Chapter 684: As a Son

The words “father is seriously ill” were like a thunderbolt to Zhang Yue. Over the years, although his father, Zhang Zhuo, was often not around, he could always sense his constant concern. Unlike his mother, Lady Sun, who expressed her love through nagging, Zhang Zhuo was not a talkative man; most of the time, he quietly took care of everything behind the scenes to spare him worries. Though people usually only knew of Zhang Yue and rarely knew his father’s name, he was still an indispensable family member.

At that moment, Zhang Yue jumped out of bed in a rush, grabbed a piece of clothing at random, and hurriedly rushed out wearing slippers. Mother Cui couldn’t stop him in time. Seeing Du Wan also getting up in a hurry, she quickly stepped forward to help her get dressed, soothingly saying, “Third Master has always been in good health. From childhood, he’s had few headaches or fevers. I think nothing serious will happen. Besides, there are many famous doctors in the capital. With the Duke of Ying’s influence, we can even summon imperial physicians. There’s definitely no need to worry…”

“If it weren’t serious, they wouldn’t send Gao Guan himself!” Zhang Yue could have rushed out in anger, but Du Wan couldn’t appear in disheveled clothes. She quickly got dressed and went to the dressing table, picking up a comb to tidy her messy hair. In just a few strokes, she tied it into a bun, then said, “Everyone knows Grandfather’s temper—he hates disturbing others over his own matters. If it weren’t urgent, he wouldn’t have done this…”

As she spoke, Du Wan, who was reaching for a hairpin in the red lacquered makeup box, suddenly stopped and turned to Mother Cui, asking, “By the way, did Gao Guan come alone, or did he bring someone else? Who is that person?”

Mother Cui replied quickly, “There are two of them in total. The other person with Gao Guan wore a felt hat and kept his head down. In the hurry, I couldn’t see clearly, but he seemed unfamiliar.”

She had asked out of curiosity, but hearing this, Du Wan immediately frowned. This was a serious matter. Since even the butler, Gao Quan, had come in person, it must be an experienced elder from the family. It was unlikely they would bring a newcomer along. Moreover, when Zhang Zhuo sent word of good news a few days ago, he hadn’t mentioned being unwell. How could he suddenly fall seriously ill?

Now was not the time for speculation; she could only keep these thoughts hidden in her heart. After sending Mother Cui to inform the others in the houses, she left the courtyard alone. Before reaching the second gate, she saw Niu Gan, who usually accompanied Zhang Yue when he went out, waiting at the door, so she hurried over. When Niu Gan saw her, he quickly bowed in greeting.

“The young master sent someone to the government office to ask for leave. He also instructed the young mistress that if she came, she should first go to the west side and inform the second young lady and her husband, without going straight to the study.”

Hearing this, Du Wan was momentarily stunned before nodding. When Qiu Hen Hupo and Mother Cui came out after her, she told Mother Cui and Hupo to stay behind, taking Qiu Hen with her to the west courtyard. Along the way, Qiu Hen was clearly worried, but various alarming thoughts crossed her mind—ranging from plagues to injuries—until suddenly her heart skipped a beat.

In the study, Gao Quan, the one who was supposed to bring the news, was not there. Zhang Yue, who had been anxious and tense, sat at the desk, his fingers unconsciously tapping on it before finally letting out a long sigh.

It turned out that it was the emperor who was seriously ill, not his father—a truly relieving news. For him as a son, his father was the most important; he had no relation to Zhu Gaochi, and the emperor’s life or death had little to do with him. For someone who had been plotting against Zhu Gaochi, this so-called shocking news wasn’t that surprising. However, for his father to take such a step must have been at Zhang Fu’s instigation.

“Eunuch Lu, the Empress sent you here to bring me the news. Does that mean the Crown Prince has also received word?”

After rushing all the way, the journey of over a thousand miles from the capital to Nanjing took only four days. Lu Qian felt extremely exhausted and weak. Sipping the bitter and hot strong tea, he narrowed his eyes before saying, “That’s right. Hai Shou should have arrived at the Eastern Palace by now. The Empress entrusted the matter to the Duke of Ying, which shows she still trusts you, Lord Zhang. After all, Nanjing is far from the capital, while Shandong and Henan are closer. Prince Zhao is probably just arriving in Zhangde. If the Crown Prince’s departure can’t be concealed for a while, things might get chaotic along the way.”

He glanced at the wooden-like Gao Quan and sighed again, “We set off early, so the news in the capital can probably be hidden for three or four days, but not longer. Lord Zhang, you need to hurry. By now, the news might have already spread out of the capital. Although the Empress is in charge there, the Crown Prince is absent. If the heir apparent is lost, it will cause great chaos.”

“Alright, Eunuch Zhang, rest assured; I know what to do.”
Zhang Yue stood up and began to pace while thinking. Previously, to avoid suspicion, Zhu Zhanji had never summoned him to the palace. But since that encounter in Chaotian Palace, Cao Jixiang would come by every day to ask about various matters. Since this guy wasn’t a prominent figure in the palace—unremarkable in appearance and dress, and never drawing much attention—this sudden major event likely meant someone was coming to summon him.
As he weighed the pros and cons of different routes, someone suddenly knocked on the study door. Soon after, Zhang Bu’s voice came through: “Young master, Eunuch Huang is here outside. He says he was sent by the Crown Prince!”
Hearing this, Zhang Yue felt a chill. He exchanged a glance with Zhang Qian before stepping forward to open the door. Behind Zhang Bu stood Huang Run and Cao Jixiang. The former smiled as soon as he saw Zhang Yue, while the latter kept his head bowed. With a thought, Zhang Yue sighed deeply, bowed to Huang Run, and said, “Please forgive me, Eunuch Huang. I just received news this morning that my father is seriously ill. I’m quite distracted right now. I’m afraid I’ll have to ask you to wait a moment.”
“It’s no problem. The Crown Prince simply obtained some fine paintings and calligraphy and wants to have them appraised by Lord Zhang.”
While saying this, Huang Run thought the excuse was rather poor. Seeing that Zhang Yue was blocking the door and showing no intention of letting him in, he remembered Hai Shou’s earlier report that someone else was coming to deliver news to Zhang Yue. He quickly turned to Cao Jixiang and shouted, “Stop standing here in the way. Go to the stable and take care of the horses. I’ll talk to Lord Zhang here!”
After seeing Huang Run send Cao Jixiang away, Zhang Yue invited him into the study. As soon as Huang Run entered, he spotted Lu Feng dressed in green clothes and a small hat, which startled him. He then sighed in relief: “So it’s Eunuch Lu who’s here. In that case, the Crown Prince can set off with greater peace of mind.”
Though Huang Run’s words were comforting, Lu Feng was extremely exhausted, and with such a heavy burden on his mind, he couldn’t guarantee anything, let alone take responsibility: “Eunuch Huang, don’t flatter me. Although I oversee the Eastern Depot, I can’t control the Jinyiwei in Nanjing. Moreover, the Jinyiwei is in chaos due to previous incidents and still can’t sort things out. I’m just a messenger after all.”

Just a messenger? If a messenger were really needed, would they have to send you, the head of the Eastern Depot, in person?
Huang Run cursed inwardly but couldn’t show it on his face, so he simply turned his gaze to Zhang Yue and asked, “Lord Zhang, the Crown Prince is extremely anxious right now. Although the tomb ceremony is over, the Emperor had previously issued an order for the Crown Prince to temporarily guard Nanjing. Moreover, if he leaves now, it will be difficult to handle matters regarding the accompanying officials and soldiers, not to mention all the ceremonial processes. If he only takes the vanguard of the palace troops, he can only select elite cavalry, but even together, their numbers aren’t large—there’s a risk of trouble along the way.”
Huang Run almost blurted out that they might be attacked on the road, but managed to change his words. He then sighed and said, “Even on the canal, finding a ship in such a hurry would cause too much attention, not to mention those three or five merchant ships, which are too conspicuous. Besides, traveling by water is too slow. Moreover, both by water and land, they must pass through Shandong—there’s no way to avoid it!”
“Did the Crown Prince send Eunuch Huang here with any other instructions?”
“The Crown Prince just asked me to seek your opinion. If we can’t come up with a good solution right away, he wants you to come to the palace.”
Although Zhang Yue had some ideas of his own, this was ultimately not something he could decide, so he immediately stood up and said, “In that case, I’ll change into my official robes and head to the palace right away. Since my father is ‘gravely ill,’ I have no choice but to boldly ask the Crown Prince for leave.” With that, he turned to Lu Feng and said, “Eunuch Lu, since you often visit my home and many people know you, I’m afraid I’ll have to ask you to hide at my place for a while, or perhaps go see Eunuchs Zheng and Wang.”
Although Lu Feng was Zhang Qian’s disciple, his temperament was completely different from Zhang Qian’s, and he didn’t get along with Zheng and Wang Jinghong. Hearing Zhang Yue’s words, he replied without hesitation, “Running around would only leak information. I’ll wait for you right here—just not leave this room.”
With such an answer, Zhang Yue had no more doubts. He nodded at Huang Run, instructed Zhang Bu to keep an eye on the study, and hurried back to change his clothes. Since Du Wan, Zhang Yi, and Sun Han had arrived, he couldn’t say much more. He only mentioned that his father was seriously ill and that since the Crown Prince had summoned him, he would take the opportunity to ask for leave to return to the capital. Seeing Zhang Yi’s worried expression and Sun Han comforting her, while Qiu Hen was sobbing softly beside Hu Bo, he gave Du Wan a subtle signal, saying that Gao Quan was too tired from the journey and had already been sent to rest. After changing into a plain official robe, he went outside, found Hu Qi, and sent him ahead to deliver the news.

All the government offices in Nanjing, such as the Six Ministries, Five Provincial Governments, the Office of the Grand Preceptor, and the Hanlin Academy, were clustered in the area between East and West Chang’an Streets and Chongli Street in front of the Imperial City. It was already two o’clock in the morning. As soon as Zhang Yue and the others arrived, they saw several officials in official robes moving back and forth between the offices. At the end of West Chang’an Street, in front of the Right Gate of Chang’an, there were also officials waiting to pay their respects. Guided by Huang Run, he didn’t have to stand there anxiously waiting; instead, he entered the Left Gate of Chang’an, much to the envy of many.

It wasn’t until he entered the Southern Study in the Duanjing Hall that Huang Run, who had accompanied him the whole way, withdrew. In the large study, aside from tall bookshelves and tables and chairs, there were only him and Zhu Zhanji. The atmosphere in the room was somewhat tense. After a long while, Zhu Zhanji suddenly slammed his hand hard on the table, then slumped his shoulders and began to mutter to himself.

“If I had known this, I shouldn’t have dawdled on the way here… Even if I hadn’t dawdled, I might not have been on my way back to the capital. Our father is stubborn; once he makes up his mind, he won’t change it… Damn it! Didn’t the people in the Imperial Medical Academy realize anything earlier? Why did they have to let things go this far? Last time, I missed the chance to see my grandfather one last time. As a son, if this happens again…”

Seeing Zhu Zhanji’s uncontrollable agitation, Zhang Yue couldn’t help but recall his own shock when he first learned of Zhang Zhuo’s serious illness that morning. After all, Zhu Zhanji was not Zhu Gaochi of old. This crown prince had shared weal and woe with his father more often and had less experience dealing with hidden struggles. The father-son relationship still hadn’t evolved into that of sovereign and subject treating each other as honored guests. At this moment, any advice would be useless. Remembering his own shock and daze when he first heard the “bad news,” he said, “Actually, the messenger this morning came under the pretext of my father’s serious illness. At that time, I felt as if the sky had fallen and the earth had cracked. Since Your Highness and the Emperor share such a deep father-son bond, it’s only natural that you feel even more so.”

Although emotionally agitated, Zhu Zhanji’s years of self-control quickly took over. Hearing Zhang Yue’s words, he realized his mother’s intention. Zhang Fu, the Duke of Ying, held control of the military in the capital. Sending someone to inform Zhang Yue at this time was not only because of their old friendship but also as a strategy to win over the Zhang family. Completely calm now, he took a deep breath before asking in a deep voice, “Since Mother sent someone to inform you, I finally have someone to discuss this with. I need to return as soon as possible, but I don’t want to alert my entourage for now, lest it leak any news. Do you have any good ideas?”

“The methods are secondary; what matters first is the deployment and appointment of personnel,” Zhang Yue paused briefly. Seeing Zhu Zhanji listening attentively, he continued, “In my opinion, Lord Huang should stay. With him and Minister Zhao present, most troubles can be dealt with, and Liu Guan can also be held in check. It’s not that I’m criticizing others behind their backs, but I’ve always suspected he has some connection with Princess Yongping. Let the Marquis of Fengcheng and a few others take Wei Zhiqi to organize the front guards of the military forces and get ready to set off. As an experienced officer in the front guards, he’s the most suitable person to handle this. Additionally, it would be ideal if the Jinyiwei could assist as well. As for local nobles like Mu, the defender of Nanjing, they should provide some servants to escort me north to see my father. Your Highness might as well take this opportunity to travel with me.”

Zhu Zhanji could easily understand the implication, and his brows furrowed. If he led a large group of civil and military officials, the journey would take at least ten days to half a month. However, if he mixed in with Zhang Yue’s entourage, he could travel quietly and reach the capital in the shortest time possible. But why did Zhang Yue want Mu Xin and others to lend their servants? Could it be that he intended to tie these Nanjing nobles to his side?

At that moment, Zhang Yue spoke again, “As is well known, there are two routes from Nanjing to Beijing: the water route via the canal and the land route via the official roads. But both routes must pass through Shandong. Given the King of Han’s tactics and nature, it’s likely that most of the military officers in Shandong and other places have already been bribed by him. So even if we must travel, we need to carefully choose the route.”

Besides these, there’s also a less noticed sea route: starting from Taicang and traveling along the coast slowly until disembarking in Tianjin, from where one can then head to the capital, thus avoiding Shandong. The monsoons at sea are currently favorable, and fortunately, the official troops are already there. Many ships in Taicang have been repaired as ordered, so we can set sail at any time. However, sea ships are too slow, and there’s also a risk of encountering storms and reefs, making them unsuitable for rapid travel.