Chapter 601: Fury and Great Victory

A gentleman may wait ten years to avenge himself, while a scoundrel seeks revenge at once. As for those who fall between the two—neither gentleman nor scoundrel—they can temporarily suppress their hatred, but once they find an opportunity, they will never let it slip away. When Zhang Yue, still on the platform, saw Zhu Di suddenly shouting questions at Liu Yongcheng, he knew things were already going very well.

Last year, during the northern expedition, Liu Yongcheng had been sabotaged, partly due to his own carelessness, but mostly because someone was closely watching the imperial guards and the Eastern Palace. Yet that man had been with Zhu Di since the Yan Kingdom era. If he failed to seize the chance to avenge himself after overcoming that difficulty, Liu Yongcheng, as an imperial eunuch, would likely be nothing but a name without substance. As Zhang Yue knew, the old eunuch appeared to be patient on the surface but was actually busy plotting in secret.

“Yuanjie, come with me—something seems wrong with the Emperor!”

Hearing the anxious voice beside him, Zhang Yue quickly regained his senses and followed the hurried Zhu Zhanji down the steps. By then, the soldiers of the imperial guard had dispersed into groups, while the personal guards tightly surrounded Zhu Di. Only those right behind the emperor could sense his intense anger from moments earlier.

“This is the filial piety of my grandson! Excellent, truly excellent!”

Zhu Di spat out these words through gritted teeth, then suddenly turned, snatched the Jingang Jing from Hai Shou’s hands, and threw it to the ground. Even then, still unsatisfied, he stepped on it several times. Only when he saw Zhu Zhanji and Zhang Yue approaching did he suppress his anger. He turned to Liu Yongcheng and ordered sternly, “Go to Wanchun Palace again and bring that little brat to Qianqing Palace! He only knows how to play tricks. Without a ruler, parents, or elders, how is he like his father at all?”

“Yes, your servant understands.”

Liu Yongcheng bowed deeply and immediately left. Zhang Qian, watching Liu Yongcheng’s retreating figure, suddenly felt a chill in his heart. Since the emperor had spoken thus and sent Liu Yongcheng to carry out this task, the fate of Li Maofang was obvious. There was really no pity for that fool—since the emperor ascended the throne, he had already eliminated people more prominent and meritorious than him. But if this continued, wouldn’t the late Duke of Jing, Li Rang, have no descendants left?

Due to this incident, Zhu Di’s initial good mood from the military parade had completely vanished. Even when Zhu Zhanji and Zhang Yue stepped forward, he appeared impatient. After saying a few casual words, he pointed at Zhang Yue and said, “I’ve let you idle away so long because of your grandmother’s recent death. Now that she’s buried, you should start working harder. There aren’t any major tasks at the Armory Department right now. Starting tomorrow, you’ll join the Geographic Affairs Division of the Ministry of War as a probationary officer. Once you’ve gotten the hang of it in a few months, you’ll be officially appointed. As for the Crown Prince’s palace… you just need to visit once every three days!”

Seeing the crowd surrounding the emperor as they left, Zhu Zhanji frowned. Noticing that Zhang Yue was still dazed, he said helplessly, “Yuanjie, this time you really deserve congratulations. The Armory Department deals with tedious matters. Although many consider it a cushy position, among the four divisions of the Ministry of War, it ranks at most third. The Geographic Affairs Division handles crucial military affairs across the country. To outsiders, it may not seem as powerful as the Military Recruitment Division, but even that division has to follow orders when it comes to high-ranking appointments—far less important than the Geographic Affairs Division. Since the Emperor trusts you so much, you must take it seriously.”

Once the initial shock wore off, Zhang Yue realized the reason behind this transfer. His words to the emperor weren’t random; they were based on his experiences in the Ministry of War, his battles against Arutai, and what he had learned from later generations. After all, he wasn’t part of the Geographic Affairs Division, and he wasn’t very familiar with the spies sent by the Ministry of War to various places or the deeper secrets involved. Being transferred to the Geographic Affairs Division would help him gain a better understanding of Mongolia and other countries.

“Your Highness, rest assured. I will surely remember to work diligently.”

Since tomorrow was the Emperor’s Birthday, there were still many preparations to be made in the palace. So, after the military parade ended, Zhu Zhanji didn’t keep Zhang Yue any longer. After saying a few more words, he ordered Chen Wu to take Zhang Yue out of the palace through the Xi’an Gate to avoid unnecessary detours. Having interacted with Chen Wu quite a bit these days, Zhang Yue found him clever and astute, as well as knowing when to step back. As they walked along the Taiye Lake, passing by the Western Wine House, Chen Wu suddenly spoke up.

“Just now, I happened to go to the inner study and heard news that Lord Yangwu has captured Li Li of Jiaozhi and is planning to bring him back to the capital as a prisoner! Li Li is nothing but a lowly scoundrel, yet he kept causing trouble in Jiaozhi. Every time we managed to defeat him, we still couldn’t catch him, but this time he’s truly dealt with. The Duke of Yingguo was already highly renowned in Jiaozhi, and Lord Yangwu has lived up to expectations as well. Aside from offering congratulations, I really want to thank Lord Yangwu.”

Hearing that Li Li had been captured, Zhang Yue was truly surprised and delighted. After all, Jiaozhi had experienced several rebellions over the years, and Li Li was the most cunning of them all—always able to rise again after being defeated. Now that he’s captured, it means Jiaozhi will be stable for a while, and it also means his second uncle, Zhang You, will get his wish. With Li Li captured, it’s certain that the title will become hereditary. However, Chen Wu’s last words left him puzzled.

“Why would Eunuch Chen want to thank my second uncle?”

“Ah, Lord Zhang, don’t you know? I’m the one who delivered him,” Chen Wu said, raising his eyebrows in surprise before casually licking his lips. “Back then, I was living on the streets. There was a recruitment drive for boys from Annam, so I simply mustered up the courage to sign up. Later, I followed the Duke of Yingguo to the capital and have been serving the Crown Prince ever since I entered the palace. His Highness values my prudence, so he entrusted me with handling various internal and external affairs. My family was originally wealthy, but because Li Li and his brothers, who were local nobles, coveted that wealth, I almost lost my life. Now that Li Li is captured, I can avenge the destruction of my family and serve His Highness in peace from now on.”

Hearing that Chen Wu was brought back from Jiaozhi by the Duke of Yingguo, Zhang Yue was momentarily stunned, then remembered that he had indeed heard that Zhang Fu brought back a group of handsome boys from Annam after his campaign there, only for them to be castrated and sent to the palace. Although this was a practice that had existed since the founding of the dynasty—such as Lan Yu and Mu Ying bringing back Zheng He and many others from Yunnan, or Korea sending over Hai Shou and dozens of others as tribute—it still sounded horrifying.

“There were dozens of people who entered the palace with me. Fan An and Ruan Lang are now with the Crown Prince, while many others serve in various roles in the palaces. None of those from Jiaozhi are afraid of the Duke of Yingguo. In the court, he seems like a steady minister, but in Jiaozhi, he was a warrior like a god—his reputation could silence a baby’s crying at night.”

Recalling the rumors he had heard in the countryside and the terrifying sight of piles of corpses he had witnessed with others, even though he was no longer the naive Annamite boy he once was, Chen Wu still couldn’t help but shudder. After sending Zhang Yue to the palace gates, he hesitated for a long time before softly speaking up.
“I am ignorant, but there are some things I must say. Although the people here tend to be chaotic, they’re not heartless and unwilling for peace. If it weren’t for the pressure from above, they wouldn’t blindly follow those who plot rebellion. After Eunuch Ma returned from Jiaozhi, he said many blunt things in front of the emperor and the crown prince—you must be extremely careful. Though I no longer have any relatives in Jiaozhi, I still don’t want my homeland to remain in chaos forever. It’s better to resolve such issues swiftly with decisive action.”
Hearing this, Zhang Yue pondered for a moment before nodding in thanks. Once on horseback, he suddenly remembered that when the emperor recalled Ma Qi, he was still in Xuanfu. After returning, due to his grandmother’s death, he hadn’t paid much attention to Ma Qi’s position, so he became wary.
It’s better to offend gentlemen than villains—he had already offended many villains, so he needed to keep a close eye on each of them!
Since it was the day before the Emperor’s Birthday, the government offices were closed, so Zhang Yue didn’t return to the Minister of Education’s residence either. He rushed home quickly. At the entrance to the Marquis of Wu’an’s alley, he happened to meet Zhang Qi, and he shared the good news with him. Seeing Zhang Qi’s surprise and joy, he sighed in relief and looked up at the sky.
“If my grandmother were alive, she would be overjoyed to hear this news! Second brother, after this campaign, your uncle’s title as Marquis of Yangwu will become hereditary!”
Thinking of how much Lady Gu had longed for this, Zhang Qi nodded firmly, his eyes slightly reddening. The two brothers dismounted at the West Corner Gate. A gatekeeper who came out greeted them cheerfully, saying, “Second young master, third young master! This afternoon, someone from the Right Army Command came to report that your father launched a brilliant ambush in Jiaozhi and captured the rebel leader Li Li! The Gao family sent word to the four grandmothers and also rewarded the messenger with a string of silver coins!”
“I didn’t expect the Right Army Command to be the first to report this. Where are those high-ranking officials from the Ministry of War?”

As soon as the words left his mouth, Zhang Qi saw Zhang Yue giving him a wink and immediately realized he had said the wrong thing. Such news would surely first reach the Ministry of War before being sent to the Right Military Command under the Jiaozhi Provincial Administration. Following normal procedures, it would take at least some time before it reached their home. Clearly, it was the nobles at the Right Military Command who had brought the news first. However, since this was a victory report rather than an emergency of defeat, it didn’t matter if they celebrated early. He glanced at Zhang Yue and said, “Younger brother, wait until our eldest brother returns, and let’s go offer incense to our grandmother together!”
“Such good news must surely be told to our grandmother!”
As they spoke, the butler Gao Quan also came out to greet them. After bowing to brothers Zhang Qi and Zhang Yue, he smiled and said, “I’m glad to inform you both that the Right Military Command has more good news. Jiaozhi is now firmly under control. The messenger said that perhaps our second master will be recalled. It is said that even Minister Huang Fu is among those being recalled, after all, he has been in Jiaozhi for over a decade!”
Hearing this, Zhang Yue, who had been full of joy, felt a sudden pang in his heart. Although Li Li’s capture removed a major threat in Jiaozhi, who knew if there weren’t still Ruan Li and Chen Li? Now that the war was over, Zhang You was to be recalled, along with Huang Fu, who was highly trusted by the locals. What if problems arose there again?