Chapter Sixty-Four: Second Brother Is Zhang Dun! (Fifth Update)

“Mr. Guo, you must accept this money, no matter what.”

“My lord, I really can’t, truly can’t. The tuition you and your third brother have given has never fallen short by a single coin. How could I possibly take more?”

“If it weren’t for you, my third brother wouldn’t be where he is today. One should always be grateful and repay kindness. How could I let anyone speak ill of me behind my back? Please, don’t refuse, or else you’ll be treating me like an outsider.”

“Senior Guo, if your father won’t accept it, then you must take it for me. You and my third brother are as close as real brothers, so you’re my brother as well. You must take this money.”

Guo Lin hurriedly waved his hands. “My lord, I can’t accept it. Third brother, quickly help me persuade your elder brother.”

Hearing his senior’s plea, Zhang Yue could only spread his hands helplessly, letting his elder brother have his way.

He could only hope his sister-in-law would endure.

To be honest, with his elder brother’s extravagance, even Song Jiang from Water Margin might have to bow down. But at least Song Jiang’s spending won people’s loyalty—whereas his brother’s was purely...

Then again, before he traveled through time, he also treated others to food and drink for free, just as generous. Could this be the Zhang family’s tradition? But his second brother was nothing like that—no wonder he ended up leaving.

After much polite resistance, Zhang Shi finally persuaded Mr. Guo to accept five taels of silver. Even so, Zhang Shi looked displeased, thinking Mr. Guo was being too formal, while Lady Yu hurried to put away the remaining ten taels.

Seeing this, Zhang Shi chuckled, “Why worry about the money, my dear? Didn’t you hear that the magistrate has agreed, for our second brother’s sake, to repay the eighty strings of cash the yamen owed us, not missing a single coin?”

Only then did Lady Yu’s expression soften. “That may be so, but you mustn’t spend as recklessly as before. There will be plenty of expenses in the future. Besides, I’ve been thinking: didn’t we borrow fifty strings from my father to redeem this house? When times were hard, it was understandable, but now that we have surplus, I want to pay him back and put my mind at ease. Uncle, what do you think?”

“I’ll leave it to you and my brother to decide,” Zhang Yue had no objection.

Zhang Shi hesitated before replying, “You’re right, my dear! I nearly forgot. Think about it, when our family was in trouble, your father helped us so much—we could never repay that kindness in a lifetime!”

Lady Yu nodded, but Zhang Yue quietly laughed to himself; his brother was clever—saying a debt could never be repaid was just an excuse not to pay it back.

Sure enough, Zhang Shi continued, “But now, my dear, I just thought—didn’t third brother mention at the table that we should reopen our shop? Before, we lacked the capital, but now we have these eighty strings of spare money. Isn’t this the perfect opportunity to set up a shop in town? I’m not refusing to pay back your father; I’m just thinking I’ll repay all we owe him once I’ve made a profit. Wouldn’t that be better? If we pay him back bit by bit, he might not even take it.”

Lady Yu sneered, “If you don’t try, how do you know my father wouldn’t accept it?”

Zhang Shi quickly replied, “You misunderstand, my dear, let me explain…”

Listening to his brother’s reasoning, Zhang Yue suddenly understood—his brother was getting shrewder; money truly tested character. He’d learned a lesson.

But then again, when it came to taking advantage of their father-in-law, both his elder and second brother were truly a family.

Watching this scene, Zhang Yue felt he’d learned something from his brothers, though perhaps two wrongs might make a right after all.

With these thoughts, Zhang Yue’s gaze fell again on the examination list atop the table. He flipped to the page where his second brother’s name appeared: Zhang Dun, “Dun” as in Xiahou Dun. Why did his second brother choose that name?

“Dun” means honest and sincere. To give himself that name—I almost have to laugh. If you’re honest, I’ll write my name backwards.

But then he thought, wait, this name sounds familiar!

“The Prince of Duan is frivolous, unfit to rule the world!”

Suddenly, this famous critique flashed in his mind, and Zhang Yue’s face changed.

Could he really be connected to that second-generation leader of the New Faction? Wait, didn’t some unofficial histories say he was an illegitimate child? How could he have been adopted? Did history go astray somewhere?

Something wasn’t right—Zhang Yue was baffled.

If his second brother was truly the historical Zhang Dun, then who exactly was he himself?

Zhang Yue dared not judge; historians have long debated Zhang Dun’s legacy, with each holding different views.

In short, Emperor Gaozong of Song, son of Emperor Huizong, posthumously labeled him a great traitor, and many historians agree, including Toqto’a, the chief editor of the History of Song.

Yet, to borrow a modern internet opinion, whether Zhang Dun was the most capable prime minister of the Song Dynasty is debatable, but he was certainly the most ruthless.

He even dared to speak out against the succession, criticizing the future Emperor Huizong!

That line about the Prince of Duan being frivolous and unfit to rule was legendary—on par with Mencius’s remark, “At first glance, he does not look like a king.”

Many criticized Emperor Huizong after his death, but few dared do so while he was alive.

But Zhang Dun did—even before Huizong ascended the throne! Now that was daring.

If there were a parallel history, perhaps the later humiliation of Jingkang and centuries of national suffering might have been avoided...

But whatever the case, in opposing Huizong’s succession, Zhang Dun was doomed by Empress Dowager Xiang, Zeng Bu, and others.

After Huizong became emperor, Zhang Dun’s downfall was swift—stripped of his chancellorship, demoted again and again, ultimately dying in exile.

All four of his sons passed the civil service exam, but knowing he’d made too many enemies, Zhang Dun forbade them from becoming officials or only allowed minor posts, and so they escaped harm—thanks, too, to the Song Dynasty’s tradition of not killing scholar-officials.

But his cousin Zhang Jie was not so lucky; his achievements in avenging the Yongle City defeat and the humiliation of Yuanyou’s territorial losses were dismissed by Huizong, offering no protection for his descendants.

Those close to Zhang Dun, like the Zhang Jie clan, were relentlessly persecuted by Cai Jing, who even set up the infamous Yuanyou Faction Memorial, inscribing Zhang Dun’s name alongside those of the Old Faction.

It was even rumored that Cai Jing intended to wipe out the Zhang clan of Jianyang completely.

The Zhang family of Pucheng had no choice but to sever ties with Zhang Dun; at the Dayu Brocade Hall, his name was erased from the list of successful candidates, effectively expelling him from the family records.

After the Jingkang Incident, Emperor Gaozong sought to vindicate his father’s name and ultimately labeled Zhang Dun a great traitor, compounding the disgrace.

What an unparalleled pitfall through the ages!

Still, though many hated him, there were plenty who admired him. Another prime minister, Zhang Shangying, once said, “If only there were more extraordinary men like the late Chancellor Zhang, how much happier my life would be!”

With such a second brother, what was Zhang Yue to do? He couldn’t help but feel lost.

Should he draw a clear line now, before it was too late? Or do everything to stop his brother from rising to the chancellorship? Or should he follow in his brother’s footsteps, leaving him nowhere to go? But did he have what it took?

Either way, after learning his second brother was Zhang Dun, Zhang Yue, who’d always slept soundly, found himself awake all night.

Such mastery at causing trouble—there really was no one like him.

P.S. Here’s the fifth chapter for today; more to come tomorrow—three updates, as always, and I ask again for your votes, subscriptions, and all your support!