Chapter 674: Seek Wealth in Peril? Seek Safety in Safety!

In mid-February, the south of the Yangtze River was already teeming with life, with countless tender buds sprouting on the branches, while in the northern Mongolian lands, traces of ice and snow could still be seen everywhere. Just a few days ago, it had snowed heavily in Helin, turning everything within sight into a vast expanse of white. Every time he stepped out of the yurt, he was greeted by this unchanging white landscape, which even the most patient person would find tiresome after a while. During those bitterly cold days, cattle and sheep fattened in autumn were slaughtered in batches to feed the entire tribe, and their skins were tanned by the most skilled herders and stored away.

For Wan Shijie, who was spending his first winter and Spring Festival in the north, the cold was less of a concern than the Mongols’ completely different living habits from those in the Central Plains. He managed to endure it, but the two scribes and Cheng Jiu who accompanied him could not withstand the harsh cold of the steppe and early spring and were still sick, unable to move.

Stepping out of the yurt and taking in a breath of the cold, fresh air, Wan Shijie stretched his legs before standing there, gazing blankly at the high sky. Suddenly, he heard a voice coming from his left.
“Lord Wan!”
“Prince Nierehu.”

Recognizing the caller, Wan Shijie immediately put on a cheerful expression and hugged him warmly without hesitation. Though meat was not scarce here, vegetables were almost nonexistent; at best, milk tea could be used to cut through the greasiness. As a result, everyone was quite robust, including him, who had gained some weight. Over the past few months, he had fully embraced local customs, going from being unaccustomed to meat and alcohol to now drinking strong liquor like water and eating meat as a regular meal. This earned him the trust of many people in the Kereyit tribe, reducing the number of people watching him significantly.

Nierehu was now 37 years old, the eldest son of King Taiping and the recognized heir of the tribe. More ambitious than his father, he was the one who pushed hard for an alliance between the Kereyit tribe and the Khuit tribe. Not long ago, he had led a successful campaign, capturing thousands of cattle and sheep from a minor Choros tribe, boosting his confidence greatly.

“Lord Wan, now the Keleit and Khuit tribes are like two hands tightly clasped together—our strength is much greater than before, making this the perfect time to deal with Toghon. With the severe snowstorms this winter, Arutai has taken refuge in the north, like a wolf without its teeth. Toghon, under the combined pressure of our two tribes, has also retreated to even colder places further north, surely suffering heavy losses. I think we should launch an attack after spring begins. What do you think?”
Faced with such a direct question, Wan Shijie couldn’t help but smile bitterly inwardly—although he was an official in the Ministry of War, he was still a Ming man. Since when had he become a strategist for the Oirat Keleit tribe? Thinking that the Central Plains had changed beyond recognition by now, and that his only hope to return was through the progress of the war here, he had to hide his eagerness to go back deep in his heart.
“Prince Nierihu, if we wait until after spring, I guarantee that Toghon will attack first before you even send troops!” After saying this, seeing Nierihu’s proud expression freeze, he softened his tone and explained, “Back then, we were detained by him for various reasons. If it weren’t for me managing to send word, the King of Virtue and the King of Peace would likely have fallen into his trap. This man is cunning and patient, good at acting before others.”
Nierihu’s expression gradually darkened. After Maham’s crushing defeat and death, Toghon had been captured by Arutai and even worked as a slave in that Tatar grand tutor’s household. It took time before he was released, and within a few years, he managed to reorganize the disorganized Choros tribe into its current form. Among the three Oirat tribes, if it weren’t for their alliance with the Khuit tribe, they might not be able to hold him in check. If Toghon really struck first after spring began, not only would their entire plan fail, but they would also face even greater danger.
After some thought, he placed his right hand on his left chest and bowed to Wan Shijie. “It was Lord Wan who saved us from disaster back then. My father and the King of Peace of the Khuit tribe hold you in deep respect and gratitude. Now, does Lord Wan have any good ideas? No matter what method it is, you may speak it out. As long as it’s effective, you will become our eternal friend!”
Having dealt with these Mongols for so long, Wan Shijie naturally knew that these warriors on the grasslands were brave on the battlefield but also cunning in negotiations. So-called friends could turn into enemies at critical moments, so he didn’t take it to heart. After a brief pause, he narrowed his eyes and then calmly spoke words of great weight.

“In my opinion, if a fight is really necessary, there’s no need to wait until the ice melts. We should take the initiative now! The Kelejit and Khuit tribes have plenty of horses that fear no cold and warriors who never tire. By striking when others are unprepared, we can achieve the greatest results. There are no fortified cities like Kaiping Xinghe in the steppes. As long as we can strike accurately, Tuohuan will find it hard to resist. Tuohuan captured us envoys earlier, which is undoubtedly an affront to the Ming Dynasty. If he is defeated, I can return and advise the court to revoke his title as Prince of Shunning. Perhaps we can even request the resumption of trade in the border regions.”

The Ming Dynasty’s titles meant little to Mongol nobles, but the prospect of resuming trade tempted Nierhepu. After careful consideration, he finally resolved to talk to his father. After bowing deeply, he left in a hurry. No sooner had he gone than a figure emerged from behind the yurt and approached Wan Shijie, whispering, “Lord Wan, why do we have to help these Tartars?”

“Do you know how far it is from here to the capital?”

Hearing this, Shi Heng immediately began counting on his fingers and swallowed hard. “It took us nearly two months to reach the Choros tribe. Then, due to internal strife among these three tribes, it took another month or so to get here… I once saw a map; Helin is indeed very far from the Central Plains.”

“That’s right. A few hundred miles west, across the Tula River, lies Khulankhishun, which we visited during the northern expedition. This is already deep in Mongolian territory. Helin was originally Tartar land. The late emperor conferred the title of Prince of Hening on Arutai, who was at his wits’ end, to show that Helin belonged to the Tartars. But among the Mongol tribes, strength determines everything. When Arutai was in power, this area belonged to the Tartars; when Tuohuan became powerful, it went to the Choros tribe. Now that Tuohuan failed in his attempt to conquer the other two tribes and unify the Oirats, he was driven away, and this area belongs to the Taiping tribe of the Kelejit. Only when things here are in chaos do we have a chance to return.”

Although Shi Heng was brave in battle at a young age, he only half-understood Wan Shijie’s explanation. Having been accustomed to following orders throughout the journey, he simply nodded. Seeing Wan Shijie standing there dazed and sneezing, he hurriedly pushed him into the yurt and brought him hot tea, then said irritably, “Besides us soldiers, there are already enough sick people. Lord Wan, please don’t cause more trouble!”

As he spoke, he picked up two thick woolen blankets and wrapped Wan Shijie tightly in them. Then, hesitantly, he asked, “My lord, is that news true? Is the emperor… really dead?”
“No one dares fabricate such news. The King of Xianyi and the King of Anle have already sent people to the capital to pay their respects at the funeral. Didn’t we also observe mourning before? Enough, stop overthinking it. Go and continue leading your men to wrestle and shoot arrows with those Mongols! Remember, the more brave you appear, the better our lives will be!”
After Shi Heng nodded and left cheerfully, Wan Shijie finally stood up, went to a cot nearby, and lay down, covering himself with both the snow-white woolen blankets. Though he had never had much to do with Zhu Gaochi, he knew this emperor was definitely different from Zhu Di. His mission had ended with him being captured and fighting battles, and who knew what accusations he might face upon returning. But now that he had gone this far, could he really expect the Chereyit tribe to send him back respectfully once spring arrived?
Zhang Yue often said that wealth also required caution, but that guy always did reckless things. Wan Shijie had never faced such perilous situations in his life, yet now he had to seek wealth through danger… no, through safety! Xiao Wu was still waiting for him to return; he couldn’t die in such a hellish place!
After Zhang Yue left Nanjing, the court set a date for the crown prince to pay his respects at the Xiaoling Mausoleum—several months earlier than originally planned. By the end of February, when he returned from Songjiang Prefecture, Nanjing was in complete chaos, everyone busy preparing to welcome the emperor. Zhang Xu, the governor of Yingtian Prefecture, had his eyes red from staying up all night, and his chin seemed to have sharpened. Upon seeing Zhang Yue returning from leave, he sighed deeply.
“Brother Yuanjie, you really picked the right time to take leave—just a day before urgent news arrived in the capital. I really regret letting you go! During your half month away, everything in this office has been in disarray, and those nobles locked up in the prison keep bothering me day and night. I wish I could take leave with you! I’ll take care of everything else now, but I need your help dealing with those people. The families of the nobles are too powerful, and I’m too insignificant to handle it; it’s better if you go and explain.”

On his way in from the government office, Zhang Yue had seen the clerks and servants all rushing around in a hurry. Even those he encountered among his colleagues could only nod briefly upon seeing him, without even having time to greet him, clearly indicating how busy things were at the moment. He and Du Wan had chosen to go to Zhangyan at this time partly to avoid trouble, and coincidentally, they avoided the busiest period as well. So, he didn’t haggle further with Zhang Xu and readily agreed.

The once idle officials in Nanjing were now extremely busy, and the same was true for the garrison headquarters. Previously, he had served as garrison commander alongside Li Long, the Marquis of Xiangcheng, and Song Hu, the Marquis of Xining. Both were around his age, but one had accompanied the emperor on a northern expedition and was highly praised by Zhu Di; the other had married a princess, guarded Gansu, and was in charge of the sacrifices at the Xiaoling Mausoleum. In contrast, his own role had been to build palaces on Wudang Mountain, and now taking overall responsibility seemed rather troublesome. After all, while one might have fewer constraints, they also had fewer responsibilities.

So, when he heard someone asking to see him, he immediately refused impatiently, saying he had no time. But when his trusted servant mentioned it was Zhang Yue, he immediately thought of the messages sent from the capital these days and quickly changed his tune, ordering the person to be brought in. After they met, he half-jokingly complained that Zhang Yue was lazy before getting back to business.

“I’ve always thought Jing Huang to be clever, but I never expected him to be so reckless this time. Fortunately, he managed to obtain solid evidence and asked me for help promptly. Otherwise, if Liu Jun had filed a false complaint first, who knows what would have happened! Sigh, I never imagined that the person involved in my family’s troubles would be my son’s own maternal uncle. Liu Jun is truly ruthless!”

“Evil will be dealt with by its own kind. Uncle Mu, there’s no need to worry. Weren’t urgent dispatches already sent to detain Liu Jun at the Nanjing Dali Temple? Now that the Crown Prince has come to the south to pay respects at the Xiaoling Mausoleum, he will surely deal with this man as well. Uncle Mu just needs to wait a few days patiently, and your relative will be safe.”

“Actually, we’re not even relatives. I just don’t want to hear any bad news right after having a son!” Mu Xin hadn’t intended to say that, but now he looked at Zhang Yue and asked in a lowered voice, “What concerns me is the intentions of the imperial court. I heard that when this matter reached the capital, the emperor was indeed furious, but in the end, it was Liu Guan, the Left Censor-in-Chief of the Censorate, who was sent. He’s a well-known man with a kind face but a cruel heart. I’m afraid he might play double games or extort people like Liu Jun… You don’t know, there have been rumors lately that Liu Guan and Liu Jun are related by blood and were once kin. So surely he won’t handle this fairly.”

Hearing this, if not for his ability to remain unperturbed, Zhang Yue would have laughed out loud. These so-called rumors were actually spread by him, described in such vivid detail as if witnessed firsthand, making them hard to disbelieve. He never expected even Mu Xin to take them seriously, portraying Liu Guan as a thug who extorts others. He coughed seriously, then pretended to be surprised before feigning deep thought.

“Uncle Mu, you’re overthinking it. Whether it’s the Mu family, the Xu family, or the many nobles involved in this matter, they’re all top families in Nanjing with deep roots here. How could Liu Guan possibly dominate everything? Who hasn’t faced accusations from the Censorate? If there’s indeed a fault, they’ll just humble themselves and correct it; but if it’s a false accusation, no one will let them act tyrannically forever! Besides, if he came alone, it might be inconvenient to hold a contest, but he’s accompanied by the Crown Prince and many civil and military officials. Surely there are people with sharp eyes who can tell right from wrong.”

“That’s exactly it. Nanjing isn’t the place for him to show off!” Mu Xin had been waiting for Zhang Yue to mention the Crown Prince. He immediately brightened up and nodded repeatedly, saying, “In short, if he comes to the capital, I’ll make sure to keep a close eye on him. But if I encounter any difficulties, I’ll need your guidance, dear nephew.”

Zhang Yue bowed in agreement before mentioning the task entrusted to him by Zhang Xu. Needless to say, Mu Xin agreed without hesitation, immediately sending people to various households to order them not to hold any contests at the Yingtianfu government office for now. He also offered to feed them, but since Zhang Yue refused, he finally saw him off at the entrance to the main hall. Once they left, he let out a long sigh.

If he could get through this unharmed, he would definitely burn incense in gratitude!