Chapter 874: The Court Meeting After the Great Change

In just one night, everything changed dramatically—like heaven and earth turned upside down.
There is no wall that cannot be penetrated. Although the court claimed it was an explosion at the palace’s gunpowder depot, and that the troops were there only to capture criminals from the Ministry of Punishments, people in the streets exchanged knowing glances when they met, asking about food, drink, and family matters. The situation inside the imperial city had always been kept secret by the court, but eunuchs in this dynasty frequently went out to make purchases and acquire properties. As a result, most of the elders in the capital knew exactly where the government offices in the outer imperial city were.
The gunpowder depot was located in the northeast corner of the outer imperial city, while the explosion occurred in the southwest corner—a huge difference! Moreover, capturing criminals from the Ministry of Punishments should have been handled by the local military forces; why was such a large number of troops needed?
The twenty-two military units under the capital’s defense force were not under the command of the Five Army Commanders, and the Imperial Horse Supervision Agency could deploy troops without going through the Ministry of War. Normally, the Ministry of War was only responsible for front-line matters, not logistics. But now, in addition to the seal from the Wenyuan Pavilion, the Ministry of War’s official seal was also required. Thus, Zhang Yue’s office was constantly busy with people coming and going. From the main entrance of the Ministry of War to the ceremonial gate, from there to the third gate, and then to his office, it was impossible to assign three servants to handle everything—everyone had to rush.
Fortunately, while other places were covered in heavy snow, the capital only saw a few snowflakes. Yet the roads turned icy, forcing coal dust to be scattered on the stone paths daily. Even so, servants still slipped and fell.
From early morning, Zhang Yue was constantly reviewing documents and stamping them with the official seal. Even with someone from the Ministry of Geography sent to help, he was too busy to even eat. Thankfully, there was still some leftover beans and rice from the Laba Festival, which some clever people used to make a meal to stave off hunger. Relying on these, Zhang Yue worked until the afternoon before finally getting a chance to rest.
As a child, he had been in poor health. Later, through studying literature and practicing martial arts, and by paying attention to health, he developed strong muscles and bones. But now, when he stood up, he felt sore all over—clearly because his mind had been on high alert for days, leaving no time to relax his body. Of course, he couldn’t practice swordsmanship in the courtyard, nor could he go outside to practice Tai Chi. Since no food had been delivered yet, he simply went into the inner room and stretched his legs, bent his waist, and twisted his neck in private.

He sat down and performed the set of radio calisthenics that had always worked for him; finally, his whole body became flexible. By the time he left the room, the fatigue from earlier was gone from his face. Chen Yong, the officer in charge, who was rubbing his wrist, couldn’t help but widen his eyes upon seeing him in such good shape. “Sir, what miracle medicine did you take to become so energetic so quickly?”

“What miracle medicine? It’s just good to move one’s muscles and bones,” Zhang Yue replied irritably. Seeing Chen Yong finish rubbing his wrist and start rubbing his temples, he coughed and said, “Just rubbing like this won’t work. My sister-in-law taught me a set of health-preserving exercises. I’ll teach you them later. Spending all day writing and thinking hard requires taking good care of both your eyes and body…”

As they were talking, the heavy outer curtain was lifted high, and cold wind blew in. At the same time, a servant carrying a three-layered food box rushed in hurriedly. Rubbing his hands, he opened the box, arranged four bowls of dishes, brought over a large bowl of pork rib soup, and placed rice, chopsticks, and soup bowls with spoons—thus completing the setup. Concerned that something might be wrong, Zhang Yue finished eating quickly, drank a large bowl of soup, washed his hands and mouth, and told Chen Yong to eat slowly while he went to check on the various departments. Suddenly, a voice came from outside.

“Sir, Eunuch Fan from the Imperial Secretariat has arrived!”

Having spent many years in the Eastern Palace through numerous ups and downs and crises, Fan Hong had seen many things, but he had never encountered the situation from last night before. When the Treasure Coin Bureau caught fire and exploded, his heart almost leaped out of his throat. Although things eventually resolved, the outcome was truly unexpected. The emperor had handed over power to the empress dowager before leaving, but now that the empress dowager was sometimes conscious and sometimes unconscious, who would dare to use such news to provoke her? If anything went wrong, who would be responsible? But since the empress dowager couldn’t make a decision, no one could do anything either—she could only be kept under strict watch in the palace.

At this point, others might think it was simply the Prince of Liang harboring resentment and plotting rebellion, but he didn’t see it that way. People of the royal family never act without reason. Even if the Prince of Liang succeeded in his rebellion, as long as the emperor was still out there, the Ming Dynasty would only be in chaos for a short time before it could stabilize again. If things got worse—to use an outrageous phrase—even if both the empress dowager and the emperor were gone, the Prince of Liang wouldn’t be able to rule legitimately. Without legitimate authority, how could he claim the throne? What would happen then?

It was not until a light cough was heard that the deeply engrossed Fan Hong snapped back to reality. Looking up, he saw Zhang Yue entering and quickly stood up. It would be inappropriate to show a smile now, nor was it right to keep a gloomy expression, so he could only sigh deeply before saying seriously, “Please have Minister Zhang get ready. By the Empress Dowager’s order, Grand Secretary Yang Shiqi of Huagai Hall, Hanlin Scholar Yang Pu, Deputy Minister of the Ministry of Personnel Guo Qin, Deputy Minister of the Ministry of War Zhang Yue, as well as Duke Cheng Zhu Yong and Marquis Longping Zhang Xin, are summoned to discuss matters regarding the imperial return.”

With such a major incident having occurred in the capital last night, the reason for convening this meeting was to discuss the imperial return—what an absurd pretext! Fan Hong, noticing Zhang Yue’s strange expression, realized how clumsy his words were, and sighed again.

“I know what Minister Zhang is thinking, but we can’t afford to worry about that now. I still need to go to the Ministry of Personnel. Given the urgency, it’s better if you take the East Hua Gate to save time. The meeting will be held at Jingyi Hall in front of Wenhua Hall.”

Zhang Yue nodded. Seeing Fan Hong about to leave, he suddenly asked, “Eunuch Fan, do Duke Cheng and Marquis Longping know about this?”

This question clearly pointed to only one thing. Fan Hong stopped immediately without hesitation and sighed for the third time in that room: “Duke Cheng is currently on duty at the Ancient and Modern Collections Repository, the same place where Minister Zhang used to live, so he knows. As for Marquis Longping, he was assisting the Jinyiwei and the Eastern Depot in clearing up the situation in the capital this morning, so he also knows. After last night’s events, Duke Xing’an is acting in place of Duke Cheng in charge of the military camp. I haven’t told him yet, and it’s not possible to bring him along today. The Five Ministries usually don’t handle political affairs, but this time is different, so it’s good to discuss it.”

“What about Hanlin Scholar Yang and Deputy Minister Guo?”

Yang Pu was the last to join the cabinet and had the least presence, so the common distinction of “East Yang, West Yang, South Yang” had not yet spread among officials or the public. People in the government still habitually referred to Yang Shiqi as Grand Secretary Yang and Yang Rong as Scholar Yang, omitting the surname; as for Yang Pu, they added “Hanlin” before it. After all, even Chen Shan and Zhang Ying, who had entered and left the cabinet, had once held the title of Grand Secretary, with Yang Pu being the sole exception.

“As for Hanlin Scholar Yang, Grand Secretary Yang will take care of it. I won’t overstep my bounds. As for Deputy Minister Guo, he’ll find out today. There’s no point in telling him now.”

After finishing these instructions, Fan Hongyi bowed and left the room. As soon as he left, Zhang Yue didn’t delay either. He returned to his room to get his official robes ready, then summoned the chiefs of the four departments in the Ministry of War and gave them orders. Only after being fully prepared did he mount his horse and set off. After all, even he himself didn’t know how long this so-called court meeting would last.

No sooner had he left than three riders stopped in front of the Ministry of War’s headquarters. Hu Qi, the leader, dismounted quickly and rushed inside. Just as he was about to have the porter announce his arrival, the porter promptly said, “The Vice Marshal just left. It was Eunuch Fan from the Imperial Secretariat who came to summon him to the palace for a meeting. We don’t know when he’ll return. If you’re willing to wait, I’ll find a place for you to wait. If you have other matters to attend to, it might be better to go back first and come back in an hour or two.”

Hu Qi, who was halfway up the stairs, stopped immediately, his brows furrowing. Instinctively, he took two steps back, wanting to chase after them, but thinking about the distance between the Ministry of War and the palace, he realized that by the time he caught up, Zhang Yue might already be inside. So he abandoned the idea. However, some important information had been obtained through torture earlier that morning, and he had to inform Zhang Yue as soon as possible. But since he couldn’t see him now, what should he do?

After much deliberation with no solution in sight, he forced himself to thank the porter and handed over a few gold coins. The generous tip made the porter smile broadly. He eagerly went out to help tie up the horses and said cheerfully, “Have a good journey. If the Vice Marshal returns, I’ll report it to you right away—no delays.”

Leaving aside the question of where Hu Qi could go to intercept and report in a city under martial law, let’s talk about Zhang Yue. He rushed into the palace through the Donghua Gate and arrived at Jingyitang in front of Wenhua Hall, only to find that several high-ranking officials had already arrived there. On the left were Yang Shiji and Yang Pu, while on the right were Duke Cheng Zhu Yong and Marquis Longping Zhang Xin. Naturally, he sat in the chair in the fourth position from the left.

Yang Shiji and Yang Pu were originally in the Inner Cabinet not far from there, Zhu Yong was at the Ancient and Modern Collections Repository. It was fast enough that they arrived quickly, but it was somewhat unexpected that Zhang Xin, who should have been traveling around the city, also arrived so swiftly. By then, an eunuch had already brought tea. Zhang Yue took it casually and noticed that aside from these high-ranking officials, there was also a low-ranking official sitting in a corner, likely responsible for recording the proceedings of the meeting. In another corner, there were two eunuchs—one was Cao Jixiang, and the other was unfamiliar, probably a confidant of Fan Hongyi or Jin Ying.

At such a critical moment, even if Fan Hongjin Ying couldn’t come in person, someone had to convey the message. After waiting for about fifteen minutes, Guo Qin, the vice minister of the Ministry of Personnel, finally entered the room. Seeing that everyone else was waiting for him alone, he felt somewhat embarrassed. However, since the Ministry of War was located right next to East Chang’an Street, while the Ministry of Personnel required several detours, it was only natural that he was the last to receive the news. After apologizing, he noticed the empty chair and hesitated briefly before sitting down awkwardly. At that moment, a soft sound came from outside. Though they couldn’t see through the curtain, everyone knew the main door had been closed.

Zhu Yong and Zhang Xin both held high-ranking positions, but Zhu Yong had always shown respect for scholars and officials, especially in times like this, so he immediately offered to let Yang Shiqi take charge. With that, Yang Shiqi cleared his throat and spoke directly: “Everyone is aware of what happened last night. It was made to seem like an explosion at the gunpowder factory, but in reality it was the Treasure Note Bureau. Fortunately, the place was adjacent to the city wall and separated by the Jinshui Bridge, and the situation was handled properly, so it didn’t escalate.”

Yang Shiqi paused for a moment but ultimately didn’t mention the even greater chaos at the Renshou Palace. He then calmly described what had happened last night before saying, “The Jinyiwei and the Eastern Depot are conducting thorough investigations. Now that Prince Liang is under house arrest, many letters and documents have been seized.”

At this moment, Zhu Yong and Zhang Xin, who had been in the palace last night, remained calm, while Yang Pu lowered his head and sighed. Guo Qin and Zhang Yue, on the other hand, showed obvious shock—though the former seemed genuinely surprised while the latter pretended to be. Yang Shiqi paid no attention to this and waved his hand to stop Guo Qin from asking questions. He continued, “It’s snowing heavily on the roads. Also, due to various departments submitting their allegiance and hunting competitions, the emperor has stayed in Danning longer than expected. Fortunately, many of the troops accompanying him are there to strengthen Danning’s defenses, so there’s an abundance of food and supplies. But the heavy snow is a concern. If the emperor returns with a small entourage, we must be fully prepared to welcome him.”

Guo Qin finally couldn’t hold back: “Elder Yang, since the chaos in the capital has been resolved, the emperor will surely return with a large army. Why must he travel lightly? Although the road from the capital to Danning has been repaired several times in recent years, it’s not easy to travel in heavy snow…”

“Because the Empress Dowager is ill!”

Six simple words burst from Yang Shiji’s mouth, and instantly, the room fell dead silent. Guo Qin couldn’t help but pinch the palm of his left hand with his right fingernail. Cao Jixiang, who had already learned of this from Fan Hongjin Ying, and that young eunuch pretended to remain calm, though their hearts were pounding wildly. The five people who had learned of the news earlier all had solemn expressions; thinking of the previous dangers, Zhu Yong couldn’t help but let out a soft sigh.

Guo Qin thankfully didn’t ask foolish questions like how serious the Empress Dowager’s illness was. He figured that if it were just a minor cold, there would be no need to hold such a grand court meeting. Knowing his own lack of experience and influence, he kept his mouth shut, deciding to sort out the chaotic situation first. At that moment, Zhang Yue, who had remained silent until then, finally spoke up: “Grand Preceptor Yang, is the top priority now sending someone to Xifengkou to welcome the Emperor?”

“The Emperor is personally inspecting the borders, so welcoming him cannot be taken lightly. I should have gone in person, but given the current circumstances, I must stay. I can only ask Hongjing to make the trip on my behalf. The Duke of Cheng also needs to oversee both the military camps and the palace, so it will likely fall to Marquis Longping to take care of that. As for Vice Minister Zhang and Vice Minister Guo…”

Yang Shiji paused again before looking at Guo Qin and Zhang Yue and saying, “Someone has to go to Xifengkou.”