Chapter 568: Responding to All Changes with Unchanging Calm, Desiring a Long Life of a Hundred Years

Among the twenty-four eunuch bureaus, the Bureau of Ceremonial Affairs held the highest status, overseeing all punishments, rituals, and ceremonies within the imperial palace. The Bureau of Imperial Construction was in charge of construction projects and managed the emperor’s personal treasures, offering substantial profits. The Bureau of Imperial Horses controlled the military tokens of the imperial guards, granting them great military power… Even the lowest-ranked position, that of supervisor of palace defenses, carried considerable authority. Thus, there was a clear hierarchy among eunuchs, and those who managed to rise to the top could bring honor to their families.

Besides distinguishing them by their clothing, there was another key way to identify eunuchs. Those who were thin and emaciated were usually low-ranking laborers, while those with large heads and ears were generally middle-ranking. The true elite, due to their constant efforts in pleasing their superiors, couldn’t become fat; instead, they had rosy complexions and appeared energetic. Facing this fat eunuch from the Bureau of Military Equipment, with his round belly, Zhang Yue couldn’t help but glance at his stomach before looking at his noticeably sunken eye sockets.

The fat eunuch, Suo Lianzhou, had dealt with Zhang Yue several times before and knew that he was extremely serious when handling work but didn’t put on airs in daily conversations, being quite amiable. Thus, he had some plans in mind.

He was Liu Yongcheng’s adopted son, but since Liu was quite old and had several biological nephews and eight or ten adopted sons, he hardly had time to take care of him. Suo managed to secure the position of head of the Bureau of Military Equipment by being clever and keeping a close eye on things, providing his adoptive father with plenty of information. Although the profits here were average, it was still a position among the leaders of the twenty-four bureaus.

“Lord Zhang, your method of wrapping gunpowder in paper is good, and it works well for the Divine Machine Camp. But if all the gunners in the military garrisons across the country used this method, the craftsmen here would surely be overwhelmed, and even apprentices wouldn’t be enough.”

As he complained, he kept an eye on Zhang Yue’s expression. Seeing him frown, he pulled Zhang Yue aside. Once they were alone, he whispered, “I know your proposal comes from a sense of duty, but you must understand that there are at least hundreds of thousands of gunners in the military garrisons. Although they’ve all been equipped with the new Yongle hand cannons this time, how effective they will be is only heaven knows. Paper-wrapped gunpowder is less prone to moisture, and it’s easy to load and ignite. But in those remote provinces, the gunners still carry large swords—they can’t rely on firearms to defeat enemies.”

“I know that. Muskets can only show their true power when used in a concentrated manner like in the Divine Machine Corps. If we follow the old method of assigning archers, swordsmen, musketeers, and pikemen to each hundred households, even the best weapons will be wasted. You’ve reminded me—I need to bring this up with the Minister. Musketers should be separated from the army, and each military command should have its own musket unit.”

Hearing Zhang Yue say this, Suo Lianzhou immediately felt relieved, thinking it was truly easy and pleasant to deal with someone so sensible. Yet he was merely using this as a pretext; after a light cough, he wanted to shift to an even more important topic. After all, the emperor might not even remember him, so he couldn’t afford to lose his backing.

Now that the emperor was returning, although Zhang Yue was also concerned about the Eastern Palace matter, since he had already done what he needed to, his focus was now on what would happen after returning. Unlike the previous two northern expeditions, where the Oirats stayed neutral while the main Tatar forces fled north, this time it had weakened the Wulangha, Duyan, and Sanwei tribes significantly, but strategically it wasn’t a great success—more of a show of military strength. Moreover, half of the treasury that Xia Yuanji had worked hard to manage was now empty, and another expedition would be disastrous.

Since Zhu Di had reiterated that the Wulangha were not allowed to enter the old city of Dading, did that mean the emperor had indeed considered moving the three guards of Dading back? Lost in thought, he paid no attention to Suo Lianzhou’s cough and turned to ask directly, “Eunuch Suo, I’d like to ask—those boxes of items we took from you earlier, my colleague Lu and I, have already been tested on the battlefield and can be considered formidable weapons. Are they being mass-produced now? If so, has a plan been made for their allocation?”

Formidable weapons? Suo Lianzhou was stunned upon hearing this, then his expression changed. How could he have forgotten this? Back then, Liu Yongcheng had specifically inquired about the details, and when Lu Feng returned from Xuanfu, he even complained heavily in front of the emperor. As a result, caught in the middle, Suo Lianzhou became a scapegoat when the emperor was enraged and was beaten with ten whips. Thinking of this, he hated Liu Yongcheng for not caring about him at all and cursed Lu Feng for exploiting his position to frame him, causing his buttocks to tremble involuntarily.

Although the whips weren’t very heavy, he couldn’t sit down for half a month! Of course, Zhang Qian came to see him later and gave him some gifts on behalf of the emperor. Without that dignity, how could he ever have the face to intimidate everyone in the weapons bureau again?

“This… Lord Zhang, by the end of this year, the Divine Archery and Divine Machine Arrows can equip a thousand units in the Divine Machine Camp, and mass production won’t be a problem. However, simply rewarding craftsmen with gold coins won’t necessarily motivate them to work harder. As you know, our Armaments Bureau needs top-notch experts, and there are some who could do more work but refuse to, leaving us with no choice.”

Having barely suppressed his anger, Suo Lianzhou didn’t want to be distracted by Zhang Yue any longer. He stepped forward two paces and said, “Lord Zhang, it is said that the Emperor’s army has returned to Kaiping, while the other 20,000 troops have crossed Danning and will enter the pass through Xifengkou in a few days. I heard the Emperor has sent three orders to the Crown Prince, each more severe than the last…”

“Eunuch Suo, these are not matters for you or me to worry about,” Zhang Yue interrupted before he could finish. Seeing the disappointment on the man’s face, realizing he might have to stay in the Ministry of War and deal with him again, he softened his tone and said, “Rather than guessing the Emperor’s intentions, it’s better to stick to a consistent approach. I’ve heard you’ve been in charge of the Armaments Bureau for four or five years. To have remained error-free all this time must be due to your diligence, not luck.”

Filled with unease, Suo Lianzhou personally saw Zhang Yue off at Beianmen. After watching him ride away, he stroked his smooth chin and walked back, pondering Zhang Yue’s words. Was this meant to tell him to focus on his work and ignore everything else? What a joke! There were plenty of people in the palace who would take advantage of others—who knew how many would be jealous of his position… Wait, Zhang Yue’s implication seemed to be that if he did his job well, no one could take it from him.

It happened to be the Mid-Autumn Festival on that day. Zhang Yue chose this day to go to the Armaments Bureau to discuss gunpowder, obviously taking advantage of the early dismissal in the afternoon. Sure enough, when he returned to the Ministry of War, Lu Zhen, who was in charge of three departments, had already gone to Kaiping to welcome the Emperor. Almost all the officials had left, leaving only a few. He went back to the empty office, recorded everything that had happened at the Armaments Bureau that day, and then left the office calmly.

After mounting his horse, he didn’t set off right away but glanced at Niu Gan and Zhang Bu, who had followed him since early in the morning. “By the way, today is the first Mid-Autumn Festival for you two since returning from the north. Do you have any plans?”

Niu Gan and Zhang Bu had been captured and taken to the north for seven or eight years, and they had long lost any memory of the customs of the Central Plains. When they first arrived in Xuanfu, they witnessed the grandeur of the frontier city and thought they had seen the world. But after following Zhang Yue around in the capital, overwhelmed by everything around them, they finally understood what it meant to be under the emperor’s rule. Hearing the words “Mid-Autumn Festival,” the two exchanged glances and shook their heads in confusion.

Their village had long since become ruins; their relatives were either turned to dust or completely out of reach. Though they now had enough to eat and wear and no longer had to worry about the sky above or the mud below, their days still ended with sleep. Niu Gan, being bolder, scratched his head and said with a laugh, “What plans? Just eat, drink, and go to bed!”

“Useless!” Zhang Yue snapped before sizing them up again. Since he had specifically instructed Gao Quan to take good care of them, both were dressed in brand-new light blue silk robes and wore pair of white-bottomed, black-faced layered cloth shoes, looking neat and tidy. Yet, for men in their early thirties, they appeared somewhat aged, a result of the harsh labor in the northern regions.

After a brief thought, he smiled and said, “Tonight, the capital is unusually free from curfews. Go reunite with the others and take a good look around. You’ve been running around these days; you should be familiar with the streets in the capital. Just make sure to be back before midnight. From Xuanfu to Kaiping, and then through the northern campaigns, you’ve been busy for most of the year—enjoy a proper break tonight!”

Seeing Zhang Yue whip his horse and ride off quickly, the two hurried after him, still struggling to process what was happening. They had originally been strong farmers, but in the north they became labor slaves. During their escape, they acted like bandits. Even after following Zhang Yue, their minds remained tense from Peng Shisan’s harsh treatment, leaving no time for rest. To them, living like this already felt like a fairy tale—why would they need a day off?

Although Qingming, Dragon Boat, Mid-Autumn, and Double Ninth are all major festivals, according to the imperial regulations, the only three official holidays in a year are New Year’s Day, Lantern Festival, and Winter Solstice. As a result, the common people start celebrating Mid-Autumn on the 13th of August, while officials can only return home early on that day—provided they are not on duty that day; otherwise, they have no choice but to sigh in frustration. Even the servants of wealthy families have to wait until that night to have a free evening. After receiving their bonuses, they can gather with their families, go out for fun, or drink and play cards—rare pleasures throughout the year.

Since there was no curfew at night, the number of street vendors increased rather than decreased compared to daytime, most of them selling various fruits and preserved foods—loquat, white pear, water pear, apple, crabapple, European plum, fresh jujube, grapes… everything one could imagine. The plump, attractive, and brightly colored fruits were neatly arranged on the stalls, and passersby often picked a few to take home.

Although he knew his family must have prepared everything, when he passed by a small stall, Zhang Yue saw the lovely peaches and bought a pack, along with a few packs of grapes. On his way home, he gave a pack of grapes to the gatekeepers at the west gate, another to Zhang Buniu, and kept distributing them along the way, sparking much laughter and joy. By the time he reached his own courtyard, he only had one pack of peaches left.

Zhang Xin, the deputy magistrate of Ying Tianfu, seemed relaxed, but in reality, due to being in the emperor’s jurisdiction, he had countless tasks to handle. Zhang Yue wasn’t even the last to return. After taking off his official robes, washing his face, and getting himself ready, he supported Du Wan with one hand and held the wobbly, just-learning-to-walk Jing Guan with the other, heading toward the main house in the northern courtyard. Qiu Hen and Hupo, who followed behind, saw Zhang Yue juggling multiple responsibilities and couldn’t help but smile, but they wisely stayed back. In the end, Aunt Cui went up and picked up the troublesome little Jing Guan.

When the group arrived, the main hall was already packed with people. Colorful silks and shiny gold and silver jewelry glowed under the candlelight, and even Lady Gu, sitting alone on the central couch, looked radiant.

Seeing Ling Xi, who should have been at home preparing for her marriage, there as well, Zhang Yue was momentarily stunned. Then he realized that his grandmother truly couldn’t bear to part with this loyal servant who had served her for years, which was why she invited her to spend one last Mid-Autumn together. Next to Lady Gu was six-year-old Zhang Jing, who was kneeling on the cushion of the sandalwood couch, earnestly massaging Lady Gu’s shoulders. When Zhang Yue saw her, she smiled and winked, revealing adorable dimples on her little face.

After Zhang Yue and Du Wan exchanged greetings, Zhang Jing quickly climbed down from the couch, smiled, took Du Wan’s hand, and led her to a seat aside like a little lord. Seeing this, Lady Gu couldn’t help but laugh. Soon after, she saw Zhang Yue take the tea tray from Hu Bo and bring it over with a smile.

Uncovering the silk cloth, she saw six plump and adorable late-peach fruits and immediately understood her grandson’s thoughtfulness. Peaches are said to symbolize longevity—how could she not wish for a long life and a household full of descendants? Ling Xi quickly took the peaches to the side to peel and slice them. She tasted one and asked a few questions about the yamen’s affairs. Just then, a maid’s voice came from outside.

“The eldest master has returned!”

With that shout, Zhang Xin, dressed in his official robes, rushed in. Seeing all the younger members of the family bowing to him, he waved his hands to stop them and then went forward to greet Lady Gu. After standing up, he said with a smile, “Since there’s no curfew tonight, the officials in the yamen must be sent out. It’s dry weather, so preventing fires and theft is crucial. That’s why I returned late—I didn’t even have time to change my clothes. I guess I ended up last.”

Glancing at the plate of peaches held by Ling Xi, he smiled and then took out a silk-wrapped item from his bosom, offering it with both hands: “Mother, this is a jade Guanyin blessed by the wise master Zhiguang, whom I asked several times to perform the ritual. Wearing it close to the body can protect one from all evil. Since you believe in Buddhism, please carry it with you—it will surely prolong your life.”

Before Lady Gu could praise her eldest son for his filial piety, more noise came from outside. Soon, a young bride rushed in, pushing aside the curtain, bowed, and exclaimed, “Grandmother, the second master sent gifts back!”

When two strong maids carefully carried the gifts into the room, everyone was amazed. It turned out to be a sculpture of a turtle and a crane celebrating longevity, carved from a huge piece of ivory. After the gifts were placed down, a burly man entered, knelt down, and explained, “The second master said that during Grandmother’s seventieth birthday, due to intense battles and the fact that they had just found suitable ivory, they couldn’t bring it back in time. They could only do so during the Mid-Autumn Festival.”

Seeing this ivory carving, Zhang Yue couldn’t help but recall the time when his uncles returned to Kaifeng together, bringing back a whole box of ivory, amber, and tortoiseshell. Back then, it was just for show, but now they truly wished their grandmother a long life. In fact, wasn’t that also the deepest wish of everyone in the family?