Chapter 606: Brothers

After the Longevity Festival, the weather grew hotter day by day, with the scorching sun making people dizzy. The climate in the north was different from that in the south—it had always been dry with little rain. Since the capital was moved to Beijing, the demand for firewood had increased dozens of times over, and countless forests in Shuntian Prefecture had suffered as a result. Even now in summer, the imperial kitchen still required a steady supply of firewood. Thus, when it rained for three days in a rare stretch a few days ago, many households living on slopes were hit hard, leaving Shuntian Prefecture in chaos.

These days, Zhang Yue had been in charge of redrawing the maps of Shuntian Prefecture, visiting almost all the counties within it. He noticed that although there weren’t as many bare mountains as in later generations, deforestation was widespread. This wasn’t surprising—although the Western Hills near the capital produced coal, the court forbade civilians from mining due to feng shui concerns and other restrictions. As a result, aside from some temples and a few wealthy families approved by the government, ordinary people couldn’t mine. Even the coal mined there was rarely used in the capital; everyone from nobles to commoners relied on firewood.

“No wonder there’s constant soil erosion. Now, in addition to reclamation, there’s also logging for firewood. I wonder how many trees have been destroyed.”

“Younger master, what are you muttering about?”

Hearing a voice beside him, Zhang Yue snapped back to reality. Seeing Peng Shisan looking at him, he made an excuse to cover up his thoughts. After all, trying to explain concepts like sustainable development to people today was like talking to a cow—useless. So he simply put the matter aside for now. After traveling for days, he had only managed to take a quick shower. Now, under the scorching sun with hot winds blowing, he felt as if salt crystals were forming on his back—extremely uncomfortable.

“These past few days have just been about running errands. My aunt insisted you come with me, but actually, four people like Niugan are enough.”

“The Duke of Ying left me in Beijing so that you could have more reliable people around. Besides, if I didn’t come, Lingxi would surely cause me trouble!” Peng Shisan shrugged indifferently. Seeing that Niugan and the others were carefully monitoring what happened along the road, he added with a smile, “Those four were orphans. Now that they’ve married and started families, they’ll become more responsible. By then, I’ll be old and have nothing to do. Even if you asked me to follow, I couldn’t.”

“You’re still in your prime. Why mention old age?”

Zhang Yue turned back with a sigh and snapped a remark, before glancing at both sides of the road. They were only a few miles away from the capital now. Along the road, there were many lush vegetable fields and farmlands, but more were barren lands—some clearly abandoned due to lack of cultivation. He naturally knew this was because last year’s northern expedition had mobilized a large number of laborers to transport grain, resulting in this situation. Yet, these were matters he couldn’t bring up openly; he could only sigh inwardly.

“By the way, the provincial examination in Shuntian Prefecture will be held in August. Has the fourth young master prepared?”
“Xiao Si has become increasingly proficient in his studies over the years at the Imperial Academy, rising in rank repeatedly. As long as his essays are fair and balanced this time and his handwriting is a bit better, he should be able to pass the provincial examination.”

Recalling how he had suddenly obtained the title of scholar from the sky and later passed the subsequent imperial examinations smoothly, Zhang Yue felt he was extremely lucky. Fortunately, Zhang Jiu hadn’t wasted time at home either—he had gained knowledge from the Imperial Academy and become more confident in social interactions. As the saying goes, great things come from hard work. If he failed this time, it would be as if fate was playing tricks on him. Thinking that two acquaintances would also be taking the exam, he felt even more hopeful.

“It’s not just my fourth brother. The seventh brother and Xiao Fang will also take the exam. The seventh brother was recommended to the Censorate as a student and has taken lessons under Scholar Yang, so he should have no major problems. As for Xiao Fang, though he is young and registered under the Duke of Ying, he has already passed the preliminary examination successfully. Still, the provincial examination in Shuntian Prefecture is much more competitive, so this is just a trial run!”

Though he spoke casually, after finishing his duties at the Ministry of War and getting half a day off, Zhang Yue rushed home to give Zhang Jiu some last-minute guidance. As soon as he entered the west gate, he heard that Fang Jing had arrived and was discussing literature with Zhang Jiu, which immediately reminded him of his own experience taking the imperial examination.

Back then, he had already gotten to know Wan Shijie, and after the imperial examination, he met Xia Ji as well. His father, Zhang Zhuo, was also there… It was indeed a lively occasion. However, the thorough search at the entrance during the imperial examination wasn’t a pleasant experience at all. That damp and dark environment was almost as bad as a prison cell, and it certainly wasn’t something worth remembering.

After a short while, he dismissed these chaotic thoughts and asked, “How long has he been here?”

Gao Quan saw Zhang Yue return the towel for wiping sweat and replied with a smile, “Young Master Fang arrived early this morning. The fourth young master also ordered that food be kept for him, so he will likely return later. Right now, they are in Mingxingzhai discussing various aspects of the exam strategy. I’ve already instructed the staff not to disturb them. The fourth young master is determined to succeed this time; I hope Young Master Fang can achieve his goals as well, and it will be a wonderful story when the time comes. By the way, I heard that Young Master Gu is also taking the exam. Wouldn’t it be better if everyone could study together?”
“Seventh brother has a great teacher like Scholar Yang, and he’s also busy with matters at the Censorate, so he probably won’t ask for leave easily. I hope they can live up to your kind words; it will be lively then.”
Zhang Yue nodded with a smile. He had originally planned to visit those two first, but felt it would be inappropriate to enter the study in his sweaty clothes. So he went back to his room first. After changing into a breathable cotton robe, he hurried to Mingxingzhai. Due to the hot weather, there were several ice basins in the room, and a bamboo curtain hung at the entrance to block heat. Yet the two men, dressed in tight green cotton robes, were naturally sweating profusely.
“Hey, Third brother, you’re back so early today?” Zhang Jiu laughed, putting down the paper in his hand and wiping his sweat vigorously before stepping forward. After greeting Zhang Yue, he said, “There’s still over two months until the provincial exam. I was just telling Young Master Fang that we must be determined and not slack off thinking there’s another chance. We plan to spend these two months working together on solving problems and writing essays, aiming to pass all the exams this time. So, I want to keep him at home. What do you think, Third brother?”
Seeing Fang Jing nod eagerly, Zhang Yue naturally didn’t want to dampen his spirits. “As long as Young Fang agrees, why wouldn’t I agree? There are plenty of empty rooms at home. Young Fang just needs to inform Brother Wan… But he’s busy with his wedding lately and doesn’t have time to take care of you. I’ll go tell the staff now not to disturb you in Mingxingzhai and to prepare more cooling soups daily. But while diligence is important, you also need to take care of yourselves so you don’t run out of energy when the exam comes. Hmm, I’ll look for some things we prepared for the provincial exam back then. Though they weren’t used, they might still be useful as references for you.”

Hearing this, Fang Jing was overjoyed and nodded his head again repeatedly like a chick pecking at grains. “Then thank you, Brother Zhang San. When Brother Xia left the capital to take up his post, he gave me all the textbooks and notes from his exams back then. Brother Wan also found a thick stack of materials. With yours added, we’re now standing on the shoulders of three seniors. If we still fail, it’s simply against reason…”
“It’s not that serious. If passing the exam relied solely on seniors’ experience, then that single-plank bridge wouldn’t be a single-plank bridge at all, let alone crossing the Dragon Gate!” Zhang Yue, who had always liked the honest Fang Jing, couldn’t help but laugh as he tapped his head twice. “Study hard and don’t worry about anything else!”
“Mm, I promise I won’t worry, Brother!”
As soon as he said this, Fang Jing realized his mistake and his expression darkened. Seeing both brothers of the Zhang family looking at him, he felt an extremely uncomfortable sensation. With great effort, he narrowed his eyes to hold back the tears. Shaking his head slightly, he forced a smile and said, “I’m fine. I’m already an adult! Since Brother didn’t pass the imperial exams back then, it’s only natural for me to help him fulfill that wish. As long as I pass, Brother will eventually realize it.”
Although Zhang Jiu had some bad habits in his early years, growing up in an environment of brotherly love and having a good relationship with Fang Jing, he had long been dissatisfied with Fang Rui, who had abandoned his younger brother and disappeared without a trace. Now, he grunted irritably, “When Little Brother Fang passes the exam, I wonder where that ‘brother’ will put his face? Everyone makes mistakes in life. My aunt was just angry for a moment; she can apologize and explain later. But he actually left his brother behind—simply unacceptable…”
“Xiao Si!”
Seeing Zhang Jiu stop talking awkwardly, Fang Jing only lowered his head. Both of them were in low spirits, so Zhang Yue had to cough loudly. “Don’t worry about all these trivial things. My brother and I will take care of everything outside. From now on, bring me your essays and analyses every night. I’ll definitely check them for you whenever I’m free!”
After calming the two younger ones and reviewing their essays from the day, it wasn’t until dinner time that Zhang Yue left Mingxing Studio. As soon as he reached the door, he saw Liansheng sticking his head out in the courtyard, so he walked over quickly. Before he could ask anything, Liansheng hurriedly handed him a letter.

“Young master, this was just delivered at the door. The person who brought it left without saying anything and just dropped it off. Since it was addressed to you, the household staff didn’t dare take it for themselves, so they sent someone to show it to you.”
Hearing it was an anonymous letter, Zhang Yue took it and carefully examined the envelope. Ever since he had become somewhat famous, more and more people came to visit him out of admiration. So, all invitations and ordinary letters were handled by Gao Quan, with only those of unknown origin being delivered to him.
He weighed the letter before tearing open the envelope. Inside was a plain piece of paper. After reading it several times, he saw only clichés like expressing admiration for meeting him, along with a date and location mentioned at the end, which made him frown even more. It took him a long time before he finally recognized the handwriting.
He used to often exchange writings with Fang Rui at the British noble household and vaguely remembered that handwriting in the slender gold script. But wasn’t this not his handwriting?