Uncle from a poor family

Chapter 342 Rationalists
Li Zisheng went to Zhang's house for several days in a row.

He came whenever he had time, and was so close that even Zhang Luan felt that Li Zisheng did not consider him an outsider at all. He treated the Zhang family as his own home.

Fortunately, Li Zisheng went back home to rest at night, but ten trips in three days... no one could bear it.

That day, Li Zisheng had a secret discussion with Zhang Luan for a long time and left before dark. Zhang Luan breathed a sigh of relief.

The two brothers of the Zhang family happened to come back at this time.

After Zhang Yanling entered the yard, he asked, "Dad, has Li Zisheng still come here often these days?"

"He came twice today alone, what do you think?"

Zhang Luan was quite speechless.

Because Zhang Luan now knows very well that the relationship between him and Li Zisheng is one of mutual benefit, so he does not take Li Zisheng too seriously.

If it were an ordinary person, he would definitely regard Li Zisheng as his strongest backer, but the problem was that Zhang Luan was the prince's father-in-law, and his son had said that his son-in-law would become emperor in a while.

As the future father-in-law of the emperor, would he cling to a minister to serve as his backer?
Then Zhang Yanling and Zhang Luan entered the main hall.

Zhang Luan said, "He came this morning and said that it was about His Majesty's illness. He asked me if I had come up with a new prescription. He also mentioned to me that Deng Chang'en had been going to the palace every day these days, but he himself had no chance to enter the palace. His visit this afternoon was even more bizarre. He said he wanted me to bring a message to the Crown Prince."

Zhang Yanling smiled and said, "This is a good thing. At least it means that Li Zisheng has no choice but to get closer to the crown prince. This way, you and him will be in the same boat and can ride the same wave."

Zhang Luan shook his head and said indifferently: "I think he is two-faced. Who knows if he really wants to join the prince? Even if he does, he doesn't have to rely on me for everything...

"My son, you said that he had to surrender to the crown prince before he could gain a foothold in the court. I have no doubt about this, but let me ask you, who is rebelling against the crown prince now?"

At this time, Zhang Luan no longer wanted to be a puppet controlled by others. He began to learn to sort out the logical relationship behind things.

In Zhang Yanling's eyes, this was a huge improvement for his father.

"The people who are against the crown prince, or the so-called crown prince change alliance, are led by His Majesty the current emperor."

Zhang Yanling said with a smile.

"what!?"

Zhang Luan was startled at first, but then he was relieved and said, "Son, you are right. Without the permission of His Majesty, who would dare to involve himself in the affairs of the royal family inheritance? Then... except His Majesty?"

Zhang Yanling said: "In the past, the core force that firmly pushed for the change of crown prince was Concubine Wan and Liang Fang. Liang Fang's followers spread and formed a force that cannot be ignored in the court.

"But after the death of Concubine Wan and the fall of Liang Fang, the main forces who still hold prejudices against the crown prince and want to push for a change of crown prince are the two cabinet ministers, Wan An and Liu Ji, as well as some... ministers hiding in the dark who we cannot find any clues about for the time being."

"It's hard to imagine. How could the cabinet minister overthrow the crown prince? Is it just because they are in office and do nothing, and are afraid that a wise emperor will come to power and settle accounts with them?" Zhang Luan shook his head and smiled bitterly. "If the cabinet minister is like this, what about the six ministers in the court?"

"Most of the ministers of the six ministries have no preference. Who will be the crown prince or who will inherit the throne in the future has no impact on them. In my opinion, they are just a group of professional politicians. They only care about their own little piece of land. In their eyes, the royal inheritance is... a little far away from them."

Zhang Yanling also presented the facts.

Zhang Luan was a little worried and said, "That's not a good situation... In the end, the only ones who stood firm to protect the prince were me and Li Zisheng, right?"

Zhang Yanling smiled and said, "Dad, don't take yourself too seriously. In fact, the main force protecting the crown prince is a clean and upright force in the court. They uphold Confucian orthodoxy and advocate orderly inheritance. As the eldest son of your majesty, even if he is not born of a legitimate wife, there is nothing wrong with his succession to the throne, unless someone can find evidence that the crown prince is not your majesty's biological son."

"Can't find it, can you?"

Zhang Luan asked with concern.

"That's for sure."

Zhang Yanling said, "When Concubine Ji was in the palace, she had no contact with men outside the palace. How could the son she gave birth to not be your Majesty's child?"

"This... you are quite knowledgeable!"

Zhang Luan was a little embarrassed.

After all, the old father was deeply influenced by Confucianism and was unwilling to talk to his son about topics such as having children because it might involve unspeakable things.

After Neo-Confucianism became popular, Confucians became afraid to talk about sex, and this was the same in every dynasty after the Song and Yuan dynasties.

Zhang Yanling said: "So those upright people, in order to ensure the so-called legal order, will firmly stand on the side of the crown prince. The former leader was the former eunuch Huai En who held the seal of the Imperial Household Department."

"Alas, it didn't end well for him."

Zhang Luan sighed, "I won't follow in his footsteps, will I?"

"Dad, this is a different time, don't worry about it."

Zhang Yanling said with a helpless smile.

Zhang Luan said, "I understand. In fact, most people in the court have no stance on the issue of changing the crown prince. It doesn't matter who becomes the crown prince. However, due to the issue of legality, they are still willing to speak up for the crown prince at certain times."

Zhang Yanling smiled and said, "It can also be said in another way that not only do the ministers in the court not care about the change of crown prince, but even His Majesty and those who want to promote the change of crown prince now think so.

"In fact, the only one who was determined to change the crown prince was Concubine Wan. She was afraid that the crown prince would seek revenge on her. This was purely a personal grudge. People nowadays... are all speculating. They will bet on whichever side is in power."

Zhang Luan frowned and said, "But now the prince is clearly in power. Will they not support the prince?"

"Dad, you are wrong again. The prince is not in a good situation now."

Zhang Yanling said, "If the Crown Prince really had power, Your Majesty would have stood on his side long ago. Why did you allow the troubles caused by Yi Yichu to happen again and again?"

"Yes, yes, yes. In the matter of changing the crown prince, whoever your majesty supports will be the real winner. In fact, your majesty has always wanted the fourth prince to be the crown prince and inherit his country, right?"

Zhang Luan suddenly realized.

"Ah."

Zhang Yanling nodded.

Zhang Luan said, "I understand. Tomorrow I will go to the palace to see the prince and find out what to say for the best effect. I want to let the prince know that the person who most firmly supports him in the court is me... By the way, I will also go to see your sister tomorrow and tell her that at this time, our family must unite and love each other and face the outside world together."

"Cough cough."

Zhang Yanling looked a little embarrassed. Suddenly, he realized that although his father looked playful and unserious, he was actually quite rational when he was wise.

At least Zhang Luan has an advantage that others don't have.

That means he listens to advice.

The key is that he is very upright and never does anything double-dealing. It's just that he lacks political experience and will do some stupid things, so he needs Zhang Yanling, his youngest son, to give him some advice.

……

……

The next morning, Zhang Luan followed the Eastern Palace lecturers into the palace.

This was his third time entering the palace in May.

The first two times he entered the palace, there were no incidents. In the blink of an eye, it was already the end of the month. Zhang Luan wanted to do something fancy during this trip to the palace.

The morning class still had nothing to do with Zhang Luan.

Just before the class was about to end, Xie Qian walked up to him and asked, "Laizhan, didn't you bring lunch? I have a whole day of teaching today, and I need something to eat at noon."

Zhang Luan smiled and said, "What a coincidence! I plan to go to Duanjing Hall later to have dinner with my daughter. The young couple has invited me several times."

"..."

Xie Qian frowned when he heard this.

Previously, he thought that Zhang Luan was a reliable person who knew when to advance and when to retreat, and who knew how to make choices. After all, he had known for a long time that Zhang Luan had been invited to the Duanjing Palace, but Zhang Luan had always refrained from going, which showed his character.

Now it seems that this guy is just an ordinary old man who cares about human relations. It is a bit unrealistic to ask others to be as self-disciplined and proper as himself.

Xie Qian kindly reminded: "Go early and come back early, but don't linger too long. After all, even if you are the father-in-law of the Eastern Palace, you cannot easily enter the palace or even set foot in other palaces without being summoned by His Majesty. Moreover, it is the residence of the Crown Prince, so you have to be careful."

"I understand, I understand. It's just a meal."

……

……

At noon, Zhang Luan followed Tan Ji to the Duanjing Hall.

Xie Qian looked at Zhang Luan's back and couldn't help but murmur.

Wang Ao walked over and asked curiously, "Isn't that Lai Zhan? What is he doing...?"

"I went to the Duanjing Palace."

Xie Qian turned around, sighed helplessly and shook his head, "The prince had invited him many times before, and he seemed reluctant to refuse, so he went to meet his daughter and have a simple meal."

Wang Ao nodded and said, "Human relations have their own rules. These things are inevitable after all. No one should gossip about them, right? After all, in the East Palace, the Crown Prince can call the shots in name only."

According to Wang Ao, the place Zhang Luan went to was not the Qianqing Palace or the imperial palace after all.

The prince is at his own place and invites his father-in-law over for a meal. Who would have the time to gossip about it?
Of course, some people would say that the prince had ulterior motives and invited his father-in-law back to discuss a conspiracy to disrupt the country... But basically no one would believe such words, mainly because... Zhang Luan had no connections or background in the court, nor did he have military power, and he had no ability to subvert the Ming Dynasty.

What is more important is that no one believes that the prince would commit treason.

What an honest child.

Even Concubine Wan herself admitted this.

Xie Qian said: "There is nothing wrong with the prince's intentions... Do you think there is any hidden reason why Lai Zhan suddenly wants to visit the East Palace today?"

Wang Ao frowned and asked, "Are you saying that Lai Zhan's motive for coming to the appointment is wrong? Has he... done anything recently?"

Xie Qian tried his best to recall and said, "Do you still remember that a few days ago, the prince suddenly asked about the Tongzhou warehouse? Do you still remember it?"

Zhu Youtang is a down-to-earth person.

His father-in-law was giving him a riddle, which he couldn't understand. He first went to ask Liu Ji, but when he didn't get a reasonable explanation, he went to ask the lecturer in the Eastern Palace.

It was precisely because of his strong desire for knowledge that Zhang Yanling firmly believed that this matter would be exposed and would cause a stir in the court.

Wang Ao asked, "What happened to Tongzhou Warehouse?"

"I do not know either."

Xie Qian was bewildered, "Neither you nor I work for the Ministry of Revenue, how could we know the secrets of the warehouse?"

"Yu Qiao, are you saying that Lai Zhan has figured out some situation and wants to verbally inform the Crown Prince? But the problem is... Lai Zhan himself is not in the Ministry of Revenue, so what inside information would he know?"

Wang Ao seemed very confused.

We don’t know much about what’s going on in the court, but is Zhang Luan really that awesome?

Xie Qian looked very cautious. After careful consideration, he said, "Do you still remember how Liang Fang fell?"

"The Wanhe Temple case?"

Wang Ao asked tentatively.

"No, it should be that there are serious problems with the accounts of the inner court. This is a secret that ordinary people absolutely cannot know." Xie Qian said, "Even if Zhang Laizhan doesn't have this ability, there must be someone in the court who has this ability to stir up trouble."

"You...you mean...Li Zisheng?"

Wang Ao also looked shocked.

Xie Qian nodded slightly and said, "That's him. Zhang Laizhan was able to expel Liang Fang from the capital in a short period of time, which means he has someone behind him, and this person must be a powerful person who is determined to bring Liang Fang down. Who else in the court meets this condition, except Li Zisheng?"

(End of this chapter)