Volume 2: Residence in the Capital Chapter 131: First establish a career, then start a family
Although Zhang Shou was amused and confused by Lu Sanlang's request, he finally did not refuse when he thought about what Lu Sanlang was worried and hated about, the blind marriage arranged by parents and matchmakers, which was also the biggest reason why he once wanted to keep a distance from Zhu Ying. Of course, he did not agree outright either.
"I can't guarantee this, but I can talk to Yingying and ask her to find out if any of the rich ladies she knows are interested in you, a prodigal genius. If there is a suitable one, the teacher should be happy to match you up. Of course, since you don't care about family background, if there is someone you like, you can tell me directly."
Lu Sanlang almost jumped for joy. He didn't have as much face as Zhang Shou did with Ge Yong. Now that Zhang Shou had said this, as long as his father didn't arrange a marriage for him without saying anything, what else did he have to worry about?
He immediately kicked the chair away and walked around to Zhang Shou, bowing deeply without saying a word: "Young sir, Lu Zhu would like to thank you here!"
As long as his father doesn't arrange a marriage for him, he doesn't mind being called "pickled pork" countless times!
Zhang Shou pulled Lu Sanlang up and said, "You're still trying to trick me? It just so happens that I have something to discuss with you, so this favor you asked me to give you is at most a draw."
Lu Sanlang was pushed back to his original seat by Zhang Shou. After a moment of hesitation, he suddenly realized: "Is it because of that audacious guy who sent a sword to threaten you, young master? Don't worry, I am a local boss in the capital. I originally planned to mobilize Zhang Chen and others to investigate this matter. I will definitely find out the truth and give you an explanation!"
"It doesn't matter about giving me the sword. You don't need to worry about it." Zhang Shou smiled indifferently. "Since I brought this sword with a scabbard, it is an attitude. I want to discuss another matter with you. I have a few immature ideas. I need a few skilled craftsmen to help me improve the drawings and see if I can make it."
Although Lu Sanlang patted his chest loudly just now, it was nonsense to say how confident he was. Therefore, Zhang Shou's first statement surprised him, but he was relieved, but the second sentence was different.
Thinking of the density experiment at the Ge Mansion and the excitement that followed, which he had missed, he was extremely interested and immediately asked, "What is this interesting thing? Can you tell me more, young master? Don't worry, I will go to great lengths to invite the most famous craftsmen in the capital to come for you!"
Zhang Shou couldn't help but laugh. He didn't even know how advanced the technology was these days, so how could he tell Lu Sanlang the whole story? He could only say vaguely, "I grew up in the countryside, and I've been guessing a lot of things, and I don't know if there are any ready-made things in the world. It's hard to explain to you right away. Please help me find someone first, and then you'll know."
Seeing that Lu Sanlang hesitated for a moment and finally nodded in agreement, he added: "This matter ends with you, and you must not tell anyone else. You should know that I have never mentioned a word to anyone, whether it is Yingying, the teacher, or the lady. When the person who came back comes, you can come and discuss it with me!"
Hearing this, Lu Sanlang, who had just been thinking about something, suddenly became delighted and very happy.
It seems that Zhang Shou regards him as the most trustworthy and like-minded person!
He immediately said, "Then it's settled. I will definitely look for a skilled craftsman. As for what you said before about both sides being even, how can it be considered that! What I'm helping you with is just a small matter within my ability, and maybe I can learn something from it. But what you're helping me with is a matter that concerns my whole life!"
"Besides, you and Miss Zhu came to my house to save me, and you told Master Ge and others that I had a talent for mathematics. Even the emperor praised me. So, I owe you so many favors!"
Zhang Shou smiled. He just wanted to attract investment, but then he thought that instead of being so direct and utilitarian, it would be better to use Lu Sanlang to find the talents he needed. If he needed money and needed Lu Sanlang's help, he could wait until he spent all the money he had collected from him.
He was not actually a person with strong hands-on skills, and his knowledge of certain electronic information and technical means such as programming were of no use these days. What's more, he needed to meet those skilled craftsmen who actually built things, because these people might better understand the industrial structure and technological development.
However, neither the Duke of Zhao's Mansion nor Ge Yong could provide him with this information immediately. Moreover, the Duke of Zhao's Mansion and Ge Yong were too big to be as concealed as Lu Sanlang's.
What's more, although Lu Sanlang looks slippery, he is actually a very pure little fat boy and should be a good collaborator.
Thinking of this, he smiled and said, "Okay, I'll repay a favor. Please help me with this first, and we can discuss it later!"
After a pleasant hot pot meal, Lu Sanlang was in a good mood when he left, even though he didn't drink any alcohol, he still looked tipsy, as if even his steps were a little unsteady. Zhang Shou, who was standing at the door to see someone off, was about to close the door when he suddenly heard a rustling sound from above. When he looked up, he saw Ah Liu sticking his head out from the eaves. If he wasn't used to this kid's elusiveness, he would have been scared.
"I left you here to eat hot pot, but you ran away without saying a word. Now you show up like this to scare people. Can't you be a little more normal?" Zhang Shou really didn't want to look up and talk, so he simply took two steps back. Then he realized something, "Why, are you standing here, afraid that someone will hear me and Lu Sanlang talking? It's not a secret, so it doesn't matter if someone hears it."
Ah Liu fell headfirst from the eaves, and when he was about to hit the ground, he stretched out his hand and slapped the ground. He flipped over and finally landed steadily. He clapped his hands and came to Zhang Shou, and then said lightly: "The assassin is in the outer court of the Silijian."
Zhang Shou knew that the so-called assassin must be the guy who shot him with an arrow in the bamboo forest and was captured by Hua Qi. Therefore, after a slight pause, he couldn't help but ask: "How did you know?"
"I saw it with my own eyes." Seeing Zhang Shou looking him up and down with a strange expression, Ah Liu seemed very calm, "I said, I almost went to the Imperial Household Department."
If Zhang Shou and A Liu had not grown up together and witnessed the little guy's growth with his own eyes, and his Adam's apple is now very obvious, he would have been led into a ditch again by these words.
Thinking of how Ah Liu had personally expressed to him that he considered himself a member of the Zhang family, he couldn't help but guess that Ah Liu might be carrying some kind of token that allowed him to enter the outer yamen of the Imperial Household Department at will.
After thinking about it, he decided not to ask further questions and asked casually, "So how is this guy now?"
"He's a nice guy." Ah Liu simply said these four words, and then added, "He said he was ordered to scare you."
"Heh." Zhang Shou sneered, but his laughter was a little cold. Maybe the arrow was not meant to kill him, and he also tried to save Zhu Ying because of a misunderstanding, so he dodged it in time, and Ah Liu even tried to intercept it. It was only afterwards that he felt a little thrilling, but it was impossible for him to feel happy to be treated like this. Especially when he heard that the person who shot was still free, he felt even more annoyed.
He suddenly had an idea: "Is the assassin a eunuch?"
"He was a royal attendant, but now he has been demoted to a menial servant. He shot you with an arrow, and I beat him up, so he has to stay in bed for several months."
Seeing Ah Liu's detailed explanation, Zhang Shou could not help but look this daring young man up and down for a long time, then smiled and gave him a thumbs up. No matter what, Ah Liu had already gone too far by running to the Imperial Household Department to beat someone up for him.
Seeing Ah Liu looking at the messy table in the room, he smiled and said, "Haven't you had lunch yet? Pour out the soup base in the pot, wash it, add water and boil the pot again. The mutton and vegetables should be enough for you to have a meal. Lu Sanlang looks fat, but his appetite is smaller than mine. I thought he was the kind of person who eats a lot... Who ordered the assassin?"
This kind of sudden change of topic is easy for many people who are not careful to get the answer, and it works every time. However, after Zhang Shou asked the last question, he saw Ah Liu looking at him with clear eyes. Knowing that his intention was exposed, he couldn't help but sigh, but then he waited for Ah Liu 's answer.
"He first said it was the Second Prince, then Princess Yongping... But I think he was lying. I was very close to him at the time, and I had just pushed him to the point of death, and his heartbeat was not right."
Such a strange reason for judgment was somewhat beyond Zhang Shou's expectation, but because of this, he almost immediately accepted Ah Liu's judgment. At that moment, he patted the little guy on the shoulder, and when he saw people busying themselves with re-working the copper pot and preparing to make up for this lunch, he laughed and thought that this former country boy was really enough to attract hatred.
However, Ah Liu refilled the charcoal and water, and sat there in a daze while waiting for the water to boil, when he suddenly asked, "When is the young master going to marry the young lady?"
Zhang Shou, who was analyzing the enemy and me, was simply stumped by Ah Liu's blunt question. After a long while, he managed to utter a few words: "First establish a career, then start a family!"
"To establish a career means to get rich, right?" Ah Liu asked, but found that Zhang Shou did not answer.
"In the desert, people make their fortune by plundering; among the common people, people make their fortune by annexing; in the court, people make their fortune by confiscating property."
Ah Liu spoke a bloody philosophy in all seriousness, and then said calmly, "When the madman told me this truth, he led a group of horse thieves to kill all the horse thieves in another group, and then poisoned and killed all the horse thieves he led. Then, all the gold, silver and treasures accumulated by the two groups belonged to him."
"What you said, in the final analysis, is all embezzlement." Zhang Shou sneered, and then said lightly, "Appropriating other people's wealth does seem to be the best way to make a fortune. But that is only a process of wealth transfer, and it does not really create more wealth out of thin air. Real wealth is created by production."
The four words "taking advantage of others by trickery and plundering" are indeed the secret of some people's fortune, but not his.
As soon as he finished speaking, he suddenly saw Ah Liu looking at him with a dull expression, and then said something completely irrelevant.
"There seems to be someone outside the door."
Zhang Shou was greatly surprised. When he quickly walked to the door and opened it, he saw Shuntian Prefecture Governor Wang Datou and Deng Xiaodai standing there. The former had the same expression as Ah Liu, while the latter coughed unnaturally.
"Young sir, we came here when you said to build a career first and then start a family."
The next moment, Zhang Shou turned around and glared at Ah Liu. "You little bastard, you said those things to me just now, did you do it on purpose?"
