Huang Jin, that old thing, certainly had some skills. He’d only been gone a short while before he came dashing back, carrying two food boxes with the agility of a young man. His face wasn’t flushed, his breathing wasn’t laboured, and the boxes in his hands were steady as Mount Tai—not a single wobble.
“True Lord, the evening meal has arrived.”
After stepping into the hall, Huang Jin slowed his pace and reported softly, careful not to disturb Emperor Jiajing, who was engrossed in the memorial.
“Good, set it out, set it out—I’m famished and parched. The wine—did you bring it?” Emperor Jiajing waved his hand impatiently.
“I brought it, I brought it. How could this old servant forget what the True Lord ordered?” Huang Jin said, pulling a finely carved dragon-etched wine jar from his robe. “It’s warmed up. I feared the cold wind outside might chill it, so I boldly kept it close to my chest.”
“Heh, Huang Ban, you’re as meticulous as ever,” Emperor Jiajing nodded with satisfaction.
Huang Jin looked flattered and, without pausing, opened the food boxes. He carefully arranged the delicious dishes on the table—meat, vegetables, and a steaming bowl of medicinal chicken soup.
Huang Jin truly had some talent. To carry so many dishes at a sprint from the Imperial Kitchen without spilling a drop—even the chicken soup, filled nearly to the brim—was impressive.
After setting out the feast, Huang Jin unsealed the wine jar and poured a cup of fragrant Huadiao wine.
“Your Majesty, please enjoy the meal,” Huang Jin said respectfully.
“Not bad. The colour, aroma, and taste are all there, and the chicken soup’s been simmered just right. The Imperial Kitchen hasn’t lost its touch,” Emperor Jiajing said as he sat down. He sampled the soup and nodded approvingly.
“Huang Ban, hold the memorial for me. I want to eat while I read,” Emperor Jiajing instructed after taking a bite of the food.
“As you command.”
Huang Jin took the memorial with both hands, visibly honoured, and held it open for the Emperor to read.
Huang Jin was skilled at this. He could tell exactly which line or word the Emperor was on and even knew when he wanted to reread a section, adjusting the memorial instantly to keep it in the perfect position for reading.
While holding it, he couldn’t help but sneak a glance at the contents with his peripheral vision.
He was dying to know which great figure had submitted this memorial and what it contained to make the Emperor so delighted.
Unable to resist, he peeked.
The title: *Memorial of Victory from Suzhou Prefecture*.
So, it was good news from Suzhou Prefecture—no wonder the Emperor was pleased and specifically requested Huadiao wine from Wu. A victory from Suzhou deserved nothing less than Wu’s finest wine; anything else wouldn’t feel right.
What kind of victory could make the Emperor this happy?
Huang Jin’s curiosity got the better of him, and he kept glancing down, eager to see who’d submitted it and what it said. His stomach felt like it was full of cats clawing at his heart.
As he held the memorial, his sneaky glances became less subtle and more obvious.
Emperor Jiajing noticed but wasn’t annoyed. On the contrary, he seemed to relish the idea of sharing this remarkable document.
Below the title was the signature of the submitters. Huang Jin’s eyes drifted down.
Two names.
Wait.
That second name!
Who did I just see?!
Zhu Ping’an!
Zhu Ping’an, Acting Deputy Inspector of the Zhejiang Judicial Office!
The memorial was co-signed by Shang Weichi, the Prefect of Suzhou, and Zhu Ping’an. Huang Jin barely registered Shang Weichi’s name, dismissing it instinctively. But “Zhu Ping’an”—those three characters—each one grabbed his attention, and together, they completely captivated him.
Little Lord Zhu!
It was Little Lord Zhu!
Heavens, how many days had it been? Little Lord Zhu had achieved yet another feat?! It was almost unbelievable.
Huang Jin was thrown into a daze by the sight of Zhu Ping’an’s name. After decades of serving at the Emperor’s side, his composure was usually impeccable, but now he couldn’t help but falter, showing a hint of shock.
Seeing Huang Jin’s lapse, Emperor Jiajing chuckled silently. *You old fool, look at you losing your cool.*
*Keep reading—you’ll be even more stunned.*
Emperor Jiajing picked up a piece of preserved meat with winter bamboo shoots, popped it into his mouth, and chewed slowly, smiling at the shocked Huang Jin.
He waited to see Huang Jin’s provincial reaction.
Sure enough.
As Huang Jin’s eyes drifted further down, his expressions grew more vivid.
When he read that over 40,000 Japanese pirates had launched a night raid on Suzhou, tension crept onto his face—even knowing the victory outcome, he couldn’t help it. Without that knowledge, he’d have been even more on edge.
Then, seeing that Zhu Ping’an’s Zhejiang troops had uncovered the pirates’ plans in advance and lit beacon fires and wolf smoke to warn all of Suzhou Prefecture, Huang Jin breathed a sigh of relief.
Further down, when he read that Zhu Ping’an had led the Zhejiang troops to annihilate over 10,000 pirates in a single battle before the Fengqiao camp, ten miles from Suzhou’s city walls, his mouth dropped open in shock. A single battle wiping out over 10,000 pirates—what kind of feat was that?!
This one victory alone outshone anything in the southeast.
Since the pirate scourge began, the Jiangnan region had never seen such a triumph. Oh, wait—there was the Sea Sacrifice Victory half a month ago, where over 1,000 pirates were killed, hailed as the “Southeast’s Greatest Achievement” at the time.
That memorial recorded Little Lord Zhu killing 290-odd pirates.
Now, this battle had taken out over 10,000!!!!!
It was staggering—beyond belief!!!
Huang Jin was floored.
Seeing Huang Jin’s shock, Emperor Jiajing’s lips curled slightly. *You’re this stunned already? There’s more to come.*
And indeed.
When Huang Jin reached the most thrilling part—the end of the memorial—his hands trembled with shock as he held it.
After the pirates retreated via the waterways, Zhu Ping’an pursued them, taking a shortcut to set an ambush ahead at a river. With a river fire attack and a forest fire trap, under Little Lord Zhu’s chain of strategies, over 20,000 pirates were shot, drowned, or burned to death, over 200 ships were destroyed, and one of the pirate leaders, Chen Dong, was captured alive.
Heavens! In the entire Suzhou defence campaign, Little Lord Zhu had nearly wiped out 40,000 pirates—not 400, not 4,000, but 40,000!
Forty thousand!!!
*Hiss.* Huang Jin couldn’t help but suck in a sharp breath. Little Lord Zhu was terrifyingly formidable!!!!
Forget the southeast—across the entire Ming Dynasty, how many years had it been since such a glorious victory?
Seeing Huang Jin gasp and tremble, Emperor Jiajing couldn’t hold back a hearty “haha” laugh.
