Chapter 902: Noble and Impeccable

Among the many prestigious residences of civil and military officials in the capital, the Du family’s home in Wugong Hutong had always been a quiet one. Yet at this moment, in this alley that usually only saw those who lived there passing by, there were at least a dozen or so people from the entrance to the Du family’s door. Among them were officials from the Nan Cheng Military Command, messengers from the Shuntian Prefecture government, and clerks from Wanping County. In short, all the officials in charge of this area had come to the Du family’s home in fear and awe—how could their subordinates be absent?

Unlike the soldiers of the Five Cities Military Command who received regular salaries, these clerks and messengers from Shuntian Prefecture and Wanping County were merely performing their duties without any compensation, having to pay for their own meals out of their own pockets. Thus, despite the law established during the Hongwu era that mandated execution for officials who embezzled more than a thousand guan, these hardworking commoners still resorted to various corrupt practices—such as extorting money from street vendors, bending rules for those who filed complaints, or running errands for influential officials. As they stood in the alley enjoying the breeze, one old clerk handed a gourd to another.

“Is it Sanbei Dao from Bai Mao Hutong in the west?”
“Exactly. Have a sip to warm up. This year’s weather is strange—still so cold even in March!”
The clerk who took the gourd took a sip and then glanced toward the house. “Hey, usually those high-ranking officials don’t even glance at us, but after waiting here for so long, not a single one of them dares to move. Truly, higher rank means more oppression. Speaking of which, I heard Lord Du has a rather strange temper. If he finds out about this, will he get furious and order a thorough investigation? If that happens, we’ll surely get punished!”

The old clerk snatched the gourd back irritably. Seeing his companions also peeking in, he sneered and said, “If you really think of Lord Du as one of those corrupt scoundrels, you’re wrong. Lord Du’s temper is indeed strange, but that’s only in official matters—he avoids those he disapproves of. But when it comes to ordinary people… In the past, several neighbors of the Du family had children studying. Somehow, someone sent nonsense writings to the Du family. Apparently, Lord Du sent them back to the teacher at the local academy, commented on them, and sent them back, leaving those people ashamed for a long time. When his two daughters got married, Lady Du even had joy eggs sent to the nearby neighbors. Even the Du family’s servants are kind and never act rudely.”

Hearing this, the several constables gathered together and began to ask questions in a flurry. The older constable recounted that he had once lived in the same alley as the Du family and had even eaten the wedding eggs given by the eldest daughter of the Du family, which drew many envious exclamations. Not stopping there, he went on to talk about Du Zhen submitting a petition suggesting that the conversion rate of officials’ salaries into cash could be changed, wondering if they might also receive some compensation, which immediately sparked lively discussions among them. In the end, a constable around the same age as him sighed.

“It’s not that simple. I’ve heard about that too. The high official in Shuntian Prefecture is also honest and upright. He was quite pleased for a while—after all, a few more bushels of rice per month would ease his financial situation. But he also sighed, saying that countless debates have taken place in the court over this matter.” Seeing that everyone was listening attentively, he tried to explain further, but since he ultimately couldn’t grasp the essence of matters in the court, he changed the subject. “The trouble today seems far from ordinary. Everyone, stay alert—we might need to stay here and keep an eye on things.”

As soon as he finished speaking, noise came from the entrance of the alley. The constables turned to look and saw a rider speeding toward them. Initially stunned, they tried to stop him, only for the rider to dart past them like lightning and come to a stop right in front of the west gate of the Du residence. After dismounting, he rushed in immediately, and the guards at the gate simply stopped him briefly before letting him through. The constables were shocked and hurried over.

“Where are the masters inside? Why didn’t you stop him?”
“Stop him? That’s Vice Minister Zhang of the Ministry of War, Du’s son-in-law. Who would dare stop him?”

Upon hearing it was Zhang Yue, the constables finally understood. At that moment, someone else saw several riders following him speeding in from the alley entrance, so they returned to their positions. Others muttered under their breath, “Du really has good taste—getting such a student back in the day, and now that student has become his son-in-law. No wonder he hasn’t tried to become the chief examiner in the imperial examinations for several years. Which student could compare to Vice Minister Zhang?”
“That’s because Du doesn’t want to compete for that position. Not to mention the upcoming examinations—it’s said that the chief examiner for next year’s exams has already been chosen: Scholar Yang. It’s said he was recommended by Scholar Du as well… Such a noble and upright person is hard to find anywhere in the world.”

A group of servants were discussing Du Zhen outside. Zhang Yue rushed into Du’s residence in a hurry, sweating profusely from the haste. Yue Shan, who was leading the way, said that a magistrate from Shuntian Prefecture, the county magistrate of Wanping County, and the commander of the Nan City military forces were all waiting in the main hall, but he waved his hand, saying he would deal with them later, and led them straight to Qiu’s main room. As soon as he entered, he smelled the scent of medicinal liquor for treating bruises, and his expression immediately changed.

“Mother-in-law!”

There was no one in the main hall. It wasn’t until he called out that some noise came from the east room. Soon after, the curtain there was lifted, revealing a shy, unfamiliar young girl around eleven or twelve years old. Zhang Yue didn’t bother to observe her; he rushed in a few steps and saw Qiu sitting on the bed, with Xiao Wu vigorously massaging her arm. He was stunned.

“How did you come too? It’s not a big deal—just a few bruises from falling!” Qiu quickly asked another maid to invite Zhang Yue to sit down, then explained with a smile, “It’s really nothing serious. We encountered a group of people on the road and had a little argument. The coachman, Liu Er, spoke too harshly, and that’s why this happened…”

“Mother, you’re too kind!” Xiao Wu, who had been silently applying the medicinal liquor to Qiu’s bruised arm, couldn’t hold back anymore. He interrupted her angrily and then turned to glare at Zhang Yue, saying, “Brother-in-law, you must go and find out what’s really going on. Those people are definitely targeting us! No matter what your father did, there won’t be a good outcome. If it weren’t for me using silver needles to make those two people writhe in pain, Mother might not have just suffered these bruises! In the presence of the emperor, such things happen—Shuntian Prefecture, Wanping County, and that Nan City military force must take responsibility!”

“Enough, Xiao Wu. You’re not a child anymore—stop talking like one,” Qiu rebuked him. Seeing Zhang Yue’s furrowed brows, she gestured for him to sit down and then said, “Your father-in-law is on duty today. When you go back, tell him not to rush to ask for leave. I’m fine here; there’s no need to delay important government affairs. Also, let those offices in Shuntian Prefecture know to handle things as usual—don’t rush them just because it’s me.”

Hearing this, Zhang Yue raised his eyebrows slightly, glanced at Xiao Wu, and said, “Mother-in-law, it’s said that a magistrate from Shuntian Prefecture, the county magistrate of Wanping County, and the commander of the Nan City military forces have been waiting in the main hall for quite some time.”

Qiu Shi was stunned upon hearing this, her expression immediately darkening as she gave Xiao Wu a rare stern look. “What’s going on? Why didn’t you tell me anyone was coming?”
“Mother, you’re still injured. Why rush to see them? With such a big mistake, it doesn’t matter if we ignore them for a while…”
Before she could finish, Xiao Wu stopped speaking out of guilt and lowered her head again. Seeing her state, Qiu Shi became truly angry. Zhang Yue quickly tried to comfort her, “Mother, please rest and recover. I’ll take care of things outside. Xiao Wu, is Mother’s injury really just superficial? Is nothing serious wrong?”
Xiao Wu quietly turned her head away to wipe her eyes before saying in a low voice, “It’s just superficial. I’ve checked it. It’s all my fault. I went out with Mother, and as a result, she got injured—her back is also bruised—but I wasn’t hurt at all…”
Qiu Shi had originally intended to scold Xiao Wu further, but hearing her words, she sighed and pulled her into her arms before saying softly, “I’m already old. It doesn’t matter if I get hurt somewhere. You’re still young—what’s the harm if you suffer some injury? Since you know medicine, just treat Mother well. Stop saying such foolish things…”
Seeing Xiao Wu crying in Qiu Shi’s arms and noticing Qiu Shi nodding at her gently, Zhang Yue quietly left the room. Outside, his usually gentle expression darkened instantly. Although it was wrong of Xiao Wu to take out her anger on others, if those three authorities really hadn’t caught the culprit, then it would be his turn to track down that troublemaker no matter what!
The main hall of the Du family was named Mingxin Hall. The reason it didn’t use words like benevolence, morality, fortune, or good luck was that Du Zhen believed the words “Mingxin” truly reflected the essence of being human. Thus, he personally inscribed the three characters “Mingxin Hall” and hung them high in the center, so that anyone entering would see them immediately. Though they weren’t cursive script in a flowing style nor elegant running script, those three solemn characters made people think of the stern Grand Scholar Du.
It was the same now. Whether it was Judge Yan from Shuntian Prefecture, County Magistrate Xu from Wanping County, or Commander Zhou from the Southern City Military Command, the three of them sat separated by civil and military officials. Despite the servants providing attentive tea and snacks, they felt extremely uneasy and dared not get up and leave.

They didn’t know how long they had waited. Suddenly, there was noise outside, which had been completely quiet until then. Immediately after, the thick pine-colored door curtain was flung open. When they saw who had entered, they were all shocked.

“Lord Zhang!”

Zhang Yue gave a slight nod to the three of them before walking over. Instead of sitting in the central seat, he stood there and asked, “I don’t want to hear any circumlocutory explanations. What exactly happened today?”

The commander of the Nan Cheng military force held the sixth rank, the prosecutor of Shun Tian Fu the sixth rank as well, and the county magistrate of Wan Ping the seventh rank. Although all three were at least a generation older than Zhang Yue, the gap in their official ranks was enormous. Hearing his questioning, their faces turned pale. They exchanged glances, and it was Commander Zhou who finally mustered the courage to step forward.

“Lord Zhang, today the Prince of Jin was brought to the capital, and unexpectedly, a few servants from his mansion followed as well. Perhaps they heard rumors that the emperor intended to execute the Prince of Jin for treason, and at Du’s suggestion, they attacked Lady Du. The man has already been thrown into the prison of Shun Tian Fu. You might as well ask Prosecutor Yan.”

The responsibility was suddenly shifted to Shun Tian Fu. Recalling that the county magistrate of Wan Ping had taken the men to the Shun Tian Fu government office and spoken at length, Prosecutor Yan, who had initially thought the man was clever, now felt furious. Yet he could only agree with Commander Zhou’s words and indirectly describe how the matter was reported to the Shun Tian Fu government office and the man was imprisoned. Finally, he said in a low voice, “The man is already in prison, but we haven’t yet interrogated him about the source of the rumors. Once I return, I will definitely report this to the prefect for a thorough investigation…”

After Prosecutor Yan finished speaking, County Magistrate Xu could no longer pretend to be ignorant and had to report everything he knew as well. Finally, the three of them fell silent, anxiously waiting for Zhang Yue to speak.

“Since those people are servants from the prince’s mansion, it’s inappropriate for Shun Tian Fu to investigate this matter. Once it’s reported to higher authorities, the Ministry of Punishments and the Supreme Court will take over.”

At first, Zhang Yue didn’t know where the matter originated, but now that he understood, he wouldn’t consider it simply as an act of aggression or revenge. Servants often act on orders and might resort to extreme measures out of desperation. There were always scapegoats available. After all, the Prince of Jin was already doomed; adding another charge wouldn’t matter much. However, if the Prince of Jin were dealt with harshly, would it serve as a deterrent to other princes, or would it provoke further conflict?

With Zhang Yue saying that, all three local officials breathed a sigh of relief. After all, instead of pursuing them for blame, Zhang Yue had effortlessly taken such a heavy burden off their shoulders. Commander Zhou from the Nan City Military Office hurriedly offered to leave men to guard Du’s residence, while County Magistrate Xu also promised to send more people for patrols. But Zhang Yue said it wasn’t necessary and promptly sent them away from the main hall entrance.

“Although the New Year has passed, there have been many troubles in the capital recently. All three of your offices have the responsibility to maintain order there, so be extra vigilant. Otherwise, if such incidents happen again, not only will the emperor be enraged, but it will also be difficult for you to calm down the people everywhere.”

Though Zhang Yue didn’t make it explicit, the three officials knew full well that if something similar happened to someone else’s family, it wouldn’t be resolved just by sitting around idly. So they nodded repeatedly in agreement and offered to visit Lady Du later, but Zhang Yue politely declined.

“You all know my father-in-law’s temper. There’s no need for such formalities. Nor is there any need to worry about doctors or tonics—the Du family lacks nothing. Just focus on fulfilling your duties.”