Chapter 639
Prince Fu Zhangjing
The tenth day of the twelfth lunar month in the thirty-second year of the Jianing era.
It is auspicious for hanging plaques, setting up beds, cleaning, breaking ground, burial, consecration, raising beams, opening businesses, logging, and praying for children.
Avoid buying a house, traveling, or performing ancestral rites.
Inside the Zhuocao Hall, Madam Zhang slowly ate her porridge from a blue-and-white porcelain bowl, listening to Nuanchun flipping through the almanac. When she heard the words "praying for a child," she seemed to think of something and let out a cold laugh.
Nuanchun was taken aback: "What's wrong, Madam?"
Madam Zhang slowly put down her porcelain bowl: "It's nothing. It's just that the two children are acting like children playing house, making such a fuss that they don't even know how to end it. I'll see how long they plan to sleep in separate beds."
Nuanchun smiled and said, "This shows that the young master truly cares about the young lady."
Madam Zhang wiped her mouth with a handkerchief: "Don't try to smooth things over for them. Let's tidy up and prepare to welcome our guests. Prepare tea and snacks, and also prepare return gifts. Let's not give the impression that the Zhang family is taking advantage of us by extorting money and demanding favors."
Nuanchun fetched a black cloak and draped it over her shoulders, then added two pieces of bright red charcoal to the bronze hand warmer before lifting the curtain.
Madam Zhang strolled leisurely toward the gate of the mansion. When she arrived at the gate, she asked the gatekeeper, "How many people are waiting outside?"
The gatekeeper looked troubled.
Madam Zhang frowned: "What is it? Speak!"
The servant hurriedly replied, "Reporting to Madam, only two Vice Ministers of the Ministry of Personnel have been waiting outside since dawn..."
Mrs. Zhang stood there, stunned.
It wasn't surprising that only two vice ministers from the Ministry of Personnel came, since the senior officials and clerks had to go to their respective superiors' homes to deliver their visiting cards first.
But now that Zhang Zhuo is a cabinet minister and in charge of the capital inspection, why would only people from the Ministry of Personnel come to pay their respects for the New Year?
Nuanchun chimed in quietly, trying to salvage the situation: "They might not come until tomorrow, after all, there are still several days to go."
Madam Zhang stood calmly at the door and said, "It must be that what happened at the Xu residence yesterday has already spread far and wide. Those shrewd people in the capital know that the Zhang family has severed ties with the Xu family, so they want to pay their respects to other cabinet ministers first. The Zhang family can put it aside for now; it's not too late to wait a day."
When officials in the capital pay New Year's visits, they will never leave out the Zhang family. However, even in the capital, there are rules about who to visit first on the tenth day of the twelfth lunar month. Whether it is a day earlier or a day later makes a world of difference.
With Grand Secretary Xu leaving, the position of Grand Secretary will be vacant. Naturally, the first priority will be to pay a visit to the one with the best chance of becoming Grand Secretary. Presumably, the Hu and Chen families are already bustling with visitors.
Nuanchun looked at Madam Zhang: "Madam, what should we do?"
Madam Zhang smiled and said, "How could those short-sighted people know your abilities, sir? Being an official is like farming; you sow in spring and reap in autumn. You can't rush it. Some people only see this year's harvest and are eager to climb the social ladder, but they forget that the land must be cultivated every year. If this year's harvest is bad, next year may not be bad. If this year's harvest is good, next year may not be good either. Open the door."
The servant opened the gate, and two vice ministers of the Ministry of Personnel stood at the bottom of the steps, each followed by four servants carrying New Year's gifts.
They were dressed in brand-new official robes, with morning frost still clinging to the wings of their hats.
Seeing the door open, the two men straightened their clothes and ascended the steps: "Madam, we wish you a Happy New Year in advance. We've arrived a bit early, we hope we haven't disturbed your rest?"
Madam Zhang nodded slightly: "Lord Zhou, you are too kind. My husband was at the yamen reviewing documents last night and did not return, so you two made a wasted trip."
Zhou Xingwen quickly replied, "It's no waste of time, paying New Year's respects to Madam is the same thing."
He stepped aside to let the servant behind him pass, and pointed to the two gift boxes tied with red silk: "A small gift, nothing more. One box contains Lu'an Melon Seed tea, which Your Excellency enjoys drinking. The other box contains kesi fabric from the Suzhou Weaving Bureau, to make a few spring dresses for Madam."
Madam Zhang glanced at the two gift boxes, her smile unchanged: "Lord Fang is too kind. Nuanchun, please accept them."
Following behind Zhou Xingwen was Fang Yanqiu, the Right Vice Minister, who was in his early fifties and looked rather honest.
He stepped forward, cupped his hands, and said, "Madam, I would also like to wish you and your wife a Happy New Year in advance."
His gift consisted of a jar of Shaoxing wine and a pair of blue and white porcelain vases, which was quite conventional.
Madam Zhang thanked her and instructed Nuanchun to fetch the return gift.
She had prepared the return gifts yesterday: two boxes of Zhengxinzhai pastries for each family, tied with red string, looking festive.
Madam Zhang said with a smile, "It's cold outside, Lord Zhou, Lord Fang, why don't you come in and have a cup of hot tea before you leave?"
Fang Yanqiu and Zhou Xingwen exchanged a glance and then bowed, saying, "We won't disturb you any longer, Madam. We have official business to attend to today. We'll come back another day."
Madam Zhang did not try to persuade them to stay, but nodded slightly: "Then we won't keep you any longer. It's warm spring, so let's see you two off."
Nuanchun responded and led the two vice ministers down the steps.
Madam Zhang stood inside the threshold, her bronze hand warmer tucked into her sleeve, the collar of her cloak fluttering slightly in the wind.
When Nuanchun returned to her side, she sighed softly, "They're in a hurry to visit the next family, and they're both good at socializing."
Nuanchun said softly, "Madam, please go back to your room and rest."
Madam Zhang nodded and was about to turn back when she saw more than ten people coming together at the end of Xuanwumen Street.
She stopped and looked closely. These people weren't followed by servants; they were all carrying their own New Year's gifts. Some carried a jar of wine, some carried a pig's hind leg, and others carried a string of sausages and oranges... When the group arrived at the Zhang residence, Madam Zhang looked at them clearly and asked in surprise, "Your Excellency, Your Excellency, Your Excellency?"
The arrival was none other than the imperial physicians from the Imperial Medical Academy.
The magistrate walked at the front, panting, wearing a worn gray squirrel fur coat and carrying a pig's hind leg tied with straw rope.
He stopped at the bottom of the steps, looked up and saw Madam Zhang, and quickly cupped his hands in greeting: "We are a little late. We originally agreed to meet at the Imperial Hospital to come and pay our respects, but Zhou Fangping had diarrhea, which delayed us."
Looking at the pig's hind leg in the steward's hand, Madam Zhang asked in confusion, "Why are you all here to wish my husband a Happy New Year?"
The academy envoy was taken aback: "Madam, you have misunderstood. We are here to pay our respects to Lord Chen Ji."
Madam Zhang remained silent for a while, then Nuanchun hesitated before asking, "You... are you giving my son-in-law a group New Year's greeting?"
The Imperial Physician said sincerely, "It is like this. A while ago, Lord Chen served as the head of our Imperial Medical Academy for a few days and helped us solve several major problems. First, he confiscated the home of that fake medicine dealer, then he confiscated the home of Ye Yan, the secretary of the Ministry of Rites, and later he also confiscated the homes of Wang Zhan, the supervisor of the Palace Guard, and Wang Kui, the principal of the Palace Guard."
As Madam Zhang listened to the Imperial Physician recount several instances of confiscation of property, her eyelids twitched: "The Imperial Physician is a highly respected and virtuous old physician, how can he be so pleased with the actions of such eunuchs?"
Zhou Fangping muttered under his breath, "We're part of the eunuch faction now too..."
The academy director glared at him, then tried to salvage the situation by saying, "In previous years, we would hold a group worship ceremony for Physician Yao. Now, we are holding a group worship ceremony for his apprentice. This is a way of showing our respect to Physician Yao. Please accept these gifts from over the years, Madam."
Madam Zhang looked at the pig's hind leg in his hand: "Nuanchun, call someone to fetch the things... Would you like to come inside and have some hot tea?"
The academy director rubbed his hands, which were red from the cold, and asked, "Is this convenient?"
Madam Zhang was only being polite at first, but now she was in a difficult situation. After thinking for a moment, she instructed Nuanchun: "Take the elders to the main hall, and then quickly go and call Chen Ji out to entertain the guests."
Nuanchun smiled and agreed, saying to the academy envoy and the others, "Please come in, sir."
Once the area in front of the door quieted down, Madam Zhang held the bronze hand warmer and slowly breathed a sigh of relief. Just as she was about to turn back, she heard the sound of horses' hooves echoing on Xuanwumen Street.
She turned her head and saw Jiao Tu and Yun Yang leading more than twenty spies on horseback.
The group of more than twenty people looked travel-worn, their clothes and hats covered in frost, as if they had just returned from outside the city.
These men all had freshly hunted hares and pheasants hanging beside their saddles, and one of the spies had a live deer on his horse.
Jiao Tu dismounted at the door, brushed the frost off her body, walked down the steps with a smile, curtsied to Madam Zhang, and said sweetly, "Greetings to Madam."
Mrs. Zhang gave a lukewarm "hmm".
Jiao Tu didn't mind, and still smiled as she directed the spies to pile the prey in front of the door: "We won't go in and bother anyone. Madam, please tell Lord Chen that we've been here. The pheasant and rabbit can be roasted and eaten, and the wild deer is for Lord Chen to drink to replenish his strength."
Before Madam Zhang could answer, Jiao Tu led more than twenty riders at breakneck speed to the end of the street.
Madam Zhang stood on the steps, looking at the pile of wild game at her feet, and remained silent.
Pheasants, rabbits, and live deer were piled up so much that there was almost no room for people to stand on the steps in front of the door.
Nuanchun peeked out from the doorway, saw the pile of things, and gasped: "Madam, this..."
Madam Zhang took a deep breath: "Carry them inside. Send the pheasants and rabbits to the kitchen, and tie the deer to the backyard first."
Nuanchun responded and beckoned the gatekeeper to come out and move the things. But before the servants could carry the wild goods inside, another group of people rode up on horseback.
Madam Zhang turned her head and saw several horses slowly emerging from the thin mist in the morning light. The person in the lead was dressed in a black imperial robe, wearing a winged crown and a jade belt, and riding a jet-black steed.
The man rode his horse at a leisurely pace toward the Zhang residence.
Four attendants followed behind him, all remaining silent.
It turned out to be the Prince of Fu, who had been stationed in a remote area until now.
Madam Zhang performed a curtsy: "Your Highness, Prince Fu."
Prince Fu hurriedly returned the greeting with a cupped hand: "Madam, there's no need to be so polite... Chen Ji is at home. I just returned to the capital this morning and heard about his marriage to Miss Zhang. I didn't expect to miss such a grand event. If I had known, I should have changed horses at the post station on the way back."
After saying that, he turned around and instructed those behind him, "Zhou Kuang, bring me the horn bow that I obtained from Jinling and give it to Miss Zhang as a congratulatory gift."
Zhou Kuang agreed and took a horn bow from beside the saddle. The bow was entirely black and reflective, and when it struck the stirrup, it produced a metallic clang.
Madam Zhang did not accept the bow, but instead advised, "His Highness Prince Fu should first go to the palace to meet the Emperor upon returning to the capital. It would be suspicious if he came to the home of a cabinet minister as soon as he returned to the capital, as it might be seen as forming a faction."
Prince Fu dismounted, handed the reins to Zhou Kuang, and walked straight into the Zhang residence: "Madam, there's no need to worry. I'll leave after seeing Chen Ji once. As for forming a faction, I led his horse long ago, and that's when the faction was formed."
Madam Zhang didn't dare stop Prince Fu, and could only watch him walk inside.
She stood in front of the door, looking left and right across Xuanwumen Street, making sure several times that no one had come to wish Chen Ji a Happy New Year, before turning back. (End of Chapter)