Chapter 809: Skillful Admonition

Since the emperor had only chosen Zhang Yue and Tianci to accompany him, Zhang Fu asked Lady Wang to wait in the small meeting hall inside the second gate, while he went to wait at the garden entrance himself. Though sitting indoors, Lady Wang was still uneasy. Xi Yu, who stood by, noticed her troubled expression. Although she was worried about her five-year-old daughter as well, she dared not show it and could only keep saying comforting words.

“Madam, don’t worry. The eldest young master is both scholarly and skilled in martial arts, and his manners are impeccable. Now he just needs to appear before the emperor. Besides, Young Master Yue is there to help—he will surely not let the eldest young master suffer any loss.”

“I certainly trust Brother Yue, but Tianci is still so young.” Lady Wang continued to frown. Thinking of Zhu Zhanji’s obvious irritation when he arrived, she clenched her prayer beads tighter. “The emperor seems to have a short temper. Even though we are from a duke’s family, if we make any mistake that angers him, even if Master isn’t harmed, Tianci’s future… Amitabha, may heaven protect us!”

Seeing Lady Wang join her hands in prayer, Xi Yu also grew anxious. The Duke of Ying had only one legitimate son, and even if he said something foolish due to his youth, the emperor would surely forgive him. But Zhang Yue was still so young—if he forgot the rules, it would be disastrous. Incidentally, the two daughters in the family were playing with Zhang Jing. That girl was always mischievous and might pull some tricks in front of the emperor. How could Zhang Yue, such a composed person, have such a quirky sister…

“Madam, madam, great news!”

While Lady Wang and Xi Yu were lost in their thoughts and the maids dared not make a sound, the door curtain outside was lifted, and Bi Luo rushed in with a joyful face. Kneeling down, she said with a smile, “Just now, word came in that the eldest young master demonstrated archery and horseback riding in front of the emperor. All three arrows hit the target. The emperor was overjoyed and said he would reward him with a gold belt and a precious bow. He also called Master in to praise him greatly. Manager Rong at the garden entrance heard this and quickly sent someone to bring the good news.”

“Thank goodness!”

Lady Wang was overjoyed. She placed a hand on her chest and let out a long sigh. Soon, the maids gathered around to congratulate her, and Xi Yu also said some flattering words, though her eye kept flicking toward Bi Luo. It was then that Bi Luo remembered and said with a smile, “I heard the emperor also praised the three young ladies greatly, giving each of them a gold necklace. He seemed to speak especially favorably about Miss Jing.”

“Surely that mischievous girl must be quite bold in front of the emperor too.”

With her worries set aside, Lady Wang felt in the mood to joke. After teasing him a bit, she sent Bi Luo away and instructed all the maids and servants to return to their duties and speak as little as possible. She was thinking about how the emperor’s incognito visit might once again draw civil officials to offer advice that could harm Zhang Fu, and what she should do if he decided to keep them for dinner. Just then, another voice came from outside.
“Madam, Young Master Qi from the Yangwu Bo residence has arrived.”
Hearing this, Lady Wang immediately grew suspicious. If it were Zhang Fu or Zhang Jie, their quickness to report matters and rush here to gain the emperor’s favor made sense, but Zhang Qi was not that kind of person—why would he suddenly ask to see her at this time? Fortunately, it was her own household servants guarding the entrance, allowing the message to be delivered. Thinking this through, she asked, “Have you asked what he wants?”
“Madam, the gatekeeper asked Young Master Qi, and he said it was Young Master Yue who sent him. Moreover, it’s a very urgent matter.”
Since it was Zhang Yue’s wish, Lady Wang felt relieved. She thought that if Zhang Yue wanted to help Zhang Qi secure a better future, there would be plenty of opportunities—there was no need to choose this critical moment. She ordered that they take a route avoiding the Jinyiwei and the emperor’s usual paths to let him in first. Realizing it was a serious matter, she sent all the maids outside to the porch, leaving only Xi Yu behind.
“Auntie!”
Zhang Qi entered, drenched in sweat, his clothes covered in dust. After quickly bowing, he asked directly, “I heard the emperor is here. Are my younger brothers inside with him?”
“That’s right. If it were the Jinyiwei guarding the entrance, even you wouldn’t be able to get in. Did Brother Yue send you here?”
“Yes. My younger brother asked me to help with an important matter earlier. As soon as I finished it, he sent someone to summon me and told me to come to Yingguo Park right away.” Seeing Xi Yu personally serve tea, Zhang Qi quickly stood up to thank her. After apologizing, he drank the tea in one gulp before raising his head and saying, “My younger brother explained the situation to me—it’s very serious. Please, Auntie, have someone send a message to him saying I’ve already captured the person and am waiting outside Yingguo Park for his orders.”

These words sounded extremely strange, and Lady Wang immediately frowned. Although Zhang Fu now only attended court on fixed days and rarely brought complicated matters to her attention, there were many officials and their families who came and went daily, some of whom explicitly or implicitly suggested that it was now the civil officials who held real power. As families of top meritorious officials, their status might decline over a hundred years of inheritance, so they needed to seize opportunities—she had just listened to them before. But now it seemed these claims weren’t unfounded.

“Xiyu, go find a suitable person according to Brother Qi’s advice, report to the master first, and then inform us when Brother Yue and the others leave the garden.”

As she spoke, Lady Wang glanced at Zhang Qi, seeing that he didn’t look presentable at all, so she ordered, “Though you came in a hurry, there’s still some time. Hurry up and wash your face. In case the emperor wants to see you, at least you’ll look presentable. I have some of the master’s clothes from when he was young. His build was similar to yours back then. Though the styles are old, they’re better than you showing up before the emperor in this state.”

Zhang Qi hadn’t expected to possibly meet the emperor on this trip, but upon hearing Lady Wang’s arrangement, he quickly agreed. After returning to wash his face, clean himself, and change clothes, he had just arrived in the meeting hall when someone rushed over from the other end.

“Youth Master Qi, the emperor has summoned you! Hurry over!”

Having just seen Tianci, who was young yet skilled in horseback riding and archery, Zhu Zhanji couldn’t help but become interested. He immediately ordered someone to bring a horse and bow, and set up an archery target about a hundred steps away in the vegetable garden. After this round of archery, he hit two out of three arrows, though his performance was much worse than usual. Still, he felt exhilarated and encouraged Zhang Yue to try again. Perhaps because Tianci and Zhu Zhanji had performed well earlier, Zhang Yue, who hadn’t held a bow in a long time, managed to hit one out of three arrows at the hundred-step target after testing the bow’s feel—unlike the others who had gone bald.

After accompanying Zhu Zhanji around the garden for a long time, Zhang Yue received word that Zhang Qi had arrived. He gently mentioned it to Zhu Zhanji, and indeed, the emperor thought it was out of his natural concern for his brother, so he agreed to the summons with a smile.

So, at this moment, he paid not the slightest attention to Zhu Zhanji’s deliberate mockery. While sincerely expressing his determination to practice archery diligently, he said with a smile, “Actually, I think that in the past, there were often gatherings of civil and military officials for hunting, but such events have become less frequent in recent years. Since the nobles and high-ranking officials attend imperial lectures, and their sons usually go to the Imperial Academy to study, it is only right for civil officials to put more effort into military skills. Among the Six Arts—rites, music, archery, charioteering, calligraphy, and mathematics—most scholars these days have neglected archery and charioteering. Not only that, but they also consider hunting to be mere amusement.”

“If outsiders hear this, you’ll surely face another round of criticism!”

Though he said this, Zhu Zhanji deeply agreed with it. The main reason his father was able to overcome the highly favored Prince Han Zhu Gaoxu and retain his position as crown prince was because his grandfather Zhu Di favored him—not only for his kindness and filial piety but also because he could ride a horse, draw a bow, and join northern expeditions, as well as train troops with his personal guard. Thus, he felt even more that it was right to recall Zhang Yue quickly, as it would add another reliable person. As they walked on, Zhang Yue casually recounted a version of the Manchu Mulan hunting story and population reduction tactics from a foreign land, and suddenly Zhu Zhanji stopped in his tracks.

“That foreign king is quite cunning. Surely all those barbarians on the island were wiped out because of his false kindness?”

“Not completely wiped out. Only their elite cavalry skilled in horseback archery was utterly destroyed, leaving the remaining people with little combat strength. Moreover, the army that was originally good at warfare gradually declined after they seized power, and without natural enemies, they completely collapsed. Later, a foreign army suddenly arrived from the sea and shattered that country. First, they had to pay reparations, and then other foreign powers, seeing that country as weak and easy to exploit, also sent their troops, leaving the country in ruins. This is a story from far away in the West. I heard it in Guangzhou and found it interesting, so I remembered it.”

Zhu Zhanji had learned literature and martial arts since childhood and had been influenced by his grandfather and father regarding the ways of rulers. But when it came to true breadth of vision, it wasn’t something he gained from northern expeditions—he was always closely guarded. Aside from the danger during one northern expedition and the journey back to Beijing by land and sea to attend a funeral with Zhang Yue, he had never seen real danger or the outside world. Thus, it was actually Zhang Yue’s travelogues and casual writings sent from abroad that seemed more authentic.

The civil officials aspired to a utopian world akin to that of the Zhou emperor, but what Zhang Yue said at this moment was something different—armies would decline if they had no natural enemies. Even though he rarely went to the military now, he knew it was far inferior to that of the founding days of the Ming Dynasty. What about after sixty years away from the country? What if it were a hundred or two hundred years later?

“As for the large amounts of land owned by various officials, I would like to remind Your Majesty that today’s Yellow Register and Fish-Scale Register are based on the year 26 of the Hongwu era, when there were over 8.8 million hectares of farmland. After years of reclamation, surely there’s more than that now?”

Seeing Zhu Zhanji standing there in thought, Zhang Yue wisely stopped speaking. Glancing around, he noticed Zhang Jing whispering to Zhang Tian and Zhang Yue, while Tian Ci was holding the golden belt as if in a daze. Further away were the servants of the Duke of Yingguo; when they saw Zhang Qi, they nodded at him firmly, which immediately reassured him.

At that moment, Wang Yu stepped forward and reported, “Your Majesty, Zhang Qi, the deputy commander of the Yulin Front Guard, is waiting to be summoned.”

After nodding, Zhu Zhanji still couldn’t help but ponder Zhang Yue’s words. Since their fateful encounter in the late Yongle era, and through the various articles written by Zhang Yue during his tenure both inside and outside the court, though they met infrequently, he had gradually accepted Zhang Yue’s ideas. His grandfather, Zhu Di, had clearly told him that Zhang Yue was meant for his use—only through his favor could one truly win loyalty, and it was he who had promoted Zhang Yue. Although Wang Jie’s actions were not in line with his intentions, after seeing what lay behind those high-ranking officials in the court, he had to be cautious.

Should he use this opportunity to move those who acted arbitrarily based on seniority, or do something else instead?

While Zhu Zhanji was thinking, Zhang Qi had already stepped forward. He was now wearing a slightly worn plum-purple robe with small floral patterns, his face and clothes neatly groomed, no longer looking as sweaty and disheveled as before. After bowing in greeting, he carefully answered several of Zhu Zhanji’s questions. When the emperor asked for his purpose, he glanced at Zhang Yue first, and upon receiving a nod indicating he should speak as planned, he took a deep breath.

“Your Majesty, my third brother came to the Yulin Front Guard earlier and asked me for a favor, so I led a few men and captured a person in Guanyin Temple Alley.”

Hearing this, Zhu Zhanji’s smile froze on his face as he cast a suspicious glance at Zhang Yue. Seeing Zhang Yue’s calm expression, he asked in a deep voice, “Who is it?”
“Yan Ai, a former censor from the Censorate.”
Upon hearing this name, Zhu Zhanji faintly recalled something. At that moment, Zhang Yue quietly explained, “After Gu Duixian took control of the Censorate, he conducted strict examinations of censors, dismissing countless of them, including Yan Ai. He was previously exiled to Liaodong to serve as a clerk, but he secretly returned. After arriving in the capital, he colluded with clerks and servants from various government offices to use them to funnel money further up the chain.”
“How do you know this?”
“Well…” Seeing that Wang Yu had wisely stepped back along with two Jinyiwei guards, leaving only Zhang Qi and a few others behind, Zhang Yue explained as planned, “To be honest with Your Majesty, this was revealed when Yan Ai met people in secret. Coincidentally, my brother-in-law and the eldest son of Yang Ji’s family started a business together…”
Zhang Yue recounted in detail the events of the Wanshi Festival and Yang Ji’s dealings. The emperor first looked skeptical, then astonished, and eventually burst into laughter. He realized he had guessed correctly this time. To others, one was a legitimate official and the other the son of a high-ranking official, yet they were involved in such petty dealings—utterly improper. But to the emperor, it wasn’t so much intolerable as rather amusing and infuriating at the same time. Sure enough, he soon pointed at Zhang Yue’s nose.
“What should I say about you! One is your brother-in-law, a future pillar of the state, and the other is the son of your teacher and elder. Yet you don’t even try to dissuade them, let alone stop them from acting recklessly! If your father-in-law and Yang Ji found out, you wouldn’t be able to brush it off so easily! Well, it’s not exactly a crime, nor is it stealing from the people. At least you’ve achieved some merits!”
After laughing, Zhu Zhanji summoned Wang Yu and ordered in a deep voice, “Take some men out, bring that Yan Ai here, and send him to the Northern Pacification Commission for interrogation. Make sure to investigate all those he colluded with and the source of the money he passed along. After that, go to the Eastern Depot and have Lu Feng come to the palace immediately—I have matters to assign him. Thinking I’m lenient, those little clowns dare to show up!”