Chapter 660: Seeking Chestnuts in the Fire

Sleeping until naturally awake, counting money until one’s hands cramp—this was once Zhang Yue’s greatest desire in his past life. Yet in this life, this goal could be achieved almost effortlessly. Even without considering the family wealth, the wealth his father, Zhang Zhuo, had accumulated over decades was more than enough to sustain him for generations. But the goal from his past life remained utterly unattainable.

As a child, he had to study; once he became an official, he had to report to the government office, and there were even more daunting tasks like attending court meetings. In short, out of 365 days in a lunar year, he hardly had any time to enjoy himself at home. Now, due to illness, he finally got his wish, but after lying in bed for just one day, he felt something was wrong with every part of his body—the discomfort was unbearable.

“Am I really destined to be busy? Can’t I be at peace if I’m not busy? Sigh, it seems my fate is truly bad!”

“You’re talking nonsense, young master. You were born into wealth and prosperity. How many people in the world could have a better fate than yours?”

As soon as he muttered these words, Zhang Yue heard an annoyed voice beside him. Turning his head, he saw Qiu Hen sitting on a chair by the bed, staring at him intently with concern in her beautiful eyes. Remembering that his last illness occurred after that grueling siege at Xinghe, he couldn’t help but smile.

“You’re right. I was born into a noble family. It’s my own choice to push myself onto such a difficult path full of troubles. Complaining now would be pretentious!”

At that moment, he felt an itch in his throat and coughed twice. Seeing this, Qiu Hen quickly brought over a silver spittoon, but he waved his hand away and stared blankly at the somewhat yellowed curtain on the bed frame. Suddenly, he snapped out of his thoughts: “By the way, where are Wan’er and Lingxi? And HuHuHu Pu -> Hu Pu (or Hu Pu)? Besides Aunt Cui and Shui Jing, they brought two maids. Why is it only you here?”

“The young mistress is outside receiving guests with Lingxi. HuHuHu Pu -> Hu Pu (or Hu Pu) is personally preparing medicine, fearing that the servants might not do their job carefully, so she insists on doing it herself. As for Aunt Cui and Shui Jing, some are busy serving guests while others are taking care of Xiao Jingguan. Since you’re sick, the young mistress is worried something might go wrong for her. Even the second son-in-law is receiving guests—today it’s like we’re in the capital.”

As she spoke, a gentle voice came from outside. Zhang Yue still had a dull headache and couldn’t immediately tell who it was, but Qiu Hen recognized it right away and smiled, saying, “It’s the second young lady who’s come to see you!”

Zhang Yue watched her rush out in a hurry and couldn’t help but smile. All these years, the girl had always been talkative and straightforward, preferring to express her feelings openly rather than keep them to herself—completely the opposite of Hu Bo. As he was thinking this, he saw Qiu Hen accompany Zhang Yi into the house.

Zhang Yi was wearing a pale pink jacket with a slanted collar, with only a velvet flower in her hair, giving her a delicate and simple appearance, though her face seemed somewhat pale. Seeing Zhang Yue wave his hand to indicate no need for formalities, she sat down on a chair. After asking a few questions about her condition, she didn’t know what to say next. It wasn’t until Zhang Yue asked who the guests outside were that she stammered to speak up.

“It is said that last night, Master Peng showed off his gold and silver medals as a thousand-household officer when sending off the soldiers. When those people still made noise, he mentioned your name, Third Brother, so they knew we lived here. The lady from Third Sister’s place is a noblewoman by imperial decree. Han Ge first met people from the prefecture office, and then officers from nearby military units and thousand-household offices. That noblewoman asked Third Sister to keep her for dinner before she left, and now she’s already asked the innkeeper to prepare food and drinks.”

Zhang Yue naturally knew very well Du Wan’s personality. Though she was clever and independent, her skill at handling social situations was something she had to put on for others. Unless it was a close friend like Zhu Ning or a family member like Zhang Qing or Xiao Wu, she rarely invited those noblewomen over for meals. Despite being fatigued, he still perked up and asked, “Which noble family is it?”

Zhang Yi usually didn’t care much about outside affairs. At home, it was mostly her mother-in-law who handled receiving such noblewomen; she would just accompany her briefly without paying much attention. Hearing Zhang Yue’s question, she felt embarrassed and was about to shake her head to say she didn’t know when she heard a voice from behind.

“That’s the family of Lord Wang, the salt transport commissioner of Lianghuai.” Hu Bo, carefully holding the medicine bowl, walked forward slowly. Seeing Qiu Hen quickly bring over a stool, she placed the bowl on it temporarily and asked Qiu Hen to go to the kitchen to check if Sister Li’s porridge was ready. Then she explained, “I remember during our trip to the south last time, the young master had a conflict with that young Lord Wang. After that, they came to apologize. This lady arrived this afternoon; I don’t know what important matter she’s here for.”

If not for Amber’s mention, Zhang Yue would have almost forgotten about Wang Quanbin. However, Wang Xunliang, the transport commissioner of the Lianghuai Salt Administration, was a name specifically mentioned by Zhang Fu, so he couldn’t help but pay attention. Zhang Fu had never interfered in political affairs. Although some members of his family had risen through official positions thanks to him, few had achieved prominence. As for his wife’s family, the Wangs, they were even less notable, and Lady Wang was famously uninterested in taking bribes. He had already sent people to investigate this Wang Xunliang, the “King of Salt” of Lianghuai. He learned that this man had been in office for over a decade, handling affairs with little error, but without any major achievements. Yet, having overseen the salt industry for so many years, he surely must have had some skills.

“Wang Xunliang… How did his family end up in Xuzhou?” Zhang Yue pondered for a while before asking Amber a few more questions. Then he noticed Zhang Yi sitting there, clearly uneasy, so he said gently, “You’ve been traveling day after day these past few days. Sister, you must be tired. Go back and rest early. Please convey my regards to your brother-in-law—because of my illness, he’s had to worry so much.”

After Zhang Yi agreed and left the room, Zhang Yue saw Amber sitting on the edge of the bed, gently stirring the medicine with a spoon. He propped himself up and took the bowl. Raising his head, he drank it all in one gulp. He couldn’t help but frown. Seeing that Amber had already opened a box full of preserved fruits, he couldn’t help but smile bitterly.

“These are all snacks that Qiuhen loves. You actually used them to coax me—you really treat me like a child.”

Still, he picked up a salted green plum and put it in his mouth, letting the sweet-and-sour taste spread throughout his mouth. Amber quickly placed a thick brocade cushion behind him. He squinted and leaned back, pulling the blanket over himself. At that moment, he really didn’t have the energy to think, so he chatted casually with Amber. As they talked, he noticed Amber’s gloomy expression and distant gaze, and he was momentarily stunned. Finally, he gently patted her hand.

“Don’t worry. In my lifetime, I will definitely take you to Hainan.”

“What Hainan?”

Qiuhen, who happened to enter at that moment, found it strange upon hearing this. After Zhang Yue changed the subject in a few words, she stopped paying attention. Ignoring Zhang Yue’s request, she sat on the edge of the bed and began feeding him porridge spoon by spoon. Only after feeding him a large bowl of well-warm lean meat porridge did she smile, raise an eyebrow, turn around with the bowl, and leave in a flash.

After resting for a day on medication, Zhang Yue woke up early the next morning feeling more energetic and less sluggish. He refused to stay in bed any longer and insisted on getting dressed and getting up. When Du Wan sent someone to call a doctor again for a pulse check, the renowned physician from Xuzhou couldn’t help but praise Zhang Yue’s strong health, but still repeatedly advised him to rest for two more days before setting off. With this, Zhang Yue naturally asked about the matters he had left behind the previous day, only to be mocked by Sun Han.

“You guy, you’ve always been overly cautious and thoughtful—just like before. You can’t rest easy unless you do things yourself! Enough, I really hate these scheming affairs. It’s better if you handle things properly on your own. Here’s what’s going on: The official troops are currently idle. Aside from guarding Nanjing, many of them have been dispersed to various garrisons in Lianghuai. These people are wealthier than ordinary soldiers, and because of their former high status, there are rumors of them being unruly and acting selfishly, giving them a poor reputation in the garrisons. The night before last, there was a mistaken report—patrol officers from the prefecture office thought soldiers carrying contraband had come to our inn. After Master Peng sent them away, they caught them at another inn next door. So yesterday, they sent people to apologize.”

Zhang Yue knew that Zhu Gaochi in history was famously a short-lived emperor, and his attention was already focused more on Zhu Zhanji. Therefore, he didn’t pay much mind to matters like promotions or demotions, or being put on standby. After all, Zhu Gaochi had always stayed in the Eastern Palace, and Zhang Yue hadn’t had much interaction with him. Moreover, since he had been close to Zhu Zhanji, it now became a taboo topic. Yet, even though he knew that Zhu Gaochi would surely ban overseas voyages once he ascended the throne, hearing about the current situation of the official troops still left him stunned.

This was a navy that had once ruled the seas overseas. If trapped on land, within a few years, these troops would be completely ruined!

“Yuanjie, hey, Yuanjie!” Noticing Zhang Yue was distracted, Sun Han called out impatiently several times. Once he got Zhang Yue’s attention back, he shook his head. “Anyway, both the prefecture office and the garrisons have sent people to apologize. It was just a minor disturbance. I handled it on your behalf—there’s no need to make a big deal out of it. Don’t overthink it. The people in charge don’t know our identities, that’s why this happened. It’s not some scheme against us. You’ve just recovered from illness—get plenty of rest and avoid overthinking!”

Seeing that Sun Han was constantly concerned only about his own health, and his attempts to comfort her were completely off target, Zhang Yue found it amusing yet also felt a sense of gratitude. After the person left, he saw Du Wan bursting into laughter, so he glared at her and said, “What’s there to laugh about? Are you joining in to mock me too?”
“I’m just laughing because your second brother-in-law doesn’t know how meddling you are. If he knew you weren’t worried about others scheming against you but were thinking about the upcoming government troops, he’d probably check if you have a fever!” Du Wan sat down beside Zhang Yue with a smile and teased, “My dear husband, are you worried that the upcoming government troops won’t be useful, so you want to take action?”
“I knew these thoughts couldn’t be hidden from you. But I can’t intervene in this matter right now; I’ll just keep it in mind. By the way, what did that woman from Wang Xunliang’s family come to ask you? Is she in trouble or trying to express her gratitude?”
Du Wan removed the playful expression from her face and said calmly, “If it’s to express gratitude, she could have sent her wife directly to the capital or waited until you arrived in Nanjing—there’s no reason for her to wait halfway. Besides, considering their relationship, you should address her as ‘aunt.’ I heard that Young Master Wang Quanbin somehow offended the Jinyiwei in Nanjing and was imprisoned. She happened to come to Xuzhou to ask for favors, and when she learned you were here, she naturally came to ask you for help. Although the Jinyiwei is above ordinary officials and hard to provoke, the Wang family is related to the Duke of Yingguo and has connections, so the Nanjing Jinyiwei shouldn’t detain them easily.”
Zhang Yue gently moved his neck and then nodded. “You’re right; they shouldn’t. But since someone has taken action, there must be their reasons. Either they’re eyeing his control over the salt administration in Huai and An provinces and want to bring him down, or they’re using this to pressure my uncle-in-law. Or maybe they want to test my uncle-in-law’s limits to see what his bottom line is. The first two possibilities seem too simple; I don’t think they’re likely. But the third also doesn’t make much sense… Well, we’ll see when we get to Nanjing.”
Having been married for many years, the couple had a deep understanding of each other. So when Du Wan saw Zhang Yue finish speaking, she unconsciously twisted her hands together and moved her wrists up and down, realizing he was angry. Though she knew it was time to comfort him, thinking of Lady Wang’s ways, she couldn’t help but sigh inwardly.

Now, Zhu Gaochi reestablished the positions of the Three Dukes and Three Marquises. One reason was to reward those military officials and nobles who no longer had anything to be rewarded, and the other was to honor those civil officials who had followed him for many years or could help him secure his rule, so that civil and military powers could balance each other. The Grand Tutor was the head of the Three Dukes, but since the time of Li Shanchang, this position had been abolished. Holding this position, Zhang Fu, the Duke of Yingguo, found himself constrained and unable to handle many matters effectively. Thus, on this trip to the south, Zhang Yue’s situation was even more difficult than before.

As Zhang Yue thought about this, his brows furrowed. Zhu Gaochi’s position was far more stable than that of Emperor Jianwen, Zhu Yunwen, in the past. Given time, with over twenty years as crown prince and continuing to rely on these current ministers, he could become a good emperor—yet without Zhu Di’s boldness and focusing only on recuperation, such prosperity would be more illusory. Just a few years after the renowned Renxuan era came the Tumu Fort Incident. There might have been conspiracies, deceptions, and coincidences involved, but wasn’t it also a consequence of those ten years?

“Wan Mei, let’s not stay in Xuzhou any longer. We’ll set off tomorrow. By the way, tell Li Guoxiu and Rui Yixiang to hand in the essays I asked them to write earlier; I want to review them personally.”

After Du Wan left, Zhang Yue picked up the teacup on the table and gently blew on the scalding water. His literary skills indeed came from Du Zhen, but he also inherited Du Zhen’s meticulous yet innovative way of thinking. Just as he had believed in the past that different people could interpret Confucius’ words differently, now even simple matters could have multiple explanations. With the new emperor’s reign already sparking numerous changes—ranging from lenient policies toward former Jianwen officials to efforts to overturn Yongle’s decrees—what he could do was not to put out the fires but to retrieve chestnuts from the flames!