Chapter 844: Insatiable Hearts, Endless Arguments

The current emperor has difficulty having children; so far, he has only one son and one daughter. Thus, although matters of the harem should belong to the inner court, the eunuchs there, receiving bribes from those outside, inevitably spread this good news. Moreover, the eunuchs in charge of wine, vinegar, grain stores, and other facilities were not discreet, and the news spread quickly. It should be noted that although the crown prince has been designated, he is not yet one year old. Given the high rate of infant deaths these days, nothing is certain.

It is said that a high-ranking official in the court drank several cups that night after learning of this and, in his drunken state, declared it a blessing for the world. Others claim that a noble from the Five Armies Command is already in secret discussions about adding two more sons to accompany the two princes as tutors. Still, others talk about how the pregnant concubine is extremely favored… In short, this news caused a great stir, but those who talked most about it were not the people in the palace, but those outside.

That day, due to matters related to martial arts, Zhang Yue and Duke Zhu Yong visited various places in the capital. For ease in getting on and off horses, he wore casual clothes. However, having recently survived an assassination attempt, Zhang Yue had several escorts, and since Zhu Yong was a duke, he was surrounded by attendants as well. So, while examining the terrain north of the wine and vinegar factory, close to the city walls, he deliberately asked others to wait outside, while he and Duke Zhu Yong walked side by side across the open land.

It had been less than ten years since the capital was moved. Compared to the bustling residences of dukes and marquises in the West City, the East City and North City appeared much desolate, with empty spaces available for building martial arts training grounds. Still, considerations had to be given to how many martial arts students to recruit and how to arrange their training. According to Zhang Yue, building martial arts facilities inside the city would disturb the people, but Zhu Yong disagreed, and in the end, Zhang Yue went along with his plan.

In those days, there were no standards for noise pollution, and the complaints of ordinary people counted for nothing!

“It’s just a child still in the womb, yet so many people are talking about it. We don’t even know yet if it’s a boy or a girl!” Due to Zhang Fu’s influence, Zhu Yong had helped the Zhang family many times, both openly and secretly. Now, without outsiders around, Zhu Yong spoke freely without any restraint. He sighed again, “Besides, how can Concubine Wu be compared to Concubine Sun? Back when Concubine Sun became pregnant, the news didn’t spread this quickly. This time it’s really strange; I wonder if someone is doing this on purpose.”

“Gossip is hard to stop. As long as those who speak do so intentionally and those who listen don’t care, it won’t cause any big trouble.”

Hearing Zhang Yue speak so indifferently, Zhu Yong couldn’t help but turn to look at him and glare at him irritably. “So mature at such a young age—doesn’t your father find that amusing? There aren’t that many people in this world who are strong because of their lack of desires. I’ve been fortunate enough to be specially appointed by the late emperors, Emperor Taizong, Emperor Renzong, and the current emperor. Whenever there’s good fortune, I’m always included. So there’s no need to worry too much. But even so, one can’t help but think, let alone others. Back in the day…” Zhu Yong suddenly stopped speaking. Although Zhang Yue wasn’t anyone special, there were some things he couldn’t say out loud. During the Hongwu era, the Wu Ding Marquis family was extremely prominent. While many nobles fell from power due to the Hu Weiyong and Lan Yu cases, the Guo family thrived. But in the end, they chose the wrong side and nearly suffered irreversible consequences. The Wu Ding Marquis title remained vacant for twenty years. If it weren’t for the Guos bending over backwards to marry their two daughters to Crown Prince Zhu Gaochi and Prince of Han Zhu Gaoxu as concubines, the title might have been revoked. And although noble families rarely intermarry with the royal family these days, choosing which prince’s son to serve as a companion still requires careful consideration.

It couldn’t be blamed on the nobles… The ancestral rule was that nobles shouldn’t interfere in state affairs. But now that the emperor had cracked open that tightly closed door, as everyone rushed in, who wouldn’t weigh their options carefully? If they put in a lot of effort but chose the wrong path, things would get troublesome. Besides, although the crown prince had been officially designated, what if the empress had a legitimate son?

Zhang Yue had no control over how others planned things, nor could he use historical examples as a basis for future developments. He himself had traveled through time—how many times had the butterfly’s wings flapped? How could he compare the established history with the current Ming Dynasty? Given this, when Du Wan brought up the matter the night before last, he decided to adopt a strategy of adapting to whatever came his way.

One was a baby not yet one year old, and the other was still in the mother’s womb. To even think about acting now was simply being idle and overconfident!

As he walked, he stopped, knelt down, picked up a piece of soil, squeezed it, then stood up, clapped his hands, and said, “Uncle, we’ve taken a long detour. What do you think of this place? To be blunt, besides the Shuntian Prefecture office, the northern city also has the Imperial Academy and is close to Shichahai. Though the land is still undeveloped now, it’s a place nobles like to use for building gardens. Besides, if this area were turned into a martial arts training ground, the students from the Imperial Academy might come to check it out.”

With martial arts training facilities in place, it didn’t matter if daily comings and goings disturbed the local people. But since the Imperial Academy and Confucian Temple were also located here, if those scholars started making noise or saying things that offended the sages, it would be unbearable for everyone. Zhang Yue was a civil official in charge of military affairs, and aware of his own position’s sensitivity, he certainly didn’t want any good deed to lead to trouble.

Duke Cheng, Zhu Yong, originally thought this area was spacious, close to Shichahai and the river transport routes, and that distributing rations there would be inexpensive. But after hearing Zhang Yue’s words, he immediately frowned. As a high-ranking noble, he was always given way by others whether he was traveling to court or not, yet he still couldn’t withstand accusations from civil officials. The last time he was accused of drinking during a national mourning period, it nearly caused him great distress. Thus, with no other choice, he could only nod and say, “Then let’s go somewhere else. You thought Xuanwumen was too small, and this place isn’t suitable either. If that place doesn’t work, we’ll have to move outside the city.”

Holding hundreds or even thousands of martial arts students outside the city would not only worry the palace but also be rejected by other high-ranking officials. So Zhang Yue knew Zhu Yong was just talking. As soon as they left that wasteland, attendants rushed over with horses and stirrups. The two mounted their horses and rode slowly along the northern city wall. When they reached Andingmen and turned onto Andingmen Street, they happened to see several people coming out from Chongjingfang across the way. The leader wore a cloak adorned with golden and emerald threads, standing out sharply in the sunlight.

When those people saw Zhang Yue and his group, they stopped and hurried over. Only upon getting closer did Zhang Yue recognize that the leader was Mu Bin. His cloak was likely woven with peacock feathers and gold threads, shining brightly in the sunlight. After exchanging greetings, Mu Bin casually explained that the others were merely students from the Imperial Academy, who had come out to eat during their lunch break. Zhang Yue knew that according to the academy’s rules, they were not allowed to leave casually, so it must be that Mu Bin didn’t want to eat the plain meals served there, and he had brought these people out to find food. He didn’t point this out, instead watching as Zhu Yong called Mu Bin over and asked a few questions.

After all, the uncle and nephew had met rarely before, so Zhu Yong stopped after saying a few words. Mu Bin then took the opportunity to ask where they were going. Upon hearing that they were looking for a place to establish a martial arts school, he immediately took advantage of the situation and said, “It happens to be lunchtime and I have nothing to do. How about I come with you to take a look? Uncle, don’t worry. I’m just going to watch. I don’t have any important classes this afternoon, and I already asked for leave.”

As soon as these words were spoken, a student in a somewhat old blue cotton robe behind Mu Bin nodded repeatedly and said similar things. Zhu Yong had also studied at the Imperial Academy before and knew well the temper of those old teachers. Since Mu Bin was his brother-in-law rather than his son, he didn’t say much more. That being said, although this trip wasn’t exactly secret, it wasn’t necessary to bring so many unrelated students along. Mu Bin simply waved his hand and sent them away, leaving only a servant to accompany them to the restaurant that had been reserved in advance.

This time, the location was near Chaoyang Gate, right next to the Grain Warehouse. Walking through the alleys, Zhang Yue felt as if the name “Grain Warehouse” sounded familiar. It was only as he continued walking that he remembered having visited this place in his past life under the guidance of an old Beijing resident—Grain Warehouse East Alley, Grain Warehouse West Alley, Grain Warehouse Back Alley. There were also two north-south alleys within the west alley, now called Youfang Hutong and Jing’er Hutong. What was even more different was that there used to be a grand Zhihua Temple here, but now there was not a trace of it, only barren land.

Wang Zhen had died before he could achieve success, so it was impossible for him to build a family temple here, let alone name it Zhihua Temple in gratitude. If martial arts could develop properly, perhaps they would even enclose this entire area. Ah, without mentioning Zhihua Temple, he couldn’t remember that there used to be a Martial Arts Alley here too; it was unclear which dynasty, Ming or Qing, had established martial arts training here.

Zhang Yue gazed at the barren land and thought of the past that hadn’t surfaced in his mind for a long time. Meanwhile, Zhu Yong had already adopted the attitude of an elder brother-in-law and began to reprimand Mu Bin: “Look at your ostentatious appearance. There must be countless eyes watching in the Imperial Academy. How dare you wear a cloak woven with peacock gold thread, with so many people following you around?”

“Brother-in-law, it’s not that I want to be ostentatious. There are many more ostentatious people in the Imperial Academy than me. My father is stationed far away in Yunnan. If I were too plain, others would accuse me of being pretentious. Besides, this peacock gold thread cloak was a gift from the palace on the Winter Solstice, so it’s not inappropriate for me to wear it. As for bringing friends along, they are students. With the court placing increasing emphasis on the imperial examinations, those without family connections will end up as minor officials, unable even to become county magistrates. Once I entered the academy, they came to me on their own. Although they lack integrity, I won’t accept everyone who approaches—some of them do have real skills. Even if I don’t need them, my father will surely need people to work for him.”

Previously, Zhang Yue and Mu Bin had traveled from Yunnan to the capital, and they already knew what kind of person this elite noble who valued everything in the most luxurious way really was. So they weren’t surprised by his eloquent speech. At that moment, he ignored Mu Bin, who was talking to Zhu Yong, stepped aside, summoned a minor official sent by the Shuntianfu office, and after asking questions, learned that a large area in the vicinity belonged to the government, with no complicated land deeds or titles. He then made up his mind.

“After we return, have the Ministry of Works send craftsmen to build it.”

Zhu Yong was telling Mu Bin that the capital had deep waters and one shouldn’t push too hard. When he saw Zhang Yue approaching, he added this remark, temporarily setting aside his other thoughts. He stepped forward and said, “Very well, let’s choose this place. I’ve discussed it with several other commanders. Each commander of the five military commands will inspect the martial arts schools once a month on the first day of each month to reward the excellent and eliminate the poor.”

It sounded like a good idea, but since Zhang Yue was now in the Ministry of War, he had to consider his colleagues’ opinions. After some thought, he shook his head and said, “Rewarding the excellent and eliminating the poor is necessary, but it can’t be entirely left to the five military commands. Let the commanders inspect once a month on the first day, while the Ministry of War conducts evaluations on the fifteenth day of each month. If someone is dismissed from the martial arts school, they should be removed from their military position immediately.”

Although Zhang Yue only agreed to let the five military commanders conduct inspections while the Ministry of War still needed to send people for evaluations, and although those commanders could only manage troops but not promotions or hereditary matters, Zhu Yong thought he could handle it once he returned, so he agreed. But when he heard that those dismissed from the martial arts school would have their military positions removed immediately, he shook his head vigorously.

“Removing their military positions immediately isn’t a bit too harsh? After all, many of them were pampered at home. It takes time for them to adapt to the training here. Besides, this punishment is meant to help them improve their martial skills, not to drive them away.” Seeing Zhang Yue looking at him with a half-smile, he sighed, “I know that those officer’s sons from poor backgrounds who can’t learn martial arts will surely strive to improve if given this chance. But you can’t be too equalitarian. How about this: for the first offense, deny them food for one day; for the second offense, give them twenty lashes; for the third offense… dismiss them right away.”

No food for the first offense?

Zhang Yue couldn’t help but recall that during the Qing Dynasty, there seemed to be a practice of confining sick princes in empty rooms to reduce internal heat. He chuckled and said, “In martial arts, forbidding someone from eating as punishment is rather too childish. First offense: ten lashes; second offense: twenty lashes; third offense: thirty lashes, after which they’re dismissed. You should know that even when the Imperial Academy’s disciplinary chamber punishes scholars, it uses small bamboo boards. There’s no reason martial artists can’t withstand whips.”

Mu Bin had just been chatting animatedly with Zhu Yong when, one after another, they shook their heads in disagreement, arguing back and forth. He immediately stood there silently, though feeling a bit envious. After all, although his father Mu Sheng governed Yunnan, promotions within the army couldn’t be decided solely by him—important appointments still required approval from the Ministry of War and the five provincial administrations. Now that Zhu Yong controlled the Military Governor’s Office and Zhang Yue held almost as much power as the Ministry of War, he, as the heir to the Duke of Qian, still couldn’t intercede between them.

Unless he inherited the title of Duke of Qian in the future or managed to make a name for himself in the capital, he would merely be seen by others as a nobleman worth befriending, not a real power holder!

“Then it’s settled. For military officers below the rank of governor who wish to inherit their positions, they must pass assessments in martial arts and then compete in trials organized by the Ministry of War. I’ll go back and have the Military Selection Department draft corresponding regulations, setting clear standards for each assessment. During the trial period, the standards can be slightly relaxed, but they’ll return to those from the Hongwu era later on. As for those above the rank of governor, I ask my uncle and the elders to discuss my proposal and see if it’s feasible. If noble families want to have their word count as much as in the Yongle era, they must invest in training their descendants.”

Zhu Yong looked at Zhang Yue, feeling a chill in his heart. Noble descendants aged between fifteen and twenty were required to train in martial arts, and only after turning twenty could they enter the Imperial Academy. It was a straightforward path for training, but it was also a dangerous road that could eliminate the weak!