Chapter 919: How Many Have a Sense of Public Interest?

Since the beginning of this year, there have been earthquakes first in Nanjing, followed by ones in Beijing. Over two months, there were no fewer than seven or eight earthquakes of varying sizes. Most of these only caused buildings to shake without causing injuries, but the panic they induced was significant. Adding to this, similar incidents had occurred at the beginning of the Xuande era, so the long-dormant debate about moving the capital resurfaced among some officials. After all, in everyone’s eyes, Jinling was the foundation of the Ming Dynasty and far more important than the current capital.

This issue had already caused a great stir during the fire in the Three Great Halls. Later, censors were punished and exiled, and the matter was dropped. This time, it didn’t generate as much noise. Zhu Zhanji simply rebuked a few people sternly, and the issue was suppressed. But soon after, accusations arose about officials in Nanjing neglecting their duties. Zhao Jin was accused of submitting incorrect documents after getting drunk, while Li Qing was criticized for failing to control a group of unruly soldiers despite being in charge of the Ministry of War. Moreover, a particularly bold censor directly cited content from two private letters. Suddenly, those officials from Nanjing, who had long been out of the spotlight, reappeared before the court officials.

In Nanjing, aside from a few ministers, there were also several retired senior ministers like Zhang Ben and Guo Zi, making it a true haven for retirement. Compared to those who were already idle, Li Qing was disliked by the young emperor for repeatedly advising him to reduce hunting. As a result, there were more accusations against him than against Zhao Jin. After all, Li Qing had worked in several departments such as the Ministry of Works and the Ministry of War and was known for his strictness, which had offended many people. Unexpectedly, after countless petitions reached the palace, there was no further action. Days later, when they finally came out through the Grand Secretariat, they contained many harsh imperial comments. As for the most prominent censor initially, he was directly demoted to Qiongzhou Prefecture.

Just as the newcomers wanted to overthrow the old ones to secure positions for themselves, the King of Yue did not live long enough to see that day arrive. He never imagined that before his palace was even completed, he would be forced to leave in sorrow. On the day he went to the palace to bid farewell to Empress Dowager Zhang, he bowed repeatedly and shed tears, but all he got in return was his mother’s shaking head and sighs. Eventually, he had no choice but to leave the palace under the setting sun, his long shadow stretching behind him. Coincidentally, as he approached the East Hua Gate, he encountered Zhang Yue, who was coming out of the Wenhua Hall. The moment their eyes met, sparks flew between them.

Compared to the princes of the Tang and Song dynasties, the vassal kings of the Ming dynasty enjoyed far greater status and privileges. Therefore, Zhang Yue bowed respectfully and stepped aside to make way. Yet, the King of Yue showed no intention of leaving and instead walked over, smiling and saying, “Lord Zhang, it’s quite coincidental—your name contains the character ‘Yue,’ and so does my title. I wonder if it’s true that one ‘Yue’ cannot coexist with another. You’ve only been back from Jiaozhi for less than a year, yet I’m already being sent to serve as a vassal king.”

With eunuchs behind the King of Yue and a guide accompanying Zhang Yue, it was not appropriate to exchange such tense words at that moment. After thinking for a while, he remembered what Yang Shiqi and the other scholars had said when they chose his courtesy name. So, he calmly replied, “Your Highness, that’s just a joke. If we set aside the geographical meaning of the character ‘Yue,’ there’s a saying that extremes lead to reversal—when water overflows, it spills. The character ‘Yue’ thus implies that too much is as bad as too little. That’s why Grand Secretary Yang and the two Scholars Shen chose the name ‘Yuanjie’ for me, hoping I would be consistent and self-disciplined. So, there’s no such thing as one ‘Yue’ not allowing another.”

In terms of knowledge, although the King of Yue now had two tutors and started studying at an early age, he was originally a prince of noble birth and wouldn’t invest much effort in such matters. Thus, caught off guard by Zhang Yue’s reply, he could only glare at him fiercely before saying sarcastically, “Lord Zhang, it’s rare to see someone of your young age hold a third-rank official position, both in history and today. But being too prominent makes you a target for criticism. Please be more lenient in governing, and avoid losing the way of kindness and forgiveness.”

Of course, Zhang Yue accepted this with a smile. Yet, as he watched from afar the King of Yue leaving the palace surrounded by a large group of eunuchs, he knew in his heart that unless something drastic happened, this emperor’s full brother would never return. He had heard from historical records that there had been complications when Emperor Yingzong ascended the throne—everyone said the empress dowager wanted to install King Xiang, but in the end it was still Yingzong who became emperor. Under the Ming dynasty’s system, a young ruler could never bring any positive change to the realm, so the top priority was not so much reform as ensuring Zhu Zhanji could survive.

He had already written to Feng Yuanming, but the problem was he wasn’t sure if he could find this man. He also didn’t know if this former imperial physician, who now practiced medicine and saved lives in the vast grasslands and was even hailed as a sage doctor, had any groundbreaking insights.

The exchange of words between the King of Yue and Zhang Yue, having taken place in the palace, quickly reached Zhu Zhanji’s ears. To others, those words might have seemed like the King of Yue’s dissatisfaction with Zhang Yue or his resentment over being exiled from the capital, but the emperor certainly wouldn’t see it that simply. Not long ago, the Eastern Depot reported that Chen Shan had shown some suspicious behavior during the upheavals at the end of last year. Though he hadn’t summoned Chen Shan for a face-to-face interrogation, he had kept a close eye on him. These days, there were continuous accusations from the Nanjing Censorate. After filing those reports, he ordered an investigation, which led to Zhang Ying. He was deeply disappointed.

Among the lecturers in the Eastern Palace back then, aside from the two who had been imprisoned earlier, Chen Shan and Zhang Ying were his favorites. So after ascending the throne, he transferred them to the Cabinet. Unexpectedly, before they could gain a firm footing, they clashed with senior officials like Yang Shiqi over policy matters and even engaged in secret struggles. Disgusted by those who prioritized personal interests over public duty, he quickly ordered them to leave the Cabinet—sending one to Nanjing and the other in charge of the Inner Study. Yet, to his surprise, the two never gave up.

“How many people in the world truly have an impartial heart?”

With a sigh, he said to Wang Jin, who was reporting the matter, “Send someone to Nanjing with a message for Zhang Ying. Tell him I still remember his service as a tutor and ask him not to force me to do something painful. Also, go see Zhang Yue and tell him I didn’t enjoy shooting arrows during the Dragon Boat Festival. I’ll go hunting in the Western Garden on a chosen day—let him get ready too. As the vice minister of war, he should show what he’s capable of. I heard those martial arts students have made some progress—select twenty of them; I want to see their skills!”

Wang Jin quickly agreed, then remembered the request he had made to this person when he met Zhang Yue before. He hurriedly added with a smile, “There’s one more thing. We’ve almost finalized the reclassification of the twenty-four yamen offices with Eunuch Fan, Eunuch Jin, and Eunuch Lu. But recently, Eunuch Zheng from the Imperial Eunuch Bureau fell seriously ill. Although the imperial physicians keep visiting him, it seems he won’t last long. You should know that Eunuch Zheng was one of Emperor Taizong’s most trusted officials, having made outstanding contributions during his overseas expeditions. Perhaps…”
“Zheng He…” Zhu Zhanji suddenly recalled the memorial submitted by Zhang Yue earlier. The reason it hadn’t been approved yet was because Zhang Yue had suggested establishing a formal system for overseas voyages, just like the military system, and he was worried about the reaction of the court officials, so he had delayed dealing with it. Now that Wang Jin only mentioned Zheng He, he thought for a moment before nodding and saying, “Zheng He has spent many years traveling abroad and deserves recognition for his merits. Grant him the title of Sanbao Eunuch, and have the Cabinet draft an imperial edict.”
Upon hearing this, Wang Jin hurriedly thanked him. When he left the Qianqing Palace, he felt quite excited. Of course, there was always rivalry among eunuchs, but the fact that a dying man like Zheng He could be granted such a high title was surely an inspiration to others. Moreover, since Zhang Yue was willing to speak up for Zheng He, with whom he didn’t have a close relationship, it went without saying he would do the same for others.
“Eunuch Zheng, I only hope you can pull through this time… The affairs at sea still need you to guide the younger generation in the palace.”
Without the Inner Study, the other eunuchs didn’t have the same luck as them and could only try to get a position by joining one of the fleets going overseas.
Zhang Yue was also very happy when he received the news from Wang Jin. After Wang Jin made sure he had conveyed all the necessary information—stating that he needed to visit Zheng’s residence first to deliver good news—he even saw him off to the door. Only after they left did he return to his room, stretch out thoroughly, and send someone to the Military Academy to ask Shi Heng to select twenty men to prepare for a hunting trip in the Western Garden in the future. Then he set off for Xu Kuo’s place.
As soon as he entered the house, he saw that one wall in the large room was empty. Xu Kuo was directing several servants to paste something on the wall. Curious, he stepped forward and realized it was a scaled-down sea map. His eyes lit up, and he quickly asked, “Old Xu, when was this drawn?”

“When? I found this in a box. It’s not the latest chart they brought back this time. I just thought it was a shame to let such a simplified map go to waste, so I hung it up. I never expected those foreign tribes to be so small—each one barely the size of a palm. No wonder they fled at the sight of the Divine Might ships.”

Zhang Yue, having seen satellite maps from later times, knew full well that this chart was quite rough and far from accurate. But he knew nothing about drawing scales, directions, and such things. He couldn’t possibly use such unreliable directions to deceive others. So, seeing Xu Kuo’s complex emotions as he looked at the map, he was relieved that the civil officials of today were still easy to persuade. Even someone as aged as Xu Kuo could accept Western concepts. Thinking about the seeds sent by Wang Jinghong, which he had already distributed for trial planting—among them seemed to be corn and potatoes—he still couldn’t be sure whether America had indeed been discovered. He gazed at the huge map in thought.

“The Four Departments of the Ministry of War—Geography, Imperial Carriages, Military Selection, and Armories. Although the Espionage Department is under the Geography Department, in terms of actual responsibilities, it’s already separate. I think it could be separated in the future,” Zhang Yue said, thinking that he would eventually leave the Ministry of War. He then said to Xu Kuo beside him, “Moreover, if the Divine Might ships and the Divine Might Guard could become established as systems, lasting permanently like military garrisons, I think these two should be separated from ordinary military selection and armory departments, not placed under a single department.”

“Are you so confident you can persuade the emperor and the ministers? You know, these two already face a lot of criticism. Not to mention setting up a separate department within the Ministry of War, which would make them official systems. Even the Ministry of Revenue would think you’re meddling. After all, one more official means one more salary… though it probably isn’t much money!”

Xu Kuo and Zhang Yue had become quite close, so he joked at this moment. Seeing Zhang Yue seriously considering it, he cleared his throat and said, “If Minister Huang of the Ministry of Revenue could stay in office a few more years, that would be good, but unfortunately, he’s also getting old. Initially, the emperor removed Jian Xia from his duties because of his age, allowing him to focus on major strategies and only attend council meetings. I’m afraid he won’t be able to stay in office much longer and will also be removed. But after spending so much time in Jiaozhi, he doesn’t know as much about court affairs as others. If he’s removed, he might have to go to Nanjing. You’d better discuss matters with him now, before it’s too late to plan.”

“What? Has Elder Xu heard some rumors?”

“It’s not really any big deal. The day I went to the Ministry of Revenue to handle some affairs, Minister Huang saw me out of the office, but he stumbled and almost fell. Later, a scribe said that Minister Huang had been in Jiaozhi for so long that his legs were weak, and his body could hardly adapt to the climate in the north. It’s fine in the heat, but he probably won’t be able to endure the cold. As you know, the morning court sessions are extremely grueling—cold in winter and hot in summer; those with poor health can’t hold up.”
So, it’s likely that the position of Minister of Revenue will be vacant again?
Zhang Yue had a very high opinion of Huang Fu. Yet, at the thought of an elderly man, shaky and of advanced age, having to handle the complicated affairs of the Ministry of Revenue, and still attending court with them young people regardless of weather, he couldn’t help shaking his head. No matter how strong one’s physique might be, spending over a decade in Jiaozhi would likely wear it down completely. Only someone like Yang Shiqi could keep going day after day, as if tireless.
After discussing military household affairs with Xu Kuo for a while, Zhang Yue finally took his leave. When it was time to leave the office, as soon as he stepped outside, he saw the man standing there, smiling and holding a horse. Surprised, he immediately walked over happily, and the man quickly jumped down from the horse. The two exchanged glances, but considering they were in front of the bustling offices of the six ministries, they only exchanged a few words before returning to the office to complete paperwork and other procedures before leaving together. It wasn’t until they entered Wugong Hutong and dismounted in front of Du’s residence that they reached out to each other—four hands clasped tightly.
“You’re finally back!”
“I am back. I almost froze to death! Yuanjie, let’s have a good meal tonight. I must get you and your father-in-law drunk. My tolerance for alcohol has really improved!”