Ming Dynasty: My Father Zhang Juzheng

Chapter 97: Applying to the world
That night, after washing up, Xu Guangqi sat at the table in a single piece of clothing, reading an ancient book in his hand with the help of a lamp. On it were four big characters written: "Qimin Yaoshu".

The book was written by Jia Sixie and mainly records the agricultural production in the middle and lower reaches of the Yellow River.

Xu Guangqi grew up in the fields and has been very interested in agriculture since he was a child.

He flipped through the pages of "Qimin Yaoshu" until they began to fade, and at the same time, a bold idea came to his mind.

Gather the achievements of predecessors and write a book that surpasses "Qimin Yaoshu".

As he thought about it, he felt a warm feeling in his heart.

Suddenly, a cold wind blew in and Xu Guangqi shivered.

Mrs. Xu happened to walk in from outside. Seeing her husband curled up like a quail, she couldn't help laughing and said, "Look at you. It's cold, don't you know to wear more clothes?"

"It's not cold." Xu Guangqi said stubbornly.

Madam Xu smiled and shook her head, closed the door, sat down next to Xu Guangqi, stared into his eyes and asked: "Today, the son of the Prime Minister came to invite you personally, why didn't you agree to it?"

"There is no such thing as a free lunch in this world."

"But he's the son of the Prime Minister. If you hook up with him, your future will be different." Madam Xu held her husband's arm and advised him earnestly, "As the saying goes, the Prime Minister's retainer is a seventh-rank official. Many people want to find this opportunity, but they may not be able to find it."

"Wait a little longer. If I fail the next exam, it won't be too late to go again." Xu Guangqi smiled helplessly.

"I can wait, but I'm afraid others can't."

Mrs. Xu curled her lips, obviously dissatisfied with her husband's answer. Xu Guangqi shook his head and replied, "If that noble young man really can't wait, then that's our fate. It means that this is our destiny."

"Haha. Are you starting to believe in fate now?"

"Besides that, I can't find any other convenient reason."

The couple exchanged words for a while, and Mrs. Xu suddenly hugged her husband's neck with both hands, breathing sweetly and saying, "Husband, last night you said tonight, huh?"

"You...you go and have a rest first. I'll read for a while." Xu Guangqi couldn't help but sweat on his forehead.

"Still pretending! You're holding the book upside down!"

"what!"

The next morning, Zhang Yunxiu came to visit again.

Xu Guangqi was afraid that he would really come to disturb him all the time, so he simply said what he was thinking: "If you really value me, please go back first and wait for me to pass the exam. Whether I pass or not, I will go to the capital to find you, and then I will let you command me."

"Alright," Zhang Yunxiu smiled and replied, "In that case, then I wish you, Brother Xu, success in the imperial examinations and the chance to see the world in one day."

"I appreciate your kind words, young master."

Xu Guangqi bowed and smiled, and asked Zhang Yunxiu to sit down and drink tea. Zhang Yunxiu smiled and shook his head: "No need to drink tea, we have something else to do, so we won't stay here any longer. I just hope that Brother Xu will not break your promise when the time comes."

After saying that, he took Han San and walked out of the small hall quickly.

Xu Guangqi trotted forward a few steps and sent Zhang Yunxiu to the door before turning back.

After leaving Xu's house, Han San's face was dark, and he gritted his teeth and said, "Master, you just spoiled that guy too much. If you hand him over to me, I will beat him up first. If he doesn't obey, I will beat him up again to make sure he obeys."

Zhang Yunxiu laughed out loud and said jokingly, "This is what it means when a scholar meets a soldier. Even if he is right, he can't explain it clearly."

"I'm not good at talking. Since you can't convince me with reason, just ignore me and I'll be rude." Han San smiled flatteringly.

He smiled and shook his head, then ran towards Huating County.

On the way back, Zhang Yunxiu sat in the carriage, and a strange thought emerged in his mind: what if he agreed to go to the capital with him now?

If he changed his personality after being influenced by me, wouldn't the Ming Dynasty lose a treasure?
The Ming Dynasty is not short of people who want to be officials, but it lacks people who are capable of serving the country.

read more, walk more.

Zhang Yunxiu thought of his father Zhang Juzheng, who passed the "Tongzi Exam" at the age of twelve and became a student on government academy scholarship. He then took part in the provincial examination, but was suppressed by the then governor Gu Lin.

What Gu Lin was thinking was, how crazy would a person be if he passed the imperial examination before the age of thirteen?

So with a stroke of the pen, Zhang Juzheng was eliminated.

Afterwards, Zhang Juzheng did not blame the iron-faced governor, but was extremely grateful to him.

Zhang Juzheng himself once said that if it were not for the pressure from Governor Gu Lin, he would probably have become a "romantic talent" like Tang Yin.

"Forget it, why think so far ahead? Everything depends on human efforts. Let's just get through this difficult time first." Zhang Yunxiu murmured with a smile, closed his eyes, and leaned against the wall of the carriage.

As the carriage swayed as it moved, he slowly fell asleep.

the other side.

Just after noon, Zhu Ling led Xu Ruoxi into the women's hall, followed by a beautiful young woman who was about twenty-five or twenty-six years old.

That was Zhang Jingxiu's wife, Gao Lan. Because women rarely come into contact with men before they get married, Zhang Jingxiu brought his wife along for convenience.

It is always much more convenient for women to talk together than for men to talk together.

Several people sat down in order, and Zhu Ling took the lead in introducing each other: "This is the wife of Zhang, Mrs. Zhang, and this is our little sister. What do you think?"

Xu Ruoxi stood up and bowed. Gao Lan smiled and replied, "Sister, you are so pretty. You look like someone in a painting. If I were a man, I would be fascinated by you at first sight."

"Ruoxi. Ruoxi is not as good as what my madam said." Xu Ruoxi's cheeks were flushed and she replied softly with her head tilted.

It wouldn't matter if she wasn't shy, but once she was shy, the snow-white skin and the blush intertwined, making her even more beautiful.

Gao Lan nodded repeatedly, thinking to herself, "This woman has a gentle temper and a dignified appearance. She's a good wife. But she's a little soft-tempered. Old Five is always in a rush. It's interesting to see them get married."

Seeing the atmosphere getting dull, Zhu Ling on the side said with a smile: "Madam Zhang, my sister is not only beautiful, but also proficient in music, chess, calligraphy, painting, and women's work. Only the son of the Prime Minister can marry our precious girl."

Gao Lan didn't comment, but suddenly asked with a smile, "Little sister, have you ever seen our Wulang?"

"I have seen it," Zhu Ling smiled and answered first, "That day, Wu Lang, Zhang and my husband were discussing something in the living room. I took my younger sister and hid behind the curtain and took a sneak peek."

"How is it?" Gao Lan looked at Xu Ruoxi and asked anxiously.

Xu Ruoxi sat upright and answered nervously, "Mr. Zhang has an easy-going temperament and excellent conversation skills. Looking at him, I feel a little ashamed and dare not make any further comments."

Having said that, she felt that Zhang Yunxiu was different from ordinary scholars.

Although ordinary scholars like money and material things, at least they will not show it.

Or maybe he wouldn't be so anxious. He came to pay tribute to his grandfather and also talked about business with his brother.

Gao Lan, who was standing by, understood Zhang Yunxiu's unruly nature and knew that Xu Ruoxi was only concerned about her reputation, so she smiled and tried to smooth things over: "Wu Lang. Wu Lang's temper is a little different, but don't worry, as long as you enter our house, he will definitely treat you very well."

"Ah."

Xu Ruoxi nodded slightly.

Zhu Ling, who was standing by, followed suit to liven up the atmosphere. She looked at Gao Lan, pointed at Xu Ruoxi and joked, "Our little sister is very stubborn. Now that we're a family, she still calls him Young Master Zhang. Ruoxi, tell me, what should you call Zhang Yunxiu?"

"No. Aren't we not married yet?" Xu Ruoxi blushed to her ears.

"It's only been a matter of one or two years. Why are you so shy?" Gao Lan clapped her hands and joked, "How about we bring Wu Lang here so that you two can see each other face to face?"

"How can that be possible?" Xu Ruoxi was so anxious that her nose was sweating. She waved her hands and refused, "I'm not ready yet. Sisters, please forgive me."

"cluck"

The two girls were laughing so hard that they were bent over, while Xu Ruoxi, who was standing beside them, tilted her head with a shy look on her face.

After a while, Zhu Ling and Gao Lan stopped smiling, and they looked at each other with a tacit understanding.

Gao Lan stood up, walked to Xu Ruoxi, and said softly: "Sister, don't worry, as long as you enter our house, no one will dare to bully you.

You can just be your wife peacefully, and then have two big fat boys with Wu Lang, and your life will naturally be prosperous."

"Thank you, sister-in-law."

"Look, you're still being polite to us." Gao Lan looked at Zhu Ling and said jokingly.

"Our sister is like this, and I'm afraid she won't change in a short time." Zhu Ling replied with a smile, and then told the maid to take Gao Lan downstairs to rest.

That evening, Zhang Yunxiu returned to the Xu family residence.

As soon as he opened the door, he was called by Zhang Jingxiu and his wife.

The three of them sat down according to their seats. Gao Lan smiled and said, "Wu Lang, your sister-in-law has helped you to look for the girl from the Xu family today. She is pretty and has a good personality. You will be blessed in the future if you marry her."

Zhang Yunxiu didn't care much about her appearance, he only cared about how much dowry the Xu family could give to this girl.

Glancing at his brother and sister-in-law, Zhang Yunxiu said seriously, "Sister-in-law, marry a virtuous woman instead of a pretty one. We don't care what she looks like. As long as she treats us sincerely, we will not let her down."

Gao Lan was stunned and looked up at her husband unconsciously.

Zhang Jingxiu straightened his back and looked at his wife with a proud look on his face, as if to say - this is the family education and cultivation of our family.

"It's great that Wulang thinks this way." Zhang Jingxiu straightened his clothes and said loudly, "The Xu family and our family have this inexplicable fate, and this time we are even closer. In the future, you and Miss Xu must support each other."

"Yes, Wu Lang, you must not do something like favoring a concubine and abandoning your wife." Gao Lan thought of something and advised earnestly, "We know that women out there are wild and have many tricks. There is no cat in the world that doesn't steal fish."

"Ahem, ma'am, there's no need to say more. Wulang knows the seriousness of this matter." Zhang Jingxiu's face became serious and he interrupted with a wave of his hand.

"You don't even know the severity of the matter, how could he know?" Gao Lan was unconvinced. Before she could say anything else, Zhang Yunxiu used the excuse of going to the bathroom to avoid the little quarrel between the couple.

(End of this chapter)