Chapter 859: Buying Time, Three Kings Request an Audience

Throughout history, those in power have always acted in accordance with the will of heaven, which has given past emperors an indescribable aura. From Emperor Gaozu of Han rising up by slaying a white snake to Wu Zetian being regarded as the reincarnation of Maitreya, and from Zhu Di dreaming of Emperor Taizu bestowing a jade tablet before Zhu Zhanji was born—there are countless such stories. While some believe in these omens superficially but not truly, they certainly do not dismiss signs of disaster. Historical records and tales describe how Emperor Taizong of Tang killed Li Junxian because of a prophecy that a female ruler would rule the world, and how Chai Rong dismissed Zhang Yongde because of a saying that a supervisor should become emperor. Though the true circumstances remain unknown, even a single omen can cause tremendous upheaval.

The flagpole that suddenly collapsed in the icy weather had already been guarded by numerous soldiers since the previous day. At this moment, Zhang Fu carefully inspected the flagpole and even touched the broken end before turning to look at Jin Youzi and Du Zhen beside him.

“After inspection by the craftsmen, it seems it wasn’t a natural break. What do you two grand scholars think?”

Among the cabinet grand scholars, Jin Youzi was in the worst health condition. Being over sixty years old, and despite having grown accustomed to the cold weather in the north over the years, Danning was even colder than the capital. They used more bituminous coal than white charcoal for heating, and being exposed to such smoke daily, coupled with standing in the wind for a long time, made it hard for him to endure, even though he was dressed very warmly. At this moment, he couldn’t care less about the cold and couldn’t stomp his feet forcefully, so he could only clench his hands and frown.

“If it was deliberately tampered with, we must investigate thoroughly. Didn’t the emperor also get angry yesterday?”

“The news of the broken flagpole will surely spread rapidly throughout Danning. What’s more important is that someone might take the opportunity to spread rumors. Remember, the leaders of the Doyan Three Guards are still in the city and haven’t set out yet. We must be wary of anyone trying to use them as a pretext.”

Du Zhen had specifically visited the camps of the Doyan Three Guards before arriving and immediately pointed this out. He then added, “To show loyalty, the Three Guards didn’t bring many men into the city. In total, there are only about five hundred men in Danning, but there are always large armies waiting outside. If this was indeed deliberate, they might be involved next. By the way, a whole day has passed since yesterday—still no results?”

Since Zhang Fu had asked that question just now, he must already have formed an opinion. Seeing Jin Youzi also looking at him with a questioning expression, he shook his head, folded his hands in thought, and then said, “There are people patrolling around that flagpole. The soldiers on duty during the day swore that no one had approached it. It snowed the night before last, so there’s been no progress for now. Well, the two grand scholars can go see the emperor, while I and Marquis Yangwu will lead the bodyguards to continue patrolling, then meet with the leaders of the Doyan Three Guards. Everyone accompanying us is loyal and brave. As long as we can control the situation, a small group of people won’t be able to cause much trouble!”

In the past, when Prince Ning Zhu Quan was in charge of Daining, it was a major trading hub between the Ming Dynasty and the Doyan Three Guards. During the annual trade fairs, horses, cattle, sheep, and various other furs from the Doyan Three Guards piled up in huge amounts, exchanged for various goods in high demand. Since Zhu Quan was quite strategic in governing the border region, Daining was naturally very prosperous at that time. Now that Marquis Yangwu Xue Lu was in charge here, and trade hadn’t resumed in Daining, it naturally became a very difficult place, so he had long wanted to be transferred back.

But he never expected such an incident to occur just as the emperor was leaving!

A few steps behind Zhang Fu, he rode his horse and inspected several places. When coming out of one of the barracks, he suddenly pulled on the reins and sped up to catch up with Zhang Fu, asking, “Duke of Ying, I’ve been guarding here for several years. Although my subordinates can’t be said to be completely under my control, they do understand things to some extent—after all, they all want peaceful lives. Could this just be a coincidence? That flagpole has been there for years, so it’s not necessarily someone who tampered with it; maybe the inspector overthought things and misjudged. Besides, the emperor is about to return to the capital, and suddenly imposing martial law in the city might only make people more suspicious.”

Zhang Fu immediately stopped his horse and turned to look at Xue Lu. Seeing his serious expression, knowing that he was straightforward and not a scheming person, he began to ponder. After thinking for a long time, he shook his head and said, “I’ve already had one of my family men take a look. He used to be a carpenter, and he also said someone must have tampered with it. Scholar Du is right. Whether it’s a coincidence or not, a tall flagpole falling like this can’t be hidden from everyone. If someone were to incite the Doyan Three Guards or other troops in the city, that would be the real problem.”

Hearing this, Xue Lu was momentarily stunned before suddenly realizing, “It will take at least half a month to return to the capital from Danning. During that time, we’ll be camping in the wild for many days. The first few days will be in the Kuanghe area of Huizhou, right next to the Mongols. If there’s any instability in the army, it could lead to chaos! In that case, I’ll take care of the three guards in Danning, while asking the Duke of Yingguo to handle those in Wulangha. It’s better to set off a few days later than to cause trouble on the road!”

Seeing Xue Lu nod, he ordered his bodyguards to head in another direction. Zhang Fu stood there with his horse, his expression quite solemn. Starting later would mean he wouldn’t make it to his father’s death anniversary on the 25th day of the 12th lunar month, but filial piety didn’t lie in such things. For the sake of state affairs, his father’s spirit wouldn’t blame him. Yet, he still felt uneasy.

After thinking it over thoroughly, Zhang Fu considered every possible aspect, and the only thing that came to mind were two words—capital. He had originally planned to set off for the capital in two days, but with this delay, five or six days, even seven or eight days, could bring trouble. But with the Empress Dowager in the capital, Yang Shiqi and Yang Pu in charge of civil affairs, and heroes like Zhu Yong, along with Zhang Yue still there, what could possibly go wrong?

When he arrived at the residence of the leaders of the Wulangha three guards, he heard laughter and merriment coming from inside. After sending someone in to announce his arrival, the three leaders came out together. After greeting each other, the leader of the Duoyan Guard, Hala Hasun, said with a smile, “The Duke of Yingguo has come at just the right time. We’re celebrating the Laba Festival according to Central Plains customs. Why not join us for a bowl of Buddhist porridge?”

The Laba Festival? Is it already Laba day?

Zhang Fu was initially stunned but didn’t take it to heart. Instead, he gazed at Hala Hasun thoughtfully. He had known that this Duoyan Guard leader, who shared the same name as someone from the Yuan Dynasty, admired the Celestial Empire. But the fact that he even celebrated Han festivals and brought along the other two leaders seemed a bit strange. Still, he wasn’t opposed to spending some time with them, so he nodded and followed them inside.

Capital, Dong’an Gate.

The Meridian Gate led directly to the Chengtian Gate, Daming Gate, and the Qipan Street Square ahead. Inside the Xian’an Gate was the Western Garden, where eunuchs often went in and out for purchases. As Dong’an Gate led directly to the ten princely kingdoms, since its construction in the 18th year of the Yongle era, it was mostly used by imperial relatives and princesses—of course, with the exception of Princess Zhu Ning from Chenliu Commandery. Since all of them were members of the imperial family with close ties, the guards on duty here were especially cautious, as those who came here were all important figures one couldn’t afford to offend.

At this moment, facing the large elephant-drawn carriage parked in front of Dong’an Gate, several guards were at a loss as to whether to stop it or not, sweating profusely from anxiety. The reason was simple: there was only one carriage, but three people in it—Prince Zheng, Prince Yue, and Prince Xiang. The three of them came in Prince Zheng’s carriage, and the guards at the gate were stunned when they saw them get out of the carriage.

Among them, Prince Zheng was the emperor’s half-brother and, being the eldest, was generally highly trusted. Prince Yue and Prince Xiang were the emperor’s full brothers. The eldest, Prince Zheng, was already 23 years old, while the youngest, Prince Xiang, was 21. Usually, they would only be summoned to the palace and would not treat it as their own backyard to visit casually. So, they had come here specifically today, waiting in front of the gate and making it clear that, with the city in turmoil overnight, they were there merely to pay respects to the Empress Dowager and also visit the Crown Prince.

Seeing that the three had no intention of forcing their way in, the guards immediately sent someone to report to the palace. However, this back-and-forth took some time, and it was bitterly cold. The three noble princes grew increasingly impatient as they waited outside Dong’an Gate. Just as Prince Yue angrily stamped his foot and snapped his sleeves in frustration, saying it was unreasonable to stop him from fulfilling his filial duties, a group of people finally rushed out from inside Dong’an Gate.

“It’s all because of the underlings who lack common sense—allowing the three princes to wait here in such cold weather!”

Seeing Fan Hongjin Ying and Lu Feng coming out together, Prince Zheng raised his eyebrows slightly. Still keeping his frozen hands tucked in his wide sleeves, he said with a forced smile, “Well, what brings all three of you from the Imperial Secretariat here? We’re just powerless princes who want to visit our mother and the Crown Prince’s nephew, yet we’re still stopped outside. Is this meant to keep us from entering?”

As soon as Prince Zheng spoke, Prince Yue followed with a cold laugh, “My elder brother is right. Usually we stay out of the public eye, but now that we’re entering the palace, I’m afraid these three officials consider us a nuisance!”

Seeing his two elder brothers mock him one with sarcasm and the other with ridicule, the three leaders of the Imperial Secretariat turned red with embarrassment after bowing. Prince Xiang could not help but cough lightly and ask, “But what did the Empress Dowager say?”

Among Fan Hong, Jin Ying, and Lu Feng, the first two naturally knew what was going on; they showed no outward signs but were both eager for the other to speak. Lu Feng, on the other hand, was in a hurry to leave the palace to handle some matters. Having to endure this ordeal on the way with them, he was naturally displeased. But with two superiors above him leading the way, he simply pretended to be mute. Thus, the three of them stared at each other, frozen in silence. The King of Yue immediately became furious.

“What, do you plan to leave us waiting here?”

Seeing this, Lu Feng quickly put on a smile. “How could such a thing happen? How dare Eunuch Fan and Eunuch Jin leave Your Highnesses waiting here? I still have matters to attend to at the Eastern Depot, and I must also go to the five ministries and various government offices to deal with some officials. Since both of you have come, it’s only right that you accompany Your Highnesses.”

Smiling, he bowed again to the three princes. When he saw the King of Yue waving impatiently at him, he mounted his horse with the two eunuchs from the Eastern Depot and rode off with a swish of his whip. Only once he entered the alley of the Eastern Depot did he smirk darkly. Let those two resourceful eunuchs from the Imperial Secretariat deal with these three stubborn people they couldn’t persuade nor stop. If anything went wrong because of them, he could at least breathe a sigh of relief.

“Godfather…”

“Stop looking so gloomy! How’s the investigation progressing? There are so many people on that farm—after interrogating them for so long, can’t you get even one confession?”

“They can’t take it anymore. They’ve almost confessed everything about that trivial matter involving Guo Cong, but there’s still no clue. We also found that two people disappeared mysteriously from the farm. Orders have been given to investigate, but it won’t be quick…”

Smack!

With that loud sound, the frustrated Lu Feng finally stopped hitting him. He glared at the red handprint on the middle-aged eunuch who remained in charge of the Eastern Depot, pointed at his nose, and cursed, “I don’t care what your reasons are. In short, do your best to investigate! With all the people and informants in the Eastern Depot and the Imperial Guards, if this information wasn’t leaked by them, who else would be responsible if something serious happened? Old Mu!”

He waved his hand to call Mu Ning over and ordered, “As the chief executioner, you must keep a close eye on this case. In the past, the deadline was three days, but now it’s one day. If no important clues are found in a day, everyone from top to bottom will receive twenty lashes! It’s better to get beaten now than to risk execution when the Empress Dowager and the Emperor get angry!”

Although Mu Ning was not personally promoted by Lu Feng, he was one of the first people he trusted, even more so than several inner officials. So, despite everyone turning pale or lowering their heads upon hearing these words, no one dared speak up in protest, not even the adopted son who had been slapped earlier. Seeing Mu Ning agree readily, Lu Feng grew impatient to stay in the yamen any longer. He selected a few capable men to accompany him and headed toward the other end of the alley.

As they sped past Andingmen Street, he deliberately glanced eastward toward Dong’anmen. Seeing only the imperial carriage parked there with no one in sight, he knew the three princes must have already entered the palace. A sneer escaped his lips, after which he headed straight to the Ministry of War.

Since the Eastern Depot’s spies had reported that Fan Hong had waited only in the front hall yesterday without entering the main gate while looking for someone, Lu Feng, though resentful that Fan Hong only focused on such superficial matters, still didn’t want to give others an excuse to criticize him. So he had someone go in and announce that he would wait in the front hall. The servants then playfully brought him a bowl of Laba porridge, which seemed more valuable to him at that moment than anything else. When Zhang Yue entered, Lu Feng drank the entire bowl in one gulp without even looking up.

“Finally recovering your senses. It seems the people from your Ministry of War are the most perceptive and know how to make the most of things!”

After setting down the bowl, Lu Feng saw Zhang Yue send the servants away. He stood up, sleeves rolled up, and said, “Lord Zhang, I’ve come today to thank you. If not for your people’s extra vigilance, we would have faced a serious mistake. For this, so many people from the Eastern Depot and the Imperial Guards, including myself, will surely remember your kindness forever.”