Chapter 119: A Beauty’s Advice

Apart from the emperor, everyone else is insignificant.
In times of chaos, such people might still find opportunities to stand out—like Zhu Yuanzhang, the founder of the Ming Dynasty, who rose from being a humble monk to rule the land. But in an era of prosperity when imperial power was at its peak, the chances for ordinary people to succeed were slim. Zhang Yue was carefully testing different paths, seeking additional supports.
In his view, Zhu Di and Zhu Zhanji were indeed supports, as was the crown prince he had yet to meet. Even Yang Shiqi, Yang Rong, and Du Zhen could serve as supports as well. Yet at that moment, none was more important than Duke Zhang Fu. If his surname had been anything other than Zhang, it might have been different, but since it was Zhang, he couldn’t allow the true pillar of the Zhang family to fall.
Zhang Yue was originally unaware of the setback the Zhang Fu father and son had encountered at the Chengtian Gate in the western palace the previous evening. But early that morning, after visiting Zhang Fu, he returned to his room only to find that it was Rong Shan—who still had half of his face swollen—who brought breakfast. After setting down the food, Rong Shan vividly described what had happened, his tone filled with undisguised schadenfreude.
Rong Shan had applied a cold towel to half of his face all night before going to bed. When he looked in the mirror upon waking, he still saw swelling on his cheek, which filled him with anger. Though he was indeed a servant in the Duke of Yingguo’s household, the household wasn’t under Zhang Fu’s control—so why did they dare to act arrogantly toward him? Hearing the rumors brought back by the purchasing officer that morning, he laughed.
“Even if Young Master Bin met a princess, he wouldn’t end up in such a miserable situation. But who asked him to pick on Princess Chenliu? The Prince of Zhou has eight sons and three daughters. Princess Chenliu was born in Yunnan and brought back to Kaifeng at the beginning of the Yongle era. She was raised like a boy and spoiled beyond measure—even the emperor doted on her more than on the other princesses. When the Prince of Zhou returned to Kaifeng, the emperor insisted that Princess Chenliu accompany him. Coincidentally, that’s when Second Master and Young Master Bin ran into this real troublemaker.”
When Zhang Yue first met Princess Chenliu, he had already found her bold and decisive, with a strong masculine demeanor. Now, after hearing Rong Shan’s account, he understood why she had spoken those words that day. After chatting a bit more, and after Rong Shan left, he glanced at the array of breakfast dishes with a strong northern flavor on the table, feeling a sense of familiarity.

Six items in total: eight-treasure steamed buns, butterfly rolls, sugar fried dough sticks, fatty noodle corners, jujube cakes, and sesame baked cakes, plus a large bowl of egg porridge that looked steaming and appetizing. While he was having breakfast, someone also brought Amber Qiuhen’s share—steamed buns and jujube cakes, along with a big bowl of scissors noodles. Qiuhen was used to eating noodles in the north and had grown tired of them in the south; after enjoying a hearty meal of noodles the previous night, she was overjoyed to see more noodles in the morning and quickly ate them up. Amber, on the other hand, was indifferent to either rice or noodles; after filling her stomach slightly, she went to serve Zhang Yue. Seeing him eat voraciously, she brought him two large bowls of porridge. After breakfast, thinking that Zhang Fu’s illness hadn’t improved, Zhang Yue decided to go to Du Zhen to gather some information. Since he was unfamiliar with Beijing, he had intended to ask Rong Shan for help, but remembering that there was no female household manager in the house—Zhang Fu, being meticulous by nature, hadn’t brought any concubines on this northern tour—and now with the Duke of Ying ill as well, things were even more chaotic, he decided to go straight to Rong Shan. “Young Master Yue, are you leaving too? I heard Young Master Bin is ill today, and the second master just left in a huff; I haven’t even had time to send someone after him.” Rong Shan emphasized the word “ill” deliberately before asking, “Who are you going to visit? Beijing is full of officials accompanying the emperor on this northern tour. If it weren’t for someone who knows the way well, it would be hard to find them. How about I find a smart attendant to guide you?” Zhang Yue was most worried about repeating the chaotic experience of his last visit to Du Zhen in Nanjing, when at least the person he was visiting had a fixed residence. Now, with the officials on this northern tour’s whereabouts unknown, he might waste a whole day if he searched randomly. So, at Rong Shan’s suggestion, he immediately agreed. When the lively young servant, named Zhao Cheng and a local of Beijing, was brought over by Rong Shan, Zhang Yue took a quick look at him and then mentioned the people he wanted to see today. “Lord Du? Scholar Xiao Yang? And Scholar Da Shen?” Zhao Cheng, who had been guiding people around ever since Duke Zhang Fu arrived, was very familiar with those powerful figures. Upon hearing these three names, he immediately showed great respect for Zhang Yue, bending his waist even further from his initial slight bow.

“Young Master Yue, everyone knows where these three gentlemen live. But to speak frankly, Lord Du and Scholar Yang often accompany the emperor and are usually not at home, so going there in person is likely to be a waste of time. As for Scholar Shen, since the emperor adores his calligraphy, he stays in the side palace at all times, ready to be summoned, so he’s probably not there either.”
Zhang Yue naturally believed this. However, thinking that there was nothing to do anyway and having no desire to study at the moment, he still left with Zhao Cheng, along with Lian Sheng, Lian Hu, and Peng Shisan—four of his personal guards. He originally didn’t want to be surrounded by so many people, but Peng Shisan’s question about what to do if they encountered a prince like the King of Hengshan left him speechless.
Du Zhen, Yang Rong, and Shen Du were all scholars from the Hanlin Academy. When they returned to Beijing, they stayed in a large courtyard. Compared to Duke Zhang Fu’s temporary residence, this courtyard was spacious but still housed six Hanlin Academy officials, including three cabinet ministers.
Just as Zhao Cheng had said, Zhang Yue didn’t spend much time looking for them but found nothing—no one there at all. He had only met Yang Rong and Shen Du once, so it didn’t matter if he couldn’t find them. But since Mingdi happened to be at home, he had no choice but to ask this familiar page to deliver a message to Du Zhen, before leaving the courtyard in disappointment.
Seeing Zhang Yue’s gloomy expression, Lian Sheng tried to start a conversation casually, “Young master, shall we take a stroll around Beijing?”
Peng Shisan, who had fought side by side with Duke Zhang Fu, was already in a bad mood seeing his master bedridden and unable to get up. He snapped angrily, “What strolling? Can’t you see that the third young master is worried about his father? I don’t understand—there are so many doctors in the Imperial Medical Academy, so why can’t they cure his illness?”
Being smaller than Peng Shisan, Lian Sheng didn’t dare argue with him verbally and looked embarrassed. Zhang Yue himself really had no mood to stroll around Beijing either and wondered where he should go. He couldn’t even see people like the emperor or the crown prince even if he wanted to, and aside from that, he didn’t seem to know anyone else.
After leaving the alley and onto the street, though he held the reins in one hand, he was still lost in thought. With countless nobles in the city, Beijing was now filled with all sorts of people. The streets were crowded with pedestrians and carts, and the sound of wheels was almost constant. Suddenly, he heard a voice that sounded quite familiar.
“Brother Yue, have you really come to Beijing?”

Looking up, Zhang Yue saw a carriage stopped beside him. The curtain of the carriage was pulled back slightly, revealing a surprised smiling face—it was Meng Min, the fourth young lady he had met at the Meng family’s residence last time. Remembering her graceful and cheerful demeanor during the poetry gathering, he couldn’t help but smile slightly. He called out “Fourth Sister” and rode forward.

“Dad said you were coming yesterday. He planned to send someone to invite you in a few days, but who would have thought I’d happen to meet you today?” Meng Min said, then glanced back and realized her carriage was blocking the way. She ordered the coachman to pull over. Once they stopped again, she pulled the curtain up a bit more and sighed, “Because the Duke of Ying has fallen ill, the emperor has been in a bad mood these days. I heard even Prince Zhao was reprimanded for indulging in drinking and music a few days ago. Good fortune will come to those who deserve it. Brother Yue, don’t worry too much. With the top doctors in the Imperial Medical Academy, the Duke of Ying will surely recover.”

Meng Min’s words not only comforted him but also revealed some more important information, which immediately struck a chord with Zhang Yue. With the capital still not moved to Beijing, Prince Zhao Zhu Gaosui remained the regional prince guarding Beijing, and Meng Xian, the commander of the guards in Changshan, was a powerful local figure. Having grown up in Beijing and now accompanying the northern inspection team, Meng Min was indeed well-informed.

At this moment, information was exactly what he lacked. After a brief hesitation, he mentioned how his departure and arrival coincided with the Jinyiwei’s actions. He had tried this as a last resort, but Meng Min, after a slight pause, shared her knowledge.

“I only heard a rough account from Dad. Initially, a certain Captain Chen demanded money from the people, so the emperor ordered him to be exiled to Jiaozhi. But a few days later, the crown prince in Nanjing, upon learning of this, decided to pardon him due to his past military achievements. It was originally a minor matter, but after someone brought it up to the emperor, he became furious. Not only was Captain Chen executed, but further investigation implicated Lord Liang and Lord Zhou, which is why they were brought to Beijing for interrogation.”

At this point, Meng Min lost her smile and showed concern, adding, “That’s all I know about this. These are major court affairs. Since you’re not an official yet, it’s better not to get involved too much. The situation is very complicated right now. If you get entangled, you might not be able to get out.”

Zhang Yue was still shaken by what had just been said when she heard Meng Min’s words and finally came to her senses. She quickly smiled and thanked her. The two exchanged a few more words, after which Meng Min mentioned that the Princess of Chenliu had invited her to visit Qingshou Temple for a celebration. After saying goodbye and lowering the carriage curtain to leave, she suddenly lifted it again.
“By the way, last time I overheard my father mention that the emperor is very worried because of the Duke of Yingguo’s illness. He once suggested to the Prince of Zhao the practice of sacrificing a part of one’s own flesh to serve one’s parents, saying it is an ancient form of filial piety that no one follows these days. Since the Duke of Yingguo’s condition shows no improvement, it’s very likely the emperor will visit him in person soon. You need to be extra careful.”