Uncle from a poor family

Chapter 332: Mistaking the Wrong Person

Zhang Luan saw Chen Gui off and felt worried about the tributes filling the yard.

"How long do I have to sell all these things? Even if I sell one mirror for every pair I buy... won't the mirrors just become cheap goods sold on the street?"

Zhang Luan looked very depressed.

"If I had known this would happen, I shouldn't have agreed to that damn job. It's simply a life-threatening mistake. Humph, it's all Li Zisheng who caused me trouble. I'll definitely settle the score with him later."

Zhang Luan sat there and felt sorry for himself for a long time.

Chang Shun came in and asked, "Master, look, should we move these things to the warehouse? It's not convenient for us to go into the inner courtyard..."

Zhang Luan waved his hand and said, "Put it here for now. When my son comes back, I'll discuss it with him and then decide."

"Yes, yes, then wait for the second young master to come back."

Chang Shun is a smart man.

He knows who has the final say in the Zhang family now.

As a well-known gossip in the alleys of Beijing, and also a broker who is well versed in the ways of the world, he has a clear understanding of the personnel structure of the Zhang family and the importance of each family member.

As far as the Zhang family is concerned, what the second young master Zhang says is the most effective!

……

……

In the afternoon, the Zhang brothers came back from outside.

Zhang Heling looked at the things in the yard and asked excitedly, "Dad, you got another reward from the court? Why are you still so sad?"

"If there's anything good in here, give me some."

Zhang Yanling pouted and then said with a smile: "If you take any of them, you will be beheaded... If you dare to take them, watch out for your head."

"What?"

Zhang Heling looked confused.

Zhang Luan glanced at his youngest son, then glared at his eldest son and shouted, "You are right, brother. These are tributes. His Majesty sent them to me to sell.

"Do you see the Jinyiwei at the door? Now this is the warehouse of the Ming Dynasty's inner court. If people want to buy something, they have to come here and choose whatever they want. Don't you think this is rare?"

Zhang Heling was annoyed and said dissatisfiedly: "Even if the money is sold, it won't belong to our family. Why bother? You take all the work on your family. I don't know what you are thinking..."

After saying this, Zhang Heling went to the inner courtyard with a dull look on his face.

Zhang Luan took Zhang Yanling to the central hall and showed his son the thing on the table that looked like colored glass.

"Dad, this is called crystal. It's pure natural and its texture is similar to glass."

Zhang Yanling knew what it was after a few glances. In later generations, this thing was mostly used as a raw material for high-purity quartz, and was also used to make piezoelectric materials and oscillators and amplifiers for precision instruments. He asked curiously, "Is this also on the tribute list?"

Zhang Luan shook his head and said, "It's not on the list. Eunuch Chen said it was presented by Deng Changen. It's called Huangshan Mica... Isn't that pure nonsense? Huangshan Mica is a name you invented. Isn't it just colored glaze?"

Zhang Yanling smiled and said, "Deng Chang'en has not had much presence in the court recently... It is said that he is about to lose his position as Minister of the Ministry of Rites. He may be trying his best to attract the attention of His Majesty and save his precarious career."

Zhang Luan asked, "You mean, Deng Changen wants to invent a telescope, gain merit from the emperor, and reverse the current slump?"

"This one could be pretty big!"

Zhang Yanling said seriously.

"No wonder. I was wondering why this thing was not included in the tribute list. It seems that old guy Chen Gui is playing a trick on me? Deng Changen gave the thing to him and asked him to test me and ask me if I have Huangshan mica, and then let me help him make a telescope?" Zhang Luan frowned.

Zhang Yanling picked up the natural crystal and looked at it. He said, "It's pure enough, but its light transmittance is not good. If I use it to make a telescope, it will become a mess. It's not a suitable material."

"What if we give him some telescopes?"

Zhang Luan asked curiously.

"If I give it to him, he will say that I made it with his Huangshan Mica. He must have more crystals in his hands, and then he will force me to continue making it for him... After all, I have said before that Huangshan Mica is a unique treasure in the world. If I don't obey him, I will be deceiving the king!"

Zhang Yanling analyzed the possibilities.

Zhang Luan cursed: "Chen Gui, I thought he was an honest man, but it turns out he was in cahoots with Deng Changen? I misjudged him!
"Don't worry, son. I will continue to play dumb and say that I have never seen any Huangshan mica! Humph, you want to trick me into doing something? No way!"

……

……

That night.

Deng Chang'en personally visited Chen Gui's house and brought generous gifts, which seemed solemn and formal.

Chen Gui is no longer the same person he used to be. He is already considering changing his house. After all, as the second-in-command of the Imperial Household Department, he has actual control over all matters related to the palace's expenses. Being rich and powerful, he naturally wants to improve his quality of life.

"Eunuch Chen, I wonder if the Huangshan mica has been delivered to Zhang Luan?"

Deng Chang'en asked tentatively.

Chen Gui said with disdain: "You still call him by his first name? You should change it. After all, he is the Minister of the Honglu Temple of our Ming Dynasty."

Deng Chang'en looked extremely awkward.

I was thinking to myself, I am a Minister of Taichang Temple, at least a third-rank official, so why can't I call out the name of someone whose rank is lower than mine?
"Yes, it was delivered."

After answering Deng Changen's question, Chen Gui added, "But Mr. Zhang said that he has never seen any Huangshan mica, so he naturally doesn't know whether what you sent is real."

"What? He said he had never seen it? Humph, the telescope was obviously invented by him! Why are you pretending?"

Deng Changen said dissatisfiedly.

Chen Gui glanced at him and said solemnly, "We should speak with evidence! Besides, making telescopes is a great thing for our Ming Dynasty, which is beneficial to the border war. Even His Majesty agrees with this move, which is a manifestation of meritorious service. Why shouldn't Lord Zhang admit it?"

Deng Chang'en frowned and thought for a while, then analyzed, "Do you think it could be like this... Liang Fang and Wei Xing were in power before, and he helped the crown prince plan to make a telescope, which won the favor of His Majesty, but he was afraid that Liang and Wei would know the inside story, so he refused to acknowledge it."

"Oh, I see."

Chen Gui had a mocking look on his face and asked, "It's completely understandable that he didn't acknowledge it at that time, but why would he deny it now?"

Deng Changen continued to use his imagination and said, "Do you think it is possible that... He said before that Huangshan mica is unique in the world. Now that a new one has suddenly appeared, it is very likely that he has committed the crime of deceiving the emperor, so now he is unwilling to build a telescope again?"

"hehe."

Chen Gui smiled perfunctorily and said, "Master Deng, you are very smart and can analyze things to find the solution. I really admire you. But even if everything is as you said, if he just doesn't recognize it, what can I do? Can I force him to build a telescope?"

"Uh……"

Deng Chang'en could tell Chen Gui's tone was not good, so he said, "If you can help me complete this task, I can give you five thousand taels of silver anytime."

"How many?"

"Five thousand taels."

Deng Changen emphasized it again. Chen Gui said with emotion: "You Taoists are rich. You can easily come up with five thousand taels of silver. But then again, I have no way to deal with this matter. I can understand Master Deng's desire to share His Majesty's worries and make a telescope that benefits the country and the people, but we can't force him."

Deng Changen gritted his teeth and said, "Not only will I give you money, I will also share the credit with you...you can report it!"

"Oh."

Chen Gui nodded first, then shook his head solemnly, "I've already said it before, this is difficult to do. Let me go back and ask around... It's really hot recently, it's not even the dog days of summer, but I'm sweating all over. I can't even go out for a walk. It's really excruciating."

Deng Chang'en heard the implication in the words and hurriedly said, "Five thousand taels of silver after the event, not a tael less, and I will give you five hundred taels of silver in advance as a reward for your hard work."

Chen Gui smiled and said, "As expected of Master Deng, you are very reasonable. Okay, I will keep an eye on this matter for you, but if it fails... you can't blame me."

"No, no."

Deng Chang'en agreed verbally but cursed in his heart, "You, Chen Gui, are really like a monkey that becomes king when there is no tiger in the mountain. Your ability is far inferior to Liang Fang and Wei Xing."

If I am favored by His Majesty again, I will show you how I will deal with you!
……

……

In the Qianqing Palace.

Zhu Jianshen sat on the edge of the couch, looking half dead.

Li Zisheng, Qin Chang and Wei Tai stood aside, while the Imperial Medical Bureau's Director Zhang Yuan personally diagnosed the emperor's pulse. There was also a person standing next to him. It was Liu Wentai, who had just been released from the imperial prison and looked a little depressed.

Previously, Liu Wentai was imprisoned for offending the emperor in the palace. Later, Zhang Yuan and others jointly recommended him, saying that the palace could not do without Liu Wentai, a backbone of the business. The emperor allowed him to be released, paid a certain amount of silver to redeem his caning, and reinstated him.

"Your Majesty, your body is fine, but... your condition... seems to have gotten a little worse."

When Zhang Yuan said this, he couldn't help but glance towards Li Zisheng.

The person that people in the Imperial Hospital fear the most now is Li Zisheng. Who knows if this old guy will target people in the Imperial Hospital again next?

When speaking and doing things, especially when it came to the emperor's illness, they were trembling with fear and were always paying close attention to the changes in the old man's expression.

"Ah."

Zhu Jianshen responded softly.

Zhang Yuan added: "The prescription doesn't need to be changed. The main reason may be that midsummer is coming soon, and your majesty's dragon body will have... sweating and diarrhea. After autumn, everything will stabilize."

Liu Wentai added: "This is a manifestation of excessive liver fire."

Tan Chang asked hopefully, "Does that mean that your majesty is fine?"

Zhang Yuan thought, what could be the big deal?
Anyway, liver disease requires care. It is best not to exert any effort all day and just lie there every day. This way, recovery will be faster, or the process of death from the disease will be much slower.

If men from ordinary families get this disease, they certainly won't be able to rest and recuperate at home, so they will die soon.

But it’s different for the emperor. You can lie down wherever you want, and no one will care if you lie down…

So the emperor's condition was actually getting worse and worse, until it finally became unmanageable... This process was quite long, and it all depended on when it would suddenly break out.

Liu Wentai smiled and said, "Of course it's fine."

Qin Chang couldn't help but frown when he heard this.

He couldn't stand Liu Wentai's "face" and thought to himself, where is your attitude when you questioned the new drug and criticized Li Zisheng in the palace before?

After a visit to the imperial prison and being reinstated, he became so timid?
The West!

Zhu Jianshen asked: "Why don't you change the medicine?"

Zhang Yuan was stunned at first, then said helplessly: "Your Majesty, in terms of delaying the disease and reducing jaundice, the prescription presented by Minister Li seems to be very...effective.

"I and the people at the Imperial Hospital have carefully checked. Although these medicines are not specifically used to treat liver disease, when combined together, they can indeed quickly reduce jaundice."

Zhu Jianshen frowned and asked, "That is to say, you didn't use this prescription before, but you didn't even know about it?"

Now Zhang Yuan was completely speechless.

It's not that we have to give in and praise the prescription. It's just that the pressure exerted by Li Zisheng was too great, and the prescription was given to other liver disease patients... We were all waiting to see a joke, but in the end it really worked, and we couldn't criticize it even if we wanted to.

The group of people in the Imperial Hospital were known as the best in the medical field, but even if they were experts, they were still afraid of the powerful officials in the court, especially when the powerful officials were ruthless and could easily crush the group of experts in the Imperial Hospital to death...

The best option is to give in!

When Liu Wentai saw that Zhang Yuan did not answer, he knew that it was too embarrassing for the Imperial Hospital Director, so he stepped out and said, "Your Majesty, the Imperial Hospital used to have some prescriptions for treating liver diseases, especially for jaundice, but I have never heard of this prescription."

Zhu Jianshen said coldly: "You guys claim to have read all the ancient and modern medical books and have the ability to bring the dead back to life. You can prolong people's life with just a random medicine. Who would have thought that you don't even have a complete prescription for treating liver disease? If I have lung disease instead of liver disease, then you guys don't know many prescriptions for lung disease?"

The emperor was completely enraged.

I just have a liver disease, and you guys say you’re not good at treating liver disease?
It seems that as the emperor, I can handle any disease you have, right?
Then what’s the point of me keeping you guys?
Zhang Yuan said: "Your Majesty, we are incompetent, please forgive us. Now there is someone who can prescribe such a prescription, we ask him... to treat Your Majesty."

Li Zisheng was furious when he heard this and shouted, "What do you mean by that? The people in the Imperial Hospital won't treat your majesty, so how can you expect doctors from the public to come?"

"I only prescribed a medicine to reduce jaundice. You should keep an eye on the rest. What? It only reduces jaundice, but it doesn't cure liver disease?"

"No, no, no, I... we don't have that intention."

Zhang Yuan now doesn’t know who to respond to.

Too cruel, too intense...

This working environment is simply suffocating!

In the past, no matter what illness the emperor had, he would never blame the doctor if the disease could not be cured.

What happened to this dynasty?
You have an incurable disease and you take it out on the doctor?

Who have we provoked?
"Li Qing is right."

Zhu Jianshen said, "At the moment, it seems that relying on just one prescription is far from enough. You should go back and think carefully. I will ask Li Qing to find a folk doctor to prescribe a new prescription. I may need your consideration later. Do you understand?"

"Yes Yes."

After hearing this, Zhang Yuan finally felt that he was free.

It was really a huge torture to come and percuss the emperor's body every day.

"Okay, from now on, you should come twice, one in the morning and one in the evening. No delays."

Zhu Jianshen said this coldly, then waved his hand, indicating for him to leave.

Zhang Yuan was a little dumbfounded.

Why do you ask us to come and see you every day when you don't trust us?
What's the point of doing this?

"Let's go."

Qin Chang urged them in a low voice, then bowed and left with Zhang Yuan and Liu Wentai.

(End of this chapter)