Chapter 713: The Swift Dragon Boats, A Sudden Change

Since the early Ming dynasty, Guangzhou has held dragon boat races every Dragon Boat Festival, taking place on the Pearl River opposite Haizhu Island, not far from Huangpu Town. The Pearl River flowing through southern Guangzhou back then was far wider than it became later due to siltation; its widest point was as much as two li, and locals referred to it as “Little Sea.” Racing dragon boats on such a vast river meant the boats were exceptionally large and magnificent. Although organized by the government, they were funded and manned by local wealthy merchants, with up to twenty or thirty boats participating at times.

Though it had only been the year after the emperor’s death, Emperor Hongxi, Zhu Gaochi, had ordered that funeral ceremonies be kept simple and that civil marriages continue as usual, so this year’s dragon boat races were not affected. However, to avoid drawing attention, the government reduced the number of boats to ten.

Each of these dragon boats was over ten zhang long and six or seven zhang high, with pavilions on top painted and colored, shining brightly under the intense sunlight. The most prominent and splendid boat in the middle carried nearly a hundred people, with forty or fifty pairs of oars extending from it. The rowers were all strong men, dressed in red cloth vests, red shorts, and red headbands. The man leading the drumming was bare-chested, his muscles bulging and glistening; the red silk tied to the drumsticks fluttered in the wind. At the back of the boat sat a middle-aged man in a qilin-themed outfit.

Zhang Yue had hired a boat early in the morning to take his family to Haizhu Island. Although he declined the governor of Guangzhou’s invitation to oversee the race, he still brought his family, much to the delight of the officials in the government office. However, this time, Qin Huaijin, the eunuch in charge of the maritime affairs, also claimed to be there to pray for the emperor’s safety, drawing much of their attention away. Still, they couldn’t help but serve their superior closely. Seeing the command flag lowered on the platform and the ten dragon boats charging forward on the wide river, Zhang Yue felt exhilarated, and Fang Jing beside him was equally amazed.

“Back in Shaanxi, I’ve seen big rivers, but none of them were as wide and calm as this. It’s amazing that dragon boat races can even be held here! Brother, look—how fast that red dragon boat is!”

Zhang Yue knew that dragon boat races also took place in the imperial gardens, but they were mostly for show, with elite soldiers competing among themselves. Rules mattered more than the race itself, and winning rewards was more important than having fun. Seeing this kind of folk game now gave him a completely different feeling. Watching those men strive to be first while the crowd below cheered loudly, he couldn’t help but feel uplifted as well.

On the river, the rowers on each dragon boat deliberately inserted their oars into the water and pulled upward, causing splashes everywhere. Meanwhile, the rowers at the bow and stern stepped in rhythm with the drumbeats to stabilize the boats. The dragon boats bobbed like dragons playing in the water, further inspiring loud cheers from the onlookers on both banks. Amidst the noise below, some officials on the high platform suggested composing poems. Zhang Yue, who had only come out for fun, was too lazy to get involved. After declining for a while, he deliberately stepped back. Though he wanted to check on Du Wan and the others, seeing another high platform surrounded by curtains with noblewomen inside immediately dissuaded him from joining in the excitement.

Yet, as soon as he stepped down from the platform and stood still, he heard someone calling behind him. Turning around, he saw it was Peng Shisan, who had stayed behind at the government office to keep watch. Seeing him covered in sweat and dusty, Peng Shisan simply bowed and then started looking around. Zhang Yue joked, “What, you miss your wife already after just one day apart?”

“Of course husbands and wives should think of each other,” Peng Shisan replied seriously, not taking the joke seriously at all. Then he added earnestly, “I just received a letter sent from the capital by the master. It seems to be a month old. The messenger also gave me a message saying that the master has sorted through many of the old lady’s belongings, and some of the clothes are meant for Lingxi. I thought I’d ask her what to do with them. After all, it’s not good for her to carry those items around.”

Lady Gu had already arranged everything in the household neatly before her death. So hearing Peng Shisan’s words, Zhang Yue found it rather unexpected. After thinking for a moment, he let it go, as it wasn’t a major issue. Taking the letter from Peng Shisan, he glanced around to ensure no one was nearby before opening the envelope and taking out the two neatly folded sheets of paper. He thought Zhang Fu was just giving a routine update on the situation in the capital, but he was shocked as soon as he took a glance.

Uncle Zhang Xin switched from a civilian position to a military one, suddenly rising from Left Vice Minister of the Ministry of War to Commander of the Jinyiwei. The emperor even designated the hereditary position of Commander to be inherited by Zhang Zi! Compared to such an unexpected news, he almost overlooked the next piece of information: the new eunuch supervisor of the Maritime Trade Office had already chosen Zhang Qian, a former eunuch of the Imperial Household Agency.
“Young master?”
Peng Shisan noticed Zhang Yue’s expression changing several times and immediately realized something was amiss. Although he was from the Duke of Ying family, he had spent more time with Zhang Yue than with Zhang Fu over the years. Moreover, after marrying Lingxi, he readily took on the task at Zhang Fu’s request and traveled thousands of miles to Guangzhou. Now, after asking a question, seeing Zhang Yue hand him the letter back, he quickly scanned it without hesitation.
“This… it’s utterly absurd. A Vice Minister of the Ministry of War just becomes a Commander of the Jinyiwei?”
Though Peng Shisan wasn’t a clever strategist, his years of experience with Zhang Fu and Zhang Yue gave him sharp insight. He saw through the trick right away: “Hereditary military positions may seem like an honor, but with so many dukes and marquises in the capital, what kind of salary does a mere hereditary commander get? If you, young master, had switched from civilian to military and been given such a position, it might have made sense. But your father… to put it bluntly, he knows nothing about martial arts. Brother Zi’s skills are ten times worse than yours were back then!”
Although Peng Shisan was telling the truth, Zhang Yue still felt annoyed by being compared to himself and glared at him irritably. Uncle Zhang Xin and his party arrived in the capital from Kaifeng in the first month of the year, after their mourning period ended. Zhang Yue was also about to set off at that time and hadn’t had much chance to talk. Before leaving, he had learned that Lu Zhen, the Minister of Rites, had recommended Zhang Xin for the position of Vice Minister of the Ministry of War, which puzzled him a bit. He never expected that Zhang Xin would soon become a military officer.
Zhang Yue always tried to protect his parents, siblings, and family, but he couldn’t figure out the whole situation. Even if it was a disguised promotion or demotion, being thousands of miles away, he really had no idea what was going on. Zhang Fu had simplified things in his letter, but the real situation might only become clear after he returned to the capital.

Thinking of this, Zhang Yue put away the letter. His father, Zhang Zhuo, was currently at home due to illness, and unlike Zhang Fu, who was a duke, it wasn’t convenient for him to send people to deliver letters at will. Including the two and a half months lost on the journey and another month after arriving in Guangzhou, he had not been in touch with his father by letter for nearly four months. Since Zhang Fu hadn’t mentioned anything in the letter, he asked Peng Shisan, “Did the messenger mention anything about the situation at home in the capital?”
“He mentioned that everything else at home was fine, and that those people were still waiting at the Bureau of Administration. The young master can meet them as soon as he returns.”
“That’s good.”
Knowing that the capital had been thoroughly cleaned out, although the Zhang family wasn’t in complete safety, those overly cautious elders could at most weaken the Zhang family’s strength—they would surely not go too far. So Zhang Yue had no doubt in these words. Seeing many shrewd merchants setting up stalls to sell zongzi by the river, he called out to Peng Shisan.
On such an appropriate occasion in such a suitable place, almost all those merchants were doing brisk business. Whether it was meat zongzi, white rice zongzi, red bean paste zongzi, or adzuki bean zongzi… strings of cooked zongzi were sold continuously. Many people watching the dragon boat race ate zongzi by the river. Before long, the vendors were left only with raw zongzi, too busy to cook them on the spot. While these people were doing business, others were eagerly discussing the outcome of the dragon boat race.
“In my opinion, the Chu family’s company will definitely win this time. For this dragon boat race, I heard Chu Fatty offered a reward of a hundred strings of cash per person!”
“A hundred strings of cash? Pfft. Besides, Chu Fatty is just average among merchants. In my view, it’s the Qin family’s Zhujiang Company that has the best chances. They have connections in both government and business circles. I heard everyone betting on this race is backing them.”
“Save your words. Don’t you even know whose backing the biggest boat has? With Eunuch Qin, the supervisor of the Maritime Trade Office, supporting them, who would dare to cross him if they still want to do business with those foreigners?”
“Alright, alright, stop arguing. I know about this. I have a relative who works as a laborer in the Maritime Trade Office. I heard Eunuch Qin sold many unnecessary items these days to get a lot of cash. Did you see those ticket sellers just now? Although it’s a way for the wealthy merchants in Guangzhou to have fun, that eunuch spent a whole thousand strings of cash to ensure his own victory! That’s not just paper money—it’s real gold! I heard he went crazy today and even boarded the dragon boat himself… Doesn’t that eunuch think he’s immortal?”

Zhang Yue and Peng Shisan, each holding two zongzi, pushed their way forward from the back. The constant buzzing of chatter filled their ears. Relying on Peng Shisan’s strength, Zhang Yue finally made it to the front row. Not only did the complaints behind him continue, but he also heard over a dozen different versions of the supposed outcomes of this dragon boat race, each varying from the last. Some even claimed the result had been predetermined. Though it seemed amusing, thinking about what the prefect had said earlier—that the winner would receive an official award plaque from the Zhujiang Heroes and a generous bonus in gold coins provided by various merchant firms, along with hidden bets everywhere—made him understand why things were as they were.

The very concept of betting could give rise to countless stories.

“They’re going all out! Those boats over there are speeding up!”

To allow the officials’ families to watch the race more easily, the venue was located near the finish line. So, after that shout, those in front widened their eyes, while those behind stood on tiptoes to get a better view, some even climbing onto the shoulders of those in front. Thanks to Peng Shisan shielding him from behind, Zhang Yue managed to stay steady. Just as he narrowed his eyes to figure out which dragon boat would cross the finish line first, he suddenly saw the largest dragon boat break in half, with everyone on it falling into the water at once. The onlookers immediately started shouting.

“It’s Qin Huaijin’s dragon boat!”

Without Peng Shisan’s reminder, Zhang Yue recognized that most eye-catching dragon boat right away. He hadn’t paid much attention to that declining figure, and he didn’t have enough people at his disposal, but he had ordered his informants to keep an eye on him—after all, Wang Jin had already made his stance clear; that man wouldn’t fare well even if he returned to the capital. So, Zhang Yue didn’t bother continuing his reputation as a eunuch’s nemesis. Since he had already raided that man’s house, the gold and treasures couldn’t end up in the imperial treasury. Thus, he approached Qin Huaijin’s final performance with a casual attitude, paying little attention.

Dragon boat races were held annually at the mouth of the Zhujiang River, and accidents like capsizes occasionally occurred. But since the rowers were all skilled swimmers, nothing serious had ever happened before. After the crowd shouted in alarm for a while, they didn’t take it too seriously. It wasn’t until someone muttered something about Eunuch Qin falling into the water that the crowd became agitated. At that moment, chaos also arose on the platform behind them. Soon, several officials rushed forward, out of breath, shouting loudly.

“The lord offers a generous reward: a thousand gold coins to anyone who rescues Eunuch Qin from the Maritime Administration!”

Although today’s banknotes are now almost worthless, a thousand new banknotes are worth over ten strings of copper coins, enough for an average family to live on for a year. For a moment, along the riverbank, many people stripped off their clothes without hesitation and dived into the water. In just a short while, Zhang Yue felt the area around him become empty, while in the river ahead, many people were paddling hard toward the center of the river. No one was anymore concerned about who would win this dragon boat race.

Seeing that at least dozens of people had jumped into the water, he frowned and turned to walk toward the platform. Still over a hundred steps away, he suddenly heard several accents he couldn’t understand. Upon looking closely, he saw several men in short shirts wielding gleaming blades, charging up the platform. At that sight, the guards below the platform were intimidated by their murderous intent—one was knocked over with a single slash, another was hit in the arm and fled in panic, while the rest, though instinctively trying to clear a path, simply watched helplessly as they rushed up the wooden stairs.

Just as those men were about to reach the platform filled with officials, five or six burly men suddenly appeared and blocked their way. Though the assassins were brave, those men were actually Zhang Yue’s bodyguards. Aside from Niu Gan and the other one, the rest were tough fighters from the army, skilled in combat. Peng Shisan, fearing more assassins, didn’t dare leave Zhang Yue’s side.

Accustomed to scenes of bloodshed, Zhang Yue was initially shocked but quickly regained his composure and stopped in his tracks. Most of the civil officials on the platform, who had been casually reciting poems moments before, were now panicked. Governor Li, however, remained calm and shouted orders sternly. He couldn’t help but look back at the river, where chaos still reigned. He felt as if a thick mist covered his vision.