Chapter 808: Resentment and Archery Skills

Although Zhang Fu refused to accept wealth or gifts from outsiders, he had been a duke for many years. With his annual salary, fief lands, and various business dealings, his household grew larger year by year. Thus, after Emperor Hongxi, Zhu Gaochi, ascended the throne, he granted Zhang Fu another residence in Tieshi Zi Hutong. Located near Shichahai, this estate included a garden that he ordered to be built. Other nobles such as Duke Cheng, Zhu Yong, also received similar estates, and soon the entire area around the Back Three Seas was filled with gardens inhabited by various powerful figures.

Though Zhang Fu only attended court on designated days, he usually stayed in his old house. However, as the weather grew hotter, at Lady Wang’s suggestion, the family moved into what was known as Zhang Garden, also called Yingguo Park. In the garden stood a tall building facing the street to the south, with lush green trees to the north, offering a pleasant view from above.

Crabapples were planted throughout the shaded areas, but since the blooming season had long passed, their beautiful flowers were no longer visible. The garden featured pavilions by the water and small bridges, with two peculiar rocks from the Yuan dynasty beside one of the pavilions—these rocks, left from the time the estate was built, bore inscriptions of the year and month on top and the Yuan dynasty seal at the bottom. To the north of the pavilion were elm trees and bamboo groves, along with other structures such as terraces and gardens, all contributing to the grandeur of this noble residence.

Although Zhang Jing also considered returning home, Lady Wang told her that her brother was constantly busy and never at home, and her parents, sister-in-law, nieces, and nephews had not returned either. So she had no choice but to stay. Now eleven years old, she was somewhat playful by nature, but having been born into a wealthy family, she had learned to be sensible early on. After moving to Yingguo Park, she spent her days tutoring her cousins in studies and calligraphy, occasionally engaging in needlework. One day, while she was wandering around the garden with Tianci, Zhang Tian, and Zhang Yue, a middle-aged woman rushed in in a hurry.

“Little masters, stop playing!” she said, kneeling to greet them before quickly explaining, “The Jinyiwei has already stationed people in Tieshi Zi Hutong. The emperor has arrived at the gate. Your father and mother are busy changing into formal clothes to welcome him. You should also hurry back and change—perhaps the emperor will want to see you.”

Though young, Zhang Jing, coming from a noble family, knew this woman was not exaggerating. She quickly took one of her cousins in each hand and followed Tianci out of the garden at full speed.

When they returned to their rooms to change and came out again, Zhang Jing looked up and saw Tian Ci dressed in a robe of dark indigo color with large lotus-patterned collars and right-side slits, Zhang Tian in a fragrant-colored silk dress with floral patterns and front closures, and Zhang Yue in a emerald-blue dress with a round collar and reed-bird patterned crepe fabric—all neatly dressed. She smiled, stepped forward, and took a close look at them before, guided by their mothers, heading to the main hall.

Since the emperor was visiting incognito and there were not many Jinyiwei guards accompanying him, and Duke Yingguo Zhang Fu had sent all his servants outside to guard, the main hall was entirely guarded by Jinyiwei. Although they were the duke’s descendants, Zhang Jing and the others were kept outside. It was fine for others, but Zhang Jing was curious. Though she had been taught to keep her head lowered, she kept glancing inside. She faintly saw what seemed to be a strange young man inside and guessed it must be the emperor, so she watched more intently.

After a while, she saw a Jinyiwei guard carrying a embroidered sword dash to the steps in front of the hall, kneel down, and report, “Your Majesty, Lord Zhang has arrived.”

Hearing “Lord Zhang,” Zhang Jing’s eyes lit up immediately. Sure enough, she heard an order from inside the hall, and the messenger guard quickly stepped back. In no time, she saw her third brother, dressed in plain clothes, coming in quickly from the entrance. Having not seen him in several days, she couldn’t help but stare at him intently. Unluckily, Zhang Yue also happened to look her way as he walked, their eyes meeting, and he gave her a smile.

Zhang Jing thought that since Zhang Yue had entered, there would be nothing left for the four of them to do. But after a short while, words came from inside saying they should enter the main hall to pay their respects. Hearing this, even the usually fearless Zhang Jing felt a bit nervous. Seeing Tian Ci straighten his clothes like a young lord and stride forward, she quickly followed her two cousins. After stepping over the threshold and bowing, she heard a gentle voice from inside the hall.

“Stand up.”

The four of them rose together. Zhang Jing glanced secretly and finally saw the emperor’s appearance—he was about the same height as her third brother but seemed thinner, with a pale complexion and not as energetic as her brother… As she was making comparisons in her mind, she heard Zhu Zhanji say, “This is also the first time I’ve come to this garden. I’ll let Yuan Jie and these young people walk around the garden with me. Duke Yingguo and his wife need not follow.”

The emperor arrived suddenly without any warning, naturally startling Lady Wang. Zhang Fu had just received a message from Zhang Yue not long ago, saying the emperor had gone to the Northern Pacification Office and even killed someone, so he was even more cautious. Hearing Zhu Zhanji speak like this, though he felt somewhat uneasy, seeing Zhang Yue nodding with a smile and glancing at his children, he bowed in agreement. Since he had spoken, Lady Wang had no choice but to respond, though she was uneasy inside.

Although Tianci was only eight years old, he was used to greeting guests regularly. But Zhang Tian was after all a woman, and Zhang Yue was even younger. What if the emperor asked something and they gave absurd answers?

Since Zhu Zhanji had spoken, he ordered Wang Yu to lead two Jinyiwei guards at a distance, while he himself went to the garden accompanied by Zhang Yue and the others. As they walked, Zhang Yue said with a smile, “Your Majesty, please forgive me. This is my first time here too. How about letting my sister and Tianci lead the way?”

“That’s good.”

Seeing Zhu Zhanji nod, Zhang Yue gave Zhang Jing and Tianci a subtle signal. Seeing them wisely take the lead, Zhang Tian pulled Zhang Yue back two steps. Hearing Zhang Jing and Tianci explain the scenery in the garden in an orderly manner, Zhang Yue couldn’t help but smile and say, “I haven’t been back for over two years. I haven’t had a proper chance to talk to my younger siblings. In the blink of an eye, they’ve grown so big.”

“The Duke of Yingguo is fortunate, and so are you.”

Walking under the shade of the trees, away from the scorching afternoon sun, and listening to those clear children’s voices, Zhu Zhanji’s originally bad mood gradually eased, but he still couldn’t help but blurt out those words. Zhang Yue, who was a step behind, heard these words and hesitated before saying, “No one in the world is more fortunate than the emperor.”

“No one more fortunate than the emperor? That’s simply a ridiculous joke!” Zhu Zhanji couldn’t help but snort coldly, then stopped in his tracks. “Do you know that today, in the court of the Northern Pacification Office, I was openly accused of being foolish and stubborn? Do you know that I merely mentioned the reputation of the censors, only to be rebuked harshly? Do you know that someone gave me a brilliant piece of writing that exposed the faults of all officials above the fourth rank? I don’t believe they would dare do such a thing when my grandfather was still alive!”

Zhang Yue had some guesses about the first two things, but the last one really surprised him. Seeing the sudden anger of Zhu Zhanji scare the children, he quickly waved his hand to tell them to stand back, then asked in a low voice, “What brilliant piece of writing is Your Majesty talking about…”

“I left that thing to Jian Yi. As for the original documents, the Jinyiwei should have kept them. I can’t bear to carry them around; just looking at them makes me furious… I felt satisfied at the time, but now thinking about it, they might go into an uproar upon seeing them. Wang Jie has deceived me!”
Although Zhu Zhanji spoke in a disorganized manner due to his anger, Zhang Yue quickly understood and was instantly drenched in cold sweat. Though the Jinyiwei was directly under the East Workshop, the East Workshop reported only to the emperor, so the Jinyiwei represented the emperor. Since Wang Jie had delivered those documents, Zhu Zhanji, in a fit of rage, simply discarded them. In such a situation, most would assume it was the emperor who ordered the Jinyiwei to investigate them. The great purges during the Hongwu era were still fresh in everyone’s memory, and now that such turmoil had arisen, it was unclear how to calm it down.
“In that case, Wang Jie can probably no longer be trusted.”
“I’ve already ordered Wang Jin to go to the East Workshop and have Lu Feng send people to keep a close eye on him!” Zhu Zhanji felt he couldn’t confide his grievances to anyone, so by pouring them all out, he felt somewhat relieved. Yet he still couldn’t help slapping a tree nearby. “The Duke of Yingguo faced difficulties having descendants in his early years, but now he has two daughters and a son. You are younger than me, yet you already have two sons and a daughter, and your concubines are also showing signs of pregnancy. Yet I am older than you, with far more concubines, yet all I have now is one crown prince and one princess. Even appointing An Guoben as the crown prince faces opposition—what does this call for? Understanding the bigger picture?”
“Since I ascended the throne, I’ve relied on them for everything, big or small. But that doesn’t mean they can interfere in everything or force me to comply with their reasoning! I established the Neishu Tang because I wanted people who could accompany me in studying and discussing poetry without trying to show off their abilities! I sent eunuchs to supervise the military because by ancestral tradition, nobles were not allowed to interfere in state affairs. But I can’t fully trust those ministers who speak one thing but do another! They keep talking about ancestral traditions, but all they want is to dominate everything…”
“Your Majesty!”
Although Zhu Zhanji’s voice grew increasingly low, Zhang Yue’s grew more and more panicked, until he couldn’t help calling out. It wasn’t until Zhu Zhanji’s voice suddenly stopped that he finally breathed a sigh of relief. Some words might not seem serious at first, but others can be deadly. He knew well that Zhu Zhanji, having seen emperors like Zhu Di, surely disapproved of civil officials controlling the court. Otherwise, even though eunuchs had begun to gain influence since the Yongle era, without the Neishu Tang, they wouldn’t have seized control of the power to approve documents and stepped into the forefront. Who would have thought the emperor harbored such deep resentment?

“Your Majesty, if Father were to find out that you went to the garden and got angry, he would surely punish us for failing to serve you properly.” Hearing this clear voice, both Zhu Zhanji, who had already suppressed his anger, and Zhang Yue, who was deep in thought, couldn’t help but look in that direction. They saw Tian Ci had somehow arrived between them, looking up at the supreme emperor. At that moment, Tian Ci bowed properly before straightening up again. Zhang Yue was taken aback by his serious tone, then had an idea and stepped forward with a smile, saying, “Your Majesty was just thinking about some troubling matters. Since you say we shouldn’t make him angry, do you have any way to calm him down?” Zhang Jing, who was nearby, had heard before how terrifying an emperor’s anger could be. Seeing Zhu Zhanji’s pale face and furious growl, she recalled scenes from plays where emperors liked to behead people, and immediately grew worried for Tian Ci for speaking rashly. When Zhang Yue changed the subject, she quickly stepped in and said, “There’s a straight shooting range ahead. How about Tian Ci shows Your Majesty his shooting skills? Though he’s young, his archery is quite remarkable!” Zhu Zhanji had thought Zhang Yue was about to scold the children for meddling, but he was surprised by her sudden question and found it interesting. He stood with his hands behind his back, ready to hear what the boy had to say. When Zhang Jing suddenly spoke up and he saw Tian Ci’s eager expression, he became even more interested. His interest in hunting was no less than that in music, chess, calligraphy, and painting. Over the years as emperor, he had always regretted not being able to practice archery as often as before. “Very well, I’ll see just how remarkable your archery is!” Although he had a learned teacher like Liang Jin, perhaps due to family influence, Tian Ci was far less talented in academic subjects than in martial arts. Leading the emperor to the straight path lined with willows, he ordered two terrified household soldiers to fetch bows and arrows, and had targets set up in the vegetable plots beside the path. When the bows and arrows were brought, Zhu Zhanji took them in hand and found that they weren’t ordinary birch bows used by young warriors, but rather substantial zelkova wood bows. Seeing the targets forty steps away, he was deeply impressed. After all, the boy before him was not even ten years old.

Although it was in a British park and the one holding the bow and arrows was just a child, Wang Yu still brought two Jinyiwei guards to protect him. Seeing Tianci kneel on one knee and take the zhe wood bow from Zhu Zhanji’s hands, Zhang Yue strode over to the target. Without a word, he took off his inconvenient dark blue robe with large peony patterns, which surprised everyone. While wondering why this usually very polite child had forgotten to change clothes, he saw Zhang Jing quickly unfold a sleeve for him to put on, scolding him a few words in annoyance.

“When I was young, I would also be overjoyed whenever the emperor grandfather taught me archery personally.”

“As a child, I was weak, and it took me a lot of effort to practice archery… But since Mr. Du was strict in his supervision, it was still pleasant to be able to practice in my spare time every day.”

Zhang Yue deliberately mentioned Du Zhen, but Zhu Zhanji didn’t seem to mind. Seeing Tianci mount a small horse and then start galloping slowly, he nodded in approval: “I also believe that being proficient in both literature and martial arts, integrating Confucianism into martial practice and using martial skills to support literary pursuits—this is the right path… Good!”

As soon as he said “good,” Zhang Yue saw Tianci speeding down the straight path on his horse, drawing his bow and shooting repeatedly. Hearing three sharp sounds like strings snapping, he saw all three arrows hit the center of the target, filling him with joy.