Ming Dynasty: My Father Zhang Juzheng

Chapter 55: The Fifty-fifth Anti-Poem?

Ever since that day when I had a drink with Zhang Jianxiu at his residence, it was New Year's Eve in a blink of an eye.

In the morning of that day, the whole city of Beijing was decorated with red and colorful decorations, and every family wore new clothes, preparing to welcome the new year.

At the residence of Grand Secretary Zhang at Dengshikou, there were loud sounds of gongs and drums and firecrackers since the morning, and the servants in the house were dressed in red and colorful clothes and were walking back and forth in the corridor.

There is a red lantern every three steps and a glazed lamp every five steps. As soon as it gets dark, the whole Grand Secretary's Mansion takes on a different look.

Several brothers also came back with their wives and children.

In an instant, the Grand Secretary's mansion became full of vitality.

Zhang Yunxiu was in a miserable situation. Before he even left the room, he was surrounded by eight or nine children, who hugged his legs and shouted for New Year's money.

They refused to work even though they were paid too little, so Zhang Yunxiu had no choice but to take out the red money one by one.

The group of children finally stopped talking and bowed to Zhang Yunxiu, shouting, "Thank you, Uncle Wu!"

Then they all dispersed, except Zhang Chongrun, who stood there in a daze, staring at Zhang Yunxiu.

"Why, you're not enough?"

Zhang Chongrun shook his head, fumbled around his waist for a while, then took out a lotus sachet and handed it to Zhang Yunxiu: "This is what the elder sister asked me to give to my fifth uncle. She said she wanted to meet you."

That woman is quite thoughtful.

Zhang Yunxiu sighed secretly, took the sachet with a smile, squatted down and told Zhang Chongrun: "From now on, if that elder sister asks you to do something again, you are not allowed to help her, understand?"

"I understand." Zhang Chongrun nodded, not quite understanding.

"Go and play." Zhang Yunxiu smiled and pushed Zhang Chongrun out the door.

At this time, Zhang Fu strode in, holding two gift boxes in his hands.

Zhang Yunxiu took one look and asked with a smile, "What is this thing that is worth you bringing here in person?"

"Hey, it's not worth much." Zhang Fu grinned and waved his hand, "It's just some New Year gifts sent by Han San and Wang He. I thought it was a token of my appreciation, so I brought it to you, young master."

Hearing about Han San, Zhang Yunxiu asked again: "Did he bring all the people back?"

"We brought back most of them, more than a hundred boatmen in total."

"Yes." Zhang Yunxiu nodded and said, "Today is the New Year, let's prepare some delicious food for those boatmen. When next spring comes, let them work hard for us."

"Don't worry, I have arranged everything." Zhang Fu replied quickly.

"I don't worry about your work."

Zhang Yunxiu asked him to put down the gift and sit down, and said with some emotion, "At this time last year, we were still in Jiangling. I didn't expect that this year we would be celebrating the New Year in Beijing."

"All this is due to the support of the young master. If it weren't for you, we wouldn't be as successful as we are today." Zhang Fu grinned and flattered Zhang Yunxiu.

Being a butler in Jiangling is not as comfortable as being a butler in the capital.

Although there is You Qi above him, he is also a well-known figure in the shops of all sizes in Beijing.

"Okay, stop flattering me and go help, so as not to delay our important work tonight." Zhang Yunxiu smiled and urged.

"Hey, good."

Zhang Fu responded, stood up, and walked out of the house quickly.

After a while, the sky was completely dark, and the lights in the residence of Grand Secretary Zhang were bright, just like daytime. In the huge dining hall, the Zhang family members were already sitting neatly according to their seats.

The person sitting in the first seat was Zhang Juzheng.

On his left sat Zhang Jingxiu, his wife Gao, and his eldest grandson Zhang Chonghui, and on his right sat Zhang Sixiu's wife Li.
On the left is Zhang Maoxiu and his wife He Yun
Zhang Yunxiu stood next to his fourth brother and took a look at his third brother, who was the top scholar. He could only describe him in four words.

"Unruly"

As the bell rang, Zhang Jingxiu stood up first, followed by Zhang Yunxiu and others. Then they raised their glasses and congratulated Zhang Juzheng, saying, "We wish our father good health and a long life."

After saying that, he tilted his head back and drank it in one gulp.

Zhang Juzheng waved his hand, motioning everyone to sit down, then stood up and spoke some words of encouragement to everyone.

When it was Zhang Yunxiu's turn, Zhang Juzheng glared at him and snorted with a stern face: "Study hard and don't waste your best years." "I will follow my father's orders." Zhang Yunxiu replied with a smile.

Although it was a respectful statement, Zhang Juzheng always felt a little awkward when it came from Zhang Yunxiu's mouth.

At this time, Zhang Jingxiu came to the rescue and said, "Father, hurry up and use your chopsticks, or the food will get cold."

Zhang Juzheng nodded and waved his hand, and everyone dared to pick up their chopsticks.

After three rounds of wine, five flavors of food.

Zhang Yunzheng and Zhang Jianxiu were talking in low voices. Suddenly, Zhang Maoxiu stood up and suggested with a smile, "Today is a rare good season, and it is snowing heavily. Why don't we improvise a poem to take advantage of the snow?"

"It seems that my third brother has been prepared for this." Zhang Jingxiu joked with a smile.

Zhang Maoxiu smiled and cast an inquiring look at Zhang Juzheng, who nodded slightly.

"The snow falls silently in the long night, and the cold wind blows with a desolate heart.

The mountains and rivers are beautiful in a blanket of silver, and I walk alone in the snow to look for plum blossoms."

Zhang Maoxiu thought about the outline in his mind for a while and then hummed it aloud.

Everyone pondered for a moment, and Zhang Jingxiu stood up first and said, "The lingering rhythm of snow enters my heart, and the cold wind blows on my face, and my heart is clear. The mountains and rivers are covered in silver, and the sky and the earth are full of poetry."

Zhang Sixiu continued: "The snow falls silently, and my thoughts drift. The cold wind blows hard, and my heart is uneasy. I look for the past in the vast whiteness, and when I look back, the past has turned to ice."

When it was Zhang Jianxiu's turn, he stammered and squeezed out four sentences.

"The snow dances lightly between heaven and earth, and the silver petals fly and fall endlessly. The cold wind blows the plum blossoms beautifully, one by one. The ice heart is in the jade pot."

"Hahaha"

Zhang Yunxiu couldn't help laughing out loud.

The others couldn't help laughing, and Zhang Jianxiu stiffened his neck and replied, "What's the big deal? We can just borrow his words. What's wrong with that?"

As soon as he finished speaking, all eyes fell on Zhang Yunxiu.

Zhang Yunxiu stood up, frowned, and pondered for a long time before speaking loudly to the crowd:

"The scenery of the northern country is frozen for thousands of miles, and snow drifts for thousands of miles.

Looking inside and outside the Great Wall, there is only wilderness; the great river has lost its roaring sound
I regret that Emperor Qin and Han Wu were slightly less talented in literature; Emperor Zong of Tang and Song Dynasty were slightly less elegant.

Genghis Khan, a generation of Tianjiao, only knew how to bow and shoot big eagles.

All are gone, a few romantic figures, but also look at the present. "

After hearing this, several people widened their eyes and were stunned.

Zhang Juzheng was so angry that his face turned red. He slammed the table and cursed: "How dare you, a rebellious son, write such a rebellious poem?!"

Anti-poetry?

When this big hat was put on, Zhang Yunxiu was stunned.

"Who do you think you are? How dare you comment on emperors of all dynasties? How many heads do you have?!" Zhang Juzheng said while suppressing his anger.

hiss.
Zhang Yunxiu broke out in a cold sweat. Fortunately, today was a family dinner, otherwise if he was caught by the censor, there was a real possibility that he would be made into a crime.

He thought for a moment and explained the meaning: "This poem is not written for myself, but to praise our Emperor Wanli, whose great achievements are comparable to those of the Qin Emperor and Han Emperor."

After this explanation, Zhang Juzheng's expression eased slightly.

He pondered the sentence, "All the past is gone, and the heroes of today are still to be seen." He felt a sense of resonance in his heart.

Yes, Lü Wang, Zhou Gong, and Yi Yin were all passing clouds. People today are definitely better than the ancients.

A simple admonition and the matter was over.

After this little episode, the New Year's Eve dinner gradually came to an end. As soon as Zhang Juzheng left the table, Zhang Yunxiu and his friends also left in a hurry.

(End of this chapter)