Chapter 857: Laba Porridge on Laba Festival, Oaths in the Government Offices

The eighth day of the twelfth lunar month was originally a quite important festival for the common people. However, this year’s version was different due to the non-stop horse races throughout the previous night and the presence of Jinyiwei officers everywhere early in the morning.

The Buddhist temples in the capital had prepared well in advance, aware that the outside world was unstable. The clerks in charge of receiving visitors reported the situation to their superiors layer by layer, but they ultimately decided to distribute Laba porridge to the people as usual. Thus, in the cold winter wind, porridge stalls were set up in front of the temples.

Chongguo Temple, Daqing Shou Temple, Huguo Temple, Baoguo Temple… By noon, the scent of beans wafted from all the Buddhist temples in the capital. Those who came to collect porridge included not only poor people in tattered clothes, laborers, and beggars hiding in dilapidated houses but also many well-dressed people from wealthy families. The reason was simple: Laba porridge, also known as Buddha porridge, was even called “porridge of fortune and longevity” by the common people. It was believed that eating it would bring blessings, so everyone flocked to it.

The more unpredictable the situation, the more people longed for peace and blessings. After all, as the saying goes, “It’s better to be a dog in peace than a displaced person in chaos.”

The same was true in government offices. Although there was no tradition of distributing Laba porridge in the palace, the kitchens in the government offices, which usually saw little activity, were bustling on this day. A large pot was heated with intense fire, containing rice along with various dried fruits. But what exactly to include and in what quantities depended on the financial resources of each department’s officials.

Those with more funds were not stingy with a little money, while those with tighter budgets simply made do with eight kinds of beans. Moreover, the wealth among different departments varied greatly.

For example, the current head of the Ministry of War was Zhang Yue. Although he had been busy purging people before, he was not stingy with those who truly worked hard. In addition to the usual expenses for Laba porridge, he had already ordered dried fruits to be purchased a few days earlier—red dates, lotus seeds, walnuts, chestnuts, almonds, pine nuts, longans, hazelnuts, grapes, ginkgo nuts, water caltrops, rose petals, red beans… A multitude of ingredients simmered in the large pot, along with the most popular snow-white sugar among the elite in the capital. The entire office was filled with the aroma of beans and sweetness.

The kitchen of the Military Department was located in the western wing at the far end of the courtyard. Since only hot meals were provided and no other food was served, the so-called cook was actually a slaughterman. At that moment, he and two assistants, with their sleeves rolled up, were sweating profusely while watching over the large pot. Seeing the fragrant contents bubbling inside, he took a big spoon and poured out three bowls first, then handed them to the two men beside him.
“Here, try it while it’s hot!”
The two assistants quickly took them, took a sip, and exclaimed it was too hot. Then they began chewing thoughtfully, trying to identify the ingredients. After finishing a bowl of scalding porridge, they all felt warm from head to toe and immediately prepared to pack it in food boxes to take home. As they were busy, the slaughterman who was in charge sighed, “Alas, the Laba porridge is ready. The ingredients this year are much richer than usual. It’s a shame the Deputy Marshal has been summoned to the palace; he won’t get to taste it.”
“What are you saying? You know very well how noble the Deputy Marshal’s family is… How could he miss out on any good food? Besides, even if he’s in the palace, surely they won’t treat him poorly?”
“Hey, you guys don’t know that? The imperial kitchen is only for the emperor, empress dowager, and noble ladies. Even though the Deputy Marshal is a high-ranking official, he doesn’t get a chance. I heard the food in the palace is often lukewarm. Even if there’s Laba porridge, it can’t compare to a big bowl like ours that’s still hot. It’s true the Deputy Marshal can be hard to please, but he’s also generous. If it weren’t for his competitions, we’d still have to follow last year’s quota for firewood. Not to mention, the office wouldn’t be able to make it through winter!”
The three of them whispered for a while, then the two of them carried the heavy food boxes outside and loudly called for people to deliver them to various offices. Just as they were calling, someone suddenly poked their head in and said cheerfully, “The Deputy Marshal has returned. He specifically instructed us not to forget to send an extra portion to Sanmen!”
“Sure, we won’t forget!”
The slaughterman in charge also heard this and, though he didn’t go outside, his voice carried. By then, the food boxes by the door had already been taken away by the slaughtermen in other rooms. The two assistants turned back—one went to the cabinet to get the porcelain pot that Zhang Yue usually used to heat meals, while the other went to the pot and peeked inside.
“Add more good ingredients!”
“Do we need you to tell us? Last time, the Deputy Marshal even said we should take the dried fruits that aren’t needed in the Laba porridge home for our wives and children to eat… Hey, we don’t really need such a big porcelain pot. Do you really think the Deputy Marshal is a glutton?”

“Great, you’re quite bold. Be careful—I might pass on your words inside, and you’ll surely face trouble then!”
The three people in the kitchen laughed and argued noisily for a while, before someone quickly brought out a deep red lacquered food box and hurriedly delivered it inside. At the three-door entrance, another servant came to take it. He opened the lid as usual, glanced inside, and then smiled at them, saying, “Well, all these nice things have arrived. There are plenty of red dates, peanuts, longans, and lotus seeds. Could it be you want the lord to have more sons?”
“The Shaosi Ma family can certainly afford it—how could they not want more sons?”
Hearing this reply, the servant who took the food box couldn’t help but chuckle, then carried it inside. After reporting outside, he lifted the curtain and stepped over the threshold. Seeing Zhang Yue sitting behind the desk and Hu Qi in the first chair on the left, he smiled and carried the food box over, saying, “Lord, they must think you’re starving in the palace, as it’s filled to the brim with food. Since Hu Qianhu is here too, let’s drink a bowl of our yamen’s Laba porridge together!”
Zhang Yue had only eaten casually in the palace that morning, and after talking with Xiao Wu, he had taken the time to walk around the streets to check the situation before returning to the yamen. So he was indeed very hungry. That’s why he gave the order as soon as he smelled the scent of beans upon entering. Hu Qi didn’t refuse either; he nodded and said, “One bowl isn’t enough. I’m hungry right now. If it’s not enough, you’ll have to go back and ask for more!”
Zhang Yue also laughed, “Alright. Other things in the Ministry of War’s yamen might not be abundant, but today’s Laba porridge is more than enough. Eat as much as you want! By the way, bring some back when you go. Although you’re not in the yamen, you’re still part of the Ministry of War.”
After a few jokes, two bowls of Laba porridge were served. Unlike Zhang Yue, Hu Qi didn’t use a spoon—he simply picked up the bowl and drank greedily. In no time, he finished it and wiped his mouth, saying, “Not bad. Plenty of ingredients, sweet and fragrant—way better than the porridge served in those temples. Lord, you said I should bring some back. This is a rare benefit from the Ministry of War. I shouldn’t miss it. Besides, people these days are too busy to make Laba porridge!”

Although annoyed by what he heard, Zhang Yue merely shook his head irritably. Among the six ministries, the Ministry of Works ranked lowest, the Ministry of Punishments was full of complexities, and the Ministry of Rites was esteemed, but only the Ministries of Personnel, Revenue, and War truly held great power. As for expenses, the Ministry of Revenue handled its own expenditures, and if not for Xia Yuanji’s tight finances earlier on, there would have been no shortage there; the Ministry of Personnel needed money for bribes when officials took office, so there was never a shortage either. Only the Ministry of War faced financial strain due to major cases like fraud in military selections—not to mention the internal expenses. Fortunately, he had sent a sealed urgent report to the emperor, proposing that 80% of the profits from the spy agency’s smuggling operations in the north be allocated to the imperial treasury, with the remaining 20% going to the Ministry of War.

Of course, to achieve this, he had to fight hard. In his plan, the spy agency should expand beyond the Mongols in the northern frontier to the Jurchens in the northeast, and gradually infiltrate countries in the southwest such as Burma and those south of the Jiaozhi Administrative Region. After all, the treasure ships represented the Great Ming Dynasty, and sending hundreds of them each time was too costly; merchant ships were a better cover.

Fortunately, after he assured that 80% of the profits would not be less than in previous years, Zhu Zhanji finally agreed. So now, although he couldn’t openly give money to his subordinates, clerks, and servants, he could still provide firewood and charcoal to make Laba porridge, and some meat and vegetables for the New Year. Those who had blocked his path to wealth had already been dealt with, and those left were timid and obedient—satisfied with such year-end benefits.

After finishing the Laba porridge from the porcelain jar, the two felt warmer. Once the servant cleaned up the food containers and left, Zhang Yue wiped the sweat from his forehead and washed his face before asking, “How’s things on your end?”

“It’s okay. The Jinyiwei visited twice, questioned that fifth man several times, and with some evidence obtained at the city gates, they stopped suspecting him. Now that the case has been uncovered and there’s enough physical and testimonial evidence, they’ve left him alone. Even the officer from Yangzhou’s alley has returned. But he was severely frostbitten before and has difficulty moving one foot; he’s being treated by a doctor.”

“Good. Be thorough with him. If not for him coming forward, it wouldn’t have been so easy to uncover the truth. If he has any requests, as long as they’re reasonable, satisfy them.”

“Yes, I was just about to tell my lord…” Hu Qi hesitated for a while before finally telling the truth. “He has no other requests; he just wants to establish his background. But this isn’t something I can decide on. I dare not promise him, after all, rewarding someone for whistleblowing might draw criticism from others.”

“There’s nothing I can’t promise. I’ve already mentioned him in the memorial sent to the emperor this morning. For matters of such great significance, if the person who reports it doesn’t receive a generous reward, everyone will just choose to protect themselves. Besides, if it involves treason, whistleblowing can save an entire family’s lives. And this case is different—it’s just that he happened to learn about it and took the risk to report it.” As he spoke, Zhang Yue thought of Wang Yu and couldn’t help but smile slightly. “Of course, you won’t receive a top reward this time. At most, you might get promoted by one rank or given an hereditary military position. You should go back and think carefully about what you need. By the way, how is Guo Cong, Guo Yan’s son?”

At the mention of this, Hu Qi’s expression became somewhat complicated. “My lord, Guo Cong hanged himself.”

Another suicide!

Zhang Yue didn’t ask how Hu Qi learned about it. Although the spy agency and Zhang Bu’s informants didn’t operate through the same channels, they still had ways to find out such things. Yet he couldn’t help but frown. He thought of Princess Yongping who had hanged herself, Li Maoqing who had done the same, and now Guo Cong as well. He couldn’t help but press his fingernails hard into his palm. Though the first person to commit suicide seemed to have a reasonable reason, he had always believed Princess Yongping wasn’t the kind to commit suicide out of despair—more like going mad from despair.

And this morning, although Cheng Jiu only hinted slightly, he was certain it must refer to the Jin faction in Taiyuan, Shanxi. He had heard that the current Prince of Jin, Zhu Jihong, was arrogant and domineering, but from his actions, he seemed no better than Zhu Gaoxu. It was possible he could use tactics, but to pull off such a series of moves would be beyond his capabilities.

Could it really be someone pretending to be weak while being actually very powerful?

“My lord, since the manor was full of elders from the Marquis of Wuding’s household, I couldn’t send anyone in. But since we had been keeping an eye on it before, we managed to catch a peasant who slipped out of the manor…”

Zhang Yue suddenly turned around and glared at Hu Qi angrily. “Why didn’t you say that earlier?”

“Nothing was gained. I didn’t want to rashly inform my lord. This man is stubborn and extremely difficult to interrogate. My brothers tried every trick in the book, but he refused to confess, merely muttering to himself and enduring the torture. From what he was muttering, it seems to be some kind of cult. I even thought earlier…”
“Thought of the White Lotus Sect?”
Zhang Yue asked directly. Seeing Hu Qi remain silent, as if in agreement, he immediately frowned. After much consideration, however, he shook his head. The Tang Sair sisters had been missing for years, and even he didn’t know their whereabouts—likely they were wandering the world. Moreover, these sisters weren’t the kind with ambitions to rule the world, so they surely wouldn’t revive their cult years after its destruction. Yet, there’s no brave man beneath three trees—unless one is a cult follower or has an extremely strong will, how else could they endure torture?
“We must get this man to talk within three days. He’s the biggest clue we have now. If we can get him to speak, we might find something. If force doesn’t work, use persuasion—everyone has a weakness.”
Although the three-day deadline was tight, Zhang Yue knew that since Hu Qi hadn’t hidden anything up to now, there must be a way. Sure enough, after a brief pause, Hu Qi agreed.
“Rest assured, my lord! I vow to fulfill this task!”
In the western courtyard’s main house of the Zhang family’s mansion in Wu’an Marquis’ residence…
After hearing Xiao Wu chatter through everything, Du Wan couldn’t help but gasp, but she quickly regained her composure. Seeing Xiao Wu’s puzzled expression, she forced a smile and said, “It’s okay. The princess was just teasing you. With so many matters in the palace these days, how would she have time to see you? Things have been chaotic outside these past few days. Stay at home with your mother and go out less.”