Chapter 7: Seize the Future!

Winter days are short; as soon as it reached the You hour, the sky over Beijing City turned completely black.

Inside the Zhang University Scholar Mansion, lanterns were bright and the crowd was bustling; there was a red lantern every three steps and a glass lamp every five.

Maidservants dressed in uniform attire, their expressions solemn, shuttled back and forth in the Zhang family's dining hall, holding fine delicacies.

Inside the dining hall, a seven or eight-meter-long purple wood table was set.

Benches were neatly arranged on both sides, stretching from the head of the table to the end.

As the maidservants moved, the table was filled with delicacies and fine foods, making one's mouth water just to look at them.

A short while later, a tall figure walked into the dining hall, with a massive crowd of people following behind him.

It could be seen that Zhang Juzheng was walking in the lead, followed by Zhang Jingxiu and his wife Gao Yue.

Further behind were Zhang Sixiu and his wife Li.

Only the third in line, Zhang Maoxiu, was nowhere to be seen; only a beautiful young woman with a slender figure had come.

She was Zhang Maoxiu's wife, He Yun.

Finally, Zhang Yunxiu and an heroic-looking young man dressed in black martial attire walked across the threshold, chatting and laughing.

This was his fourth brother, Zhang Jianxiu, who was also the only person in the Zhang family to pursue a career as a military official.

After sitting down, Zhang Juzheng scanned the empty seat, frowned, and asked, "Why hasn't Maoxiu come?"

Upon being asked by the Eunuch, He Yun hurriedly stood up to perform a bow, then bit her red lip and replied, "My husband went out with some classmates a few days ago, saying he wanted to go play in the snow; he is not at home."

"Hmph!" Zhang Juzheng's expression turned stern, and he squinted as he huffed, "As an official of the imperial court, he does not think of disciplining himself and serving the country, but instead mimics those pedantic scholars, picking out phrases and polishing rhetoric—what great success can he ever achieve!"

"Father... Father's reprimand is correct." He Yun did not dare to talk back and hurriedly complied.

Zhang Juzheng waved his hand to signal her to sit down, then turned his gaze to scan his sons and daughters-in-law, saying, "Today is a family banquet, so we shall not discuss state affairs. Jingxiu, you preside over it; I still have some matters to attend to."

As he spoke, he rose and left the table.

Zhang Yunxiu and the others were all stunned, and Zhang Jingxiu even chased after him, saying in a panic, "Father, if you do not pick up your chopsticks at tonight's banquet, I fear none of the brothers will dare to touch theirs."

Zhang Juzheng thought this was reasonable, so he turned back, moved his chopsticks a few times, and then left again.

"Fifth brother, what's wrong with Father?" As soon as Zhang Juzheng left, Zhang Jianxiu immediately leaned in to ask, "I heard from You Qi that you really made Father quite angry when you arrived."

"Who knows?" Zhang Yunxiu supported his head with one hand and said listlessly.

"Let's go, after we finish eating, brother will take you to tour Beijing City."

"Ahem." Zhang Jingxiu, sitting at the side, coughed twice to interrupt the two, then glared at Zhang Jianxiu and said, "Yunxiu still has to take the Autumn Examination this year; don't you go and lead him astray."

"How could that be? I'm just taking him out to relax so he doesn't become a mope," Zhang Jianxiu said with a sheepish smile.

Zhang Yunxiu suddenly thought of something, his face flushed red, and he hurriedly asked in a low voice, "Fourth brother, do you know a person in the capital named Zheng Chengxian? He has a son named Zheng Guotai, and a daughter who was sent into the Imperial Palace."

"Zheng Chengxian?" Zhang Jianxiu frowned and pondered for a moment, then shook his head and said, "I don't know him. I have an impression of every person of status in the capital, but I have no memory of this Zheng Chengxian you speak of."

"Then can you find him?"

"What do you mean by 'can I find him'?" Zhang Jianxiu gave himself a thumbs-up and boasted, "In this capital, apart from the Imperial Palace, there is nothing that we, the Embroidered Uniform Guard, cannot find."

"Alright, alright, we know how capable you Embroidered Uniform Guards are." The one speaking was Zhang Jianxiu's wife, Wang Ling.

She was the daughter of the former Governor of the Three Frontiers, Wang Zhigao.

Zhang Yunxiu smiled and called out "Fourth Sister-in-law," cast a look of gratitude at his fourth brother, and then stood up, raised his wine cup, and toasted everyone.

Everyone laughed heartily and tilted their heads back to return the toast. A short while later, the banquet dispersed, and Zhang Juzheng still had not returned.

Because it was getting late, the few of them did not leave, but instead stayed in their original rooms.

Suddenly, the somewhat cold Zhang Mansion became exceptionally lively.

After washing up, Zhang Yunxiu pulled and dragged Zhang Jianxiu into his bedroom. As soon as they sat down, Zhang Yunxiu asked impatiently, "Fourth brother, what kind of person do you think the current Emperor is?"

"What kind of person?" Zhang Jianxiu was confused.

Zhang Yunxiu slapped his forehead and asked directly, "Do you think, if—if, I'm saying if—if something were to happen to Father, how would the Emperor deal with our family?"

"What do you mean?" Zhang Jianxiu became nervous.

From his fifth brother's words, he sensed that the Emperor seemed to hold a grudge against the Zhang family.

But that wasn't right either; the Emperor had once said personally, "The Master is loyal and patriotic to the country; I have no way to add grace to the Master, so I can only add grace to the Master's descendants."

He had heard rumors: his second brother, Zhang Sixiu, was originally Second Rank, but was forcibly promoted to the position of Third Place Scholar by the Emperor.

Even he himself, becoming a Assistant Regional Commander of the Embroidered Uniform Guard at twenty-one, was also the Emperor's favor.

"Does brother know of Huo Guang?" Seeing that he didn't believe him, Zhang Yunxiu cited historical precedent, "When Huo Guang carried out the deposition and enthronement, he was arrogant and domineering. No one dared to speak while he was alive, but once he died, all sorts of monsters and demons crawled out."

"No, it's not the same."

"How is it not the same?" Zhang Yunxiu countered.

"The Huo family was exterminated because they rebelled; that is why the Emperor struck so ruthlessly."

"Foolish." Zhang Yunxiu slapped the table and argued, "An innocent man is guilty of his own treasure; the Huo family's influence was spread throughout the court, which had long since offended the Emperor's taboos. Even if the Huo family hadn't rebelled, they still wouldn't have escaped liquidation."

As he spoke, he stood up, paced to the window, and stared in the direction of the Imperial City, saying, "How can one allow others to snore beside one's own bed? My Zhang family has already reached the pinnacle of wealth and status; prosperity inevitably leads to decline."

Zhang Jianxiu was terrified; he didn't know how his fifth brother, who had always been timid, had suddenly changed into a different person.

Such radical theories could actually come out of his mouth.

"Then you tell me, what should we do?" Zhang Jianxiu swallowed a large gulp of saliva.

"Persuading Father to retire while at the height of his success would not be a bad story to tell."

"That probably won't work."

"That is of course." Zhang Yunxiu nodded.

"Then why are you still talking?" Zhang Jianxiu felt he was being toyed with and couldn't help but scold him.

Suddenly, he thought of something and hurriedly asked, "What was the name you told me to find... Zheng something..."

"Zheng Chengxian."

"Right, that's Zheng Chengxian." Zhang Jianxiu's face flushed, and he added, "Could this person really resolve the crisis facing our Zhang family?"

"Perhaps I can," Zhang Yunxiu replied solemnly.

This was the Wanli reign, and that was the biological father of the not-yet-prominent Zheng Guifei; if he could be befriended, the Zhang Family might just be able to continue their wealth and status.

"Zheng Chengxian, Zheng Guotai." Zhang Jianxiu murmured the names twice, his eyes shining as he stared at Zhang Yunxiu and replied, "Fine, within ten days at most, I guarantee I will help you find both of them."

"Be courteous, and make sure not to slight the two of them," Zhang Yunxiu reminded him.

"I know."

(End of this chapter)