Chapter 517: Rumors Persist; Accomplices Must Be Watched Out For

Due to Marquis Wu’an Zheng Heng’s decisive actions in his new role, even though the entire Xuanfu city was in an uproar over the emperor’s order of execution, the military headquarters remained orderly. At noon, everyone rushed to finish their meals and prepared for the afternoon drill, with no one having time to worry about the sharp executioner’s blade at the third hour of the day. Lu Feng did come to invite Meng Jun and Zhang Yue to watch the execution, but both politely declined. After all, Zhang Yue no longer wanted to visit such places after overseeing an execution in Qingzhou; Meng Jun, having no grudges against anyone, saw no need to show off at an execution site.

Yet, when the cannon fire at the execution site echoed at the third hour, Zhang Yue, who was talking with Zheng Heng in the second hall of the headquarters, heard that someone was looking for him. Having no acquaintances in Xuanfu, he was puzzled. It wasn’t until the bodyguard whispered that it was Wang Xiang, the son of Commander Wang Huan, that he understood. Zheng Heng nodded in understanding.

“The emperor granted Wang Huan’s son a hereditary position as commander of the Yanshan Left Guard. His body was sent straight back to Datong. Although we all contributed some condolence money, including you, no one went to pay respects at the funeral. Now that his family is here to see you, go and meet them to comfort them.”

It was only proper to do so, so Zhang Yue readily agreed. After leaving the second hall, he followed the main road out through the second gate and took a side path to the flower hall. When he lifted the curtain and entered, he saw a young man dressed in mourning clothes in his early thirties. The man resembled Wang Huan closely, but appeared more honest and less resolute. After greeting each other, Wang Xiang spoke little, only saying at the end with a troubled expression, “Sir Zhang, although my father died heroically, there were already rumors before he came to Xuanfu that he had embezzled funds while guarding Kaiping. Though the emperor has posthumously honored him, I don’t want him to go to his grave with a bad reputation. Please intercede for him.”

“Don’t worry about this. I’ve already informed Censor Yu, who is in Kaiping, and he will investigate thoroughly to clear your father’s name.”

Hearing that Wang Xiang sought such help, Zhang Yue felt he was a honest man who truly cared for his father, so he immediately agreed. Although he had only dealt with that veteran general for a few days, he believed the man was not of low character, and with Yu Qian handling the matter, justice would be served. He sat down and talked with Wang Xiang for a while longer before personally seeing him out. At the gate, Wang Xiang suddenly turned around.

“There’s something I originally didn’t want to mention, but after much thought, I still feel I should tell Lord Zhang. On this journey to escort my father’s coffin back for burial, I received help with travel expenses and donations from many relatives and elders. Yet some people told me that with so many soldiers in Xinghe, it’s strange that only my father died—they asked me to seek justice before the emperor. I’m originally a scholar; entering the military was purely by chance, but I can still distinguish right from wrong. Although my father rose through the ranks due to his merits, he often reminisced about that battle when drunk. Now that he’s died in battle, it seems he got what he deserved. I don’t know where these rumors originated, but I hope Lord Zhang will be cautious.”

“I understand. Thank you, Young Master Wang, for the warning.”

After seeing Wang Xiang off, Zhang Yue turned to return to the general’s residence, feeling somewhat uneasy. The rumors Wang Xiang mentioned might stem from a few envious people jealous of his military achievements, or from regret over the death of the veteran general, or even from someone trying to stir up trouble. But regardless, pursuing such rumors seriously would be like making a fuss over nothing—it’s not worth it.

Upon returning to the main hall, before even entering, he heard a loud voice inside, seemingly that of a bodyguard. Realizing the person was vividly describing the bloody scenes of Wang Guan covered in wounds on the execution ground, he didn’t rush in right away. Instead, he went around the signing rooms on both sides. When he turned back, he happened to see Wan Shijie coming in from outside, so he went to greet him.

“Yuanjie, I’m leaving this afternoon,” Wan Shijie said bluntly before Zhang Yue could speak, then smiled. “Now that you’re in charge of military affairs as the supervisor of Xuanfu, I have no right to stay here and help you. Besides, the Military Armory Department is even busier without you as an officer—everyone is struggling to keep up. I can’t keep delaying here. The report about the candidates you selected yesterday should have been submitted already, right? That’s indeed good news, but you must ensure quality. If inferior grain is passed off as good, all your favor with the emperor won’t matter.”

“You needn’t worry about that. When weighing the grain, not only will Marquis Wu’an send his bodyguards to oversee it, but I’ll also bring Lord Lu along.”

“Tsk tsk, I knew you were confident. But it was just a reminder!” Wan Shijie stared at Zhang Yue for a while before suddenly saying awkwardly, “By the way, are you really going to send Xiao Wu back with me?”

Seeing his cautious expression, Zhang Yue couldn’t help but roll her eyes at him with a smile. “Of course. What kind of place is Xuanfu? If she stays here as a young woman, I won’t be able to take care of her properly. What if something like what happened yesterday happens again—someone trying to harass her? Besides, war is coming again, and there will likely be many Tatar spies. Of course I’m worried she might be in danger. In short, you brought her here, so you bring her back. With this incident, it won’t be so difficult for you to interact with her in the future. If you can truly win her heart, after the northern campaign is over and we return to the capital, I’ll ask my father to help arrange a marriage for you!”
Wan Shijie, who was usually quick-witted, could only nod at this point. He added, “And don’t forget to rescue our future father-in-law first.”
“You really dare to say that? With nothing decided yet, you’re already talking about a father-in-law!” Zhang Yue almost choked on his words and coughed repeatedly before responding seriously, “Alright, I won’t argue with you. Take care of matters in the capital. Since my father has returned, you don’t need to worry about my family. But Du’s family and Xiao Fang are up to you. Um, this afternoon I have to follow Marquis Wu’an to the training ground to inspect the troops in Xuanfu. I probably won’t have time to see you off. Let Old Peng take you out of the city. Please tell Xiao Wu on my behalf that I’m too busy this time and can’t accompany her. I’ll apologize when we return to the capital!”
“Don’t worry, it’s on me!”
The two had been friends for many years. They smiled at each other and didn’t say much more. Seeing the curtains of the second hall lifted high, it was the messenger soldier who bent down to let them in. Zhang Yue and Wan Shijie entered together. Wan Shijie was from the Ministry of War, so his visit to Marquis Wu’an, Zheng Heng, was merely a formality. After bowing and sitting down, he said a few words before getting up to leave. Zheng Heng naturally didn’t keep him long. Once he left, Zheng Heng put away his smile and folded his hands in front of him thoughtfully.
“Lu Feng is after all an eunuch. He’s too vengeful and acts without considering consequences. When Wang Guan was taken to the execution ground, there was no use in shouting for justice. He needed help to stand, and he barely had any breath left.” Zheng Heng gently tapped the armrest before shaking his head. “Anyway, the matter is over now. His life or death isn’t our concern. If the other eunuchs in the palace want to use this to pick on him, that’s his own fault for not leaving any room for maneuver!”

There was no discrimination against eunuchs like Zhang Yue—if there was any discrimination, it was only against that perverse system. Moreover, in those days, there was the renowned Zheng He, as well as Zhang Qian who had also traveled to the West. Many eunuchs he had dealt with were reasonable people. But not discriminating against them didn’t mean being unprepared. At least he had made considerable efforts to deal with Lu Feng—he didn’t want to be outwitted by this ambitious eunuch, nor did he want to let someone with whom he had managed to build a relationship and who could help solve problems collapse so easily. However, in front of Zheng Heng, he couldn’t express such thoughts, so he merely gave a vague response.

Since Zheng Heng had tightened military discipline as soon as he took office, Zhang Yue, who returned to the training ground half a month later, noticed a stark difference in the soldiers’ morale. He knew that he had been able to survive in Xinghe largely because he had a group of capable people by his side and had quite good luck. So, although he received rewards and honors during his time back in Xuanfu, he never considered himself a true military hero.

Military affairs should be left to experts. If a country has to rely on civil officials for warfare, then it’s doomed!

The grand inspection took a full hour and a half to conclude. Since Marquis Wu’an Zheng Heng praised the soldiers’ performance in an unprecedented manner, officers at all levels in Xuanfu felt greatly honored. Several thousand and hundred commanders even went down to drink hot soup with their troops to warm themselves. By the time the troops returned to the city, their morale was extremely high.

Zhang Yue and Zheng Heng returned to the general’s residence by evening. Although they were not under the same command, they had been neighbors in the past, and Zheng Heng regarded Zhang Yue as a junior, so he invited him to dine together. After dinner, when the servants brought in tea and left, Zhang Yue took the opportunity to bring up another important matter—the Mongolian spies active in the Xuanfu area. Hearing this, Zheng Heng casually put down his teacup.

“This has been a long-standing problem in Xuanfu. Don’t be fooled by Lu Feng’s frantic efforts before he was defeated—he still couldn’t catch even a single one of them. Even I, as the military commander, failed to capture many during my tenure. Thanks to the Great Wall, large numbers of Tartars can’t get in, but there are still quite a few who manage to slip through. Kaiping was once the capital of the Yuan dynasty. Although the Ming dynasty has been established for decades, there are still many people in the Xuanfu and Datong areas with Tartar ancestry. So spies don’t necessarily have to be Tartars. Moreover, due to border trade, many Ming merchants do business there, and their private transactions may not be any cleaner than Wang Guan’s. But since they’re also involved in the Kaizhong system and no solid evidence can be obtained, these spies are constantly being pursued with meager results.”

Zhang Yue was well aware that it only took a few decades or even a century for the Ming dynasty to shift from valuing commerce lightly to overemphasizing it. In the future, the famous Shanxi merchants even became accomplices to the Manchus when they entered China. If rules aren’t established now to prevent this, there’s no hope in the future. Therefore, he wasn’t discouraged by Zheng Heng’s words but instead smiled slightly.

“I understand all the points you’ve made, Lord. That’s why we need to focus on those merchants this time. Besides, with the Eastern Depot and the Imperial Guards around, wouldn’t it be a waste not to make good use of them?”