Chapter 552: Descendants Have Their Own Blessings; Idle at Home, Yet Not Restless in Mind
June is the hottest time of the year. Teahouses and melon stalls in Beijing’s streets and alleys are naturally very busy, while the homes of officials and nobles draw on the ice stored in their ice cellars, constantly watering the grounds with well water. Yet the government does not offer any heat-related holidays. Those military officials who enjoy their titles and salaries can leave the city to escape the heat in their estates, but civil officials are not so lucky—they sit neatly in the government offices in their padded robes, sweating profusely throughout the day.
Even the usually overweight and heat-sensitive Crown Prince Zhu Gaochi has no chance for a holiday—what are they then? In contrast, Du Zhen, who has not returned to work since being released from prison, leads a carefree life. It was afternoon, and the windows on both sides of the study were opened wide. The scorching wind blew straight in, making one sweat even while sitting still. The Du family did have a small ice cellar, but since Du Zhen had ordered that ice trays not be used, the room was even hotter than the outside. At that moment, Mingdi was grinding ink by the desk in a cotton shirt. Seeing his master still having the leisure to write, he was filled with admiration.
“Master, master!”
Raising the bamboo curtain at the door, he rushed in in a flash. Mo Yu ignored Du Zhen’s displeased expression and smiled as he bowed, saying, “Madam just returned from the Zhang family’s house. She said today’s ‘grabbing items’ ceremony was very lively. But little Jingguan dozed off in front of all the guests at first. After much persuasion, he finally picked up a writing set and a seal in one hand, then collapsed onto the copy of The Analects you gave him and fell asleep again!”
Du Zhen was not indulgent with his servants, but his rules were also not overly strict, especially with Mingdi and Mo Yu—two page boys he had brought from Kaifeng. Even though they were now married, he still preferred to handle matters in the study himself. Hearing the last part, he unconsciously put down his pen, tilted his head in thought, and soon wore a strange expression.
Zhang Yue certainly had great talent, but what was even more valuable was his diligence and solid work ethic. Yet looking at his grandson now, even though he had picked up two items symbolizing his future prospects, he still couldn’t ease the concerns of his elders. After all, if he never returned to work, it might be better for him to continue as a teacher in the Zhang family’s household. Of course, then he would need to be stricter—never allowing those mischievous children to act recklessly as he did in Kaifeng… Hmm, he needed to train those kids properly.
After being distracted for a while, Du Zhen sat down again, unfolded a sheet of paper, and carefully wrote the words “Future generations will have their own blessings.” After sealing it with his personal seal, he instructed Mingdi beside him, “Go find someone to frame it and hang it in the study from now on.” Mingdi suppressed his urge to laugh, gave Mo Yu a wink, and the two slipped out of the room together. Du Zhen, sweating profusely, no longer had the mood to write. Glancing at the stack of drafts on his desk, he stood up and paced back and forth, worried. Although Zhang Yue had gone on an expedition with the army, the boy had always been mature for his age, so there should be no problems—after all, this was different from their previous trip to Xinghe. Yet, though he was still unknown to the court, he knew quite a bit about court affairs. Although it had rained in the capital earlier, the trouble wasn’t severe. However, reports indicated that floods were extremely serious in many regions such as North and South Zhili, Shandong, and Henan. The northern expedition already consumed vast amounts of food and funds, and if this year’s summer taxes were reduced further, the treasury carefully managed by Minister Xia Yuanji might run out of money. Although he had been implicated by Xia Yuanji before, he had now been released, but Xia Yuanji remained imprisoned in the Eunuch Supervision Office. Though the Jinyiwei had a poor reputation, they still took care of them to some extent. Since the Eunuch Supervision Office was full of eunuchs, he couldn’t find out anything about Xia Yuanji! “Sir, it’s so hot outside, yet you insist on staying indoors.” As soon as Qiu Shi entered the room, she was struck by the thick heat rising from inside and snapped irritably before setting the small lacquered tea tray in her hands on the table beside her. Taking a few steps forward, she saw that her husband’s thin cloth shirt was completely soaked, so she complained again. Only after Du Zhen sat down again and picked up the bowl of chilled mung bean soup did she start talking about her experiences at the Zhang family’s house that day. When mentioning her grandson, she was beaming with joy, her tone full of indulgence. Although Du Zhen was sitting there, head down, drinking the cool mung bean soup to quench his thirst, he kept listening to his wife’s chatter and didn’t realize that he had already finished the small bowl and was still sipping from an empty one. Qiu Shi, unaware of these details, recounted almost everything about the ritual of choosing a toy. Only then did she remember another piece of news she had heard earlier, and her cheerful expression gradually darkened.
“It was the Lady of Wu’an who mentioned that Princess Feng of King Zhou had passed away. King Zhou had just returned with the princess a while ago, but upon hearing the news, he fell ill immediately. Although she wasn’t the princess’s biological mother, Princess Feng had always been very kind to her. It seems she died from anger due to the conflict between the Prince of Runan and the crown prince, so the princess feels great guilt… Alas, good people truly don’t get good rewards. According to Wan’er, the princess was originally supposed to get married as soon as she arrived in Kaifeng, but now it will have to be postponed.”
Seeing Du Zhen freeze in shock, Lady Qiu remembered the previous rumor that Du Zhen had some connection with King Zhou Zhu Zhu, which almost caused big trouble. She quickly changed the subject: “It seems the health of the mother-in-law is not good either. After saying those inauspicious things last time, on such a fine day today, she still lacks energy. It is said that the marriage between Zhang Jia’s fourth son and the youngest daughter of the Lord of Wu’an is set for the third day of the seventh month, and they plan to finalize the arrangements in the next few days. Although she isn’t the legitimate daughter, she is the Lord of Wu’an’s beloved child. Since he has no legitimate daughters, the dowry prepared for her is quite substantial. Speaking of which, aside from our Wan’er, all of Zhang Jia’s daughters-in-law come from noble families. There are so many people here today—either wives of dukes, marquises, or governors—it’s not easy to deal with them all.”
“As long as the couple lives happily, there’s no need to worry about anything else. Besides, both the mother-in-law and the wife-in-law are sensible people. She often visits her family, and you also often go to see her, so you can see for yourself how things are going. As for the relationship between sisters-in-law, Wan’er’s nature ensures there won’t be any problems. She’s very smart—how could she possibly be foolish enough to let others manipulate her? You’ve raised such an excellent daughter—what’s there to worry about?”
“The master is getting older now, but his words are more pleasant than before!”
Though she was teasing, Lady Qiu was actually very happy inside. After chatting for a while, she insisted that Du Zhen go back to his room to change clothes. Just as they left the study, a messenger came to announce that Yang Shiqi had arrived. Faced with such an unexpected visitor, Lady Qiu, who wasn’t aware of the situation, didn’t mind much, but Du Zhen found it strange.
After all, the busiest people in the court were the cabinet ministers. Moreover, since Yang Rong and Jin Youzi had gone on a northern expedition and hadn’t returned yet, Yang Shiqi was at his busiest assisting the crown prince and couldn’t possibly have time to visit friends. What could his purpose be in coming here?
In this midsummer, ordinary people could wear open-shirts and wave palm fans, but the nobility, after all, valued propriety, so no matter how hot it was, they always dressed tightly. Riding horse under the scorching sun, Yang Shiqi was drenched in sweat when he entered. Fortunately, a servant quickly brought a towel, and after wiping his face vigorously, he finally exhaled in relief. Although the room was still unbearably hot, it was much better than the inner chambers of the cabinet, so after drinking a bowl of cool tea, he finally regained his strength.
Seeing Du Zhen had already dismissed everyone, he spoke directly: “Yishan, although you haven’t resumed your duties at home yet, this is only temporary. The Crown Prince has always highly regarded your integrity, and the Emperor also trusts you greatly. So, don’t focus solely on writing books; you still need to pay attention to court affairs.”
Du Zhen frowned at Yang Shiqi’s immediate mention of this, but then he saw the thick stack of manuscripts on the desk. Realizing what was going on, he stood up, picked up the stack, and placed it on the small table beside Yang Shiqi, then said with a smile, “Brother Shiqi seems to have misunderstood. Writing books is something done by great scholars. All I can do is handle minor tasks—how could I have such leisure? I merely organized some thoughts while in prison and continued writing after coming out.”
After flipping through a few pages, Yang Shiqi’s face showed surprise, which soon turned into delight. He had had a good relationship with Yang Rong and Du Zhen in the Hanlin Academy, but when it came to temperament and perseverance, it was still this reserved man who stood out. He really didn’t want Du Zhen to become disheartened due to past setbacks. Seeing the neat handwriting on the paper, he thought of Du Zhen’s successful son-in-law and favorite disciple and couldn’t help but smile.
“Well, as long as you’re not disheartened, I’m relieved. I came to see how you’re doing today, and also to seek your advice on something. The northern expedition army has been away for months. From recent military reports, it seems Arutai’s army has fled north. But the Tatars and Oirats often use such tactics to lure enemies deeper. It’s uncertain when the Emperor will return. Still, since the Emperor hasn’t returned yet, there are some rumors in the capital. I’m just worried…”
“Worried that the same thing will happen as in the twelfth year of Yongle?”
Du Zhen straightforwardly revealed this aspect, and Yang Shiqi also spoke plainly, nodding solemnly: “You already know the outcome of that incident—five people were imprisoned. Except for me, the other four have not been released for eight years. That was only because the crown prince was slow in sending envoys to welcome the emperor; but this time…”
Even though he knew Du Zhen could be trusted, he still hesitated for a moment, weighing his words before finally making up his mind: “This time, the crown prince has exempted the provinces affected by floods in North and South Zhili, Shandong, Henan, and other places from paying taxes. It seems that at least 600,000 dan of taxes will be reduced this summer. Add to that the military provisions needed for the northern campaign—totaling at least one million dan in and out. Some say the crown prince did this on purpose. Additionally, with laborers fleeing and the delivery of military provisions delayed, this might also be an excuse for others. Most importantly, some say the Jinyiwei intercepted letters sent from the Imperial Horse Guard camp to the capital.”
Since the Du family didn’t like to meddle in others’ affairs and would never wander around in restaurants or teahouses when there was nothing to do, Du Zhen’s knowledge of external events was limited to what the court made public, aside from the Shen father and son who visited him. Thus, this was the first time he had heard about what Yang Shiqi was saying, and he couldn’t help but frown in astonishment.
“The Jinyiwei… Although I’m reluctant to speak on behalf of those shady figures, Yuan Fang, the current commander of the Jinyiwei, isn’t as arbitrary as his predecessor, Ji Gang. How could he suddenly become so bold?”
“You’re right. As far as I know, due to the Xuanfu espionage case, Yuan Fang went to Xuanfu. Now, all major affairs of the Jinyiwei are handled by Lu Feng, the head of the Dongchang who has returned to the capital. But these past few days, he’s said to have suffered from heatstroke and dehydration and hasn’t been to the Dongchang or Jinyiwei to handle affairs. That’s why I think things are truly strange. So, taking advantage of some free time this afternoon, I took a few hours off to come and consult you. Since Yi Shan and Mianren Youzi are not here, I really have no one to discuss this with. Please help me out with some advice.”
With just a few words, Du Zhen naturally couldn’t react immediately, so he had to ask many detailed questions. Yang Shiqi was very patient and explained everything in detail for half an hour. Seeing his warm-hearted but reserved friend sitting there, deep in thought with his hand on his forehead, he felt a bit apologetic. But when the man across from him raised his head and spoke thoughtfully, he paid close attention.
“If something is abnormal, there must be some ulterior motive. If things go as you say, someone will surely stir up trouble. The problem is, this isn’t just simple sowing discord like before; it doesn’t seem to be the work of one group alone, but rather the result of forcing two groups together. There were dedicated officials in charge of preparations before and after the northern expedition, and if conscripts fled or something similar happened, it should have been the governor’s responsibility—nothing to do with the Crown Prince. But that letter is different. Shi Qi, you must prepare for the worst.”
The Han and Zhao families united! Although Du Zhen didn’t explicitly state it, listening to his words, Yang Shi Qi, being such a clever man, immediately thought of this possibility. As for how these two families came together, he didn’t have the time to consider it; he just kept pondering the consequences. After all, the reason the Prince of Zhao was able to plot rebellion back then was because he had been operating in Beijing for over a decade. Though he wasn’t yet fully released, he could now leave his residence, though not allowed to enter the palace. The true power of the Zhao family in Beijing probably needed to be reassessed.
Unable to stay seated, Yang Shi Qi quickly got up to take his leave, and Du Zhen didn’t try to hold him back. Sitting in the main seat, stroking his chin for a while, he couldn’t help but worry about the emperor who was still in the army. Even though he had once been an invincible warrior, a prince born into wealth shouldn’t have to handle such matters himself. For an emperor in his early sixties to lead an expedition personally could cause upheaval if anything went wrong. From this perspective, the advice given by Xia Yuanji and others was absolutely correct!