Volume 1 In the Countryside Chapter 27: Who is this expert?
Although the sun was scorching, there was a gentle breeze in the bamboo forest, so it was quite cool in the bamboo houses among Cuijun.
Zhang Shou was reclining on a bamboo couch in the back room of the Qingfeng Xulai Hall, listening to Qi Liang teaching outside, explaining math problems to the "eager to learn" Lu Sanlang. Below him, Zhu Ying was sitting there, smiling and concentrating on playing the piano, her slender fingers flying across the strings. The movements were very beautiful, but the sound of the piano...
I can only say that it is not very skilled and is not satisfactory, but at least it is not noise and it is still audible.
However, he was planning to retire after accomplishing his mission and hand over future visitors from the capital to Lu Sanlang. However, Zhu Ying kept on coaxing him into continuing to pretend to be an expert. What was he up to?
But it must be said that this was a complete harassment to Lu Sanlang, who was studying mathematics outside.
However, Lu Sanlang did not protest. Considering that this was a long and slow song, it was appropriate for the occasion, and Zhang Shou certainly would not interrupt Zhu Ying's interest. In addition, Zhan Jin and Liu Yin were smiling and sticking bamboo sticks with ice grapes that had been soaked in well water, and then they were diligently presented to him. He could only pretend to be at ease and enjoy the song.
Otherwise, Zhu Ying might raise her head from time to time and glare at him.
Just as Zhu Ying finally stopped playing contentedly, and Zhan Jin and Liu Yin beside her hurriedly served her tea and water, and brought her some fruit, Zhang Shou heard a voice from outside shouting, "We're here, we're here. I told you we'd find it, right? This must be it!"
"Brother Chen, look, there are signs hanging on the doors of all the bamboo houses on all sides, just like what Pighead Lu reported back!"
"Humph, that idiot Lu Zhutou, he can't answer the questions above, so he thinks that no one else can answer them? Go, pick up a dozen plaques and let me see what kind of difficult questions they are! Can someone who can play the piano so badly be a great scholar? Only someone like Lu Zhutou who has never seen the world thinks he is a great person!"
"That's right. Lu Zhutou has always been the most annoying person. Zhu Ying might have made up a story to fool him, but he really thought that Zhu Ying would look up to such a country boy! Didn't they say before that Zhu Ying's fiancé was in the country? It must be a fake news spread by the Duke of Zhao's Mansion to deceive people!"
Hearing the shouting outside, Zhang Shou saw Zhu Ying's eyebrows raised, and it was obvious that she was very angry. He couldn't help but smile for a moment.
Pointing at the monk and calling him a bald thief, Zhu Gongquan was like that in the past, and now these people outside are doing the same thing!
He then said calmly in an old and hoarse voice: "Yingying, you are just a beginner. Practice makes perfect. Why bother to get angry with a bunch of idle people?"
When Zhu Ying heard Zhang Shou's arrogant words, she burst into laughter, and all her anger flew away. She pouted at Zhan Jin with a smile, and when she saw someone quickly help Zhang Shou to tidy up the veiled hat, she snorted in annoyance.
"I won't get angry with these guys... Sir, do you know their origins?"
Although he knew that the young lady was keeping things a secret, Zhang Shou still asked with a very knowledgeable and interesting smile, "Could it be that he is also the son of a meritorious official or a noble relative?"
"Heroes are heroes, but noble relatives have no place for them!"
Zhu Ying sneered and said casually, "The one called Brother Chen is Zhang Chen, the only son of Qin Guogong Zhang Chuan. I mentioned Qin Guogong Zhang Chuan to you earlier. He didn't inherit his father Zhang Yun's brilliant strategy, but he was very talented in writing. He was at least the best scholar among the descendants of meritorious officials. But Zhang Chen was a disgrace. He drove away countless scholars since he was a child."
Zhang Shou thought it was weird that someone who doted on his child and chased away his teacher was a bit strange: "Duke Qin has never disciplined his son?"
" Zhang Chuan is a man of good learning, but he believes in ruling by doing nothing. He doesn't care about his son, and he doesn't even bother to take care of the family affairs. He just leaves everything to his wife. Because his son pissed off the teacher and he ran away, he has a bad reputation among scholars."
Unlike the previous discussion of Duke of Chu Zhang Ming, who had a grudge against her father, with some respect, Zhu Ying was obviously a little disapproving when she talked about Zhang Chuan. But she soon realized that she had gone off topic and quickly turned back.
"Since Zhang Chen is here, the other two outside must be Zhang Lu and Zhang Wu. Their fathers are also what I mentioned, namely Huaiqing Marquis Zhang Jingzhou and Nanyang Marquis Zhang Hanzhou. They are both illegitimate sons. The two brothers have 17 or 18 sons in their families. One of them is the sixth and the other is the fifth. I was lazy and gave them these names. I don't need to tell you what their status is. You should know it."
Lu is pronounced as Liu, and Wu is pronounced as Wu, which is also pronounced as Five. Judging from their names, those two young masters from the marquis’s mansion were indeed not taken seriously.
However, there really were a bunch of people with the surname Zhang who came...
Zhang Shou couldn't help but laugh. He looked through the bamboo curtain to the outside room. He could vaguely see Lu Sanlang working furiously to solve a problem. Judging from his posture, he might not even be able to hear the noise outside, let alone the conversation between him and Zhu Ying. Thinking of the surprised expression on Lu Sanlang's face when he questioned him last time and confessed that he didn't want to be famous, he laughed unconsciously again.
These dandies in the capital seem to have their own stories, which are quite interesting to be honest.
Just as he was thinking this, the "quite interesting" group of three dandies outside, after being quiet for a while, suddenly became noisy again.
"What the hell is this question? Is this made by a human?"
"This is clearly intentional!"
"The one who is seeking fame inside cannot call himself a hermit just by building a thatched cottage or bamboo house. If you are sensible, give up this bamboo house!"
Following this last angry voice, Zhang Shou heard the cotton door curtain in the front room being lifted up by someone, followed by a burst of chaotic footsteps. Obviously, the few people outside had broken into Qingfeng Xulai Hall.
This was expected, and he was not angry, but there was a hot-tempered and willful young lady sitting next to him. Zhu Ying slapped the armrest hard, and then stood up and shouted angrily: "Zhanjin, Liuyin, open the curtain for me!"
As the two maids rushed forward and pulled up the bamboo curtain, Zhang Shou could see the three people who broke in. The one in the middle had a slicked-back face and could be described as handsome, but there was a sense of arrogance and violence between his eyebrows. The two people on the side were very tactful and lagged behind. Although they also looked like well-dressed noblemen, they looked more like lackeys.
Standing in the middle, Zhang Chen, full of impatience, originally planned to order his two younger brothers to pull over Lu Sanlang, who was busy at his desk and ignored the three of them. But when he heard Zhu Ying's voice and saw the bamboo curtain in the inner room being drawn, he saw the two girls who were drawing the curtain clearly, and found Zhu Ying standing there with an arrogant look on her face. He was immediately surprised, and the arrogance on his face immediately turned into embarrassment.
Then, a scene that made him dumbfounded appeared, because after Zhu Ying glared at him fiercely, she turned around and came to the person wearing a bamboo hat and a veil on the bamboo couch in the middle, and said in a somewhat coquettish tone: "Sir, it's all my fault. I attracted such a mess of people here!"
Seeing Zhu Ying even stretched out her hand as if to support him, Zhang Shou was startled. But when he saw her winking at him with a smug look on her face, he knew she was doing it on purpose. He stood up helplessly, but found that she was just pretending to support him with both hands, and did not touch his arm at all. He couldn't help but laugh, took two steps into the front room, and then coughed softly.
"How can you blame him for having legs on him? Among the noble children, since there are people like Lu Sanlang who are studious and inquisitive, there are also those who are rash and impulsive."
As soon as these words came out, Lu Sanlang, who had just been working hard on the test without paying attention to anyone, suddenly trembled, and a drop of ink fell down, staining a large spot on the paper. He almost used all his strength to suppress the ecstasy in his heart.
Even an old gentleman whom Zhu Ying respected praised him for his diligence and curiosity. Why would he worry about being looked down upon by his father and brother?
Zhang Chen, Zhang Lu and Zhang Wu, who were accused of being reckless and impulsive, turned pale and blue in the face, but they did not dare to lose their temper.
In her life, Zhu Ying had only helped the Queen Mother, the Lady of Zhao, and the Duke of Zhao. Had she ever helped anyone else?
Who exactly is this country hermit whom they had disregarded when they spoke to him before?
