Chapter 681: Multiple Approaches Alone Are Insufficient; Prioritizing Power Over Family Is Not a Good Example
For most civil officials, the second rank is something they can only aspire to in this lifetime. Those who pass the imperial examinations usually start at the seventh rank and work their way up through merit and promotions; reaching the fourth rank by old age is already considered a success. Even if someone is promoted directly to the third rank as a provincial governor or the fourth rank as a prefect through recommendation, their future career may not be secure. Setting aside the newly created first-rank positions such as the Three Dukes and Three Marquises, reaching the second rank as a high-ranking official in the capital is already considered the pinnacle of a scholar’s career.
However, although there are many military officials at the second rank, they don’t hold much influence in the court. Just the thirteen provincial military commanderies each have thirteen second-rank commanders, and the five major military governorates have dozens of deputy commanders. Above them are first-rank military governors and first-rank commanders in charge of the governorates, with even more noble titles such as dukes, marquises, and counts. Thus, despite both being at the second rank, the significance of civil and military officials differs vastly.
As a result, Yuan Fang’s position as a second-rank deputy commander was essentially a trivial job. After all, the five provincial administrations in Nanjing were far inferior to those in Beijing, and the positions of military governors were mostly nominal. There were no fixed quotas for the other military officials either. His monthly salary was sixty dan of rice. As a high-ranking official, four parts of the rice could be exchanged for six parts in cash, with one dan worth twenty-five guan. That meant he received twenty-four dan of rice, or 900 guan in cash per month—enough for him to live comfortably, even if his family was large.
Being accustomed to frugality, he bought a three-story house in Xinniankou, hired two old servants, two stablehands, and a cook, plus four attendants he brought from the capital. He led a leisurely life. Aside from attending court duties, he spent his time gardening at home or playing chess with the old servants. Since his house was rarely visited, few neighbors knew that he had once been a powerful commander of the Jinyiwei.
It was noon, and the Yuan residence was completely quiet. Early summer in the south was hot, and the sun shone brightly, making it extremely warm. A few sparrows lazily perched on the branches, too listless to chirp. A thin old cat lay curled up in the shadow under the eaves, dozing off. The old servants and cook had gone to take their noon nap, and three of the four attendants were also absent. Only one stood at the door of the study, but he seemed asleep as well. Only occasionally could one hear the faint chirping of cicadas, adding a touch of life to the quiet mansion.
“Sir, it wasn’t me who did this!”
There was not just Yuan Fang in the study; there was also a woman dressed in men’s attire. Hearing this reply, Yuan Fang stared at her for a long time, recalling the first time he saw her. Though she had just recovered from serious injuries and looked pale, she had paid great attention to her makeup and appearance. Her elegance was different from that of the ladies from the south—more bold than those from the north—and carried a hint of stubbornness. Now, seeing those eyes looking straight at him and her lips tightly pressed together, he couldn’t help but smirk.
“I told you to stay in the capital, yet you sneaked away. I told you not to take reckless actions, yet you still hit Liu Guan. If you dare to do such things, then what’s there you can’t do? The power is in your hands. With my current abilities, what can I possibly do to you?”
He spoke calmly, without any anger, but Lin Sha felt her heart shrink suddenly and could no longer maintain her stiff, stubborn expression. After hesitating for a while, she finally lowered her head and admitted, “I was simply indignant that Liu Guan used such despicable tactics against you. Although you outmaneuvered him and made him suffer in silence, once he fell into his hands, who knows what schemes he might concoct? After much thought, I had no choice but to use this simple method. Those civil officials value their reputation greatly. By striking him like common thugs, I wanted to see how this Left Censor could still put on a stern face!”
Yuan Fang, who had remained cold until then, couldn’t help but smile at this explanation. Though he was displeased with Lin Sha’s independent actions, he appreciated her straightforward approach. His initial move had indeed given him the upper hand, but it was Xu Ting who turned things into a big deal, and with Zhang Yue stepping in later, the situation escalated even further, forcing Liu Guan to be cautious. Still, to truly curb that man’s arrogance, Lin Sha’s strike had indeed been effective.
Seeing that Yuan Fang still remained silent, the usually composed Lin Sha grew even more panicked. She mustered up courage and bowed deeply, saying, “If my lord wishes to punish me, I am willing to accept it!”
“Then I’ll punish you by sending you back to the capital. Are you happy with that?” Yuan Fang still kept a stern expression. When she suddenly raised her head, he ordered in a deep voice, “You’re no longer that inexperienced girl. You should know which is more important—the capital or Nanjing! If anything goes wrong because you left, can you bear the consequences? Nine layers of mountain building collapse because of one missing layer—don’t you understand such a principle? Although I’ve retired, I’m not some easy target for others to manipulate. Stop worrying needlessly. Stand up straight—don’t think I don’t know what you’re thinking!”
At this moment, the study door was tightly closed, and there were no windows inside, making it unbearably stuffy. Stirred by these words, Lin Sha felt a chill in her heart, and her already sweaty forehead became even wetter. Gritting her teeth, she stood up straight. Seeing that Yuan Fang remained unyielding, she didn’t dare think of any other plans and immediately replied without hesitation, “Your subordinate will rush back right away.”
Yuan Fang nodded, about to give more instructions, when suddenly he heard noise outside. He waved at Lin Sha and went to the door. Moments later, there was a gentle knock at the door, followed by a man’s voice in a low tone, “My lord, there’s urgent news from Beijing.”
Hearing this, Yuan Fang immediately opened the door. Outside stood the same attendant who had left in the morning. He quickly entered the room, while the other attendant outside continued to doze off against the pillar in the corridor, seemingly unaware of anything. After entering, the first attendant didn’t even glance at Lin Sha. He bowed to Yuan Fang and handed him a letter.
Yuan Fang opened it, flipped through it, and saw that the four thick pages were filled with irrelevant chatter. He waved him to leave. Once the door was closed again, he returned to his seat, took another piece of paper, and wrote down words from the letter using a prearranged code. After finishing, he read it through once more.
“The emperor established the Hongwen Pavilion, appointing scholar Yang Pu to oversee it, and ordered that learned civil officials be selected to work there directly. The emperor often visits Concubine Guo in the Jingfu Palace. He has stopped attending morning court sessions, and later there were some complaints. Despite admonitions, the emperor wouldn’t listen. In recent months, he has summoned the imperial physicians five times for pulse checks.”
After reading it, he handed the paper to Lin Sha to see. When she handed it back in shock, he burned it over the candlelight. He then ordered, “There’s likely to be a major change in the capital soon. You must return immediately. Whether by water or land from Nanjing to the capital, I don’t care what method you use—make sure these two routes remain unobstructed. Also, once you arrive in the capital, send reports daily at any cost, using the fastest means to get them to Nanjing.”
Although she had read the secret letter, Lin Sha hadn’t considered the worst-case scenario yet, so she still hesitated. But even though she didn’t want to leave, she had already received orders and didn’t dare disobey. After bowing, she nodded. Instead of using the main door, she quietly left through a secret door behind the screen. Once the mechanism was reset, Yuan Fang went out and coughed softly. Instantly, the attendant who had seemed to be dozing off snapped to attention and rushed over.
“Go deliver a message to Hu Qi,” Yuan Fang repeated the contents of the letter just read. After the attendant nodded, he added, “Have him find a way to send the message to Chaotian Palace, so he knows the situation. Don’t think things are peaceful these days.”
Once the attendant left, he stood with his hands behind his back, gazing at the cloudless blue sky, gradually losing himself in thought. The current emperor had been the crown prince for over twenty years, possessing extraordinary tactics and cunning. The court situation was just like this sky—nothing could block the scorching sun. Yet, the emperor was too hasty. The Hongwen Pavilion was not merely a gathering place for scholars; after all, the Hanlin Academy already existed, suggesting an attempt to rival the power of the Wenyuan Pavilion.
Coercing military officials, balancing civil officials, and indulging in pleasures—how long could the already unhealthy emperor endure?
Chaotian Palace, Xi Yi Pavilion.
Bow, kowtow, rise, kowtow, rise… In the scorching heat of May, wearing heavy ritual garments was already a great ordeal, not to mention kneeling and bowing under the scorching sun at the sound of the ritual officials’ commands. Zhang Yue, who was in the back, was drenched in sweat, and he could clearly see the older officials in front of him staggering. Just a moment earlier, he had seen two elderly officials carried under the shade of a tree to rest.
This was his third day at Chaotian Palace. The official memorial ceremony at the Xiaoling Mausoleum would take place in two days. Since the officials accompanying him were all skilled in rituals, and after three full rehearsals—no one in such positions could be foolish—they knew every procedure by heart. Once on the mountain, it wouldn’t be as hot as on flat ground, and since the ceremonies were held early in the morning, there would be no one suffering from heatstroke from repeated rehearsals like now.
Finally, when the ceremony ended, the officials stood up one after another. At the front, Liu Guan, who had been struck with a heavy blow, was present. The force of the blow was just right, leaving only a dark bruise on his forehead, as if it were from a normal kowtow. But now that the once fierce Yongle Emperor had passed away, with fewer officials daring to confront him directly or beg for mercy by kowtowing, that bruise stood out even more.
Zhang Yue noticed that everyone unconsciously avoided that high-ranking official, and he couldn’t help but glance at him as well. After exchanging a few words with Zhang Xu nearby, they went together to a shaded pavilion. The people sitting there were all officials from Nanjing. At that moment, a servant priest brought buckets, serving everyone bowls of mung bean soup. After drinking it, someone whispered, “Since Lord Liu arrived in Nanjing, it’s said he submits reports to Beijing every three days without fail.”
“Ah, let’s not talk about that. Things are really chaotic now in Nanjing! A concubine died in Lord Mu, the defender of Nanjing, and all sorts of rumors spread; several sons of the Duke of Dingguo fought over trivial matters; as for Marquis Wuding, even a small gift from the imperial concubine caused turmoil in his household.”
Although Zhao Jin was no longer as prominent as before, he was still an honest man and didn’t want to get involved in such gossip. Seeing Zhang Yue sitting quietly nearby, he got up and called out to him. Zhang Yue stood up as well, and the two went under the shade of a large willow tree nearby. Though the ancient willow was at least several decades old and had lush branches, the intense sunlight still filtered through the leaves, casting uneven shadows on their bodies.
Back in the Ministry of War, one was a trusted second-rank minister who had replaced Fang Bin, while the other was a highly favored fifth-rank official who often saw the emperor. Now that they were in Nanjing, it was their first time meeting face to face. As they looked at each other, Zhao Jin found that Zhang Yue still seemed the same as before, even more composed. Meanwhile, Zhang Yue noticed that Zhao Jin’s temples were completely white, and his face was covered with countless wrinkles, giving him a pitifully aged appearance.
“Three years as a guest in Longsha, gazing afar at the southern clouds yet unable to see home. Only the moon outside the Surrender City shines, lighting my tears as I play the Hu flute.”
Hearing Zhao Jin suddenly recite a poem, Zhang Yue was slightly stunned. Just as he was about to ask, Zhao Jin turned to him and said, “I started my career during the Hongwu era, and it’s been over thirty years now. There’s no more room for advancement, and my retirement day is probably near. We were once colleagues, and I never did much for you, but now I have a favor to ask.”
Zhang Yue was still pondering Zhao Jin’s poem when the old minister spoke, so he quickly bowed and replied, “If it’s within my ability, I will surely do my best.”
“The Yuan Festival is a time of peak vigor; there will be plenty of opportunities to showcase one’s talents in the future. I only hope that when you reach a position of power, you’ll be able to lend a hand to those who turn against me. In the Zhao family, I am the only one who serves in office; most others rely on me. As long as I’m in power, I can take care of them. If I’m no longer in office, the Zhao family might suffer greatly.” Seeing that Zhang Yue seemed puzzled, he added with a wry smile, “I know what you want to say on the Yuan Festival. If there were even one capable person in my family, I wouldn’t dare to ask others for help with this matter. When I was young, I thought having a concern for the world was a great ambition. Only now, in my old age, do I realize that if one prioritizes the country over one’s family, even with a good reputation, it can still be ruined by future generations. You’re still young, Yuan Festival. I’m telling you these things only so that you can take them as a warning. Although I don’t hold much power in Nanjing now, if you encounter any difficulties, feel free to come to me.” It was common in official circles for the older to support and care for the younger, and since Zhao Qin’s request wasn’t difficult, Zhang Yue agreed after a brief consideration. However, Zhao Qin’s emphasis on putting the country before one’s family deeply moved him. He tried to persuade Yang Shiqi to bring his son back under his care—wasn’t that precisely to prevent this man from leaving this world with regrets? Although he was still young, what Zhao Qin said was indeed true, and he couldn’t forget it.