Chapter 661: The Heartbroken Have Their Own Comforts (Part 1)

Zhang Yue had lived in Nanjing for over a year and had returned once more on an inspection of the grain stores, so he was very familiar with this ancient capital of six dynasties. Among those accompanying him, aside from Li Guoxiu and Rui Yixiang, two youths from the northern regions who found everything new, Niu Gan, Zhang Bu, and the other two also looked around curiously as they traveled south for the first time. Most of the others had lived in this prosperous capital for some time, so their reactions upon entering the city were quite ordinary. Now, the population of Nanjing had decreased by a third compared to before, making the streets seem rather empty.

The group entered the city through Jiangdong Gate. Zhang Yue asked Du Wan to take the others to settle at the residence first, while he and Sun Han went to the yamen separately. He took Niu Gan and Zhang Bu straight along Jiangdong Gate Street, passing through several vertical alleys. From afar, they saw a wooden archway inscribed with the words “Loyalty and Integrity.” They immediately spurred their horses and rushed over, dismounting after a short distance.

The Yingtianfu Yamen was located in the middle section of the western archway, adjacent to Fuyi Street, with archways on both sides. The one Zhang Yue had just passed was the western archway. Entering the main entrance of the yamen led to a thirty-zhang-long screen wall engraved with patterns of waves and lotuses. As it was nearing the end of the year, the main hall was empty, so the guide led Zhang Yue straight to the second hall. Along the way, Niu Gan and Zhang Bu looked around in amazement at the imposing yamen with its numerous buildings. They thought even the military and ritual ministries in the capital could not compare to this grandeur. When they heard that there were over two hundred rooms in total, they were even more astonished.

“In the 18th year of Yongle, the former emperor moved the capital and transferred nearly 30,000 craftsmen from Nanjing to Beijing. Now Nanjing is much quieter, and our yamen is not as busy as before.”

Zhang Xu, the current governor of Yingtianfu, used to be Zhang Zhuo’s superior. After Zhang Yue paid his respects, Zhang Xu smiled and summoned other officials to meet him, then personally showed him around the yamen. Since Zhang Zhuo had once served as the magistrate of Jiangning before being promoted to governor of Yingtianfu, Zhang Yue’s arrival here gave the impression of a successor taking over from a predecessor.

During his tenure, Zhang Zhuo had avoided power struggles and maintained a humble demeanor, getting along well with both his superiors and colleagues. Since there were few changes in the personnel of Yingtianfu, the officials there remained largely the same as before. Therefore, they treated Zhang Yue, the son of their former colleague, with courtesy. Even the oldest officials did not try to take advantage of their seniority at this time.

The deputy governor ranked just below the governor but above the assistant governors and vice magistrates. Even though Zhang Yue was young, he was still their superior!

Upon arriving at the official residences behind the second gate, Zhang Xu turned and smiled, saying, “Brother Yuanjie, this area behind is the official residence of the prefecture. Besides me, He Zhizhong, Luo Tongpan, and others also live here. I’ve already asked someone to prepare a few rooms for us…”
Hearing the words “official residence,” Zhang Yue quickly glanced at his colleagues, noticing that everyone looked puzzled. Having once held a high-ranking official position himself, he understood what was going on—although the prefecture had many rooms, there were also many officials, especially in Ying Tianfu these days. The chief official occupied the best rooms, and when the remaining positions were divided among the other officials, the rooms left were naturally scarce. Even though he was filling a vacant position as deputy prefect, it was possible that someone else might take those rooms once he left.
So, before Zhang Xu could finish speaking, he said with a smile, “It’s the middle of the New Year—how can we ask people to vacate their rooms? My father also had a house not far from the prefecture, and it was more convenient for me to live there. However, since the court has its rules, I hope everyone can be understanding and not let me face accusations because of this.”
Hearing that Zhang Yue wouldn’t use the official residences, everyone below Zhang Xu breathed a sigh of relief. After all, not all officials came from wealthy families. If they had to rent houses outside as well as hold official positions, they would truly be in trouble. So, after a simple welcome banquet, Zhang Xu personally escorted Zhang Yue to the second gate. As soon as he left, he nodded at his subordinates.
“The father is reflected in his son. Zhang Zhuo used to be humble and gentle, and it seems his son shares those traits—lacking the arrogance of those who achieve success at a young age. But since the office is sealed today, you must be cautious when it reopens for business. He’s not like Zhang Zhuo; he has a reputation for a reason. Don’t make a fool of him! Also, stop discussing matters related to his downfall. It’s not our place to comment on how the court appoints officials!”
Zhang Yue naturally had no idea that his arrival had made everyone in Ying Tianfu’s government take extra care. Upon returning home, he saw Sun Han, who had also rushed back. Since the Sun family’s house had long been sold and the two were close relatives, they had agreed to live together this time. Although the vast mansion of the Duke of Ying was still empty, Zhang Yue didn’t want to draw attention, so he moved back into the house where he and his father had lived in Nanjing, and where Zhang Zhuo had stayed for a while afterward.

This residence was originally a small courtyard, but since Zhang Zhuo lived here when he was an official in Nanjing a few years ago, it was expanded several times. At Zhang Fu’s request, two more courtyards from the British mansion were incorporated as well, providing more than enough space for both families to live in. Although it had been vacant for over a year, it was cleaned up and tidied up soon after news arrived, and now it was spotless.

Nanjing had the Five Military Governors’ Offices, the Six Ministries, and the Censorate, along with the Jinyiwei and numerous military units—essentially a mini-imperial court. Yet neither the emperor nor the crown prince resided here, and there were no major government affairs to handle, so Nanjing mainly dealt with financial matters in the Jiangnan region, functioning like a huge nursing home, with only Yingtianfu being a bit busier. Even so, it was already the 28th day of the 12th lunar month. After Zhang Yue completed all his official procedures, the yamen was sealed, and he was given several days off.

In the past, he could hardly get a few days off, but now he got leave as soon as he arrived. Zhang Yue, used to having nothing to do, naturally found these idle days uncomfortable. He had originally wanted to go out, but Du Wan said he was half-sick and suggested waiting until after the New Year to properly visit guests, forcing him to stay at home.

Watching everyone busily prepare for the New Year, he simply sent them out to gather information while he went to his study to think about writing couplets. This was an old tradition that had been practiced among the people since the Hongwu era. Moreover, since funeral rituals followed the old Hongwu customs, there weren’t many taboos after the 27th day, so red paper started selling on the streets early on. Not only did every household need to paste Spring Festival couplets at their doors, but places like screen walls, furniture, windows, and door panels also needed to be adorned with “Fu” characters of various sizes to bring good luck for the New Year.

“Young master, Lord Li and Lord Rui have arrived.”

Zhang Yue, who was bent over writing a “Fu” character, didn’t even look up as he ordered them in. Glancing at the two as they entered and bowed, he casually told them to rise. Only after finishing the last stroke of the “Fu” character did he put down his pen, gently blew on the piece of paper, and nodded at them. “This must be your first time traveling far and spending the Spring Festival outside. Are you accustomed to your diet and daily routine?”

Li Guoxiu quickly replied, “Reporting to my lord, our family also moved from the south to Beijing. We’re not used to anything different.”

Rui Yixiang, though intelligent, was more honest: “In the capital, there are heated beds, but here in Nanjing, people usually use charcoal stoves and hot cushions for warmth. Often, I feel cold even in the middle of the night. I mentioned this to Uncle Zhang this morning, and without hesitation, he had a new blanket brought for me. There’s also fish and meat in every meal. I really feel guilty—your generosity to us is too much.”

Seeing Li Guoxiu nodding repeatedly beside him like a chick pecking at grains, Zhang Yue couldn’t help but laugh. He then asked, “You must know that the students in Class A of the clan school, led by Master Chen, went to the south earlier than us. I just want to ask—do you know why I sent them to the south this time and chose you two, who are younger, to accompany them?”

The two youths had discussed this question countless times along the way. They had thought about it again last night after settling in, and they still found the explanations given by the masters in the clan school unconvincing. At that moment, they exchanged glances, and it was Li Guoxiu who spoke first.

“Most of the students in the clan school are from the north; few are from the south. Leaving aside the imperial and provincial exams, in past metropolitan exams, far more students from the south succeeded than those from the north. Your Excellency probably wants to take this opportunity to show us the talents of the south, so that we won’t become complacent just because we perform well in the clan school.”

Seeing Zhang Yue remain silent, Rui Yixiang gritted his teeth and said, “Along the way, Your Excellency often tests us during breaks and gives us many pointers. Do… do you intend to take us as your disciples?”

Noticing Li Guoxiu’s expression change and him sending repeated signals to his companion, Zhang Yue finally couldn’t hold back his laughter. He found these two youths truly amusing. Since both the Zhu Yuanzhang and Zhu Di dynasties had a strong aversion to the practice of mentors and disciples in exams, talented scholars often went to great lengths to find mentors, but literary leaders rarely took students easily. People like Yang Shiqi had manyrecommendationees but no true disciples, yet they had many students after presiding over the metropolitan exams many times. Since he had never entered the Hanlin Academy and could never preside over such exams, he had no hope of having disciples everywhere, but he still wanted to cultivate some useful talents.

“You two are right about most of it. I indeed want to warn those students in the academy not to be complacent—learning is endless. If they remain narrow-minded, even if they pass the exams, their future prospects will be limited. As for the second point… my writings and knowledge aren’t among the finest, and teaching is nothing more than misleading young people. Being an official isn’t just about knowledge; having a highly learned scholar in charge of water management might not be as effective as having an official of humble origin but skilled in water management. People have their specialties, and officials have their expertise—do you understand what I mean?”
The two youths were already confused by Zhang Yue’s words. It was only upon hearing the last sentence that Li Guoxiu suddenly snapped out of it and quickly knelt down in reverence. Rui Yixiang followed suit, just a little slower. Seeing this, Zhang Yue couldn’t help but laugh silently, then shook his head and said, “Get up. I’m just in my early twenties—why would I take students? It would only be a source of ridicule. I merely want to teach you something during this trip, not for the sake of a teacher-student relationship. As the deputy administrator of Ying Tianfu Academy, I’m in charge of it. One day, you can stay there for a month, and later come to my office for another month. We can discuss further then.”
After sending the two bewildered boys away, Zhang Yue glanced at the Spring Festival couplets and auspicious characters on the table, thinking of the three people still in the capital waiting for the imperial examinations. Gu Bin was a year older than him and, having accumulated knowledge over the years, had at least a 90% chance of passing the exams. Zhang Jiu, despite repeated setbacks, had become more composed and was also very promising. As for Fang Jing… that young man had passed the examinations through sheer determination, but now he was studying hard at home, and he hadn’t even had time to accompany him before. His chances for the imperial examinations were concerning.
The path of the imperial examinations couldn’t be achieved merely through determination; opportunity was more important than anything else.
During his first New Year’s Eve in Nanjing, Zhang Fu and Lady Wang were there, and they had dinner together with Zhang Xuan and Zhang Jie. The atmosphere was as cold as ice. On his second New Year’s Eve in Nanjing, he spent the night hugging his newlywed wife, watching the dazzling fireworks, and celebrating a warm and joyful Spring Festival with his parents. Now, on his third time, Zhang Yue had drunk quite a bit and ended up falling asleep while hugging his son Jingguan by the fire. When he woke up in the morning, he had no memory of what he had done the previous night.

Yet he had no time for regrets. The first three days of the first lunar month were the busiest time of the year for visiting relatives and friends, and it was a great opportunity for him to pay them visits. So early in the morning, he and Du Wan got dressed up and set out—though to different places. Du Wan went to see the imperial concubines at the government office, while those people mentioned by Zhang Fu were ones he had to visit personally.

After Emperor Yongle, Zhu Di, passed away, Zheng He was ordered to go to Nanjing and had been living in an imperial residence on Mafu Street ever since. In Beijing, there were still grand banquets on New Year’s Day and other celebrations, but now that he was in Nanjing, the first day of the month was utterly idle. He had no complaints about being tasked with leading troops to guard Nanjing, but hearing the rumors outside left him disheartened.

Having led troops at sea for many years, he felt deep affection for these soldiers—brave men skilled in sailing and fighting. Yet now some people claimed that keeping them idle would lead to trouble, and they wanted to send them to repair the palaces in Nanjing!

“Father, Father!”

Seeing his adopted son Zheng Enming burst in through the curtain, Zheng He scolded him irritably, “What’s the rush? Why such haste?”

“Someone outside brought many gifts, saying they were sent by Eunuch Zhang from the palace.” Zheng Enming handed him the gift list with a smile, then rubbed his hands together. “Since you arrived in Nanjing, hardly anyone has come to see you. I didn’t expect Eunuch Zhang to still care. Today, aside from those merchants, this is the first gift for the festival…”

“Eunuch Zhang? Zhang Qian?”

Full of curiosity, Zheng He opened the gift list and scanned it quickly. His heart skipped a beat. Among the items were both ordinary local products and precious herbs. Only someone who knew him very well would dare send such gifts—clearly it was Zhang Qian’s doing. Yet the signature at the bottom was unmistakably Zhang Yue’s bold handwriting. This official who had been demoted in name only actually agreed to deliver gifts for Zhang Qian?