Chapter 466: The Difference Between Partners and Best Friends

Since Zhang Yue was responsible for transporting 10,000 Yongle hand cannons and 5,000 sets of armor to Xuanfu this time, and according to Zhu Di’s practice of appointing officials, it was inevitable to assign an eunuch to supervise the task. The emperor was keeping a close eye on this northern expedition, making it difficult to embezzle from military supplies. Moreover, the large amount of gunpowder to be transported meant that any mistake could lead to disaster. As such, none of the heads of the twelve supervisory agencies, four bureaus, and eight offices in the Imperial Household Department wanted to take on this duty. After much deliberation, someone was finally chosen.

At that moment, the eunuch, whom his colleagues claimed the emperor trusted implicitly, had a face as dark as coal. Walking side by side with Zhang Yue, he casually glanced at the neatly arranged wicker boxes around them before finally letting out a cold laugh.

“Fortunately, I listened to you, Lord Zhang, and secretly confided in the Crown Prince. That’s why the Crown Prince spoke well of me. Otherwise, I wouldn’t just be making this trip—I’d also have to abandon my duties at the Eastern Depot and the Court Eunuch Bureau and flee to Xuanfu to endure the harsh winds there for life! Now I see clearly—this palace is utterly dark. So many people have united to scheme against me, and even my master could only offer a few bland words of comfort! Damn these bastards!”

Zhang Yue didn’t need to turn his head to know that Lu Feng must be gritting his teeth. He couldn’t help but smile inwardly. Though he was wary of this ambitious and insatiable man, this trip to Xuanfu was different from before. Assigning some arbitrary, domineering eunuch would be even worse than having Lu Feng. So, though he said a few words of comfort, his eyes remained focused on the surroundings.

This was the Imperial Household Department’s Armaments Bureau, located on the right side of the Qianming Gate in the imperial city. Previously, when he was in the Military Armory Bureau of the Ministry of War, he only needed to deal with the Military Equipment Bureau of the Ministry of Works when requisitioning weapons. This was his first time here. The Armor Factory under the Military Equipment Bureau was responsible for manufacturing armor, while the Wang Gong Factory produced ordinary hand cannons under the supervision of eunuchs according to blueprints. The most crucial item—gunpowder—was produced by the Imperial Household Department’s Armaments Bureau. As for the design and manufacture of new weapons, that too fell under their responsibility. Just in the factory they had just passed, he saw hundreds of craftsmen. According to Lu Feng, the total number of craftsmen in the entire Armaments Bureau amounted to as many as 2,000!

Before long, a group of people came out after hearing the news. At the front was an eunuch with a barrel-shaped waist; from a distance, it seemed as though he was rolling rather than walking. With a forced smile, he led everyone forward to pay their respects, then rolled up his sleeves and said, “Lord Lu and Lord Zhang, please forgive us. We’ve been busy sorting out the goods to be sent out these past few days, which is why we’re a bit late. But rest assured, we’ve been instructed to select only the best items this time…”

“Stop talking nonsense. This time, once I go to Xuanfu, I won’t be returning. I doubt you’d dare play any tricks with official matters!”

Fueled by anger, Lu Feng couldn’t vent it on others, so he took it out on Liu Yongcheng, the adopted son of this imperial stables eunuch. Seeing the fat eunuch nodding and agreeing repeatedly, Zhang Yue glanced at the angry Lu Feng and then quietly pulled him aside, whispering a few words. Only then did Lu Feng remember that there were also five hundred elite soldiers from the capital army accompanying him, and his safety depended on them. He finally came to his senses.

Walking back slowly, he sternly drove away the fat eunuch’s attendants and then said with a fake smile, “Since it’s Lord Zhang who arranged this, I’m too lazy to argue with you. I just want to ask—since I’m here in person to hand over the goods, do you have anything good to offer as a gift?”

Faced with such blatant bribery, the fat eunuch was shocked. Seeing Lu Feng staring intently at him, he awkwardly rubbed his hands and forced a smile, saying, “Lord Lu, aren’t you making things difficult for me? The weapons bureau deals only with cold, hard items—gunpowder or firearms—nothing as impressive as what the Imperial Ceremonial Bureau or the Imperial Stables have. Well, I happened to get a fine fox fur coat a few days ago…”

“Who wants your gifts!” Lu Feng cut him off angrily. “I’m asking what new weapons from the weapons bureau can be used on the battlefield. If I encounter the Tartars, I can test their effectiveness—wouldn’t that be better than testing them with wood and stones in the training ground? I’ll mention this to the emperor, and you won’t be involved!”

The fat eunuch had originally planned to cut into his flesh and shed blood in desperation, but to his surprise, Lu Feng turned out to be so easy to talk to that he was stunned. Yet in an instant, he regained his composure, thinking that the weapons from the Armory Bureau weren’t his own—better than spending real money anyway. So he immediately nodded repeatedly and said, “Yes, yes! A few craftsmen have developed new types of divine arrows and guns. Not only do they have a greater range than before, but the gunpowder is also less prone to getting damp. However, these items have only been tested twice in the Wang Gong Factory’s testing ground. What do you think, Your Excellency…?”
“Why all this nonsense? Since you say so, pack two boxes each. We’ll test them later.”
Lu Feng asked further questions, and when Zhang Yue shook his head, he gave up on his attempt to extort more and followed Zhang Yue to check and pack everything according to the list. Only after leaving the Armory Bureau did he sigh in relief and say to Zhang Yue, “Lord Zhang, ever since the incident at the imperial camp, the emperor has not sent any imperial eunuchs there again. At most, he sends people to check every now and then. Even the Marquis of Anyuan probably wouldn’t welcome me there. You go handle the task of selecting people; I’ll take care of the rest. It’s best to use the same people as before—after all, the profits shouldn’t go to outsiders, right?”
Zhang Yue couldn’t help but smile inwardly at this analogy, but he agreed indifferently. Just as they were about to part ways, a young eunuch rushed over from the entrance of the Armory Bureau. Once he stopped, he gasped for breath and said, “Eunuch Lu, Lord Zhang! Someone from the Censorate has volunteered, and the emperor, pleased, has approved it.”
“Approved?” Lu Feng frowned again, annoyed, and asked Zhang Yue, “Could it be that that thick-skinned Liu Guancheng from the Censorate is deliberately trying to make things difficult for you? Hai Datou clearly said the emperor wants you to select the people personally! With war looming, that place isn’t safe at all—fighting could start at any moment. Which of those talkative but lazy censors would do such a thing?”
Before Zhang Yue could speak, the young eunuch hurriedly explained, “It seems to be a Jinshi recommended by Grand Secretary Yang Shiqi to study law enforcement at the Censorate. He’s still a probationary censor. I think his name is… I think it’s Yu Qian!”

Lu Feng was utterly unfamiliar with this name, while Zhang Yue almost thought there was something wrong with his ears. He knew nothing about the Censorate, so he simply asked Hu Qi to seek help from Yuan Fang, aiming to find an honest person who wouldn’t hold them back. To his surprise, Yu Qian volunteered for the task. Though he would later become a highly renowned official, at that time Yu Qian was still a newcomer, and it was unclear whether going to Xuanfu with them would bring good fortune or misfortune.

“Lord Zhang!”

Startled, Zhang Yue came back to his senses and saw that Lu Feng was already showing signs of impatience. He smiled and said, “It doesn’t matter. After all, most people in the Censorate probably dislike us anyway. It makes no difference who goes. Yu Tingyi is a newly graduated imperial scholar; he probably won’t be as quick to criticize us as the others in the Censorate. He’s the perfect choice.”

The use of “us” pleased Lu Feng greatly. He didn’t take a mere censor seriously in the first place, let alone someone like Yu Qian who was still in training and not yet officially appointed. He didn’t bother to dwell on it and nodded agreeably before leaving. Since Qianming Gate was close to the Western Palace and made travel inconvenient, Zhang Yue followed the original route along the moat, passing through Xishangbei Gate and Xishangzhong Gate, crossing the bridge over the moat, then following the palace wall beside Xihua Gate, finally exiting through Youye Gate. It took him nearly half an hour to leave the palace through Chang’an Zuo Gate, and by then it was already noon.

Hu Qi, who was waiting on Dongchangan Street, immediately led the horse over to greet him. After meeting Zhang Yue, he whispered, “Duke Yingguo just came out of the palace and happened to see me. He asked me to tell you that he has already gently persuaded the emperor, who has changed his mind and will not take the crown prince along on this northern expedition. He also said to ask you to bring Brother Peng along this time, and he will return it to you once the army arrives in Xuanfu.”

Learning that Zhang Fu had accomplished this and even lent Peng Shisan to him at such a critical moment, Zhang Yue was naturally overjoyed and deeply grateful for Zhang Fu’s kindness. Since the departure was scheduled for the day after tomorrow, he had to rush back to the Ministry of War to hand over his duties, with Cui Fanzhi acting as the acting minister. He also went to see Minister of War Zhao Jin. That evening, several colleagues from the Armory Department held a farewell banquet for him at Ducang Tower. During the feast, they kept pouring drinks and urging him to drink. In the end, Wan Shijie bravely stepped in to protect him from excessive drinking. By the end, both of them were so drunk they couldn’t ride horses, so Hu Qi had to hire a carriage to take them home.

Sitting in the bumpy vehicle, half-drunk Zhang Yue glanced at Wan Shijie and, without even thinking, said, “Lao Wan, although I have many siblings at home, none of them are capable of taking charge right now. I’m afraid I’ll have to trouble you to keep an eye on things these days. And my father-in-law is still locked up in the Beizhenfu Si prison. Even though Xiao Wu will take care of my mother-in-law and my wife will look after her, since there’s no man to run the household, I’m afraid I’ll have to trouble you and Xiao Xia as well…”

Before he could finish, the heavily drunk Wan Shijie waved his hand dismissively and said irritably, “Don’t worry… Just go in peace. Your family is my family, and your father-in-law is my father-in-law. If I have time, I’ll definitely go and help! You… it’s been so long since you last visited the Du family… Hasn’t your mother-in-law said that I often go to see her?”

Hearing the first part, Zhang Yue couldn’t help but feel both annoyed and amused, thinking how bold this unrestrained guy was. But upon hearing the next part, he was instantly stunned, wondering how Wan Shijie, who wasn’t even close to his father-in-law, could be so eager to help. Yet Wan Shijie’s speech grew more and more slurred, until the words became almost unrecognizable. Still, he unconsciously thought of an unbelievable possibility.

Since the lightning strike that started a massive fire in the three main halls at the beginning of the year, this had been a year full of disasters. Could it be that by the end of the year, his best friend would pull off some kind of comedy?

Volume 11: Blood and Swords

Lying in bed at night, listening to the wind and rain, dreams of armored horses and frozen rivers arise.