Chapter 609: Shadows Linger, A Promise Worth a Thousand Gold

The fifth day of the fifth lunar month—Dragon Boat Festival.

After the morning court meeting, as usual, banquets were held for civil and military officials, along with fans and colored silk threads for longevity. Those who were close to the emperor or of noble rank would often receive additional gifts, depending on their rank; generally, it was just more calamus and colored silk ribbons. To ward off toxins and evil spirits, everyone from officials to their families wore clothes adorned with symbols of protection against the five poisonous beasts. Calamus and pots were placed on both sides of doors, whether in homes or government offices. Realgar wine and calamus wine naturally became essential items in every household, alongside zongzi.

Although the Dragon Boat Festival was not a holiday for court officials, they could take a break if there were no urgent matters. That afternoon, the Military Command Headquarters dismissed its staff early and allowed them to go home. From the top commanders to the lower-ranking officials, almost everyone left, with only a few clerks remaining on duty. Even then, it was more for show—unless the Tartars from the north invaded, the Japanese pirates attacked from the east, or something happened in Jiaozhi, in which case the Military Ministry would handle it, and they wouldn’t have to worry.

Since none of these three scenarios had arisen yet, the Military Ministry could afford some leisure time, unlike the Ministry of Revenue, busy with disaster relief, the Ministry of Personnel, busy with recognizing merits, or the Ministry of Rites, busy dispatching envoys back to their countries… Only a few people knew that the emperor still had his eyes on the northern borders, but at least he no longer mentioned launching a northern campaign, allowing them to breathe a sigh of relief. The great victory in Jiaozhi was even more reassuring, and many were calculating the timing for withdrawing troops.

Du Zhen happened to not be on duty that day, so he returned to the Hanlin Academy. He had worked there since passing the imperial examinations and was later recalled as a Hanlin Academician. Though he now worked directly under the Wenyuan Pavilion, he had spent many years there before. Due to his reserved personality, he had few friends. Upon returning, he spent his time reading classics in his room, sparking some private discussions among the staff of the Hanlin Academy.

“Everyone wears the name of the Hanlin Academy, but you hardly ever see them. Now they’re back!”

“Not to mention Scholar Du, even Scholars Yang and Jin are considered leading scholars of the Hanlin Academy. But how often have you seen them?”

“Rather than complaining, think about why the emperor chose Du Yishan! Some of you have been in the Hanlin Academy for over twenty years, but now success depends not on seniority but on ability. So, save your words! Take me for example—I’m good at writing and scholarship, but I lack the broader knowledge needed to govern the country. Why be envious?”

When Du Zhen found what he was looking for and left the room, he happened to hear murmurs coming from the corridor over there. After descending a few steps, he heard another mocking voice. He had always cared little about what others said and usually paid no attention, but this time he couldn’t help but glance in that direction. Seeing that it was a young man in his early thirties speaking, he inwardly gave himself a nod of approval. Then he greeted a colleague walking ahead with a bow and slowly headed outside.

Today, he had come to look for records of the internal conflicts in Annam during the early Yongle era, as he still had doubts about Jin Youzi’s proposal to withdraw troops from Jiaozhi. Having worked with Yang Rong and Jin Youzi for a long time, he had gradually understood their thoughts—whether it was Jiaozhi or the areas beyond the Great Wall, they were not part of the Central Plains, and exhausting the people of the Central Plains for these places was a loss greater than the gain. But would it be too hasty to recall Zhang You on the grounds that Jiaozhi was now stable, given that the Zhang family had gradually taken control of the military there?

Preoccupied, Du Zhen walked out of the Hanlin Academy with his head down in deep thought. As he descended the steps, he lost his balance and stumbled forward. Fortunately, a hand reached out and steadied him. Only then did he regain his senses and look up, recognizing it as Zhang Yue. He couldn’t help but laugh in amazement.

“What a coincidence! To run into you here at the Hanlin Academy. Are you here on official business, or to consult some books?”

Hearing Du Zhen’s words, Zhang Yue smiled bitterly. As a deputy minister of war, what was he doing at the Hanlin Academy? It was simply because the Hanlin Academy and the Office of the Grand Preceptor were right across from each other. He dismounted in front of the Office of the Grand Preceptor and saw his mentor and father-in-law coming out with a worried expression. So he went up to greet him, only to find that the usually steady Du Zhen almost tripped.

“Father-in-law, it’s Lord Zou Ji, the deputy head of the Office of the Grand Preceptor, who needs to see me. I didn’t come to the Hanlin Academy on purpose.”

“My memory! I’m getting confused even before I get old!” Du Zhen then realized it was the Office of the Grand Preceptor across from him and shook his head. Thinking about the unresolved matters, he instructed Zhang Yue, “Today is the Dragon Boat Festival. The offices will close earlier in the evening. Your mother has prepared many zongzi. Come back later and bring some back for your brothers to try. Also, I have a few questions for you. Since it’s urgent now, you can go first!”

Since Du Zhen said so, Zhang Yue naturally nodded. Only after the others left did he turn and enter the Minister’s Office. Thinking of the emperor’s poor health—how today’s court session was presided over by the crown prince instead of Zhu Di, who did not appear—and how the shooting and ball games were merely held symbolically, he couldn’t help but ponder. He vaguely remembered Zhu Di having passed away on his way back from a northern expedition; he wasn’t sure which one it was, nor could he recall the year. Yet it was already the 21st year of the Yongle era, so it was likely to have happened in these past couple of years. With these thoughts in mind, when he arrived at the Junior Minister’s room, he heard bursts of coughing coming from inside.

“Lord Zou.”

“It’s Zhang Yuanjie? Come in.”

Pushing aside the bamboo curtain, Zhang Yue saw Junior Minister Zou Ji sitting behind the desk. Since Minister Jian Yi of the Minister’s Office only served as an official in the Eastern Palace and rarely handled affairs here, it was always this nearly seventy-year-old man who was in charge. Zhang Yue had stayed here for several months and knew that this man had once taught Zhu Zhanji classics and history. Du Zhen had also mentioned that Zou Ji was an expert in the Spring and Autumn Annals, so out of respect for the elderly and the wise, he had always treated him with great courtesy. But now he didn’t understand why the other man had summoned him.

Ever since officials like Xu Shanshu had been convicted and executed one after another, and Liang Qian had barely escaped punishment, Zou Ji had been in constant anxiety, his health already poor, and he had been forcing himself through these years. Now, he raised his hand to signal that Zhang Yue didn’t need to be formal, then picked up a stack of papers on the desk and asked, “Yuanjie, come and take a look at these.”

Taking the stack of papers, Zhang Yue was immediately shocked. On those flattened sheets were his own handwriting, with obvious alterations—things he had written in his free time at the Minister’s Office. Although he had been an official these years, Du Zhen often gave him newly printed books to read. Over time, he began to think about organizing some of his writings. He had already taken the copied drafts home, but since they weren’t very important, he had casually thrown them into the wastepaper bin. Who would have thought someone would go to the trouble of organizing them one by one?

“Lord Zou, these are…”

“Don’t misunderstand. Of course, I didn’t order anyone to spy on your actions. It was a clerk in the Minister of Works’ office who caused the trouble; these things were found in his cluttered room. It wasn’t just yours—many of my colleagues’ documents were also stored there. He claimed he wanted to steal some officials’ handwritten works to make money, and I had no way to verify it. To avoid further trouble, I ordered him to be expelled from the office. I returned everyone else’s belongings; this is yours.”

Learning this, Zhang Yue found it utterly bizarre and almost thought the man might be an insider from the Jinyiwei. But then he realized Yuan Fang’s subordinates wouldn’t be so incompetent, so he dismissed that idea, though he remained suspicious. Just as he prepared to thank the man properly after putting away the documents, Zou Ji started coughing and only spoke again after a long while.

“I remember when you missed the selection for the Hanlin Academy but still wrote a magnificent essay. I was amazed at the time, but after that you focused solely on current affairs and never wrote anything like it again. Even when you wrote, it was just notes and essays. I thought that first piece was just a fluke. If it weren’t for examining it carefully these past few days, I would have misjudged you. After all, Du Yishan was once skilled in poetry and writing, and after living in seclusion for years, he only taught you—how ordinary could that be? However, a few of those essays share a style similar to your original ‘Zunjingge Ji.’ The writing is indeed good, but mentioning Lu Xiangshan and Zhu Xi together is risky; one must not seek attention at all costs.”

With these well-intentioned warnings, Zhang Yue returned to the Ministry of War and immediately disposed of those drafts, sighing inwardly. He knew well that the essays Zou Ji referred to were Wang Yangming’s famous works, which he only vaguely remembered. It was a twist of fate that the things he wanted to hide had been seen. But since Zou Ji was already old and the drafts had been taken back, he wasn’t too worried. After all, it was too early for those documents to become public.

Indeed, it was a day when work ended early. When Zhang Yue went to the armory office to find Wan Shijie, he was shocked to find that person already gone. Remembering that Wan Shijie was alone in the capital and likely either at the Du family’s house or preparing for his new home, he didn’t worry too much and hurriedly left the office. After meeting up with the people who came to pick him up and leaving the alley, he heard someone calling his name from a street corner. Upon closer inspection, he recognized the tall young man and quickly spurred his horse forward.

The once young Meng Tao had now grown tall and appeared quite valiant. Upon meeting again, he bowed deeply. It was only when Zhang Yue dismounted and helped him up that he straightened his back.
“Brother Zhang, thank you for having Miss Xiao Wu come to remind us. My sister and younger brother and I discussed it for days, and we finally decided to follow your advice. I’ve already gone to the Marquis of Baoding’s residence to see my second aunt.” Recalling the carefree times they shared in the past, Meng Tao clenched his fists tightly before saying solemnly, “I know you’ve been taking care of our family all these years. Though we shouldn’t trouble you again, if my brother and I leave, there will only be an underage brother left as a man in the family. After all, my uncle is very busy with his duties…”
Since the Meng brothers were willing to listen to him, Zhang Yue naturally breathed a sigh of relief and nodded without hesitation. “You two focus on making achievements in the army. I’ll take care of whatever I can here. Don’t worry.”
With such a promise, Meng Tao’s remaining worries vanished. He bowed deeply once more. He was no longer a child; it was time for him to take responsibility for the family. Whether the Meng family, which had fallen to rock bottom, could turn things around depended on him—even the Marquis of Baoding couldn’t help much. This was a matter for a man, and there was no room for hesitation!
Since Zhang Yue had given his word, it was as binding as gold. What more could he worry about?