Chapter 831: Adding Fuel to the Fire, Thriving Growth

After leaving the Renshou Palace, Yang Pu remained as silent as ever. After exchanging polite nods with a few colleagues, he headed back to the Wenyuan Pavilion first. Chen Mao, the Marquis of Ningyang, saw Yang Shiqi lagging behind and giving instructions to Zhang Yue, so he slowed down as well. Only after Yang Shiqi also returned to the Wenyuan Pavilion from the other side of the Wenhua Hall did he stop and wait for Zhang Yue to catch up.

“What exactly happened today? What did you mean by those words just now?”

Chen Mao had joined the army at a young age, either guarding border areas or going on military campaigns. It was not until the late Yongle era that he was recalled and has since been stationed in the capital. Now, he had received word that he would be sent to Gansu again once the emperor returned. Thus, he hated it the most when people spoke in veiled terms. As soon as Zhang Yue spoke, Empress Dowager Zhang and Yang Shiqi serta Yang Pu seemed to understand immediately, but he remained confused. So he asked directly.

“My lord, today’s assassination attempt may seem serious, but it’s likely just the result of my sudden decision. Others are afraid I might ruin their plans. Since they can’t kill me, they tried to silence Shang Yong instead. I suspect someone is taking advantage of the lax military recruitment processes each year to infiltrate people into the imperial guards, probably with ulterior motives.”

Chen Mao couldn’t grasp the subtle hints at first, but he certainly understood these clear statements. Impersonation, like embezzlement, had long been a problem in the army. He had also benefited from such practices while stationed elsewhere, so he felt somewhat guilty upon hearing this. Noticing that Zhang Yue wasn’t paying attention, he set aside these concerns and fell into deep thought.

If the emperor was leading troops on border patrols, it might have been just a simple case of corruption in military recruitment. But if, as Zhang Yue said, someone was impersonating others to join the army for years… could it be they were plotting something sinister?

“The Duke of Cheng has gone to the military camp. That’s why the Empress Dowager summoned him earlier—he can’t return in a hurry, so he didn’t go to the Central Military Command to find anyone. I’ll go to the military camp myself right now!” In his urgency, Chen Mao firmly patted Zhang Yue’s arm and said in a serious tone, “If there are any clues or lists, have someone send them over immediately. I’ll arrange for them to be checked as soon as possible!”

After Chen Mao left, Cao Jixiang, who had been watching from a distance, stepped forward quickly to guide the way. While leading Zhang Yue toward the Donghua Gate, he carefully tried to gather information. Hearing that Zhang Yue only gave vague replies without revealing anything, he felt somewhat disappointed, though he didn’t show it. Only after dropping Zhang Yue off outside the Donghua Gate and seeing him mount his horse did he return to the palace.

This time, Wang Jin was accompanying the emperor, but he couldn’t go with them. Already feeling extremely disappointed, he could only comfort himself by thinking that staying behind would allow him to keep an eye on Wang Jin. However, after the meeting in Renshou Palace, all outsiders were dismissed, and only the eunuchs Fan Hong and Jin Ying who served the empress dowager remained. How dare he approach them to inquire? He had heard about what happened at the small training ground in the western suburbs from Lu Feng, but if he only reported this to Wang Jin, what use was it for him to stay? It was frustrating that his position was so low that it was hard to find anyone to discuss things with!

Cao Jixiang was thinking about how to send news, while Zhang Yue was considering how to handle today’s events. When he rushed back to the Ministry of War’s office, he learned that the Eastern Depot had already sent people to summon him, and Peng Shisan had already gone there alone. Seeing the panicked expressions of the clerks and scribes when he first entered the compound, he knew the news had spread. He nodded at Zhang Bu and a few other attendants sitting in the side room, telling them to send Fang Jing home first and come back after work ended. Then he led Hu Qi straight inside.

Upon arriving at the Wu Xuan Si office inside the second gate, Chai Che, the director of Wu Xuan Si who had already been informed, came out to greet him. He was a graduate of the imperial examinations, which made him an outlier in an era where holding a jinshi degree was the norm. But with ministers like Xia Yuanji and Yang Shiqi who had never even taken the examinations before him, his position as director wasn’t particularly remarkable. He had started his career as a graduate in the second year of the Yongle era, and despite many years of setbacks, he still held a fifth-rank position. Now in his fifties, his hair was already turning gray.

At this moment, he bowed to Zhang Yue with a complex expression. After entering the room and inviting Zhang Yue to sit, he suddenly bowed deeply again without saying a word. Fortunately, Zhang Yue was prepared and quickly reached out to support him.

“It is all because of my failure to manage my subordinates properly that such a serious incident occurred. If it weren’t for your personal intervention, I fear that over time, the younger generation of officers would all become corrupt. Zhou Ping’an is undoubtedly guilty, but I am also heavily at fault.”

When Zhang Yue had risen from an assistant in the Armory Department to a director in the Geography Department at the Ministry of War, Chai Che was already a director at Wu Xuan Si. All these years later, Chai Che was still just a director. Although they had a good working relationship, their personal friendship was superficial. Zhang Yue always knew of Chai Che’s integrity and admired his unwavering character despite his many ups and downs, so he didn’t think Chai Che was putting on an act. After helping him up, he pondered for a moment before calming down.

“Since the Hongxi and Xuande reigns, the court has never seen such a thing. You were transferred back just before the New Year; it’s understandable to say you were unaware. But I know you, Shuyu, would never shirk responsibility, so I won’t bring it up. The Military Selection Bureau is a crucial position, and if all three positions become vacant at once, the year-end evaluations and selections will be disrupted. Therefore, it’s better to wait until the emperor returns before taking responsibility. If you have anyone in mind to recommend, feel free to mention it. The three officials for the Military Selection Bureau will surely be appointed by the ministry, and I can discuss this with Minister Zhang as soon as possible to avoid being caught off guard.”

Chai Che originally thought Zhang Yue would say some futile comforting words. At first, he only looked pale and fell into deep thought, but as he listened, he gradually raised his head. By the end, his expression became serious, and he suddenly stood up.

“Thank you, sir, for your reminder and for trusting me.”

Outside, chaos had already ensued. Zhang Yue no longer hid anything and explained everything that had happened that morning to Chai Che before leaving the Military Selection Bureau. After taking a few steps, a scribe from the three gates rushed over at top speed.

“Sir, something terrible has happened! Vice Minister Feng has fainted all of a sudden!”

Hearing this, Zhang Yue immediately frowned and quickened his pace. When he arrived at the side room, he saw several people bustling around Vice Minister Feng. Eventually, they managed to wake the man in his fifties. Yet, when Feng finally regained consciousness, his speech was slurred, and he couldn’t speak clearly for a long time. Faced with this, Zhang Yue was naturally shocked and quickly ordered someone to call a doctor. After the doctor arrived, he returned to his own room but didn’t sit for long before being informed that Vice Minister Feng likely suffered a stroke. He sighed deeply, ordered several servants to prepare a carriage to send Feng home, and also sent someone to inform the Wenyuan Pavilion. After finishing all this, he pressed his temples hard, sighing bitterly.

Now, how many capable people were left in the Ministry of War?

There was much to do afterward, and it wasn’t until almost dark that Zhang Yue left the ministry office, with Chai Che remaining behind. As soon as he left the ministry, he saw that in addition to Zhang Buniu and the other three who had accompanied him, there were also several strong and capable household servants. Even Peng Shisan, who had gone to the Eastern Depot earlier, had returned. He was momentarily stunned.

“Seeing Xiao Fang in that condition and hearing about the assassins, the third madam was terrified. The third master and the young mistress couldn’t argue with her, so they added more people. As for me… I went back and forth between the Eastern Depot and the Duke of Ying’s residence, and both the master and the mistress are aware of it now. They’ve asked me to keep a close eye on things these days.” Peng Shisan stepped forward, shrugging helplessly, then lowered his voice and said, “You might not have a peaceful night either when you go back. Many people have already been to the house, and quite a bit of money has been given as gifts. Even the second and fourth young masters have come to wait at home.”

With such a big fuss both officially and at home, Zhang Yue could only smile bitterly. Sure enough, as he rode all the way to the entrance of Wu’an Marquis Hutong, he saw two bright lights in the distance. Moving closer, one of the lights suddenly flashed and disappeared. Only when he reached the entrance did he realize it was a gatekeeper holding a lantern. Upon seeing him, the gatekeeper stamped his foot first before running over to take care of his horse. Just as he stepped off the horse with the stepping stone, Gao Quan already rushed out with several people.

“This is way too much of a show!”

“What are you saying, young master? After they went home to report, not only the master and mistress but even the lower servants were terrified, worried something might happen to you. This afternoon, the mistress even called me to the second gate, saying you’re the pillar of the family, so it’s never too careful. If we hadn’t brought enough people this time, we might really have suffered losses. The court only said we’re not allowed to use formal processions, but with more people around and no need to sound the gongs, others can’t possibly argue about that either…”

Gao Quan was getting older now. Everything else was fine, but he was talkative. So Zhang Yue knew he was concerned and naturally didn’t want to say much. He just cleared his throat lightly and changed the subject, asking, “How is Xiao Fang now?”

“Young Master Fang isn’t seriously injured. The mistress was worried, so she had a doctor who specializes in both internal and external injuries take a look. He said the attack was moderate, as long as he doesn’t get too shocked. But Young Master Fang got up after only an hour in bed and comforted the master and mistress for a while. If not for him, the mistress would probably have gone straight to the yamen to wait.”

Hearing this, Zhang Yue said no more and quickened his pace. He had experienced countless events, big and small, since entering official service, and today’s incident wasn’t even particularly dangerous. But in the past, his mother, Lady Sun, was often not around, and even if she cared from afar, there was nothing she could do. Now that such a thing was happening right before his eyes, she surely wished she could fly over at once. Upon reaching the second gate, he told Gao Quan to go rest early. Seeing his reluctance, Zhang Yue grew stern.

“It’s already so late. You’re old and used to going to bed early and rising early. Leave the tasks to the younger ones. I’m not going out—what’s there to worry about? You said earlier I was the pillar of the family, but now you won’t even listen to me?”

Gao Quan finally agreed reluctantly. But as Zhang Yue walked a few steps further inside, he heard him giving instructions to the two stewards in the outer courtyard about fire safety and security. It seemed he would have to finish giving those orders before leaving, prompting Zhang Yue to shake his head. Since it got dark early in autumn, the courtyard was pitch black, with only the lamps held by the two maids lighting the way, just enough to see where he was stepping.

When he entered his parents’ courtyard, as soon as he stepped through the gate, he heard a commotion at the entrance of the main house. Soon after, there was movement inside, and soon the entrance was brightly lit. Under the light of several lanterns, he saw the curtain in front of the door lifted high, and several people stepped out together. He hurried forward and saw Du Wan holding his mother, Lady Sun, by the hand, while his father, Zhang Zhuo, supported Zhang Fu. Zhang Qi, Zhang Jiu, Zhang Jing, and Guan Fang Jing were also there, and faintly, Amber and Qiu Hen could be seen as well.

Seeing all these people, Zhang Yue knew that even if Zhang Bu and the others returned to report, today’s incident would surely be distorted and exaggerated. Sure enough, as soon as he stepped forward, Lady Sun anxiously grabbed his hand.

“Are you really unharmed?”

“Mother, there was only one assassin, and he was captured alive. I’m not that unlucky—I didn’t even get a scratch.”

Seeing that Lady Sun still didn’t believe him, she pulled him into the house and checked him thoroughly several times, even shining a lamp on him. Zhang Yue felt both helpless and touched. Only after Lady Sun finally breathed a sigh of relief did others have the chance to come forward and offer comfort. But since they saw he was unharmed, they only asked a few questions, without the same level of anxiety as Lady Sun. When it was Du Wan and the others’ turn, he quietly pressed their hands.

“That’s just how your mother is. To outsiders who see me as a retired official, I’m considered an elderly master, while she should be called a noble lady, yet she still can’t hide her true intentions. Thankfully, we in the family keep a close eye on her; otherwise, with her temperament, who knows what disasters might happen.” Zhang Zhuo joked, but when he saw Lady Sun glaring and about to speak, he quickly cleared his throat to stop the topic. “Yue, since the news spread this afternoon until you returned, not to mention our relatives, many others came by. Some said they were peers of yours, some claimed to be fellow townspeople, and others said they were former subordinates of the Duke of Ying… In short, it was a crowd of people. Your second brother rushed over in a hurry because many in the imperial guards were worried and afraid that the authorities might take action in a fit of anger.”

When it came to serious matters, Lady Sun immediately lost all enthusiasm. She stood up then and waved at the women and younger children. Du Wan naturally took Zhang Jing with her, but Lady Sun signaled her with a gesture, yet she shook her head and patted Jingguan, telling him to stay. Soon, only a few members of the Zhang family remained in the room. Fang Jing thought this was a private family matter and was about to leave when he received a glance from Zhang Yue, forcing him to stay.

“Ever since I heard the news, I’ve been annoyed to death!” Zhang Qi shuddered at the memory of what had happened earlier, then shook his head vigorously to drive those images out of his mind. “I always get top grades in the annual assessments for archery and martial arts, but it’s hard to say the same for others… Third brother, go see the Empress Dowager as soon as you return. What exactly did she say?”