Chapter 837: Help in the Snow

Snow began to fall from evening. It wasn’t the first snow since winter began, but in just an hour, the scattered snowflakes turned into thick flocks, quickly covering the ground in a layer. Only after stepping outside did Zhang Yue realize that the roof and ground were entirely white. His body, warmed by the brazier, felt extremely uncomfortable under the cold wind. Pulling tighter at his tiger-skin-lined robe, he quickly put on his wind hat before stepping down the stairs.

In such an important government office, even attendants of officials were only allowed to wait outside and could not enter at will. Yesterday, Zhang Bu and the others were able to enter the courtyard because of an emergency related to an imperial summons. Now, he waited outside the Ministry of War’s office. Although he had shaken off the snow from his oilcloth cloak right after dismounting, in no time, another layer of snow formed on his hat and cloak. The heavy snowfall made it difficult to see more than a few steps ahead. Fortunately, rows of blue windproof lamps hung along the alley, providing some dim light.

After waiting for a while, he saw two people coming out. The one in front carried a lantern, while the one behind wore a wind hat and a robe; his face was hidden, but his build seemed to be Zhang Yue’s. So he hurriedly went up to greet him. Realizing how strong the wind was, he regretted not bringing a sedan chair, as at least that would have provided a place to talk.

“Sir.”

Zhang Yue waved his hand to send Liu Xun back, looked up at the overcast sky, then turned to glance at the Ministry of War’s office. Giving up the idea of finding a place to talk, he pulled his robe tighter. “Let’s talk here. Things are chaotic right now, and the office needs everyone; I can’t leave.”

“Understood.” Since Zhang Yue said so, Zhang Bu shook off the snow from his clothes and didn’t worry further. “Reports from various places have just been compiled. As usual, most are investigating yesterday’s incidents. I checked carefully and found one report stating that there’s a servant in the Ministry of War’s office who is the brother-in-law of a high-ranking officer from the Western City Military Command… It is said he took leave yesterday but was seen entering that officer’s house today. I took a few men there, and just then, the officer seemed to suspect something, so he tied up the man and wanted to see you. After asking a few questions, I sent the man to the Jinyiwei. I’m not sure if I did the right thing, so I came to report it. There’s another report saying that a group of eunuchs were sent to the palace last month.”

Just two seemingly unimportant clues, yet Zhang Yue immediately frowned deeply. Yuan Fang had risen from humble beginnings, and so did the information he received—coming from all walks of life, including peddlers and commoners. All the news was sent to various places before being gathered through odd channels and delivered to Dade Silk Shop. That’s why Zhang Bu only needed to stay there. As he pondered these two pieces of information, he said, “Three clerks from the Military Selection Department of the Ministry of War happened to take leave yesterday. I found it suspicious, so I informed the Eastern Depot of the Jinyiwei. I didn’t expect you to be so alert. You’ve handled this well.”
“As long as my lord doesn’t blame me, that’s fine.” Zhang Bu then repeated word for word what Luo Er had said earlier, adding at the end, “I casually asked him at that time—he used to serve Marquis Wuding when he was at the Left Military Command.”
Zhang Yue’s heart stirred, and he nodded, saying, “Good, I understand. You continue to oversee the silk shop. As for the eunuchs, just pay attention to any news that comes in; there’s no need to worry about anything else…”
Before Zhang Yue could finish speaking, he heard someone running swiftly from Dongchangan Street. Apparently, having come from the palace over a long distance, he was covered in thick snow, looking almost the same color as the snowfield from afar. Seeing the person rushing over and stopping at the entrance of the yamen, gasping for breath, Zhang Yue gave him a closer look.
“Hurry, go announce it! I’m from the Imperial Secretariat and want to see Lord Zhang!”
Hearing this familiar voice, Zhang Yue quietly instructed Zhang Bu to take care of the matter first, then stepped forward, saying, “You’ve come at just the right time.”
Hearing this, Cao Jixiang was momentarily stunned before turning his head and recognizing Zhang Yue. He stamped his feet forcefully before walking over. “In such cold weather, why is Lord Zhang outside?”
“Look at you, your tongue can hardly move, yet you still talk about the cold,” Zhang Yue said, noticing Cao Jixiang’s lips had turned blue. He wondered, “If you came from the Imperial Secretariat and rode a horse out of Beianmen, it wouldn’t be this bad, right?”
Cao Jixiang felt even colder but still forced a smile, saying, “I’m just a lowly servant, just doing errands to make a living. Lord Fan sent me to ask if the Ministry of War has any reports that haven’t been delivered to the Secretariat yet, asking me to take them directly to Zuoshunmen. Especially military reports from the northern front—nothing can be delayed, not even for a moment.”

In such bitter cold, running on foot from the Imperial Secretariat to the Eastern Depot, then from there to the Cabinet, and further out through the Meridian Gate and East Chang’an Gate to the Ministry of War headquarters—this was truly exhausting running around. As a result, Cao Jixiang was completely stiff all over, with a persistent soreness in his throat. Since he had no connections in the Imperial Secretariat, Wang Jin was not in the capital, and the higher-ups ignored him, while the subordinates deliberately opposed him, enjoying seeing him run around endlessly.

Noticing Cao Jixiang’s poor complexion and broken speech, Zhang Yue pondered for a moment before nodding at him. “Well, there are indeed a few urgent documents that need to be delivered after work tonight and haven’t been submitted yet. It’s cold outside; come in and talk in the front hall.”

This was the kindest thing anyone had said to Cao Jixiang after his entire day of running errands. He had visited so many places today—either forced to wait in a room without fire or left in the cold courtyard, with not even a sip of tea to drink. Overwhelmed with emotions, he followed Zhang Yue into the office as soon as Zhang Yue sent Zhang Bu away. Sitting in the warm front hall, the heat made him sneeze several times.

Zhang Yue was well-dressed and in good health, so standing outside for a while only made his forehead feel a bit cool. But seeing Cao Jixiang’s condition, even if he wasn’t worried that the man would need to lie down for two days upon returning, he was concerned that Cao might collapse on the way back carrying the documents. He called over a servant and ordered, “Tell the kitchen to bring two bowls of brown sugar ginger soup.”

Cao Jixiang, who was frantically covering his nose with a handkerchief, was surprised upon hearing this. Finally managing to stop his sneezing, he quickly stood up and said, “Thank you, Lord Zhang. It’s really because of my weak health.”

“It’s night, and it’s snowing. Your clothes are mostly soaked. If you don’t take care of yourself, you might have to lie down for two days when you get back, which will delay matters. The same goes for me—I really can’t afford any negligence right now.”

“Yes, yes. Your health is precious. The Ministry of War truly can’t do without you.”

Hearing this, Cao Jixiang hurriedly agreed twice. He knew that the Ministry of War was understaffed; if anything else happened to Zhang Yue, even if not for the emperor’s favor, it would be necessary to have someone handle things, and perhaps even Empress Dowager Zhang would have to send people with medicine. As for him… there were at least twenty attendants in the Imperial Secretariat, and if someone like him fell ill, he might be sent to a hut by Beianmen, where he might die after a few days wrapped in a tattered mat.

Seeing that Cao Jixiang was not only grateful but also somewhat resentful, Zhang Yue realized that sending him out in such cold weather was likely mostly to suppress him. But since he already had extensive connections in the palace, it was fine to be lenient with others—there was no need to meddle unnecessarily. So, when the ginger soup was brought, he drank a bowl first, then stood up to go prepare his memorial, asking Cao Jixiang to wait there. Just as he was about to leave, Cao Jixiang suddenly rushed up two steps.

“Sir, today I happened to overhear Eunuch Fan and Eunuch Jin talking. The Empress Dowager summoned them and rebuked them for being negligent, ordering that one of them go to the Cabinet and the other to the six ministries every day so as not to delay government affairs. Eunuch Fan also complained to Eunuch Jin that while the Ministry of War handled major matters efficiently, the Ministry of Personnel submitted its memorials the latest every day, and even the young officials in the Wenyuan Pavilion were complaining. Eunuch Fan also said it made sense why Grand Secretary Yang opposed letting Guo Qin take over as Minister of Personnel—his experience was sufficient, but his influence was lacking, so he couldn’t maintain order. If he became Minister of Personnel, the power to select officials would have to be handed over to him…”

Zhang Yue, who had already reached the door, stopped and turned around, saying, “I understand. Lord Guo has his own difficulties.”

Seeing that Zhang Yue simply said that before pulling back the curtain and leaving, Cao Jixiang didn’t feel neglected. He sat down, rubbed his palms together, and looked at the empty ginger soup bowl before realizing how hungry he was. When they set off from Guangzhou, Zhang Qian had warned him that to stand out in the palace, one needed either opportunity or perseverance—such as running errands, even if it meant breaking one’s legs, as long as tasks weren’t delayed. So he had just gulped down a fried pancake for lunch and dared not drink water, fearing an urgent need. Now, sitting in the warm room, the hunger and fatigue he had suppressed earlier surged back.

He tightened his clothes and then, with his arms crossed, dozed off drowsily. Before long, he was awakened. Startled, he instinctively asked, “Is everything ready?”

“Not yet, my lord. The master said to wait a little longer,” replied Liu Xun, the scribe, with a smile. He then placed a bowl of noodles on the small table beside him and handed over a simple-looking hand warmer. “Your clothes are wet; you might as well use this to keep warm and eat some noodles to fill your stomach. I’ll bring the things out again once it’s done.”

He knew that these clerks in the yamen were very good at reading the situation. If not for Zhang Yue’s kindness in providing that bowl of ginger soup, they wouldn’t have gone the extra mile to bring these things as well. So Cao Jixiang accepted them and thanked them, though in his heart he was thanking someone else. As soon as Liu Xun left, he immediately picked up the chopsticks and started eating the noodles. Due to his extreme hunger and thirst, he ate all the noodles and even drained the broth, before setting the bowl aside and leaning back comfortably with the hand warmer, no longer feeling sleepy at all.

In the western chamber inside the Three Gates, Zhang Yue had sorted out all the memorials and was also pondering over Empress Dowager Zhang’s words. Court meetings were becoming increasingly formalized. Some officials from the Honglu Temple even proposed that, to standardize meeting times, only ten matters could be presented at each meeting, with other minor matters to be submitted to the Tongzhengsi. The practice of the Yongle era, where ministers were summoned to the palace for discussions and memorials were delivered to the Qianqing Palace by cabinet ministers, had almost disappeared. Although Emperor Zhu Zhanji was still willing to meet with his ministers, there were fewer cabinet ministers available to consult him at the Qianqing Palace at any time. The frequency of meetings with department heads was roughly equal to that with him, leaving the transmission of orders to rely on eunuchs.

Worried about poor communication between the inner and outer courts, Empress Dowager Zhang asked the two top officials of the Simili Jian to frequently visit the various departments, as she was a woman after all. But to prevent the eunuchs from gaining too much power, the emperor had to develop the habit of meeting with external officials more often.

Thinking of these things, he took another piece of paper, wrote a few words, and added an attachment to the memorial from the Ministry of War, briefly mentioning the new eunuchs entering the palace. After finishing and locking the documents in a wooden box, he called in Liu Xun to deliver it. After that, he went outside and saw that the time indicated by the copper water clock was already the second hour of the Hai period.

Although he was on duty, it was time to rest by the Hai period, unless there were urgent matters to handle. So Zhang Yue had hot water brought to soak his feet before going to the kang in the inner room. With reduced expenses in various yamen offices these days, the Ministry of War’s kitchen could only provide hot meals, and there were strict limits on daily necessities like firewood and candles. Thus, the faint light in the room was hardly suitable for reading. He didn’t want to become nearsighted in this life, so he simply lay there thinking.

Despite having so much on his mind, having slept too little the previous night and being busy all day, he fell into a deep sleep quickly. He didn’t know how much time had passed before he sensed someone gently calling his name. At first, he paid no attention, but after being nudged a few times, he finally opened his eyes.

“My lord, there’s an urgent report from the north. The messenger arrived at the city walls by basket and entered the palace overnight; one is waiting in the front courtyard.”

At that moment, Zhang Yue jolted awake. He quickly grabbed a garment and sat up, then asked, “Have you asked if it came from the imperial court?”

“It did come from the imperial court.”

With that, Zhang Yue hesitated no longer. He ordered someone to bring the messenger in. He quickly got dressed, put on shoes and socks, and headed outside. The fire pit outside had long gone out, making it much colder than the room with the heated bed, but he still washed his face with cold water, feeling refreshed, before sitting down at the desk. Soon after, Liu Xun led the messenger in.

Judging by the time, Zhang Yue knew the imperial court still wasn’t aware of the events in the capital. He also didn’t know what was written in the letter sent to the palace. But what was in his hands was clearly Du Zhen’s handwriting, in the formal tone of official correspondence, containing a shocking message:

Arutai led his troops into a major defeat against Tuohuan, suffering heavy losses in cattle, horses, and people. Hearing that the Emperor of the Great Ming had arrived in Huizhou, the three Wulangha tribes sent envoys to welcome him, asking to be allowed to fight Arutai on behalf of the Great Ming.

The three Wulangha tribes were nothing but opportunists, but Tuohuan of the Oirats continued to rise inevitably. To stop such a formidable leader, simply creating obstacles wouldn’t suffice. Whether it was the Oirats or the Tatars, they were like unruly wolf cubs—supporting one would only result in it biting you once it grew strong, and the same would happen with the next. In comparison, it’s no wonder the Ming court almost always supported the Wulangha people.

Of course, the most important thing was that at least everything was peaceful on the side of Zhu Zhanji on his northern inspection tour!