Chapter 437: Torrential Rain and the Emperor’s Wrath
Due to the disasters in the three main halls, court sessions now took place at the Fengtian Gate. In case of rain or snow, officials wore raincoats. That day, it rained heavily, and the officials barely endured the morning court session in the rain before rushing back to their offices to change clothes. Fortunately, the Six Ministries received the second-largest supply of firewood after the Military Command, so several stoves in the Ministry of War’s office were covered with soaked clothes.
Many officials had only this one set of presentable clothes, and at first they worried about being criticized for changing into tattered garments. But once Minister Fang Bin was summoned to the Qianqing Palace, the officials left behind began to care less and mostly changed into their patched, everyday clothes, looking utterly relaxed. With their black gauze hats and patched clothes, they moved back and forth between rooms, turning the entire office into a sort of “Changing Scene” version of the Ming Dynasty’s Ministry of War.
Everyone knew that Ming officials were poor, but it wasn’t obvious when they wore bright official robes. Facing this army of patched clothes, Zhang Yue found it unbearable and cheerfully shirked all errand-running tasks onto Wan Shijie. Not only him—Cui Fanzhi, who also came from a wealthy family, didn’t want to stand out in silk robes and also became reluctant to go out.
“If the Emperor came now, he’d probably be shocked by all these people in the yard.”
Hearing Cui Fanzhi’s words, Zhang Yue could only smile bitterly. Treating officials well was a practice during the Tang and Song dynasties, so officials in those eras didn’t have to worry about food, clothing, shelter, or transportation. Though it was excessive to let officials enjoy benefits for generations, the Ming officials were truly pitiful. With such meager salaries, they were even deducted in value. After all, there were at least a dozen officials outside wearing patched clothes, with the most extreme case having six or seven patches on the front and back! Thus, he had no choice but to lower his head and continue dealing with the mountain of work that had piled up again over the past few days.
“Finally back!”
After what seemed like a long time, a shout suddenly came from inside the room. Zhang Yue looked up and saw Wan Shijie returning. He casually threw his soaked umbrella aside, kicked off his wet shoes, took off his socks, went to the cabinet to get a pair of new shoes, and then turned around and walked over.
“I thought our Ministry of War was already poor enough, but I never expected the Ministry of Revenue to be even worse. From top to bottom, it’s hard to find anyone in decent clothes; even Minister Xia was summoned to the palace in plain clothes. When I arrived at the Rear Army Command, I saw nothing but silk and fine fabrics—it was like heaven and earth apart! Those noble generals looked at me as if I were a monkey; it was truly disheartening!”
Though these were complaints, they sounded rather pitiful, so everyone in the room exchanged glances, sighed, and fell silent. Compared to the dilapidated buildings in Nanjing, the six ministries now were much better—at least they didn’t leak during rain, and the furniture had been replaced after the buildings were built. Just these expenses had made Minister Xia Yuanji’s hair turn white from worry. It was already good enough if officials could receive their salaries on time; who could expect a raise?
Amidst the torrential rain, the topic of discussion in the Qianqing Palace was money. Since Minister of Personnel Jian Yi was inspecting Ying Tianfu and Minister of Works wasn’t involved in military affairs, those summoned this time were Minister of Revenue Xia Yuanji, Minister of Rites Lü Zhen, Minister of Justice Wu Zhong, and Minister of War Fang Bin. Zhu Di didn’t waste words on these trusted ministers and got straight to business.
“Arutai is extremely cunning. Though he seems to have fled this time, he must have other plans. It’s already autumn. I’ve stopped conscription not because I believe Arutai won’t dare come, but because campaigning in winter is unfavorable. You are all high-ranking officials—discuss here how to send troops, raise funds, and determine the departure date. Once you have a plan, report it to me at the East Warm Pavilion.”
After leaving the four ministers in the main hall, Zhu Di exited through a side door. On his way to the East Warm Pavilion, he saw Du Zhen approaching to pay respects. He casually nodded for him to stand up, then ordered Hai Shou beside him, “Go to the Ministry of War and summon Zhang Yue. Tell him I need to speak with him about urgent matters.”
After sending Hai Shou away, Zhu Di sat down in the central rosewood carved dragon-shaped grand master’s chair and asked Du Zhen, “Yang Shiqi is an elder I’ve kept behind to guard the country. Yang Rong and Jin Youzi have accompanied me on several northern expeditions. Only you are new here. Do you prefer to stay behind or come with me to experience the desert?”
“I may have traveled throughout the land in my youth, but I have never set foot in the territory of the Mongol Yuan. Therefore, in this lifetime, I truly wish to follow the Emperor to the desert. Since the Mongol Yuan withdrew from the Central Plains, threats from the north have never ceased. In fact, it’s not just our dynasty—during the Han dynasty, there were troubles with the Xiongnu; in the Wei and Jin dynasties, the Southern and Northern Dynasties emerged; during the Sui and Tang dynasties, the Turks and Uyghurs repeatedly invaded the Central Plains. By the Song dynasty, there were first the Khitans, then the Western Xia, Jurchens, and Mongols… The succession of these tribes is just like the change of dynasties in the Central Plains—always like tigers lurking at the edge of the Central Plains’ bed.”
Zhu Di didn’t notice that Du Zhen had used the phrase “in this lifetime” instead of “now,” and he laughed upon hearing this. He immediately nodded and said, “Tigers? Even today’s Mongol Yuan is like a tiger with missing teeth. In my view, it’s an old, toothless wolf that’s becoming increasingly cunning! Since you want to join us, let Jin Youzi and Yang Shiqi stay behind to assist the crown prince in governing the country. You and Yang Rong can accompany me on this northern expedition. I also plan to take Zhang Yue along—your father-in-law, son-in-law, and teacher can all experience what a real battle is like this time!”
The imperial palace usually stocked firewood for heating on the first day of the tenth month, but Zhu Di’s wind-disease had become extremely severe, leaving him increasingly sensitive to cold. So, after some discussion among the chief eunuchs, the Firewood Management Department supplied firewood to the Qianqing Palace early. Normally, it wouldn’t matter, but today it was pouring outside. Du Zhen had traveled all the way, and although he wore soft-soled shoes over his court boots, they were still mostly wet, with water dripping from the hem of his clothes. With a heating stove, it was much more comfortable, and his clothes dried in no time.
Since Zhu Di was now impatient with complicated official duties, he would usually only approve documents with a single “yes” or “no,” leaving the rest for the cabinet ministers to handle as appropriate. As a result, even though he was quick, a pile of memorials brought by the young eunuchs from the emperor’s desk accumulated before him. After a while, as he was bent over writing, he suddenly heard a announcement from outside. He raised his head slightly and saw Zhang Yue, smiling faintly before returning to his work.
Although the Ministry of War was right outside the Great Ming Gate, it still took Zhang Yue half an hour to arrive after receiving Hai Shou’s order. Due to his hasty journey, despite wearing his official black hat, the heavy rain left him in a disheveled state. After bowing, he stood up and saw Zhu Di looking at him thoughtfully.
“When you first asked for my honest opinion and brought up the idea of transporting grain by sea, I ignored you. After all, the rivers had been dredged again, so there was no reason to continue using sea ships. But now, if I were to launch a northern expedition next spring and the canals freeze over this winter, transporting grain by land would be very inconvenient. Thus, sea transport becomes an option—ships from the south can travel along the Wei River and canals to Xuanfu, which is quite convenient. Since you brought this up, how about I assign you to handle it?”
Although Zhang Yue was guessing in his heart the emperor’s intentions for summoning him, he still wasn’t expecting the emperor to bring up this issue right away. Such matters were planned for decades or even centuries—how could they be used in wartime so quickly? After a moment of hesitation, he spoke frankly, “Your Majesty, I proposed sea transport first to prepare for potential blockages or freezing of the grain transport rivers, and second to strengthen coastal defense. However, sea transport uses different ships from those used for grain transport. With the sea ban just lifted, there aren’t many craftsmen who can build sea ships, let alone complete ones. If we really need to transport grain, it can only serve as a supplement when land transport fails, and it’s not sufficient as the main method. Moreover, when the canals freeze in winter, coastal ports will likely freeze as well, and the sea winds will be more favorable for traveling south rather than north.”
Zhu Di was now focused solely on the northern expedition, considering everything else secondary. Hearing this, he became quite displeased. Remembering that the previous northern expedition nearly ended in chaos due to insufficient grain supplies on the way back, he grew even more irritable. He stood up and began pacing back and forth in the hall. After a long while, he waved his hand to signal Zhang Yue to leave, then ordered Hai Shou who followed in, “Go and check on those four ministers. After all this time, there should be some news. Let Fang Bin come in first!”
After leaving the Qianqing Palace, thinking of Zhu Di’s stubborn nature—once he made up his mind, nothing could change him—Zhang Yue carefully considered the possibility of using sea transport for grain during the northern expedition. In the end, he still found it unfeasible. After all, grain transport ships feared running aground the most, so they needed to be as light as possible; whereas sea ships feared insufficient load capacity, so if they were too light, they would be prone to drifting. Unless Zheng He’s treasure ships happened to return from the South Seas and be used all for grain transport, it was absolutely impossible to use sea transport for this northern expedition.
Due to the slippery roads from the rain and his own thoughts, Zhang Yue slowed his pace. By the time he returned to the Ministry of War, it was already the first hour of the evening. After hastily eating a few bites, he resumed handling matters related to the armory. Gradually, he set aside the emperor’s displeasure—after all, he wasn’t an omnipotent god; no matter how skilled he was, he couldn’t conjure up 1,800 ships out of thin air. He was busy until the time to dismiss staff, when the gongs began to sound. He stretched and stood up, exchanging a few words with his subordinates when suddenly a loud uproar came from outside.
Amid the chaos, a clerk rushed into the armory office like lightning. After catching his breath, he said urgently, “News from the palace: Minister Fang has been dismissed from office. Minister Xia of the Ministry of Revenue and Zou Shiyuan, who once acted as the minister, have both been imprisoned by the Jinyiwei. It is said that Minister Wu of the Ministry of Punishments and Minister Lü of the Ministry of Rites also received reprimands, and Scholar Du has been implicated for some unknown reason and is now in prison as well!”
At that moment, Wan Shijie couldn’t help but gasp. Looking at Zhang Yue, who was stunned and dazed, he glanced outside at the heavy rain. The sky was as dark as night, and the heaviest rain since the beginning of autumn showed no sign of stopping. All that could be seen was a white curtain of rain, pounding against the tiles and ground with a loud noise.