Chapter 616: Fearful of Chaos in the World

This was the first time Zhang Yue set foot in Baisha Village. Since his last visit to the Meng family to pick someone up, he had avoided going to the Marquis of Baoding’s residence to prevent awkward encounters, let alone this place. Now that the Meng family had finished their mourning period and put on ordinary clothes again, the area was surrounded by lush bamboo groves, with flower beds arranged in the yard, giving it a relaxed and warm atmosphere. Unlike him who wandered around, Xiao Wu headed straight inside. To avoid encountering anything inappropriate, Zhang Yue stayed behind until he saw Cuimò coming out to greet him.

“Young Master Yue!”
A few days ago, when seeing Meng Tao and Meng Fan off, Cuimò had accompanied them for over ten miles. Her reluctance was almost as strong as Meng Min’s. It took several days for her emotions to calm down. Seeing Zhang Yue nod with a smile, she felt extremely happy and quickly invited him into the main hall to sit, then went out to make tea. Having learned about what had happened at the village entrance earlier, she was deeply grateful. As she served the tea, she kept expressing her thanks. After Zhang Yue explained Meng Tao’s request and Xiao Wu’s purpose, she let out a happy sigh.

“The third and fifth young masters have truly improved compared to their mischievous ways of the past. Although they will become the pillars of the family in the future, nothing matters more than safety. But don’t worry, Young Master Yue. What happened today is quite unusual. Our village has always been peaceful, and we won’t disturb you constantly. As for Miss Xiao Wu’s marriage, it’s truly wonderful. Last time, the young lady even said that the two of them are perfectly matched.”

Although she came from a difficult background, Cuimò wasn’t one to blame others constantly. Since Zhang Yue had promised her that she would be able to avenge herself someday, she didn’t mention the past at all today. After joking around a bit, she talked about various trivial matters in the village. Then, thinking of the tenant farmers outside, she asked worriedly, “Young Master Yue, will there really be no more wars this year? The third and fifth young masters have gone to the old city of Danning. If it were just regular defense, it might be fine, but if war breaks out, they might have to send troops as well. Though they are skilled in martial arts, they’ve never been to a battlefield before. I’m really worried.”

“There’s no decision yet in the court, so I can only say the rumors are false. But whether there will really be war this year is uncertain. As for Meng Tao and Meng Fan, although the old city of Danning is in a border area, it’s safer now that the Duke of Yingguo is in charge. It even offers more opportunities. Let’s forget about what happened before, but the biggest fear is future repercussions, so we need to plan ahead.”

While Zhang Yue was speaking to Cui Mo, Meng Min happened to walk outside with Xiao Wu and overheard every word. Earlier, she had been concerned about the differences between men and women, and since things were no longer as they used to be, hearing these words stirred her emotions. Recalling how her father was imprisoned, her mother fell seriously ill, and their family was driven out of the Shandong Provincial Government Office, she realized it was he who had helped them back then. She bit her lip lightly and then pulled Xiao Wu’s hand.

“Xiao Wu, go in and tell your brother-in-law thank you for coming up with a plan to save our family. What happened to our father was fate’s decision. Over the years, you and your sister and brother-in-law have helped us a lot. With you coming to visit us regularly, we’ve managed to get through it.”

Xiao Wu used to be naive, but now that he was about to get married, he understood more about the complexities of the past. Knowing that Zhang Yue had come with him to avoid suspicion, and hearing Meng Min’s words now, he could only nod. Then he said softly, “Sister Meng, don’t worry too much. As long as Meng Tao and Meng Fan behave well, things will get better for you in the future. By the way, before I came, my sister told me that it was fine for you to live outside the city during the mourning period, but since it’s a time of chaos now, even the Marquis of Baoding might not be able to respond quickly in case of trouble. You should move back into the city. You’re all old, weak, women, and children—what would happen if something went wrong?”

“Did Sister Du really say that?” Meng Min wasn’t very aware of the external affairs, but the words “time of chaos” suddenly made her alert. Seeing Xiao Wu nod, she pinched the palm of her hand hard and then said thoughtfully, “My aunt has mentioned several times that since the storm has passed, it’s better to move there, but I’ve been worried about affecting them… But living in the Marquis of Baoding’s mansion isn’t appropriate. Please thank Sister Du for me. I’ll listen to her and have someone discuss it with my uncle soon!”

Since Xiao Wu had delivered Meng Min’s message, Zhang Yue sighed inwardly and then stood up. After telling Xiao Wu to be careful on his way back, he left Baisha Village with his men. He had come this time to inspect the imperial granaries, a task usually handled by officials from the Ministry of Revenue and the Jinyiwei. But since returning from the northern expedition last year, military and administrative affairs were no longer separated, and since the minister often assisted in his department’s work, officials from the Ministry of Revenue and the Ministry of War were often exchanged. Such measures inevitably made outsiders think that war might break out again.

The Tonghui River, which runs from Tongzhou to Beijing, had become silted up since the early Ming Dynasty. Despite several attempts at restoration, it proved ineffective, and Tongzhou thus became the endpoint for water transportation between the north and south. Due to the large number of grain ships traveling along it, land transport often required many mules and horses, leading to the construction of numerous granaries in the area. Of Beijing’s 37 granaries, nearly ten were located in Tongzhou and its surrounding towns. Among them, the Tongzhou Weicang in Zhangjiawan was built during the Yongle era and could store up to 500,000 dan of grain, making it the largest granary in Tongzhou.

However, last year there were military campaigns in the north and floods in Shuntian Prefecture. Now that the summer tax collection was underway, the grain stored here was less than half of what it had been in good years, only 170,000 dan. Zhang Yue had heard about this before arriving, so he wasn’t particularly surprised. After finishing his inspection in the evening, the granary official escorted him out, hesitating for a while before speaking up.

“Lord Zhang, it’s not that I wish to complain, but among the 37 granaries under the imperial guard, although some grain has been accumulated over the years and more was raised last year for emergency purposes, the daily needs of hundreds of thousands of soldiers are enormous. Last year, so many people and mules were used to transport military grain, resulting in significant losses. Moreover, both autumn and spring planting were delayed, so it’s uncertain whether the summer tax can be collected this year. I’m worried that even the state treasuries may not be full, let alone these granaries.”

Zhang Yue wasn’t an official from the Ministry of Revenue, so he couldn’t offer much comfort to this overwhelmed granary official. He could only promise to report the situation back. After leaving the Tongzhou Weicang, he remembered that Zhang Chao had mentioned earlier that he was busy with duties at Tongzhou Weicang and hadn’t returned home for days. So, he decided to stop by the headquarters of Tongzhou Weicang, which was also in Zhangjiawan.

Concerned about what he had been warned about before the Wanshi Festival—namely, that someone might take advantage of the strict rules regarding hereditary military positions—Zhang Yue simply said he was a friend of Zhang Chao when asking to be admitted to the camp, without revealing his own name. It should be noted that Tongzhou Weicang was one of the top ten imperial guard units. Although its location in Tongzhou was somewhat distant from the capital, it remained an important military post. Like other imperial guard units, four-fifths of its positions were hereditary, with only a small number of people rising through merit from ordinary military families.

While he was waiting outside the camp gate, a group of people rushed out of the camp, raising clouds of dust with their iron-hooved horses. It was impossible to make out their faces, let alone determine their numbers. With the hot weather, the dust getting into the cuffs of their sleeves was extremely uncomfortable, and Zhang Yue’s guards immediately began to complain, which attracted an old soldier guarding the camp gate.

That old soldier had been in Tongzhou Guard for over twenty years. He had paid attention as soon as he heard Zhang Yue was looking for people. Approaching them with a smile, he said, “Judging by this young master’s appearance, he must also be from the capital. In that case, he should know the habits of the soldiers in our camp. This season is perfect for hunting; there’s everything in the forests. If we’re lucky, we might catch something to eat, as there’s hardly any good food in the camp. Even Captain Zhang often goes hunting with them!”

Before Zhang Yue could speak, Niu Gan beside him muttered, “It’s the summer harvest season now. If such a large group goes out, won’t it damage the crops?”

“Let them trample them if they want. The high officials in the court have important matters to attend to, and even the censors don’t have time to trouble these gentlemen!” The old soldier shrugged indifferently and yawned. “It’s the same for us soldiers. We missed the last expedition to Tongzhou Guard, and there may not be another chance in the future. If we’re kept restricted all the time, who can stand it? The worst thing in being a soldier is not fighting—just practicing drills… Practicing drills is still better than being sent to build walls or canals! The worst of all is earning merits but not getting any military rank as reward. Isn’t that just wasting sweat and blood?”

Listening thoughtfully, Zhang Yue suddenly saw Zhang Chao riding out of the camp gate and hurried after him, managing not to call out “third brother.” Seeing the two reunite, the old soldier put his saber back on and returned to his original spot, but a young soldier approached him.

“Old Ma, why are you complaining to outsiders? If they report you to the higher-ups, you’ll be in trouble! Those young masters are born with military ranks; they can’t be compared to us common soldiers!”

The old soldier glanced over and said calmly, “You kid don’t understand. He said he’s Captain Zhang’s friend. You should know how Captain Zhang is treated in our camp. Talking to this young master might be useful. Spending a lifetime as a soldier, yet the ones in charge are all these useless young officers. You never know when you’ll die.”

The two brothers hadn’t seen each other for several days. Coupled with Zhang Yue’s concern about Zhang Chao’s temperament, he immediately examined him from head to toe as soon as they met. Seeing a bruise on Zhang Chao’s head, cracked skin on his jaw, and what seemed to be a low spirit, he grew suspicious. Yet no matter how much he asked, Zhang Chao insisted it was an accident during training and refused to say anything else. Just as the two stood there in silence, the sound of horse hooves came from behind. When Zhang Yue turned around, he saw a group of people surrounding them.

“Oh, are there friends visiting Captain Zhang? How rare!”

“Since there are outsiders here, we’ll let you go today! But even with them, you’re still outnumbered!”

“Your brother wants to gain fame through his own efforts. What does our military position have to do with him that he has to retake the assessment? Besides, the emperor is planning a northern campaign to show his power, yet he insists on causing trouble. Who would keep an eye on others like this?”

Seeing those people shouting loudly, Zhang Chao’s face darkened, and Zhang Yue immediately felt a chill in his heart. Clearly, it was a baseless issue, but it had somehow spread to the army. Who exactly wanted chaos to reign?