Chapter 709: Quick Resolution
Yongning Palace is one of the Eastern Six Palaces. During the Yongle and Hongxi reigns, it was traditionally inhabited by high-ranking concubines. Currently, it is occupied by Concubine Sun. The main entrance facing south in the second courtyard is called Yongning Gate, and the main hall in the front courtyard is Yongning Palace itself. The main hall consists of five rooms, with three attached rooms in front. It has a hip-and-gable roof covered with yellow glazed tiles, animal-shaped eaves corners, and colorful dougong brackets beneath the eaves, adorned with paintings of dragons, phoenixes, and imperial seals. At the center of the main hall hangs a gilded plaque inscribed with the emperor Zhu Zhanji’s own calligraphy, reading “Gong Su De Yi.”
There are three rooms in each of the eastern and western side halls, all inscribed by Zhu Zhanji himself. The eastern hall is named Mingxing Hall, while the western one is called Jingxin Residence—names quite different from those commonly used for the Eastern and Western Six Palaces, such as Zhenshun Wanning. Now, the emperor sat in Mingxing Hall, on a chair next to double-interlocked diamond-patterned windows. While smiling and teasing his only daughter, he examined the embroidery that Concubine Sun had shown him.
“Your craftsmanship has become even more exquisite.”
Compared to Empress Hu, who was as stiff as a wooden statue, Concubine Sun was skilled at acting coy and innocent. She let out a soft hum and said, “Your Majesty is good at saying sweet words to flatter people. A few days ago, I gave the embroidered handkerchief to the Empress Dowager, but she didn’t say anything and continued to use her usual one. It was only the fan ribbon made by the Empress that she used. My skills are quite ordinary; how could they compare to those of the Empress?”
Seeing the aggrieved expression on his beloved’s face, Zhu Zhanji knew exactly what was going on but couldn’t say anything to comfort her, so he changed the subject. Fortunately, Concubine Sun didn’t insist and soon cheerfully brought up another topic, lifting his mood. He promised to stay overnight there. Hearing this, even though Concubine Sun was already the most favored among all concubines, she was overjoyed. She said that the dinner prepared by the imperial kitchen was merely a formality and that she would prepare snacks herself, leaving her daughter behind.
After she left, although Zhu Zhanji’s eyes were fixed on his daughter babbling at his feet, his mind couldn’t help but recall Empress Dowager Zhang’s cold attitude toward Concubine Sun. Logically, Concubine Sun entered the palace at a young age and was brought in personally by his maternal grandmother, the Lady of Pengcheng. She had always lived by Empress Dowager Zhang’s side, yet now Empress Dowager Zhang favored Empress Hu, who entered the palace later. As the emperor, he couldn’t do much about these matters; all he could do was treat Concubine Sun even better than before.
The little princess is now two years old. Hearing her call her father in a sweet voice, Zhu Zhanji felt overjoyed. Smiling, he picked up the colorful pastries from the fruit plate on the table and was enjoying the moment when he suddenly noticed Wang Jin standing sneakily at the door. He quickly handed the red bean cake to the nurse beside him, instructing her to take good care of the little princess, before standing up.
At the door, seeing Wang Jin bowing hastily, he waved his hand dismissively and asked, “You accompanied the Duke of Yingguo for so long—did he say anything? Or give you any reward in exchange for information?”
“Yes, the Duke of Yingguo did entrust me with a task, but there was no reward. He is a man of integrity and seriousness; he would never resort to bribing others with petty favors.” Wang Jin didn’t even kneel before seeing Zhu Zhanji’s gesture to stand up. He immediately stood and repeated Zhang Fu’s instructions with a smile before adding, “To be honest, I was puzzled at the time. The Duke of Yingguo is not one who craves more. It was already an extraordinary favor for Zhang Xin to become Deputy Minister of War—how could he ask for more favors so easily? Is hereditary position that easy to obtain?”
“No wonder His Majesty trusted him the most during his lifetime. Even Father praised him for being more courteous than the six high officials despite being a military officer. His ability to hold a high position for so many years without becoming arrogant or impatient is truly admirable. Those civil officials should learn from him.”
By now, Zhu Zhanji had understood, but he didn’t reveal it to Wang Jin. After expressing his thoughts, he ordered, “Go to the Ministry of War and deliver an order to summon Deputy Minister Zhang Xin to the Qianqing Palace. I want to meet him and see what kind of person this ‘greatly recommended’ individual really is.”
Zhang Xin had seen Zhu Zhanji, then the Crown Prince, from afar several times when he was Deputy Minister of Works. But after being demoted and going into mourning, he remained outside the core of the court. Even after being reinstated, he hadn’t had the chance to meet the emperor in person. So, when he followed Wang Jin to the Qianqing Palace, he felt incredibly excited. When Wang Jin subtly hinted that the Duke of Yingguo had already recommended him to the emperor, his heart pounded even faster.
After years of delay, he had finally reached this day of clarity!
“I appointed you as Minister of War at Lu Zhen’s request. At that time, I didn’t realize you were the cousin of the Duke of Yingguo.” Studying Zhang Xin, Zhu Zhanji found some resemblance between him and Zhang Yue, so he spoke kindly, “The Zhang family is a military lineage; everyone in it has deep insight into military affairs. Even the young Zhang Yue has achieved remarkable feats in the Ministry of War. Now that you are the Deputy Minister of War, I would like to ask you—do you have any suggestions regarding the current military situation?”
Since taking office, Zhang Xin had made great efforts to understand the affairs of the Ministry of War. With Minister Li Qing transferred to Nanjing and him coveting the position of minister, he had spent many days organizing his thoughts. Now that the emperor had asked, he presented his carefully prepared ideas one by one in an orderly manner.
Since Zhu Gaochi ascended the throne, he had suspended military campaigns, halted overseas expeditions, and abolished various tax measures. Zhang Xin believed that although Zhu Zhanji had lifted the maritime ban, other policies should follow the previous approach. Moreover, the Oirats and Tatars in the north were obediently paying tribute, and after Huang Fu went to Annam, the situation there had gradually stabilized. Therefore, he advocated reducing troops stationed along the northern and southern borders and concentrating forces in the capital. He also pointed out that Zhang You, the Marquis of Yangwu, had been guarding Jiaozhi for four or five years and it was time for a replacement.
As Zhu Zhanji listened, he gradually became skeptical. His views differed from those of his father, Zhu Gaochi, who believed that after the successive wars during the Yongle era, it was time to cease fighting to allow for recovery and to gradually reduce the military power and influence of the nobles. But Zhu Zhanji had accompanied Zhu Di on expeditions to the north and knew full well that the Mongols there were treacherous. Failing to fight against them for a long time would only allow them to grow stronger, while also weakening the border defenses. By the time of Zhu Di’s third northern campaign, the military forces had already been greatly weakened.
Before leaving, Zhang Yue had given him ten suggestions regarding military affairs, clearly stating that the commander guarding Jiaozhi must not be changed repeatedly, nor should the officials of the Jiaozhi administrative office be moved lightly—moreover, the court needed to provide them with proper support. Jiaozhi was isolated in the southwest and had remained unsubjugated for many years. It had taken years to win the loyalty of the people through a general and a group of officials. Frequent changes would mean a major shift in policy, potentially ruining everything that had been achieved.
After listening to this long speech, Zhu Zhanji thought that Zhang Fu was truly shrewd. He immediately smiled and said, “Minister Zhang truly comes from a family with a strong military tradition. If even civil officials were as dedicated to studying military affairs as you, why would there be unrest in the world? Someone, bring the crown and robes.”
Zhang Xin saw two young eunuchs carrying something enter through a side door. Without time to look closely, he hurriedly bowed in gratitude. Yet, to his surprise, he felt someone approach him, gently remove his black hat, and replace it with another item. Confused, he raised his head and saw that aside from the emperor, the two submissive eunuchs were holding a set of clothes and crown embroidered with tiger and leopard patterns. In an instant, his mind went blank.
“Since your family has a long history in the military, I’ll make an exception! I’ll assign you a military position as a commander of the Jinyiwei, with hereditary status as deputy commander. I know your eldest son is already a scholar at the Hanlin Academy and is a talented young man, so he doesn’t need this hereditary military position. Let your other son inherit it instead! Your Zhang family has been loyal and brave for three generations—don’t disappoint my expectations.”
Guangzhou and the capital were thousands of miles apart; even with fast horses and messengers, it took over ten days to travel. As a result, any news from the court often became outdated by the time it reached here. With the emperor far away and Guangxi separating it from Yunnan and Guizhou—regions prone to rebellion such as Dateng Gorge—there were few military supplies dispatched from here. The people of Guangdong lived peacefully, engaged in trade and farming. Thus, when Zhang Yue took office, faced with such a major case, he showed no intention of exploiting it. Instead, he sent his attendants to investigate local farming conditions and sent others to the docks in Huangpu Town to learn about passing merchant ships.
He adopted an indifferent attitude toward the case, leaving the officials in charge at a loss. Although their superior didn’t inquire, since it was he who ordered the prisoners brought in, they couldn’t just brush it off. Moreover, several officials from the provincial administration frequently sent people to inquire about the situation, and some even intervened personally, making it impossible for them to handle it. Whether it was trafficking or not was unclear, but selling one’s own people to another country had been prohibited since the Hongwu era. If they focused solely on this rule, Xu Daya would surely face severe consequences.
The outcome of trying to please everyone ended up in pleasing no one. Xiong Hao, the sixth-rank official in charge of the case, was so anxious that blisters formed at the corners of his mouth, causing pain even when eating or drinking. After discussing the situation repeatedly with his deputy and the clerks handling the case files, he finally decided to go see Zhang Yue directly and report everything in detail, leaving it to him to decide what to do.
At this moment, he handed over all the case files in the main hall, gave a brief report of the situation, then sat upright silently, his eyes occasionally glancing at the new plaque just hung there. The characters “Xuande” from before had now been changed to “Xuane Ren” — still in black lacquer with gold letters, seemingly unchanged. Yet “De” and “Ren” had similar meanings; if this new governor could truly achieve this, then everyone from top to bottom could truly feel at ease. Though he thought this way, his glance at Zhang Yue was still filled with anxiety.
“Xu Daya admitted to selling over a hundred men and women to foreign envoys and merchants?”
“Yes.”
“Is there no evidence that the woman was involved in human trafficking?”
“Yes…”
“The reason there’s no evidence is because the woman refused to reveal her surname and name?”
Watching Zhang Yue flip through the case files while asking questions, and soon reaching the most critical point, Xiong Hao couldn’t help but shift his posture to sit more upright, then lowered his head and said, “Since she was a victim, I didn’t dare use force to force her to speak, so I really couldn’t get her true name. Judging from her speech and behavior, she seemed to come from a proper family. Perhaps she was afraid that revealing her name would lead to ridicule from her neighbors, so I didn’t dare act rashly and tarnish her reputation.”
“Good, very good.” Seeing Xiong Hao become even more uneasy upon hearing these words, Zhang Yue couldn’t help but laugh inwardly, thinking that just as he had been cautious and observant when facing Zhu Di, his subordinates were the same when dealing with him now. His mindset shifted, and he smiled, saying, “Those in charge of punishment should be as cautious as walking on thin ice. If everyone acts like you, how can the common people fear cruel officials? Handle this case as illegal export of people, and simply return her contract of servitude.”
Realizing this was indeed a compliment, Xiong Hao finally breathed a sigh of relief. Once he understood that Zhang Yue was dealing with the matter factually without any intention of expanding the investigation, he was even more pleased, knowing he could now explain everything to the other officials in the administrative department. After responding affirmatively and flattering Zhang Yue in various ways, he stepped forward, picked up the thick stack of case files, and bowed before leaving the hall.
“Xuane Ren… This time, killing a chicken to scare the monkeys is enough — after all, there’s no evidence. If we continued as before, beheading people everywhere, my reputation might really end up being used to stop babies from crying at night.”
Zhang Yue gazed at the plaque he had personally inscribed, murmuring to himself before impatiently pulling at his collar. Though half a month had passed, he was still extremely unaccustomed to the humid and hot weather here. He was naturally hot-sensitive and preferred cold weather, fearing the scorching heat the most. Even after sitting for just a while during this season, his back would become completely soaked. This was the case most of the year—how could he live like this? When he first came to Guangzhou, he had completely forgotten about the intense heat here, but now he was suffering greatly.
The office of the judicial investigator was located to the left of the provincial government building. There was one room on each side of the front hall, and at the back were three main halls used by the investigator for work. Several rooms along the corridors were used to store case files. Although there were a dozen or so rooms in total, the beams and columns had become quite old over time, and the furniture was in poor condition. In comparison, the prison behind the office was even more dilapidated. Xiong Hao only stood at the entrance for a moment before refusing to go in further.
This matter could have been handled by the local county or prefectural offices, but since Zhang Yue had personally instructed him to take care of it, he had no choice but to get involved. Right now, Xu Daya was locked up in this women’s prison. Only serious criminals were imprisoned here, and the number of prisoners never dropped below a hundred. At least a dozen died in prison each year, so the stench and dampness were unbearable. At that moment, after considering Zhang Yue’s attitude, he ordered the prison guards to bring the plaintiff and defendant into the main hall. These days, he had been indulging Xu Daya to pacify her, but now it was time to resolve things decisively.
“According to the laws of the Great Ming Dynasty, anyone who smuggles horses, cattle, military supplies, iron goods, copper coins, silk, cotton, or other goods abroad or sets sail shall be punished with a hundred lashes. Those who carry goods on their backs shall receive a reduced sentence. The goods and vehicles shall be confiscated by the government, with one-tenth allocated as a reward for the informant. Those who smuggle people or military weapons abroad or set sail shall be hanged. Xu Daya, a convicted criminal, smuggled people abroad and shall be sentenced to death by hanging.”
Having been locked up in prison for over ten days, and being in such a dilapidated cell, Xu Daya naturally looked utterly disheveled. Now, forced to kneel in the main hall, her legs turned weak, and she could barely hear the questions asked of her. When she heard Xiong Hao’s cold verdict, she lost consciousness. Xiong Hao didn’t even glance at her. Seeing Jiu Niang kneeling silently to the side, he said in a deep voice, “Jiu Niang accused Xu Daya of human trafficking, but no evidence was found. Release her and let her go as she pleases.”