Chapter 736: Caught Off Guard
After completing the task and returning from the Maritime Administration Office to the Provincial Government Office, Zhang Yue learned of the imperial decrees sent from the capital as well as the letter from Marquis Zhenyuan, Gu Xingzu. He wasn’t surprised by Li Wenchang, the head of the Maritime Administration, submitting a memorial—after all, from past interactions, he knew Li was a stubborn man whose silence could never be forced. Fortunately, although there was some turmoil in the court, the decision to open up maritime trade had already been made by Emperor Yongle, Zhu Di. The Ningbo Maritime Administration had also seen considerable success in recent years, so no major upheaval ensued. But what did Marquis Zhenyuan, Gu Xingzu, mean by this?
After discussing the matter with Xiang Shaoyuan and several other officials, it was decided that the experienced Xiang Shaoyuan would personally draft the letter, with Xu Taorun, the left counselor, helping to clarify the details of previous incidents. The letter was then sent urgently to Guangxi. Once they left, Xiang Shaoyuan reminded Zhang Yue, “Lord Zhang, whenever there’s unrest in Guangxi, it’s always Marquis Zhenyuan who goes to suppress it. He’s even more ruthless in warfare than the late Duke of Xia. This time, after quelling rebels like Tan Gongwang, he killed over a thousand people at once—don’t underestimate him.”
“Thank you for the warning, Lord Xiang.”
Entering his official residence through the Inner Gate, Zhang Yue’s brows furrowed deeply. He hadn’t intended to take drastic action, but some people were insensitive and kept pushing his limits time after time. If he continued to stand by idly, it would be a betrayal of his conscience. Moreover, having dealt with many nobles in the capital, he knew they usually showed their emotions openly and didn’t resort to underhanded tactics. Who would have thought that Marquis Zhenyuan, Gu Xingzu, would pull such a surprise trump card!
“Dad!”
Hearing two clear voices, Zhang Yue snapped back to reality, realizing he had already entered the house. It was his children who came up to greet him, while his father, Zhang Zhuo, sat in the central armchair. He smiled and nodded at Jingguan and Sansan, then stepped forward to pay his father respects before asking, “Where are Mother and Wan’er and the other two?”
“Amber is taking care of Qiuhen, and Lingxi is with them as well. As for your mother and your wife… Today is the birthday of Lady Li, the wife of Commander Li. Your mother took your wife, Lady Xiang, to offer her congratulations. Since you’re too busy to spare a moment, and this isn’t something that requires your attention, they didn’t tell you. I’ve had someone prepare a gift as well—that should be sufficient. As the provincial governor, although you don’t need to curry favor with anyone, your wife still pays close attention to the birthdays, funerals, and social obligations of the officials in charge, as well as those of their subordinates.”
Zhang Yue originally thought that by staying away from the capital, he could escape the endless birthdays, banquets, and funerals. But hearing his father list all these necessary social obligations, he couldn’t help but feel overwhelmed and sighed, “I’ve been busy with official duties these days and didn’t realize that Mother and Wan’er are just as tied up.”
“Your mother only does this occasionally. After all, there aren’t many times when she needs to get involved. After all, Commander Li is one rank above you, so she went along. She’s the least patient with such occasions; she complained for ages before leaving this morning.”
Zhang Zhuo remembered Lady Sun’s elegant yet awkward appearance when she left and couldn’t help but laugh. He had originally planned to have the nanny take the children away, but thinking that Zhang Yue hardly had time with them anyway, he simply ordered the nanny and maids to leave, keeping the two little ones behind. Then he asked, “I’ve taken care of matters in Foshan Town. What did Eunuch Zhang say?”
Zhang Yue briefly relayed Zhang Qian’s words and then explained the two pieces of news he had received since returning to the yamen. Finally, he said with a wry smile, “One problem after another. For now, we can set aside the matter of Li Wenchang. He’s just a low-ranking official from the Maritime Administration, and he’s a decent man at that. At most, he’ll keep submitting petitions. But the official documents from Marquis Zhenyuan are clearly meant to exert pressure. If I insist on pursuing the Xu family’s crimes, does he plan to use this as an excuse to lead troops here? It’s absurd!”
“Dad, are you not angry…?”
As Zhang Yue was still annoyed, he suddenly felt a soft hand stroking his chin, leaving him momentarily stunned. Looking down, he saw his daughter blinking at him. He then remembered that he had been sitting with Sannan on his knees. He gently helped her sit properly. Suddenly, he noticed Jingguan sitting upright on a small stool like a little official, motionless, which made him feel a bit amused.
Zhang Zhuo also saw the appearance of these two little ones and smiled slightly, saying, “This is your wife’s rule. Jingguan is already quite old; not to mention reciting poems and learning to read, she also needs to practice sitting meditation. As for Sannan, she’s still young, but she’s very good at reading people’s expressions. Whenever your mother is slightly unhappy, she often comforts her in this way… Speaking of serious matters, I’ve heard a bit about the Gu family of the Marquis of Zhenyuan from Marquis Mu.”
Combined, the noble families from the Jianguo era and the Jingnan era made the Ming Dynasty’s noble families quite impressive. Outsiders often ranked them by titles such as duke, marquis, earl, and viscount, as well as by the duration of their fiefs, but those within the circle knew that the rank of a title and the extent of imperial favor were not the same thing. Gu Xingzu was a second-generation noble; his grandfather had been a surrendered official who hadn’t participated much in battles, so he originally ranked at the bottom among the marquises. However, the Gu family had always guarded Guizhou, with almost everyone serving as an officer in various military units. Now that the court didn’t want another family like the Mu family to permanently control Yunnan, Gu Xingzu only joined the northern expedition at the end of the Yongle era.
After explaining this, Zhang Zhuo took a sip of water and continued, “Gu Cheng had nine sons. The eldest died early, and Gu Xingzu inherited the title. The rest continued to receive titles such as commander or thousand-household officer based on their merits. But because Gu Cheng had set down family rules, the entire family still lived together, most of them in various military units in Guizhou. What the court wanted to transfer wasn’t just Gu Xingzu, but the entire Gu family. So, sources of income outside Guizhou were extremely important for Gu Xingzu. The Mu family actually owned tens of thousands of acres of land in Yunnan, most of which lacked official land deeds. The same was true for the Gu family in Guizhou. If they went back like that, they would not only lose a large amount of land at once but also struggle to support themselves in the future.”
Zhang Yue unconsciously hugged his daughter tighter and then let out a long sigh. “I see. In his view, I’m not only cutting off his sources of income but probably also their means of survival… It’s indeed a ruthless move. By beheading over a thousand people, including Qin Gongwang, he’s probably trying to eliminate any chance of me confronting him. As long as he has written confessions signed by those people, he can justify sending troops to Guangzhou to hold them accountable!”
Suddenly, he put down Sannan and stood up abruptly, saying coldly, “Everyone says I’m merciless when killing—both a butcher and an executioner. But this military general who’s truly experienced battle isn’t afraid of such things at all. Compared to me killing by imperial order, he beheaded over a thousand people in one go. I’m nothing compared to him. He’s probably trying to tell me that when it comes to killing, I’m far inferior to him—ten times, even a hundred times worse!”
Zhang Zhuo remained silent in thought, while Zhang Yue stood quietly. San San, on the other hand, had already dashed over to Jing Guan, looking at the two adults who suddenly stopped talking and whose expressions had become terrifying, as if frightened. Jing Guan let her sister pull at the hem of her clothes, looking around confusedly, tilting her head for a while before suddenly coughing twice loudly. The clear sound immediately broke the silence in the room. Zhang Zhuo and Zhang Yue, the father and son, snapped out of their daze and saw a pair of innocent-looking children staring at them.
“We kept them around so you could get closer to the children. Look at this—now you’re acting threatening in front of them!” Zhang Zhuo waved for Jing Guan to come over and said with a smile, “What a clever child, knowing exactly when to make a noise to wake us up! Well, your father is in a bad mood today. You and San San go and comfort him!”
Seeing Jing Guan nod and pull San San over, the area was soon filled with the innocent voices of children. Zhang Yue felt his initially upset mood gradually calm down. He gave Zhang Zhuo a grateful look and could no longer maintain a stern fatherly attitude; his expression softened, and he even wished this warm moment would never end.
Early in the morning, the entrance to the Guangzhou prefecture office became bustling. Throughout the day, the streets around the office were filled with people who came to watch the trials. Although it was Zhang Yue who captured the suspect at Caiyun Tower, logically, the Provincial Administration Office could have handled the case, or even the Provincial Judicial Office. But in the end, it fell back on the prefecture office. Prefect Li intended to have Judge Lu take charge, but yesterday, the three government offices sent word that all the high-ranking officials—along with the eunuch in charge of maritime affairs, Zhang Qian—would be present. Thus, he had no choice but to step in himself, and his initial worry of being used as a scapegoat diminished significantly.
Although it wasn’t the hottest time in Guangzhou, the crowd was so dense that people were pressed back to back, making it unbearably hot. There were also frequent shoves among them. With so many onlookers, the officials sent to maintain order were also sweating profusely. These men with whips shuttled back and forth through the streets, striking anyone who showed even a hint of movement, while constantly shouting, “Step back! If you get whipped, don’t blame me! There are many important people here today. If you disturb them, it won’t just be a few whips—damn it, stop pushing forward…”
After cursing for a while and seeing more people keep pouring in from the street entrance, this old hand who had been working as a constable for over a decade grew increasingly anxious, sweating profusely. The whip in his hand grew heavier as well, and what was originally meant only for intimidation now became a real weapon. Two cries of pain soon arose from the crowd. After this lesson, the people in short shirts finally calmed down, but many still stared at the government office and the street entrance.
“He’s here!”
At the sound of a constable’s voice, the noisy crowd immediately quieted down under his control. Soon after, all the officials from Governor Li down, including deputy governors, judges, and other officials, came out of the office and stood neatly on the stone steps at the entrance. Before long, the sound of hurried horse hooves could be heard. Dozens of riders rushed into the alley at high speed and stopped in line right in front of the office in the blink of an eye.
With a shout, a dozen men dressed as bodyguards swiftly dismounted from their horses. One of them rushed to the lead horse and took hold of the reins. At that moment, Li Long, the military commander riding high on his horse, finally dismounted. Holding his whip, he narrowed his eyes and glanced at the words “Guangzhou Government Office” on the main gate, then gave a polite nod to the officials who came forward.
Li Long, still in his military attire, was followed by Zhang Yue and Xiang Shaoyuan’s sedan chair, and then by Zhang Qian, the imperial eunuch in charge of trade, and Yu Liang, the inspector. No one dared say anything about Zhang Qian’s tardy arrival, but Yu Liang, being the lowest-ranking among the three officials, falling behind inevitably raised suspicions among the government officials.
Handling official business in the morning and holding trials in the afternoon was the usual practice. Trials started at the Si hour, and it was already the Chen hour and three periods—time to prepare for the trial. Since all those present were high-ranking officials, the main gates and other entrances of the office were wide open. Along the spacious corridor inside the gates, people could clearly see the courtroom on the platform, and those with sharp eyes could even make out the batons in the hands of the constables. However, the hottest topic at the moment was what verdict would be handed down to Xu Zhengping, who was to be tried this time.
Just as people were arguing endlessly—some saying execution by hanging, others that at most it would be flogging, still others suggesting shackling—suddenly there was a commotion at the west end of Fuyuan Street, accompanied even by a cry of pain from a servant. The onlookers were puzzled when the once-bright archway at the west end of the street was suddenly blocked by a dozen men on tall horses. Before anyone could react, the east end of the street was also blocked by such a group. Faced with this strange situation, the crowd quickly fell silent.
Then, as a rider sped forward and dismounted right at the entrance of the government office, the servants holding whips to maintain order immediately surrounded him. Just as a young man rolled up his sleeves ready to question him, the middle-aged man who dismounted didn’t even glance at them and said coldly, “Where is the governor of Guangzhou? I’ve come in person—don’t they know to welcome me?”
These seemingly ordinary words “this nobleman” left all the servants stunned. After a long while, an experienced man stepped forward, bowed respectfully with crossed hands, and then cautiously asked, “Please forgive us for not recognizing your high status. May I ask who you are…”
“I am Marquis Zhenyuan, here on official business in Guangzhou Prefecture!”
Hearing the title “Marquis Zhenyuan,” not only the servants but also the surrounding civilians were shocked. Looking at the middle-aged man’s plain dark blue robe, ordinary riding boots, and unimposing appearance, the servant who asked the question, though still hesitant to believe it completely, thought even less that someone would pretend to be a noble at the entrance of the government office. He felt his head spin. Turning to look at the courtroom deep inside the government office, he swallowed hard. Just as he turned back to explain, the man claiming to be Marquis Zhenyuan had already strode past him toward the main entrance of the office.