Uncle from a poor family

Chapter 35: Spring and Autumn Dream
The group arrived in Tongzhou on the second day of the twelfth lunar month.

Tongzhou is the gateway to the east of Beijing and the hub of the northern section of the Beijing-Hangzhou Grand Canal. It is no exaggeration to call it a major transportation town. Its prosperity is far beyond the reach of ordinary towns. After the family entered the city, Zhang Heling could not help but stand on the carriage seat and look around. He felt like Liu Laolao entering the Grand View Garden, and everything was new and surprising.

After checking into the inn that day, an unusual guest came to see us.

Zhang Luan and Zhang Yanling were waiting in the kitchen for the owner to boil water when the waiter informed them that a guest was coming. Then the father and son went to the front hall of the inn and saw a man in his forties who looked like an official with an imposing manner.

"You are……?"

Zhang Luan was a little hesitant to confirm and asked doubtfully.

The other party bowed and introduced himself: "I am Shen Lu, nice to meet you, brother-in-law."

Zhang Luan was extremely excited: "You are Ruxue! I haven't seen you for many years. I didn't dare to recognize you for a while. Why are you here? Come on, come on, let's sit inside... Look, I'm confused. This is not my home. It's a bit inconvenient after all."

Zhang Yanling didn't expect to meet his uncle here... His two aunts, the eldest aunt married Xu Qiong as a concubine, and the second aunt married Shen Lu in front of him.

Shen Lu, a native of Shuntian Prefecture, was a juren who now worked as an official in the Tongzhengshisi, a seventh-rank official. He had an elder brother named Shen Ju who was a jinshi who once served as a deputy censor of the Zhejiang Censorate, a fifth-rank official. This was an important reason why Shen Lu was able to serve as an official in the capital despite being a juren.

The Shen family has a certain background in the capital.

"Greetings to my uncle."

Zhang Yanling hurried forward to greet him, hoping to make himself familiar.

"This is... my nephew?"

Shen Lu looked at Zhang Yanling, and the chubby boy in front of him made his eyes light up.

Zhang Luan said with a smile: "My son Yanling has studied for a few days... Haha, a little family knowledge, not worth mentioning. Recently, he has been following me to help me with something."

"He is a very handsome man. He is really a very handsome man."

Shen Lu smiled and complimented, "I heard about what you did in Xingji in the capital. You prevented and treated smallpox and benefited the people in the village, which shocked me greatly. Now, knowing that you are coming and you are unfamiliar with the place, I specially came out of the capital to welcome you... When you arrive in the capital, you can come and ask me if there is anything you are not familiar with. If you encounter any troubles, I will try my best to help you deal with it!"

Shen Lu and Zhang Luan sat down to discuss things.

Zhang Yanling was allowed to attend the trial, but could only stand behind Zhang Luan.

Shen Lu first told Zhang Luan about the current situation in the capital, mainly about the situation of the Imperial College: "The person in charge of Beiyong affairs now is Qiu Jun, the old priest. He is honest, knowledgeable and famous. If you have the opportunity to become his disciple, you may achieve something in the future."

After these words were spoken, Zhang Luan looked slightly embarrassed.

He was just an ordinary student of the Imperial Academy. In name, Qiu Jun was his teacher, but how could he have the chance to receive Qiu Jun's true teachings?
"I am just a provincial candidate, not even a judge, so I don't dare to have such unrealistic thoughts." Zhang Luan seemed very sincere, "I have one more thing to do when I come to Beijing this time..."

At this point, Zhang Luan couldn't help but look back at his son standing behind him, looking a little embarrassed, "It's about my daughter's marriage. She just broke off her engagement with the Sun family, a prominent family in Xingji. I want to find a good family for her."

When Shen Lu heard this, his eyes lit up.

With the current strength and background of the Shen family, if they want to make a living in the capital, they must rely on their marriage relationships. This is probably why he is more keen on matchmaking.

"pretty good."

Shen Lu nodded, "I heard from my wife that my niece is very beautiful. She is well-known in the village at a young age. It can be said that she is outstanding in character, talent, and appearance."

"No, no, let her go to the mansion and meet her aunt later."

When Zhang Luan heard this, his face was full of pride.

I have indeed raised a good daughter. If you don't believe me, I will let my daughter go to your house to meet your wife, my sister. Through this visit, let the women in your family know how good my daughter is, which will facilitate future marriages.

Shen Lu asked, "What kind of family are you looking for?" Just as Zhang Luan was about to say something, he felt his clothes being pulled by his son. He could only helplessly say shamelessly, "I heard that the prince has reached the right age to get married..."

"what?"

Originally, Shen Lu thought that Zhang Luan just wanted to find a good family to marry his daughter off.

Hearing this, I was stunned.

That incredulous look seemed to be saying, you, Zhang Laizhan, are really strong. You even dare to dream of becoming a royal relative. It really makes sense that your sister said that you are not doing your job properly.

Zhang Luan also knew that what he said was a little unreliable, even a little shameless, so he hurriedly explained: "When my daughter was born, her mother dreamed of a phoenix resting on the sycamore tree behind the house. After she was born, she often saw magpies, cranes and other spiritual birds appearing on the roof... And my daughter also dreamed of a dragon..."

Shen Lu originally thought that Zhang Luan was shameless enough for proposing this idea, but after hearing Zhang Luan's obviously fabricated words, he was even more dumbfounded.

"My daughter has the qualities of a dragon and a phoenix. It would inevitably delay her life if she married a common man... I really want her to have a bright future." Zhang Luan concluded.

Shen Lu looked embarrassed, but still nodded politely: "Laizhan, you may not know the current situation in the palace. Some words should not be said. After all, it is suspected of criticizing the royal family. But given the current situation... how should I put it? The prince is weak, and your majesty is in the prime of his life. The situation in the harem is extremely complicated..."

Zhang Luan asked, "I heard that your majesty intended to appoint another crown prince a few years ago?"

Shen Lu was shocked and said quickly, "Don't talk nonsense."

Zhang Luan smiled and said, "The prince is kind and benevolent, that's enough. Even if he is not the prince, even if he is just an ordinary prince, that's good too."

"Haha." Shen Lu shook his head and smiled bitterly.

It seems like you are saying, you are not picky, if your daughter doesn't become a crown princess, you would be satisfied with her being a princess, right?

Zhang Yanling said seriously, "Uncle Shen, what my father said is true. My sister is really the reincarnation of a phoenix. Even my father's secret recipe for curing diseases is related to my sister's dream."

"Oh?"

Shen Lu stared at Zhang Yanling with wide eyes again.

It would be fine if he had a shameless father, but why is this whole family of weirdos?

Even his son is so shameless! ?

"Dad, don't you agree?" Zhang Yanling said.

Zhang Luan was startled, then nodded heavily: "Yes, yes, that's right. Take my case of curing acne for example. If it weren't for my daughter's advice, how could it be effective? My daughter is truly blessed by God."

Shen Lu said, "Laizhan, let me ask you a question. Where did your secret recipe for curing smallpox come from? If the court investigates, you can't lie."

Zhang Luan smiled and said, "Curing illnesses and saving lives is a good thing, why would you lie? This secret recipe is indeed not passed down from my family, but comes from an ancient book, and my daughter gave me some pointers. In addition... my son has also done a lot."

Shen Lu looked at his smug father with a strange look in his eyes, then looked at his equally smug son, wondering in his heart, what on earth had this family been through?
Why do they all seem so out of tune with the secular world?
"It's getting late..."

Zhang Luan said, "How about I go to the restaurant next door to prepare some wine and food so we can have a good chat?"

"No, no, I still have to visit a friend, so I won't bother you for now... We still have a lot of time to go, so let's leave early tomorrow morning and go to the capital together. We can talk on the way if we have anything to say."

Shen Lu was obviously "shocked" by Zhang Luan, or rather, he was defeated by Zhang Luan's shamelessness.

At this moment, he just wanted to escape and go back to digest what he had seen and heard today before dealing with the follow-up matters.

(End of this chapter)