Chapter 1: The First Snow of the Tenth Year of Wanli

Great Ming, the ninth year of Wanli.

New Year's Eve.

Major Cold!

It was the height of midwinter; the sky was filled with dim, hazy clouds, and snowflakes drifted chaotically. The final cold breeze of the ninth year of Wanli swept across the rolling Jing River, carrying snowflakes into the Zhang Family compound in Jiangling City.

Beneath a window lattice inside the compound, Zhang Yunxiu pressed one hand against the corner of the window, staring at the flying snow in the sky, and could not help but murmur to himself, "The tenth year of Wanli... It is the tenth year of Wanli."

Today is the New Year's Eve of the ninth year of Wanli; once today passes, it will be the tenth year of Wanli!

Five days ago, he arrived due to a car accident and possessed the body of this youth.

After several days of exploration and integration, he had finally figured out this youth's identity.

Zhang Yunxiu, seventeen years old, male, Han ethnicity, from Jiangling, Huguang; in the third year of Wanli, he received the position of Assistant Director of the Imperial Seal Office (Rank 6a) through his father's shadow privilege.

Of course, compared to his minor shadow-official post, the Zhang Family could be said to have reached the pinnacle of wealth and glory before the tenth year of Wanli.

His father, Zhang Juzheng, Grand Preceptor of the Heir Apparent and Grand Secretary of the Zhongji Hall, was nicknamed by the people as the "Acting Executive Emperor."

His eldest brother, Zhang Jingxiu, was the ninth of the Second Rank in the eighth year of Wanli, selected as a Bachelor of the Hanlin Academy, and transferred to be a Director in the Ministry of Rites (Rank 6a); his second brother, Zhang Sixiu, was the Second Place in the fifth year of Wanli, appointed as a Compiler in the Hanlin Academy (Rank 7a).

His third brother, Zhang Maoxiu, was the Top Scholar in the eighth year of Wanli, appointed as an Expositor in the Hanlin Academy (Rank 6b).

His fourth brother, Zhang Jianxiu, married the daughter of the Governor of the Three Frontiers, Wang Zhigao, and at the age of twenty, served as a Assistant Regional Commander of the Embroidered Uniform Guard (Rank 3b).

If one were to cover up the names of these brothers.

One could not help but exclaim: armed to the teeth, never had they fought such a wealthy battle!

It is just a pity that human affairs have their cycles, and the past and present are always changing.

Everything, absolutely everything, would vanish like smoke due to the passing of Zhang Juzheng.

In the sixth month of the tenth year of Wanli, Zhang Juzheng passed away, and following his death, the Grand Secretary Pan Cheng, whom he had recommended during his lifetime, collapsed from power.

The Emperor, the nobility, the eunuchs, and the scholar-officials began a frantic liquidation of Zhang Juzheng.

Zhang Juzheng's eldest son committed suicide at home.

The second and third sons were sentenced to military exile, the fourth son was stripped of his rank and made a commoner, and the fifth and sixth sons escaped disaster thanks to the helping hand of a close friend of Zhang Juzheng.

The women of the household were all sent to the Jiaofangsi to serve as slaves and servants.

While he held power, the entire court vied to praise his merits and dared not speak of his faults; today, having been defeated, the entire court vied to seek out his crimes and dared not speak of his merits.

After defeating Zhang Juzheng, the Wanli Emperor was like a child who had suddenly been controlled for over ten years and was then left without any supervision.

After the fifteenth year of Wanli, due to the dispute over the succession, the Wanli Emperor began a thirty-year career of neglecting his duties.

He broke the record set by his own grandfather, the Ming Shizong, the Jiajing Emperor.

Often, he even refused to stamp the Imperial Seal on official promotions, causing the official system to fall into a state of semi-paralysis.

You won't let me change the Crown Prince, right? Then let's all stop playing and just slack off together.

Even the Qing dynasty's Zhang Tingyu, when compiling the Ming History, could not help but sigh: "The Ming actually perished in the Wanli era!"

The snow outside the window grew heavier; the originally fine snow particles turned into goose-feather snowflakes, and the cold wind whistled, slapping against Zhang Yunxiu's cheeks.

He shivered and unconsciously took two steps back.

He looked up into the distance, and the surroundings were already a vast expanse of white.

"Fifth Brother, you're spacing out again!" A childish voice pulled him back to reality, and he turned his head to look.

A youth of about twelve or thirteen, looking fair and chubby, stood by the door, peeking in.

It was Zhang Yunxiu's sixth younger brother, Zhang Jingxiu.

The two looked at each other; Zhang Jingxiu trotted inside, widened his eyes, looked at his fifth brother, and asked curiously, "Fifth Brother, you aren't thinking of Father again, are you?"

Thinking? Of course I am; if I don't, our family won't even have their lives left.

Seeing his fifth brother remain silent, Zhang Jingxiu continued, "Actually, you don't need to worry. There are still ten months until the Autumn Examination; if you prepare well, you will definitely make it in time."

Zhang Yunxiu smiled and shook his head. He looked at his naive sixth brother, having made up his mind to go to the capital to investigate.

After all, he remembered that Zhang Juzheng fell ill in the fourth month and struggled on his bed for over two months. If he discovered it early now, perhaps he could still save him; if he could save him, that would naturally be best.

If he couldn't save him, he would just have to run.

At this moment, the snow outside the window stopped, and Zhang Yunxiu looked up again, gazing toward Beijing.

In Beijing, thousands of miles away, the city was covered in snow, and there were few pedestrians on the streets. Located in Shamao Alley on Dengshikou Street, the Grand Secretary Zhang Mansion was decorated with red banners and filled with a festive atmosphere.

Inside a small study in the guest hall on the east side of the mansion, heat permeated the air.

More than ten officials wearing crimson official robes bowed their heads over tables, carefully processing the court reports sent by the Office of Transmission.

According to the Great Ming system, only officials of the fourth rank or higher could wear crimson.

That is to say, these people were all Fourth-Rank Officials.

At this moment, however, they were inside the Grand Secretary Mansion, bowing their heads and working like Junior Officials.

After a long while, a person walked into the room, cupped his hands, and said with a smile, "Gentlemen, the Grand Secretary is feeling unwell today and is only seeing Imperial Censor Yao; I hope you will all be understanding."

As soon as he finished speaking, a middle-aged man among the officials stood up immediately, cupped his hands toward the man, and then, under the envious gazes of the others, held his memorials and walked out of the side hall with the man.

Leaving the side hall and passing through the flower corridor, the two walked to the front of a spacious study.

"Imperial Censor Yao, I won't accompany you inside; please go in yourself," the servant said, then turned and left.

Imperial Censor Yao nodded, wiped the sweat from his forehead with his sleeve, straightened his attire, leaned forward, and lightly knocked on the door.

"Grand Secretary, Yao Kuang requests an audience."

"Come in!"

Hearing the voice, Yao Kuang pushed the door open and entered.

A wave of warmth rushed toward him, melting the frost on his cheeks; it was hot and extremely cozy.

The light in the room was dim.

In the center sat a yellow pear-wood rocking chair, with a person lying on it, covered by a black sable cloak as tall as a man, revealing only a face.

The man appeared to be about fifty-six or fifty-seven years old, his skin slightly dark and his frame gaunt, yet his eyes, slightly open, revealed a sharpness that was difficult to resist.

It was none other than the Grand Secretary of the Great Ming, Zhang Juzheng.

On either side of him, a pretty young maid crouched, kneading his feet and pounding his legs.

Seeing Yao Kuang enter, Zhang Juzheng waved a hand; the two maids understood and retreated to the sides, taking out four Eight-Corner Exquisite Palace Lanterns to light them.

In an instant, the study of several dozen square meters became brightly illuminated.

The two maids offered a "blessing gesture" and quietly exited the door.

"Click."

As soon as the door closed, Yao Kuang was about to salute, but Zhang Juzheng waved his hand to interrupt, glancing sideways at Yao Kuang and saying, "Read the Office of Transmission's gazette for today to me."

Yao Kuang bowed to offer a salute, stepped back two paces, picked up a gazette, and began to read.

"Huguang Imperial Censor Li Zhi reports: On the twenty-fifth day of the twelfth month of the ninth year of Wanli, commoner Wang He of Jiangling County entered the mountains to cut firewood when a thick fog suddenly arose. Wang He lost his way, and while in a state of panic, he suddenly saw a beast drifting from the horizon; it had a horn on its head, was covered in dragon scales, had the head of a deer and the body of a lion, and a tail like that of an ox. Wang He found it very strange and pursued it forward. After a short while, the fog dissipated, and Wang He realized he had emerged from the deep mountains."

"That night, Wang He told the village elders everything he had seen. The elders replied: 'This beast is a Qilin. When a Qilin appears, it must mean a sage has emerged.'"

Yao Kuang finished reading in one breath and felt his mouth dry and parched; he licked his lips and stole a glance at the Grand Secretary.

Seeing him with brows knit and eyes focused, expressionless like a wooden statue, he could not make up his mind and had no choice but to pick up the second memorial and read it.

"Wuqing Earl Li Wei is loyal and devoted to the nation, and has rendered meritorious service in raising the Empress Dowager. Now that he is old and has no support, he specially requests the Emperor to allocate three thousand mu of Grain Field for him to spend his remaining years in comfort."

"Hmm?" At this, Zhang Juzheng stood up abruptly, frowned, and interrupted, "From the Longqing era until now, the land received by the Wuqing Earl exceeds ten thousand mu. Now he wants more land; what is the logic in this?"

The corners of Yao Kuang's mouth twitched, and he hurriedly said, "Grand Secretary, this Li Wei is a man who would turn somersaults in a money pit. What if he goes to the Empress Dowager?"

"Not allowed!" Zhang Juzheng glared at Yao Kuang, picked up a brush to write the Drafting of Rescripts, and then handed the memorial back, saying, "After going on duty, take it together to the Qianqing Palace to be submitted for the Emperor's review."

(End of this chapter)