Chapter 830: Fury

Shuntian Prefecture is located in Youyan, where winters are extremely cold. Unlike Jinling, the former capital of the Six Dynasties, where winters can be endured with some difficulty, since the first day of the tenth month, various types of brazier and underfloor heating systems in the palace have been in use. The emperor and empress use top-quality red basket charcoal, all produced at the Yizhou Mountain Factory under the Ministry of Works. Just for supplying firewood, over twenty thousand people work in the mountains every year to cut and harvest wood. The firewood used in the imperial kitchen also comes from this area. All of it is high-grade wood that produces no smoke or odor. The red basket charcoal specifically for Renshou Palace is even made using special techniques during production, giving off an indescribable fragrance that surpasses that of strong spices.

At this moment, the East Warm Pavilion in Renshou Palace was not only warm but also filled with such a fragrant aroma. Empress Dowager Zhang wore a light sky-blue floral jacket over her dark blue robe and sat at the desk, reading the letters sent by Zhu Zhanji through the Jinyiwei. After a long while, she raised her head, carefully folded the letters, put them back into the envelopes, and handed them to a female official beside her, signaling her to record them.

“We’ve now passed Jifeng Pass. It should take about four or five days to reach Danning. Considering we’ll stay there for half a month, we should be able to return before the New Year, allowing the soldiers accompanying us to have a good New Year. But the bitter cold will surely trouble them. Fortunately, Zheng He’s fleet has returned, bringing ample resources—two new coats each for everyone, along with sufficient food, so that’s a relief.”

Zhu Ning knew well that Empress Dowager Zhang was not in favor of Zhu Zhanji leading troops on border patrols personally. So he continued, “Your Majesty, please rest assured. The emperor has been brave since childhood and has always commanded the imperial guards. Although he may lack the experience of veteran generals in leading troops, he knows how to appoint capable people and cares deeply for his soldiers. This mission will surely go smoothly. It’s just that the Winter Solstice court ceremony won’t be possible this time. Your Majesty might consider asking the emperor for leave. Additionally, on the Winter Solstice, noblewomen will also come to Renshou Palace to pay their respects. By custom, those below the fifth rank kneel outside the palace gate, while those above the fifth rank are invited inside for a banquet, with high-ranking officials and ministers entering last. Since the emperor is not here, might Your Majesty consider inviting more noblewomen as well?”

“Thank goodness you reminded me,” said Empress Dowager Zhang. Having spent much time in the imperial palace, she was well aware of the hardships faced by the officials of her dynasty. She immediately nodded. “Apart from keeping essential officials on duty for the Winter Solstice, everyone else will be granted seven more days of leave on top of the three days already given—that’s ten days in total. I’ll talk to Zhanji, and he’ll surely agree. As for inviting more people… let’s bring in the wives of those accompanying the emperor, regardless of their rank, to pay their respects in the palace.”

With the Empress Dowager speaking thus, the female officials beside her quickly agreed. After chatting for a while longer, Zhu Ning noticed the Empress Dowager seemed tired. Seeing it was already time for her noon nap, she gave the two female officials a subtle signal. After they persuaded her a few more times, the Empress Dowager stood up, and Zhu Ning smiled before taking her leave. She pulled back the curtain and entered the outer room, glanced at the two maids preparing tea and clothes, and didn’t stay long before walking out.

Although it was bitterly cold, the afternoon sun was bright. Standing in the open area bathed in the sunlight, Zhu Ning stayed for a while longer until her maid hurried over from the adjacent hall. Then she asked, “Is everything well with the Crown Prince?”

“Princess, rest assured. The Crown Prince has just gone to bed.”

Learning that the Crown Prince had fallen asleep, Zhu Ning remembered some ambiguous words spoken by a maid in Yongning Palace the previous day, so she decided to go see Concubine Sun. She let one of her maids drape a silver-rat fur cloak over her, then slowly descended the steps. Before reaching the bottom, she saw several people rushing over from the main gate.

“Princess! Princess! Something serious has happened!”

Seeing that it was Lu Feng, the head of the Eastern Depot, Zhu Ning was greatly surprised and quickly asked, “What happened?”

“Today, Zhang Yue, the left vice minister of the Ministry of War, secretly went to observe the annual selection competition for hereditary military officers held by the Military Selection Bureau. Towards the end, chaos broke out. Some assassin appeared out of nowhere. Failing to kill Zhang Yue, he shot and killed Shang Yong, the head of the Military Selection Bureau. Fortunately, Zhang Yue brought several men with him and captured the assassin on the spot. Mu Ning and Fang Ling from the Jinyiwei have already rushed over. Given the seriousness of this matter, I thought we must report it to the Empress Dowager first.”

The more Zhu Ning heard, the more alarmed she became, and fear showed on her face. After taking a deep breath, she nodded at Lu Feng and said, “In that case, wait in front of the palace now. The Empress Dowager has just finished her nap. I’ll go inform her first. But let me warn you—she will surely be furious upon hearing this. Since you’re in charge of the Eastern Depot, make sure you know everything that happens.”

Seeing Zhu Ning say that, she turned around, lifted her skirt, and hurriedly climbed the steps. Lu Feng inwardly groaned in frustration. When he first heard the news, he was already at a loss, so instead of going in person, he sent Mu Ning, the head executioner, with men to handle it, and also sent someone to urge the Jinyiwei. He spent a long time deliberating in the yamen, fearing that the Empress Dowager might blame him if she became angry. After much thought and questioning of his subordinates who were in charge of various information streams, he still found few clues, forcing him to come here despite himself. He had still held out hope, but Zhu Ning had seen through it—how could Empress Dowager Zhang not question him?

Sure enough, he climbed the steps with heavy steps. Not long after arriving outside, he heard an order to be summoned inside. He straightened his clothes, lowered his head, and entered the East Warm Pavilion, not daring to lift his head as he knelt down and kowtowed. As expected, the usually kind voice from above now sounded icy cold, and the first words struck him like a sledgehammer.

“Such a major incident, and all you could do was report it after it happened—without any prior clues at all?”

Empress Dowager Zhang was furious and couldn’t help but slam her hand on the armrest. “Attacking court officials in broad daylight—is this still the peaceful era you described in your reports?”

At this point, Lu Feng could only reply by kowtowing, “It is my failure.”

“Has Zhang Yue returned?”

“Your Majesty, he sent someone back to report first; he himself has not returned yet.”

“A Ning, send someone to wait at the Ministry of War’s office. As soon as he returns, have him come to Wenhua Hall—I want to see him!”

After Zhu Ning agreed and stepped back to make arrangements, Empress Dowager Zhang glared coldly at Lu Feng. “The Li Maoqing case was already an unsolved mystery. Now another one has occurred, with so many people present. What will the people say, and what will the court officials say? I give you half a month—both cases must be resolved. If not, you might as well retire!”

Half a month! Lu Feng felt bitterness in his mouth, but he still had no choice but to agree. Only after kowtowing and leaving the East Warm Pavilion did he slap his face hard, thinking that after finally getting rid of those who were scheming against him and enjoying a few days of peace, another bigger problem had arisen in the blink of an eye. Could it be that this year was truly unlucky?

Since news didn’t spread that quickly, when Zhang Yue returned to the city, both Huo Street and Qipan Street were as usual. Personnel from the various government offices in Dongjiang Rice Alley came and went constantly, while the soldiers guarding the alley yawned or lazily looked around, exuding an atmosphere of peace and tranquility. Thinking back to how just a few arrows had nearly caused a major stampede among a group of future court officials, he became even more determined to urge the emperor to establish martial arts training.

The group turned in front of the Imperial Medical Academy’s offices and had just reached the Ministry of War’s building when someone quickly rushed out—it was Cao Jixiang. Before Zhang Yue could dismount, the man hurried over, grabbed the reins, and even held up the stirrups for him.

“Lord Zhang, the Empress Dowager is summoning you in the Wenhua Hall.”

Hearing the name of the Wenhua Hall, Zhang Yue was momentarily stunned. Although the Renshou Palace was off-limits to ordinary officials, he had visited it a few times before. The Empress Dowager would often give him encouragement and advice during those meetings. Usually, when she summoned high-ranking officials, it wasn’t at the Renshou Palace. The fact that she had chosen the Wenhua Hall this time suggested she might want to see even those officials working in the Wenyuan Pavilion as well. With that thought, he jumped off his horse, gave a few instructions to a cautious servant, and then nodded at Peng Shisan and the others.

“Perhaps the imperial court will have questions later. I’ll have them find you a room to wait in for now. Xiao Fang can wait here too, and someone should be sent to call a doctor.”

Seeing everyone nod in agreement, Zhang Yue decided to walk ahead along the narrow alley. Ahead lay Dongchangan Street, and if one went straight left to the end, they would reach Chang’an Left Gate, the usual route for civil and military officials entering the palace. However, before he could take two steps, he heard noise behind him. Turning around, he saw Cao Jixiang leading two horses after him.

“Lord, we can’t waste time. The Empress Dowager specifically ordered that you ride to Donghua Gate and head straight to the Wenhua Hall.”

The journey from Chang’an Left Gate to Wumen, and then from Zuoshun Gate to the Wenhua Hall, took at least twenty minutes. In contrast, it was only a few steps from Donghua Gate to the Wenhua Hall. Realizing that the Empress Dowager must be eager to know the details, Zhang Yue didn’t delay. He mounted his horse and rode swiftly along the imperial walls. When they reached Dong’an Gate, the guards there tried to stop them, but Cao Jixiang shouted, and both of them entered one after the other. They dismounted only in front of Donghua Gate.

Upon reaching the entrance of the Wenhua Hall, Cao Jixiang hurried inside to report, while Zhang Yue waited below the steps. After a short while, a loud announcement came from inside, and someone came out to guide them in. Once inside, Zhang Yue realized that Yang Shiji and Yang Pu, who were in charge of the inner court, were there as well, along with Chen Mao, the Marquis of Ningyang, who was in charge of the military affairs in the capital. After greeting Empress Dowager Zhang, he spoke frankly about all the events of the day without any hesitation. When he mentioned the sudden two arrows, he heard a soft snort from behind the curtain, and Yang Shiji and the others on the left all looked grave.

After Zhang Yue finished speaking, no one in the hall said anything for a long time. Finally, Empress Dowager Zhang broke the silence first: “Minister Zhang, have you compiled a list of those twelve people who tried to escape? Do you suspect they are connected to the assassin?”

“Your Majesty, I sent someone to deliver a message, but they were knocked unconscious by Shang Yong’s men, followed by chaos. This is the first suspicion. The competition organized by the Military Selection Bureau is clearly just a formality, and there must be corruption involved. Shang Yong defended himself in front of me, but his expression showed weakness beneath his bravado—this is the second suspicion. The assassin could have fled immediately after missing his first shot, but he went to the trouble of shooting a second arrow, which hit Shang Yong directly—this is the third suspicion. Unless there is some other hidden reason behind this competition beyond corruption, the sudden appearance of this assassin is indeed suspicious. Fortunately, we have captured a live witness, so we can extract some information from him.”

“It’s really not as good as it used to be.”

Empress Dowager Zhang didn’t specify who she meant, but the four people present were all intelligent enough to understand. After pondering for a while, Yang Shiji asked Zhang Yue, “Have you brought that list?”

“I have,” replied Zhang Yue. But instead of handing it over right away, he said to Empress Dowager Zhang behind the curtain, “I have already passed on the list of those twelve people to the Jinyiwei and the Eastern Depot. They should handle the investigation. As for the others on the list, I proposed establishing martial arts schools to appease them earlier. This wasn’t a made-up excuse; it was something I had thought about for a long time.”

Seeing that Empress Dowager Zhang remained silent, Marquis of Ningyang Chen Mao showed a pleased expression, while Yang Shiqi and Yang Pu were extremely surprised. Zhang Yue then bowed and said, “Your Majesty, you are perceptive. If this is the case for those who inherit military positions this year, one can imagine what it was like in the past. I was present and also felt angry at times, wishing to dismiss all of them. But upon reflection, they are all descendants of meritorious ancestors. If we make drastic changes because of this, it might also cause discomfort among those who have previously inherited military positions. When the cabinet discussed salaries before, it applied not only to court officials but also to military officers and soldiers. A salary is needed to support several members of a family. Although martial training doesn’t require ink, paper, or a teacher, someone must still teach it. Weapons and training equipment cost money, and good food is needed for physical training. Without incentives, it’s difficult to sustain this.”

“Therefore, regarding today’s matter, I beg Your Majesty not to punish those officers who participated in the trials. As for martial arts, their current use is to train newly appointed military officers, and in the future, they will be used for young people who wish to inherit official positions or titles. Emperor Taizu ordered the descendants of meritorious families to study Confucianism at the Imperial Academy, as Confucianism is the foundation for establishing oneself. But if descendants of heroes do not strive hard to master military strategies, they may fall short of previous generations.”

“From martial to literary studies, there are 60 students in the academies of the two capitals, and 43, 30, and 20 respectively in other prefectures, states, and counties. In comparison, the number of Confucian scholars across the country is vast—far exceeding 1,800. Besides official academies, there are also many private schools. The four great academies during the Song Dynasty were once famous throughout the land; some have declined, while others have revived. Emperors Renzong and the current emperor set quotas for selecting scholars from the north, south, and central regions to ensure fairness in the imperial examinations. But after many years since the capital was moved, the literary achievements in the north still lag behind those in the south, because the north is less prosperous. Many talented but poor students cannot afford to attend school. Therefore, private schools should be strongly promoted…”

Empress Dowager Zhang had been furious at first, but as Zhang Yue spoke and shifted the topic, the anger on her face gradually faded. Finally, she nodded thoughtfully but said neither yes nor no. By the end of Zhang Yue’s speech, she glanced at Yang Shiqi, Yang Pu, and Chen Mao. Seeing that none of them spoke, she calmly said, “Since Minister Zhang puts it this way, those who were selected as thousand-household or hundred-household officers will not be pursued for now. However, according to the rules of the Hongwu era, they will first receive half their salary for a two-year trial period. As for martial and literary studies, you should prepare a detailed proposal based on what was discussed today and submit it to the cabinet for discussion before presenting it to the imperial court. Regarding today’s matter, the Jinyiwei and Dongchang will investigate it. After you return, make sure to reassure and inform your subordinates.”