Chapter 910: Social Etiquette and Family Affections

Leaving the martial arts training ground, Zhang Yue headed west along Lumi Cang Hutong. Upon reaching the entrance of the hutong, he saw a group of people rushing toward him. As their paths crossed, he immediately shouted, and they responded with their own cries. After controlling their attendants, the leaders on both sides slowly rode forward and met each other. Seeing Lu Feng’s tall horse with its hat tilted sideways, Zhang Yue laughed and said, “Lord Lu, why such haste?”

“Haste? Someone reported that trouble might arise at the martial arts training ground. How could I not be anxious? If something happens, won’t you hold me accountable?” Seeing Zhang Yue’s relaxed expression, Lu Feng realized there must be no problem. He glared sharply at his attendants before turning back and asking, “Is it really all settled now?”

“It was just a minor issue. There’s no need for you, the head of the Eastern Depot, to get involved. The messenger exaggerated things.” Zhang Yue couldn’t figure out Lu Feng’s motives and chose to joke, “It was just a few martial students who violated the rules and complained. They’ve already been punished; nothing serious has happened.”

“Good that it’s settled. But…” Lu Feng paused before gently pulling on the reins, making his horse move forward two steps until it was almost side by side with Zhang Yue’s. He lowered his voice further and said, “We’re not outsiders, so I won’t beat around the bush. There are over four hundred martial students here, along with relatives and acquaintances. If anything goes wrong, it could cause a major disturbance in the capital. That’s why the Jinyiwei has already placed spies there. I specifically instructed the Eastern Depot to keep an eye on this. Since your Ministry of War has its own intelligence department, I assume they can handle such matters without sending anyone over. By the way, do you know who was appointed as the commander of the Jinyiwei just today?”

The commander of the Jinyiwei? That position had remained vacant since Wang Jie was demoted last year.

Zhang Yue knew Lu Feng wouldn’t mention this matter mysteriously to tease him, so he didn’t ask further and simply sat calmly on his horse. Sure enough, Lu Feng couldn’t hold back any longer and whispered, “It’s Fang Ling. Previously, I thought Wang Yu had the upper hand. After all, he had previously reported the Meng family’s treason case, earning great merit. He was always steady and well-regarded outside, with more experience than Fang Ling, who rose to power suddenly. But unexpectedly, Wang Yu was transferred to Tianjin to oversee maritime affairs, pairing up with Pingjiang Bo, who oversees grain transport—complementary roles indeed.”

“So it’s him. It seems everyone has their own opportunities. Truly true.”

Zhang Yue was filled with suspicion and doubt at the idea that this commander of the Jinyiwei had actually been assigned to Fangling. He had long been convinced that Fangling was loyal to Empress Dowager Zhang, and the emperor likely still harbored grudges from past incidents, which inevitably created some tension. Who would have thought he could be promoted again despite these obstacles? Yet upon further reflection, the Fang family didn’t possess hereditary titles, and their influence in the military was far less than before. Still, they still carried the status of descendants of meritorious officials, and Fangling had a decent reputation. As for Wang Yu, initiating a complaint wasn’t exactly a good reputation. Wang Yu had done his best to protect his uncle’s children, but some scholars still accused him of being ungrateful.

A good reputation truly was an invincible tool on the path to promotion.

Zhang Yue’s indifferent attitude naturally made Lu Feng feel as though he had thrown a punch into empty air. He had originally sought the position of junior supervisor in the Imperial Secretariat precisely because of the eunuch role. But after the new emperor ascended the throne, two more people suddenly filled those vacant positions and firmly held onto them, clearly not intending to leave. Learning that the empress dowager had been seriously ill even before the emperor returned, and that the imperial edicts were actually drafted by Zhu Ning along with Fan Hong and Jin Ying, while Zhong Huai controlled the Imperial Horse Supervision Bureau, left him, who was in charge of the Eastern Depot, completely in the dark—which made him even angrier. With the reform of the twenty-four government bureaus this time, Fan Hong and Wang Jin came up with some scheme involving eunuchs in charge of seals and supervision. It left him dazzled, and his greatest fear was that even power over the Eastern Depot might be divided.

“At this point, do you still consider him your old friend? This guy is extremely ruthless. Ever since he joined the Jinyiwei, he resolved to cut ties with all his old friends, leaving him almost completely alone. If anything goes wrong, don’t expect him to share any information with you.”

Seeing Lu Feng’s serious expression, Zhang Yue couldn’t help but smile, thinking that this guy had always been fickle. It seemed he hadn’t improved much over the years. Likely, Lu Feng wasn’t really worried that Fangling wasn’t a good fit for the position of Jinyiwei commander, but rather afraid of losing his own power. Since he had been warned, Zhang Yue merely gave a vague response.

Since Zhang Yue had already stepped away from martial arts and said everything was fine, Lu Feng was glad to avoid making another trip and led his men straight to Dongchang Hutong. With him gone, Zhang Yue couldn’t help but ponder deeply. Since Chen Ying had retired from office and the Inner Study Hall had been shut down, and given Zhu Zhanji’s determined attitude, it seemed unlikely that the power to approve documents would be handed over to the Imperial Secretariat. Recently, he even seemed to have little time even for playing with crickets. Still, the reforms of the twenty-four imperial offices couldn’t be left unchecked—after all, just because Fan Hongjin and Ying knew their limits didn’t mean everyone did.

Additionally, since the princes had submitted petitions, how exactly would the matter concerning the Prince of Jin be resolved? There was also the issue of Zhang Jie and his son, who needed to be dealt with to prevent them from constantly acting on their own whims. Of course, there was also the matter of the Prince of Yue…

Back at the Ministry of War, filled with thoughts, Zhang Yue encountered Xu Kuo as soon as he stepped through the main gate. Upon seeing him, Xu Kuo handed him a piece of paper without saying a word and smiled, “It’s almost the fifteenth again. This is the list for this round of debates at the Hongwen Pavilion… no, the imperial lectures. I’m too lazy to deal with those people again. If you have anything good, just recommend me directly. Oh, and I forgot one thing—Lord Fan from the Imperial Secretariat sent someone here before, bringing a message that these three issues will be resolved together during this round of lectures. After all, after all this arguing, it’s time for a conclusion.”

The debates were just a formality; ultimately, the matter needed to be resolved. So Zhang Yue wasn’t surprised by Xu Kuo’s words. But since Xu Kuo insisted on giving him his spot, his desire to avoid trouble was obvious. Caught off guard, Zhang Yue couldn’t help but call out to the old man as he walked away.

“Won’t Old Xu take care of his own relatives or fellow townspeople?”

“Rather than trying to please one while offending another, I might as well not help anyone. I’ve already spread the word that you convinced me with much persuasion to give you that spot, and that’s why I agreed.”

Hearing this, Zhang Yue was instantly angered, but soon laughed. Ru Xu Kuo’s straightforward temperament really couldn’t withstand pleas from nephews, younger generations, or old acquaintances from his hometown, so he simply used his own excuse to shirk all the trouble. As for himself, after much thought, since Zhang Jiu had already seen enough and Gu Bin had performed well, he really had little left to assign among the rest. It would have been fine if Wan Shi Jie were here, but that guy should still be adrift at sea!

So, upon returning to his room, he immediately bent over the desk and wrote a few words, ordering someone to deliver them to the Central Military Command. Only then did he stretch out leisurely. Zhang Fu was now appointed to oversee the imperial lectures by order, but he only held a nominal position without actual responsibilities, so he probably didn’t need to play the role of the kind person. However, Duke Cheng of the Zhu family, Zhu Yong, was renowned for respecting scholars and officials. Many Hanlin scholars and officials from the Imperial Academy frequented Shijing Garden, so it would be better to let Zhu Yong take on that role. After all, as long as he was in the Ministry of War, he needed the support of the Central Military Command.

Even though it was daytime, the imperial prison still had lights on. Unlike the Jinyiwei’s prison, this place wasn’t used for locking people up frequently, but once someone was imprisoned here, it was even harder to release them than in the Jinyiwei’s prison. Back during the Hongwu era, the Imperial Prison, once the top of the twenty-four government agencies, had served this purpose, but at that time, it was the Jinyiwei that was famous for handling cases like Hu Weiyong and Lan Yu, while the Imperial Prison, which had interrogated many important figures, remained less well-known.

Now, Zhu Jiyong, the Prince of Jin, who had been brought from Taiyuan, was being held here. Although he had only been imprisoned for a few days, he looked even more haggard than when he was on the road, and he would scream at the slightest disturbance. As a descendant of the imperial family, even though he was a convicted criminal, he wasn’t shackled, and his cell was kept clean, equipped with all necessary items, even including a heated bed. But all these were made of the strongest wood and copper. After he went wild and smashed them once, he became completely quiet.

At that moment, hearing the sound of footsteps, he, who was sitting cross-legged, suddenly became alert, then frowned. Although he couldn’t see the light in the prison, people would usually ring a gong to announce the time, so he could roughly tell day from night. It certainly wasn’t meal time—who could it be? Ever since he was imprisoned, aside from those who brought his three meals a day and cleaned the dishes and toilet, no one had come to see him. He was almost dying from boredom.

After a long stretch of footsteps that seemed endless, he finally saw the figure appear in front of the fence. But upon recognizing that person, he was stunned instantly, his shoulders beginning to tremble uncontrollably. Without hesitation, he pushed aside the low table in front of him, rushed forward in three big steps, and then knelt down abruptly about four or five steps away from the fence, pressing his forehead tightly to the ground and not daring to move.

“I’ve always wanted to see my uncle… I was just curious—since my uncle and the Han princes have been exchanging messages for over a decade, it took them until the end of last year to take action. His determination is truly remarkable.”

These words, which sounded like praise, sounded like a death sentence in Zhu Jiyong’s ears. He swallowed hard before bowing three times and saying in a low voice, “This guilty servant deserves death, but I was merely confused and deceived, leading to this grave mistake. My life and death are at the emperor’s discretion.”

Failure meant that even begging for mercy was useless; it was better to accept punishment without resistance, as the emperor would likely show leniency considering public opinion and the reactions of the princes. This was the lesson learned from previous fallen princes. Thus, as he bowed, Zhu Jiyong was already planning how to spend the rest of his life if he were imprisoned. To his surprise, after he finished speaking, there was no response for a long time. It wasn’t until his neck became stiff that he heard a voice.

“Your uncle just said he was deceived. I wonder by whom?”

This was a tactic Zhu Jiyong had prepared in advance. Hearing that Zhu Zhanji had indeed fallen for it, he became greatly encouraged. He quickly recounted various secrets about his nephew Zhu Meigui and his brother Zhu Jiyi, then talked about how the Prince of Liang in the capital had sent him messages, plotted with him, and incited him to take action… He spoke for a full fifteen minutes. His mouth was dry, and his knees felt as if pierced by needles. Yet he was still happy, as he had finally shifted the greatest blame onto someone else.

“It turns out my ninth brother is so vile and guilty…” Zhu Zhanji, standing with his hands behind his back outside the fence, finally turned pale with anger. With a cold sneer, he said, “I did ask my ninth brother, and he knows nothing about you. He also never said you were involved in anything from last year. Do you think just because my ninth brother is locked up in the Western Garden, you can dump all your dirt on him? You’re no better than a pig or dog for killing your own mother, framing your brothers, bullying your nephews, and even ordering your servants to attack the family of the Grand Secretary. Do you think everyone is like you? Let me tell you—my eyes are sharp. Don’t even try to deceive me!”
Zhu Jihong was stunned by these rapid words. He could no longer maintain his respectful posture and struggled to get up, supporting himself with both hands. Stammering, he asked, “I dare not deny the crimes the Emperor has mentioned, but everything I said about Prince Liang is true…”
“True? If it’s true, then why were only those letters related to his interactions with commoners found in your study, with not a single letter from Prince Liang?” Seeing Zhu Jihong’s face contorted in agony, Zhu Zhanji had no desire to speak further to this detestable man. He turned and left, leaving one last remark before going: “Although the princes of Qi, Gu, and Han were deposed for crimes like rebellion, truly, none of them were as insane as you! Don’t think I can’t kill you!”
Kill him? The emperor wanted to kill him? How could that be possible!
Zhu Jihong was stunned for a long time before suddenly lunging forward and grabbing the wooden fence. Yet no matter how hard he looked, the figure had already disappeared at the end of the passage, leaving not even a trace. At the thought of killing, he shuddered violently and collapsed to the ground.
After leaving the prison of the Imperial Eunuch Bureau, Zhu Zhanji first looked up at the sky before saying to Fan Hong and Jin Ying beside him, “Handle matters related to Prince Yue as soon as possible. I’ve already discussed it with the Empress. Once the prince’s mansion is built, Prince Yue will be sent there.”