Chapter 404: Heartwarming Words

Having gone without a proper night’s sleep for several days in a row, Zhang Yue set out immediately after receiving the emperor’s orders, leading the imperial guards and personal troops out of the capital. Amidst all this hustle, he had completely forgotten the letter given to him by Zhu Ning. It wasn’t until Yang Shiqi left that he frantically searched for it. Fortunately, he had only changed his outer robe; his undergarments remained the same, so he quickly found the crumpled letter. After taking it out of the envelope and scanning it quickly, he noticed it began with “My son,” and the tone was as casual and familiar as his father’s usual letters, which made him feel deeply connected. But when he reached the last few paragraphs, he was stunned.

“Although Ying Tianfu will no longer bear the name of a capital city, Nan Zhili is far richer than Bei Zhili. Moreover, with your grandmother and second uncle in the capital, I still think it’s best to stay in the Jiangnan region to manage affairs there. Nowadays, wealthy families in Jiangnan all use white sugar. Though no one knows the production method yet, this knowledge cannot be kept secret forever—it’s not very profitable. Jiangnan’s silk and cotton fabrics are the best in the world, and that’s a real source of income. If managed properly, it’s not impossible to earn millions in three years. With strict silver restrictions, insufficient copper coins, and declining value of paper money, the people are in hardship. As an official, you must find a solution.

Liu Da has already traveled from Fujian to Nanjing, saying that everything there is settled and he no longer needs to handle it. On his way to Nanjing, he happened to meet two skilled potters from Zisha who were forced to leave their homes. They struck up a friendship due to similar interests, and after arriving in Nanjing, they asked me to take them in. They said that Yixing’s Zisha pottery is famous worldwide, and each dynasty has produced renowned pieces. But ordinary craftsmen lack elegance and charm; they focus solely on making pottery and are not good at socializing, only seeking a place to live. Since it wasn’t profitable, I laughed and said they could do as they pleased, following their own interests.

Jiangnan is fertile land, but taxes are increasing, and profits from owning land are minimal. Moreover, it’s taboo for wealthy families to own too much land. Our officials’ salaries are low. If you want to be an honest official and have a path for advancement in the future, you’ll need money. So I’ve already arranged all necessary assets and found reliable managers to oversee them—so you don’t need to worry about finances. But you should pay close attention to your uncle’s situation. Jiaozhi isn’t a safe place. If possible, arrange for him to be transferred, even to Hainan or Lingnan. Your mother has already taken your sister north to the capital; you might as well let them stay for a while to avoid arousing suspicion. If she’s still worried, I can simply send Hongluan to bring your brother to the capital as well.”

Purple clay teapots lack an earthy smell, and they are superior to porcelain, copper, or tin teapots for making tea. Zhang Yue suddenly realized this truth, but then he realized that although purple clay teapots were excellent, skilled craftsmen were rare, so he didn’t pay much attention to it—after all, the master who created the Gongchun teapot hadn’t even been born yet! Thinking of his father’s straightforward reminders, kind instructions, especially that half-true, half-false complaint at the end, he couldn’t help but feel a genuine warmth in his heart after being troubled these past few days.

Having such a father really took a load off his shoulders!

It was now the twelfth lunar month, approaching the New Year—a time when there should be the fewest travelers of the year. But due to the frozen canal and poor road conditions, coupled with a large number of officials accompanying the crown prince to the capital, almost all inns in Dezhou City were fully occupied. Thus, it was nearly impossible for the newcomers to find a place to stay.

Mrs. Sun traveled north by boat with her daughter and seven or eight family members, only to be trapped in Dezhou by bad luck. Learning that the canal was likely to remain frozen until next year, the group had no choice but to disembark in the snow and seek lodging in Dezhou City. Yet every place they went was already full, and even renting a house from a private residence was difficult—simple reason: all the good houses had been requisitioned by Dezhou’s officials for their own use. With no other options, Mrs. Sun had to choose a restaurant to rest temporarily and asked a young waiter about the accommodations of the accompanying officials, hoping to seek help from acquaintances.

Although she paid extra, due to the overwhelming crowd in Dezhou City, the waiter simply separated a small space with a screen at the corner and set up two square tables. The food and snacks were served quickly. However, the upstairs was extremely noisy, with scholars discussing various topics and ordinary people chatting lively—everything you could imagine was happening. Seeing that the women there were dressed in fine silk garments and the servants were neatly dressed, the waiter dared not be rude in his responses.

“Madam, the officials accompanying them are all arranged accommodations by the government office. For example, Mr. Yang and several scholars from the Hanlin Academy, along with some officials from the crown prince’s entourage, are staying at the number one wealthy family in West Street. The high-ranking officials from the Ministry of Equines, the Ministry of Food and Rites, and the Ministry of Justice are staying at Wushui Bridge, just one street away from here. But the nobles accompanying them are staying in the imperial palace, as the crown prince is ill, and the palace is under extra strict security. I heard that early this morning, an official was sent with troops to welcome the crown prince, and all the officials in Dezhou went to the palace and only returned in the evening!”

Zhang Jing was still young, and the long boat ride had already made her feel bored. Hearing the clerk speak so quickly, she couldn’t help but stare at his face curiously, then clapped her hands and said, “Mom, there are really people in the world who speak faster than Sister Xiao Wu!”
Sun Shi was still worried about where to stay that night when she heard Zhang Jing’s innocent remark and couldn’t help but smile. She then scolded her a bit sternly. Seeing the clerk standing aside with a smile, not showing any embarrassment but rather looking proud, she secretly found it amusing. She immediately asked, “I heard that the water routes are hardly usable these days. When can we take the land route?”
“Judging from this snowy weather, it’s hard to say,” the clerk shook his head and explained, “I heard that the military officials from the capital took a long route and still took four days to get here, working day and night. The roads were extremely difficult to travel on. A few officials from the yamen came here for lunch and said that the leader, Lord Zhang, hadn’t slept for four days and nights to hurry here. He’s not seeing anyone right now. Tsk tsk, I heard that Lord Zhang became a fifth-rank official before he turned twenty—how enviable!”
Before turning twenty? A fifth-rank official?
Before Sun Shi could speak, Zhang Jing’s wet nurse quickly asked, “May I ask who this Lord Zhang is?”
“Who else? Isn’t he the one the emperor highly favors? He’s executed many people in Qingzhou and the Jiangnan region!”
Hearing this, Zhang Jing’s eyes lit up immediately, and she stepped forward to grab Sun Shi’s hand. Sun Shi hadn’t expected to meet Zhang Yue here. Overjoyed, she quickly ordered someone to give the clerk some money as a reward. As soon as he left, she couldn’t help but start thinking, but no matter how she tried, she still felt confused. Her son was in the palace—could she go there to look for him?
“Mom, mom! Since my brother is here, is my sister-in-law here too? I miss her so much!”
“It’s all because your father dotes on you too much. Stop causing trouble! Didn’t you hear that your brother hasn’t slept for four days and nights?” Sun Shi glared at Zhang Jing irritably, this time with a truly stern expression. “In the capital, you must follow the rules in everything you do. Your grandmother can’t afford any carelessness either. Otherwise, not only will it bring shame to me and your father, but also to your brother and sister-in-law!”
After scaring her daughter thoroughly, she ordered Cui Jiugong, the steward sent by Zhang Zhuo who had recently married Pearl, “After you finish eating, go to Lord Yang first and leave a message introducing our identities. Ask where Yue is currently staying. Once he leaves the palace, we can try to find him too.”

As the crown prince’s condition improved, that night Yang Shiqi walked back to Dezhou City from the temporary palace with much lighter steps. Upon returning to his residence, he learned that Zhang Yue’s mother and sister had come from Nanjing and happened to be in Dezhou at that time; they had just sent a message. He raised his eyebrows and, after understanding the situation, fell into deep thought. Realizing that Dezhou was already overcrowded, it was likely the Zhang family had nowhere to stay, so he promptly ordered his steward Yang Zhong to send two reliable men to bring them over.

With Yang Shiqi’s help, Lady Sun was finally able to escape the predicament of having no place to live. However, upon learning that her son Zhang Yue wasn’t staying outside but in the temporary palace, she was stunned. Only after Yang Shiqi gave her a brief explanation did she understand what had happened. Though she was just a woman, she knew what was appropriate and naturally wouldn’t insist on meeting him at that moment.

Would she still not be able to see her son after returning to the capital?

After traveling for four days and nights, plus the night of the rebellion in the capital earlier, Zhang Yue slept deeply. It wasn’t until he woke up that he realized he was lying in bed, covered with a thick blanket, and his clothes had been completely changed. He couldn’t recall how he had gotten there, so he decided to set those thoughts aside and tried to sit up. But as soon as he moved, he felt as though his body had fallen apart—his bones ached, and the sores from riding hurt terribly. He couldn’t help but groan.

“Lord Zhang, you’re awake!”

The young eunuch from the previous day quickly rushed over. Seeing Zhang Yue’s face contorted in pain, he quickly said with a smile, “Last night, you slept under the blanket on the kang, still in your clothes. I was worried you might catch a cold, so I ordered someone to wash you, change your clothes, and apply medicine to your wounds. It’s now the third hour of the morning. If you want to sleep a bit longer, that’s fine too.”

Despite the pain all over his body, Zhang Yue wanted to lie down again, but his stomach kept growling insistently. He could only wave his hand weakly. Remembering that Princess Zhang had asked him to help Zhu Zhanji write documents the previous day, yet now he couldn’t even lift his hand, he could only smile bitterly. After washing up, breakfast was brought to him—a large pot of porridge. Hungry, he drank two big bowls in one go. When he tried to get more, he was stopped, and he had no choice but to let the newly arrived physician take his pulse before reluctantly accepting a pile of plasters on his body.

He still couldn’t compare to those soldiers in terms of endurance!

Three days later, when Zhang Yue finally appeared before Zhu Zhanji, the crown prince, who had been ill for over ten days, could barely get out of bed. Seeing Zhang Yue’s face as grim as real coptis, he remembered Huang Run mentioning that the imperial physicians applied plasters to Zhang Yue’s body like mending a tear in fabric, and he couldn’t help but laugh. “I thought you were made of iron, but it turns out you’re just like me! Can you still hold a pen? If so, write a letter to convey my regards to my grandfather!”
“At the crown prince’s command, even if my wrist is broken, I’ll still manage to write.”
Seeing Zhang Yue speak in such a pitiful tone yet with a smile on his face, Zhu Zhanji knew it was just a joke. He immediately said cheerfully, “It’s just a family letter. Hold on a bit; I don’t want to have the Hanlin scholars write it for me either. Besides, I’ve done you a huge favor. Your mother and sister are in Dezhou right now, with Yang Shiqi. I’ve mentioned them to my mother, so you should be able to see them once you return.”