Chapter 631: Ones of Our Own Must Be Protected by Ourselves!

Chen Wu was from Jiaozhi. Even though he was now the most important person beside the Crown Prince—second only to Huang Run—he never forgot this fact. Eunuchs in the palace came from all corners of the country, but only a few held real power. Among the twenty-four people brought back from Jiaozhi by Duke Zhang Fu, aside from these few favored ones, five or six lost their lives silently, while the rest were assigned various menial tasks in the palaces, with many even reduced to serving as laborers in the corridors.

Those selected from Jiaozhi to serve in the Ming Dynasty were all good-looking, but the ability to read situations, be cunning, and charming was not an innate talent!

Thus, upon understanding Zhang Yue’s purpose today, he immediately came up with an idea. At that moment, seeing Commander Wei frowning as if still hesitating, he coughed loudly and then said with a bright smile, “When Lord Zhang first went to the south, His Highness originally intended to give you more men. But since you wanted to keep a low profile, only four were given. After hearing that the Japanese pirates attacked Songjiang Prefecture that night, His Highness was worried for quite some time. Moreover, since Lord Wan is going to Wala, even more men are needed. I heard it takes two hundred soldiers? In that case, let’s select fifty from the prefectural army’s vanguard!”

Commander Wei was in his early thirties and was one of Zhu Zhanji’s most trusted generals. Though he was dissatisfied with Chen Wu’s unilateral decision, as he listened and recalled Zhu Zhanji and Zhang Yue’s visit here before, he saw the logic behind it. Since it was all Chen Wu’s idea, he could blame it on the eunuch later. Why not give Zhang Yue a face? With that thought, he no longer hesitated and nodded readily.

“Then please follow me, Lord Zhang and Lord Wan.”

Wan Shijie watched from the side as Chen Wu talked at will, Commander Wei’s expression shifting from gloom to enthusiasm, while Zhang Yue stood there smiling the whole time, hardly saying a word. He couldn’t help but marvel inwardly. Seeing this strange combination of a commander and an eunuch leading the way, he couldn’t help pressing his palm, thinking, No wonder Zhang Yue rushed me here.

The interpersonal relationships in the capital were intricate. For someone like him with no family ties, he had indeed found a “kind” friend… No, a kind brother-in-law!

Yet Zhang Yue’s heart was far from as calm as it appeared on the surface. He had originally thought that since the vanguard of the local army also belonged to the imperial guards, it wouldn’t be a problem to find a few familiar officers, use their influence to recruit ten or eight reliable men, thus avoiding the situation where a civilian official couldn’t command them in case of an accident on the road during the Wanshi Festival. Who would have thought he would happen to meet Chen Wu here by sheer coincidence? This young eunuch had already arranged everything without him even having to ask—his sharpness and resourcefulness were truly extraordinary.

During the Hongwu era, the top ten and top twenty-two units of the imperial guards took turns guarding the palace, so most of their camps were located outside the city. The vanguard of the local army, meanwhile, also served to assist Zhu Zhanji in practicing military formations and combat skills, so their camp within the city was larger than that of ordinary imperial guards, with their own dedicated training ground. Thus, Commander Wei simply gave an order, and soon ten rows of soldiers stood neatly in the east part of the training ground.

Chen Wu said fifty, but Commander Wei thought it would be better to be generous as a favor, so he selected a hundred elite soldiers right away. Just as he promised to handle the matter with the Ministry of War, a man rushed over at full speed. When he got closer, he knelt on one knee in a military salute. Seeing Commander Wei nod, he quickly stood up.

“Lord Zhang, I won first place in the last competition!” Shi Heng’s military robe was no different from that of other soldiers, except he wore a headband with silver trim. Seeing Zhang Yue merely smile and give a compliment, and recalling the news he had just heard, he couldn’t hold back and said directly, “I heard you’re selecting people to go to Wala. How about me?”

Chen Wu remembered clearly everyone Zhu Zhanji had met and shown appreciation for, so he naturally recognized Shi Heng. After all, since Zhang Yue returned to the Ministry of War, Zhu Zhanji had only visited a few times, but each time he brought Shi Heng along. Shi Heng had won first place in his unit’s competition that time, and he still remembered what the crown prince had said then: “The people Zhang Yue picks are truly excellent!”

Even Fangling, who had been sent away in a fit of anger by the crown prince, turned out to be the result of a misunderstanding. Though that person had since been transferred to serve in the Eastern Palace, Zhu Zhanji had regretted it for a while. But it was Shi Heng who moved him the most. Therefore, upon seeing Shi Heng boldly make such a request, he shook his head irritably. After all, he was still young and impulsive—Wala was no place to send someone.

“Do you really want to go?” Seeing Shi Heng nod without hesitation, Zhang Yue hesitated for a moment. But thinking of the boy’s excellent martial skills and shooting prowess, and his eagerness to achieve glory on the battlefield, he realized that if he could stop this attempt now, he might not be able to stop future ones. So he nodded and said, “Very well. After all, your skills haven’t been tested in actual combat, so it wouldn’t hurt to get some experience. But you’re now part of the army, and you need Lord Wei’s approval. Besides, the Crown Prince has shown favor toward you—what good is asking me alone?”

At these words, not only Chen Wu but even Commander Wei was stunned. Although Zhang Yue hadn’t explicitly agreed, his meaning was clear. Commander Wei certainly wouldn’t stop a reckless young man, while Chen Wu, after a brief thought, promised to talk to Zhu Zhanji later, already classifying Shi Heng as brave but imprudent.

It should be noted that Zhang Yue had recommended this man in the hope that he would rise quickly through the ranks. Being part of the Front Guard meant having an advantage, but now this boy volunteered to go to a dangerous place—was he perhaps thinking he had too much to live for?

With this matter settled, Wan Shijie, who had remained silent until then, couldn’t help but express his gratitude repeatedly. Zhang Yue didn’t want to stay longer, so he hurriedly took his leave. Once he mounted his horse and left the Front Guard, Wan Shijie rode up and asked the question he had been holding back for a while: “Whether you go to Qingzhou first, head south, or even go to Xinghe, it’s always people selected from the imperial army. Why did you think of joining the Front Guard this time? After all, it’s the Crown Prince’s personal army. Won’t people gossip if they find out? Wouldn’t it be better to stay with the Anyuan Marquis, who’s related to your family, and keep a lower profile?”

Zhang Yue casually held the reins, his mind still on the night when Zhu Di brought Zhu Zhanji along. Zhu Di wasn’t as strict as Zhu Yuanzhang; he rarely left the palace at night to inspect various departments, let alone bring Zhu Zhanji along. Even if he went out in a bad mood after hearing military reports, it might have been Zhu Zhanji who urged him to do so. Thus, distracted as he was, he didn’t respond until Wan Shijie asked again.

“There are many hereditary military officers in the capital garrison. If rumors harmful to me spread there as well, it would be even more troublesome to transfer people there. Besides, it’s you who’s going this time, not me—there’s no guarantee no one along the way will have ulterior motives. Moreover, the vanguard of the imperial army is originally part of the capital guards. Since the Crown Prince has agreed, it’s the Ministry of Personnel who decides on conscription, so others can’t say much. If possible, I’d naturally like Zhou Bailing to accompany you, but unfortunately he’s already been promoted and is currently in Danning.”

Everyone thought Marquis Anyuan Liu Sheng held a grudge against him, so it was better for him to stay out of it at this time.

“Good news stays inside the door, while bad news spreads far and wide—truly an unshakable truth!”

For a moment, he forgot about it and could only shake his head in frustration before uttering such a remark. On the rest of the journey, these two close friends and brother-in-laws didn’t say another word. When they turned into Liubu Hutong, Zhang Yue saw Wan Shijie dismount in front of the Ministry of Rites’ office, hand the reins to a servant, and walk inside. He called out loudly to remind him.

“Get well prepared. When you return, I’ll treat you to something fresh grown in my fields!”

“I know. I’m not leaving today!” Wan Shijie waved without looking back. Once inside the gate, he put on a serious expression typical of official business, though his mind was preoccupied with an unrelated thought—could the “fresh stuff” grown in Zhang Yue’s fields kill someone?

A few days after Zhang Qian asked Wang Jinghong and Yang Qing that day, he received several large bags of seeds. Busy with other matters, he didn’t even give any instructions before leaving them to Zhang Yue. Although Zhang Yue was interested in crops like corn, peanuts, sweet potatoes, and peppers, he was at a loss facing such a variety of seeds. He had no choice but to take them to the farm and ask a few skilled farmers to experiment with them, then stepped back as a hands-off manager. After all, his meager knowledge of agriculture wasn’t very useful here.

Moreover, looking at those seeds, there didn’t seem to be his favorite corn and peppers either. He decided to give Western crops a try…

As the nine city gates were closed and the curfew drums sounded, the bustling capital fell silent overnight. Since the emperor fell ill, the grand mansions in the city had stopped holding music and dances, while officials visited each other more often. However, Zhang’s mansion saw few visitors. After dinner, Zhang Yue first checked on Zhang Jiu and Fang Jing, picking up a stack of essays they had written during the day. After reviewing them in his study, he tossed the thick stack aside and let out a long sigh.

The grading of these imperial examinations took only a few days, yet thousands of papers had to be reviewed, and success often depended more on luck. Besides that, it depended on one’s handwriting skills, whether the examiner would take a liking to a particular paper during review, and thirdly, whether one could write a truly outstanding masterpiece that would be passed down through the ages. Zhang Jiu’s essays were already of high quality, and although Fang Jing was still a bit inexperienced, his work was also quite good. It was still uncertain whether they would pass the exams.

Currently they were peers, but in the future it would be their sons and nephews. Though he didn’t expect his son to rely on this as a stepping stone, he certainly didn’t want to raise a prodigal who lived off his father’s achievements. With these thoughts in mind, he raised his head and saw Lian Sheng and Lian Hu exchanging glances back and forth.

“A cough!” Their secretive behavior was interrupted by his cough, and he asked seriously, “You two are now married and have children. You’re not young anymore. Those who used to work with my eldest and second brothers have already been assigned other tasks. I plan to find you new positions as well.”

Since Zhang Yue now had Niu Gan and the other three with him, and Peng Shisan was always by his side, Lian Sheng and Lian Hu had almost completely lost their role as attendants. They were mostly idle during the day, only coming to the study at night to serve. Hearing this, they were immediately terrified. After all, they could barely read and their martial skills were mediocre. They were unfit to run a business. If Zhang Yue didn’t want them, even if they found other jobs, they might still end up losing everything!

“Young master, we brothers have no other skills. Please keep us by your side!”

“What’s the point of constantly serving with ink and brushes in the study? Can attendants stay in that role for life?”

Zhang Yue had already thought about this, so he naturally wouldn’t argue further with them. “Lian Sheng, you’re steady-minded. Pay close attention to the lands I planted at the estate. Eventually, I’ll also hand over the estates belonging to me and my wife to you. Lian Hu, you’re smarter than your elder brother. Go to the clan school for a while; it will eventually be under your responsibility. Besides ink, books, and various tools, there’s one thing now: I’ll prepare a test paper for you later. Have the students take it, and bring the results to me. You’ve followed me for many years, and our bond is special. I don’t need to give you many more instructions.”

He paused briefly, then emphasized, “Those who make contributions will be rewarded, and those who make mistakes will be punished. Just remember that.”

Lian Sheng and Lian Hu never expected that Zhang Yue had already planned everything for them. They stood there stunned for a while until hearing those last words before they finally realized. Lian Hu, being quick-witted, quickly pulled his elder brother down to kneel and kowtow, then swore earnestly, “Young master, rest assured. I will do my best and never disappoint your trust!”
“I will keep a close eye on the estate to prevent those scoundrels from stealing money from you and the young mistress!”
Lian Hu’s words sounded fine, but when he heard Lian Sheng’s rough guarantees, Zhang Yue couldn’t help but laugh. Annoyed, he nudged him with his toe. Only after the guy raised his head did he scold him irritably, “Don’t be too strict in your approach. If you keep a tight watch so they can’t make any money, they’ll think of other ways. In short, both of you should learn well from Gao Quan. Your Lian family used to farm, and now that you can read, it’s time to secure a better future for your descendants!”
Seeing that it was getting late, Zhang Yue felt amused by the brothers’ enthusiasm and stood up to head back inside. After taking a few steps, he remembered something, turned back, picked up the thick stack of scrolls, and then left. When he returned to the room, he saw Du Wan writing something on the kang table, so he placed the stack there.
“My dear wife, these are the drafts written by my fourth brother and Xiao Fang. If you have time during the day, please take a look. Don’t glare at me—I know you didn’t study the eight-legged essay style. I just want you to check their ideas and parallelism, as well as their handwriting. You’re also a distinguished student of the Shen family. Nowadays, all the examiners are deeply influenced by the Golden Edition of Jade Books. My fourth brother and Xiao Fang write in the Shen style, so surely no one is more knowledgeable than you in this regard. Lao Wan is leaving, and I need to make some preparations these days; I might not be able to attend to them.”
Du Wan had originally wanted to say that Zhang Yue always knew how to speak nicely, but upon hearing the last sentence, her smile vanished instantly, and she merely nodded lightly. She didn’t want Zhang Yue to take risks, but why had it have to be the Wan Shi Festival?