Chapter 461: Time Will Not Wait for Me

Although Zhang Yue had instructed Hu Qi to do his best to find her, he didn’t expect her to be brought back so quickly. Since Lingxi only had information from outside, she couldn’t figure out why, so after a brief thought, she hurriedly left the room. As soon as she left, Du Wan turned to Lingxi and asked, “Where is Qiuhen? Does she say we need to pack up and go with them?”
Faced with such a direct question, even Lingxi, who was usually good at mediating, couldn’t help but feel her heart skip a beat. Du Wan hadn’t brought any maids when she married into the Zhang family, so there were only the three of them in this room. Yet their statuses had changed subtly—only Qiuhen still thought things were as they were back in Qingzhou, Shandong, while she and Hupo were more cautious now.
Zhang Yue and Du Wan used to be master and apprentice, but now they were husband and wife—how could things be the same as before?
“Qiuhen said that, but Hupo has already persuaded her against it. These are just foolish ideas. She acted on a whim; once she thinks things through, she probably won’t do such a stupid thing. She’s just that kind of impulsive person, careless in her words. It’ll be fine once she realizes it. It’s always been the young master and young mistress who’ve tolerated her, that’s why…”
“Take me there to see.”
Interrupted by this simple sentence, Lingxi knew she couldn’t argue any further. She lifted the curtain and led her outside. When they reached the west room, she saw Qiuhen sobbing on the kang table, with Hupo turning their backs, trying to comfort her. Lingxi couldn’t help but steal a glance at Du Wan.
“Lingxi, you and Hupo go outside first.”
Only then did Hupo and Qiuhen realize someone had arrived. One turned around, while the other quickly wiped away her tears and stood up, her eyes swollen like peaches. Hupo hesitated for a moment, but Lingxi quickly pulled her along outside. Left alone, Qiuhen, seeing no expression on Du Wan’s face, grew uneasy and stood there awkwardly, hands hanging limply at her sides.
“Lingxi says you want to go with him this time?”
Although Du Wan used the pronoun “him,” Qiuhen knew exactly who she meant. She hurriedly explained, “Young mistress, I already admit my mistake about what happened before. I shouldn’t have spoken nonsense. But this time, when the young master leaves, it’s not like before—either three to five months or even a year or two. His sons are all grown men now, so it’s risky. If I dress as a man and go with him, I can take better care of him, and also…”

“Do you know what Xuanfu Town is? Do you know how many pairs of eyes are watching it? Do you know who else is traveling with him this time? Do you know what crime it would be if someone accused him of using a maid for official duties?” Although she had just said to Zhang Yue that she would play the strict role, Du Wan was already filled with worries and could no longer hold back. Seeing Qiu Hen stunned by her words, she said calmly, “It’s not just you who cares about him in this family. If you really care about him, think more before speaking and acting—don’t just go by your own impulses!”

After confirming that Fang Shuixin had been brought back, Zhang Yue stopped paying attention to the affairs of the second branch of the family and took Hu Qi straight to Zixingzhai. Once seated, he narrowed his eyes and began to think.

Although he wasn’t the kind of person who could recite the entire historical timeline by heart, he knew that there had been five northern expeditions during the Yongle era. The first two dealt a severe blow to the Tatars and Oirats, but the last three took place in the final three years of Zhu Di’s reign. Not only were the results meager, but countless resources were also wasted. This all-out offensive led to a defensive stance during the Renxuan era, indirectly causing the Ming army’s combat strength to decline steadily. He didn’t want to face another Tumu Fort Incident after more than twenty years.

“Young master, Fang Shuixin actually didn’t go far and fell ill in Baoding Prefecture. Fortunately, I remembered the medical clinic…”

“Let’s stop discussing this for now. Later, go to my office to get some silver to reward everyone. I won’t ask you about this for now.” Zhang Yue waved his hand lightly and signaled Hu Qi to come forward before instructing, “I’ll be leaving the capital in a few days, and there are a few important matters I need to assign to you. First, Zhao Hu should stay behind and remain in the open, ready to follow orders from inside. Use the pretext of going to Nanjing to secretly stay in the capital and keep an eye on everything. If anything happens, have Zhao Hu report to them immediately and also to me.”

Even though Hu Qi was usually smart and perceptive, he still hesitated at this moment: “But there’s already Lord Yuan in the capital. On the contrary, there are too few people around you. If I stay too, you’ll only have Xiang Long and Liu Bao.”

“If I’m not mistaken, we can still get those five hundred men from Zhou Bailing of the imperial camp from Marquis Xiangyuan this time. They’ve followed me twice and are trustworthy. For handling secret matters, Xiang Long and Liu Bao are enough. Besides, if the emperor leads an expedition next spring, Lord Yuan will likely go as well. By then, it will be essential to have someone in the capital.”

Only after seeing Hu Qi agree did he continue, “Second, although the Jinyiwei doesn’t have many spies in the grasslands, I believe there are quite a few informants inside Xuanfu Town. So, go meet Lord Yuan and see if you can arrange for Xiang Long and Liu Bao to mobilize these informants. Third, ask Lord Yuan to keep a close eye on that Prince of Shouguang—I always feel he’s up to no good, and we need to watch out for him causing trouble. Fourth, since firearms will be provided for this trip to Xuanfu, eunuchs will likely accompany us. Go and find out immediately which palace eunuch will be traveling with us. Fifth, try to gather information on the military officers and eunuchs guarding Xuanfu, especially those eunuchs. Handle this right away—keep it secret and act quickly.”

After Hu Qi left with the orders, Zhang Yue didn’t leave the study but continued sitting there in thought. The Jinyiwei wasn’t omnipotent; otherwise, they would have heard about this matter in advance from people like Hu Qi. It seemed that Yuan Fang’s cautious and low-key approach was correct—otherwise, with a new emperor coming to power, he might face retribution. Although he had done his best to align himself with the Eastern Palace, he couldn’t be too obvious, or Zhu Di, who was constantly watching the Eastern Palace, would turn on him immediately.

The position of Director of the Military Armory Department seemed like a high-ranking role to him, but he had reached it through the emperor’s trust, meaning it was a promotion beyond his usual rank. Even if he achieved great merits in the northern expedition, it would surely go to those who led the main army or the flanking troops—certainly not to him. This was undoubtedly an opportunity fraught with risks. But aside from bringing back his uncle Zhang Xin and getting his father-in-law Du Zhen out of prison, how could he ensure the emperor wouldn’t lead another expedition?

“Someone!”
With this shout, the study door was immediately pushed open, but it was Zhao Hu who entered. Zhang Yue had intended to order preparations to send a horse to the Duke of Yingguo’s residence, but as soon as he stood up, he realized he was starving. He had no choice but to order food to be brought from the kitchen first. After quickly filling his stomach, he told Liansheng to inform Du Wan in the inner courtyard, then left with Zhao Hu and a few attendants.

By now, the curfew was approaching, so the group sped along. When they turned into Qingshuihu, where the Duke of Britain’s residence was located, they heard the loud sound of bronze gongs. The east gate leading out of the Duke’s residence was already closed, while the two gatekeepers at the west gate came out to check what the noise was after hearing the horse hooves. Upon seeing Zhang Yue, they hurriedly bowed and took care of the horses, with some even going inside to inform others. After Zhang Yue entered, the butler Rong Shan rushed out to greet him and led him straight to Zhang Fu’s study.

Zhang Fu’s study remained just as it had been in Nanjing in the past—empty walls with no bookshelves. Only in the center hung a neatly written but imposing calligraphy scroll, inscribed with “Loyalty, Righteousness, Benevolence, and Courage.” Seeing that bright red imperial seal, Zhang Yue immediately understood it was written by the emperor himself. He couldn’t help but stare at those four characters for a while.

“As expected of a disciple of Shen Minze—upon arriving here, you first look at those four characters. This was an imperial decree given by the emperor on the day your wife visited, ordered to be hung in this empty study of mine.” Although Zhang Fu wasn’t as fond of associating with scholars or reading as Zhu Yong, he still liked to sit in this nameless study for a while after dinner. Smiling, he pointed to a cushion across from him and then asked, “You, such a busy man, come to see me so late—is there something on your mind?”

“The four characters bestowed by the emperor on my uncle are probably the highest praise any military general has ever desired.” After bowing and sitting down across from Zhang Fu, Zhang Yue recounted in detail what Hai Shou had said that day, then asked earnestly, “My uncle trained troops in Xuanfu for over a year. So I’d like to ask for your advice regarding this mission.”

Zhang Fu was now only concerned with celestial observations and preparing for the northern expedition, ignoring other state affairs, so he had been unaware of any developments until now. After initial shock, he frowned and thought carefully for a while before losing his smile. “Do you know how many civil and military officials the court has lost because of that tiny Jiaozhi?”

Although the question referred to Xuanfu, Zhang Fu answered about Jiaozhi, but Zhang Yue didn’t think he was deliberately withholding information. Since he had previously submitted strategies for Jiaozhi and compiled relevant materials, he replied after a brief thought, “During Chen Jikuo’s rebellion, Xu Zheng, the deputy commander, died in battle at Pan Tan; during the Jian Dingzhi uprising, Liu Jun, the minister advising the Duke of Qian, along with Lü Yi, the commander of Jiaozhi, and Liu Yu, the advisor to Jiaozhi, were killed; during Li Li’s rebellion, Feng Gui and Hou Bao, the advisors of Jiaozhi, died fighting to defend the region…”

“That’s enough for now,” Zhang Fu waved his hand and then said slowly, word by word, “I’ll only tell you that among these people are those regarded as talents of the moment, but in actual battle, they all perished one after another. So even though Xuanfu is garrisoned with a large army, it’s hard to withstand the Mongol invasions that come and go like the wind. The first thing you need to do is be cautious. Xu Heng, the Marquis of Xing’an who guards Xuanfu, is the grandson of the first Marquis of Xing’an. He has worked with me several times before and should take care of you. But Wang Guan, who guards the central palace, is the adopted son of Huang Yan, a eunuch from the Imperial Secretariat. It’s said now that he has defected to Liu Yongcheng, a eunuch from the Imperial Horse Stables—you need to be watchful. Besides…”

Zhang Fu was an experienced general who had trained the troops in Xuanfu to perfection, so he was highly skilled in military affairs. He spent nearly half an hour giving these instructions, and Zhang Yue wrote them all down one by one. After thanking him, he bowed respectfully and said, “There’s one more thing I’d like to ask, Uncle. Will the Emperor take the Crown Prince along on this northern expedition?”

“It’s hard to say. Judging from the near-disaster the Crown Prince faced during the last northern expedition, the Emperor might hesitate. But the Emperor has always wanted to cultivate an emperor who is excellent both on horseback and in governance. So as long as someone suggests it, the Emperor will surely take the Crown Prince along gladly. But from the Eastern Palace’s perspective, neither the Crown Prince nor his wife, nor the Crown Prince himself, would likely want to go. After all, this northern expedition is too forced. Without Xia Yuanji to coordinate things, supplies might be even tighter than last time. Moreover, the Crown Prince is not in good health.”

Recalling that Zhang Fu had mentioned that Zhu Gaoxu, the King of Han, often sent letters to the nobles in the court, Zhang Yue understood immediately. Zhu Di was old, and Zhu Gaochi was not in good health. If anything happened to Zhu Zhanji during the expedition, it was uncertain whether the already aged Zhu Di could hold on on the way back. If anything happened to Zhu Gaochi in the capital as well, the civil officials might not be able to control the situation. Before setting out this time, he should resolve the matter of those private letters from the King of Han that Zhang Fu was handling. Time was running out; he couldn’t keep waiting.

Late at night, as ordered to study military affairs at the Military Command Headquarters, Zhang Yue was hosting a party at his home for a few friends. After the Emperor posthumously conferred the title of Duke of Rongguo on his father, Zhang Yu, out of consideration for the Zhang family’s loyalty and bravery—since they hadn’t been properly rewarded before—the Emperor granted them especially generous rewards and land. Later, when Zhang Fu was made Duke of Yingguo, the family wealth was divided equally between him and Zhang Yue. Thus, although his official rank was only fourth class, his family wealth was actually greater than that of many other nobles, allowing him to lead a very luxurious life.

The table was filled with delicacies, and flattery filled the air. Although Zhang Jue smiled, he had his own plans in mind. He had always disdained his second brother, Zhang Xuan, who knew nothing but indulgence and luxury. It was bad enough that he failed to discipline his sons, but he even gave his good daughter to Li Maofang, the Marquis of Fuyang—she would likely end up a widow. His eldest brother, Zhang Fu, though now a duke, was as cautious as an old man, failing to make use of his power and trust.

He regretted that time did not allow him more opportunities; otherwise, perhaps he too could have become a duke!

After the guests left, satisfied after eating and drinking, Zhang Jue returned to the backyard, still under the influence of alcohol. As soon as he entered his room, he saw his son, Zhang Jin, standing there. Curious, he asked, “It’s so late. Why are you still here?”

“Father, I just came back from outside. Someone asked me to deliver a letter to you.” Seeing Zhang Jue’s frowning expression, Zhang Jin quickly lowered his voice and added, “That person asked if you still remembered the incident in Le’an Prefecture, so I didn’t dare refuse him.”

Even Zhang Jue, who was usually bold enough to do anything, showed signs of shock. He tore open the letter and glanced at it hastily, immediately furrowing his brows. There were no lengthy words in the letter—just a single line:

“Advise the Crown Prince to accompany the emperor on the northern campaign. Name unknown.”

“Damn it! Why won’t he leave me alone even in death!”

Furious, Zhang Jue crumpled the letter and threw it on the ground, his breathing becoming rapid. Having made such a careless mistake and now held hostage by this, would he have to live under coercion for the rest of his life?