Top Scholar

Chapter 438 Zhu Shou (Seeking monthly votes)

As they spoke, the group left the main room.

Su Youcai called out towards the east wing, "Lord Commander, come out. Eunuch Zhang has agreed to see you."

"Yes, yes!" Qian Ning responded and slid to his knees, rushing to Zhang Gonggong's side. With a sob in his voice, he kowtowed heavily and said, "Thank you so much, Godfather, for saving my life!"

"..." In Su Lu's mind, the image of a traitor who had served three masters immediately came to mind.

"Save your breath, having too many godfathers makes you worthless..." Zhang Yong snorted, politely declining, "You've caused such a huge mess, Eunuch Liu wants to skin you alive, do you even realize that?"

"I know, I know." Qian Ning kowtowed repeatedly, saying, "The only person who can save me now is... Eunuch Zhang."

As he spoke, he hurriedly pledged his loyalty, saying, "If you, my lord, are willing to give me this opportunity, I will repay you with my life, even if it means going through fire and water!"

“Our family can give you this job,” Zhang Yong said calmly, “but remember this well—our family isn’t doing this for you, we’re just giving Brother Su face.”

"Yes, yes! I will never forget your great kindness!" Qian Ning said, then turned to the Su family father and son and kowtowed twice.

"Let's go." Zhang Yong waved his hand, and Qian Ning quickly got up, smiled gratefully at Su Lu and his son, and followed Zhang Yong happily.

~~
The courtyard fell silent instantly.

The whole family stared at the somewhat strange-sounding plaque that read "First-Class Filial Son".

Su Youcai asked worriedly, "Son, are you alright?"

"Father, don't worry." Su Lu smiled slightly and said, "His Majesty is only seventeen or eighteen years old. He's not at the age where he can't speak his mind, so just take it literally."

He paused for a moment, then raised his voice and said, "Besides, with this plaque, at least some people will know that the Emperor hasn't forgotten me!"

"Ah, yes, yes, that's probably why Eunuch Zhang brought it here today," Su Youcai said happily.

"Hang it up right away!"

~~
Meanwhile, Zhang Yong returned to the Leopard House to report back.

The Emperor Zhengde's bedroom had been completely transformed under his arrangement; every corner of the room was warm and cozy, and everything suited the emperor's taste perfectly.

This winter, Zhu Houzhao stayed here every night except for returning to the palace for one night on New Year's Eve, playing with his panda.

Two months have passed, and the panda has grown quite a bit since being raised by Su Youjin. It's no longer a cub, but it's still incredibly cute.

As Zhu Houzhao carefully groomed the panda's fur, he asked softly, "Have you sent the plaque over?"

"Yes," Zhang Yong answered softly.

"Didn't he ask why there was only a plaque and no reward?" Zhu Houzhao asked.

“No. However, Su Jieyuan could tell from the words that the Emperor was angry,” Zhang Yong said.

"Heh heh, you have pretty good eyesight." Zhu Houzhao chuckled, then asked, "Did you spill the beans to him?"

“I followed His Majesty’s orders exactly, not a word more or less,” Zhang Yong replied.

"Hmm, that'll give him plenty of time to think about it." Zhu Houzhao nodded and said, "Let's see what he says tonight."

~~
That afternoon, Su Lu was absent-minded, sitting by the stove deep in thought.

His family didn't bother him and didn't call him until dinner time.

After dinner, Zhang Yong came again with his men.

"I'm so sorry, I'm getting senile." He apologized profusely as soon as he entered, but there wasn't a trace of a smile on his face; he spoke in a businesslike manner.
"Look at my memory! I only delivered the plaque during the day, and I completely forgot about the Emperor's reward!"

"It's alright, it's alright, Father-in-law is busy." Su Lu politely replied before Su Youcai could speak.

Seeing this, Su Youcai fell silent.

Zhang Yong waved his hand, and the servants carried the emperor's reward into the main hall.

After the Su father and son expressed their gratitude, Eunuch Zhang said solemnly, "His Majesty still has questions for Su Jieyuan."

Su Lu hurriedly and respectfully said, "Please ask, sir."

“It’s not me asking, it’s this young…Eunuch Shou asking on behalf of the Emperor.” Zhang Yong then pointed to the side of him, to a young man wearing a blue cloth round collar, a steel fork hat, with a fair face, no beard, an oval face, and big eyes.

“My name is Zhu Shou, the Emperor’s personal attendant.” Xiao Huozhe then twirled his pinky finger and said to Su Lu in a pretentious tone, “The Emperor has something he wants me to ask you. Find me a quiet place.”

Upon hearing Xiao Huozhe's name, Su Lu's pupils contracted sharply, but he quickly regained his composure, reached out and lifted the curtain, saying, "Yes, please come into the inner room."

"Alright." Little Fire then swayed and went into the inner room.

Su Lu followed them inside, while Zhang Yong personally guarded the door.

Su Youcai cast a questioning look at Zhang Yong, who shook his head slightly, signaling him to calm down.

~~
Inner room.

Su Lu took a deep breath and said calmly, "Please ask."

"Hmm." Zhu Shou, the little fire-wielder, nodded and asked in a drawn-out tone, "His Majesty asks you, when did you write that 'The Difficulty of Finding Beauty in the Imperial Examination'?" "Please present it to His Majesty—this is my draft of an essay during the provincial examination. The prefect was so kind to me that he selected me as the top student based on this and submitted it to the provincial authorities... I never expected it to be presented to His Majesty. I am truly ashamed," Su Lu replied.

“There’s nothing to be ashamed of. Your post was sincere and beautifully written; it even brought tears to the Emperor’s eyes.” Zhu Shou said calmly, “But unlike what others think, the Emperor was only reminded of his longing for the late Emperor; nothing more.”

After a pause, Zhu Shou unconsciously clenched his fist and said, "After he finished reading it, he returned to the palace only because he didn't want his father's spirit in heaven to be sad, so he went back to apologize to his mother."

"This matter should have been left behind, but after reading your 'The Difficulty of Lust' essay, the Empress Dowager suddenly became self-righteous again. Although she did not openly criticize the Emperor, she wanted the Emperor to reward you handsomely and to publish your essay to the whole world!"

After saying that, Zhu Shou smiled and looked at Su Lu, saying, "His Majesty would like to ask your opinion: should it be published throughout the land?"

"Please tell Your Majesty that I would be most grateful if my article could be published throughout the land." Su Lu shook his head and said, "But this is not the right time. People will think that Your Majesty has made a mistake."

Zhu Shou raised an eyebrow and said calmly, "What's the big deal about His Majesty admitting a mistake? Does His Majesty never make mistakes?"

“Of course, Your Majesty can make mistakes, but you cannot easily admit them,” Su Lu said solemnly. “Because for the sake of order in the world, Your Majesty must be a ‘sage ruler,’ and naturally must avoid any words or actions that would damage your wisdom. Not to mention taking the initiative to admit to ‘filial impiety.’”

"So you're saying your article is wrong?" Zhu Shou sneered.

“My article is also correct.” Su Lu shook his head decisively.

"Isn't that a contradiction?" Zhu Shou frowned.

“Your Majesty has not contradicted yourself; perhaps Your Majesty has not understood your writing,” Su Lu said, shaking his head.

“Very well, then I will… ask on behalf of His Majesty.” Zhu Shou stepped forward, looking steadily at Su Lu, and said:
"The Emperor asks you, if parents treat their children exceptionally badly, should they still adhere to the filial duty of 'not showing a pleasant expression'?"

Su Lu replied, "That depends on just how bad it is."

“It’s really bad,” Zhu Shou said in a muffled voice. “It’s been bad since I was a child.”

"If things get to a particularly bad point, there's no need to force it," Su Lu repeated.
"I wrote clearly in the article, 'Deep love resides within, and gentleness flows outward. Her gentle demeanor is not a clever embellishment, but a sincere expression of filial piety.'"

He paused for a moment, then said in a deep voice, "If that filial piety is gone, the so-called gentle appearance is nothing but a deliberate disguise."

Upon hearing this, the gloom between the young eunuch Zhu Shou's brows lessened considerably. He pressed on, asking:
"So, in this situation, the children don't have to maintain a submissive demeanor?"

"If one has no true intentions, then cleverly feigning virtue is enough," Su Lu said softly.

"So, it's just for show?" Zhu Shou asked.

"Since it cannot come from the heart, this is all that can be done," Su Lu sighed softly.

The young eunuch frowned again and asked, "Why do you have to pretend?"

“Because not pretending would be harmful to oneself.” Su Lu said frankly: “The dynasty governs the world with loyalty and filial piety, so why put oneself in the passive position of being ‘unfilial’? This applies to the emperor and the ministers as well.”

"But wouldn't such a behavior as a son mean losing one's purity?" Zhu Shou pressed.

Su Lu smiled faintly: "A gentleman judges by actions, not by intentions; and if we judge by intentions, no one in the world is perfect."

"Hahaha, what a fine example of judging by actions, not intentions!" Zhu Shou laughed loudly. "You're very good, very interesting, the Emperor will definitely like you very much!"

“The young eunuch is very interesting; the Emperor will surely like you very much.”

"Of course, I, Zhu Shou, am the Emperor's most favored person." Zhu Shou said, rubbing his stomach, "I'm hungry, how about you treat me to something to eat?"

"Of course," Su Lu nodded with a smile. "But it's too late, so I can only serve you noodles."

"No way! I've finally come all this way, I deserve a nice meal," Zhu Shou said without any hesitation. "Treat me to a restaurant, I've never eaten out before!"

“I just arrived in the capital yesterday, and I don’t know which restaurants are still open at this hour. But I can ask Eunuch Zhang, if he agrees,” Su Lu said with a smile.

"Don't worry, he'll definitely agree," Zhu Shou said confidently.

Su Lu lifted the curtain, and the two walked out chatting and laughing.

“Eunuch Zhang, I would like to invite Brother Zhu Shou out for a nice meal. Are there any restaurants still open in the capital this late at night?” Su Lu asked Zhang Yong.

Zhang Yong glanced at Zhu Shou, and seeing the expectant look on his face, immediately nodded and said, "Of course!"

After saying that, he instructed Zhang Zhong behind him, "Go to the nearest restaurant quickly, reserve the best private room, and have them prepare the best feast as soon as possible!"

"Okay, all right!" Zhang Zhong accepted the order and dashed out of the courtyard, running towards the other end of Mule and Horse Market Street.

There was a three-story restaurant at the street corner. When Zhang Zhong arrived, panting, he saw that the waiters were already putting up the door panels.

"Don't close the door!" Zhang Zhong shouted hurriedly.

"Please come again tomorrow, sir. We're closing soon," the waiter replied casually.

"What are you hitting?" Zhang Zhong pressed down on the door with one hand and pulled open his overcoat with the other, revealing the python robe underneath.

Who in the capital doesn't recognize this person?

The shopkeeper and the staff all trembled in fright and hurriedly changed their tune: "Open for business! We have a private room upstairs with fine wine and food ready for you!"

P.S. The Great General has appeared! Can we vote for him now?

(End of this chapter)