Chapter 895: Great Expectations from Brothers

Before people could recover from the first debate at the Hongwen Pavilion, the second one began under the moonlight—three days after the previous one. This arrangement allowed the monthly debates and the imperial court sessions on new moons to alternate. Although many stubborn scholars were dissatisfied with turning the lecture hall into a debate venue, those scholars from the Hanlin Academy and the Left and Right Spring Studios, who usually took pride in teaching the emperor, now had their minds elsewhere.

No matter how excellent one’s scholarship might be, it paled in comparison to demonstrating one’s abilities within these practical frameworks that could earn the emperor’s favor and lead to a position in the cabinet. After all, those like Yang Shiji, Yang Rong, and Du Zhen had not entered the cabinet based solely on seniority. This was the only chance to overcome that barrier, so none wanted to miss it.

As these people strived to stand out, the powerful figures could not afford to ignore a system that could influence the emperor’s decisions. Yet Zhang Yue did not attend the second Hongwen Pavilion debate, as he was extremely busy. This time, they still discussed the three unresolved issues from before. It was uncertain whether any new insights would emerge, so he sent two officials from his department to observe, while keeping the rest behind to discuss matters with Xu Kuo, who had just been appointed Vice Minister of War through imperial appointment.

Besides the necessary affairs of the Ministry of War, there were many issues to address: how to gradually reform the military household system, how to integrate the military examination system, how to minimize the encroachment on the interests of nobles and hereditary officers, and how to redirect their interests elsewhere. Additionally, how to integrate the Military Equipment Bureau and the Weapons Bureau—one external and one internal—into a unified structure, and how to persuade the Ministry of Works and the eunuchs to align with their efforts. Moreover, Wan Shi Jie had just sent urgent documents from the Nurgan Commandery. Aside from routine reports, they included an estimated return date. More importantly, the harsh conditions there, along with frequent minor conflicts between the troops and local people, had caused severe damage to the weapons, necessitating another replacement.

The Nurgan Commandery needed to replace weapons due to combat, but what about the other military units across the country? With prolonged peace, might the weapons stored in the arsenals rust and become unusable, just like those in the Weapons Bureau?

So, although the Ministry of War had filled its staffing gaps and Zhang Yue now had a cheerful old man like Xu Kuo to share the workload, he was still very busy. The only relief was that someone else took over the night shifts, so he had to sleep in the office much less often. That day, after hearing about the intense debates at the Hongwen Pavilion and learning that Hu Jian had finally conceded on the issue of officials’ salaries, he returned home smiling and spun around with his son in his arms. When he arrived at Du Wan’s place, he learned that several letters had arrived from Nanjing.

Although Du Wan and Hu Po helped handle the letters, with Du Wan often writing the replies on his behalf, Zhang Yue would still personally read important letters and then dictate their gist to Du Wan. This time was no exception. Since Du Wan was pregnant and unable to move around easily, and as per Zhang Yue’s instructions, she often called Jing Guan over to dictate while watching her write. Over a month, the little girl’s handwriting improved significantly, and she asked more questions after finishing writing letters.

At that moment, while reading Zhao Jin’s letter, Zhang Yue suddenly asked without looking up, “Sister Wan, judging by the timing, by the time he wrote this letter, my letter should still not have arrived, right?”

“It probably hasn’t. It’s over a thousand miles from Nanjing to Beijing—it’s not that fast.” Seeing Zhang Yue reading the letter, Du Wan put aside the nourishing soup that Lady Sun had insisted she drink and asked, “From what I can tell, Minister Zhao seems to want to become minister. Right now, aside from the Ministry of War, no one has been appointed to the Ministry of Justice yet. Although Minister Hu is in charge of the Ministry of Revenue, there’s still no actual minister there. It’s only natural he can’t stay in Nanjing.”

“In comparison, he’s not as sharp as Minister Li Qing. The emperor is different from others. If he really wanted to appoint someone, he wouldn’t leave them in Nanjing for three or four years without recalling them to the capital, like Minister Hu. If he received my letter, he should give up this idea. After all, someone in the Nanjing Censorate has just accused him of being lax. Minister Jin has been a loyal official for years and had to retire in shame because of such charges—let alone him?”

“Then the reply letter should be vague. You said last time that, from the emperor’s attitude, the Ministry of Justice might not send anyone right away. The Ministry of Revenue is complicated, and Minister Huang is old—so it’s not certain he’s really in charge. Even your Ministry of War has no minister.”

Although Du Wan didn’t go into further details, Zhang Yue knew for himself that things really were as he thought. During the more than twenty years of the Yongle era, there had been hardly any major changes among the ministers and deputy ministers of the six ministries. Now, with so many vacancies and everyone vying for them, and Yang Shiqi advising against appointing unqualified candidates, the emperor, seeing Guo Jin’s fearful demeanor, would likely be even less inclined to grant appointments easily.

“Let’s do it this way,” Zhang Yue nodded, then added, “Minister Zhao is a bit hasty. You had better have Jing write the letter and make notes in it. Also, since you’re not in good health and still have to handle matters outside, it’s better to find two reliable girls at home to assist—have Hupo take on more responsibilities these days. Let Jingya and Qiuhen handle the household chores so you won’t get too worried.”

The couple had a deep understanding of each other. After discussing these matters, they went to rest as they usually did. Thinking that heavy snow might fall by evening, and since Zhu Zhanji had already decided to suspend court sessions due to the weather, Zhang Yue planned to set off for the Liaodong Military Command the next day. He asked for leave to see him off, which would give him a legitimate reason to stay up late. As he closed his eyes, he thought about finally getting a full night’s sleep. But it was still before the hour of Yin in the morning, and his well-established biological clock kicked in, leaving him tossing and turning unable to fall asleep. Before Hupo beside him could say anything, he heard sudden crying.

“Is it the fourth child crying?”

Hupo quickly sat up, threw on a robe, got out of bed, and put on her shoes to go outside. Only at the door did she turn to look at Zhang Yue before smiling and saying, “He’s still young; of course he cries. I’ll go take a look.”

“If he stops crying, bring the child here so I can see him.”

This request was quickly fulfilled. Before long, Zhang Yue held a swaddled infant in his arms. Having experienced raising both sons and daughters, he was well-accustomed to soothing children. After playing with them for a while and seeing the little girl smile, he gently tapped her chubby lips. After playing for a while longer, he felt tired instead. Not long after Hupo took the children away, he closed his eyes again. It was unknown how much time passed before he felt someone pushing him forcefully.

“Father, if we don’t leave now, we’ll miss Second Uncle!”

Zhang Yue reluctantly opened his eyes, then squinted again. Through the thick Korean paper, he realized it was already bright outside, and it was San San standing by the bed. He propped himself up, rubbed his temples hard, and yawned before remembering how his daughter had broken in. With a stern expression, he asked, and then realized he had slept so deeply that no amount of calling could wake him. It was Jing Guan who had volunteered to wake him, but San San got there first.

Now that he was up, someone quickly came to help him get ready. When he stepped outside, Zhang Yue saw nothing but white everywhere in the yard and also saw Jing Guan blinking at him. He glared at his son irritably. Along the way, he learned that Zhang Qi had already come to the house the previous day to bid farewell to his parents, so the elders would not be sending him off today. Zhang Zhuo had gone out on business, Mrs. Sun had gone to the British Park, and she had already sent word to skip the morning greetings. Du Wan had asked Hu Bo to wake him later, allowing him to sleep soundly all night.

After breakfast, Zhang Yue put on clothes suitable for the snow and hurried out. It was already February; logically, winter should be over, but the weather suddenly turned cold. There were rumors of an early spring chill, and children rarely went outside for fear of catching illnesses. Zhang Qi had already said goodbye to relatives and friends these past few days and declined his younger nephew’s offer to see him off, so those sending him off today were his peers. Zhang Yue had originally wanted to take a carriage to avoid the wind, but Zhang Qi insisted on riding a horse. Unable to persuade his elder brother, he had to ride a horse with Zhang Jiu. When the group arrived at Desheng Gate, they saw Tian Ci and a few attendants coming to greet them.

Zhang Yue quickly rode forward to meet them, and Zhang Qi rushed to ask, “Why didn’t you go to school? Didn’t I tell your aunt yesterday that it’s so cold, you don’t need to go send him off!”

Tian Ci smiled and bowed to his cousins before explaining, “Mom said I’m the younger brother. Since Second Brother Qi is going such a long way this time, I can’t even understand basic common sense. I asked the teacher and the school for leave yesterday regarding going to school. Jing Guan knows about it too—did he not tell you?”

That brat is quite good at helping keep things hidden!

In his heart, Zhang Yue cursed his bold little brother. He then glanced at Tian Ci’s outfit. Seeing that he was wearing a thick overcoat over his usual coat, along with padded boots and knee guards, and appeared quite sturdy—even more so than Zhang Jiu beside him—he said nothing. Just as he was thinking this, Zhang Jiu sneezed loudly, then used thin paper to blow his nose repeatedly. Only after finishing did he offer an awkward smile to everyone.

Zhang Chao had brought over a dozen people on this trip. Considering the long distance to Liaodong, they were all strong household servants and soldiers, with not a single woman among them. The mule carts were mostly filled with cold-weather clothing and other essentials, indicating extremely simple preparations. A few miles outside Desheng Gate, Zhang Qi stopped his brothers who wanted to see them off further, saying with a smile, “That’s enough. We’re brothers—going further doesn’t prove our affection any more. I’ve already inquired about the situation in Liaodong. It’s just cold there; nothing else special. By the way, third brother, as the head official of the Ministry of War, do you have any instructions?”

“What instructions? Are you trying to belittle me on purpose? Haven’t you gone to the Ministry of War to handle the clearance and take up your post?” Seeing Zhang Qi get off his horse to stretch his legs, Zhang Yue also dismounted and helped Zhang Jiu get off as well. Then he joined Tian Ci and said, “Liaodong is very peaceful now. There used to be Japanese pirates, but since Japan is divided between north and south, they shouldn’t dare to invade. Still, it’s hard to rule out some people going crazy from desperation. However, once you arrive at the Liaodong military command, you need to keep an eye on the situation in the north. To the north of Liaodong are the Duyan Three Guards and the Jurchens. Though they’re obedient now, it’s not certain they’ll stay that way in the future. Also, you might as well check out Jinzhou Guard. It’s by the sea—maybe sea ships can dock there. If possible, it could strengthen maritime transportation and attract merchants. Once a canal is built, both banks will become prosperous. The same goes for maritime trade if managed well.”

Since Zhang Yue said this, Zhang Qi naturally remembered it firmly. He teased Zhang Yue for always worrying about such major matters, only to exploit his brothers. Being a straightforward man, he stood there for a while more, patted Zhang Jiu and Tian Ci, then mounted his horse and waved goodbye.

Watching the group ride off at full speed, Zhang Yue couldn’t help but let out a sigh, and a faint mist filled the air. By then, Zhang Jiu, who had been frozen stiff, finally came to his senses. He jumped up a few times and stamped his feet before approaching and asking, “Third brother, is Jinzhou Guard really that important?”

“It’s not Jinzhou Guard that’s important; rather, although the journey to Liaodong isn’t far, transporting food and other supplies by land incurs extremely high costs. That’s why there have always been few troops stationed in Liaodong. As for the Nurgan Commandery, though it’s located in the northeast to keep control over nearby tribes, how many troops does it actually have? And most of them are engaged in farming.”

Zhang Jiu could somewhat understand these words, but Tian Ci could only stare in confusion. He had studied the Four Books and Five Classics in school, and Liang Jin had taught him The Records of the Grand Historian and Strategies of the Warring States. His father, Zhang Fu, would occasionally explain military strategies, but he had never heard of such things before. Seeing that Tian Ci was listening attentively, Zhang Yue pulled him over as well.

“That’s why, throughout history, the imperial court has sent people to inspect the Nurgan Commandery by sea from Tianjin. Tianjin was originally an important hub for the grain transport rivers. If sea routes were opened from the southeast to the northeast, this maritime route would be established. Sea ships can not only transport grain but also various goods. In that case, regions in Liaodong would rely on sea shipments for supplies, including the Jurchens and Wulangha. I’m thinking that those who are accustomed to comfort and luxury will gradually neglect their combat skills. Of course, we must also be prepared for the Jurchens to build ships and go to sea, so the Divine Might ships still need to be built as a backup. These are matters for the future…”

As soon as they came out, Zhang Yue had already had Zhang Jiu prepare a carriage. He didn’t want to continue talking in the cold wind, so the three brothers got back into the carriage. The carriage was old, with a rosewood body whose patina gave off a calm glow. Covered with three layers of felt, cotton cloth, and oilcloth, plus a layer of tung oil, and with thick curtains drawn, it kept the cold wind out. After warming his frozen hands with a hand warmer, Zhang Yue looked up at Zhang Jiu and Tian Ci again.

“We live in a peaceful era, which is also a major turning point. If we can handle major matters steadily, then avoiding famine for decades won’t be a luxury. You are in your prime, and the other one is also not young anymore. Pay close attention and prepare more in your daily lives. Especially Tian Ci, you’ve been praised by the emperor for your martial skills at such a young age—your abilities are sufficient. I know you get along well with your nephew. The more experience you both gain, the more opportunities you’ll have to accomplish great things in the future.”

Tian Ci only knew from his parents that whatever Zhang Yue said was always right, so he nodded vigorously. Amid the sound of the carriage wheels, they returned to the city. Just as Zhang Yue was about to jump out of the carriage, he suddenly called out.

“Brother Yue San, there’s something I’m not sure if I should mention… Brother Zhang San, I accidentally saw Master Fang Shan talking to someone yesterday, and only later did I find out it was Master Fang Shan’s elder brother, who said he would be leaving in two days.”