Chapter 878: The Emperor’s Return, A Casual Day Off

The three archways at Donghua Gate had now become Zhang Yue’s necessary route to enter the palace. After all, he didn’t have the time to go through Chang’an Left Gate and then traverse the long corridor to enter via Wumen. In such urgent circumstances, his responsibilities were immense, so such a minor request was easily approved. As a result, the guards guarding the palace were already familiar with his comings and goings.

At that moment, he had just come out of the Inner Cabinet and was still pondering matters related to the Ministry of Personnel as he walked. It had to be said that he was not very familiar with the work of the Ministry of Personnel. Even if he was merely acting as a transfer point and signatory, he couldn’t just stamp things without knowing anything about them. Thus, he had to take some time to review the documents, further reducing his already meager daily schedule. Helplessly, he began to grumble about Yang Shiqi, thinking that the Ming Dynasty’s oppression of officials was outrageous—how could they assign him to oversee the Ministry of Personnel without even giving him a salary?

Of course, his mood was still fairly good, as there were finally good news from Renshou Palace. Empress Dowager Zhang had finally passed the most critical stage, and the emperor’s entourage was being sent back to the capital daily via urgent dispatches.

It wasn’t until he heard the sound of rapid horse hooves that he raised his head and saw a group rushing toward him from Dong’an Gate. Though they were still too far away to make out their faces, the dozens of bright red robes were clearly visible. Almost instinctively, his first thought was—could it be the emperor returning early? How could he enter the city like this?

As he thought this, the group of riders drew closer to the palace gates. Yet they showed no sign of slowing down, seemingly determined to charge straight into the palace. Even though he knew these people must have been allowed to pass through Dong’an Gate, meaning their identities were likely legitimate, the guards at Donghua Gate immediately heightened their vigilance. In no time, barriers were set up at the archways, and dark silhouettes appeared on the city walls and towers. Finally, a loud shout came from ahead.

Seeing the group halt their horses in unison, someone at the front jumped down. Someone must have recognized the person and immediately called out that it was the Duke of Britain. Upon learning it was Zhang Fu, Zhang Yue, who was inside Donghua Gate, quickened his pace. After verifying his pass, he hurried over. As expected, having anticipated this, he recognized Zhu Zhanji, hidden among Zhang Fu’s bodyguards, with just one glance. Almost at the same time, Zhu Zhanji also saw him.

It wasn’t the first time Zhu Zhanji had rushed on such a hurried journey. Once, he had rushed all night to Danning to attend his grandfather Zhu Di’s funeral; another time, after his father died suddenly in the palace, he rushed back from Nanjing to Beijing to ascend the throne. Compared to these, this journey, with a large group of elite guards and capable officials accompanying him, should have been the safest. Yet his mood was no different from the previous two times—indeed, even more anxious. Although Yang Pu and the others had only said a few words, and the memorials submitted were often vague, he sensed something behind it. So, after meeting the attendants at Xifengkou, he left the large group behind without hesitation and rushed back with Zhang Fu, traveling lightly.

Now, as their eyes met, he noticed Zhang Yue quickly averted his gaze. After pondering for a moment, he moved closer to Zhang Fu. Sure enough, after Zhang Yue approached and bowed to Zhang Fu, he spoke carefully, “Did the Duke of Britain come here first on the emperor’s orders? The Empress Dowager summoned Grand Secretary Yang at Renshou Palace at noon. If we go now, she probably hasn’t taken her lunch break yet.”

Zhang Fu naturally knew about the Empress Dowager’s sudden illness. Hearing Zhang Yue’s words clearly indicated that her condition was improving, which relieved him greatly, and Zhu Zhanji’s tense expression also eased slightly. But there was no time to discuss further, and Zhang Yue wouldn’t rush to report the details. So, after checking the pass, Zhang Fu, unusually, allowed four guards, including Zhu Zhanji, to enter the palace quickly, while the rest waited outside Donghua Gate, leaving the guards there puzzled.

Now that the emperor had returned, Zhang Yue no longer had to worry about trivial matters. He returned to the Ministry of War and methodically handled various official tasks. As the saying goes, when pushed to the brink, people unleash their full potential. He was no exception—handling reports while writing memorials, and occasionally speculating about the situation in the palace. By the time Chen Yong finished speaking, he had just written the last character on his paper.

“Go back and organize everything from these past days for future reference. You’ve worked hard these days as well. But since the Winter Solstice holiday has already been granted and the court is busy with many matters, it’s likely difficult to get an additional holiday for the Lantern Festival. Also, I’m taking leave tonight; you’ll have to take my place at the Ministry of War. I’ve already discussed this with Grand Secretary Yang, and he’s agreed.”

Chen Yong stared at the heavily inked sheet of paper handed to him by Zhang Yue, feeling somewhat confused. Earlier, Zhang Yue had already made it clear that the emperor had returned with Duke Zhang Fu of Yingguo. Although he didn’t know what was wrong with the empress dowager in the palace, he understood that since Zhang Yue was now in charge of the Ministry of War, he needed to be available for summons, so there was no reason to rush home. Yet, Zhang Yue clearly had no intention of explaining anything. After giving his orders without hesitation, he sent Chen Yong away.

The winter sun set especially early. When Zhang Yue entered the government office, it was still bright, but by the time he left, everything outside had grown dark. Normally, this was the time when offices closed, and carriages and horses moving between Jiangmi Alley and Dongjiangmi Alley could be seen everywhere heading to the east or west cities. But now, there were few people around, and the area was eerily quiet. This situation had started since the emperor left for his northern inspection. Civil and military officials, regardless of rank, were accustomed to working overtime, and even if they didn’t have to, they had to consider the opinions of their colleagues, superiors, and subordinates. So, even when there was nothing to do, they had to stay in the office.

After the incident that happened over a dozen days ago, the situation worsened even further. The heads of the six ministries, five bureaus, and even the Censorate all stayed overnight in the offices. The lower-ranking officials followed suit, forced to set up beds in the offices. Unfortunately, there was a severe shortage of firewood in such cold weather, especially in ministries like the Ministry of Punishments, where resources were scarce. The rooms became freezing cold at night. Thus, the most common sounds in these offices these days were loud sneezes and sniffling. Even in the relatively warmer Ministry of War, more people had red noses than usual.

So, when Zhang Yue met the two attendants who had come to meet him at the gate, he suddenly sneezed loudly. He wiped his nose with a piece of paper and mounted his horse without saying a word. As he rushed out of Jiangmi Alley, he didn’t encounter a single official until he reached Xuanwumen Street, where there were more people, and occasionally, the sound of firecrackers could be heard. He instinctively listened, then suddenly stopped his horse, only for Niu Gan to rush past him.

“Sir, is something wrong?”

“What the hell!” Zhang Yue snapped an offensive word in annoyance. Seeing Niu Gan staring at him with wide eyes, he then asked, “I was just thinking that today is indeed the 23rd day of the 12th lunar month, the Minor New Year, and already people are setting off firecrackers.”
Niu Gan then realized what was going on and smiled, saying, “What’s that? Sir, we have firecrackers at home too, and they’re bound to be louder than these. Not to mention firecrackers, even other New Year goods have been prepared for a long time at the high officials’ homes—everything is in place.”
Seeing this burly man enthusiastically praising his family’s preparations for the New Year, Zhang Yue wanted to scold him, but he felt it was pointless to argue with such a stubborn man. So without saying another word, he whipped his horse hard and rushed forward like an arrow leaving the bow. After passing through Xisi Pailou and a few more alleys, when he turned into the Hu family’s residence after avoiding pedestrians, the constant unease of these days seemed to vanish as if he had suddenly returned to reality.
To surprise his family, Zhang Yue hadn’t sent anyone to inform them of his return. So when he dismounted in front of his house, he found that both the side doors and the main door were closed. With no other choice, he asked Niu Gan to knock on the door. After knocking for a while, a lazy voice finally came from inside. Soon, a small window in the west side door opened, and a head poked out. It stared at Niu Gan for a while before jokingly saying, “It’s actually Brother Niu who’s back? Are you thinking about the Minor New Year on the 23rd, or your wife at home? Your sister-in-law made lots of sweet cakes in the kitchen this morning, and the young mistress packed quite a few boxed dishes for her to take back. If she knew you’re back, she’d be overjoyed… By the way, you didn’t run into Manager Lian on the way—he went to the yamen to deliver food in person!”
As he kept talking nonstop, the doorkeeper pulled back the bolt to open the door. But when the main door finally opened and he saw a dark figure rush in, pass by him without looking back, and head straight inside, he was stunned. Just as he was about to call out to stop that person, someone suddenly pressed hard on his shoulder. Turning his head, he saw it was Niu Gan.
“Stop calling. The sir is back. Manager Lian wasted his trip today!”

Because the doorman was too slow to react, by the time Zhang Yue rushed to the second gate, it was still tightly closed. Only when the people inside finally opened the door after hearing the loud knocking and recognized Zhang Yue did they gasp in surprise. They tried to rush in to give the news, but he had already left them far behind. So when Zhang Yue, sweating profusely, pushed aside the curtain and rushed in rubbing his hands, the steaming dishes had just been served, with chopsticks in mid-air as everyone’s eyes were fixed on this unexpected intruder. Immediately afterward, Jing Guan shouted and jumped down from his chair.

“Dad!”

The rule that one should hug grandchildren rather than sons never applied to Zhang Yue—or rather, since his father Zhang Zhuo didn’t believe in such things, his son certainly wouldn’t pretend to either. Seeing the little boy’s excited face, he simply bent down and lifted him up tightly. Jing Guan, who already considered himself grown up, laughed as happily as he did when he was young.

After setting his son down, Zhang Yue saw San San hopping over and couldn’t help but hug her too, pinching her delicate cheeks before going forward to greet his parents, saying hello to Hong Luan, winking at his wife, smiling at Qiu Henhu Bo who stood up in surprise, and hugging the other two children held by the nanny. After hearing an angry voice from the side, he stepped forward, first giving Zhang Fu an approving nod for his martial skills before gently tapping his sister Zhang Jing’s head.

“You’re all grown girls about to get married, yet still acting spoiled!”

“Third brother… you did this on purpose!”

After some laughter and chaos, it had been over twenty days since they last saw each other, and now he could return for the Lesser New Year. Mrs. Sun was overjoyed and quickly ordered more dishes. Once they sat down again, Zhang Yue noticed everyone looking at him. Smiling, he picked up his chopsticks and handed them to his father at the head of the table. “Let’s talk after dinner. Don’t let the food get cold—I’m starving!”

His words completely dispelled the lingering tension and suspicion, so Zhang Zhuo naturally started eating first. With his lead, everyone at the table began eating as well, but no one could keep up with Zhang Yue’s speed. Even Zhang Fu, whose appetite had grown due to martial training, was stunned, watching as Zhang Yue devoured one dish after another before finally stopping, satisfied, and letting out a soft sigh.

“Aren’t meals delivered almost every day? Why do you still look so hungry as if you haven’t eaten in days?” Seeing Lady Sun’s concern, pity, and annoyance, Zhang Yue chuckled and said, “Eating home-cooked food at the yamen doesn’t taste good at all. At first, it seemed delicious, but later I just swallowed it without really tasting it… It’s not just for this reason, and with the Duke of Britain returning, that I rushed back today. It’s to relax and enjoy a proper New Year’s celebration. I’m not being pessimistic, but with all this chaos, the long holiday at the beginning of the year is likely to be ruined, and who knows how many more days I’ll have to stay at the yamen.” The Zhang family was well-informed, but since the Duke of Britain had returned to the capital less than an hour ago, the rest of the family had just heard the news. Zhang Zhuo asked a few questions before changing the subject, while Du Wan gave him a questioning look. Seeing Zhang Yue nod slightly, she felt a bit relieved but still had to consider how to address a certain matter. After all, there was still no evidence yet. Just as Lady Sun cheerfully mentioned that the grand ceremony at the Duke of Britain’s residence in two days would finally have someone to oversee it, and as the maids brought over a hot pot, suddenly there was a loud crackling sound from outside. Immediately after, the two babies in their cribs started crying as if frightened. Realizing it wasn’t coming from their own house but from the Marquis of Wu’an’s residence, Zhang Yue immediately waved his hand and said, “It’s firecrackers! Let’s go outside and set off some too. Although it’s not yet time to bid farewell to the old and welcome the new, let’s at least get rid of some bad luck first!” Of course, it was also a way to celebrate the safe return of the emperor and the Duke of Britain, Zhang Fu, and the empress dowager’s recovery from danger. As for him… he would soon have another adorable baby sometime next year!