Chapter 821: Offering to Take Charge, Handover

The Eastern Warm Pavilion in the Qianqing Palace.
As usual, it was Yang Shiqi and Yang Rong who jointly reported the results of the court meeting. Hearing that there were no objections to sending troops to patrol the borders, the only issue left was the selection of candidates, which relieved Zhu Zhanji greatly and lifted his mood. When Yang Shiqi brought up the matter of deploying troops for the Luochuan campaign, Zhu Zhanji simply nodded in approval. However, when Du Zhen suggested sending civil officials to assist, he hesitated and leaned forward unconsciously.
It was customary to have military generals lead troops with civil officials providing advice. Emperor Taizong Zhu Di had Yang Rong and Jin Youzi by his side during his northern campaigns, and Zhang Fu also took Huang Fu and other civil officials with him on his southern campaign to Jiaozhi. But was such a large-scale effort really necessary for the small state of Luochuan? Moreover, the military campaigns in Jiaozhi had just ended, and Mu Sheng, the Duke of Qian, was now in charge of military affairs in Yunnan. Allowing others to think the court had lost trust in him would not be a good strategy.
After yesterday’s court meeting, Yang Rong tossed and turned all night, finally falling into a drowsy sleep for only an hour at dawn. Seeing the emperor still deliberating, he took a deep breath and finally made up his mind.
“Your Majesty, the Mu family has long governed Yunnan, so it is undoubtedly the Duke of Qian who should lead the troops. But if Luochuan is left unattended, the southern border will eventually fall into chaos. Furthermore, from what I know, Si Renfa is merely fighting a desperate struggle. Firstly, the policy of dividing territories and bringing enemies under submission since the Hongwu era has been very effective. Secondly, the rise of the Burma Mang family has put Luochuan under attack from both sides. Although the Burmese king claims to be a vassal, he fails to fulfill his tributary obligations, and we cannot allow him to grow stronger. Though I am unworthy, I am willing to go to the southern border to assist the Duke of Qian in defeating the enemy.”
At these words, not only was Yang Shiqi surprised, but Zhu Zhanji was also stunned. Yang Rong himself remained calm on the surface, though inwardly he felt bitter. These days, due to the turmoil in the Censorate and the inspection of land across the country, the court had been quite agitated. High-ranking officials from the Cabinet, the Six Ministries, and the Censorate had all sent letters to their hometowns seeking guidance, and Yang Rong was no exception. Yet, before his letters could even arrive, a fellow villager came to him, earnestly urging him to strongly oppose this plan, with hints hidden in his words.

Among the senior officials in the Cabinet, Yang Shiji came from a scholarly family but was extremely poor in his youth; even when Xia Yuanji’s home was raided, nothing of value was found. Jian Yijin, Jin Yuzi, and Yang Pu also came from ordinary families. Only Yang Rong was originally from a wealthy family, and throughout his years in office, he had never neglected himself, especially loving fine furs and horses. Now, even with three salaries, he couldn’t make ends meet, let alone the meager pay during the Yongle era. Thus, most of his money came from the old steward in his hometown in Fujian, who sent it to him every year. He had always ignored these gifts, so he was surprised to learn that over the past twenty-odd years since he entered officialdom, the family’s original hundred hectares of fertile land had more than doubled in size!

Moreover, although he knew the emperor favored the Northern Pacification Commission, he simply let Du Zhen go alone without taking any action. Afterwards, his Cabinet colleagues said nothing, but others expressed dissatisfaction. He also keenly sensed that the emperor treated him less favorably than before. Familiar eunuchs privately told him that the emperor had mentioned that Yang Shiji often accepted fine horses given by border generals and had spoken ill of him and Xia Yuanji.

Although these were just jokes, if they accumulated over time, they could become serious issues. If he stepped forward during difficult military times, he might still be able to salvage some situation, which would be better than those ministers who were gradually forced to retire over the years.

“Mianren is my key minister. Luchuan is just a tiny place. Besides the Duke of Qian leading an army there, I still have to send my Grand Secretary there. Won’t outsiders laugh at me for using a sledgehammer to crack a nut?”

“In the past, when the Hu family in Jiaozhi rebelled, Emperor Taizong sent someone to bring back the Chen king, only to be killed by him later. This shows how a small disturbance can lead to big problems. I am only skilled in military affairs. Now that the country is at peace, it is my duty to share the emperor’s burdens.”

Since Yang Rong took such a firm stance, Yang Shiji, who had intended to persuade him, fell silent. Zhu Zhanji pondered for a long time but still did not make an immediate decision. After all, Empress Dowager Zhang valued Yang Rong’s past efforts in supporting the imperial palace, so she had to be consulted. Moreover, as a veteran minister who had been highly regarded by his grandfather, even if Yang Rong himself proposed it, he still had to be cautious of being accused of preferring the new over the old. So, after the two left, he immediately took Wang Jin to Renshou Palace to see Empress Dowager Zhang.

Before the lunch break, Zhang Yue received an imperial edict forwarded by the cabinet. It not only ordered Yang Rong to go to Luchuan to assist Duke Mu Sheng in overseeing military affairs there but also designated several key ministers to accompany him on the northern expedition. Among the nobles were Duke Yingguo Zhang Fu and Marquis Chengshan Wang Tong, while the civil officials included Jin Youzi, Du Zhen, Jian Yi, Xia Yuanji, and Minister of Rites Hu Bian. The rest of the lower-ranking officials were yet to be determined.

It was Cao Jixiang who brought the edict. The Imperial Secretariat was headed by Fan Hong and Jin Ying, both of whom had served Emperor Zhu Gaochi for many years and enjoyed the trust of Empress Dowager Zhang. However, they had no great ambitions, so despite repeated rewards from the emperor and empress, they only asked for houses, gold, and silver—refusing anything else. Even without ambitions, since Wang Jin had placed someone in the Imperial Secretariat, they remained cautious. But since that person had once been close to Zhang Qian, they simply assigned him to work at the Wenyuan Pavilion, where he handled important tasks without interfering in other departments’ affairs.

Seeing Zhang Yuelowering his head looking at the edict, Cao Jixiang chuckled softly and said, “This list was personally drawn up by the emperor when he met with the empress dowager. But the emperor has always valued Lord Zhang greatly. Eunuch Wang said you will surely be chosen to accompany him…”

Before he could finish, Zhang Yue calmly interrupted, “Whether to accompany or not is decided by the emperor. Staying behind may also be a significant responsibility.”

Faced with such a firm response, Cao Jixiang grew awkward. But upon further reflection, he sensed there might be more to Zhang Yue’s words, though he dared not ask further. Seeing Zhang Yue write a reply and hand it to him, Cao Jixiang wasn’t ready to leave the Wenyuan Pavilion right away. He quickly suggested, “When I left, I saw Eunuch Lu, looking extremely upset. I wonder what happened again.”

“The Eastern Depot is in charge of investigations, so it’s not strange if something has happened.”

Seeing Zhang Yue focused on writing, Cao Jixiang assumed this was an important place in the Ministry of War and didn’t say much, slipping out quietly. As soon as he left, Zhang Yue raised his head. Although Lingfang had said he would inform him if there were any news last night, such matters couldn’t be handled too openly, so it wouldn’t be that quick. As he was thinking, a servant’s voice came from outside: “Lord, Captain Hu is here, saying he has urgent matters to report.”

Now that Zhang Yue no longer handled the appointment of military officials, there could only be one Captain Hu who would come to see him. Hearing this, Zhang Yue immediately ordered him to come in. Soon, Hu Qi, dressed in an official robe with blue bear-pelt patterns, entered, bowed, and mentioned a few matters related to military affairs in the north. Then he glanced around, stepped quickly to Zhang Yue’s desk, and spoke in a barely audible voice.

“My lord, I just received news that the Jinyiwei sent troops to investigate the former residence of Princess Yongping in Fengcheng Hutong. Upon entering, they found that Li Maoqing, the illegitimate son of Li Rang who now lived there, had blocked the doors and windows and hanged himself inside. The Jinyiwei took all the servants in the house to the Dongchang and then sealed off the residence. It is said that over two thousand taels of gold were found there. You see, with Li Maofang dead and Princess Yongping having hanged herself, the family had already declined. It was already a great fortune for Li Maoqing to keep that house—where did the gold come from?”
When Zhang Yue learned about the source of the gold from that masked thief last night, he found it utterly bizarre. Now, as Hu Qi explained everything in detail and mentioned Li Maoqing’s death, his frown deepened even more. Initially, Li Maofang had been framed by him, and after Zhu Di became furious, he was left to fend for himself, leading to his suicide in the Western Palace. Later, Princess Yongping also hanged herself. Although he believed the HanWangfu was behind it, it remained an unsolved mystery. Now, with Li Maoqing added to the mix, it seemed as if the entire family had been possessed by ghosts. It was unclear whether anyone would dare to live in that mansion again.
“Li Maoqing… he should be an insignificant person.”
“Yes, the titles of the Fuyang Marquis lineage were taken away from him. He was only given the rank of commandant. Plus, Princess Yongping wasn’t very popular at the time. Li Maoqing has been out of the spotlight for a long time. Neither the Jinyiwei nor the Dongchang, nor even my subordinates have paid attention to him. I think that now that he’s dead, even if those servants are tortured, nothing more can be learned. This is a complete mystery that will likely go unresolved.”
What Zhang Yue hated most was losing control of the situation. It was because he had happened to encounter someone—had he not met that person, who knows what would have happened? After much thought, he looked at Hu Qi and said, “Since you know what’s going on in the Jinyiwei and Dongchang offices, you must have an insider there?”
Hu Qi remembered the instructions he had received from someone he met before and quickly bowed, saying, “I originally didn’t have the ability to do this. It was them who passed on the information to me. Now that I’m an official, they inform me about such matters. This time, the messenger told me to come see you as soon as possible and also asked me to convey a message: the dishes at Deshengji on Xuanwu Gate Street are good, as are the osmanthus cakes. My lord might as well buy some to take home for your family to try when you finish work in the evening.”

With such clear instructions, Zhang Yue understood immediately and nodded right away. After delivering the most important points, Hu Qi returned to his proper position and calmly reported on the recent battles between the Oirat and Tatar tribes. Then he handed over a document with both hands before stepping back. With this, no one could doubt the urgency of his report—given that the emperor was about to inspect the borders, anything related to the Mongols was considered urgent!

It turned out that the descendants of Princess Yongping and Marquis Fuyang had indeed been forgotten. When news spread that the Jinyiwei had been deployed to Fengcheng Hutong for two hours in the afternoon, most officials assumed something had gone wrong with Li Xian, the current Marquis of Fengcheng who lived there. Upon hearing that it was Li Maqing who had hanged himself, everyone was confused. It wasn’t until someone remembered that both Princess Yongping and Li Maofang had hanged themselves that sighs filled the air.

“First Li Maofang, then Princess Yongping, and now another one—this family seems to be possessed by ghosts!”

“Exactly! Those people don’t even know how to behave properly. The Jinyiwei being sent over must mean they’ve done something shameful again!”

“Whether it’s shameful or not, I think the Marquis of Fengcheng should consider moving. With deaths happening right next door, how can he live there comfortably? The Dukes of Ying, Guo, and Ding have all built gardens around Shichahai—why not move there too?”

As he passed in front of the Military Governor’s Office in Jiangmi Alley, Zhang Yue saw people surrounding Marquis Li Xian as he came out, with someone shouting those words. Li Xian, in his early thirties, had a furrowed brow, clearly furious. Unwilling to meet anyone, he left without stopping. After turning onto Xichang’an Street and reaching Xuanwumen Street, he found the Deshengji restaurant. He sent someone back to tell his family he wouldn’t be returning for dinner and went inside directly. After introducing himself by surname, the owner immediately smiled broadly, ordered food to be brought, and then sent a servant to take him upstairs.

Entering a unassuming private room at the corner, he saw someone standing with their back to him, seemingly admiring a painting of gathering herbs under a pine tree. Without saying a word, he stood beside them. After watching the painting for a while, he said with a smile, “Uncle Yuan, are you perhaps envying the leisurely life of gathering herbs under a pine tree?”

“Since the Wei and Jin dynasties, there have been few hermits in the world, and it’s even worse in our dynasty. Besides, hermits still need food, clothing, shelter, and transportation—how can they be leisurely? Otherwise, there wouldn’t be the saying ‘a great hermit lives in the court.’”

Yuan Fang smiled gently, turned his head, took a close look at Zhang Yue, then gestured for him to sit down before saying, “Now I am truly a person of status and wealth, and I’m never short of rewards during festivals. Occasionally I also go out and about. At first, there were ten or eight people wandering around the alleys, then just two or three cats, and now there’s only one who works sporadically. That’s why I can see you now. The reason I asked you to come today is actually for just one thing. I’ve already told your father that from now on, you’ll be in charge of that network entirely. I’ll step back completely, and at most I’ll discuss with your father ways to make more money.”

Zhang Yue had thought Yuan Fang had important news to share, so he was greatly surprised upon hearing these words. Just as he was about to say something, Yuan Fang waved his hand and said, “There’s no need to persuade me. One shouldn’t interfere in matters beyond their scope. I’ve been idle for several years, so my understanding of the political situation is surely not as good as yours, someone with such good fortune in your official career. In that case, it’s better to leave it entirely to you. If you can ensure Hu Qi has a legitimate path while also keeping an alternative secret route, this combination will keep you invincible. Take these two things—keep the jade pendant with you, but write down the contents of the booklet here and then destroy it. I just wrote them down recently; remembering them in mind is more reliable than keeping them on paper.”

Taking the smooth but only moderately fine white jade pendant and the thin booklet, Zhang Yue looked up at Yuan Fang. Seeing him smiling approvingly, he nodded and said, “Alright, then I’ll take over this task from now on.”

“You don’t need to feel burdened. There are many noble families involved in brothels, inns, restaurants, and other businesses. Their information channels often come from these places. My network is just more meticulous. In these times, the worst thing for an official is to be isolated from information and unprepared at critical moments.”