Chapter 572: Those Who Don’t Know What’s Important Are Fools; The Wise Avoid the Hard and Focus on the Easy

As Zhang Xin said, due to the urgent summons, Zhang Yue set off in a hurry, bringing only Niu Gan and a few guards. However, he wasn’t the only one on this journey—there were also a large number of Jinyiwei soldiers, led by Yuan Fang, the commander of the Jinyiwei. Although Zhang Yue had little experience traveling at night, Yuan Fang carried a specially made colored glass lantern, and he was surrounded by others, so the rapid journey went smoothly without any problems.

By dawn, the group had arrived at Juyong Pass, over 180 li away from the capital. Though they were used to riding horses and had experienced rough rides before, this night journey was their first. Moreover, it was already after the Mid-Autumn Festival, and the wind carried a chill—being exposed to it all night was truly uncomfortable. When they dismounted, Zhang Yue felt numbness and coldness throughout his body.

Fortunately, Juyong Pass wasn’t a desolate or ruined place, and the garrison commander didn’t dare neglect an important guest from the capital. He quickly brought hot soup and pancakes. After eating this warm food, everyone who had traveled all night regained their strength. There were still over 200 li to Yunchou. After eating, Yuan Fang, who had come from outside, ordered everyone to rest for half an hour before continuing the journey. He then called Zhang Yue outside. As soon as he stepped outside, Zhang Yue saw the retreating figure of a sturdy soldier, which immediately piqued his interest.

“Lord Zhang, the emperor will set off from Xining Post Station this morning and will likely arrive in Yunchou at least two days later. Given the schedules of those three officials from the capital, we will surely reach Yunchou before the emperor, so there’s no need to worry about that. I just think that if you can handle it, you might as well speed up on the road, follow the Dushi River upstream, and avoid waiting in Yunchou. After all, the previous orders only said to reach Yunchou first, not to wait there.”

Hearing Yuan Fang’s confident tone, Zhang Yue became even more certain that the soldier earlier was a spy for the Jinyiwei. Without hesitation, he nodded and agreed, “Very well, I’ll follow Lord Yuan’s advice.”

“Then you should go back and rest as well, trying to reach Yunchou by night. Although it was abandoned during the Hongwu era, there are likely still many soldiers stationed there due to the military supplies stored there. Once we arrive, we can rest for most of the night and continue traveling early the next morning.”

Only after Zhang Yue turned and entered the house did Yuan Fang narrow his eyes and remain motionless where he stood. When he had been assigned to Xuanfu to investigate Mongolian spies, he had already known this was just Lu Feng’s excuse, but he never expected communication with the capital to be severed as a result. After learning about the situation from Zhang Yue, he promptly launched an investigation, only to discover that the person he thought was untouchable had various problems. After weighing the pros and cons, he finally had no choice but to bring Lin Sha back.

Being held at the throat and unable to move? Impossible!

During the prosperity of the Yuan Dynasty, the Shangdu region had been an important link between the steppes and the Central Plains, thriving for a time. But ever since the Mongols withdrew from the Central Plains and the Ming Dynasty was established, frequent invasions from the north led to the gradual construction of the Great Wall, and those once prosperous prefectures were abandoned one after another—Kaiping, Xinghe, Xingzhou, Yunzhou, and so on, without exception. The difference was that Kaiping and Xinghe were still considered key towns guarding the frontier, while Yunzhou was left in ruins.

Having spent several months in Kaiping, Zhang Yue no longer felt much about the dilapidated Yunzhou. Moreover, upon arriving late at night, he was so tired that he fell straight onto his bed as soon as he reached the tent, without even taking the time to look around. When he was awakened in the morning, he still felt sore all over. But since he was away from home, he couldn’t be too picky, so he simply rinsed his mouth with cold water and started chewing on dry food as hard as stone.

Although he had eaten such dry food while in the frontier, back home he had deliciously prepared meals at every meal. Now, facing this hardship again, he felt as though his stomach instinctively rejected the food, forcing him to swallow it bite by bite. Just as he had managed to eat most of the cake, he heard a commotion outside.

“Lord Zhang, please go back. This is the work of the Jinyiwei.”

“Is it a crime for me to see my own nephew?”

“Why make things difficult for us, Lord Zhang? If you want to spend time with family, you can do that after returning to the capital!”

“Make things difficult? Don’t think the Jinyiwei is something special. You’re just a bunch of lowly scoundrels who dare to stop me! Zhang Yue, are you really so disrespectful to your elders? You protect that distant relative Wang Yu, but you ignore your proper uncle? Don’t forget how your elder brother protected you!”

Hearing the loud voices outside, Zhang Yue’s appetite vanished even further. He casually shoved the dried cake back into his rations bag, stood up, and stepped out of the tent. Coming suddenly from the dim light to the brightness, he couldn’t help but squint first before he could clearly see the person being blocked by the Jinyiwei guards. The man was dressed in a slightly old red robe, his hairband was not neatly tied, and his leather boots were covered in dust; he appeared exhausted and irritable.

Although he recognized that it was indeed his second uncle, Zhang Fu, Zhang Yue remembered that he used to place great importance on his appearance. He was puzzled at first, but recalling Zhang Fu’s reckless shouting earlier, he felt disgusted. Yet in these times, hierarchy was of utmost importance, and he didn’t want to give anyone an excuse in front of others. After hesitating for a moment, he stepped forward and bowed.

Seeing Zhang Yue come to see him, the annoyance on Zhang Fu’s face faded slightly, though his gaze toward the Jinyiwei guards remained full of anger. Remembering the rumors he had heard these past few days, he temporarily suppressed his emotions and forced a smile. “Brother Yue, it’s been so long since we last saw each other. It seems you’ve become even more successful. I have a few important things to say to you—it won’t take long.”

Although he could easily use his mission as an excuse to avoid Zhang Fu, after all, he was his brother, and Zhang Yue didn’t want to embarrass him in front of others, so he agreed. However, instead of inviting him into the tent, he led Zhang Fu to an open area nearby and said with a slight smile, “Lord Yuan from the Jinyiwei is right over there. I suppose Uncle Fu doesn’t want to deal with him. What important instructions do you have for me?”

Hearing the word “instructions,” Zhang Fu’s face turned red. He had always held himself in high regard and looked down on others, so asking a younger person for help made him extremely uncomfortable. After calming himself down, he forced a smile and said, “It’s not really an instruction. I just heard that you’ve come here by imperial order. Are you planning to wait for the emperor in Yunchou, or…?”

Noticing Zhang Fu’s hesitant speech, Zhang Yue grew even more suspicious and said calmly, “Why does Uncle Fu ask this? I’ve been sent here under Lord Yuan’s command. He is a third-rank Jinyiwei commander, so I naturally follow his orders. If he says to leave the city, I’ll leave; if he says to stay in Yunchou and wait, then I’ll stay.”

“People of our Zhang family need not fear the Jinyiwei!” Zhang Fei snorted coldly. Remembering how the Jinyiwei had stopped him just now, he grew furious. Though proud, he knew they were the emperor’s lackeys, so instead of stubbornly insisting on his point, he softened his tone and said, “Brother Yue, you were first ordered to return to the capital, and now you’re sent here again by imperial decree. What does that mean? It means the emperor trusts you immensely! As someone of our Zhang family, you must maintain your dignity and not let others oppress you. Sometimes, showing off your presence is a good thing…”

Although annoyed by these rambling and nonsensical arguments, and though he was already thinking about how to respond to any tricky questions when he met the emperor later, Zhang Yue pretended to listen attentively. Only after Zhang Fei finished speaking did he nod and say, “Thank you, Uncle Fei, for the reminder. It’s getting late; I need to go back and get ready, so as to avoid any oversights.”

“Wait!” Zhang Fei panicked at these words. No longer concerned with dignity or hierarchy, he quickly stopped Zhang Yue and changed his expression. “Besides that, there’s another matter I’d like you to help with. The roads and bridges near Huailaiwei were washed away by floods, causing delays in transporting military supplies—two days’ worth of delay. It’s a minor issue, but some people claim I’m neglectful and responsible for the delay… It’s absurd. Am I that stupid? Brother Yue, we’re both from the Zhang family. You must recognize your role at critical moments.”

Zhang Yue already knew that someone like Zhang Fei would always ask for help whenever there was a problem. Hearing this, he actually felt relieved. Since Zhang Fei had spoken casually, he didn’t expect to get any detailed truth from him, so he gave a vague response. When he returned to the tent, he saw Yuan Fangzheng sitting inside. Only then did he remember that the Jinyiwei were outside, and he had no idea where his own men had gone.

“I have something to tell you, so I’ll have to send your guards away for now,” Yuan Fangzheng said. Seeing Zhang Yue sit down on the rock beside him, he spoke seriously, “I sent people to inquire. When you returned from the north, the emperor was not feeling well. That’s why Yang Rong and Jin Youzi stayed by his side day and night, handling all military affairs. But later, as the generals reported their victories, the emperor summoned the Duke of Yingguo three times in private.”

The nobles of the Yongle era were all those who followed Zhu Di in conquering the land, but few truly possessed the talents of great generals. Most of them joined Zhu Di’s cause during turbulent times and were far inferior to those who had contributed to the founding of the dynasty. Zhu Di’s governance philosophy differed significantly from that of Zhu Yuanzhang; as a result, the status of military generals was elevated, and they were given great honors, yet Zhu Di often took control of military affairs alone. In the imperial court, in terms of closeness to the emperor, almost no one could compare to the inner cabinet, which was always by the emperor’s side. Even Zhang Fu, the Duke of Yingguo, though trusted by the emperor, was not as close.

However, closeness was not always a good thing. Serving the emperor was like serving a tiger. Among the original seven members of the inner cabinet, Hu Guang died of illness—a relatively good end—while Xie Jin froze to death in the snow. Huang Huai was imprisoned for eight years, and Hu Yan was reassigned as the head of the Imperial Academy. The rest were only Yang Shiqi, Yang Rong, and Jin Youzi. Even his mentor had to return to the palace twice.

Thus, Zhang Yue was not surprised that Yang Rong and Jin Youzi stayed in the imperial tent to handle military affairs when Zhu Di fell ill. But he found it quite strange that Zhu Di summoned Zhang Fu three times. Recalling that Zhang Fu had already returned by the time he set off from the capital, he frowned even more and quickly glanced at Yuan Fang, whose gaze met his.

Yunzhou was connected upstream to the Dushi River and downstream to the Longmen River. During the Yuan dynasty, official roads were built along these rivers to reach Shangdu and Kaiping. Although over a hundred years had passed and the road no longer had its original appearance with earthen paths and trees along it, it was still passable. After changing horses in Yunzhou, the group rode fast for half a day and reached the upper reaches of the Dushi River, where they encountered the vanguard scouts of the northern expedition army. Soon, someone escorted them to Zhu Rong, the Left Commander in charge of reconnaissance.

Zhu Rong was a seasoned and cautious general. Though he was surprised to see this group of travelers in disarray, he immediately sent someone to report to the main army. Compared to other generals in the northern expedition, he had risen from a lowly position through hard work, having fought countless battles. Since he never got involved in politics, he paid no attention to the Jinyiwei. He had twice followed Zhang Fu on campaigns to Jiaozhi and had made the greatest contributions, yet he was always denied titles due to various circumstances, so he treated Zhang Yue indifferently. When someone from the main army came to summon him, he immediately ordered his guards to send them away without saying a word.

As he led the campaign in person, Zhu Di often issued edicts urging the military and civilians to share weal and woe, so he did not use any elaborate carriages such as large or elephant-shaped ones. Instead, he relied on a red pine wood carriage pulled by four horses, or more often, rode a horse. His health was now unstable, and only at the insistence of others had he agreed to travel by carriage. From the outside, the carriage seemed ordinary, but inside it was luxuriously furnished with floral carpets, red brocade cushions, and red-painted seats, capable of accommodating five or six people. Zhu Di was now resting with his eyes closed, while two young eunuchs knelt nearby preparing tea.

“Your Majesty, Yuan Fang, the commander of the Jinyiwei, and Zhang Yue, the director of the Military Armory Department, have arrived.”

With a soft grunt, Zhu Di opened his eyes and casually ordered, “Send Zhang Yue to meet the two scholars, Yang Jin and the others. Have Yuan Fang come in to see me.”

Soon, a middle-aged eunuch led Yuan Fang around from behind the gilded cloud-dragon red-painted screen at the front. Although the carriage was still in motion and jolted due to the uneven road, both men walked with great steadiness. When Yuan Fang stepped forward to bow, the middle-aged eunuch signaled the two eunuchs serving tea, and the three of them quietly withdrew. Even so, Yuan Fang had no expectation that the red pine wood panels of the carriage could isolate sound.

Zhu Di asked a few routine questions about the Jinyiwei, then suddenly asked directly, “Someone has reported to me that when you were in the Henan garrison, you used the Jinyiwei to help the Zhang family search for someone during the flood in Kaifeng.”

Ever since the news spread, Yuan Fang knew he would have to face this question, and the emperor’s inquiry was as expected. Still, he pretended to be surprised and only after a while said awkwardly, “Your Majesty, please forgive me. I had just become a thousand-household officer at that time. Thinking that the Zhang family was a prominent family in Kaifeng and that doing them a favor would make things easier, plus Zhang Yue’s father earnestly begged me and offered generous gifts, I agreed. Because of this favor, they asked me for help twice more…”