Chapter 75: Exile in Jiaozhi

When Zhang Yue returned to the Duke of Yingguo’s residence with Lian Sheng and Lian Hu, he happened to meet Zhang Fu, who was returning in a sedan chair at the entrance. As the Duke of Yingguo, he naturally traveled with a grand entourage—the precious sedan chair was indeed carried by eight people, not to mention the guards in front and behind, totaling over twenty people. Dismounting from his horse, he saw Zhang Fu bowing out of the sedan chair and quickly stepped forward to pay his respects.

Zhang Yue had informed Lady Wang before leaving, so Zhang Fu was already aware of it. Among the three brothers who had come to Nanjing, Zhang Jiu had nearly caused a major incident earlier and had been confined at home these past few days. Zhang Chao, being sociable by nature, often went out to meet with other young nobles. Now that Zhang Yue had made friends as well, his elder brother naturally felt even happier.

“Back so soon from the Imperial Academy? How was your outing today?”

Zhang Yue followed Zhang Fu up the steps. As soon as they entered, he was asked this question and didn’t know how to respond. Realizing that this accidental encounter couldn’t be hidden, he stepped forward slightly and quietly mentioned briefly encountering the Crown Prince Zhu Zhanji, but didn’t say anything about meeting again by fate.

Yet even with this brief explanation, Zhang Fu stopped in his tracks and then turned to quietly order his attendants to step back. Once there was no one around, he asked for more details and finally nodded thoughtfully.

“Did you realize his identity as the Crown Prince at that time?”

“I only had a vague sense that he was someone special, but didn’t think much of it. It was only after seeing Sun Han from Fangling give me a signal that I guessed a little. I should have been more respectful back then, but seeing him—so full of energy as the Crown Prince—I didn’t want to dampen his spirits, so I pretended not to know anything and chatted with him for a while, just talking about all sorts of things.”

Hearing this, Zhang Fu laughed. “If others realized he was a member of the imperial family, they would surely be terrified. You’re quite bold. But the Crown Prince has grown up surrounded by the emperor, taught by learned scholars, and guided by high-ranking officials. He’s used to people being respectful, so meeting someone as straightforward as you must have amused him. It’s no problem—this will only benefit you in the future.”

“As you command, my uncle.”

Regarding Zhang Fu’s judgment, Zhang Yue agreed verbally but inwardly admired him. After all, Zhang Fu had seen much of the world and would not, like ordinary people, rack his brains to gain some advantage upon hearing such a fortunate encounter—he would merely be slightly pleased. However, if he were to act inappropriately today, he would surely face reprimand.

As they spoke, the two had already entered the Inner Court Gate. Zhang Yue had intended to return to Fangheng Courtyard, but was stopped by Zhang Fu, who said he had important matters to discuss, so he followed him to the main hall. When he saw Zhang Fu point to a maid and send her to Fangheng Courtyard to call Zhang Chao and Zhang Jiu, he grew uneasy, realizing that there was likely real progress regarding his uncle Zhang Xin’s matter.

Upon arriving at the main hall, Zhang Fu took his seat at the central position. Lady Wang sent the maids away, sat down on a chair next to Zhang Fu, and ordered Zhang Yue to sit as well. Soon after, brothers Zhang Chao and Zhang Jiu hurried over. The former had just returned to Fangheng Courtyard shortly before Zhang Yue and hadn’t even changed out of his outer clothes; the latter had been checking on the two maids who had been beaten earlier when the maid was sent to call them, and he still appeared dazed and confused.

“Brother Xin’s fate has been decided. He can leave the Jinyiwei prison the day after tomorrow.”

With those words, Zhang Fu glanced at the three youths before him. Zhang Jiu stood up in agitation, his face flushed with excitement; Zhang Chao was overjoyed, his mouth wide open; even usually calm Zhang Yue showed signs of joy, though he quickly restrained himself.

“I won’t say much else. Although this time it was a close call, escaping such great danger didn’t come without a price. Brother Xin used to be the Right Vice Minister of the Ministry of Works. After such an incident, he naturally couldn’t keep his position. The final decision of the court was to exile him to Jiaozhi and appoint him as the governor of Zhengpingzhou.”

Exiled to Jiaozhi!

Zhang Yue didn’t know where Zhengpingzhou was, but he knew very well that Jiaozhi was what would become Vietnam. That small country had done ungrateful things in later generations and, in the early years of the Yongle era, had also been arrogant enough to provoke the Ming Dynasty. In his anger, Zhu Di sent an army to conquer it, and Zhang Fu’s title as Duke of Yingguo came from his great victory in that campaign.

Among those present, Zhang Fu had been to Jiaozhi four times, while Zhang Chao’s father, his second uncle Zhang You, was still a general under the commander of Jiaozhi. Now that his uncle Zhang Xin had also been exiled to Jiaozhi, it could be said that the rise and fall of this family was entirely tied to that small region.

While Zhang Yue waslowered his head in thought, Zhang Jiu could no longer bear his worries. He stepped forward, knelt down, and said, “Elder Uncle, Jiaozhi is far away from the Central Plains. It’s said to be plagued by miasma, with fierce local tribes, and there are constant rebellions. Wouldn’t sending Father there be like sending a sheep into a tiger’s den? If it’s just a demotion, there are so many prefectures in the world—why exactly Jiaozhi? Could Elder Uncle please help and get Father out of there…?”

After hearing a few words from Zhang Jiu, Zhang Yue knew the kid was speaking incoherently out of concern. Looking up, he saw Zhang Fu’s expression darken slightly. Sighing inwardly, he stood up and interrupted Zhang Jiu, “Fourth Brother, even if Elder Uncle tries his best, there’s no way to change the decision made by the court. Besides, though Jiaozhi is unstable, Elder Uncle has led troops there before, and Second Uncle has stationed troops there to guard it. He knows the place well and can handle any situation. This is already a demotion—we have no choice.”

Zhang Chao also spoke in a rough voice, “Third Brother is right. Father has been in Jiaozhi for almost ten years and has never complained about the miasma or the fierce locals. And hasn’t Elder Uncle gone there to fight time and again? As long as the mountains remain, there will always be firewood. With Father there, he might even be able to help out Uncle. It’s better than ending up somewhere else and suffering under others’ rule!”

“But…” Zhang Jiu wanted to argue further but couldn’t think of what to say. In the end, he gritted his teeth and said, “But both Elder Uncle and Second Uncle are military officers. Father has no fighting skills. What if he encounters a rebellion among the local tribes in his post…?”

“Then suppress the rebellion!” Zhang Chao replied without hesitation, slapping the table beside him and standing up abruptly. He said firmly, head held high, “Elder Uncle, if possible, I’ll go to Jiaozhi with Uncle. That way, I can keep an eye on him, and I can also serve under Father there!”

Weren’t they just causing more trouble? Seeing the eldest and the fourth brother staring at each other again, Zhang Yue felt overwhelmed, realizing he couldn’t persuade either side. Noticing a complex look in Zhang Fu’s eyes, he suddenly snapped, “Grandmother ordered us to follow Elder Uncle’s lead before we came. Eldest Brother, Fourth Brother, stop arguing!”

Zhang Fu, sitting in the main seat, listened to the three brothers’ arguments and carefully observed their expressions. It wasn’t until he heard Zhang Yue’s words that he gently pushed back on the armrest and stood up.

“I am already aware of this matter, and I have no objections to being sent to Jiaozhi. As Brother Yue said, there is no way to change the decision made in court. As for Jiaozhi, I will ensure that my local colleagues take care of things there, and I will also select capable people from among my household to accompany me. It’s just Jiaozhi after all; if I can’t even overcome such a minor obstacle, then all these years of serving as an official have been in vain!”