Chapter 500: Dual Crises

Due to the Ming dynasty’s long-standing ban on quarrying mountains and cutting stones, coal was rarely used compared to charcoal, especially in the palace and among high-ranking officials. The palace used the most varieties of firewood and charcoal; the specially designated imperial-grade charcoal came from Yizhou and was known as Hongluo Charcoal. The imperial kitchen used Makou Firewood, while the Eastern Palace, the Crown Prince’s residence, and the six concubine palaces used Yinsuang Charcoal, commonly known as white charcoal. As for the various civil and military officials, they each procured their own firewood and charcoal for winter. As for whether the prisoners in the North Pacification Commission, the Jinyiwei, and the imperial prison could get firewood and charcoal to survive the winter, it depended on the whims of those in power and whether their families had enough money to provide it.

That day, Yuan Fang personally inspected the imperial prison and found that aside from some important prisoners who were supplied with firewood and charcoal, many others could only get hot water for heating pots. He felt hesitant as he left the North Pacification Commission. Remembering that the emperor’s mood had been quite good since news from the north arrived, he began to plot something in his mind and headed straight to the palace. Entering through Donghua Gate and passing by Duanben Palace, he happened to encounter Zhu Zhanji and his entourage coming towards him. He quickly stepped aside to pay his respects. But Zhu Zhanji, preoccupied, didn’t notice him at first and was about to walk past when Fangling beside him reminded him, “Your Highness, that’s Commander Yuan of the Jinyiwei.”

“Hm?” Zhu Zhanji turned his head and recognized Yuan Fang, then walked over. After ordering that the formalities be omitted, he asked thoughtfully, “I heard the Jinyiwei plans to replace the troops in Xuanfu Guard?”

How fast did this crown prince get his information? Recalling what Lu Feng had brought back, Yuan Fang became slightly cautious and replied with a smile, “Your Highness, since the Tartar spies crossed through Xuanfu, and no clues have been found during the investigations there, I plan to send some elite soldiers from the capital. After all, the emperor will surely launch his northern campaign from Xuanfu. If there are dangerous elements lurking nearby, it will be too late to take action then.”

“You’re indeed thinking ahead.”

Zhu Zhanji smiled slightly before turning away. Once he entered his own palace, he dismissed his attendants and ordinary eunuchs and servants, then summoned the old eunuch Huang Run and asked directly, “What does Liu Yongcheng mean by this? Wang Guan was appointed by the emperor to oversee the imperial guards, and Zhang Yue is currently in charge of military affairs in Xuanfu. Why would he deliberately provoke him? I know Zhang Yue’s temperament well—he’s not the kind to act tyrannically. Unless Wang Guan has done something shameful, why would he be afraid?”

Huang Run sensed that Zhu Zhanji was not in a good mood and almost wanted to shift the blame onto Liu Yongcheng, but he eventually changed the subject on the spot. Swallowing hard, he said with a forced smile, “Your Highness, Eunuch Liu and Eunuch Hai from the Imperial Horse Supervision Bureau were originally of average rank among the twelve bureaus. Over the years, they have managed to gain some supporters by controlling the imperial guards. They have always favored the Eastern Palace, and Wang Guan is someone who has sided with them, so it’s not surprising if they turn to the Eastern Palace when problems arise. Shouldn’t subordinates seek their master’s support?”

“You mean they might have approached Father as well?”

Seeing Huang Run too embarrassed to answer, Zhu Zhanji grew furious and snorted coldly, “In the future, stay out of such matters! That old fool Huang Yan deserves to die. Liu Yongcheng and Hai Shou saved Wang Guan back then, but don’t protect him like a mother protecting her child for life! People who shift sides with the wind must be watched closely, even if they’re used.”

“Yes, yes, sir. I’ll definitely talk to Eunuch Liu properly later…”

Meanwhile, Yuan Fang was already waiting at the Qianqing Gate. Although he was the commander of the Jinyiwei, upon learning that Yang Rong was presenting a report inside, he stopped Sun Han from sending someone in to announce his arrival and waited outside. The Qianqing Gate was in a windy area, and it was forbidden to wear warm hats when entering the palace; both civil and military officials wore black gauze hats. So soon, he couldn’t help but tighten his fox fur cloak, though he dared not stamp his feet. He took this opportunity to reflect on the numerous issues that had arisen recently.

“Lord Yuan, Scholar Yang has just finished his report. I’ve already sent someone in to announce your arrival. Please wait a moment.”

It wasn’t until he heard Sun Han’s reminder that Yuan Fang raised his head and happened to see Yang Rong, dressed in a thick coat, coming down the steps. He had managed to find out about the details of the cabinet meeting and naturally knew that it was Yang Rong who had arranged the reward for Zhang Yue. It was a pity he had no apparent relationship with Zhang Yue; otherwise, he would have really liked to thank this young scholar on Zhang Yue’s behalf. Solving such a difficult problem so effortlessly truly made him the most favored among the cabinet ministers.

Not long after Yang Rong left, a young eunuch came to summon him. Yuan Fang quickly composed himself. Entering the main hall of the Qianqing Palace, he was guided by a different eunuch. Even without guidance, knowing the way well, he knew from the direction that the emperor was, as usual, receiving guests in the Eastern Warm Pavilion. Upon arriving, he entered through the door draped in red silk, bowed his head in submission, then stepped aside and brought up the matter of transferring people to Xuanfu first.

“Since Lufeng has requested to send people there, select a few capable individuals for him, so as to avoid him complaining to me again that there are no suitable people available. Also tell him that since he is in charge of the Eastern Depot, he should act decisively. If the local guards are truly incompetent, dismiss them immediately—aren’t there enough people in the world who want to join the Jinyiwei?” Zhu Di hated it the most when subordinates pretended to obey while actually defying him, so he scolded Yuan Fang as well before asking, “To come and see me over such a trivial matter—since when have you become so indecisive?”
“I merely wanted to mention this incident incidentally; actually, I have another matter to discuss.”
Seeing Zhu Di nod his chin to indicate he should speak directly, Yuan Fang bowed and said, “The north is extremely cold, quite different from the south. It’s almost the twelfth lunar month now, and this year the weather is particularly harsh. The Jinyiwei prison doesn’t have any supply of firewood or charcoal. I would like to ask the emperor if he could provide each elderly or frail prisoner with a supply of charcoal daily…”
Upon hearing this, Zhu Di’s expression darkened immediately. Yet Yuan Fang, who was usually good at reading the emperor’s mood, simply kept his head bowed and continued, “Many of the prisoners in the prison are diligent in reading. Their manuscripts pile up every day—these are all dedicated people. Out of concern that the emperor might want to read them, I’ve ordered them to be stored in a separate room. All kindness from the emperor is a grace. Although they are serious criminals and not eligible for amnesty, if they receive such grace, not only will they be grateful, but their families as well will surely be deeply thankful to the emperor.”
Zhu Di had been extremely displeased, but hearing Yuan Fang repeatedly speak of imperial grace, he couldn’t help but think of those ministers he had imprisoned in a fit of anger. Xia Yuanji and Wu Zhong were one thing, but they had defied his wishes—saving their lives was already an act of grace beyond the law. But Du Zhen… Recalling the order he had sent to Zhang Yue, his expression gradually softened.
Let’s see how Zhang Yue performs!
“In that case, those over fifty years old shall receive one pound of firewood and charcoal per day, those over sixty shall receive two pounds. As for the rest, if their families are willing to send supplies, let them do so. The prison is not a place for comfort!”
Although he didn’t lift his head, Yuan Fang could imagine the emperor’s expression at this point and quickly expressed his gratitude. After reporting a few other matters and asking to leave, once he was in a place where no one was watching, he revealed a satisfied smile.

Reminding the emperor of ministers like Xia Yuanji and Wu Zhong’s Du Zhen was one thing, but there was another matter that couldn’t be mentioned to anyone. The emperor had already killed those he truly disapproved of; he wouldn’t keep them in the Jinyiwei prison to rot, where they were either unfortunate souls who had angered the emperor temporarily or true members of the Eastern Palace faction. The crown prince would ascend the throne sooner or later. For his own convenience as well as that of others, it would be the end of his role as commander of the Jinyiwei by then. If he didn’t seize the chance to build some good relationships, would he have to rely on Zhang Yue for support in the future?

He hoped Zhang Yue would be luckier and earn more merits soon to free his father-in-law. Besides, he also needed to investigate thoroughly—some people claimed that Du Zhen had once accused the Prince of Yan to Emperor Jianwen, and after failing, he was ordered to resign and retire. In the past, he had even been involved with Prince Zhu Tu of Kaifeng. Emperor Jianwen had been “dead” for many years, and there were countless people who had accused Prince Zhu Tu of rebellion—were these informants crazy?

Returning with a few attendants, when he arrived at the Northern Pacification Office, he suddenly saw a white circle painted on the opposite wall, along with some drawings that looked like those of children. He was stunned. He remembered clearly that this symbol was only told to Zhang Zhuo, and that it was agreed upon when they were in Nanjing. Mu Ning, Lin Sha, and even Zhang Yue all used other methods to communicate. Moreover, where could mischievous children come from in an area patrolled by the Jinyiwei? In an instant, his mind was filled with turmoil. Zhang Zhuo was still in Nanjing, serving as the idle magistrate of Yingtianfu—how could he have come here?

He had heard that the old lady of the Zhang family was very ill. Could it be that Zhang Zhuo had returned to visit her? No, if that were the case, he wouldn’t have heard a thing… What was going on?

With these chaotic thoughts in mind, he summoned his strength to deliver the emperor’s orders at the Northern Pacification Office. After that, he sat in the signing room for a while. When he came out, he stared intently at the circle again. After a long while, he took a deep breath and casually made an excuse to head home. An hour later, disguised, he appeared in a private room in a tavern. When he recognized the person across from him, he was furious.

“Are you crazy?”

“I’m not crazy.”

Zhang Zhuo looked extremely haggard and explained bluntly, “Because Yue’er was trapped in Xinghe before, the Duke of Cheng used the excuse that my grandmother was seriously ill to ask the governor of Yingtianfu for me to take time off. Plus, with the New Year approaching and some free time, I rushed back day and night at full speed. Fortunately, he is lucky and has a long life. But I didn’t come just for him and my grandmother. When we were in Kaifeng back then, none of us expected what would happen today, so it wasn’t too secret, and it was seen by others as well. Do you still remember my eldest uncle? I managed to scare him with a trick back then, but when he came to Nanjing to ask me for help, he mentioned that someone in Kaifeng had inquired about the incident from nine years ago when the Jinyiwei were deployed during the great flood there.”