Chapter 789: Shocking News and Sightings
As Zhang Yue had predicted, after returning that evening, Mu Sheng immediately linked the incident to the Si family of Luchuan. Sure enough, two days later, urgent news arrived from Mangshi: Si Renfa, who held the position of imperial envoy to pacify the regions of Luchuan and Pyin, boldly launched an attack, seizing Nandian, Mangshi, and Lujiang. Areas such as Mengyang, Mengding, and Wandi also reported urgent situations. Under these circumstances, Lady Cheng initially thought this could be the best excuse to keep her son Mu Bin behind, but Mu Sheng shook his head firmly. He ordered documents to be prepared and sent to the imperial court, secretly asked Zhang You for advice, prepared to lead troops with his younger brother Mu Ang, and had Mu Bin pack his things to set off with Zhang Yue.
Since Zhang You said he didn’t know how long he would stay in Yunnan and had his eldest son Zhang Chao with him, he strongly advised Zhang Zhuo and Zhang Yue to return together. After much consideration, Zhang Zhuo agreed. Worried about the situation in Guangzhou, he went back there first to prepare to head to the capital with his wife and daughters-in-law, while Zhang Yue set off with Mu Bin.
By the time the group left, entire Yunnan was in a state of war readiness. Since Mu Sheng already held the position of commander-in-chief and Mu Ang was in charge of the Yunnan military administration, both quickly mobilized their troops. Tens of thousands of soldiers had gathered in the southwest, and strict security measures had been imposed around the Mu Wangfu in Kunming and the Cuihai Villa. To prevent anyone from harming Mu Bin, the Mu Wangfu dispatched 200 bodyguards to escort Zhang Yue and Mu Bin out of Guizhou before turning back.
The postal route from Yunnan to Beijing went through Yunnan, Guizhou, Huguang, Henan, and finally North Zhili, passing through numerous prefectures, counties, and covering over ten thousand miles. Due to Mu Bin’s insistence, the women and heavy luggage traveled in a second group, so this group moved quickly with light loads and fast horses, arriving in Chenzhou Prefecture just one month later.
It was already mid-April, and the weather was getting hotter. The dust raised by horse hooves on the roads left everyone covered in dirt. As soon as the group of over thirty people entered the prefectural city, they rented a large inn to rest. When one of the attendants suggested going to the prefect’s office to give a notice, Mu Bin immediately stopped him, saying, “No need for extra trouble. We’re setting off tomorrow. If we disturb people with greetings and farewells, won’t that just cause more hassle? Send a few people to explore the city and find out if there are any major events or important news these days!”
After predicting the fate of the Si clan in Luchuan and proving his prediction correct, Zhang Yue never offered any further advice on the situation in Yunnan. After all, the Mu clan had long ruled Yunnan, and it would be presumptuous for an outsider like him to give orders; moreover, his understanding of Yunnan’s situation was only superficial. On the contrary, during his travels with Mu Sheng, whenever they stopped to rest, he would take the opportunity to learn more about Yunnan, gaining a deeper understanding of why Mu Sheng had arranged for Fang Shuixin to marry Zhang You.
The Si clan in Luchuan was the most powerful local chieftain in the southwest of Yunnan, bordering Burma. They had always been unpredictable in their loyalty. For this reason, Nandian, Mangshi, and Lujiang, located right next to them, served as the best buffer zones. Only if these three areas remained loyal to the imperial court could the southwest remain stable. It was likely that Mu Sheng had cut off the old chieftain’s lineage and supported the short-lived new chieftain for this very reason. Of course, the Mu clan must have reaped significant benefits as well—after all, even behind noble causes, personal desires must be satisfied.
“The Yuan Festival?”
Lost in thought, he was suddenly startled by a voice beside him. He saw Mu Bin smiling as he handed him a towel. He quickly took it and said with a smile, “I was lost in thought again. I just remembered that when I left, it was the time for the provincial exams in Guangdong, but now even those exams and the imperial examinations are over. I wonder who the outstanding scholars this time are.”
“What outstanding scholars could compare to you on the Yuan Festival?” Mu Bin wiped his face on his own and casually tossed the towel to a servant before sitting down to take a sip of tea. Only then did he look up and say, “Besides, having good writing skills doesn’t necessarily mean a successful career. Among those who passed the exams with you back then, how many are still serving as local officials? How many are still struggling in the Hanlin Academy? How many are shuttling between the six ministries? Even among the scholars from Yunnan, there’s a saying that one should be an official like Zhang Yuanjie.”
“Brother Wen Hui, don’t flatter me. We know our own situation. I was just lucky to get the opportunity first.”
Though it was another compliment, Zhang Yue had to admit that Mu Bin’s words sounded truly pleasing and were also true. Just looking at Chen Yong, who was his predecessor in the exams yet was still only a minor official now, made it clear that the path of officialdom was extremely difficult. Back then, his family background had been the best help for his promotions, but now it seemed to have become an obstacle.
The reason was simple: the Zhang family was simply too prominent.
At just twenty years old, Mu Bin had followed his father to campaign in Luchuan and suppress the Fu Zhou tribes. Raised from a young age as an heir, he had been strictly trained, so although he had some bad habits, his vision and ambition were extraordinary. Seeing Zhang Yue’s humility, he simply sat down next to him and asked seriously, “Yuanjie, though we’ve known each other for only a short time, our families have been friends for generations. On my way back to the capital, there are some things I must tell you. Although you pursue a career as a civil official, your background is still that of a noble family, and many people will surely regard you as an outsider. Most of the nobles today are already of the second or third generation; though they hold important military positions, their power is far less than before. If this continues, civil officials will dominate the court entirely, leaving no room for the nobles. Eventually, even if the emperor trusts you, it won’t be enough to counter the pressure from other factions.”
Zhang Yue understood well that Mu Bin’s words were not an exaggeration. Just by observing the growing influence of eunuchs, it was clear that Zhu Zhanji was intentionally or unintentionally promoting another group of people to counter the civil officials. If things continued this way, the nobles would become mere figureshead, and a balance of power between eunuchs and civil officials would persist for centuries. After Zhu Zhanji, only Emperor Yingzong showed some interest in military strategy as a child, but he was captured in the Tumu Fort Battle. From then on, all emperors grew up under the care of women in the palace, completely isolated from contact with the sons of noble officers and civil officials.
Though he thought it through carefully, Zhang Yue merely smiled lightly and said, “Brother Wen Hui truly has a long-term perspective.”
Seeing Zhang Yue’s casual attitude, Mu Bin grew somewhat anxious. But remembering that it was taboo to discuss deep matters too soon, he decided to change the subject and engage in casual conversation instead. By dinner time, several of Mu Bin’s men who had gone out to gather information finally returned and reported what they had learned.
As Zhang Yue had expected, the rankings from the imperial examinations had already been sent by fast mail days earlier, with a total of 101 scholars passing. Although strict quotas were set for people from the north and south, Guangdong still produced ten successful candidates—four in the second tier and six in the third. As expected, the three top candidates were mostly from the areas north and south of the Yangtze River, but this was still an impressive achievement. Most notably, two of the successful candidates came from Qiongzhou Prefecture, that is, Hainan.
It was Su Yong, the eldest son of Su Ming, a general in the Mu family, who reported on the palace examination. Although Mu Bin had given no additional instructions, he took extra precautions due to his father’s final advice and brought this matter up first. Seeing Zhang Yue’s relieved expression and Mu Bin nodding at him, he withdrew contentedly to the side, waiting for others to speak. One by one, everyone reported the information they had gathered, and when it came to the last person, the thin young man revealed a shocking news.
“Young master, Lord Zhang, I went to the local carriages and horse businesses and picked up some information. I happened to meet a group of people who had just arrived from Guangdong. According to them, when they set out, Yu Qian, the imperial censor in Guangdong, submitted a memorial urging the removal of military officials stationed in various regions, the abolition of the Inner Secretariat, and the restoration of the old systems established by the founding emperor. The emperor was furious and ordered the Jinyiwei to escort those people back to the capital!”
Although Zhang Yue had already received some information when he first left Jiaozhi, it only mentioned the court’s reaction after the memorial reached Beijing, without mentioning any actions taken. Hence, upon hearing this news, he immediately asked, “What was the reaction in Guangdong when the Jinyiwei escorted those people away?”
“Reporting back to you, sir, those merchants said that many ordinary people, bringing along the elderly and children, went to see off Lord Yu. It is said that Lord Yu had previously gone to the fields to offer help while promoting double-cropping and triple-cropping systems, reformed many corrupt officials, and, in his capacity as an imperial censor, overturned unjust cases. He also often went to the countryside himself when the government collected taxes and corvée labor. That’s why the people regarded him as a rare good official. Some even gave him umbrellas for the journey, and many provided gifts. Strangely enough, although the Jinyiwei are usually feared, those who escorted him this time were quite gentle. They just dispersed the crowd without using whips or knives.”
These days, the Jinyiwei being gentle without using whips or knives is already considered remarkable!
Zhang Yue smiled faintly and fell into deep thought. However, although Zhu Zhanji was not the capricious Emperor Yongle, Zhu Di, it would be naive to assume that a wise emperor would not punish people based on momentary anger. If no one responded to this matter, Yu Qian might be accused of discussing palace affairs recklessly and trying to gain popularity. If someone did respond, they might also be suspected of being involved. It was indeed a difficult dilemma.
“He’s just a reckless young man—why should Yuan Jie still care about him?” Mu Bin had heard about the turmoil in the capital before but never taken it seriously. Now, seeing Zhang Yue’s attitude, he was somewhat surprised but quickly realized why. “No wonder—he’s the imperial censor from Guangdong; he must have worked with you before. But this man is in for a tough time. In matters of the palace, none of the high-ranking officials in the court say a word, yet he speaks up. Though they’re eunuchs, they’re still the emperor’s closest confidants. By doing this, he’s offended all of them. Even if he gets through this time, his official career will likely be difficult from now on!”
“Anyway, his integrity is admirable.”
After saying that, Zhang Yue stopped talking about the matter. After dinner with Mu Bin, he only asked about military situations in Yunnan and Guizhou, etc. It wasn’t until he went to bed alone that he fell into deep thought. In today’s court, aside from the Cabinet, the Ministry of Personnel and the Censorate were the most powerful. Provincial officials feared offending the people in these two departments the most when entering the capital. During the Yongle era, although the rank of censors in the Censorate was low, whether they were imperial censors on inspection or court censors in the capital, they were on par with high-ranking officials. It wasn’t until Liu Guan was demoted that their status declined. But now, it was the iron-fisted Gu Zuo in charge, who was said to highly appreciate Yu Qian. He would likely do his best to protect him.
His relationship with Yu Qian wasn’t very deep, so it would be pretentious to think of protecting him. Since that resolute man had unhesitatingly taken such action, if he failed to take this opportunity to eliminate the threat, it would truly be a disservice to his bold move!
Passing through Chenzhou Prefecture, Yongding Guard, Zhijiang, and Jingzhou Prefecture, and then Xiangyang Prefecture, one reached Nanyang Prefecture in Henan. Ever since Gu’s burial, Zhang Yue hadn’t returned to Kaifeng in Henan for a long time, nor had he visited much of the rest of Henan. So when he first arrived in Nanyang Prefecture and heard the somewhat familiar Henan accent, he felt a sense of familiarity and curiosity. After checking into the inn, he greeted Mu Bin and, full of enthusiasm, took people to explore the city before dark.
Nanyang Prefecture is a famous city. If there is a most renowned figure associated with it, it is undoubtedly Zhuge Kongming from the Three Kingdoms period. Although later generations have debated endlessly about Kongming’s final resting place, the people of Nanyang today all consider themselves his fellow townspeople. Taverns with signs reading “Kongming’s Residence” line the streets, unknown fruits are sold under the brand name “Kongming Fruits,” and clothing stores and boutiques offer Kongming-style headscarves and goose-feather fans. At first glance, Zhang Yue thought he had arrived in modern times, where celebrities are used for advertising everywhere. After wandering around for a while, he arrived at the back door of the Nanyang prefectural government office.
It was already past the Shen hour, and the officials and servants in the government office had left, but the food stalls and vendors selling various sundries in front of the back door were still there. Although the government offices and staff quarters were just behind a wall, no one came to drive them away. In fact, quite a few men dressed like officials were haggling there, creating a lively scene. In the middle of the road, several children were playing around, adding to the cheerful atmosphere.
Zhang Yue found it interesting to watch a little girl skillfully kicking shuttlecocks when suddenly he heard a loud commotion coming from outside the alley. Soon after, a clerk rushed over at top speed and started shouting loudly at the entrance to the staff quarters, “Brother Wang, something bad has happened! Someone is riding a horse and hurting people outside. It doesn’t seem like they’re from around here!”
As soon as he finished speaking, someone rushed out hurriedly, wearing only a short front-opening shirt with his chest exposed, holding a large palm fan in his hand. After asking a few questions in a low voice, he said angrily, “This isn’t some dangerous place. Why would anyone come here instead of going elsewhere? Damn it, luckily no one died. Otherwise, how would I face my master? Take a few people over to see how badly they’re injured. If it’s not serious, tell them not to make a fuss. My master will take care of them later. If it’s serious, come back and report. Send more people to find out what exactly happened… Damn it, these damned incidents happen every year…”
Without waiting to hear more of his complaints, Zhang Yue immediately led his men out of the alley in the direction the clerk had come from. Sure enough, following the direction of the noise, he found the scene: the area was in complete chaos, with stalls set up on both sides trampled apart by horse hooves. Several injured people lay there, groaning, covered in blood, and it was unclear whether their injuries were serious or not.