Chapter 315: The Crown Prince’s Kindness and Support

For several days in a row, Lu Feng pretended to be ill with a cold from being on the ship and stayed indoors, while Zhang Yue swiftly inspected three grain stores in Nanjing and sealed all the accounts. Although the officials in charge of the grain stores were merely low-ranking clerks, such actions caused quite a stir. Some commoners whispered that the imperial envoy was trying to assert his authority by taking action, while those who knew the truth sneered in secret.

Sealing accounts and conducting inspections? No matter how much effort was put in, nothing meaningful would be uncovered—this was pure wasted effort!

As for the man who had caused such a stir and was dismissed by many officials as arrogant because of his success, he rode along West Chang’an Street toward the palace that day, accompanied by Zhou Bailing, Fangling, and a dozen soldiers from the imperial guard. Due to the cold weather and the straight route to the palace, there were few pedestrians on the road, so he naturally sped up. But just as he turned the corner, he suddenly saw a large group coming toward him at full speed, all dressed in bright clothes, seemingly noble youths.

Seeing the wide street, Zhang Yue simply moved to the right to make way, only for them to deliberately charge straight at him without avoiding. Realizing the situation was dangerous, Zhou Bailing quickly rode ahead to separate them, followed by a series of commands. In an instant, more than a dozen riders sped to the left, passing right by that group. It was then that Zhang Yue glared back in anger and saw that group stop their horses not far away before turning around and surrounding him.

The leader of the group wore a red-gold hair crown, a bright red silk robe adorned with qilin and bai ze patterns, and a purple mink cloak. As he spoke, he tapped his left hand lightly with the handle of his whip, his expression extremely arrogant: “Are you the Zhang Yue who’s causing such a fuss in the capital? Not many dare to ride at full speed on West Chang’an Street. You’re young and of low rank, yet you’re quite bold!”

Ever since he had witnessed the rivalry between Zhu Zhanqi and Zhu Zhanhuan in the past, Zhang Yue became wary whenever he saw people dressed in such luxurious attire. As he wondered who this person before him was, he heard Fangling’s low warning from behind.

“Yuanjie, be careful. This is Li Maofang, the Marquis of Fuyang.”

Hearing this, Zhang Yue recalled his encounter in Fangling and grew furious, though his expression remained unchanged. He bowed slightly from his horse and said expressionlessly, “Marquis of Fuyang, you’re joking. Since there’s no sign prohibiting horseback riding on West Chang’an Street, what does my speed have to do with my courage? I’m on my way to the palace to report important matters to the Crown Prince and the Grand Prince. I wonder what advice Marquis of Fuyang has for me?”
“Tsk tsk, those civil officials said you become arrogant when you’re successful—turns out they were right!”
Li Maofang’s expression darkened, and he immediately pointed his whip at Zhang Yue with a cold smile, “Don’t think just because you’re favored by the emperor you can do as you please. Go ahead and cause trouble; it’s none of my business if you turn Nanjing upside down. I just warn you—don’t fail in your mission and disappoint the emperor’s trust, or it will be hard to show off again! As for Fangling, I can let you go down once, but there could be a second time!”
After delivering these threatening words, he whipped his horse hard, then tightened his legs around its flanks and sped off like a sharp sword. After laughing for a while, the other young nobles turned and followed. In moments, the figure disappeared around the corner, and the sound of horse hooves faded away.
Zhang Yue didn’t bother arguing with such people. He glanced at Fangling, who had wide eyes and a red face from anger, while Zhou Bailing and the other soldiers remained calm. Zhang Yue gently advised him, “He’s just acting arrogantly because he’s the son of a princess and a marquis. Seeing you rise again, he couldn’t bear it and came to show off. Arguing with him is only lowering your own status. The emperor promoted you out of impulse, but he also wants to test you. Don’t waste this great opportunity because of momentary anger.”
After saying this, seeing Zhou Bailing staring at him thoughtfully, he nodded and smiled, “Thanks to Lord Zhou’s quick thinking just now, we avoided a major conflict. It’s getting late; let’s head to the palace quickly.”
Although Zhu Zhanji was praised by Zhu Di as having exceptional wisdom and being suitable to become an emperor in peace, he wasn’t as diligent as Zhu Yuanzhang or Zhu Di. Even when handling regency affairs on behalf of his father Zhu Gaochi, he mostly left things to Yang Shiqi and others, merely signing off on submitted documents with his red ink. Even so, this took up much of his time. Moreover, it was winter now, and his favorite crickets were all sickly and on the verge of dying.
“Your Highness, Lord Zhang requests an audience.”

Zhu Zhanji was playing with a cricket in the clay pot using a bamboo stick when he heard the noise behind him. Instantly annoyed, he snapped, “Weren’t all the matters for today taken care of? I don’t see anyone… Wait, are you saying Zhang Yue has arrived?” He stood up abruptly. Seeing Eunuch Huang standing respectfully bowed, he angrily tossed the bamboo stick aside and pointed at the clay pot on the table, ordering a young eunuch nearby, “The general is dead. Take him to the back garden and bury him properly.” Only after the young eunuch left carefully with the clay pot did he frown and mutter to himself, “Zhang Yue is usually very cautious. He wouldn’t come to see me for no reason, especially with all the turmoil in the city these days. He must have planned everything with Du Yishan in Shandong. Could it be that everything the past couple of days was just for show? If so, his visit today… Well, this time I can meet him alone.” He immediately forgot his earlier frustration over the cricket, his expression turning serious as he ordered, “I’ll meet him in Wuying Hall.”

Since ancient times, it had been rare to appoint an imperial grandson after already having an heir apparent. This alone showed Zhu Di’s favoritism toward Zhu Zhanji. To prevent anyone from seeking power or wealth by associating with the imperial grandson, Zhu Di was extremely careful in selecting teachers, tutors, and other officials for Zhu Zhanji. All teachers were highly learned scholars with strict moral evaluations, and all tutors were cautious, mature young men. Thus, under strict ritual teachings, Zhu Zhanji could only entertain himself by fighting crickets in his free time. As the imperial grandson, he hardly had anyone to talk to except for eunuchs!

Therefore, when he entered Wuying Hall and saw that familiar figure, Zhu Zhanji couldn’t help but smile. He immediately waved his hand to dismiss all the eunuchs in the hall. Once everyone else had left, the understanding Eunuch Huang went outside to guard, to prevent any indiscreet people from sneaking in and overhearing anything.

Zhang Yue was naturally delighted by Zhu Zhanji’s actions, knowing that the imperial grandson had already guessed his purpose. Just as he was about to approach, Zhu Zhanji waved at him with a smile and said, “I’m tired of seeing people bowing all day long. There are no outsiders here, so no need for such formalities. Let’s get straight to business. Tell me what new ideas you have.”

“Your Highness, the Crown Prince, I have been sent to the south by the Emperor’s order, and of course it’s not for those granaries. Now that everyone knows I’m auditing the accounts, they won’t think of anything else. It will take at least two months to examine those sealed account books, so I plan to take this opportunity to head straight to Songjiang Prefecture with Eunuch Lu, and then to Ningbo Prefecture. Both Songjiang and Ningbo are near the sea and have always been hotspots for smuggling. It’s impossible to uncover anything by going openly, but if we investigate secretly, we should be able to get a rough idea of the scale. The New Year is in two months, and there should be many tribute envoys from Ningbo’s maritime administration. Moreover, there were previous disputes over tributes, so this is a good chance to investigate further.”

Although he assumed Zhang Yue must have some peculiar idea, Zhu Zhanji was still stunned upon hearing this. He then asked seriously, “Songjiang and Ningbo have always been plagued by Japanese pirates—some are genuine pirates, but most are former members of those rebel groups. It’s one thing if you bring five hundred soldiers from the capital for protection, but if you go lightly equipped, you might encounter danger. Zhang Yue, you’re diligent in handling matters, but it’s not right to put yourself in danger carelessly.”

He waved his hand to signal that Zhang Yue shouldn’t argue, then said earnestly, “Although I can’t leave the palace casually, I can still hear some rumors. The Emperor Taizu imposed a ban on going to sea, but greed has made many people act recklessly. Coupled with the rare treasures brought by the tribute envoys, not only commoners but perhaps even high-ranking officials are involved in smuggling. This time, the Emperor’s decision to lift the ban brings joy to some and sorrow to others. After all, if proper taxes are levied, more people will go to sea, reducing their own profits. So some admire you, while others hate you deeply.”

If his earlier words were merely out of concern, the significance of these words now was extremely critical. How could Zhang Yue not be grateful for Zhu Zhanji’s kindness? After thanking him, he explained, “Since Your Highness has said that the interests in Songjiang and Ningbo are intricately intertwined, a large-scale investigation won’t yield much. My purpose here isn’t to arrest those smugglers but first to sort out the situation. Only those stubborn fools would need to be dealt with forcefully. Although five hundred soldiers are stationed in the capital, I have orders to mobilize elite troops from the anti-pirate units. Moreover, I’ll select some people to accompany me along the way. Listen to me…”

Huang Tai, who was outside, heard Zhu Zhanji’s words just now and couldn’t help but feel surprised. She had served him since his birth, rising from the lowest ranks to become his trusted confidant, and knew his temper very well. Over the years, Zhu Zhanji had shown kindness to others only a handful of times—naturally, few people deserved his support. Seeing many eunuchs passing by secretly peeking into the Wuying Hall, she inwardly scoffed. There must be countless spies in this palace; it was likely that news of Zhu Zhanji meeting Zhang Yue alone would spread to many ears in no time. Just then, she suddenly saw her trusted subordinate, the young eunuch Yang Xi, rushing over and whispering to her. “Eunuch sir, something happened in the Rouyi Hall! Two old palace maids who served the Crown Prince suddenly died!”