Chapter 163: Not a Single Mistake Allowed

Within the Jinan Prefecture were both the office of the prefect and the office of the Shandong Provincial Governor. The provincial governor held the second rank, while the prefect held the fourth rank—only a three-rank difference in status, yet a significant disparity in power. Although the provincial governor had extensive authority over finance, grain, and civil affairs in the province, he was assisted by counselors and deputy counselors, all of similar rank to him. If a new provincial governor took office without replacing these subordinates, it would naturally be difficult for him to make any impact.

Du Zhen had only been in office for half a year and had yet to sort out matters properly. Unexpectedly, he received an urgent letter from Zhang Yue, saying his family was coming. Thus, facing his wife and daughter again, though moved, he was mostly troubled. Fortunately, the house had been prepared in advance. Watching Qiu Shi happily arrange everything with Du Wan, he sighed deeply.

“Sir, I really couldn’t persuade my wife,” Zhang Yue said, seeing Du Zhen’s furrowed brows. “She insisted that husband and wife should support each other, and that if you didn’t bring your family, you might be criticized by subordinates. She also said she was very worried about the situation in Shandong and couldn’t sleep at night even in Beijing. I tried to persuade her but failed, so I had to escort them here myself.”

“That’s just my wife’s temperament. It’s not your fault.”

Du Zhen turned to Zhang Yue and nodded. “I never expected the emperor to assign you to Shandong, and moreover as the county magistrate of Anqiu. Along the way, you must have learned quite a bit. I won’t go into further details. I just want to tell you that though we are teacher and student, since we’re in the same place and you’re my subordinate, we must act impartially. It’s one thing to meet again after a long separation, but for future official duties, you should know how to behave.”

Realizing this was only proper, Zhang Yue quickly agreed. The teacher and student went to the study. As soon as Zhang Yue entered, he found it even simpler—or rather, shabbier—than Du’s residence in Beijing, which made him sigh even more. Du Zhen sat in the rosewood armchair behind his desk. After pondering for a moment, he didn’t sit in the chair below but stood by instead.

“I trust your character, but before truly taking that position, no one can tell what kind of governance skills you have. Naturally, it’s not easy to control those subordinates either. I have just three instructions for you: First, Anqiu is close to Denglai, so be vigilant regarding salt affairs; second, the people of Shandong bear extremely heavy corvée duties. With the Huitong River existing before and the Daqing River being dredged now, be prepared for uprisings among the people; third, and most importantly, this is the top priority of my assignment in Shandong—Jinyiwei has detected the rampant spread of the White Lotus Sect here, and the imperial court intends to eradicate this cancerous growth.”

Before Zhang Yue could respond, Du Zhen added with emotion, “Speaking of which, this new commander of Jinyiwei seems more dedicated than his predecessor, Ji Gang. Ji Gang would only go to great lengths to eliminate rivals by framing them, and you couldn’t rely on him for anything else. But as for the current Jinyiwei… take a look at this. It’s best you remember it well. I’ll burn this draft shortly.”

Taking the paper from Du Zhen, Zhang Yue read it from start to finish and immediately understood that this was the so-called intelligence from Jinyiwei. Thinking that Jinyiwei, which was usually used to investigate officials, could also be useful in this regard, he was intrigued and took the opportunity to ask, “Sir, did the emperor send this, or was it directly delivered by the Jinyiwei station in Shandong?”

“The previous reports were all sent by the emperor. Later, the emperor approved that if there were any updates, they should be sent to me directly by the Shandong station, saving me a trip. The emperor mentioned earlier that it was suggested by Commander Yuan of Jinyiwei. That’s good—no one else would dare propose having Jinyiwei assist. The emperor is busy with countless affairs and lacks the patience to go through these things, so it’s convenient now that they’re being sent to me. Since you’re new here, focus first on getting familiar with government affairs. There’s no need to rush into other matters—just keep them in mind.”

The teacher and student discussed some official matters further, then chatted briefly. Suddenly, Du Zhen remembered another thing, and a hint of a smile appeared on his usually stern face. “Speaking of which, your performance in the imperial examination wasn’t great, yet later you even engaged in a literary rivalry with someone? The emperor even ordered your essay to be sent over specifically, saying it was a wonderful piece worth appreciating together. After reading it, I had only one thought: if you could write such an excellent essay during the imperial examination, you would surely be the top scorer this time. If it were through the regular selection process, not even a common scholar could escape becoming a juren!”

These words made Zhang Yue feel extremely ashamed. As he tried to change the subject, he felt a heavy pressure on his shoulder. Looking up, he saw Du Zhen staring at him with bright, intense eyes.

“I’ve already told you before—coming from a wealthy family does give you an advantage, but since you’re pursuing the imperial examinations, the Duke of England can’t help you much. If you become the top scorer in these exams, people will doubt your achievements; if you become a Hanlin scholar, you’ll be under constant scrutiny. It’s better to take a step back and have broader prospects. You feigned illness during the previous selection process and wrote this excellent essay just in time. Once this candidate returns to his hometown and spreads the word about you, your reputation will spread naturally within a year, and no one will ever use the fact that you’re the Duke of England’s nephew to make an issue out of it! But being the magistrate of Anqiu is just a starting point—one mistake could mean the end, so not a single step can be wrong!”

As Du Zhen finished giving this advice, Zhang Yue was pondering its meaning when suddenly a cough was heard outside, followed by the sound of a signal gun.

“Master, the Left Councillor has arrived.”

“It’s Zuo Xuan from the Provincial Administration Office,” Du Zhen gently reminded Zhang Yue, then called out, “Please come in, Lord Zuo!”

With that, the door to the study was pushed open, and in came a middle-aged man with a somewhat prosperous appearance. He was about the same age as Du Zhen, but his facial features were quite different, with a warm smile always on his lips. After meeting Du Zhen, he glanced at Zhang Yue from head to toe, his smile widening even more.

“I just heard from the messengers outside that Master Du’s outstanding disciple has brought your family here. Young Zhang is so thoughtful at such a young age—truly, great teachers produce great students! Both his character and talent are top-notch!”

Zhang Yue had heard countless compliments in Beijing, and these two remarks fell far short of making him feel proud, so he remained calm as he stepped forward to greet them. When Zuo Xuan started talking to Du Zhen, he quietly stepped back a few inches but didn’t leave the study. After all, his stay here was limited, and since he was also an official from Shandong, there was no need to avoid any formalities.

Seeing that Du Zhen made no effort to send Zhang Yue away, treating it as normal, Zuo Xuan was surprised and couldn’t help but wonder what Du Zhen intended by bringing such a young man along. With the previous Right Provincial Administrator having left office, it made sense for him, as a Councillor, to take his place, and it was also reasonable for a new official to be sent from the capital. What annoyed him was that the newcomer was merely a sixth-rank scholar from the Hanlin Academy—something he found hard to accept.

By now, he had already labeled Du Zhen as someone who appointed relatives to positions in his mind, yet his tone grew increasingly friendly. After discussing a few official matters, he said to Zhang Yue with a smile, “Young Zhang, you’ve really worked hard escorting Du’s family here. Jinan is a famous city; later, the officials there can show you around so you can experience the charm of Shandong.”

“Lord Zuo is very kind, but he can’t stay in Jinan Prefecture for long and must leave early tomorrow morning,” Du Zhen said, looking at Zhang Yue and then glancing at Zuo Xuan before giving calm instructions. “Previously, because of your wife’s presence, you lost a lot of time. Now we need to hurry. In my opinion, you should take half of the men and head ahead first, while the luggage and those maids can travel more slowly—under no circumstances should we miss the deadline. You must rest after all this travel so you can continue on tomorrow.”

Seeing Zhang Yue finally leave, Zuo Xuan was utterly confused. Once he was gone, he asked tentatively, “Lord Du, you just said you’re taking office. Does that mean Young Zhang didn’t come to Shandong just to escort your family?”

“That was just incidental!” Du Zhen had dealt with Zuo Xuan for half a year since taking office and understood his subtle intentions well. He explained, “He passed the imperial examinations this year, and the Ministry of Personnel appointed him as the magistrate of Anqiu. He’s here to take up his post. There’s a deadline for taking office, so he naturally can’t delay any longer.”

Zuo Xuan was surprised inwardly but smiled and offered a few polite compliments on the surface. It wasn’t until he left the study and arrived at the front office that his expression turned serious. A county magistrate was, after all, a minor official, insignificant. That this young man had become a county magistrate so early didn’t necessarily mean he could control his subordinates. Yet Du Zhen hadn’t concealed their teacher-student relationship, nor had the Ministry of Personnel avoided any implications when appointing him—this was quite puzzling. Last time, his informant had said Du Zhen had an important imperial mission; now there was also this young county magistrate of Anqiu. Could there be some extraordinary task as well?

Zhang Yue couldn’t control what others thought. Although he could see that Du Zhen, the new governor, seemed to be having a difficult time in his role, it was beyond his capacity as a seventh-rank official to help. Back in his room, he took a thorough bath, changed into clean clothes, and after pondering for a while, he gathered the three maids accompanying him.

“Tomorrow, Peng Shisan and I will head ahead with four attendants and two servants. The rest of us will go to Anqiu with you. Although the journey ahead is peaceful for now, things might change later. So whenever we enter a city, don’t stay overnight in the countryside—it’s better to delay a bit if necessary. Lingxi, you’re the oldest here and have the most experience, so you’ll take overall charge.”

Qiuhen opened her mouth to speak, but Amber pulled at her sleeve, forcing her to nod reluctantly in agreement. Lingxi, though personally chosen by the Gu family to accompany them, never acted arrogantly in front of Qiuhen and Amber, treating them all as sisters. Realizing that someone needed to take charge when traveling, and since she was indeed the oldest, she agreed immediately. Then, along with Amber, she prepared Zhang Yue’s luggage. Considering that it was too rushed to carry heavy items like suitcases, the three maids whispered among themselves and selected a few simple sets of clothes for changing, along with official robes and black gauze hats, packing everything into four bundles. The careful Amber, worried about potential problems on the road, hurriedly cut two corners from Zhang Yue’s robe and sewed four gold coins into them.