Chapter 677: Losing More Than Gaining
Even Zhang Yue, who believed that Gu Bin, having studied at the Imperial Academy for several years, learned under Yang Rong for another few years, and spent some time at the Censorate, was top-notch in terms of experience and practical knowledge, still couldn’t imagine him breaking through the competition to win second place in the imperial examination. Thinking of Xia Ji, who had also become third place before turning sixteen, he couldn’t help but smile before picking up the letters. After reading the two pages filled with dense text, he looked up at Du Wan and asked, “Since it was the princess who sent these letters, didn’t she include any other messages?”
Du Wan raised her hand, and Zhang Yue entered the room first. Du Wan followed and sat down on a chair beside him before sighing. “The princess said that because of the rankings in this imperial examination, Scholar Huang Zongyu became so angry he fell ill. All the examiners for this examination were from the Hanlin Academy, led by Scholar Huang and Scholar Jin. Among the first ten papers submitted to the emperor, there wasn’t any by Gu Bin’s cousin. But at that time, Scholar Yang happened to be nearby and sneered twice. After reading the ten papers, the emperor remained silent and asked if the eight examiners had any other recommendations. Scholar Jin then recommended Gu Bin’s cousin’s paper. After reading it, the emperor was highly impressed and declared him first place on the spot. It was only later that Scholar Huang pointed out that Gu Bin’s cousin was Scholar Yang’s direct disciple, causing him to be ranked second.”
“What a straightforward matter, yet such complications arose.”
Zhang Yue couldn’t help shaking his head. He thought that after years of training, Gu Bin, aside from other aspects, was certainly better than him in writing classical essays. With the guidance of the astute Yang Rong, his essays must have been outstanding. Since Zhu Gaochi could recognize their quality at a glance, it was likely that Gu Bin’s paper wasn’t included among the recommended ones due to Huang Huai’s personal bias.
“Anyway, it’s worth it for Little Seventh Brother to have studied hard all these years—his efforts have finally paid off. Second place in the imperial examination usually leads to a position as a compiler in the Hanlin Academy, a legitimate role there. Unlike me, I probably won’t ever set foot in the Hanlin Academy in my lifetime. Although Little Fourth ranked in the third tier, he can still take the civil service exams. I wonder whether he’ll prefer to become a junior scholar in the Hanlin Academy or serve as an official outside. As for Little Fang… well, he’s still too young. After such a setback, it’s unclear if he can overcome this obstacle…”
Seeing Zhang Yue first happy and then worried, he stood up as he spoke, pacing back and forth in the room, muttering continuously. Du Wan couldn’t help but feel both annoyed and amused. Seeing him gradually think of his relatives in the capital and mention Du Zhen and Lady Qiu, she too felt a pang of longing. As she was lost in thought, unexpectedly Zhang Yue turned to her and asked a question.
“Father’s letter also mentioned that he, along with several cabinet ministers, had restored Mr. Liang Bo’an’s name and posthumously awarded him the title of Grand Tutor to the Crown Prince. Father had already interceded for him back then; doing this now is a proper way to see things through to the end. I remember Father saying that Mr. Liang Bo’an’s son planned to go to the capital after completing his mourning period to teach and further his studies, and even mentioned teaching Jing and Tian. After all, his father had been dismissed due to crime, and he was originally a commoner. But now that he is the son of an official, it wouldn’t be appropriate.”
“That makes sense. He values his father’s advice and kindness, but we can’t just take his goodwill for granted,” Du Wan mused for a moment before nodding and saying, “I’ll write to Father later. Things aren’t as they were before—Father is still a cabinet minister, and my uncle holds military power. Our family is too prominent now.”
Zhang Yue naturally knew there was nothing wrong with Du Wan’s words. In today’s court, Grand Tutor Zhang Fu, the Duke of Yingguo, held immense influence. Compared to the Yongle era, Zhang Fu now not only controlled the Military Command Office but also had the capital garrisons under his authority—naturally, the number of eunuchs in charge had increased from four to eighteen. There were six camps each for the five military forces and the Divine Machine Camp, covering everything from cannons to gunpowder to horses. Aside from necessary inspections, Zhang Fu rarely went there to oversee everything personally. As for Du Zhen, Zhang Yue’s father and mentor, although quiet in the cabinet, was highly trusted. He never competed with his colleagues or submitted memorials lightly, but when it came to critical moments, his decisions were always accurate—so accurate that even Yang Shiqi admitted he couldn’t match him.
Early the next morning, after getting dressed, Zhang Yue prepared to go to the Yingtianfu government office to report for duty. As soon as he reached the entrance, he suddenly saw several marks on the wall, resembling childish scribbles. After a brief pause, he acted as if he hadn’t noticed them and mounted his horse. Upon arriving at the office, he joined the other colleagues as usual, going through the usual rituals. By the third hour of the day, he had finished his tasks. He then bid farewell to Zhang Xu and headed to the local school, leaving two students and two attendants at the office to handle affairs.
Since Liu Guan had arrived in Nanjing, Zhang Yue ordered Peng Shisan, who knew everyone best, to go back and forth among the nobles, while he himself usually only took Niu Gan and Zhang Bu with him, leaving the other two guards to watch over the residence. At that moment, he had only stayed at the Yingtianfu Academy for a short while, discussing matters related to repairing the imperial examination hall and the academy with the official from the Ministry of Works in Nanjing who had come to handle affairs, before quietly leaving through the back door. These days, the Jinyiwei spies who had been watching him had disappeared without a trace. After all, with such a big incident having occurred earlier, the Jinyiwei in Nanjing was in chaos, and even the units directly under the Beijing Jinyiwei did not dare to act boldly at this time, making his movements much easier.
In a small teahouse, he took off his plain-colored round-collared gauze shirt and put it in his bag, then changed into an unremarkable light-blue cross-collared robe, wore a green horse-tail gauze headband, and took out an ink-wash fan as a pretense, looking just like an ordinary scholar from the Jiangnan region. Near Taiping Gate, he and Zhang Bu and Niu Gan left their horses at a stable for travelers and then walked towards Taiping Tower.
Facing the back gate of the imperial city on one side and Xuanwu Lake on the other, Taiping Tower, located next to Taiping Gate, had always been a gathering place for scholars and writers. With his current attire, Zhang Yue’s appearance was entirely ordinary. He instructed his two guards to find a seat in the ground-floor hall and order food and drinks, then slowly went upstairs. Upon reaching the second floor and giving his name, someone immediately came forward and led him to a small private room in a corner. As soon as he entered, he saw that the person inside was Hu Qi, who immediately stood up upon seeing him.
“Sir!”
Hu Qi stood up and bowed, then nodded after seeing Zhang Yue sit down before sitting down himself. Before Zhang Yue could ask anything, he hurriedly explained, “The emperor is not currently concerned about military affairs in the north, so the deployment of spies by the Ministry of Geography has been temporarily delayed. Fortunately, with Lord Cui’s help, we’ve resolved our official status one by one. Since things are quiet now, I was worried there wouldn’t be enough people in Nanjing, so I took the initiative to come here. Please forgive me, sir.”
“You’ve already acted without permission—what’s there to forgive? Can I really drive you away?” Zhang Yue glared at him irritably. Seeing him lower his head sheepishly, he then said in a stern voice, “Remember, you now have a legitimate position; you’re not in the same illegitimate situation as before. This is just once—don’t do it again!”
Having followed Zhang Yue for many years, Hu Qi naturally knew that although Zhang Yue appeared amiable on the surface, he was actually very perceptive. Hearing these words, he finally breathed a sigh of relief and quickly bowed in agreement. After reporting on the situation in the capital, he explained that he was posing as an old scholar from Chuzhou who had failed the imperial examinations repeatedly and was seeking Zhang Yue’s help to make a living. Though of humble origin, he indeed had some knowledge. Seeing Zhang Yue smile knowingly, he began to recount his experiences during his seven or eight days in the Jiangnan region before arriving in Nanjing.
“The people of Suzhou Prefecture are outraged because the prefect has been removed from office. It is said they have already signed a petition of ten thousand people, intending to go to Nanjing to plead their cause. I’ve secretly investigated, and as for corruption, it’s actually that censor who is truly unclean—having accepted countless bribes, ranging from land to servants. But because he keeps a low profile, few people in the common folk know who he is, so so far they haven’t targeted him…”
Zhang Yue had also sent Peng Shisan to investigate when he passed through Suzhou before, but the details weren’t as thorough. Listening to Hu Qi describe everything in such vivid detail, his brows furrowed increasingly, and he then sneered, “He’s unclean himself yet dares to accuse others of corruption—what an absurdity!”
After a brief pause, he came up with a plan and immediately ordered, “Nanjing is now a mix of good and bad people, with too many spies and informants. Don’t stay here. Go to Suzhou and expose that censor’s misdeeds, so the people can know what kind of scoundrel he is. Be careful to keep things within bounds. If you have time, investigate other censors in Nanjing Directly Governed Region as well—if any of them have a poor reputation, expose them too.”
Back then, it was the Censorate that had secretly reported that Yuan Fang and the Zhang family had improper relationships. Now, facing such an institution, Hu Qi was naturally delighted and quickly agreed. Since he had only arrived in Nanjing the day before, Yuan Fang, as a deputy military governor, was even more prominent than Zhang Yue. Having not met him yet, Hu Qi couldn’t help but ask Zhang Yue about him. Hearing that everything was fine, he finally felt relieved. But just then, a sudden uproar came from outside, mixed with the shouts of officials.
Hearing this noise, Hu Qi immediately grew nervous. Just as he tried to stand up, Zhang Yue signaled him not to move and examined him from head to toe. Seeing that he was wearing a plum-purple Songjiang cotton robe and a corrugated hat, and that his beard had been shaved off except for a thin mustache on his chin, he no longer looked as fierce as before—more like an ordinary scholar from Jiangnan. Zhang Yue then asked, “Have you forgotten the identity you’re using to be here?”
“Are you referring to that old scholar from Chuzhou who has failed the exams time and again?” Hu Qi replied, then suddenly realized, “That’s right. Exactly because he had no way to make a living, he was recommended by Lord Xia to come here to find work under you.”
Zhang Yue nodded with a smile, gently closed his fan, and sighed, “Although I’m not an official in charge now and the affairs of the government office aren’t busy, since it’s a recommendation from an old friend, I must take care of it. In that case, stay here. But the government isn’t easy to navigate—you must follow my rules…”
Just then, the door to the private booth was suddenly pushed open forcefully, and two patrolmen in the uniforms of the Five Cities Military Command rushed in. Upon seeing the people inside, one of the patrolmen froze in place and only after a long while stammered, “Lord Zhang.” Hearing this, the other man, who had intended to scold them, stopped in his tracks and stared at Zhang Yue in confusion.
“Have you found the person?”
With this authoritative voice, a middle-aged man walked in with his hands behind his back. Upon seeing Zhang Yue, he smiled and casually glanced at Hu Qi across from him. His expression immediately stiffened, after which he cleared his throat twice and said, “What a coincidence—it turns out Vice Magistrate Zhang is also here.”
“A friend recommended a clerk to me, so I came to this Taiping Tower to meet him,” Zhang Yue replied calmly. Noticing Liu Guan scanning the surroundings as if trying to find someone, he smiled inwardly, relieved that Yuan Fang wasn’t here today. Pretending to be puzzled, he asked, “Why did the Chief Censor send so many people from the Five Cities Military Command here?”
Seeing that it clearly didn’t seem like anyone was hidden there, Liu Guan felt somewhat disappointed, but his tone remained calm, “Of course, it’s to catch that Tang Qian from the Nanjing Imperial Guards. According to Liu Jun’s confession, most of the incidents started because of him. I suspect someone is pulling the strings behind him. An unremarkable officer simply wouldn’t have such boldness.”
As soon as he finished speaking, a surprised shout came from outside, “Lord, we’ve found Tang Qian!”
Hearing this, Liu Guan rushed out at full speed. Although Zhang Yue already knew that Yuan Fang had had someone swap Tang Qian for Wang Quanbin to obtain the confession and signature, he still gave Hu Qi a signal, and the two also headed outside. Outside, they saw that the men from the Five Cities Military Command had sealed off the entire second floor, with many onlookers gathered at the stairs, all chatting animatedly.
Upon reaching the door, Zhang Yue saw at the far end of the second floor that someone was being dragged out of the room like a dead dog, their legs still kicking desperately, though their face could not be seen. After squinting for a while and noticing the strict security there, he lost interest and planned to return inside with Hu Qi. Suddenly, the person let out a loud cry. “Lord Yuan, save me!” Hearing this, Zhang Yue was shocked. Thanks to his extensive experience, he remained calm and continued to watch. As the person was dragged away while crying out nonstop, it was unclear how many people upstairs and downstairs had heard it. Filled with anger and seeing no one else around, he couldn’t help but mutter, “To use such despicable tactics—how shameless!” Hu Qi was also smart; he had thought of the same thing as Zhang Yue and frowned deeply. Just as they were at a loss, suddenly louder noise came from outside the Taiping Building. Zhang Yue saw a man dressed like a clerk break through the guards and rush in. His heart stirred. After hearing what the man said, he was first surprised, then his face showed an unmistakable smile. “Lord Chief Censor, someone from the Nanjing Ministry of Punishments has sent an urgent report. Someone tied up Tang Qian, the leader of the Jinyiwei, and brought him to the ministry. Minister Zhao has confirmed his identity and sent him to prison. Minister Zhao says this case is not under his jurisdiction—please return immediately!”