Because Zhu Qingyu had fallen asleep, Zhang Shen instructed the coachman to drive slowly. He himself had barely slept the night before and was exhausted, so he cautiously leaned against Zhu Qingyu, resting beside her for a short while.
After an uncertain amount of time, the carriage suddenly stopped. Zhang Shen, half-asleep, immediately woke up and asked,
“What’s the matter?”
The coachman replied,
“Master, at the intersection ahead, eight official carriages are coming this way. The road is narrow; there might be a collision.”
Eight carriages meant officials of at least the third rank. Between the hours of Yin and Mao, ministers would normally be going to court, so encountering them was nothing unusual.
According to protocol, the lower-ranked must yield to the higher-ranked; there was no need to compete with capital officials and risk offending them. Zhang Shen got up and instructed,
“Let’s pull aside and wait.”
The carriage moved to the right and stopped. Zhang Shen got out and waited at the side. However, the approaching carriages did not pass, stopping instead at the intersection ahead.
On narrow roads, the higher-ranking official takes precedence.
From behind, the sound of galloping hooves came again. Anyone capable of making a third-rank official yield must be someone important heading to court. Zhang Shen continued to wait at the side, letting the horses behind pass first.
The horses that had been moving at full speed approached, but suddenly someone shouted sharply and pulled the reins, stopping abruptly.
Zhang Shen looked back by the light of the carriage lantern and saw a figure in red riding a black horse—it was none other than Minister of Revenue Gu.
Minister Gu stopped beside the carriage, expressionless, staring at Zhang’s plain green cloth carriage.
Zhang Shen felt tense and quickly examined his own carriage, worried that if there was any breach of protocol, the upright and strict Minister Gu might notice.
Fortunately, the Zhang family’s green cloth carriage was the most ordinary type, plain and low-key, without a hint of ostentation. Among commoners in the capital, whether purchased or rented, eight out of ten families used carriages like this.
Zhang Shen felt confident that there was nothing improper about the carriage. But Minister Gu stared for an unusually long time, making Zhang Shen anxious, wondering if he had overlooked some detail. He hurried forward and bowed,
“Commoner Zhang Shen pays respects to Minister.”
Minister Gu turned and noticed another person standing by the carriage—it was Zhang Jingyan, the chief merchant of Yangzhou, who had been reported by Yan Pan yesterday.
The salt tax was vital to the nation, with the two Huai regions contributing the most. After entering the Ministry of Revenue, Minister Gu had summoned the eight major merchants of the two Huai regions, inquiring about their salt affairs.
Zhang Jingyan had a good reputation with Minister Gu. Though the youngest among the eight major merchants, he was cautious, knowledgeable, and reliable.
If Yan Pan’s report that the Zhang family colluded with salt smugglers proved true, it would be unfortunate—the Yan family’s fate today would be the Zhang family’s tomorrow: male members executed, female members sold into servitude.
But whether the accusation was true or false required investigation, and there was no need to alert anyone prematurely.
Minister Gu nodded and asked,
“Jingyan, it’s bitterly cold so early. What brings you here?”
Zhang Shen, having been summoned by Minister Gu once before for less than twenty minutes, was surprised that the busy minister still remembered his courtesy name. He quickly replied,
“Minister, I’m returning to my hometown today. I plan to go to Tongzhou Port to take a boat, so I left early to avoid being late.”
Tongzhou Port was sixty li from the capital, so it was reasonable to leave early. Minister Gu briefly exchanged polite words wishing him safety and then urged his horse onward to court. After turning the corner at the intersection, his horse sounds faded from earshot.
Once the eight official carriages ahead had also passed the intersection, Zhang Shen got back into the carriage. Inside, Zhu Qingyu, half-wrapped in a blanket, leaned against the carriage wall, awake.
Zhang Shen tucked the blanket around her and asked,
“Did I wake you?”
Hearing Minister Gu’s voice had already roused Zhu Qingyu. Recalling the gossip she heard at the Gu residence the previous night, she hesitated before speaking softly,
“Was that the young master of the Gu family just now? I heard the servants say that Madam Gu fell ill, apparently because Minister Gu took a concubine, which caused a stir.”
Zhang Shen was slightly surprised,
“Wasn’t Minister Gu a monk? Taking a concubine… Oh, right, he’s returned to secular life.”
Zhu Qingyu wasn’t speaking out of curiosity but added,
“The girl Minister Gu wants is surnamed Yan. She was originally a government official’s daughter, recently bought into the household as a servant. Apparently, she resisted or caused trouble in the house. Now she’s to be sold again. Surname Yan… Jingyan, could this be the same Yan girl we know?”
Zhang Shen recalled that Zhu Qingyu had not been fond of that Yan girl before, so he asked,
“Yan isn’t a common surname, especially among officials. I know only one, so it’s likely her. The Yan family members were escorted to the capital about a month and a half ago; the timing matches. Are you worried about her? Want to redeem her? If you really want, I can ask the official teeth office.”
Zhu Qingyu quickly said,
“No, no, I don’t like her. Don’t go buying an ancestor back. I’m just worried the Yan case might implicate you, since we’ve already sent them quite a bit of money.”
Zhu Qingyu truly disliked Yan Pan and the Yan family; she avoided them whenever possible.
After all, who likes people who are arrogant, demanding, and constantly asking for money?
The Yan family used to host frequent public banquets, even inviting the wives of major merchants when Yan Pan’s cat had kittens. Attendance didn’t matter, gifts were required, and those who gave too little would be confronted. Privately, everyone complained.
Not only Zhu Qingyu disliked them, but Zhang Shen did too. He smiled and whispered reassuringly,
“Relax, we’re not the only ones giving money. Any family involved in Yangzhou and salt has been demanded tribute by Yan. Besides, the Yan case is concluded. Minister Gu personally judged it; nothing new will surface. Ultimately, it was Minister Yan’s greed and greediness that left everyone without recourse. Previous salt commissioners were all flawed—one lustful, one greedy. Let’s see if the new Commissioner Dai is any better.”
Speaking quietly, they shared private words, leaning close together as the carriage left the eastern city gate. After meeting the Zhang family convoy outside the gate, they headed to Tongzhou.
By afternoon, Zhu Qingyu and the group arrived at Tongzhou Port, found their ship, unloaded luggage, and boarded. Thus, they left the rigid, power-laden capital behind for the luxurious, scenic waterways of Yangzhou.