Chapter 593: Courage Is Essential, So Is Strategy
With numerous relatives within the five degrees of kinship, officials experienced bereavement several times a year. Thus, aside from the period of mourning required by law, when officials of both civil and military ranks observed other forms of mourning, they would remove their mourning attire whenever handling official affairs or attending court—this had become an established custom. To express their sorrow for the deceased, even those not in mourning would choose plain-colored clothes, with blue being the preferred choice for most. As soon as Zhang Yue returned from leave, he appeared in public wearing blue clothes and boots.
He was still a deputy director in the Ministry of War, but another official had been appointed to oversee the armory department, so he no longer needed to report to the Ministry of War. Instead, he had to go to the Office of the Imperial Tutor daily. Since Jian Yi, who held the position of Imperial Tutor, was mostly occupied with matters related to the Ministry of Personnel and often absent from the office, Zhang Yue mainly dealt with those old scholars. However, these people were proud and aloof, and since he was in mourning, he spoke little, leaving him untroubled by anyone.
The Office of the Imperial Tutor was located to the east of the six ministerial offices and the Hanlin Academy. A few steps south was the city wall, and further east was Chongwen Gate—one of the noisiest areas in the capital. Inside the three-story quadrangle courtyard, there were twenty or thirty people, most of whom were over forty years old. Apart from Zhang Yue, those under thirty were just a few laborers.
That noon, as usual, the dining hall in the eastern courtyard prepared meals for the officials in the Office of the Imperial Tutor. Having followed a vegetarian diet for most of the past half year, Zhang Yue, as always, only took plain rice. While mixing rice with pickled vegetables, he heard a young laborer calling from outside. After hearing what the man had to report, he hurriedly left the office. There, in front of the horse-posting pole on the west side of the main gate, stood a burly young man. Recognizing him as Shi Heng, Zhang Yue was momentarily stunned before stepping forward.
“Why are you the only one here? Where’s your brother-in-law?”
Shi Heng had followed Wang Yu around, gaining much more experience than when he was at home, and he really enjoyed this carefree life. But after meeting Zhang Yue for the second time, Wang Yu left him at home under house arrest to reflect, nearly driving him mad. Yet, being an honest person, after being advised by his aunt, his cousin, and his brother-in-law, he realized he had indeed been too reckless and kept making mistakes. So now, standing in front of Zhang Yue, he no longer had his usual carefree demeanor.
“My cousin’s husband set off for Kaiping yesterday.” Seeing Zhang Yue surprised, he quickly explained, “Because my cousin’s husband had been diligent before, he received a recommendation from Shangguan, and the Marquis of Wu’an personally ordered his transfer there. He said it wasn’t suitable for me to go, so he left me at home. It’s my cousin who brought me here today.”
Hearing that Jin Su also came, Zhang Yue was surprised. Then he saw an old-fashioned black carriage parked by the wall, with a coachman standing beside it. One corner of the cloth curtain in front of the carriage had been lifted. He stepped forward and saw Jin Su inside, dressed in a purple silk dress with small flowers and a white skirt with white threadwork, looking somewhat thin. He nodded in greeting and asked, “Are you really confident enough to entrust Shi Heng to me?”
“My third aunt only has this one child, and she hopes he will achieve something in life. If my third cousin can help take care of him, my mother and I will be extremely grateful.” Jin Su, sitting in the carriage, couldn’t get out to bow, so she could only bow slightly. “If he were just an ordinary mischievous boy, we wouldn’t dare trouble you. But he’s still young, and with proper guidance, he might become someone great. My husband has always told me that little Heng is better than him at that age.”
“Everyone has their own strengths. Your husband is steady and capable; his future is boundless.”
Zhang Yue smiled slightly and nodded. “Alright, I’m going to the front guard of the imperial army this afternoon. I’ll take him along to see what he’s capable of. Sister Su, you can go back now. Tell Wang Yu that I’ve agreed to help. But he might suffer a lot following me—just don’t regret it later.”
“As long as he succeeds, a little hardship is nothing!” Jin Su had been close to Shi Heng since childhood. She waved at him with a smile, stared at him for a long time, and then gave him careful instructions, word by word: “Little Heng, don’t forget that your mother is still waiting for you at home. You must strive to do well! You’ve endured so much hardship in learning martial arts without ever complaining. In the future, you must learn to be as perseverant. Remember, listen to Lord Zhang—he’s always right!”
Unexpecting his own words to be considered infallible one day, Zhang Yue was both amused and puzzled. Yet, seeing the burly Shi Heng nod obediently in front of Jin Su, looking completely convinced, he said nothing more. After Jin Su thanked him, the coachman stepped forward to lower the curtain and drove away. Then he called Shi Heng over.
“At the third hour of the afternoon, I’ll head to the front guard of the imperial army. I still need to stay at the Minister of Works’ office for a while. Do you see that teahouse?” He pointed to an unassuming small teahouse diagonally across from the minister’s office, then said to Shi Heng, “It’s still the second hour of noon. Go inside and wait for me there. Don’t wander around. I’ll come out to find you on time. Remember, if I come out and can’t find you, all these plans about the front guard won’t count!” Seeing Shi Heng nod his head repeatedly and noting that he had money for tea, he said no more and turned to enter the minister’s office. Once inside the courtyard, he waved to a scribe of roughly the same age as himself. After confirming that the scribe had no other tasks that afternoon, he handed him some new coins and then instructed in a low voice, “Keep an eye on the young man who came to see me just now. Note down every place he goes and everything he does. Report everything to me in detail later!” The scribe knew Zhang Yue was usually kind-hearted, and since he was being rewarded this time, there was no reason not to agree. He nodded repeatedly and quickly slipped out. Zhang Yue returned to his room, where he saw two colleagues also writing furiously. Not wanting to disturb them, he sat down at his desk to read. Before the third hour even arrived, Zhang Yue packed up and left the room. From the scribe, he learned that Shi Heng had patiently stayed in the teahouse throughout that hour and a half, only getting up to walk around occasionally when he couldn’t stay still, which surprised him greatly. After leaving the building, he saw Peng Shisan waiting there with a horse, knowing that the message he was to deliver had been brought. He spoke with Peng Shisan for a few words, then went to the teahouse to bring Shi Heng out. The three of them mounted their horses and headed to the training ground of the imperial army’s front guard. As soon as the four of them dismounted at the destination, a cloud of dust appeared in the opposite direction. Soon, dozens of people surrounded Zhu Zhanji as he rushed over. Zhu Zhanji, who was at the front, jumped off his horse. Seeing Zhang Yue and his men approaching to pay their respects, he casually waved his whip and said, “Enough, enough. This isn’t the palace—no one’s going to judge your manners. Yuanjie, you’ve been in Kaifeng for over a month. Let me see if your riding and archery skills have declined!”
Hearing this, Zhang Yue couldn’t help but laugh. Ever since he had often accompanied Zhu Zhanji to practice archery and horseback riding with the imperial army, whether it was inspired by Zhu Zhanji’s skilled archery and horsemanship, his previous battlefield experiences that had strengthened his physique, or the intense challenges of those duels, his skills in archery and horseback riding had improved significantly. However, during his return to Kaifeng to bury his grandmother, he hadn’t had the chance to practice, so when he took the zamwood bow handed to him by Zhu Zhanji, he felt a bit rusty.
He pulled the bowstring to test his hand, glanced at Shi Heng, who was eager to try, and Peng Shisan, who seemed indifferent, then thought for a moment before riding closer to Zhu Zhanji and saying, “Your Highness, how about we have a three-person duel as before? Old Peng surely brought his weapons, but that younger one didn’t bring a bow or arrows.”
Although standard bows and arrows were regulated items, Zhu Zhanji trusted the people Zhang Yue had brought, so with a wave of his hand, an officer from the imperial army’s vanguard brought over another set of bows and arrows. He had seen Peng Shisan before and laughed after taking him in once.
“The four people you brought last time were strong, but their accuracy was poor, resulting in a crushing defeat at my hands. This time, you’ve simply brought over the most trusted men of the Duke of Ying? Who’s the other one? He looks strong, but I hope he’s not like those four. There will also be ball-throwing and willow-shooting competitions in front of the emperor during the Dragon Boat Festival—this is a good chance to practice in advance. The rules remain the same as before: whoever loses must wash all the horses! After that, we’ll go to the imperial army’s vanguard camp outside the city to watch the gunners practice!”
This was an old rule that Zhang Yue was very familiar with, so he naturally wouldn’t object. Looking at Chen Wu and the others, who were all smiling, he couldn’t help but think that if Zhu Zhanji lost, it would likely be these eunuchs who would take the blame, and a faint smile appeared on his lips. He nudged his horse forward to join Peng Shisan and Shi Heng, handed the bow and arrows to Shi Heng, and explained the rules. Seeing that Peng Shisan seemed completely unfazed while Shi Heng was quite nervous, he gently kicked the latter’s leg with his toe.
“Show off all your skills. If you can perform well in front of the Crown Prince, not only can you inherit your father’s position, but you might even advance further. Seize this opportunity—there won’t be another chance like this. Make the most of it!”
Still, he began to murmur to himself. Although horseback riding and archery had never been his strengths, back then he had been lucky enough to hit the Tartar army’s flag. After twenty or thirty attempts, he should be able to win at least once, right? As for Shi Heng… Ambition grows gradually once one gains power. Even if this Shi Heng were indeed the same person, he was confident he could make good use of him.
To fear his name and refuse to use him is a sign of lack of courage; to dare to use him but fail to control him is a sign of lack of strategy. Shi Heng was still young and highly malleable—missing this opportunity would be a waste. After all, whether it was the nobles now or those in the future, none of them could be trusted.
These simple two sentences made Shi Heng’s back sweat. Seeing Zhang Yue and Peng Shisan galloping away on their horses, the crown prince in his bright red brocade robe also chased after them with two guards. He couldn’t help but bite his tongue hard. Only after regaining his composure did he whip the reins and pursue them.
What was it, just shooting at willows? If he could show off his skills, those people from the Ministry of War wouldn’t dare to trouble him!
Amidst the cheers in the training ground, a grand procession of carriages happened to pass by. At an order from the carriage in the middle, its speed slowed significantly. A woman in the carriage lifted the curtain, summoned a attendant to investigate, and upon hearing what was going on, she slammed the curtain down and ordered sharply, “Go!”
Although she didn’t see the person she was looking for, the thought of Li Maofang still suffering in the Western Garden made Princess Yongping’s anger grow stronger by the moment. She had already made plans—this time, she would definitely rescue her son!