Uncle from a poor family

Chapter 85: There are people in the court who like to be officials

At Zhang Luan's house.

Just after seeing off Manager Qin and Li Wuwei, Li Zisheng and Shen Lu arrived. Zhang Luan was overjoyed because he felt that he might be in for a lucky spree from the smiles on their faces when they got out of the sedan.

But he was still not sure, so he stepped forward and simply bowed before asking for confirmation, "I wonder if over at Mount Tai..." He paused halfway through his words, his eager eyes falling on Shen Lu and Li Zisheng.

Shen Lu smiled and gave Zhang Luan an encouraging look.

Li Zisheng called to Pang Qing who was standing by, "Move all the things I brought into the yard... Oh, forget it, just move them directly to the new house."

"A new house?"

Zhang Luan asked in confusion, "I wonder what Minister Li means by this?"

Li Zisheng smiled and said, "Laizhan, you and I hit it off. I happen to have an empty house in the north of the city. It's not a big place. Although the three-courtyard layout is a bit small, it can accommodate more than ten or twenty people. It just needs to be repaired. Since you have no place to live when you first came to the capital, I will give you this house."

Zhang Luan was extremely shocked: "As the saying goes, no merit, no reward. I have just arrived in the capital and have not done anything. How dare I accept such a generous gift from Minister Li?"

Shen Lu next to him was still grinning and looking at Pang Qing with a teasing look, as if saying, see, I said this gift was too expensive and my brother-in-law didn't dare to accept it.

Li Zisheng stepped forward and asked Zhang Luan to walk side by side into the courtyard, smiling and saying, "I've told you to be polite, Brother Lai Zhan, why are you still being polite to me?

"Brother Laizhan, there is no need to be so formal in front of me... Don't worry, you deserve this.

"Come on, let's go in and talk. I'll have someone take you to see the new house later. I'll also find someone to do the renovations and keep it safe. You don't need to worry about it..."

Zhang Luan was excited, and the depression caused by the contempt of Huizhou merchants had long been swept away.

Seeing his two sons curiously coming out of the house and trying to jump back when they saw a stranger, Zhang Luan hurriedly shouted, "Walk properly, don't act like monkeys...Hurry up and help your mother clean up the hall. Your father wants to warmly welcome Lord Li and Lord Shen."

Li Zisheng pretended to be angry when he heard this, and waved his hand and said, "Look at what you said, brother Zhan. There is no need to be polite between you and me... I am very cordial when I come to your house, just like returning to my own home. I just need to get along with my family like usual. If you are too polite, I will turn around and leave!"

"Don't dare, don't dare..."

Zhang Luan quickly bowed and apologized.

Shen Lu smiled and comforted: "Laizhan, Minister Li treats you as his own, you don't need to be so polite.

"Let me be frank. The troops sent to Shandong returned one after another before sunset and confirmed that an earthquake had indeed occurred on Mount Tai before nightfall yesterday. They reported that an arc of light appeared on the ground, followed by thunder from the sky, and then the mountains collapsed and the ground cracked, with rocks falling, as if the sky was angry, and the momentum was extremely terrifying.

"Because the earthquake was so severe, even Jinan Prefecture and the entire Shandong Province were affected. Many houses in counties and prefectures collapsed. Fortunately, the local government issued an early warning, and few people stayed in the houses, so the people avoided the fate of being buried in the ruins and waiting to die miserably. This is something that countless people have experienced personally, and it cannot be false.

"You will have to have a good talk with Minister Li later about how you figured out all this."

Zhang Luan was shocked and sighed inwardly, an earthquake really happened?
My son didn't lie to me.

He is not making this up!
But the question is, who did he hear that from?
Where is the master who is guiding him from behind? If there is no master to guide him, how can I deal with Li Zisheng, a popular figure in front of His Majesty?

……

……

In the main hall of Zhang's house, several candles were lit, illuminating the small space brightly.

The people brought by Li Zisheng also specially lit several lanterns and hung them all over the porch. It was no exaggeration to say that the small courtyard was decorated with lights and colorful lanterns. The small courtyard was brightly illuminated by candlelight.

Zhang Luan sat in the main seat with a reserved look on his face, carefully responding to Li Zisheng's inquiries.

"Laizhan, I heard that your son hasn't found a suitable husband yet?" Li Zisheng came up and started to care about Zhang Luan's family affairs.

"Yes!"

Zhang Luan nodded and said, "I asked Ruxue to help me find a few a few years ago, but none of them were suitable. They all said that they only recruited local students. After all, my children will return to Hejian Prefecture to take the imperial examination in the future, and they have not received systematic teaching before. It is still unclear whether they can take the Tongsheng examination in the future."

Li Zisheng said with a smile: "If your daughter is chosen as the Crown Princess, why would she need to take the Tongsheng Examination? She can just get a title, or work in the Five Military Commanders' Office or the Imperial Guards. Wouldn't her future be much smoother than taking the imperial examination?"

Zhang Luan said with emotion: "That being said, there are some things that we still dare not expect too much."

Shen Lu reminded: "Since Minister Li said he would help, then the matter is almost certain... Let's put it this way, if all parties are well taken care of, your daughter's entry into the final round is basically a foregone conclusion."

"You can't say that."

Li Zisheng first denied Shen Lu's statement, then looked at Zhang Luan and said, "Laizhan, have you received a reply from the prince in the past two days?"

Zhang Luan was stunned.

As the middleman responsible for forwarding the letters, don’t you know better than me whether there is a reply or not?

You actually asked me?

But he still told the truth: "I just replied to the letter before, and there has been no further movement since then."

Li Zisheng looked at Pang Qing who was standing beside him and said, "Push them up and see if there is anything that has delayed them."

Shen Lu added, "In the last letter, was it true about what Minister Li did in predicting the earthquakes in Ningxia and Mount Tai?"

"Have."

Zhang Luan nodded.

He was a little surprised for a moment, thinking, didn't you open the letter I sent you and study it carefully?

Li Zisheng smiled and said, "According to what I have heard, the prince is very concerned about your daughter's letter. I estimate that the reply will arrive in the next two days."

Zhang Luan was extremely confused.

Does the prince care? How come you, Li Zisheng, an outsider, know about it? Do you have spies around the prince? Why do I feel like I'm on a pirate ship?
Li Zisheng said, "With your talent, it's no problem for you to be a royal doctor in the Imperial Hospital. But what I'm thinking about now is that since you've entered the Imperial College, have you ever thought about becoming a doctor of the Five Classics? If you don't mind, I can make arrangements for you."

Zhang Luan was a little confused. They had agreed before that he would help me get into the Imperial Medical Bureau, but now he wanted me to work in the Imperial College?

I'm a student at the Imperial Academy. I've just enrolled and haven't even started classes for a few days. And you want me to be a teacher?

When I teach others, can they believe me?
Shen Lu had a very keen political sense and understood what was going on as soon as he heard it. Li Zisheng wanted to make important use of Zhang Luan, but was also afraid that Zhang Luan was too capable and would have more opportunities to come into contact with members of the royal family or high-ranking officials, which would make him difficult to control.

As a result, Zhang Luan was no longer the best choice to become an imperial physician at the Imperial Medical Bureau.

On the contrary, staying in the Imperial College to work may seem noble and prominent, but in fact it is equivalent to trapping Zhang Luan in shallow water, preventing him from soaring into the sky.

Shen Lu smiled and said, "It's good to stay in the Imperial College. It will avoid a lot of disputes. With the experience of a doctor of the Imperial College, it will be easy for you to go out and teach in the local area in the future. If there is any opportunity, you can be elected as a county magistrate, and you will enter the official career directly."

When Zhang Luan heard the big promises made by Shen Lu, he became excited, his eyes flushed, and even his breathing became rapid.

(End of this chapter)