Chapter 472: Unspoken Understanding, Xuanfu’s Unique Charm

It took an entire afternoon to lock away all 1,200 jin of gunpowder in the military warehouse. As the doors were locked, Zhang Yue and Meng Jun went back to see Xu Heng. Only when the official seal was stamped on the document did he truly feel relieved. Although the gunpowder today wasn’t as powerful as that in later times, dealing with such a deadly substance along the way was still terrifying—after all, Cui Mo’s father had died that way. Having resolved this major concern, he and Meng Jun left the general’s residence, checked the time, and realized it must be curfew time in the city.

Meng Jun immediately sensed Zhang Yue’s worries and said with a smile, “Don’t worry. I’m not so reckless as to wander around outside during curfew. My place is just one street away from here, and the restaurant is right next to it. That street is the only one in Xuanfu without curfew. If I hadn’t known you were coming, I wouldn’t have reserved a table for us!”

Knowing Meng Jun was always sensible, Zhang Yue agreed with a smile. The street next to the general’s residence was called Bajinzhen Street, named as such for its fame for food. Meng Jun dismounted at a small courtyard at the end of the street. After Zhang Yue got off his horse as well, he ordered his servants to lead the horses into the courtyard to be washed. Then he pointed to the building next door and winked at Zhang Yue.

“See? It’s right here. That’s why, in such a big place as Xuanfu, I chose to live on such a noisy street—just for the food. Give your servants some time off; they can eat wherever they want. Tonight, it’s just the two of us!”

Since there were no safety concerns inside Xuanfu City and Meng Jun had said so, Zhang Yue allowed his servants to act as they pleased. But Peng Shisan objected, pointing at Niu Gan and asking, “Third young master, how much longer do you plan to leave him to me? He’s a big eater—filling his stomach will leave me penniless!”

Looking at Niu Gan’s honest smile, Zhang Yue remembered sending Liu Bao to Yongning County to check the registers. He didn’t want to let go of such an important person, so he snapped at Peng Shisan, “Even if he drains your money, you can report it to me later! Liu Bao and I will handle this. You two just stroll around Bajinzhen Street—stay within bounds and be back by the hour of Hai!”

The tavern next to Meng Jun’s residence had two floors. A black-painted sign hanging at the main entrance read “Bazhen Guan” in large characters, flanked by two red tung oil paper lanterns decorated with green lotus leaf borders. The dozen or so tables on the ground floor were already occupied by officers dressed in military uniforms. When Meng Jun entered with his men, the middle-aged owner rushed forward at once, smiling broadly and saying, “Young Master, you’ve arrived! We’ve prepared a nice table for you on the second floor, and everything in the kitchen is ready!”

Since he had only brought a few servants when he came to Xuanfu, Meng Jun treated this place almost like his own dining hall. Thus, everyone from the owner to the staff knew his status and naturally tried their best to flatter him. The officers were also familiar with this noble young man who liked to dine out, so when they saw him pass by, they simply bowed and greeted him.

The second floor was filled with private booths separated by wooden partitions. From inside, one could hear laughter and chatter, along with occasional moans of women. Used to it, Meng Jun didn’t find it strange at all, but Zhang Yue thought about how the customs in the Ming Dynasty were becoming increasingly extravagant—officials often had singers and dancers at their banquets. He didn’t expect such trends to spread even to the military. Lost in thought, Meng Jun stopped in front of two doors and pushed them open himself.

Although he had already seen Xuanfu’s prosperity upon entering the city, seeing the spacious and elegant booths made Zhang Yue think of the wealthy regions in the south. A magnificent vertical scroll hung on the wall, bearing four large characters: “Xuanfu’s Rare Treasures.” The tables and chairs were stylish, and the porcelain decorations around them were thoughtfully arranged. So, he smiled as he sat down.

“Just by looking at this dining place, one can sense the southern style. My brother-in-law must have spent quite a bit today to treat me like this.”

“All the other things are fine, but that specially ordered dish indeed costs a lot,” Meng Jun said cheerfully without any pretense. “How can I not go all out to treat my young brother-in-law? Manager Cui, serve the food! We’re starving. Remember, serve that dish last—otherwise, after eating it first, all the other dishes will lose their flavor!”

The middle-aged owner, who had been standing by, immediately agreed and left right away. Before Zhang Yue and Meng Jun could exchange a few more words, the door to the booth was pushed open. A staff member brought in a tray three feet long and one and a half feet wide, filled with a dazzling array of dishes arranged like pearls on the table, while reciting the names of the dishes.

“Mushroom and egg dish, braised lamb, mixed seafood tofu stew, fish and rice soup, poached pork shoulder, crystal bean sprouts, green leek and meat strips. There’s one more hot dish, but you’ll need to wait about fifteen minutes for it. The rest are snacks to stave off hunger—sesame cakes, baked pastries, etc. As per the young master’s orders, no cold dishes will be served in such cold weather. This pot is Fen wine; please enjoy it at your leisure.”

After the servant served the food and wine and left, closing the door behind him, Meng Jun personally poured a cup of wine for Zhang Yue and himself, then set down the pot and picked up his cup. “If we were elsewhere, since you’re an imperial envoy, there should be a welcome banquet. But envoys keep coming to Xuanfu frequently, and with everyone preoccupied with the Tatars and Oirats in the north, I’m the only one who can welcome you tonight. Come on, younger brother, let me toast you!”

Seeing Meng Jun drink first without hesitation, Zhang Yue naturally drank his cup as well. Since they were all on the same side, he, already hungry, ate and drank heartily. He then explained why he was there, responding to Meng Jun’s questions. Remembering what had happened at the general’s residence that afternoon, he suddenly put down his chopsticks and asked, “Brother-in-law, before I came here, I heard that Xuanfu is a strategic location, so there must be over a dozen officials of various ranks among its military units?”

“That’s a well-known secret,” Meng Jun said with a smile. He poured himself another cup, drank it in one gulp, and then sighed in relief. “Although there’s Juyongguan Pass behind Xuanfu, if anything goes wrong here, even though it’s a formidable pass, it probably can’t stop the Tatars’ cavalry. Do you think this place isn’t important? Xuanfu is the largest city among the nine border regions and has the largest army under its commander. So, it’s not appropriate to leave hundreds of thousands of people under the command of just one person, let alone a few. There are military officials in each of the three guards of Xuanfu—Wanquan Left Guard, Wanquan Right Guard, and Huailai Guard—as well as in other smaller guards and companies, plus the eunuch in charge. Naturally, there are over a dozen such people.”

“What about the execution orders and martial law in Xuanfu this time?”

Unexpecting Zhang Yue to ask so directly, Meng Jun couldn’t help but stare at him for a moment and realized he wasn’t the least bit drunk—clearly, his brother-in-law was serious. After pondering for a while, he spoke up, “This is an order from Wang Guan, the eunuch in charge of Xuanfu. Back then, when the Marquis of Xing’an found out, he was very angry, but after some argument, he simply decided to let it go. As for the details, not only do I not know them, I doubt even the Marquis of Xing’an does. Wang Guan is extremely cunning. Due to the Meng family, I don’t have much contact with him, but I’ve heard even the local Jinyiwei respects him greatly.”

If at first it had been just speculation, after hearing Meng Jun’s words, Zhang Yue was now about 70-80% sure. Looking up at Meng Jun, he noticed that his once fair complexion was now tanned—realizing this was Xuanfu, a frontline area rather than the capital, yet still plagued by power struggles.

After a pause, Meng Jun continued, “So, there are only two things I want to remind you about. First, it seems the emperor wants to temper you before using you again. After all, when the crown prince was still the heir, he didn’t pay much attention to military affairs, and his relationship with the nobles was far worse than that of the King of Han. The emperor fears that once the crown prince ascends the throne, he will reject military officials outright. You need to be careful—after all, the crown prince’s son is not the crown prince yet. Once the crown prince takes the throne and becomes the emperor, things will be completely different. Second, don’t stay in Kaiping or Xinghe for too long. Those places are isolated walled towns outside both the Great Wall and the Secondary Wall, and the Mongols could attack at any time. Stay as little as possible!”

“My brother-in-law truly is wise as if he were foolish.” Seeing Meng Jun’s indifferent smile, Zhang Yue quickly raised a toast with a grin before whispering, “I’ve remembered your advice, but I also have something to remind you about. Didn’t Wang Guan, the eunuch in charge of Xuanfu, side with Liu Yongcheng, the eunuch of the Imperial Horse Stables? Everyone in the Imperial Horse Stables is backing the crown prince.”

“I see, no wonder!”

The brother-in-law pair exchanged a look, both fully understanding. Just then, there was a soft knocking at the door. Meng Jun immediately dropped the topic and sat up straight, ordering someone to open it. Sure enough, when the door opened, it was the same servant carrying a large tray, this time with just one big clay pot covered by a large porcelain bowl. After removing the leftover dishes from the table, he placed the pot in the center and then took away the bowl. In an instant, a delicious aroma filled the room, making one’s mouth water.

“Third brother, hurry and try it while it’s hot. Though it’s just a small dish, it’s considered a rare delicacy renowned throughout Xuanfu. Everyone who’s guarded here has fallen in love with it. Even the Marquis of Xing’an sent someone to deliver some to the Duke of Yingguo! These are caught by the locals—they don’t take copper coins or paper money; each one is worth one silver qian. There are five in total here, enough for an ordinary family to eat for over half a month.”

Zhang Yue had always known that his countrymen had an unparalleled talent for enjoying delicious food, so he was prepared for things like fried locusts, stewed loaches, steamed crabs, and fried snake segments. But when he saw what seemed to be rabbit meat in the pot, he finally felt relieved. Taking a bite with his chopsticks, he tasted its rich, sweet, and crisp flavor—an indescribably unique taste that naturally earned his high praise.

Just as the two were enjoying their meal to the fullest, a shrill voice suddenly rang out from below: “What’s not here? Who doesn’t know that your Eight Delicacies Restaurant collects five weasels every day? How dare you still deny it? This was specifically ordered by Eunuch Wang. If you dare keep any for yourself, your shop will definitely close by tomorrow!”