Chapter 579: The Crown Prince’s Praise

Although it was the 37th day, as it was the day after Zhang Jiu’s wedding, it was only proper for the bride to pay respects to her elders. Since the women in the family often visited the Marquis of Wu’an’s residence, most of them had already met this youngest daughter of the marquis, so this so-called first meeting was not entirely unfamiliar. Yet, receiving honors under such circumstances was truly uncomfortable. Mr. and Mrs. Zhang Xin examined the daughter-in-law chosen by the old lady in great detail. Though young and unadorned with makeup or jewelry, she still appeared graceful and dignified, which relieved them greatly. They thought to themselves that the old lady had indeed thought of this marriage before her death—she had not chosen the wrong person.

Though satisfied, today was also a crucial day during the seven-day mourning period. After offering tea and performing rituals, everyone returned to their rooms to change into mourning clothes. The 37th and 47th days were considered “dispersion days,” traditionally handled by nephews or nieces. Duke Zhang Fu, as the eldest son, naturally took charge, having prepared everything from Buddhist ceremonies to other arrangements. With his own son Zhang Zhuo returning, everyone felt even more at ease. As it was a day of formalities, many officials came by, and the women in the family assisted in receiving them.

Although Zheng Fangfei was the eldest daughter-in-law of the eldest branch, since she had just joined the family, Mrs. Feng had no intention of imposing rules on her at this time, nor could she immediately bring her out to meet guests. Thinking that Du Wan was pregnant, she simply sent her to the western courtyard after the morning rituals. Firstly, the sister-in-laws could talk together and help explain matters about the household. Secondly, Du Wan was kind-hearted, and it would be good for her to get along with such a sister-in-law. Thirdly, Mrs. Feng was worried that the bride might behave inappropriately during the mourning period.

Due to the strict mourning requirements, despite being over eight months pregnant, Du Wan wore the same coarse linen mourning clothes as the other daughter-in-laws, even wearing plain clothes underneath. Observing her new sister-in-law, who seemed composed but still somewhat uneasy, she couldn’t help but recall her own appearance on her wedding day.

After chatting for a while, Shui Jing brought food with a few maids—just a bowl of plain rice, four bowls of light dishes, and another bowl of a large serving of meat soup noodles. Normally, meat was not allowed during strict mourning, but since Du Wan was pregnant, an exception was made for her sake. However, there was hardly any oil in the other dishes. Du Wan’s appetite had improved these days, and she finished the large bowl of noodles in no time. Looking up, she saw that Zheng Fangfei had hardly touched her food.

“Fourth sister-in-law, what’s the matter with you…”

Zheng Fangfei was just reached the age of coming of age; her plain face, unadorned with makeup, still couldn’t hide her beauty. Seeing Du Wan’s concerned expression, she quickly shook her head and said, “Third sister-in-law, I’m not hungry.”
“How can you not be hungry? Wedding days are always full of complicated rituals, especially this time… You probably didn’t eat much at home the past couple of days. If you don’t eat properly today, you won’t be able to handle all the tasks in the afternoon. Besides, it’s only meat that’s prohibited—plain rice and vegetables are fine. If the old lady were still alive, she wouldn’t want you to go hungry. I know you’re worried about breaking etiquette, but don’t worry. Although there’s a rule to observe rituals on the seventh day, there’s no rule saying nothing can be eaten on those days.”
Seeing that Zheng Fangfei was persuaded, Du Wan immediately picked up the bowl, but she just moved all the rice around until not a single grain was left, leaving all four kinds of vegetables untouched. Du Wan thought this was her way of showing respect and didn’t say anything more. After the dishes were taken away, she had to explain some matters regarding the family. Though they were sister-in-laws, their relationship was still only slightly better than that of strangers, so she naturally couldn’t go too deep into details. In the afternoon, there were more rituals to follow. The two sister-in-laws went together; although it was exhausting, Du Wan, having gone through the first and seventh days of mourning and having recuperated over the previous months, managed to get through it safely.
In the blink of an eye, most of Zhang Yue’s one-month leave had passed, with only the last two days remaining. In the Tang and Song dynasties, leave was granted for all periods of mourning—thirty days for the first year of mourning. But in the Ming dynasty, aside from major deaths, leave was usually only granted for one day on the seventh day of each mourning period, and even that often depended on the official in charge’s mood. Therefore, Zhang Chao and Zhang Qi took seven days off for their brother’s seventh day of mourning, after which they could only ask for leave on the seventh days. Zhang Yue, however, had a bit more time.
That day was the fourth day of mourning, and it was Zhang Fu’s third brother, Zhang Jie, who came to oversee the rituals. After all, even if Zhang Fu wanted to come, he was still under punishment and had to stay out of the way. Just as the rituals in the mourning hall were completed, a sudden voice came from outside.
“Lords and young masters, someone from the palace has brought an imperial decree—it’s for the third young master!”
Previously, envoys from the Taichang Temple and the Eastern Palace had come to offer condolences, and the whole family had dressed in mourning clothes to welcome them. All the promised rewards and gifts had already arrived. Now, hearing of an imperial decree, everyone was puzzled but once again became busy. After putting on their mourning clothes according to their rank, the Yangwu Bo’s residence opened its main gate wide, and the family welcomed the imperial envoy in order of seniority. Yet the moment they saw the person, Zhang Yue was shocked.

This was not the familiar Zhang Qian, Lu Feng, or even Liu Yongcheng and Hai Shou. It was actually a eunuch from the Imperial Eunuch Bureau—the renowned Zheng He! Due to the funeral affairs these days, he had been so absorbed in his own concerns that he had no idea Zheng He had returned from his overseas voyage. Now, seeing Zheng He dressed in a magnificent red satin qilin robe, he remembered that this was Zheng He’s sixth voyage to the West. As far as he remembered, this voyage had also sparked the most debates among later historians. Some foreigners claimed Zheng He had completed the first circumnavigation of the globe; some said he had reached Africa, while others claimed he had discovered America. In China, some believed he had returned early due to disasters at the three main palaces. Yet this thought merely flashed through his mind before he suppressed it. After all, as long as Zheng He was back, there would always be a chance to ask questions later. What was more urgent now was another matter. Since this was an imperial edict passed down to him, he naturally stood at the forefront when receiving it. However, unlike the brilliantly written edicts drafted by the cabinet earlier, this one consisted of just a few simple sentences, seemingly written by the emperor himself.
“…For his meritorious defense efforts, thoughtful advice, and repeated achievements, though still young, he must temper his resolve and focus on his studies. He is appointed as a vice minister in the Ministry of War to serve as a tutor to the Crown Prince, temporarily assigned to the Office of the Imperial Tutor to handle military affairs.”
When these concise words were read aloud, everyone in the Zhang family exchanged puzzled looks. Even Zhang Yue found this appointment utterly unexpected. He was still young and didn’t care much about rank, but being assigned to tutor Zhu Zhanji was quite surprising. Moreover, the mention of military affairs was quite intriguing. Thinking that Zhu Zhanji had sent Huang Run to give him a special reminder, he guessed that some hints must have reached him in advance, and he couldn’t help but smile inwardly. It seemed this appointment was also due to the influence of the Crown Prince.
Zheng He had returned to Nanjing in August and was then ordered to head north. It had only been a few days since he arrived in the capital. Having completed his duties, he didn’t stay longer at the family’s home. He simply offered a few comforting words to the Zhang family before departing. With his departure, everyone in the family changed back into their mourning clothes and privately discussed this strange appointment.

Another day passed in the blink of an eye. Zhang Yue thought that he would have to temporarily set aside his duties to serve in the Eastern Palace the next day. That evening, during dinner, he took the opportunity to return to his own courtyard to eat with his wife. With only about a month left until the due date, which would surely fall within the hundred-day mourning period for his grandmother, there were still many rituals to carry out. He couldn’t help but instruct Mother Cui to be extra careful and stay close by at all times. After dinner, since Amber brought over the cute Jingguan, he couldn’t resist holding his son and playing with him for a while. But before long, his unshaven beard for days pricked the little one, causing him to cry loudly.

In a hurry, he laid the child down on the bed and gently stroked his big head. “Little Jingguan, your great-grandmother is no longer with us, but her hopes remain. Our family doesn’t raise idle sons. When you’re older, Father will definitely find the best teachers to teach you horseback riding and archery! Even if you want to take the imperial examinations to become a civil official, you need a strong body first!”

Not only was Du Wan deeply moved by Zhang Yue’s words, but even Qiuhen Amber remembered Zhang Yue’s childhood. Mother Cui shook her head and quickly ordered the nurse to take the child away, then sighed, “The young master must have been scared by an illness when he was young. It’s still too early for Little Jingguan to start learning horseback riding and archery! But the old lady also said that it’s okay to spoil girls a bit, but boys can’t be pampered like flowers—they need to be tempered more to succeed…”

With her constant nagging, a more somber atmosphere filled the room. Realizing she was spoiling the mood, she quickly tried to change the subject. As dusk fell and Zhang Yue prepared to go to bed, everyone found an excuse to leave, leaving only the couple in the room to talk. They stared at each other in silence for a long time before Du Wan gently coughed.

“The duties in the Crown Prince’s Palace may seem trivial, but they’re actually a target for criticism. You must be careful. You’ve been busy these past few days, and I haven’t had time to talk to you. Father has just been promoted to Left Assistant in the Zanshi Bureau’s Left Chunfang Department. Besides his duties, he might also give lectures in the Eastern Palace. From now on, you should be able to see each other more often.”

“If I can also hear the master’s teachings by chance from the Crown Prince, that would be perfect.” Zhang Yue naturally used the term “master,” then counted on his fingers. “There must be reasons why the position in theThe Grand Secretariat wasn’t assigned to me this time. Apart from theDeputy Minister of the Left (Censorate), there are theLeft and Right Chunfang University Scholars,Left and Right Chunfang University Scholars,Left and Right Yu De translates to Left and Right Yu De.,Left and Right Zhong Yun… In short, positions of lower rank can’t be given to me, and those of equal rank, likescholar-officials and commoners, aren’t suitable for someone like me at the moment. Thus, it’s theThe position of the chief reader position, which was abolished long after the emperor ascended the throne, that has no rank and can be used temporarily to fill the role.”
“It doesn’t matter if it’s just for show, but make sure you never accompany the Crown Prince in cricket battles from now on! Though you’re mature, you still get crazy from time to time. With so many senior officials watching, be careful they cause you trouble.”
Seeing Zhang Yue smile at this, Du Wan couldn’t help but look up at the dim lamp. The much-loved Crown Prince’s consort in the Eastern Palace was also pregnant now, and like Zhang Yue, the Crown Prince was about to become a father.