Uncle from a poor family

Chapter 363: Something Else (asking for monthly ticket)
The location for diagnosis was changed from inside the Qianqing Palace to outside the Qianqing Palace.

Zhang Luan followed behind happily. He didn't know how to deal with the emperor who was always thinking big. He wanted to ask Li Zisheng for his opinion, but he couldn't open his mouth.

Wait until you leave the palace.

Wei Tai had personally brought a chair over for Zhang Luan.

Zhu Jianshen sat on a chair on the other side, basking in the sun, leaning back and closing his eyes comfortably: "I don't know why, but it's a little dazzled. This time... I really feel like I'm in another world."

Li Zisheng comforted him, "Your Majesty, the dragon body will get better soon."

Zhu Jianshen nodded and said, "The prince said so before. I wanted to test his academic performance, but I just didn't have the energy.

"Mr. Zhang, have you been teaching the prince in the past few days? How is his academic progress?"

Zhang Luan was busy checking the patient's pulse. He looked up when he heard this, with a dumbfounded look on his face: "I haven't been to Wenhua Palace recently."

Li Zisheng said with a smile: "Your Majesty, Zhang Taichang has been busy preparing medicines these days. How can he have time to do other things?"

"The prince seems to be uneasy about just studying normal lessons lately."

Zhu Jianshen said with some worry, "But he has no experience in handling state affairs after all. If I want to hand over state affairs directly to him, I am still a little worried."

Now Li Zisheng didn’t know what to say.

Because even he himself couldn't tell whether the emperor said this to test the reaction of those present or whether he really meant it.

"Zhang Qingjia, what kind of child is the prince in your eyes?"

Zhu Jianshen said, "You don't have to be so polite. After all, you are the prince's father-in-law. Logically speaking, you are his elder and teacher. You can talk to him."

Zhang Luan said, "Your Majesty, in my opinion, the Crown Prince... is pretty decent."

This shocked the people around.

How dare you, Zhang Luan, comment on the prince like this?

Average?

How dare you say such a comment?
Even if you guessed that the emperor might not like you speaking well of the prince, you still evaluated the crown prince of the Ming Dynasty in this way. Don't you know what politeness is?
"Oh? What's the proper way?"

Zhu Jianshen asked curiously.

Zhang Luan withdrew his hand, as if he wanted to seriously answer the question raised by the emperor.

Zhu Jianshen gestured, "You can check the pulse first, it won't be a problem. If you feel easily distracted, we can talk about it later."

Zhang Luan put his fingers back on and said in a deep voice, "Because I have hardly seen the Crown Prince do anything, I don't know whether he is really capable of governing. Other situations are basically hearsay. It is said that the Crown Prince is very filial. The rest... is that his academic progress is similar to that of his peers. In this way... I really can't find the right words to describe it, so I can only say that it is average."

"Ah."

Zhu Jianshen nodded in relief, "That makes sense. Maybe I gave the prince too few opportunities to show his abilities, so no matter whether he is really capable or not, in my eyes, he is a useless child. Mr. Zhang, do you have a son?"

"Yes, two sons."

Zhang Luan answered.

Zhu Jianshen asked: "What do you think of your own children?"

Zhang Luan was stunned.

my son?
Those two guys are at two extremes. Which kid do you want to ask me?
Because one of them, let alone being my son, I might not even be worthy of being his son.

"Your Majesty, I have two sons. One of them is reckless and useless. He doesn't concentrate on his studies and has stopped studying a long time ago. I don't plan to let him take the imperial examination in the future."

Zhang Luan said helplessly.

"Haha, what imperial examination will your child take?"

Zhu Jianshen seemed to find it very interesting.

Li Zisheng smiled and responded: "Yes, after all, you will have the opportunity to enter the court through patronage. It would be too difficult to take the imperial examination."

Zhu Jianshen nodded slightly and continued, "Zhang Qing's family, are all your children useless? Or do you think they are incompetent, but in fact, you are just prejudiced?"

"No no no."

Zhang Luan said quickly, "I have another son who is very smart and can help me with many things. He can even be said to be the pillar of the family."

"Ah? Really? But I heard that the Crown Princess is your eldest daughter and the first child in the family. How come you have a son who is about the same age as her?"

Zhu Jianshen was also very curious. From Zhang Luan's tone, it seemed that his other son was very remarkable.

Zhang Luan explained: "That capable son is still young, only ten years old."

"Oh?"

When Zhu Jianshen heard this, he couldn't help but frown slightly.

Zhang Luan didn’t know why the emperor suddenly felt so touched by this matter. He couldn’t help but wonder, I shouldn’t have said anything wrong?

Li Zisheng has a keen eye.

With his understanding of the emperor's character, he obviously realized that the emperor was thinking about the fact that every father would unconsciously dote on his youngest son...

In particular, Zhang Yanling was the second son of Zhang Luan, and Zhu Youlang was also the emperor's second son.

Li Zisheng thought to himself, Your Majesty, don't you think that Lai Zhan said this on purpose to give you advice?
"Your Majesty, I have seen the youngest son of Zhang Taichang. He is indeed very intelligent." Li Zisheng had no choice but to chime in. "He is called Little Zhuge Liang. He is very insightful in front of others, often makes strange remarks, and often does things that shock the world."

"haha, really?"

Zhu Jianshen smiled.

With Li Zisheng's words as a foundation, he suddenly realized that Zhang Luan must really have a younger son, and this younger son is very capable.

In this case, his family situation as an emperor is somewhat similar to that of Zhang Luan.

The eldest son is always unfavored, while the second son is the most popular son in his father's eyes.

Zhu Jianshen asked: "Do you have any other children?"

"There is still a daughter in the family."

Zhang Luan said, "But he is still young, only eight or nine years old."

"Ah."

Zhu Jianshen nodded and said, "Then I am better than you, I have more children."

Speaking of this, he seemed very proud as an emperor.

After all, more than a decade ago, the issue of offspring had always been a concern for him, but now when he mentioned his children, he felt much more proud. After all, he already had ten sons and four daughters, and his family was prosperous. He no longer had to feel ashamed to face his ancestors.

"I cannot compare with Your Majesty."

Zhang Luan quickly said this modestly.

Zhu Jianshen laughed and said, "Haha, is it because you don't have so many wives and concubines at home?"

Zhang Luan was stunned.

Obviously, he couldn't adapt to the emperor's way of speaking for a while.

In the past, he had the impression that the emperor was aloof and would not tolerate any blasphemy from his subjects. But after meeting the emperor, he found that he was actually quite easy to talk to, not as harsh as he had imagined, and seemed approachable.

"Is your eldest son from Zhang Qing's family also well-behaved in your eyes?" Zhu Jianshen asked.

Zhang Luan shook his head and said, "No, in my opinion, he is very naughty and useless, because he always makes trouble outside and likes to fight with others. He has a rough temper and is not a... Alas, please forgive me for my mistake."

"It's okay, just tell me straight." Zhu Jianshen said, "I thought that as a student, you should be able to teach your eldest son well."

"I don't have that ability."

Zhang Luan said helplessly, "In the past few years, I have been busy with the imperial examinations and have not taught my children carefully. It was also in the past two years that I accidentally discovered that my youngest son is very talented, so I decided to cultivate him. Unfortunately, the eldest son has already grown into a fixed figure and it is difficult to change him."

“Once it’s set, it’s hard to change…”

When Zhu Jianshen heard this, he seemed deeply touched.

Li Zisheng couldn't help but glare at Zhang Luan.

It seems to be asking, do you know what you are saying?

Couldn't you just say, "Your eldest son is actually quite good?" This would make the emperor think that his eldest son is actually quite good, and then pass the throne to his eldest son?

You are setting a trap for the prince now, do you know that?

"Zhang Qingjia, you have worked with the Crown Prince before. Do you think that if I create more opportunities for the Crown Prince, he can gain experience and even improve?"

Zhu Jianshen asked further.

Zhang Luan shook his head and said, "I don't know."

Not only did Li Zisheng not understand this answer, but even Wei Tai next to him felt that Zhang Luan was too cautious in his response today.

Although he could have spoken up for the prince, Zhang Luan seemed too realistic and refused to lean towards the prince's side.

Could it be that this old fellow was afraid of arousing suspicion from the emperor, so he deliberately acted so selflessly?

"But I really didn't teach that child well, and I didn't observe his temper!"

Zhu Jianshen pondered for a moment and said, "In that case, I will give him a chance to perform. Regarding the Tongzhou warehouse incident, I have been putting it on hold and have not dealt with it in time... How about leaving everything to the Crown Prince to investigate?"

As soon as these words came out, Li Zisheng leaned over and said, "Your Majesty, this matter is of great importance and involves too many people and things in the court. I'm afraid..."

Zhu Jianshen said: "It is precisely because there are too many issues involved that even I don't know how to solve it. If the prince can sort out the relationship and even handle the matter well, then what do I have to worry about? But in this matter, no one in the court can help. Let him handle it himself."

"Yes."

After Li Zisheng agreed, he asked the emperor for his opinion, "Should we inform all the government offices in the court to facilitate the prince's actions?"

Zhu Jianshen nodded and said, "Wei Tai, go and convey my order. Let the Minister of Revenue Li Min cooperate with the Crown Prince. In the future, the Crown Prince can enter and leave the palace freely. As for his studies... let him put them aside for the time being. After all, one can write about sages at any time."

"Yes."

Wei Tai immediately accepted the order.

Then Wei Tai and Li Zisheng both looked at Zhang Luan intentionally.

It seems to be saying, with this arrangement, should Zhang Taichang in front of him also be involved?

Zhu Jianshen said, "I allow the Crown Prince to select two people from the lecturers of the Eastern Palace to work with him. But you don't have to get involved with Zhang Qing's family. After all... you still have to take care of my health. But if he asks you for advice, you can give him some pointers."

"Yes."

Zhang Luan nodded and said, "It is indeed difficult for me to help the Crown Prince. After all, I don't know anyone in the court. I'd better do what I am good at."

Speaking of this, Zhang Luan still felt a little guilty.

What are you good at?
It seems that apart from being thick-skinned and daring in doing things, and even daring to act like a nobody in front of the emperor...other than that, he has no other special skills.

Suddenly I thought that I have always had good luck, which is probably my advantage.

"Mr. Zhang, what do you think of my health now? Has my condition improved?" Zhu Jianshen asked.

Zhang Luan smiled and said, "Your Majesty, you should ask yourself about this matter."

Zhu Jianshen frowned and asked in surprise: "Ask me? I'm a patient, do you want to ask me?"

Zhang Luan said: "Liver disease is different from other diseases. It only presents the symptom of yellowing on the body, but unless the yellowing disappears completely, it is difficult to judge whether it is good or bad in the short term.

"But during the recovery process, there will be many manifestations, such as appetite and physical recovery. Your Majesty must experience these carefully. I cannot judge by just taking the pulse."

"hehe."

Zhu Jianshen smiled and said, "Mr. Zhang, you are really different from others. The people in the Imperial Hospital always pretend to be serious in front of me, as if they can fully understand my physical condition, but in fact my condition is getting worse day by day. When I came to you, you were able to treat my illness without being pretentious. It's really rare."

Li Zisheng said, "Your Majesty, ever since I met Zhang Taichang, I have found that he is a very honest person. He speaks his mind and is not the kind of person who will do anything to achieve his goals."

Zhu Jianshen nodded and said, "The court is mostly composed of officials who are Jinshi graduates. Sometimes they act too pedantically, like to put on a show, and are not honest enough. Zhang Qingjia, you are very good like this. You must maintain a pure heart and not change your mind."

"Yes."

Zhang Luan quickly agreed.

"I do feel that I have recovered a lot today. This is the first time since I fell ill that I feel that I have a chance of recovering from my illness... All this is thanks to you, Mr. Zhang." Zhu Jianshen said, "Tell me the truth, do I have a high chance of recovery?"

"This……"

Zhang Luan was speechless for a moment.

The emperor just said that he was an honest person, and then he asked such a sensitive question. How should I answer you?

Li Zisheng urged, "Laizhan, tell the truth."

Zhang Luan said, "I dare not speak rashly. In fact, liver disease is unpredictable. Since ancient times, many people have suffered from this disease. Some people get better and then really get better, and some people never get it again. But some people suddenly get worse, and even... there are countless people who are terminally ill. I can't tell from your Majesty's physical signs whether he can recover or get worse... so... I can't answer."

"You..."

Li Zisheng was very anxious.

Say a few nice words to please the emperor, can't you even do that?
Zhu Jianshen was very satisfied with this answer and said with a smile: "Li Qing, this is where you are wrong. The most important thing for a doctor is to be honest with his patients. He is right. Now that my health has just improved, it is really too hasty to expect me to recover.

"Just like Wan Shi... I didn't expect that she would... die at that time. If I had known earlier that you, Zhang Qing, were so capable, I would have allowed you to enter the palace to diagnose her illness, and perhaps I could have saved her life..."

Having said this, Zhu Jianshen suddenly looked sad.

Now even Zhang Luan knew that the emperor was touching upon his sad past.

Zhang Luan quickly consoled him: "Your Majesty, you must stay in a good mood recently. If you feel bored, you can read a storybook or listen to some songs. You should talk more with people around you... Just like today when the sun is shining brightly, going out to bask in the sun and chatting with people is very good for alleviating symptoms."

"Ah."

Zhu Jianshen nodded and said, "You speak very honestly, which is rare, rare. Come, please pack up the things I ordered before and send them to Zhang Qing's house. Oh, by the way, Zhang Aiqing, you are still selling tribute for me, right?"

Zhang Luan quickly said, "I am incompetent, and I cannot do anything about many things."

"Okay, I'll give them all to you."

Zhu Jianshen smiled and said, "You diagnosed me, so I don't have anything to give you. Now the borders are in constant trouble, and the court is also going through a tight time. I can't reward you too much, so I'll use the tribute to make up for it... I hope you can keep up the good work and give me more advice on the prince... Then I'll have nothing to worry about."

(Please support with monthly tickets!)
(End of this chapter)