Chapter 918: The World Is Full of Imperfections

During the Hongwu era, Zhu Yuanzhang issued a strict decree banning eunuchs from interfering in politics. As a result, the eunuchs were forced to live strictly within the palace, with no allowance to reside outside. However, by the Yongle era, since Zhu Di had overthrown Emperor Jianwen with the help of palace eunuchs and, having seized power unlegitimately, was wary of his ministers, the number of eunuchs serving as military commanders increased. By now, several eunuchs in the capital even received mansions granted by the emperor, with some like Wang Jin even having palace maids as wives.

Although Zheng He’s current situation was not as good as that in the Yongle era, he was still among the oldest group of eunuchs, and the Imperial Eunuch Bureau had not promoted any other eunuchs to higher positions. His mansion had only three sections, and there were only twenty or thirty people living there, many of whom were descendants of soldiers he had taken under his care. His adopted son, Zheng Enming, was now in his early thirties, married and had children. He had also been granted hereditary status and had always accompanied Zheng He on sea voyages. Yet, he never expected to return in such a situation.

At that moment, seeing Wang Jinghong come out of the room with Zhang Yue—having just been sent away by Zheng He—Zheng Enming, who had been wandering outside, immediately went up to them. He opened his mouth but felt it would be inappropriate to ask about his father’s condition, so he quickly changed the subject: “Thank you, Lord Zhang, for coming to see my father. Things at home are in disarray, and I have nothing to offer you…”

When Zheng He had earnestly entrusted those matters to Zhang Yue, Wang Jinghong, standing nearby, was stunned. He wasn’t angry that Zheng He had left him behind to entrust things to someone else—he knew his own family well. He had entered the palace as a eunuch and, due to spending most of his time at sea, had few close relationships, aside from a few old friends like Zhang Qian, Yang Qing, and others. For certain reasons, he hadn’t even taken in any adopted sons or apprentices. If anything happened to Zheng He, with Zhang Qian stuck in Guangdong and Yang Qing seriously ill due to matters in Wuzhong, he would be left completely alone, unsure of what would happen to him in the future. Therefore, when Zheng He entrusted him with matters as well, he felt deeply grateful.

Hearing Zheng Enming about to say more, he interrupted, “There’s no need for pleasantries. Lord Zhang is not an outsider.”

Not an outsider? Although Zheng Enming had visited Zhang Yue’s house a few times in Nanjing, he knew his adoptive father and Zhang Yue were not particularly close. But since Wang Jinghong, whom he regarded as an elder, said so, he didn’t dare argue and simply stood there with his hands hanging down.

Seeing his condition and Wang Jinghong sighing deeply before turning away, Zhang Yue thought of Zheng He, who had struggled to speak just moments ago, and felt a sense of melancholy. He didn’t know whether it would be better for Zheng He to pass away during his overseas voyages or upon returning home in glory—only one thing was certain: Zheng He’s complete sea charts would surely not be burned like in historical records; they would definitely be carefully preserved in the map collection of the Ministry of War, just like other maps.

“Lord Zheng, please comfort Grandfather Zheng more. He shouldn’t worry too much. He has spent many years abroad enhancing the glory of our Great Ming Dynasty, and his contributions are no less than those of those who expanded our territory. The court will surely not forget him, and the emperor will definitely grant him some reward. For now, he just needs to rest and recover. After all, he is barely in his fifties, still in the prime of his life. It’s too early to worry about such things. As for the matters he entrusted to me, don’t worry. Since I’ve promised, I will definitely carry them out for him one by one.”

Zheng Enming didn’t know what Zheng He had entrusted to Zhang Yue. Hearing his words, he immediately looked at Wang Jinghong. Seeing relief on his face, he realized it must be something important his father cared about, so he quickly bowed in gratitude. Only after sending Zhang Yue out with Wang Jinghong did he regain his composure and ask Wang Jinghong, only to be shocked by the truth.

“Uncle Wang, is this…? After all, Lord Zhang is a highly regarded civil official by the emperor. Isn’t it too much to entrust him with such matters? After all, our father’s status has always been looked down upon by civil officials in the court. If this causes further trouble…”

“If he didn’t have such ability, he wouldn’t have risen to a high position in just thirty years. Don’t worry. Your father knows his limits. Besides, if not him, who else could we trust with these matters? You’ve also been overseas; you should understand that if they’re confined to land, it’s like dragons in shallow waters—over time, they’ll become useless. Zhang Yue was one of those who initially advocated lifting the sea ban. Now that things have come to this, he, who supported us from the start, certainly won’t stand by idly.”

While Wang Jinghong felt relieved and Zheng Enming was confused, Zhang Yue, on his way home after leaving Zheng’s residence, was filled with many thoughts.

New talents emerge in every generation, each dominating for centuries. When Emperor Yongle, Zhu Di, passed away before him, he felt an indescribable sense of melancholy—after all, it was this emperor who had given him the chance to showcase his abilities. Now, Zheng He, who was highly praised by later generations, was also approaching the end of his days. The fervent yet calm look in Zheng He’s eyes as he entrusted his affairs to him was deeply etched in his mind. Even those famous ministers and generals would eventually face their own endings. All he could do was manage the present well and strive to teach his descendants how to face an unpredictable future—nothing more.

It was not yet three o’clock in the first watch. Zhang Yue had already had dinner at Zheng’s residence, so he wasn’t in a hurry. He rode slowly along the road, pondering how to draft his memorial. Du Wan was currently on duty, and even without his mother’s warning, he wouldn’t dare act recklessly. He could ask his father for help, but his father was always busy. He couldn’t rely on others to polish the document, let alone his father-in-law… With the decision made in the Hongwen Pavilion that day, immense pressure would likely fall on Du Zhen immediately. He certainly couldn’t burden him with such a trivial matter.

It was easy to confer the title of Eunuch San Bao and to maintain the organization of the Shenwei Guard. Even continuing to operate those small, medium, and large-sized Shenwei ships was much simpler than expected. The only problem was that maintaining such a fleet required a huge amount of money. As long as he held power, there might be no resistance. But once he lost his influence in the court, someone would surely use the excuse of high costs to dissolve the fleet, and even nautical maps might not be preserved.

“Sir, sir, it’s time for the watch change!”

Hearing this reminder from behind, Zhang Yue snapped out of his thoughts. Indeed, it was the sound of the watch-changing gong. He stopped pondering and gently pulled on the reins to speed up. Sure enough, along the way, the soldiers from the Five Cities Military Command, who were on night patrol, had already started moving, and the large gates at key intersections had been set up—this was a suggestion he had made a few days earlier. Firstly, because thefts were frequent in the capital at night, and secondly, because he finally remembered the famous “Big Gates” in Beijing from his past life. It was said that thefts had decreased by 30% since those measures were implemented, which was also one of his contributions. After all, the era when people left valuables unattended and didn’t lock their doors at night—aside from the times of those ancient sages—was only something his parents had experienced in his memory.

One reason was the simplicity of people’s hearts back then, and another was that almost everyone was extremely poor.

By the time he returned home, the drums and gongs of the night curfew were already echoing throughout the city. When he went to see his wife, he refused to mention anything about court affairs. Instead, he picked up his daughter, who was not yet full-term but still quite lively, and played with her for a while. Then he summoned Zhang Fu and Jing Guan to inquire about her progress in her studies, visited Duan Wu and San San Si Si, said goodnight to his parents, and only then returned to his study. As for correspondence, aside from his father Zhang Zhuo’s aides, it was simply Zhang Zhuo who drafted the letters while Hu Bo copied them, so he saved himself some effort. Sitting there now, with Lian Sheng’s youngest son Lian Xiaoqing grinding ink nearby, he began to outline his thoughts in his mind.

His writing skills had been honed under Du Zhen’s guidance, emphasizing the importance of writing in one continuous flow. After organizing his thoughts, he dipped his brush into thick ink and wrote swiftly, finishing two small sheets of paper in no time. Before he could finish, there was a gentle knock at the door, followed by Lian Sheng’s voice.

“Young master, there’s a young eunuch from the palace who brought a letter. He left without saying anything.”

Hearing this, Zhang Yue was momentarily stunned. He then nodded at Lian Xiaoqing. The nine-year-old boy hurriedly went to open the door but didn’t let his father in. Instead, he held the letter in both hands and returned, handing it to him respectfully. Zhang Yue opened it and saw a thoughtful smile appear on his face. The letter contained only a few words, with an indistinct handwriting that seemed like casual remarks. But when Zhang Yue applied ink to it, white text appeared, revealing a fact that greatly satisfied him.

In the evening, the emperor summoned the King of Yue again and decided that the king would be sent to his fief seven days later! Fortunately, there was Cao Jixiang in the palace; otherwise, relying solely on others to pass on information would have been much harder!

Without delay, Zhang Yue resumed writing his memorial. After some effort, he finally crafted a passable document. He sealed it, wrote his name on it, and placed it on the table, planning to send it to the Ministry of Government Affairs the next morning. Just as he stood up to go back to bed, there was another knock at the door from Lian Sheng.

“Young master, Brother Zhang has returned. He says it’s urgent!”

There were many servants in the Zhang family, but only one who could be called “Brother Zhang” by Lian Sheng. So Zhang Yue quickly ordered him to be brought in and handed Lian Xiaoqing, who was already yawning from tiredness, to Lian Sheng to take back. When Zhang Bu entered, Zhang Yue waved his hand to indicate no need for formalities and pointed to a chair for him to sit.

“What happened?”
“We just received news before the city gates were locked under the curfew—Zhao Jin, the Minister of Punishments in Nanjing, has been impeached for negligence in his duties, and Minister Li Qing has also been accused of abusing his private resources.” Zhang Bu spoke concisely. Seeing Zhang Yue’s brows tighten immediately, he added without hesitation, “This information came from an insider. It was submitted by an imperial censor overseeing Nanjing, not from the capital, and the Nanjing Censorate is also involved. Here is the original petition; please take a look, young master.”
To be able to copy the original text of an imperial censor’s petition was something even Gu Zuo, the Left Censor-in-Chief, couldn’t do. Yet in the court, Zhang Yue wasn’t the only one with such skills—only few would have expected such ability from someone so young. At that moment, he took the paper handed to him by Zhang Bu and read it from start to finish, his expression darkening instantly. Though several days had passed, he still remembered clearly some of the phrases cited in the petition—those were clearly words he had dictated to Jing Guan to write. He never expected them to appear here.
“I never thought that a casual remark back then would be used now.”
Zhang Yue narrowed his eyes and thought. He thought of Li Qing, who was rigid and strict, then of Zhao Jin, who was flexible and adaptable, and then considered the current political landscape. There were three vacant positions among the six ministerial heads, and many were eligible for promotion. But in terms of experience and prestige, few could compare to those two senior ministers in Nanjing. If they could be removed, and he could be taken down along with them, surely many would be happy to see it happen. Besides, given the circumstances of the decree announced today, others would assume he would be too busy to deal with anything else.
Since this matter originated in Nanjing and came at such a time, aside from Zhang Ying, the Grand Secretary who had resigned from the cabinet to become Minister of Rites in Nanjing, no one else would fit the role.
“Fortunately you noticed this early. If it had been later, things would have been difficult.” Thinking of Du Wan who was currently confined to bed, Zhang Yue said to Zhang Bu, “For now, report these matters to your master first. He will know what to do. For such important matters, report directly to me. You don’t need to do anything for now—just stay vigilant.”
“Yes.”

Zhang Yue gave a few more instructions before seeing Zhang Bu to the door. Once the person had left, he held the piece of paper in his hand but did not return to his study. Instead, he ordered Liansheng, who remained outside, to lock the study properly, then slowly made his way toward the house along the corridor. If Chen Shan could pull such tricks even while in charge of the Inner Study Hall in the capital, how could Zhang Ying, who had been exiled to Nanjing, simply accept it? After Zhu Gaochi ascended the throne, he immediately brought Huang Huai into the cabinet, but Huang Huai retired at the beginning of the Xuande era. After Zhu Zhanji took the throne, he abolished the Hongwen Pavilion and brought Yang Pu into the cabinet. Yang Pu quietly managed to establish himself firmly, while the high-profile Zhang Ying and Chen Shan entered and left quickly—it was only natural they felt resentful. However, some things cannot be achieved just by feeling resentful!

The alleys of the Prince’s Mansion at night were unusually quiet, and the Princess of Chenliu’s residence also closed its doors early. Zhu Ning watched the two children fall asleep in the warm chamber before getting up to return to her own room next door. Seeing Mother Ying sitting by the lamp sewing, she stepped forward with a smile and said, “There are plenty of maids for sewing work. Why do you do it yourself, Mother? Don’t strain your eyes.”

“A princess like you is still doing sewing work these days. What’s the big deal if I do some work for the young masters?” Mother Feng smiled, biting off the thread end, then looked at the brightly colored underdress and said, “Summer is coming. Wearing such a bright-colored underdress will make them look even more like the golden boys and beautiful girls in paintings…”

Before she could finish speaking, Zhu Ning heard someone gently knocking on the door outside. She quickly called for them to come in. The maid entered, bowed, and then presented a letter with both hands, saying softly, “Princess, this was delivered to the city just before the curfew. It says that Princess Yiyin of Xingyang… has passed away.”

“My sixth brother-in-law?”

Zhu Ning was stunned upon hearing this. She then thought of her sister, Princess Xingyang, the only one among her sisters who had had a relatively happy marriage, and felt a sense of melancholy. Even such a fulfilling marriage couldn’t withstand the passage of time?