Chapter 879: It’s Easy to Get Drunk, But One Must Wake Up Eventually

Although it was the Eve of the New Year, the sky was already full of stars when Zhang Fu left the palace. Moreover, Zhu Zhanji, with a gloomy expression, followed him. Having returned incognito, it was naturally impossible for Zhu Zhanji to stay in the Qianqing Palace openly, but staying in the Renshou Palace wasn’t a bad option either—after all, the eunuchs and maids there wouldn’t spread nonsense. Yet after meeting Empress Dowager Zhang, the emperor insisted on following him out of the palace. Now, glancing at him, Zhang Fu didn’t know what to say.
“Your Majesty… where shall we go now?”
Zhu Zhanji remained silent for a while before casually mentioning the Ministry of War. Zhang Fu wasn’t surprised and signaled the other three bodyguards, with Wang Jin quickly following. The group turned onto East Chang’an Street along the fire lane and dismounted in front of the Ministry of War’s office. Immediately, a bodyguard went in to call the gatekeeper. Upon learning that it was the Duke of Yingguo visiting the deputy minister, the gatekeeper didn’t dare neglect them, hurried out to bow, and then stammered, “The Deputy Minister hasn’t been home for over twenty days, so today Chen, from the Military Selection Department, is on duty. He left for home shortly after dusk.”
Left for home?
Zhang Fu almost thought he had heard wrong. After confirming again, he sighed helplessly. Turning back, he saw Zhu Zhanji frown and shake his head, realizing the emperor wasn’t likely to get upset over such a trivial matter. The group mounted their horses again. When they reached Xuanwu Gate Street, they heard firecracker sounds coming from all directions. It was then that Zhang Fu on horseback slowed down, counted on his fingers, and suddenly understood.
“I almost forgot—today is the Eve of the New Year. No wonder that kid is slacking off at the office!”
Zhu Zhanji also heard the firecrackers. With Zhang Fu’s words, he couldn’t help but look back at the palace. But recalling the situation when he summoned Yang Shiqi and others in the Renshou Palace earlier, he felt troubled and suddenly whipped his horse hard, speeding ahead. Wang Jin hurriedly said to Zhang Fu, “Duke of Yingguo, the emperor must have gone to Wu’an Marquis Alley. Let’s hurry after him!”
Seeing Wang Jin chase after them at full speed, Zhang Fu ordered his own guards to follow as well. They only closed the distance at the entrance to Wu’an Marquis Alley. Seeing them dart into the alley like a gust of wind, he sighed inwardly.
It certainly wasn’t a good sign for the emperor to come looking for Zhang Yue at this moment.

The side door and main door of the Zhang family’s house were both closed, but the sound of firecrackers going off inside was incessant. Through the walls, muffled sounds of laughter and joy could be heard. Amidst such noise, the family servant knocked on the door for a long time before someone finally came to answer. It took them a while to recognize Zhang Fu under the light of a lantern, and they hurriedly let the group in. They escorted them to the screen door, and as the servant quietly stepped back, he couldn’t help rubbing his eyes.

It was one thing for the young master, who hadn’t been home for over twenty days, to return for the Minor New Year, but wasn’t the Duke of Ying just back today and had even gone to the palace? Why had he suddenly shown up here instead of going straight home?

Although firecrackers and fireworks were now very popular, even the royal family would set off fireworks in the palace during festivals, Zhang Yue preferred the lively sound of firecrackers. He also knew well that wooden houses were prone to fire, so whenever fireworks were set off at home, thorough preparations were made nearby, and they were only set off in the open area outside the second gate. At that moment, seeing Jing Guan gently covering his sister San San’s ears, while his younger son and daughter had already been taken inside, he stepped forward to light a string of firecrackers. As soon as he stepped back, another loud explosion rang out.

When Zhu Zhanji followed Zhang Fu into the courtyard, he saw the moment the firecrackers lit up. Although he had seen such scenes many times in the imperial city before, he had never set off firecrackers himself. Seeing Zhang Yue quickly run away and then pick up his son and daughter, shouting loudly with a smile, he felt an increasing sense of distress. He hadn’t even noticed that Zhang Fu had quietly stepped forward.

The daughter was still young, but the son was already older, so Zhang Yue quickly put down Jing Guan, ignoring the little one’s reluctant expression. However, San San was timid and quickly wriggled free from his arms, darting over to Zhang Jing. Not only did she fail to bring her cousin inside, but she also received a small firework from her. As Zhang Yue watched his daughter scowl and shout at Zhang Jing with a happy expression, he heard a call from beside him.

“Brother Yue.”

“Huh? Is it Uncle Dalang?”

Zhang Yue hadn’t heard this title in a long time. Turning his head, he saw Zhang Fu. Thinking about who this person had come back with today, his joy instantly faded, and without hesitation, he began scanning the surroundings for that person. When he spotted the four men dressed as household guards over there, he nodded at Zhang Fu and hurried over in a few steps.

“How did you come here?”

Knowing that Zhu Zhanji’s status made it inconvenient at the moment, Zhang Yue naturally chose the most appropriate title to use. Seeing that no one else was paying attention to him and they were still busy setting off firecrackers and having fun, Zhu Zhanji couldn’t help but glare at Zhang Yue: “Why did you hide from the yamen as soon as I returned, as if afraid I’d look for you? And yet you seem so happy!”

“That’s not what I meant. It’s just… these past few days, I’ve been stuck in the yamen every day, feeling extremely anxious. Besides, I thought you would be there, so I thought I could take some time off during the Lesser New Year. After all, this time your eldest uncle is here with you. The most important thing is…” Zhang Yue paused. Seeing Zhu Zhanji looking at him with a half-smile, he decided to speak directly. “There have been too many matters these days, and I’ve been feeling depressed. So, taking advantage of the Lesser New Year, I set off a few firecrackers myself to hear the crackling sound, which made me feel much less stressed. As for being happy, yes, I am happy—after all, you’re back, the Empress Dowager’s condition has improved, and the military situation both at home and abroad is stable. We can finally have a peaceful New Year.”

Zhu Zhanji knew full well that Zhang Yue wouldn’t directly say things like “I am terrified” or “I am guilty.” Yet, even as Zhang Yue gave such a messy explanation, he couldn’t help but smile, though that smile disappeared quickly. After all, the Empress Dowager’s condition had only slightly improved—there was no guarantee it would truly get better. No one could assure him whether Concubine Sun was involved as well. Even when he went to see his most beloved crown prince, the little boy’s first reaction was to cry. For a moment, he even regretted having come on this northern inspection in the first place.

So, he sighed and then said to Zhang Yue, “Find a room and drink with me.”

Although they had known each other since Zhu Zhanji was still the crown prince’s heir and had supported each other through hardships, Zhang Yue had never considered himself the emperor’s friend—such an assumption could easily cost someone their life. Thus, at this moment, he showed extreme surprise and even tried to persuade him a few times. Only when he saw the emperor as stubborn as a cart that couldn’t be pulled back by five horses did he reluctantly agree.

As they walked out together with Zhu Zhanji, he suddenly remembered he hadn’t said goodbye to his family. Looking toward the Chuihua Gate, perhaps Zhang Fu had already warned them—more than half of the servants in the courtyard had left, and the rest of the family members were retreating inside. He even saw Jing Guan holding Du Wan’s hand as they went inside, waving at him when his mother wasn’t looking; whether she made a face was out of sight.

The residence of the esteemed Vice Minister Zhang certainly had nothing lacking, not even empty rooms or wine. Although it was the emperor of the Great Ming, Zhang Yue didn’t lead him to the proper main hall but instead to his own study, Zixingzhai. After closing the door and pulling down the curtains, he asked Zhu Zhanji to sit on the teak armchair, then took out a jar of wine from behind the bookshelf and fetched a set of drinking utensils from a shelf on the other side. He placed a white jade cup in front of the emperor, while he himself used a osmanthus wood cup. Wang Jin wisely stayed outside, not interfering.

Whether it was the white jade cup or the osmanthus wood cup, since they were both drinking utensils and quite heavy, after three cups, both of them became somewhat drunk. At that point, Zhang Yue firmly moved the jar of wine back to its original place, refusing absolutely to let Zhu Zhanji drink any more. Finally, Zhu Zhanji grew angry and slammed the armrest, shouting, “Zhang Yue!”

“Using wine to drown sorrows only deepens the sorrow. It’s easy for the emperor to get thoroughly drunk in my home, but eventually, there will always be a day when one wakes up sober.”

Seeing Zhu Zhanji glaring at him, Zhang Yue sighed inwardly, then stood up. “The emperor must have already met Grand Secretary Yang and the others; whatever he needs to know, he will already know. After a long journey through the night, he must be extremely tired. If he trusts me, it would be best for him to take a good sleep in my study. Though it’s simple here, the scent of ink and books helps calm the mind.”

“You…” Zhu Zhanji was speechless, his hand clenching into a fist. “Don’t you want to talk to me?”

“If the emperor doesn’t ask me to accompany him in drinking, I’ll be happy to. Since the emperor is going to Danning this time, all the news coming from there is good. As the Vice Minister of War, I’m actually eager to hear about what’s going on there.”

What Zhang Yue feared most was people revealing the truth while drunk. After all, some things could be discussed, while others couldn’t. He wanted to keep everything under control. A drunk emperor was certainly not a good option, as he would surely hear many things he shouldn’t. Therefore, he took away the white jade cup and the osmanthus wood cup before sitting down, ready to listen attentively.

Zhu Zhanji glared fiercely at Zhang Yue before gradually starting to speak. At first, he merely talked to relieve his frustrations, but soon he became more animated, a hint of pride appearing on his face.

“I met with the leaders of the Wulangha Three Guards in Dading and rewarded the warriors from their three tribes. What pleased me the most was that my own warriors were no less brave—ordinary-looking troops who turned out to be incredibly fierce in battle! Therefore, I will continue to inspect the army regularly to select such valiant soldiers. As you said, even if there’s no war, the army shouldn’t idle away; otherwise, they’ll become good-for-nothing drifters. You know, thanks to proper coordination throughout the journey from Xifengkou to Dading and back, only a dozen or so people died from the cold this time.”

Only a dozen deaths from the cold might sound cruel, but compared to the many who died from the cold during previous northern expeditions, it was actually an astonishing achievement. Fortunately, the court has been promoting double-cropping of rice in regions like the Jiangnan area, and cotton cultivation is increasing. Military uniforms are thicker than before, rations are abundant, and Dading City uses black coal for heating—although it has a strong smell, it ensures warmth throughout the winter. Recalling how impregnable Dading City was over twenty years ago, Zhang Yue fell into reverie before nodding.

“With Dongsheng, Dading, Kaiping, Xinghe, and Hami in the northwest, the northern border defenses have become even stronger. When future generations praise this, they’ll surely mention ‘stabilizing the borders.’ With such arrangements, as long as they continue like this, the border will be secure for decades.”

“You’re good at taking advantage of situations. Turning this into a permanent system isn’t easy! That was my original plan, but such problems arose during this border inspection. If this happens every year, not to mention others, Yang Shiqi will be the first to object!”

Zhu Zhanji’s intention was simply to relax at Zhang Yue’s place. As emperor, there were few places in the world where he could indulge in drinking to his heart’s content. Yet Zhang Yue wouldn’t let him get drunk and even said that using alcohol to drown sorrows only made them worse. Though unhappy, he knew it was true. Since that idea had been nipped in the bud, he followed Zhang Yue’s lead in the conversation. Although this northern inspection saw no battles, it was still highly fruitful. Even before news of the empress dowager’s serious illness arrived, some former followers of Arutai braved the wind and snow to pay their respects, apologizing and swearing loyalty. Naturally, he allocated a piece of grassland for them to graze on, and several Mongolian noble youths also returned with him. After expressing his thoughts, he couldn’t help but sigh.

Everyone called him an emperor of peace, but why did this emperor of peace have to face the current situation?

Noticing the gloom on the emperor’s face, Zhang Yue pretended not to notice and asked more questions about Danning. Only when Zhu Zhanji calmed down a bit did he shift the topic to the Armaments Bureau. With such a serious mistake occurring in the Bureau under the Imperial Household, Fan Hong and Jin Ying had only given the emperor a general overview. But Zhang Yue, who had taken Li Cheng to the Armaments Bureau several times these days, personally uncovered one problem after another. Initially, he had only informed Yang Shiqi, but now he listed them one by one, emphasizing at the end, “Actually, I’m not targeting the eunuchs. The Military Selection Department also had serious flaws. Didn’t the emperor reorganize the land distribution just a few months ago? Add to this the recent turmoil—ultimately, it all boils down to the system.”

Zhu Zhanji looked at Zhang Yue thoughtfully, pondering the word “system,” and his heart stirred. The old traditions of his ancestors weren’t immutable. If they had been, his great-grandfather wouldn’t have gradually stripped the princes of their military powers after ascending the throne, turning those once powerful regional rulers into mere princes enjoying wealth and honor. Now, since they didn’t want to content themselves with such privileges, how could the “system” be used to bring down these ambitious princes?

The Prince of Liang was easy to deal with, but princes like those from the Jin region, who had been entrenched outside for years, could become serious threats if mishandled! Yet he didn’t want to be accused of violating the principles of filial piety and kinship. If all the princes rose up in opposition, things would become difficult.