Chapter 914: Coming with Pride, Leaving in Panic
There is a saying that officials of the fifth rank stand at the door of prime ministers—referring to the powerful servants of noble families. Since the Duke of Ying, Zhang Fu, and his brothers Zhang Fei and Zhang Jie took in self-cleansing slaves to guard their estates and work the fields, how could other families be without such misdeeds? And as the instigator who exposed these matters, the King of Yue, how could he possibly be spotless and innocent?
When the first incident was uncovered, the emperor ordered a thorough investigation and praised the three censors who submitted their reports. Immediately, other censors who had previously hesitated became motivated. With enough effort, what couldn’t be uncovered? The princes and nobles sat in their mansions while others rushed back and forth for them. Soon, various acts by these powerful servants were exposed—seizing land, monopolizing businesses, and even attempting rape that led to death.
As more cases of noble servants and even relatives of high-ranking officials bullying commoners came to light, those young censors once full of zeal gradually fell silent. In the bureaucratic world, connections are intricate; someone seemingly unrelated might end up connected to oneself after many twists, while someone who seems utterly corrupt could turn out to be a relative or disciple. Thus, the once-turbulent Censorate gradually calmed down.
Though the Censorate had settled, the aftermath of this impeachment storm continued. The self-cleansing slaves taken in by Duke Zhang Fu and his brothers were investigated. Zhang Fu took responsibility, bearing the blame for his brothers as well. In the end, he was merely reprimanded lightly. No one paid attention to the exaggerated claims by certain censors about his ulterior motives in taking in eunuch slaves. The self-cleansing slaves, whose dreams of entering the palace were shattered, were forced to serve in the border regions. Just a few days later, an imperial decree was issued: Zhang Jie was assigned as an assistant commander in Yunnan, while Zhang Fei was demoted to an assistant commander in Shaanxi.
Although this wasn’t considered a demotion, both were direct descendants of Prince Zhang Yu of Hejian and brothers of Duke Zhang Fu. One was sent far away to Yunnan, and the other was demoted to Shaanxi—clearly a severe punishment. After all, it was merely a mistake by their subordinates in “taking in” self-cleansing slaves, not a serious offense. It was much less severe compared to the deaths caused by the powerful servants of the King of Yue’s estate.
Upon hearing this, not only the court was shaken—Zhang Fu and Zhang Jue were naturally furious. The two brothers, who didn’t see each other often, exchanged glances and reached the same conclusion. Zhang Fu had always had only a superficial understanding of court affairs, so it was Zhang Jue who analyzed and explained things. In his view, if it weren’t for his own nephew Zhang Yue taking control of the Ministry of War, Zhang Fu wouldn’t have lost his position as commander of the Central Army and thus his military power. Even so, the emperor kept pressing down on him, clearly to prevent the Zhang family from growing too powerful. So, the brothers drank three cups to boost their courage, sent people to gather information, and as soon as they learned that Zhang Yue had left the office that evening and gone to British Park in Tie Shi Zi Hutong, they immediately took a few servants and rushed there at full speed.
It was early summer, and the sun set late—already at the first hour of You—yet a bright red sun could still be seen in the west. The group arrived at the entrance of British Park under the glow of the setting sun. They saw two gatekeepers approaching, but Zhang Jue, leading the way on horseback, ignored them, drove them away with his whip, and then he and Zhang Fu rushed in through the west gate. Since they could act so recklessly, their attendants and guards didn’t dare be as bold and hurriedly dismounted. Some went to help the gatekeepers who had fallen to the ground, while others rushed to inform others, but it was too late—Zhang Fu and Zhang Jue had already disappeared into the park on their horses.
Though they came in a fit of anger, Zhang Fu and Zhang Jue were still afraid of Zhang Fu’s cold demeanor. So they rode around to a side gate, dismounted, and ignored the daughter-in-law who came forward to bow. They stormed inside angrily. After walking a short distance, Zhang Fu heard calls behind him. Turning around, he saw Rong Shan. He immediately pulled Zhang Jue back, and the two brothers waited there with hostile expressions.
“Second master, third master…” Rong Shan was already quite old. He rushed over after receiving the message, clearly exhausted, but still greeted them properly before panting and saying, “The master is discussing matters with Young Master Yue in the study. If the second and third masters need anything, I’ll immediately send someone to inform them.”
“In the study? Perfect, I was just worried I couldn’t find them!” Zhang Jue chuckled and ignored Rong Shan again, pulling Zhang Fu in the direction of the study.
Seeing this scene, Rongshan was shocked. With just a moment’s thought, he guessed that the two of them must have come to demand an explanation. But it was already too late to step forward and stop them, and besides, those two had always relied on strength to bully others since childhood; even the slightest mistake from a servant would result in beatings and scolding. He certainly couldn’t try to fight a rock with an egg. After thinking for a while, he grabbed a young servant behind him and ordered him in a stern voice to take a shortcut to deliver news first, then he hurried off in the other direction.
The top priority was to bring the lady over first—after all, as the elder sister-in-law, she might be able to keep things under control.
In the study, Zhang Yue was discussing military affairs with Zhang Fu when they heard a commotion outside. Surprised, Zhang Yue went to open the door and saw a young servant rushing in in a panic, gasping for breath as he said, “Master, Young Master Yue, something terrible has happened—Second Master and Third Master…”
Before he could finish speaking, Zhang Yue saw two figures enter angrily—Zhang Fu and Zhang Jue. Zhang Fu immediately kicked the young servant without saying a word. Fortunately, the servant was quick-witted and pulled himself back two steps, avoiding the kick. Seeing this, Zhang Fu, who had already stood up, became furious and scolded loudly, “What do you think you’re doing?”
“What do I think I’m doing?” Zhang Jue pulled back the still-angry Zhang Fu and sneered, “Elder brother, you can sit back in your garden, tending to flowers and raising your children, while the two of us have to go to a miasmic place like Yunnan or eat sand in Shaanxi just to make way for this kid?”
“What nonsense are you talking?”
Normally, Zhang Jue would calm down when Zhang Fu got angry, but today he wanted to make a big deal out of it and refused to back down. He stepped forward again and pointed at Zhang Yue’s nose, saying, “Nonsense? What kind of family is the Zhang family? Our father is the King of Hejian, and three generations of our ancestors have been granted ducal titles. Are we supposed to be sent to such distant places just because we took in a few self-cleaning slaves? Elder brother, you’re a duke because of your merits, but when have you ever protected us younger brothers? You’ve only focused on nurturing Zhang Yue—what has he done for you? To make way for him, you even gave up your position as commander of the central army and relinquished military power. Yet still, people keep looking for faults with you and us!”
Even though Zhang Fu had always been straightforward in front of his soldiers—stating facts clearly and enforcing military discipline, remaining calm even in the face of bloodshed—he was now so enraged that his face turned blue. Seeing Zhang Yue about to speak, he stopped him with a glance and waved to send the servant away. Only after the door closed did he coldly gaze at his two brothers, who were blood relatives.
“Are you done speaking?”
Seeing Zhang Jue fall silent in anger, he turned to Zhang Fu. The latter lacked Zhang Jue’s boldness; under that icy gaze, he swallowed back what he was about to say. Then, Zhang Fu calmly said, “Since you’ve brought things to this point, today I’ll teach you what it means to make way and what it means to have a retreat!”
“You say I resigned from the position of commander-in-chief for Zhang Yue. Yes, that’s one reason. But don’t forget—I’ve been in the army for years, leading large forces on southern campaigns and commanding troops under Emperor Taizong on northern expeditions. Countless officers were promoted under my guidance, at least eighty, most of them now holding high ranks of third or fourth rank! Add to that my father’s prestige in the army—it’s not an exaggeration to say that a third of those hereditary officers in fifth or sixth rank come from our family! Holding military power for so long brings unpredictable risks. How is it that you two, in your forties, still don’t understand this?”
Seeing Zhang Fu still confused, Zhang Jue’s expression changed abruptly. He sneered, “Also, it’s important to know one’s own worth. With your moral character and that of your brothers Bin and Jin, even if you spoke a hundred times in court, would it be as effective as one word from Brother Yue? I nurtured him because he was worth it. Have I ever failed to hire teachers for your children? Have I not sent family soldiers to teach them martial arts? Have I not arranged paths for them in the army? But what have they done? One indulged in debauchery while I was ill, nearly getting beaten to death by Emperor Taizong. The other spends his days idling away, only good at fighting chickens and walking dogs with the sons of nobles! If the Zhang family relied on people like them, its reputation would have been ruined long ago!”
“And also, you just said that for such trivial matters, you’d be sent to different corners of the country. Well, then I’ll tell you about those trivial matters that have been uncovered! Second brother, where did your fifth concubine come from? The wife of a hereditary hundred-household official—how could you use such despicable methods to bring her into your home? Do you think the Jinyiwei and censors are blind? Also, what’s the story with the fifty acres of land under Brother Bin’s name? Where did you get the money to buy three properties in Tongzhou? You interceded for someone in Shuntian Prefecture, forcing the prefect to comply—did this really happen…?”
Zhang Fu listed over a dozen matters in one go. At first, Zhang Fei could hold his ground, but by the later ones, he could no longer bear it and could only look for help at Zhang Jue, who had come with him. Hearing those words, Zhang Jue’s heart also pounded. Sure enough, after scolding Zhang Fei, Zhang Fu turned to him with an even more severe tone.
“And you! Second brother is merely greedy and utterly foolish, but you—your ambitions are sky-high, yet you resort to despicable methods! That time you went to the Han fiefdoms to deliver an imperial edict, you were tricked by the Han prince and ended up involved with the princess’s cousin—was that not the case? Later, thinking you’d gotten away with it, you became involved in some ambiguous relationship with Li Maofang—was that not the case too? And now, you even fell for the Prince of Yue’s scheme against Brother Yue—how could you do such a thing? Do you think they have good intentions?”
Compared to the matters used to scold Zhang Fei, these involved serious crimes. Thus, Zhang Jue felt utterly chilled, and even Zhang Fei unconsciously stepped back two steps, trying to distance himself from his brother. Seeing the tense situation, Zhang Yue, who had remained silent until then, couldn’t help but cough lightly.
“Second uncle Fei, third uncle Jue, let me tell you the truth. Although your appointments were recommended by the Ministry of War and I abstained from voting, according to Deputy Minister Xu’s original intention, you weren’t meant to go to Yunnan or Shaanxi. The originally chosen places were Nanjing Directly Governed Province and Henan—one near Nanjing, the other not far from your hometown. But after the proposal was submitted, the emperor personally changed it.”
Sure enough, upon hearing this, Zhang Fei, who had been frowning at him just moments ago, was stunned. Zhang Jue, meanwhile, thought of a terrifying possibility and nearly lost his balance, collapsing into his chair. Seeing this, Zhang Yue sighed and said, “If you don’t believe me, you can go to the eunuchs to inquire. But I do have the emperor’s personal note I received earlier, which I can show you.”
Zhang Yue turned and took a folded document from Zhang Fu’s desk, then handed it to Zhang Fei and Zhang Jie. His calm demeanor made the brothers hesitate, but in the end, Zhang Fei couldn’t hold back and took it to glance at it. Sure enough, he saw the bright red annotations, written in the most familiar handwriting. When he read that they were described as “descendants of military families who fail to live up to their reputation, and if not disciplined, will one day bring shame to their family,” the two exchanged a look, clearly seeing the fear in each other’s eyes.
The current emperor… was not as lenient as ordinary people imagined! Otherwise, the rebellion in the Han fiefdoms wouldn’t have led to so many people being executed, demoted, or exiled, nor would there be rumors of executions related to the Prince of Jin!
Zhang Fei and Zhang Jie, who had arrived with great confidence, left the study in less than half an hour, looking embarrassed. Zhang Fu played the stern role, while Zhang Yue, as the younger one, acted as the conciliator, offering them some benefits, which helped ease their resentment as they left, replaced by deep shock. This surprised Lady Wang, who had come upon hearing the news. After checking that everything was indeed fine, she left in relief and sent a message to Rong Shan in the front yard, telling him not to worry.
With those troublesome people finally gone, Zhang Yue breathed a sigh of relief, while Zhang Fu rubbed his temples tiredly and sat back down, sighing, “You thought of more things than I did. I had only thought of guiding them down the right path, but I didn’t realize people are either greedy for fame or profit. Without legitimate means, they inevitably take wrong paths. Since you can give them more money, they can set aside their grudges… at least for now. Enough about this. Anyway, their issue is resolved, and you can put one worry aside. After all, dealing with those two elders isn’t easy.”
Zhang Yue looked at Zhang Fu, who was smiling, feeling a bit embarrassed, before nodding gently. “Anyway, thanks to you this time. Otherwise, if they really came to our house, I wouldn’t have been able to handle them.”