Chapter 273: Knowing Good from Evil Is Conscience

Although he liked to join in the excitement, Xu Sansheng, the postmaster of Qingzhou, had no interest in watching executions. Most of the 500 soldiers from the imperial army lived in the barracks near Qingzhou Guard, but how could such an important envoy go without guards? Thus, he even had to vacate his own house to accommodate these soldiers. Coupled with rising expenses for food, supplies, and firewood, he had to use his status as an envoy to plead for more resources and keep track of all expenses meticulously—truly swamped with work.

In the evening, after finally finishing his accounts, he stretched with relief. Pulling back the curtain and stepping out of the office, he immediately saw two servants standing in a corner of the courtyard, whispering to each other with their backs to him. Though these were experienced workers, he instinctively tiptoed closer.

“He always seemed kind to others, but who would have thought he was so ruthless! I even asked you to help me lie by pretending I went to the city to watch the execution—almost got killed in the process. You have no idea how horrible it was. Ten times in a row, the executioner’s blade left notches in the head… Ugh, just eat my share of food tonight; I can’t eat anything right now!”

“Was it that scary? It’s just beheading—how can it compare to those public executions a few years ago? Those were brutal, with people being torn apart piece by piece. You even cheered back then—why are you such a coward now?”

“Tch! Old Pei, who went with me to watch, is even worse than me. He ran away after half the time and ended up vomiting violently. He’s still bedridden! Luckily you didn’t go; otherwise, you’d be in the same state!”

As they were whispering, a loud shout came from behind them: “I’m busy running around all day, and you dare slack off? Damn it, whoever went to watch the execution will have their wages deducted!”

Hearing this, the two servants panicked like rats seeing a cat. They turned around, begging for mercy. The one who had sneaked out that afternoon confessed everything under pressure. Just then, there was a commotion outside—the envoy had returned. The three in the courtyard immediately stopped chatting and rushed to greet him.

After struggling all afternoon, Lu Feng rushed back to his room as soon as he arrived and ordered that no one disturb him. Although Zhang Yue managed to exchange a few words with Xu Sansheng, the calm composure he had shown earlier was gone from his face, which turned slightly blue. Hearing that dinner had been brought to his room, he nodded indifferently and also ordered that no one should enter the courtyard that night.

Liansheng and Lianhu were forced to stay at the inn by Zhang Yue that afternoon. Now, Liansheng pulled back the curtain to let Zhang Yue in, complaining, “Young master, you’re back! It’s such a rare occasion, yet you refuse to take us with you. You insist on leaving us in this damned inn! Even the servants here have gone out to see the excitement, but us…”

Before he could finish speaking, he saw Zhang Yue rush over to a copper basin stand, dig into his throat, and start vomiting violently. Though he had plenty of complaints, he was stunned by what he saw.

Lianhu, standing nearby, smelled the sour stench filling the room and saw Zhang Yue’s pale face, immediately realizing something was wrong. He quickly handed another copper basin to Liansheng and ordered firmly, “Elder brother, go get a basin of cold water right away! Remember, don’t tell anyone anything’s wrong with the young master. Bring the water in quickly!”

After sending Liansheng out, Lianhu, ignoring the foul smell, rushed to Zhang Yue’s back to help him ease his nausea. He then poured a cup of hot tea and forced it down Zhang Yue’s throat. When Zhang Yue seemed to have nothing more to vomit, Lianhu helped him sit at the east end of the kang and propped up the pillow and backrest firmly.

By then, Liansheng had brought in a basin full of cold water, not knowing where to put it. Lianhu reminded him, “Quickly take that basin outside and bury the contents with dirt. Be careful not to let anyone see it!”

Annoyed, Liansheng placed the basin in a corner, covered his nose, and carried the filthy contents outside, muttering, “You know how to flatter people. I do all the dirty work while you just give orders!”

At that moment, Lianhu didn’t hear his elder brother’s grumbling. He quickly wrung out a cold towel and wiped Zhang Yue’s face. Seeing Zhang Yue take a deep breath and show signs of recovery, he was both surprised and relieved. He immediately poured another cup of scalding hot tea. This time, without needing to be told, Zhang Yue reached out to take it.

“Young master, what’s going on…?”

“Do you know why I didn’t want to take you two brothers with me this afternoon?”

Lian Hu had always been smarter than his brother. With a quick thought, he replied astutely, “I only know that when the young master does something, there must be his own reasons for it. It’s surely for the good of us two brothers.”
“If you go, you’ll either embarrass yourselves on the spot or end up like me, embarrassed later… Tonight, I wonder how many people in Qingzhou will have nightmares…”
At that moment, Zhang Yue closed his eyes, and the bloody execution ground appeared before him. The intense smell of blood was almost unbearable. Throughout the entire afternoon, he didn’t even realize how many times he had sweated profusely, nor could he tell whether it was from heat or fear. Fortunately, the weather was so hot that everyone was in the same condition, so his soaked blue robe didn’t stand out at all. Still, he was surprised that his stiff legs could carry him back to the room.
Indeed, when pushed to a desperate situation, a person’s potential is endless.
By now, Lian Sheng had returned to the room with a clean copper basin. Seeing that Zhang Yue’s complexion had improved slightly, he quickly set down the basin and stepped forward, asking in a low voice, “Young master, I spoke wrongly just now. Are you feeling better now? Dinner must have cooled down by now. Would you like me to take it to the kitchen to warm it up before eating?”
“No need. I have no appetite.”
Waving his hand in response, Zhang Yue finally regained some strength. If it weren’t for his immense composure, he would have wanted to run away like Lu Feng during the execution, or even collapsed halfway through. With so many people watching at that time, he could only endure by forcing himself through.
The common people had no idea that it was the emperor who committed the killings, nor would they know that he was merely a pawn. Under the pressure of public opinion, no one would ever forget that he was responsible for over four hundred deaths. His once-good reputation could instantly turn into a notorious reputation for being a mass killer. Truly worthy of being Emperor Yongle Zhu Di, who seized the throne by force from his nephew—his methods were truly ruthless!
“Tell the kitchen not to bring any meat or greasy dishes these days. All meals should be light.”
Both Lian Sheng and Lian Hu knew Zhang Yue wasn’t the kind of person who avoided meat. Hearing this order, they exchanged glances. Thinking back to his reaction earlier, they naturally realized it was a consequence of his killings. If their young master, who wasn’t exactly timid, had been reduced to this state, just imagine how brutal the execution must have been.

After bathing and changing, he told Lian Sheng and Lian Hu to go to bed by themselves. Zhang Yue stood up and headed straight to the inner room. Naturally, this Qingzhou post station had no study or similar facilities; all the furnishings were merely for officials passing by to rest. Thus, aside from the bed against the wall, there was only a simple desk in the room, with the four essential writing tools serving purely practical purposes. Unable to eat or sleep at the moment, he sat down at the desk, first grinding some dark ink in an inkstone, then casually picking up a sheet of paper.

“Without goodness or evil, there is only the innate nature; with goodness or evil, there are actions. Knowing good from evil is conscience; doing good and eliminating evil is the pursuit of truth.”

After writing this sentence, he felt the anger building in his chest ease slightly. He then began recalling many famous sayings by Master Yangming, which he once knew by heart, and wrote them down one by one.

“No disaster is greater than taking credit for others’ achievements; no crime is greater than hiding others’ virtues; no evil is deeper than exploiting those beneath one; no humiliation is greater than forgetting one’s own shame. When all four exist, disaster is complete.”

“It is easy to defeat bandits in the mountains, but difficult to defeat the bandits within one’s heart.”

“Those who aspire to become sages yet seek teachings other than those of Confucius and Mencius are like those who abandon the brightness of the sun and moon to seek faint light from fireflies—how absurd!”

“……”

He wrote down everything he could remember in one go, and then copied *Instructions to the Students at Longchang* three more times. Only when his wrists ached and the stack of paper on the desk was used up did he put down the pen and look satisfactorily at his tiny handwriting. Though it couldn’t compare to the masterful calligraphy of the Shen brothers, among the younger generation, his own handwriting was quite accomplished, a testament to Du Zhen’s strict guidance in the past.

Although he felt neither sleepy nor hungry now, Zhang Yue was much more energetic than when he first entered. He got up and left the inner room. Seeing that Lian Sheng and Lian Hu hadn’t returned to their room but were dozing off on the kang, he didn’t wake them either. He pulled back the curtain, stepped outside, and descended the steps. The moon shone brightly in the sky, and a cool breeze blew. Having just written in the room and sweated profusely, he decided to practice boxing in the courtyard. After completing most of a set, he heard a voice behind him.

“Sir, practicing boxing so late—could it be that you’re troubled and can’t relieve it?”

Hearing this, Zhang Yue stopped. Seeing Liu Da standing at the door, he raised his eyebrows slightly before smiling and asking, “Now, I’m afraid everyone in Qingzhou City will start calling me a butcher. How dare you still come here? Even the postmaster, who’s usually so good at turning away guests, actually let you in this time!”

“Who doesn’t know that I am the lord’s confidant? This title as a master craftsman was also given to me because of the lord’s promotion and recommendation. As soon as I mentioned my name, that Xu Yicheng let me pass without hesitation.” Liu Da observed Zhang Yue’s expression and immediately understood. He stepped forward and said, “If the lord plans to return to the capital, could you take me along? I have already taught everything I know to those young men in Zihedian Village; I’m of little use here, but I can still be of some help to the lord.”