Chapter 682: Sacrifice at the Mausoleum in the Rain, Successes Follow One After Another
On the day of the sacrifice, fine raindrops fell from the sky as if in response to the occasion. As the saying goes, it’s the misty rain of the Jiangnan region—sacrificing at the mausoleum on such a hazy, foggy day naturally creates a solemn atmosphere. After the ritual, Zhu Zhanji entered the hall through the east gate to perform the four bows, offer wine, and recite the prayer texts. Immediately afterward, many civil and military officials, including Li Xian, the Marquis of Fengcheng, along with other officials from Nanjing, joined in the sacrifice. Once all the rituals were completed, musical sounds came from outside the hall—it was the sacrificial dance performed by the Nanjing Music Bureau.
Drawing swords from the lands of Huai, riding horses to pacify the world. The imperial aura establishes celestial order; auspicious signs fulfill divine prophecies. Military strategy and literary wisdom—like dragons and tigers, storms and winds, marking the beginning of great achievements. Generals surrounded by stars above their helmets, brave warriors with bows curved like the moon. Selecting cavalry to subdue southern Chu, forming formations to conquer Eastern Wu. Conquering Shu and driving away the barbarians—vast lands and mountains magnify the emperor’s residence.
To the majestic tune of “Clearing the Seas and Skies,” thirty-two dancers held long spears with red-feathered tips in their left hands and golden axes with red lacquered handles in their right, performing a dance of strikes and thrusts. The lead dancer wore a golden hair crown adorned with purple tassels, a brocade-collared white silk shirt, an outer robe with wide green sleeves, a gilded belt around his waist, and green cloud-patterned boots. His movements were powerful and vigorous.
The “Peaceful Steps on the Ascending Stairs” dance was also performed by thirty-two dancers, depicting the graceful rituals of China. Compared to the fierce energy of the martial dance, this one was calm and elegant. Especially the two lead dancers, both in their forties, moved with such dignity that even the most discerning ritual officials could not help but nod in approval. As the dance continued, the rain outside suddenly intensified. From the crown prince down to the dancers, no one had a place to take shelter. In no time, everyone’s clothes, already slightly damp, were soaked through by the heavy rain. Eventually, aside from the dancers, everyone else could hardly keep their eyes open due to the downpour.
Amid the heavy rain, Zhu Zhanji stood straight, squinting at the gloomy sky, feeling somewhat puzzled. Glancing sideways, he saw the deputy head of the Imperial Observatory looking terrified. He remembered that this man had predicted light rain for the day, but now there was sudden torrential rain—so he naturally grew displeased. When he saw Huang Fu, the senior court official, shivering from the rain, his brows furrowed even more. His frown alarmed the officials present.
After the funeral ceremonies were over, the officials, all drenched, finally left Xiaoling Tomb following Zhu Zhanji. Since riding horses or carriages was prohibited within a hundred steps of the mausoleum, everything from the crown prince’s golden carriage to the various carriages and horses of the officials was parked far away. It wasn’t until Zhang Yue got into his own carriage that he finally breathed a sigh of relief, glad he had followed Du Wan’s advice and come by carriage. If he had to ride back now, even with a conical hat and oilcloth raincoat, he would be thoroughly chilled upon returning to the city. Moreover, after all those kneels and bows earlier, his knees, already worn out from the past few days of hard work, could hardly take it anymore.
Due to the rain, Peng Shisan simply waited in the carriage. He quickly stripped Zhang Yue of his soaked clothes and took out a dry cloth to help, but Zhang Yue snatched it away irritably and said, “I’ll do it myself. Judging from your clumsy movements, you’re no good at serving people—maybe you’re better at brushing horses.”
“Heh, I haven’t done any serving since I returned from Jiaozhi, so I’m a bit unskilled. But I brush horses every day,” Peng Shisan said with a laugh, pulling his hand back. He then took out another set of clothes from his bundle. “Young master, you’re really clever. Hu Qi is clearly a rough guy—his handwriting is only better than mine. Since when did he become your advisor? What’s even funnier is that after getting dressed up like that, aside from the young mistress and Lingxi who are observant, no one else recognized him.”
Zhang Yue untied his wet hair, dried it with a dry cloth, and then roughly wiped himself down. Taking the dry clothes handed to him by Peng Shisan, he fumbled for a while before changing. As he was fastening his belt, he heard Peng Shisan ask a question, and he replied irritably, “If everyone in the world were as thoughtful as you despite being rough around the edges, others wouldn’t be able to survive. After all, you have a high status, while he doesn’t stand out, so he can help with some things… You just mentioned the young mistress—has Wanmei met him?”
“She has. Yesterday, the young mistress specifically asked Lingxi to accompany her to meet him. Lingxi didn’t return last night, and I rushed here early this morning without even having time to ask. It’s probably not anything important. Even if it is, the young mistress can handle it alone; otherwise, she would have sent me a message.”
“That makes sense.”
Zhang Yue naturally had confidence in his capable wife, so he didn’t worry about these matters at the moment. Outside, the rain grew heavier, pattering against the roof of the carriage. Zhang Yue’s carriage had a flat top and was coated entirely in tung oil; even the side walls were fine, but the curtains in front couldn’t withstand the rain. The coachman, dressed in a raincoat, quickly stopped the carriage and took out a brown oil-treated silk rain cover from a hidden compartment beneath it. Just as he covered the carriage, someone came forward, shielding an elderly official with an umbrella as they stepped through the mud. Upon reaching the carriage, they called out loudly, “Lord Zhang!”
Upon hearing this, Zhang Yue looked up and saw Chen Wu holding an umbrella over an old man. Recognizing him as Huang Fu, the head official of thethe Zhanshi Fu, he was surprised. Before he could ask anything, Chen Wu hurriedly said, “It’s raining heavily today. Old Master Huang’s carriage broke down and is leaking, so it’s unusable. His two servants aren’t much help either. Shenlie Mountain is still a long way from the city. Since Old Master Huang is old and frail, the Crown Prince ordered me to find a sturdy carriage to take him. If it’s convenient for you…”
“Of course it is!”
Zhang Yue saw the coachman quickly put down the stool and, together with Chen Wu, helped the trembling Huang Fu onto the carriage. He stepped forward to assist as well. As soon as he touched Huang Fu, he felt how cold the old man was from the rain. He nodded at Chen Wu and asked Peng Shisan to lower the curtains. Fortunately, his carriage was already spacious, so having one more person didn’t cause crowding. Hearing Huang Fu sneeze twice more, he urged the old man to change into dry clothes. Peng Shisan then magically produced another bundle.
“Luckily, my wife prepared another set of clothes for me. If Old Master won’t mind, please change quickly. Although it’s summer in May, being drenched in rain isn’t pleasant either.”
Huang Fu had spent over a decade in Jiaozhi, working closely with Zhang Fu, the Duke of Yingguo, one as a scholar and the other as a military officer. Later, Li Bin and Chen Zhi took over, and finally Zhang You, Zhang Yue’s second uncle, succeeded them. Now, he had been ordered to return to the capital to take up an official position, but seeing those old acquaintances from Jiaozhi still made him feel very familiar. After taking in the surroundings, he recognized Peng Shisan.
“It was you who carried me out of the deadly storm back then. I never expected to owe you a favor again today. For my sake, the Crown Prince even sent someone to help, and you two have been so thoughtful. Thank you so much!”
Huang Fu wasn’t particular either. After thanking him, he changed his clothes with the help of Zhang Yue and Peng Shisan. Once seated in the middle, he wiped the water droplets from his face and hair with a cloth before carefully observing Zhang Yue.
“Are you Zhang Yue, Zhang Yuanjie?”
“That’s right, your servant.”
Just as he was about to speak, Huang Fu suddenly sneezed several times in a row. He took a stack of thin papers from Peng Shisan to wipe himself and then smiled, saying, “I’ve worked with officials in the UK and also with Lord Yangwu. Both of you are steady and reliable in battle, yet flexible when the time calls for it. Back then, I thought it was remarkable that great generals came from the same family. Who would have thought that later, after reading a strategy document sent by the late emperor regarding Jiaozhi, I realized that the Zhang family excelled in both civil and military affairs. Without you, I likely would have returned from there long ago.”
Zhang Yue understood that Huang Fu’s last remark referred to his memorial, which had caused the imperial guard commander Ma Qi to return in shame, freeing the military and civil officials in Jiaozhi from constraints. So he quickly humbled himself a few times but refused to mention the matter again. Noticing Huang Fu’s tired appearance, fearing he might catch a cold, he ordered the coachman to speed up. After a bumpy journey of over half an hour, they arrived in the city, only to find the old minister already fast asleep. Checking his forehead, he sensed it was slightly feverish.
Since Huang Fu had followed Zhu Zhanji to the south of the Yangtze River, he didn’t have a residence in Nanjing. The two servants accompanying him, as Chen Wu had said, were untrustworthy, so they likely couldn’t provide proper care. Moreover, since the crown prince had sent someone to bring Huang Fu here, there might be other considerations. After thinking it over, he decided to take him back to his own home first. He sent someone to call a doctor and had a large bowl of brown sugar ginger soup prepared for Huang Fu to drink. He also sent someone to inform the temporary offices of the accompanying officials. Fortunately, the doctor diagnosed no serious illness, and Huang Fu woke up by evening. After sitting for a while, he asked Peng Shisan to stay and talk with him.
He hadn’t been back for seven or eight days, so when he entered the house, he saw someone rush at him like a gust of wind. Hein response to the situation hugged them and spun them around
in response to the situation hugged them and spun them around before setting them down. Seeing Du Wan and others coming to greet him, he waved his hand, telling them not to overformalities. Then he gently rubbed his son’s head and asked about what had happened at home during his absence.
“Nothing much else—mostly trivial matters. Only Master Hu came to look for you once. Also, Sister Ning and Sister Min sent a letter together, talking about some trivial matters in the capital, nothing important. There’s one thing I need to tell you—my cousin Gu’s marriage has been arranged.”
Zhang Yue had just sat down and taken the tea from Cui Mom’s hands when he heard the last sentence. He almost dropped the teacup. In a hurry, he set it down and quickly looked at Du Wan, asking, “Brother Xiao Qi is actually so quick this time? I’ve teased him countless times before, and Father has also asked him many times, but he never gave in. Has he finally come around? It makes sense—now that he’s been appointed as a compiler in the Hanlin Academy, it’s one of the most prestigious positions. Which prominent family’s daughter is he marrying?”
“It’s the niece of his mentor,” Du Wan replied. Seeing Zhang Yue’s eyes widen as he stared at her intently, she gave him an annoyed glance. “It’s not Scholar Yang’s niece; it’s Scholar Jin’s niece. It was Scholar Jin who helped Gu Jia’s cousin rank second in the imperial examinations, and the same was true for the final examination. Although this situation should avoid conflicts of interest, Scholar Yang reported to the emperor about how Gu Jia’s cousin’s father had once done him a favor. The emperor appreciated this story of teacher and student, so he later asked Scholar Yang if he had a suitable daughter. Unfortunately, Scholar Yang’s family didn’t have an eligible daughter, but Scholar Jin’s family did. Thus, the emperor bestowed various gifts to help with the marriage expenses, and the empress even gave many jewels.”
Hearing this, Zhang Yue let out a long sigh of relief. Whether it was Fangling or Gu Bin, although they couldn’t be called late bloomers, their paths had always been more tortuous compared to his. But now, things seemed to be gradually coming to a good end. One of them married into a humble family, while the other into a Confucian family. Though they might not have met their life partners yet, they were likely to be fine people. However, when he heard about the imperial gifts and the empress’s jewels, he suddenly remembered his own marriage to Du Wan back then.
His mentor and future father-in-law didn’t have much money at that time. If it weren’t for the help from Du’s family and the secret gifts sent by Zhu Zhanji, there would have been plenty of gossip at their wedding. After all, Gu Jia’s family was poor, and although Jin Youzi enjoyed the emperor’s favor, his family wasn’t as wealthy as Yang Rong’s. After they got married, they would have to rely on Gu Bin’s meager salary to get by.
Anyway, because of this joyous event, Zhang Yue was naturally beaming with happiness. After meeting Hu Qi and learning about the situation in the capital, his joy faded a bit. But when Sun Han returned in the evening, he inevitably brought up Gu Bin again. Hearing that the cold-hearted boy he had seen a few times had ranked second in the examinations and married Jin Youzi’s niece, Sun Han couldn’t help but express his admiration, followed by a sigh.
“I don’t envy him for marrying a wife. Among so many peers, my wife is already an exceptionally virtuous one. I just think that if I could stay at the Imperial Academy longer, perhaps I could take the exams and one day see my name on the honor roll… Ah, in life there are many opportunities and choices. Since I chose that path back then, there’s nothing to regret. Sigh!”
The two close friends who had known each other since childhood stared at each other in silence for a while before bursting into laughter. That evening, the two families gathered for a meal together. Zhang Yue and Sun Han both had off the next day, so they kept raising their cups, eventually getting thoroughly drunk. While the two of them enjoyed themselves, Du Wan and Zhang Yi were busy taking care of everything, not resting until the third watch of the night.
Early the next morning, Du Wan, who was usually punctual with her routines, woke up groggily just as she heard pounding on the door. Curious, she quickly pushed aside the quilt and sat up, then heard the sleepy voice of the maid opening the door. As soon as she lifted the outer curtain, she saw a figure burst through the bamboo screen—it was none other than Mother Cui.
“It’s bad! It’s terrible! Someone from the family sent word—Third Master is seriously ill!”
Zhang Yue was also awakened by the knocking. Initially too lazy to get up, he immediately sprang to his feet upon hearing this and demanded sharply, “What did you say?”
“Young master, it was someone from the Gao family who rushed over in haste—Third Master is critically ill!”