Chapter 602: Thunder and Rain—all are Grace from the Emperor

Since it was a report of a great victory at Jiaozhi, after submitting it to the emperor, the Ministry of War naturally did not forget to send people throughout the city to announce the good news. Soon, everyone in the city knew that Jiaozhi had achieved another major victory. Since the troops were sent there at the beginning of the Yongle era, hundreds of thousands of soldiers from the imperial court had been trapped there, unable to move. Not only ordinary soldiers but also many high-ranking officers had lost their lives. For civil officials sent to Jiaozhi, it was almost synonymous with certain death. Therefore, anyone with relatives or friends serving in the Jiaozhi army or holding office there was overjoyed. As a result, the capital, already decorated for the Emperor’s birthday, was even more festively lit.

On his way back, Zhu Di received such good news. Thinking that it was the Emperor’s birthday the next day, this was the perfect gift. He was extremely pleased and, not wanting to spoil his mood, ordered someone to convey a message to Liu Yongcheng: there was no need to bring Li Maofang anymore; the gates of Wanchun Palace should be tightly closed, and Li Maofang left to fend for himself. Upon returning to Qianqing Palace, he summoned Wang Jinghong, an eunuch from the Imperial Household Department, intending to instruct him to deliver a reward to the residence of the Marquis of Yangwu.

In the past, rewards usually consisted of cash. For meritorious nobles and high-ranking officials, additional gifts such as dozens of fine horses or gold and silver were given. But Zhu Di had already bestowed many of these items before and did not wish to reward them with such trivial things now. Standing up and walking back and forth a few times, he ordered someone to prepare ink and paper. Seeing this, Wang Jinghong quickly stepped forward to press one end of the paper with a weight while holding the other end himself.

Zhu Di dipped his brush into the thick ink, a satisfied smile on his face. That tiny Jiaozhi administrative office had managed to hold back the Ming army. Just Zhang Fu had been sent there three times, followed by one noble after another. Dozens of rebel forces had been quelled, but Li Li kept either fleeing to Laos or hiding elsewhere, resurfacing whenever the main army withdrew—making him the biggest threat. Now that Li Li had been captured, it meant Jiaonan could be pacified, proving that he had not made a wrong choice in appointing people!

“A person must set firm aspirations; with such aspirations, success follows. Throughout history, no one has achieved success without ambition. To safeguard the country, to be both loyal and brave, to honor one’s ancestors and nurture capable talents—this is the great ambition of the Zhang family. Cherish it, strive for it, and do not disappoint me.”

With a swift stroke of the brush, Zhu Di personally sealed the letter with his usual small seal. He then ordered a young eunuch to place it on a side table to dry. Suddenly, he remembered another matter. Seeing Wang Jinghong standing respectfully nearby, he asked, “When you returned from the West this time, did you bring anything rare?”

It was already his sixth trip to the West, and he returned earlier than usual, so Wang Jinghong was stunned upon hearing this. It was customary for those returning from overseas to submit a detailed list of the items they brought back for the emperor’s review, though the emperor would rarely examine them closely. Apart from the treasures in the imperial vault, he had only previously inquired about using items like agarwood and pepper as compensation in the form of salaries. At this moment, unsure whether the emperor had heard some rumors and brought it up suddenly, Wang Jinghong had to be extremely cautious.

“Your Majesty, this time, Your servant and Eunuch Zheng returned from the West with 300 ivory tusks, 40 boxes of rubies and sapphires, 300 taels of top-quality pearls, 8 boxes of ambergris, 200 rhinoceros horns, and also amber…”

“I’m not asking for details,” Zhu Di said, uninterested in these trivial figures, and immediately interrupted Wang Jinghong. Thinking that if bestowing treasures on ministers became a precedent, princes and relatives might also ask for favors, he abandoned his initial idea and ordered, “Forget it. Grant 2,000 pieces of currency to the Yangwu Bo’s residence, and take this calligraphy piece as well. Additionally, after finishing your tasks, go to the Ministry of Personnel and have Minister Jian Yi come to the palace.”

Although the emperor didn’t specify why Jian Yi should come to the palace, Wang Jinghong quickly understood and bowed in response. Taking the calligraphy piece, he first sent it to the Imperial Workshop for framing, then went to retrieve the 2,000 pieces of currency intended as a reward. Counting and packing these new currency pieces took a full hour. Faced with the two large boxes filled to the brim, he had no choice but to instruct two young eunuchs to load them onto a cart and wait outside the palace gates, while he went back to the Imperial Workshop to get the framed imperial calligraphy. By the time his group arrived at the Yangwu Bo’s residence, the sun was already setting.

This process of issuing decrees and bestowals naturally took a long time. Coincidentally, that day Lady Wang also brought Zhang Tian and Zhang Ke to relax. After Zhang Yue finished his tasks and entered the house, she said with a smile, “Such good news just before the Emperor’s birthday celebration—Yangwu Bo has finally gotten some recognition. Since the emperor has bestowed his own calligraphy, the Seal Verification Department in the Ministry of Personnel will likely recast the official documents soon. By the way, Brother Yue, I heard that today, when the emperor was inspecting the vanguard troops in the Western Garden training ground, Li Maofang tried to stop him?”

These past few days, Zhang Ke had been forced to stay at the Duke of Yingguo’s residence by Lady Wang. In her free time, she played with her two younger cousins or did some needlework, chatted with Lady Wang about household matters, and was even taken by Lady Wang to observe the work in the small hall handling household affairs twice. Compared to her previous listlessness, her spirit and energy had improved greatly. Yet upon hearing the name Li Maofang, her face turned deathly pale, and she tightly clenched the handkerchief in her hand; all the liveliness in her eyes vanished instantly.

“I don’t know exactly what happened with the attempt to stop the emperor’s carriage, but later, when the emperor left the imperial training ground, Eunuch Liu, who was originally ordered to send Li Maofang back to Wanchun Palace, stepped forward to report. The emperor immediately flew into a rage. It seems Li Maofang has done something worthless again. Given the situation, it’s likely that the marriage between him and Sister Ke will be canceled.”

This morning, Zhu Di brought his personal guards from the Imperial Horse Supervision Bureau. With so many people around, the news naturally couldn’t be kept secret, and many in the army learned about it. Some realized that the marriage between Li Maofang and the Zhang family might be in the way, so they reported it to the Duke of Yingguo’s residence. Yet even though Lady Wang had some hope after hearing the news, she never expected Zhang Yue’s final words to be so definitive.

“Brother Yue, could it be…?”

“Disrupting the emperor’s carriage is already a grave crime, but since he is the emperor’s direct grandson, the emperor might spare him. However, the crime of deceiving the emperor is no small matter.” Seeing Zhang Ke’s face turn pale and then blue again, and then finally relax, Zhang Yue thought of the marriage agreement already in place. If Zhang Fu didn’t have enough courage, it might still delay their lives forever, which made him feel somewhat sad. But then he thought that if Li Maofang really died, Zhang Fu, as a father, should at least show some determination. So he spoke more firmly, “Auntie, you’d better discuss this further with Uncle Fu. Things have come to this point; he should really find a solution.”

Wanchun Palace was located south of Taiye Pond in the Western Garden. It had once been the residence of an imperial concubine. Although Liu Yongcheng was an eunuch from the Imperial Horse Supervision Bureau, he had also been here twice before. In just half a day, he replaced all the people here. Now standing under the plaque with blue background and golden characters, his narrowed eyes hid a deep cold light.

“Eunuch.”

“Have those witnesses been taken care of?”

“Yes, just now someone from the Qianqing Palace came to deliver a message, saying the Emperor no longer wishes to see Li Maofang. There’s no need for the eunuch to mention him; he should be left to fend for himself.” The middle-aged eunuch was a trusted subordinate cultivated by Liu Yongcheng at the Imperial Horse Stables. Seeing his superior’s gloomy expression, he spoke cautiously, “It is said that good news has come from the front lines—Li Li has been captured, so the Emperor is very pleased.”

Hearing this, Liu Yongcheng was somewhat surprised. He nodded, lifted the hem of his robe, stepped over the threshold into the dimly lit hall ahead, and then turned behind a screen into the East Warm Pavilion in the back hall. By now, the sun had almost set. Due to the events of the day, not a single lamp was lit, leaving only faint shadows of the furniture. Yet, with his sharp eyes, Liu Yongcheng immediately spotted the figure on the carved wooden bed.

“Young Master?”

The moment he spoke, Liu Yongcheng’s expression changed to one of utmost respect. He lit a candlestick nearby, watching the flame flicker, then turned around with a smiling face and bowed. Seeing Li Maofang glaring at him fiercely, he cleared his throat gently and said, “Young Master, you’re too careless. You even dared to fake the birthday gifts for the Emperor, causing those two girls to suffer severe scars on their arms. Even the stupidest person could see that. What does it matter if you endure a little hardship? Once you’re set free, you’ll have a whole world ahead of you to enjoy your fortunes!”

Ever since Liu Yongcheng brought him back and suddenly turned against him, seizing control of all the palace servants and eunuchs, Li Maofang had sensed that something was wrong. Now, he gritted his teeth and said, “My father is a marquis, my mother is a princess. I was born into luxury. Why do you dare question me? You wretched eunuch actually dare to stir up trouble in front of the Emperor—how bold of you! Just because of two lowly maids’ accusations, you think you can convict me? Dream on!”

“Yes, I am indeed insignificant, but when I served the Emperor, Princess Yongping hadn’t even been born yet!” Liu Yongcheng dropped his respectful expression and sneered coldly. “The crime of deceiving the emperor is unforgivable. In fact, what happened over two years ago was enough to send you to the execution ground once. The Emperor merely showed mercy. Now, with two crimes added together, who knows—you might even end up in the Jinyiwei’s prison! Tsk tsk, among those who plotted rebellion back then, Meng Xian was lucky. The others suffered greatly in the Jinyiwei’s hands before being executed at the West Fourth Archway. Otherwise, even you, a nobleborn scion, would have experienced what it’s like to be on the execution ground…”

“You… you’re talking nonsense!”
“If the Emperor still harbored even a trace of mercy toward you, the Young Marquis, he would have summoned you right now to scold you harshly. But instead, the Emperor sent word specifically saying he doesn’t want to see you and wants you to fend for yourself in the Western Palace. The reason he hasn’t issued an official order yet is merely for the sake of the celebration during the Imperial Birthday. Young Marquis, take care of yourself. If you can’t survive on your own, even Lord Lu from the Imperial Secretariat might come for you. Oh, and he’s the head of the Eastern Depot—his methods are far more ruthless than mine…”
Liu Yongcheng naturally knew what kind of words would work. Sure enough, after he finished speaking, Li Maofang had completely collapsed. Seeing that the man who had once clung so tightly to his dignity was now as good as dead, he stood up and left the room without looking back, stopping only when he was outside.
Although the last incident was orchestrated by Prince Anyang, Princess Yongping also played a role in it. Since he had almost lost his life, he would first get revenge from Li Maofang!