Chapter 353: True Elders

Although the government had ordered the relocation of wealthy people from the Jiangnan region to Beijing in preparation for the capital’s move, and even some surrounding towns had seen an increase in households, they still fell far short compared to Nanjing. Among the counties near Beijing, Tongzhou was the most bustling. The reason was simple: it was the first stop for officials arriving in Beijing and also the first stop when they left.

As such an important place, post stations were essential. The Tongzhou Post Station was located in the southwest of Tongzhou. Its newly built buildings were more than three times larger than those of ordinary county post stations, with countless officials coming and going day and night. Since it was located right at the emperor’s feet, the post master had to treat people differently based on their rank. The main hall was reserved for high-ranking officials, while the bright side rooms were assigned to those of lower ranks according to their positions. As for the rows of rooms in the back yard, resembling pigeon cages, they were meant for officials who had been demoted and sent to remote areas, or for criminals being brought to Beijing.

It happened to be the time when provincial governors from across the country came to pay homage every three years. Now that court affairs were over, these high-ranking officials, regardless of the freezing weather, began to head back home one after another. The Tongzhou Post Station was almost entirely occupied by provincial governors waiting for ships or officials on inspection missions. The place was packed, leaving the post master extremely busy. So when a messenger came in saying that some important guests had arrived and demanded rooms be vacated, he became furious.

“What important guests? Isn’t everyone here an important guest? Damn it, their ranks are all the same—who am I supposed to evict?”

Seeing his superior cursing, the messenger’s face turned pale. “Please speak softly. Those who have arrived are from the Imperial Secretariat and the Jinyiwei! Both leaders are very demanding, saying rooms must be vacated for the imperial envoys. I think their names are Eunuch Huang and Lord Yuan. Should I go greet them…?”

“Eunuch Huang? Lord Yuan?” Although the post master was a lowly official, he was well-informed about matters in the capital since he lived under the emperor’s rule. After thinking carefully, his face turned deathly white. “Eunuch Huang from the Imperial Secretariat? And Commander Yuan from the Jinyiwei? Good heavens, what is the emperor planning that requires sending these two groups at the same time? Enough talk! Hurry and invite them into the main hall. Prepare the best tea. I’ll go discuss vacating rooms with those gentlemen right away!”

After all the preparations, the two highly favored ministers entered the post station. Sitting in the grand chair in the main hall, Huang Yan picked up his teacup and took a sip, only to realize that the Queshi Ya tea was actually fake. Frowning, he stopped drinking it and instead said to Yuan Fang with a smile, “The Emperor truly cherishes young people. Not only did he send me here, but he also sent Lord Yuan to arrange for guards. By the way, Lord Yuan, you’ve been the commander of the Jinyiwei for three years now, right? You’re probably the emperor’s most trusted minister these past three years. But now that the Dongchang has been established, a heavy burden will lie on your shoulders from now on.”

“Eunuch Huang, you’re joking. I was promoted beyond my rank—how could I not give my all? As for the establishment of the Dongchang, it was the emperor’s order, so it’s only right that I carry out his commands.”

“I appreciate your temperament, Lord Yuan. You never act arrogantly or rashly, nor do you take credit for yourself. Even the civil officials always speak well of you—truly rare. However, that young fool Lu Feng is inexperienced. If you’re upset by him as your new superior, just tell me. Though I’m not his direct superior, I still have ways to deal with him.”

“Then thank you, Eunuch Huang.”

Seeing Yuan Fang’s calm and cautious expression, Huang Yan curled his lips slightly. He hadn’t expected to easily win over such an unimpressed man with just a few words. Whether it was the Prince of Zhao, the Prince of Han, or even the crown prince and grand crown prince in Nanjing, everyone had their eyes on the Jinyiwei, yet no one had seen this commander ever get close to anyone. Of course, it was precisely because Yuan Fang was a truly loyal minister that the emperor trusted him unreservedly; otherwise, he wouldn’t have been able to hold his position as commander of the Jinyiwei.

When they arrived at the Tongzhou dock, Zhang Yue immediately noticed the grand scale of the scene there. Although he was an imperial envoy accompanied by five hundred soldiers from the capital garrison, using three ships, it was the brightly dressed men of the Jinyiwei who dominated the dock! He naturally didn’t think it was Yuan Fang acting on impulse; it must have been the emperor’s idea. Yet such a grand display was almost like putting him on the spot. Despite thinking this, he still stepped off the ship with a composed expression.

Since Zhu Zhanji had written to Zhu Di before, Fangling remained in Nanjing. Now, these five hundred soldiers were led by only four hundredmen. Zhang Yue was glad that Fangling had won the favor of the grand crown prince and felt grateful to Zhou Bailing. When he heard the leading Jinyiwei officer order the soldiers from the capital garrison to return to camp first, he took the opportunity to speak to Zhou Bailing.

“If there’s another such opportunity in the future, I’ll just directly recommend Zhou Qianhu to Marquis Anyuan as your general.” Zhou Bailing had previously willingly acted as a pawn for Zhang Yue in Nanjing and given up a great chance to earn merits to Fangling. Hearing these words now, he knew full well that Zhang Yue promised not to overlook their contributions. He immediately beamed with joy, saluted, and led his team ahead. If he had reported the grain warehouse scandal to Zhu Zhanji back then, the reward he could have gotten would have been at most a few dozen worthless treasure notes. Now, by helping others, he could also benefit himself—why not?

When the group arrived at the Tongzhou post station, the postmaster had already cleared out the north courtyard and was busy running around with a group of post workers, treating them with even more enthusiasm than serving his own father. Of course, he couldn’t help but explain to Zhang Yue that the room was made available by the Shandong and Zhejiang provincial governors at the orders of that eunuch Huang. Although Zhang Yue sensed something was amiss, he could only ask the postmaster to thank those officials, who held ranks at least four levels higher than his own. Then he and Lu Feng tidied up their clothes before going to meet them.

As soon as they met, Huang Yan said with a smile, “Originally, the distance from Tongzhou to Beijing is only fifty li. Since you’re not ordinary officials, it’s fine to have an immediate audience today. But because the emperor is tired of endless petitions, he allowed you to stay at the Tongzhou post station overnight. Tomorrow morning, you’ll set off under the escort of the Jinyiwei, just in time to join the envoys from Siam, Champa, Java, and Malacca on their pilgrimage. You’ve made great contributions in the Jiangnan region—this is a good chance to show off. It will not only silence the court officials but also showcase your prowess abroad!”

Lu Feng already knew that Zhang Yue’s Imperial Sword was safe, and the last weight on his heart had been lifted. Hearing Huang Yan speak so warmly, free from his usual contempt, he gradually felt a sense of pride and dignity as a nobleman. After exchanging polite words, seeing Yuan Fang excuse himself under the pretext of arranging security, he didn’t bother with further nonsense and went back to his room to rest.

With that troublesome person gone, Huang Yan felt much more at ease. He studied Zhang Yue for a while before smiling and saying, “Young Master Zhang, you probably don’t know that your matter has caused quite a stir in the court. Those progressive officials say lifting the sea ban will bring benefits for generations to come, while those conservative elders claim it’s unnecessary and goes against ancestral traditions. The dispute still hasn’t subsided. But the emperor highly praises your merits this time. As someone who serves him daily, I even heard the emperor mention to Scholar Yang and Scholar Jin that since you bravely fought against the pirates in Shanghai County and demonstrated the Zhang family’s loyalty and bravery, it wouldn’t be excessive to grant you a title.”

“If it weren’t for the emperor’s strong support, my mission would likely have achieved nothing. I certainly don’t deserve such high praise from the emperor.” Zhang Yue couldn’t help but grumble to himself. In the Ming Dynasty, titles were usually granted based on military achievements. Even among the founding heroes, only Li Shan Chang, a civil official, was awarded the title of Duke of the State; the others at most received the title of Marquis, and Li Shan Chang’s title wasn’t even passed down. All those granted titles for their contributions to the Jingnan Campaign were military officials. Even Dao Yan, the monk, was posthumously awarded the title of Duke of Rongguo. He certainly didn’t think his minor contributions warranted a title—after all, the policy of lifting maritime bans had yet to show any results. This emperor was clearly talking nonsense. Why didn’t that eunuch say the emperor planned to grant him the title of Duke? If he kept telling lies, would anyone believe him? But Huang Yan paid no mind to Zhang Yue’s humility and chuckled again, “At first, when we heard that you accidentally broke the Emperor’s Sword, I was quite shocked. Others may not know, but having served the emperor for many years, I understand the significance of that sword to him. It was sent to Beijing by the Taizu Emperor before his death and given to the emperor. He wore it during the Jingnan Campaign and also during his northern expeditions. He remembered every notch and scratch on it clearly; one could probably tell if it was genuine just by touching the hilt. To say he cherished it deeply was an understatement. It wasn’t until I read your memorial that I breathed a sigh of relief, and the emperor’s mood improved as well. That’s why the emperor sent the Jinyiwei here and had you dressed in full imperial attire—so that others could see the young talents of our empire.” Seeing Zhang Yue’s face turn pale, Huang Yan became even more convinced. After much thought, he believed that since Zhang Yue dared to write such things in his memorial, the Emperor’s Sword must indeed be intact. In other words, those on the other side had tried to steal something but ended up losing more. Yet, Zhang Yue surely couldn’t produce that sable fur cloak. With this certainty, he stood up confidently, flicking the corners of his robe. “I’ve known the Duke of Ying since the time of the Prince of Yan’s palace. Consider me almost like your own uncle. I’m staying here today, so if you need anything, just go to the east wing room. No matter what it is, I’ll definitely help you.”

Facing such a self-important man who acted as if he were an elder, Zhang Yue smiled. After seeing him go, he fell into deep thought. Soon, as he was walking back and forth in the room, he heard knocking at the door. When he went to open it, he saw a true elder standing outside. Since their meeting at Nanjing Dade Silk Shop, although he had always known that Yuan Fang had done countless favors behind the scenes, they had never had the chance to talk face to face again.
“Lord Zhang, I need to discuss something with you about tomorrow.”
Seeing two burly Jinyiwei soldiers behind Yuan Fang, Zhang Yue quickly invited them in and closed the door. When he turned around again, he saw Yuan Fang, who usually wore a serious expression, smiling at him. At that moment, inspiration struck him, and he blurted out three words.
“Uncle Yuan.”
Yuan Fang smiled gratefully and joked, “Hearing you call me Uncle Yuan means all my efforts over the years weren’t in vain. Last time when you got married, I couldn’t go to your house for the celebration or even give you a gift. This time, I’ll give you the most important gift you need.”