Chapter 123: The Imperial Steward

When Zhang Fei returned on horseback with his entourage, he found the entire Qingshui Hutong filled with burly men standing like nails, which filled him with shock. As the commander of the Shence Wei, he had often accompanied the emperor before and knew these must be the imperial guards. Realizing that the emperor had secretly come to check on him while he was out visiting old acquaintances to build connections, he was filled with remorse. He quickly dismounted and rushed inside.

Yet, since the emperor was present, he couldn’t enter as casually as usual. Multiple searches were conducted inside and outside. When he finally arrived in the inner courtyard, he saw the Jinyi Wei administering corporal punishment. Seeing his son groaning under the heavy sticks, his mind seemed to explode.

Then, Zhang Fei finally saw Zhu Di standing on the steps. Under that sharp, cutting gaze, he felt as though all his schemes had been seen through, leaving him even more uneasy. Despite the scorching heat, he felt cold back and trembling legs. After barely suppressing the urge to shake, he stepped forward quickly and knelt down, bowing deeply. He didn’t notice Zhu Zhanji, nor Zhang Yue standing beside him.

“Your servant did not know the emperor had arrived, which is why it took so long to return. Please forgive me, Your Majesty.”

“Forgive you?” Zhu Di’s lips curled slightly in mockery. “You said you were coming to Beijing to visit the Duke of Yingguo when asking for leave from the crown prince. But once in Beijing, you spent far more time outside than at home! I really don’t understand—you neglect your seriously ill brother and fail to teach your own son, yet you find time to associate with those military officials and nobles! They say one should sacrifice oneself for one’s parents. I wondered if the Duke of Yingguo’s relatives had such filial piety, but it seems you don’t even bother to put on a show for others!”

Zhang Fei was sweating profusely. The groaning sounds from behind him continued, increasing his fear. All he could do was remove his hat and keep bowing, pleading for forgiveness. He had no idea what his son had done to anger the emperor to the point of ordering corporal punishment—clearly more than ten or twenty blows.

At this moment, Zhu Di’s words became even more harsh: “Since you have no intention of taking care of your elder brother, then there’s no need for you to stay in Beijing and wander around. Go back to Nanjing and properly serve as the commander of the Shencewei! I have taught your son a lesson today. If you still fail to know when to advance or retreat, I will have to teach you a proper lesson in place of your deceased father! This is the residence granted to the Duke of Yingguo, not a place for such heartless beasts to indulge in lust during the day. Take your son and get out now!”
Zhu Zhanji had seen Zhu Di lose his temper countless times and was used to it, but Zhang Yue was witnessing such a scene for the first time. Seeing Zhang Fu, who was usually arrogant, bowing his head in submission with a blackened forehead, and Zhang Bin barely conscious from the beating, even though he loathed this father-son pair deeply, his pent-up anger gradually subsided.
After forty lashes, Zhang Bin fainted again, his clothes already stained bright red. Zhang Fu’s youngest son was still in his infancy, and his favorite was this eldest son. Seeing him in such a state naturally pained him, but the fierce scolding earlier had already terrified him, leaving him too afraid to say anything. He could only timidly step forward to express his gratitude, not daring to lift his head, before ordering his attendants to carry his son away. Throughout the whole ordeal, he didn’t even notice Zhang Yue standing behind Zhu Zhanji.
It wasn’t until Zhang Fu took Zhang Bin away that Zhang Yue realized that despite being beaten forty times, no blood had appeared on the ground—only a few faint stains on the vermilion-colored wooden staff of the Jinyiwei. He was secretly amazed by this efficient method.
However, since Zhu Di had spoken, and given that the father-son pair valued face, they would likely rush back to Nanjing by boat overnight. Now, not only would he have peace from their presence, but the area around him would also be quiet.
“Zhang Yue!”
Hearing this sudden call, Zhang Yue tensed up and quickly stepped forward, bowing deeply. “What orders does Your Majesty have?”
“I have sent Zhang Fu and Zhang Bin away. Now, with the Duke of Yingguo, only you remain as a relative. You must take good care of him,” Zhu Di commanded firmly, his brows furrowed. “Your letter to the Duke of Yingguo’s wife was excellent. Continue to do as you did. In the future, I intend to move the capital to Beijing, and this residence will become the Duke of Yingguo’s home. Since there’s no master now, you must take good care of it. If you lack enough servants, I will grant you more. Anyone who disobeys can be punished or dismissed at your discretion. In short, I hope to see the Duke of Yingguo recover soon and have a stable residence!”
Zhang Yue had anticipated this and immediately replied, “I shall obey the order!”

Zhu Di nodded slightly before falling into thought. “As for this successor to the title of Duke…”
“Grandfather, Zhang Yue just mentioned that the Duke of Ying is in the prime of his life, so there’s no need to rush regarding a successor,” Zhu Zhanji stepped forward with a smile. “Grandfather once said the Duke of Ying has great fortune and a bright star guiding him—how could such a minor illness affect such a renowned general? Even King Wen had children at eighty; I believe as long as the Duke of Ying gets through this ordeal, he will surely have descendants.”
Zhu Di turned to look at Zhu Zhanji in surprise, then glanced at Zhang Yue, and a pleased smile appeared on his face. The fierce anger from earlier had vanished, along with his sharp, cutting remarks. He decided not to discuss the matter any further. Seeing that it was getting late, and since he had made an exception by coming here specifically, he gave Zhang Yue a few more instructions before ordering them to return to the palace.
Zhang Yue naturally escorted him to the door. During his last audience at Yang Shiqi’s house, Zhu Di had strictly forbidden any accompaniment, so he hadn’t seen the emperor’s incognito procession. Now he realized there was no luxurious carriage outside at all. Zhu Di, as the emperor, skillfully mounted an exceptionally fine white horse, while Zhu Zhanji also mounted his own horse without needing guards to help. The accompanying guards, well-trained, divided into four groups—front, back, left, and right—to surround the two of them as they rushed off at full speed.
Rong Shan stood nearby, unable to help but exclaim, “All these years later, the emperor still retains his martial spirit—what a blessing for our Great Ming!”
Zhang Yue nodded in agreement, but inwardly he thought that after becoming emperor, Zhu Di had launched two northern expeditions, with a third planned in the future. At least in terms of martial prowess, he could be considered a hero among emperors. How could anyone have imagined that in later generations, Great Ming would be seized by the minor Jurchens? He couldn’t help but look back toward the depths of the courtyard and sigh deeply—although those two had been driven away, he really had no idea whether the Duke of Ying, Zhang Fu, would be able to overcome this crisis.
That summer, although the Yellow River still flooded, the Kaifeng area was spared further disasters, and there were fewer displaced people in the city. With the triennial imperial examinations held in Kaifeng, the inns and restaurants in the city were filled with scholars from various parts of Henan. Literati gathered there day and night to exchange ideas, and the noise was almost enough to shake the city. Speaking of the new educational commissioner for Henan, it was the famous Scholar Shen—any scholar skilled in regular script was overjoyed at the news.
“Scholar Shen’s calligraphy is elegant and powerful, renowned throughout the land. It seems to convey the essence of rocks and stones. With him as the examiner, Brother Liu is truly lucky. Your handwriting, after years of practice, is truly remarkable!”

“No, no, the provincial examination naturally focuses on essays. How could I compare to Brother Bi?”
“I really didn’t expect Scholar Shen to be assigned as the educational supervisor of Henan!”
“In the future, if the scholars from Henan who pass this examination claim to be his students, it will be a great honor for them!”
Hearing these voices—some full of pride, some pretending to be humble, some overjoyed—both youths at the table beside the railing wore gloomy expressions. The older one snorted coldly and muttered, “Third brother said he wanted to come back to take the provincial examination, but now he’s gone to Beijing. He’s missed this opportunity! It’s hard to understand. Doesn’t the eldest uncle have his own brothers and nephews? Why does it have to be third brother?”
“Second brother, third brother had no choice. After all, the eldest uncle fell ill suddenly. He’s done so much for our family; we can’t be ungrateful, right?” The younger one glanced at the bustling streets outside and thought of his time in Nanjing. Then, smiling, he changed the subject. “I heard that the eldest aunt and eldest sister sent word, saying they’ve found suitable matches for first brother and second brother. By the time you get married, third brother will surely be back!”
These two brothers were Zhang Qi and Zhang Jiu. Today, the new prefect of Kaifeng took office, and they were sent by their grandmother, Lady Gu, to offer their congratulations and a modest gift. They ended up staying for a long time. Seeing it was still early, they found a teahouse to sit in. As they watched a group of scholars discussing the provincial examination, Zhang Qi naturally thought of Zhang Yue. When Zhang Jiu brought up marriage, Zhang Qi immediately frowned, suddenly remembering his unfortunate elder brother.
“If it weren’t for the Jin family’s betrayal, my elder brother would have gotten married by now!”
Speaking of this, Zhang Jiu felt embarrassed. Firstly, it was because his father, Zhang Xin, had been taken away by the Jinyiwei, and secondly, the head of the Jin family, Feng Ning, was his aunt. Because of the Jin family’s decision to cancel the marriage, his mother suffered under his grandmother’s anger, and things only improved recently. Naturally, he hated the Jin family even more, along with his two cousins.
Zhang Qi wasn’t good at reading people’s expressions. Suddenly, he remembered another thing and asked in a low voice, “By the way, Xiao Si, do you remember what grandmother mentioned? It seemed she said she wanted to move out of Kaifeng and live in Beijing.”
Zhang Jiu frowned thoughtfully for a moment before saying thoughtfully, “I heard the old steward mention that grandmother seems to have such plans.”

“It’s not seems, it’s certain. Kaifeng is right by the Yellow River. Although water management is convenient, the Henan region is still quite poor. Although our Zhang family has been rooted here for a hundred years, there have been more and more floods in recent years. Besides, since both my father and second uncle are officials, and my third uncle might pass the imperial examinations this time, it’s only right to move our family to Beijing before the capital is relocated. Still, Kaifeng is where our ancestral home and ancestral hall are located. Even if we move away, we will still return there to pay respects to our ancestors in the future.”
At these words, a trace of unmistakable excitement appeared on Zhang Qi’s face. His elder brother had already made achievements on the battlefield, while he was still staying at home. How could this go on? He had mastered such excellent martial arts skills not to live a comfortable life at home!