Uncle from a poor family

Chapter 310 Unavoidable
Li Zisheng left the Qianqing Palace in a good mood.

On the one hand, the emperor gave him the power to appoint and dismiss local officials and asked him to preside over this matter... This meant that his power was further enhanced and he would have the opportunity to make a lot of money, so he could be said to have both power and wealth.

Then he helped Zhang Luan to find a new official position, giving Zhang Luan the opportunity to transform from a "typist" who compiled storybooks to a prince's teacher serving in the Eastern Palace.

Li Zisheng felt very happy at the thought of being able to show off in front of Zhang Luan, demonstrate his ability and trust, and let Zhang Luan do more things for him.

"Master Li, is the person who offered the prescription really Zhang Hanlin?"

asked Tan Chang who had chased out from the hall at the back.

"Don't say it, don't say it."

Li Zisheng turned around and waved his hand with a smile.

I even hid it from the Emperor, and you still want me to tell you?
You, Qin Chang, take yourself too seriously!
"hehe."

Qin Chang smiled bitterly and said, "What about Shi Qin? I wonder how you plan to deal with him? Now he and his family have been imprisoned. Your Majesty intends to exile them to the northwest immediately."

Li Zisheng asked curiously, "He has not been involved in any crime of corruption or abuse of power, nor has he failed to return the stolen money, so why should his family be implicated?"

Qin Chang said: "This is the order of His Majesty himself. After all, he roared in front of the king and behaved improperly. Even if he suffered, it was his own fault... The women in his house can be sent to you now."

As he spoke, Qin Chang's face was full of ambiguity.

Li Zisheng immediately raised his hand to interrupt Tan Chang: "I would not do such an immoral thing... Shi Qin and I just had a disagreement on the matter of treating your majesty, and it was far from a life-and-death battle. The reason why I have the upper hand now is just that the prescription I presented worked, but who knows how long this effect will last? Your majesty will need a famous doctor to treat him next... It's better to make a big deal out of a small one and give a big warning to him with a small punishment."

"Master Li repays evil with kindness. As the saying goes, a prime minister can hold a boat in his stomach. I admire him!"

Qin Chang did not expect Li Zisheng to be so magnanimous. While he admired him, he also suspected that he was trying to win people's hearts. He immediately said with a fake smile: "In that case, I will go back and report to His Majesty and see what His Majesty decides!
"Master Li, please take care. We'll see you later."

Li Zisheng nodded and walked away.

……

……

That night.

Bright lights.

The sound of stringed instruments.

"Laizhan, do you think my service this time is reasonable?"

The Li Mansion's Villa.

Li Zisheng invited Zhang Luan to a private banquet, during which he directly told him that he was helping Zhang Luan to seek an official position.

Zhang Luan seemed very surprised and asked, "Are we getting promoted now?"

“It’s not really a promotion.”

Li Zisheng thought for a moment and said, "It's just that you returned to your original position as the Minister of the Honglu Temple from the Junior Minister of the Taichang Temple. You were given a real position, plus the part-time job as the Prince's Groom. Tsk tsk...

"Of course, your main job is still to be the historian of the Imperial Academy, but your rank has been promoted from historian to the Prince's Groom, a fifth-rank official.

"A fifth-rank official in the Zhanshi Mansion is high enough, right?"

"Very good, very good..."

Zhang Luan kept rubbing his hands, not knowing whether it was because the weather was getting colder after nightfall or because he was too excited.

He had lost his job as the Minister of the Ministry of Rites, which made him feel depressed for a long time. Now that he got it back, he felt a sense of relief as if he had regained something he had lost.

Li Zisheng continued, "More importantly, you have successfully entered the Eastern Palace... But according to the schedule, you will not enter the palace too many times a month. After all, you also know that you are the father-in-law of the crown prince. When the emperor is still alive, you can't get too close to the crown prince to avoid gossip."

Zhang Luan said: "I understand, I understand."

Obviously, he was also very clear about one thing, which was that the emperor was somewhat wary of him, his father-in-law, the crown prince.

The Crown Prince's father-in-law serves in the East Palace?
This is equivalent to giving the father-in-law and son-in-law more opportunities to plot and plan. If the prince wants to do something, it may lead to political instability.

To put it bluntly, the emperor was afraid that the father-in-law and son-in-law would plan rebellion or regicide.

Of course this is the most extreme case.

Zhang Luan himself was also wondering, with the prince's soft and soft personality, he didn't know what the emperor was worried about?
"Laizhan, I have to explain to you that these are not rewards for treating your majesty's illness." Li Zisheng said, "Your majesty asked me in person who prescribed the medicine, and I said that I had made a promise to someone and could not tell him clearly. Your majesty was very considerate of this matter and did not ask any more questions."

Zhang Luan was drinking, but when he heard this, he stopped and stared at Li Zisheng in a daze: "Your Majesty didn't ask any more questions?"

"Yes."

Li Zisheng had a frightened expression on his face and nodded repeatedly, "I am a man of my word. I won't tell you if I say I won't tell you. Even if someone holds a knife to my neck, I will keep my mouth shut... Do you think I told you all this for nothing?"

"That is indeed... rare!"

Zhang Luan was very embarrassed.

Li Zisheng smiled and said, "Your Majesty knows that if you get to the bottom of everything, who will treat him? The Imperial Hospital actually impeached me this time, and someone even attacked me in front of your Majesty. The judge, named Shi Qin, kept attacking me and was sent to the Imperial Prison by your Majesty.

"This time your medicine worked wonders. His Majesty's condition improved rapidly. The unfortunate Shi Qin was punished and sent to the northwest to guard the border. Even his family members were confiscated."

Zhang Luan was speechless: "This..."

"I never bear grudges."

Li Zisheng saw what Zhang Luan wanted to say, so he spoke first, "Now that things have come to this, I have already gained the upper hand. Why should I keep holding on to the opponent's pigtails? Let Your Majesty punish him. After all, you also mentioned that some things are irreversible, so it is better for us to make fewer enemies."

Zhang Luan's eyes widened, speechless, thinking, did you really remember what I said? Do you really believe that everything I said is true?
Li Zisheng asked: "Look at me, I am now devoted to His Majesty and the Crown Prince, right?"

"Yes."

Zhang Luan nodded in agreement.

"Laizhan, if I help you now, I am actually helping myself, so you don't need to be too grateful to me. On the contrary... I need you to speak more kindly to the prince."

Li Zisheng turned to a pleading tone and said, "Recently, Concubine Shao has sent people to contact me frequently, but I have always refused to meet them. You should know the specific reason, right?"

"Ah."

Zhang Luan held the wine glass but was reluctant to drink.

After all, Li Zisheng was so focused on talking that he didn't even drink. He couldn't just sit there drinking by himself, right?

Li Zisheng said: "I treat you as a national hero, and I hope you can repay me. In the future, I don't ask for everything in the court to be decided by me like today, but I just want... to live a peaceful and stable life. Lai Zhan, are you willing to help me?"

"It's natural."

Zhang Luan said firmly, "Minister Li, you have helped me time and again, and I am grateful to you. I am never an ungrateful person. No matter what happens in the future, I will regard Minister Li as my guide in the officialdom."

Li Zisheng then smiled and poured wine for Zhang Luan: "This sounds very kind. From now on, we brothers will be united and our strength will be invincible. Brother Lai Zhan, if you have anything to say to the lecture class in the East Palace, just tell me. If anyone offends you, just say a word and I will make him pay for it.

"Even if he is a Hanlin scholar, he is not as important as you in my eyes."

Zhang Luan thought, this sounds so kind, but why do I feel murderous? I am a Hanlin editor, not even a tutor or lecturer, how can I be qualified to challenge those bachelors?

If this is true, will I still have a place in the Hanlin Academy in the future?

Forget it, forget it. I'd better not have this relationship. It's better to be an honest person than to be slandered as a core member of Li's party. I hope I won't be implicated by Li Zisheng in the future.

……

……

Zhang Luan did not return home again that night.

He came back early in the morning, drunk, and sat on a rattan chair in his yard, grinning foolishly.

When Jin came out and saw her husband looking stupid, she got angry, but she couldn't do anything about her husband now, so she snorted coldly and turned back to the house.

It was almost time for breakfast when Zhang Heling stretched and left the room, but there was no sign of Zhang Yanling.

"Dad? You're sitting here again? You're just like the second brother, always having a mental disorder for no reason... I really don't understand you two." Zhang Heling picked up the toiletries beside him, took a look but didn't want to rinse his mouth and wash his face. In his opinion, it was too troublesome.

Zhang Luan asked, "Where's your brother? He's not at home, is he?"

"here I am."

Zhang Heling said, "It was already past midnight, and when I got up at night, I saw the light in his room was still on. Maybe he stayed up too late and couldn't get up in the morning."

"My son has worked so hard."

Zhang Luan sighed.

"Dad, isn't it hard for me? I have to get up to pee in the middle of the night... Why do I feel so shabby when you say that?"

Zhang Heling said.

Zhang Luan rolled his eyes at his eldest son, as if he was too lazy to scold him. He shook his head and said, "I said your brother has been working so hard for this family. He didn't sleep at night, so he must be organizing the manuscripts... Forget it, let my son rest for a while. I'll ask your mother to prepare some delicious dishes for him."

Zhang Heling curled his lips: "Preparing food so early in the morning? It won't kill him."

Zhang Luan said, "Big brother, if you are a talkative person, just stop talking. Talking too much will only bring shame upon yourself. As long as you stay with your second brother, even if you don't say anything, others will treat you as a top person. Do you remember what your father said?"

"cut!"

Zhang Heling said disdainfully: "Dad, you actually make being a follower sound so refreshing and refined. You have no shame, but I still have some..."

"You're itchy again, aren't you?"

Zhang Luan stood up and glared at him. If he hadn't been drunk and weak, he would have picked up the broom in the yard and chased after Zhang Heling to beat him.

Zhang Heling shrank his neck and ran back to the house, just in time to avoid the annoying rinsing of mouth and washing of face.

……

……

Not long after, Zhang Yanling also got up.

Zhang Luan personally went over to help pass the towel, looking very attentive.

"Dad, do you have anything for me to do?"

For a moment, Zhang Yanling couldn't adapt to Zhang Luan's enthusiasm.

"No, I just think you are too capable."

Zhang Luan said, "Even the Imperial Hospital couldn't cure the disease, but after you prescribed a medicine, His Majesty's condition improved significantly... My son, how did you do it? Why didn't I see before that you are so good at treating diseases?"

Zhang Yanling frowned slightly.

When it comes to wielding power and playing tricks, that's really not his specialty.

Of course, the time traveler has a unique advantage, that is, he grew up in an era of information explosion and has a wide range of channels to acquire knowledge. This also allows him to understand all aspects of the murky officialdom in the late Chenghua period, and use this to plan and survive.

But if we talk about his expertise...it must be curing diseases and saving lives.

I'm a fucking PhD in traditional Chinese medicine, and I know so many prescriptions by heart. Regardless of whether they are useful or not, and regardless of who is criticizing or praising traditional Chinese medicine, let's not compare it with Western medicine. Just compare it with a group of old-fashioned ancient Chinese medicine practitioners. I can be said to have the advantage of knowledge, right?
"Oh, that might be a coincidence."

Zhang Yanling had an indifferent expression.

Zhang Luan smiled and asked, "Who did you learn this from? I've always wanted to meet the master behind you... As a father, I know that there may not be such a master. Maybe the knowledge was given to you by God. I think you are a deity who has come down to earth and is blessed by the gods... But you have to tell me the truth."

Zhang Yanling said, "There's nothing much to say... Dad, can I show you the books I read before?"

Zhang Luan asked, "So you can read ten lines at a glance and remember everything you see?"

"hehe."

Zhang Yanling didn't dare to say that.

If he nodded in agreement, and Zhang Luan insisted on taking the book and asking him to verify it on the spot, then he would be exposed. It would be better for him to be sincere.

"Dad, why do you think so much?"

Zhang Yanling said, "Someone from the palace came yesterday and asked me to make a few more mirrors and send them to the East Palace... My sister wants to use the mirrors to go around the palace for the prince and build up connections."

"Son, you are so thoughtful. You have planned everything for your sister."

At this point, Zhang Luan could not help but tell the good news, "My father has been promoted to Prince Xima in the Zhanshi Mansion, and His Majesty has returned my position as the Minister of the Honglu Temple to me. From now on, I will have a few days every month to go to the East Palace to meet your brother-in-law in person. My father has finally made it through."

Zhang Yanling frowned and asked, "Why is it promoted so quickly?"

Zhang Luan said: "Li Zisheng said that when the emperor asked him who gave him the prescription, he kept his mouth shut and didn't say a word... Therefore, his promotion was not due to my treatment."

Zhang Yanling shook his head: "Father, please don't think His Majesty is too stupid... Does His Majesty have no knowledge or judgment on this matter? Most likely His Majesty has already guessed that the person who offered the prescription was you, but he just didn't point it out to you in person."

"what?"

Zhang Luan was very surprised, "Li Zisheng...he lied to me?"

"He didn't lie to you. He certainly didn't say that. Otherwise, he wouldn't have boasted to you so proudly. But his majesty wanted to promote you, and he didn't object. This indirectly confirmed your majesty's judgment." Zhang Yanling said, "If your majesty's illness relapses next, you will see. The matter of seeking medicine will continue."

Zhang Luan said: "I just asked for medicine, it's okay."

Zhang Yanling sighed, "I'm afraid that the next step is to ask you to enter the palace to diagnose His Majesty, and you have to be at the forefront. Do you want to be the director of the Imperial Hospital?"

"Son, don't scare your father."

Zhang Luan said, "I am the Minister of the Honglu Temple, and I am going to work as a director of the Imperial Hospital? I am just bored! At worst, the next time Li Zisheng comes to ask for medicine, I will just refuse."

Zhang Yanling said, "You don't have to refuse so directly. Dad, you rose to power by curing smallpox. You may not be able to avoid curing His Majesty's illness...

"If you can diagnose His Majesty while keeping your identity and position secret, and indirectly help the Crown Prince gain a reputation for filial piety... that's not a bad idea!"

(End of this chapter)