting down in the inner chamber, he dipped his brush in thick ink and began writing the first character on paper. At first, he thought it was just an ordinary memorial, but as more pages were filled and he learned more about its content, he gradually became moved. After finishing the last character, he rubbed his sore wrist and couldn’t help but pick up the stack of drafts to read them carefully.

“I asked you to copy it so that others could see it.”

Shen Du, who had been reading intently, suddenly heard this voice. He quickly raised his head and saw Zhu Di standing in front of him without him noticing. He promptly put down the stack of papers, bowed deeply, but did not speak rashly. Sure enough, he soon heard the emperor order him to stand up, followed by another set of instructions.

“There are several more drafts like today’s. You’re getting old; just finish transcribing this one for today. Come back day by day to copy more and send them out tomorrow. There are many memorials piled up at the Department of State Affairs these days, and many more sent to the Cabinet. But do you know why not a single one reaches my desk? These people keep talking about the laws established by our ancestors. Even when they offer counterexamples, it’s all old talk with nothing new. None of them are as thoughtfully considered as Zhang Yue. How can I then revoke my previous orders?”
Shen Du left with a heavy heart, but at that moment, the eunuch in charge of ceremonies, Huang Yan, entered Renshou Palace. Since Zheng He and Zhang Qian were fully occupied with personnel matters in the four departments, eight bureaus, and twelve agencies, Huang Yan, having nothing to do, often hung around Zhu Di. Relying on the fact that he was one of the few remaining elders from the Yan Kingdom’s days, he would pretend to be clueless and bring up old stories, naturally stirring Zhu Di’s nostalgia and thus strengthening their master-slave relationship a bit more.
“Your Majesty.”
Zhu Di, who was walking back and forth in the warm pavilion, suddenly heard this voice. He turned his head and saw Huang Yan lifting the corner of his robe as if to kneel. Annoyed, he snapped, “You old fool! The New Year is approaching, and the envoys from Joseon have already arrived. The Ministry of Rites is handling them. You don’t go to help out? You never care about the affairs of this department but only come to me! Get up! I can’t stand seeing you tremble and insist on kneeling. You’re not even that old yet, acting like someone in their seventies or eighties!”
Huang Yan had already anticipated Zhu Di’s thoughts. Seizing the opportunity, he stood up straight and said with a smile, “How could this old servant compare to Your Majesty’s vigor? Of course, I’m old and useless now. I’m not here to disturb Your Majesty for no reason. The Imperial Concubine just ordered that something be sent to the Duke of Yingguo’s residence, so I’ve come to report it. The Duke of Yingguo has finally had descendants, but he’s still stationed in Xuanfu. With the New Year approaching in just over a month, it seems unfair to treat him the same as other meritorious officials when it comes to rewards.”
“Hmm, if it weren’t for you old fool reminding me, I might have forgotten.”
Zhu Di had been busy with lifting the maritime ban these days. Although someone had reported the Duke of Yingguo’s new family member before, he had quickly forgotten about it. After pondering for a while, he ordered that, in addition to the usual rewards given to meritorious officials, one purple mink coat, one strong bow, six fine horses from the Oirats, and twenty bolts of palace silk with auspicious patterns be added.

Huang Yan repeated what he heard, and by the end he was beaming with joy, as if it were he who had received the reward. Finally, he joked, “The only son of the Duke of Yingguo is destined to become the next Duke from the moment he is born, so there’s no need for further favors. In fact, the emperor’s kindnesses to him have already been countless. It’s not that this old servant is talking nonsense—throughout history, there has never been anyone like the emperor in treating his meritorious subjects. No wonder all the noble families are striving hard to train their descendants; it’s all about the abilities of their heirs!”

When it came to treating meritorious subjects well, Zhu Di always claimed to be number one. Not to mention Emperor Gaozu of Han, Liu Bang, and his own father, even the famous Emperor Taizong of Tang eliminated many meritorious subjects. He sent these subjects to guard the borders while also assigning eunuchs as supervisors there to keep them in check. In this way, he made good use of those who had helped him conquer the country.

Yet, what he wanted even more was for the descendants of these meritorious subjects to succeed. Huang Yan’s words undoubtedly touched a sensitive point. Thinking that Zhang Yue was also a “descendant of a meritorious subject,” he became even more enthusiastic. Just as he was about to bestow more rewards, he suddenly remembered that he had already given everything he should have given earlier. After pondering for a long time, he suddenly recalled that he had met Zhang Yue’s brothers during his incognito visit to the Marquis of Wu’an’s residence.

“Zhang You’s two sons are now serving in the imperial guard, and Zhang Yue himself is already a fifth-rank official. I do remember that Zhang Jiu, the eldest grandson of the Zhang family, has not yet entered official service. Zhang Xin will still be in Jiaozhi for some time. Well then, I shall issue an order to grant Zhang Jiu the status of a supervised student.”

Although his earlier words were clearly motivated by ulterior motives, Huang Yan couldn’t possibly imagine that Zhu Di suddenly developed affection for Zhang Yue’s family. He disapproved deeply in his heart but pretended to agree with a smile, praising the emperor in various ways.

Taking advantage of Zhu Di’s great joy, he said cheerfully, “The emperor has just bestowed a sable fur cloak on the Duke of Yingguo. This old servant then remembers that the emperor once gave Zhang Yue one just like it. What was the reason back then… Ah, it was because the emperor praised him for knowing proper etiquette and not taking advantage of the emperor’s private visit to criticize Prince Shouguang. When he returns from his mission in the south, wearing that sable fur cloak over his qilin robe and carrying the emperor’s sword… Tsk tsk, who wouldn’t say that the emperor’s grace is boundless!”

As emperor, Zhu Di had no idea how many rewards he had given over the years; he had long forgotten events from years prior. Only upon hearing Huang Yan’s mention did he vaguely recall some things. Narrowing his eyes and thinking about it, he smiled and said, “He must surely carry the qilin robe with him, but that sable cloak is an imperial gift. Given his grandmother’s nature, she probably wouldn’t wear it. Well, once he finishes his task, let him show off a bit when entering the city!”

Meanwhile, after Huang Yan left, Zhu Di thought thoughtfully of another little-known matter and gradually smiled. The civil officials often criticized his preference for using descendants of noble families, but they didn’t realize that if these military descendants were trained well, they would far surpass those from humble backgrounds! There was no doubt about Zhang You and his son’s loyalty and talent—only the older one lacked the ability to take charge independently, while the younger one was brave but not skilled in strategy. He hoped that assigning them to this mission would help the father and son improve further.

By now, they should have arrived, right?

Zhang Yue, who was far away in Songjiang Prefecture, had no idea that Huang Yan had provoked the emperor to recall old events from years ago, nor did he know the emperor was more thoughtful than he had imagined. That night, he tossed and turned in bed, unable to sleep, constantly pondering the hidden truths Yang Shan had revealed last time.

“The eunuch in charge of the Maritime Trade Office is like the gatekeeper of a grand mansion. Whenever envoys bring precious gifts to offer to the court, he keeps a portion for himself. And if the envoys try to bribe him, he raises the price the court is willing to pay, allowing the envoys to save money. Moreover, those who make a living by sea in Ningbo Prefecture know that as long as they can feed that eunuch, even if the authorities conduct inspections, the Maritime Trade Office can claim that the smuggled goods were purchased through official channels, thus allowing them to be sold legally in their shops!”