Uncle from a poor family

Chapter 337: Romance and a Bright Future

the next day.

Zhang Luanzhen went to Wan'an's mansion to deliver tribute, and also sent two mirrors, one of which was sold together with the item, and the other was a "gift" to Wan'an.

If for no other reason, Wan'an was the head of the Hanlin officials after all. As his subordinate, Zhang Luan naturally wanted to curry favor with his immediate superior, so he took the opportunity to bring some personal gifts with him during this visit.

After returning home, he sat on the armchair in the main hall with a satisfied smile on his face, crossed his legs, hummed a tune, and seemed very happy.

Zhang Heling, who came over after hearing the news, asked, "Dad, did you find some money when you went out?"

Zhang Luan pursed his lips and said, "Silly boy, your father went to Elder Wan's house today, and I am happier than picking up money. I am going out to meet an honorable person."

"What's the matter? Is there anything special about this Lord Wan? Why are you so happy?"

Zhang Heling looked puzzled and then turned his gaze to his younger brother beside him.

Zhang Yanling smiled and said, "It seems that Lord Wan has been very welcoming and courteous to you, Dad. This has made Dad feel like he is one of Lord Wan's own people. In the future, he can even help you to be successful in the court by relying on him."

Zhang Luan smiled and said, "My son understands me."

Zhang Heling frowned and asked, "Dad, why am I the fool and my second brother is my son? Can you be fair?"

"cut!"

Zhang Luan used to have the energy to scold his eldest son, but now he is in a good mood and is too lazy to do so.

Zhang Yanling said, "Dad, can you tell me? What happened?"

Zhang Luan then put down his crossed legs and sat there, with a mysterious look on his face: "Let me tell you something. Today I went to Elder Wan's house and we had a great chat. He even hosted a banquet for me. At the table, he even asked his concubine to come out to greet me and even dance to liven up the atmosphere. It was so..."

"Tsk tsk, Dad, what did you do to my concubine?"

When Zhang Heling heard this, his mind was filled with unbearable images, and he couldn't help but want to gossip and ask about the details.

Zhang Luan grabbed the tea bowl lid and threw it at his eldest son's head.

But Zhang Heling, who had been tested a lot, was now very wary of his father's actions. He reacted very quickly and dodged directly, and then the tea bowl lid smashed to the ground.

"Damn it, you don't even have the slightest bit of insight! Your father is talking to your brother! Humph, if you interrupt again, I'll cut off your tongue!"

Zhang Luan lost his temper, then smiled again and said to Zhang Yanling, "The concubine of Lord Wan is so pretty, with such a slender waist, and her movements are so soft as if she has no bones. Her smile makes our hearts beat fast. After the dance, Wan An gave her the mirror in front of me, and she even bowed to me to thank me."

"Haha."

Zhang Yanling smiled and said, "Dad, don't blame my elder brother for interrupting me. Even I want to ask you, what happened between you and Wan'an's concubine? What happened afterwards?"

Zhang Heling looked aggrieved, but he looked at his brother with gratitude.

It seems to be saying, brother, you understand me.

This is the topic we young people should pay attention to. Don’t we just like to hear some romantic things? Is it necessary to shout for war and killing?

"Later..."

Zhang Luan thought about it and shook his head, "Then the concubine gave me some more wine. After I drank it, she went back to the inner courtyard and I never saw her again."

"cut."

Zhang Yanling said disdainfully, "I thought Wan'an was just like Li Zisheng, and would just give you a..."

Zhang Luan glanced at the door nervously. After making sure his wife was not standing there, he lowered his voice and said, "Don't talk nonsense, you little bastard. Your father and Li Zisheng... it's nothing."

Zhang Yanling said, "Dad, you know that's not what I'm asking... What did Wan'an tell you?"

Zhang Luan thought for a moment. At this moment, his mind was full of Wan'an's beautiful and graceful concubine. It seemed that everything Wan'an talked to him about was not worth mentioning compared to this affair.

"It's just gossip."

Zhang Luan summarized it and then said, "There weren't many useful words. Plus, I had a few drinks, so I don't remember what he said... It didn't leave a deep impression on me at the time."

Zhang Heling said with a smile: "Second brother, look at our father, he only thinks about other people's concubines when he goes out. Dad, don't glare at me like that, I said you are a real man, if I were there and saw a beautiful woman flirting with me, I would also be fascinated and think about her all the time."

"You're worried about me too?"

Zhang Luan frowned.

Zhang Yanling reminded him, "Dad, my elder brother is getting old, and he has become much more mature after working outside recently. If Dad has the chance, he can find a good marriage partner for him. Maybe it's time to prepare for his marriage."

"Oh."

Zhang Luan nodded and said to Zhang Heling, "That's right. If I don't find you a matchmaker, you'll just be causing trouble for me out there. Eh? Where was I?"

Zhang Yanling asked, "Wan'an didn't ask you about your relationship with Li Zisheng?"

Zhang Luan shook his head and said, "No."

"Oh, then he didn't say that you can go to him if you encounter any problems in the future? Or did he mention Concubine Shao and her son in front of you?"

Zhang Yanling asked again.

"Why did he mention Concubine Shao and her son to me?" Zhang Luan asked, "As for looking for him for something, he would definitely say such polite words. It's just that..."

"Just what?"

Zhang Yanling tried his best to make Zhang Luan recall some relatively useful things.

Zhang Luan said: "It seems... he mentioned Deng Chang'en to me... At that time, I was wondering if he had gotten together with Li Zisheng's mortal enemy Deng Chang'en in order to fight Li Zisheng? But he just mentioned it casually and didn't say anything more afterwards..."

"Ah."

Zhang Yanling nodded, "What else?"

Zhang Luan said helplessly: "I was drunk at the time, and my mind was not on this, and he didn't say a few serious words, so how could I remember it so clearly?
"Son, what are you worried about?"

Zhang Yanling said, "Maybe I'm overthinking it... I think the people in the cabinet don't care too much about the crown prince. Or, they don't care about the stability of the crown prince's position, and they may even do something to... undermine him."

"Trouble?"

Zhang Luan asked in surprise, "Isn't that so? The lecturer of the Eastern Palace is also from the Imperial Academy. Could it be that everyone in the Imperial Academy is of the same mind?"

In order to highlight his presence, Zhang Heling interrupted and said, "Dad, look at what you said. How can the ideas of the superiors and the subordinates be consistent? If I were a subordinate, the first thing I would think of is how to become the boss. As long as I become the boss, everything will be easy."

"roll!"

Zhang Luan cursed.

Zhang Yanling said: "Dad, what my elder brother said is not unreasonable. Nowadays, officials who come from the Hanyuan have already clearly divided their positions.

"The middle-level officials, headed by the lecturers of the Eastern Palace, strongly support the crown prince so that when he ascends the throne in the future, he can eliminate all the treacherous officials of the Chenghua Dynasty and restore the integrity of the court. The treacherous officials in their eyes include Li Zisheng, Deng Changen, and the two cabinet elders who are just sitting there doing nothing."

Zhang Luan said, "I am the prince's father-in-law. I will definitely stand firmly on the side of the prince. If Lord Wan doesn't support the prince, why would he try to win me over?"

Zhang Yanling shook his head and said, "The prince had a certain prestige before, thanks to your help behind the scenes. Wan An is actually very clear about this. If he wins you over, he can make you not work for the prince, or you let him know before you do something, so that he has a chance to stop you. That would be equivalent to cutting off the prince's chance to establish his prestige, wouldn't he achieve his goal?"

"So he wants to block my way of doing things and cause trouble for the prince, right?"

Zhang Luan finally understood what was said, but he rolled his eyes and said, "He is really blinded by greed and has chosen the wrong person! What's the point of cutting me off? Wouldn't it be more useful to cut you off directly? You are the one who caused all the troubles before."

……

……

Duanjing Hall.

The sun set in the west, and the afterglow of the setting sun spread across the earth. Zhu Youtang came back from school. When he saw Zhang Yu in the yard, he sat down on a chair placed there, spread his arms and legs, and said lazily, "Yu'er, I'm tired."

Zhang Yu put down the book in his hand and asked in confusion: "Are you sick? Why are you not tired normally but you are tired now?"

In Zhang Yu's opinion, her husband looks frail, but he is actually a steel warrior. Especially when it comes to studying, his spirit of hard work and study is much stronger than that of her unreliable father.

Even Zhang Yu was thinking that if her old father had the same tenacity in studying as her husband, he would have passed the imperial examination long ago and led the Zhang family to prosperity, and would not have to rely on her to arrange marriage in exchange for fame and fortune.

Zhu Youtang smiled and said, "I wasn't tired before because you weren't here, and I had to hold on even if I had to grit my teeth. But now that I have you, I don't know why, I get tired as soon as I see you."

Zhang Yu's pretty face turned red and she scolded, "You are so dishonest."

"I didn't say anything else."

Zhu Youtang looked wronged and said, "Did you misunderstand what I meant?" Zhang Yu rolled his eyes at him, then dropped his hand on a letter casually placed on the table next to him and reminded him, "This was sent to the palace by my father through Jiang Cong."

"What's up?"

Zhu Youtang's expression immediately became serious.

Once his father-in-law contacts him, something big usually happens. Although he doesn't have much contact with his father-in-law, he deeply feels that this father-in-law is really capable.

Zhang Yu said, "I haven't read it yet. I just heard from Jiang Cong that my father has been selling tributes for the imperial palace recently and he went to meet someone for this purpose. I didn't write down who it was... You can take a look first."

"Oh."

Zhu Youtang picked up the letter, opened it, unfolded it, and read it carefully without changing his expression.

Zhang Yu asked, "Is it serious?"

Zhu Youtang shook his head and said, "I don't know either. Your father mentioned Tongzhou in the letter, which involved matters such as grain transport. I don't quite understand it either. I will talk to him privately while he is attending a class in Wenhua Hall tomorrow."

“Why can’t you understand?”

Zhang Yu looked a little angry.

My father risked your father's suspicion to write you a letter, but when it reached you, you said you couldn't understand it?

I really let my father down!

Zhu Youtang said: "If you don't believe me, just watch."

Zhang Yu picked up the letter, unfolded it and examined it carefully, reading it twice. Finally, he shook his head helplessly: "How come my father has also started to learn to play dumb?"

"My dear, please call Jiang Cong in." Zhu Youtang ordered.

Tan Ji, who was waiting in front of the palace gate, came over after hearing what was said. After listening carefully, he hurried to call Jiang Cong.

……

……

In a blink of an eye, two quarters of an hour passed and the lights came on.

The meal was ready. The food in the Eastern Palace was a bit light. After all, Zhu Youtang was only a prince, not the emperor yet. Zhu Jianshen had been short of money recently, and the dining standards in the Eastern Palace seemed to have declined.

But basically four dishes and one soup are still guaranteed, but there is a lot less meat.

In Zhang Yu's words, this doesn't even break the fast, it's no different from the meals at home.

Jiang Cong stood aside, listening respectfully, waiting for Zhu Youtang's lecture, while Zhang Yu, who was sitting on the other side, started eating directly, not at all avoiding her husband talking about things with others, because she also wanted to listen and help her husband to analyze the matter.

"I don't quite understand what Zhang Honglu meant. He probably just said that the Ming Dynasty's grain transport was so and so in the past two years. At that time, I also told him that I didn't understand these things, but he... seemed to be reading from a script and insisted on telling me, and then he gave me this letter to pass on to Your Highness."

After all, Jiang Cong is not a good person for governing the country.

He was just a eunuch in the Eastern Palace, and he was short-sighted. Anyway, he felt that talking to him by Zhang Luan was like talking to a cow.

"Oh."

After listening to this, Zhu Youtang did not get the answer he wanted, so he could only turn his gaze to his wife.

Zhang Yu put down his bowl and chopsticks and asked, "Didn't my father tell you what we should do next?"

It doesn't matter if you don't understand what it means. The key is to know what to do next. Even if you are kept in the dark, as long as it is beneficial to the prince, it's fine. And Zhang Yu doesn't think his old father will harm this pair of unfortunate lovers...

After all, the young couple's life in the palace was very cramped. They almost turned a deaf ear to the outside world and were confined to the small space of the East Palace.

Jiang Cong thought about it and shook his head seriously.

Zhu Youtang said, "Yu'er, how strange is that? Your father suddenly wrote me a letter like this, and told me some things I couldn't understand, but he didn't tell me what I should do next. Is this a hint?"

Zhang Yu said, "Then Prince, please put your mind at ease. I will be able to help you when the time is right."

"Ah."

Zhu Youtang thought for a moment and nodded, "It's possible that my father-in-law knew something was going to happen and informed me in advance, such as when my father wanted to test me, or when the hearing in Wenhua Palace involved this aspect, so he asked me to pay more attention. I understand. I have to memorize the contents of this letter first, and it would be best if I could recite it all."

Jiang Cong said, "Your Highness, actually... there is no need to go to such great lengths."

Zhu Youtang waved his hand and said, "I understand. You can go down first. There is nothing for you to do here."

……

……

The next day was May 26th, the day when Zhu Youtang took office in Wenhua Hall.

The Imperial Household Department did not send anyone that day. Only the Second Assistant of the Cabinet Liu Ji and the Right Vice Minister of the Ministry of Rites Ni Yue were present. Zhu Youtang did not even bring Qin Ji with him. He sat there alone listening.

The servants outside were standing far away.

"Lord Liu, there hasn't been any major events in the court recently, right? It doesn't seem as serious as before, and you're often not seen here." Zhu Youtang listened for a while, and seeing that Liu Ji was about to leave after perfunctorily speaking, he couldn't help but ask.

Liu Ji thought to himself, isn’t it because His Majesty hasn’t mentioned whether you attend court recently?
In other words, your father just said it casually at the beginning, and we took it very seriously at first. But after all the trouble, it seems that the emperor has forgotten about it at all. Then why should we still take you seriously?
Humph, go and make a living by relying on your position as a lecturer in the Eastern Palace!
Stay away from us cabinet ministers!

Liu Ji replied with a polite smile like an old fox: "Your Highness is right, there has been no major incident in the court recently."

Zhu Youtang nodded and said, "Good weather and good harvests are a good thing... There are some things in the court that I don't understand. Can I ask you, Lord Liu?"

Liu Ji asked sarcastically, "What's wrong? Can't the prince get answers to these questions from the lecturer in the East Palace?"

"Yes."

Zhu Youtang said seriously, "I usually study classics and articles. I learn the contents of classics, history, and miscellaneous books, which do not involve current affairs. Sometimes the teacher will give me a few questions about current affairs, but I basically just scratch the surface and do not go too deep into them."

Liu Ji smiled and said, "In that case, I think those lecturers know their limits. If they cannot say something, I cannot give a direct answer."

To put it bluntly, I just don't want to bother with you.

Zhu Youtang seemed a little anxious: "But there are some things hidden in my heart that I can't help but speak out. Can I just ask a question?"

Liu Ji looked at Ni Yue who was about to leave, feeling a little impatient, but still nodded and said, "Then ask, Prince, and tell me as soon as possible. If I know, I will answer. If I don't know, I can't answer."

"it is good."

Zhu Youtang asked, "I want to know, has there been any problem with the grain transport in the Ming Dynasty in the past two years?"

"what?"

Liu Ji was very confused. He blinked his eyes and asked curiously, "Why do you ask this, Prince?"

Zhu Youtang smiled bitterly and said, "Actually, I... don't quite know why I asked this. Maybe... Lord Liu just needs to tell me whether there have been any problems with the canal transportation. Is that difficult?"

Liu Ji said: "The canal transport... shouldn't be a big problem."

Even Liu Ji himself was not sure.

Does the Crown Prince want to do what all the previous Ming emperors did, suddenly have a whim, order a thorough investigation into some malpractice of the Ming Dynasty, and use this as a basis for a shocking case that would cause unrest in the court?

Liu Ji couldn't help but wonder, so what if there is a problem?

Do you think you, the prince, have any right to interfere?

"Then...what about Tongzhou Warehouse?"

Zhu Youtang asked again, "I'm talking about the granary."

Liu Ji's face was obviously a little unnatural. He thought for a long time before saying, "After hearing what the prince said, I suddenly remembered that after the middle of last year, the court thoroughly checked the water warehouses along the canal. The problem of food shortage at the border has been basically solved. The prince does not need to worry about it."

"Oh."

Zhu Youtang nodded.

No problem...but my father-in-law insisted on mentioning it to me, and I thought your cabinet would bring up this matter when I was hearing the case.

In the end, you didn't mention it, and when I asked you, you said there was no problem.

Is it my misunderstanding?
This time, was it just my father-in-law who was being mysterious and deliberately asked me a trivial question to make me pay more attention to the people's livelihood in the Ming Dynasty?

(End of this chapter)