Yu Dayou had a certain psychological barrier when it came to paying respects to superior officers. It couldn’t be helped—his past experiences had been too traumatic.
His first painful encounter occurred roughly twenty years ago.
That year, Yu Dayou inherited his family’s hereditary position as a Baihu (Hundred Households Officer) and passed the martial examination, earning a promotion to Qianhu (Thousand Households Officer) stationed in Jinmen. At the time, the pirate threat in Fujian was already severe and frequent. Driven by a strong sense of duty, Yu Dayou sought an audience with the Fujian Judicial Commissioner and presented his suggestions.
And then.
Then he was given a beating.
Yes, literally—a real, flesh-tearing thrashing with a paddle.
“A mere junior officer dares to submit proposals!” the Fujian Judicial Commissioner roared, refusing to listen. Infuriated, he ordered Yu Dayou to be dragged out and beaten.
“Suggestions? Suggest your damn suggestions! Don’t you know Fujian’s anti-pirate strategies were devised by me? Don’t you know the deployment of Fujian’s anti-pirate forces was planned by me in my command tent? By offering suggestions, are you, a brute with brawn but no brains, implying you’re more strategic than me, a scholar who’s studied diligently for a decade? Are you saying my strategies are wrong? That my planning is flawed?”
“Beat him!”
“Beat him to death!”
Even with Yu Dayou’s iron-like constitution, the beating left him bedridden for days before he could stand again.
And that wasn’t the end of it. While his body suffered, his spirit was dealt a crushing blow: his Qianhu military rank was stripped away.
His second traumatic experience came ten years ago.
That year, the Mongol army invaded Shanxi, and Emperor Jiajing issued a decree to select the bravest warriors from across the land. Yu Dayou volunteered and presented himself to Grand Coordinator Cratai Peng. During their discussion on military matters, Yu repeatedly outshone Cratai, leaving the latter sweating and admitting, “I shouldn’t have treated you like a common soldier.” Cratai then left his seat to personally salute Yu, astonishing the entire army.
Everyone thought Yu Dayou was about to rise to prominence. But, as always, there was a “but” that spelled tragedy. In the end, Yu Dayou became the laughingstock of the army.
Though Cratai treated him with respect, he ultimately didn’t employ Yu.
The soldiers mocked him: “Weren’t you so impressive at first, intimidating even the Grand Coordinator into saluting you? But what happened? Cratai didn’t use you. Why? The truth must be that he saw through your flashy exterior and realised you’re all talk, no substance. Even Zhao Kuo was more capable than you.”
For a time, the ridicule ruined Yu Dayou’s reputation.
Thereafter, Yu Dayou paid respects to one superior after another—Mao Bowen, Ouyang Bijin, Zhu Wan, Zhang Jing, Zhao Wenhua…
Yet he never gained their trust or significant responsibilities. Time and again, he charged into battle, achieved merits, only to be scapegoated. His accomplishments were claimed by others, and he faced repeated impeachments, demotions, salary cuts, and dismissals. His military career was a cycle of relentless setbacks.
Reflecting on his over twenty years of military service, Yu Dayou arrived at a harsh conclusion: without connections in the court, it’s impossible to succeed as an official!
The reason his merits were repeatedly stolen, he was scapegoated, impeached, and dismissed, and his career was fraught with obstacles—charging bravely at the front only to be sabotaged from behind—was because he lacked allies in the court.
It wasn’t that he hadn’t tried to align himself with a powerful figure. He had approached Mao Bowen, Cratai Peng, and others, but those he admired didn’t value him. As for the Yan faction, they were pests of the state, harming the nation and its people, and he couldn’t bring himself to join them.
Without connections in the court, his grand ambitions remained unfulfilled!
Now, with the pirate threat so severe that it was shaking the nation’s foundation and devastating the lives of the people in Jiangnan, Yu Dayou yearned to soar to great heights. He wanted to eradicate these damned pirates, restore peace to the people of Jiangnan, defeat the northern Mongol leader Altan, make a name for himself in history, and have his portrait hung in the Lingyan Pavilion!
Today, he wanted to try once more!
Zhu Ping’an!
This was the new “big shot” he had chosen, a future titan. He wanted to pledge himself to Zhu Ping’an, betting on him early.
Though Zhu Ping’an was young, not yet twenty, in Yu Dayou’s eyes, he was a stock with immense potential—no, a star already rising, poised to shine brilliantly in the heavens!
First, his official position!
Despite his youth, Zhu Ping’an was already the Right Vice Minister of the Ministry of War and the Governor of Zhejiang!
He was already a ministerial-level high official, qualified to be called a “big shot.”
In the officialdom, those who reached ministerial rank were typically over fifty. Someone as young as Zhu Ping’an? There might have been such cases in the past, and there would likely be in the future, but in the current dynasty, there was none—not a single one!
Second, his background!
Though Zhu Ping’an came from a humble background and had offended the Yan faction, he was not a lone hero without support.
His mentor was Xu Jie, the current Secondary Grand Secretary, second only to Yan Song. From what Yu Dayou knew, Zhu Ping’an’s relationship with Xu Jie wasn’t merely nominal; it was a genuine mentor-student bond. Even after being demoted to Jiangnan, they maintained frequent contact through letters. Xu Jie also looked out for Zhu Ping’an. The Suzhou Prefect had once mentioned that Xu Jie wrote to him, asking him to take care of Zhu Ping’an.
Xu Jie was Zhu Ping’an’s backer! This was a key reason Zhu Ping’an could quickly rise again after his demotion.
Yan Song was already old, considered long-lived, and no one knew how many years he had left. Once Yan Song died, the position of Grand Secretary would undoubtedly fall to Xu Jie. When that happened, Zhu Ping’an would have the most powerful backer.
Moreover, Zhu Ping’an had a connection with Prince Yu. He had served as a Hanlin Academy Reader-in-Waiting in Prince Yu’s residence for a time.
Prince Yu and Prince Jing were the emperor’s only two sons. One of them would ascend the throne in the future.
Prince Yu had a fifty percent chance of becoming emperor. If Prince Yu emerged victorious and took the throne, Zhu Ping’an’s time as a Reader-in-Waiting would count as a merit of supporting the dragon.
Additionally, Zhu Ping’an was in the emperor’s favour. He had the privilege of submitting secret memorials directly to the emperor, who held him in high regard. The recent prisoner presentation ceremony at the Meridian Gate and multiple exceptional promotions all demonstrated Zhu Ping’an’s weight in the emperor’s eyes.
Third, Zhu Ping’an’s abilities.
Zhu Ping’an could top the civil examinations as a scholar and defeat pirates as a warrior. The Jingnan Defence Battle, the extermination of the roving pirates in Shangyu, the glorious Suzhou Defence Battle a month ago, and his rapid rise after demotion—all proved his exceptional capabilities.
Finally, and most importantly, Zhu Ping’an’s character.
There were many with rank, influence, and ability besides Zhu Ping’an—Yan Song, Zhao Wenhua, Yan Shifan, and others. But their character was lacking, and Yu Dayou would never pledge himself to them. Zhu Ping’an was different. From his actions in Jiangnan, it was clear he was a man who cared for the people, the nation, and justice.
This was the key reason Yu Dayou decided to pledge himself to Zhu Ping’an.
