Volume 2: Residence in the Capital Chapter 140: Sharing happiness is worse than enjoying it alone
If it were in the past, when hearing that Master Zhang from Qin Garden came to inquire about Zhao Garden's situation, Mother Li would have taken it for granted that it must be the spoiled only son of Duke Qin, Zhang Chen, who was showing his courtesy to the eldest daughter again, and she would have had a headache thinking about how to put him off. But at this moment, her first reaction was... to look sideways at Zhang Shou!
She has always been amazed that even with Ge Yong as his teacher, Zhang Shou could actually convince his love rival Zhang Chen!
At this time, she only saw Zhang Shou smiled and asked, "Is it Zhang Chen?"
"That's right." The general could not help but look up and glance at Zhang Shou when answering, then quickly lowered his head, "Mr. Zhang heard that Mr. Shou and the eldest lady were both here, so he said he wanted to meet Mr. Shou."
"It's a coincidence that he happens to live in Haidian Garden."
Zhang Shou glanced at Mama Li as he spoke. Mama Li was such a smart person that she immediately smiled and said, "Our family and the Qin Guogong Zhang family are old friends. In addition, Young Master Zhang is your student, Young Master Shou, so of course he should be invited in to talk. How about this, I'll go to see the eldest lady and tell her that Young Master Zhang is coming."
In just a moment, Mother Li, who had wanted to ask Zhang Shou what was going on, changed her mind. Seeing the servant who came in to report hurried out, she vaguely felt that Zhang Chen's visit at this time might not be because the commotion in Zhao Garden last night alarmed him, but it was very likely because she brought dozens of servants with her.
You know, her group of dozens of people just happened to pass by Qin Garden, which was not far from Zhao Garden. If Zhang Chen wanted to go out at that time, and noticed the commotion and followed to take a look, it would not be surprising at all.
Mother Li hurried to Xiaocuitang, and the servant also hurried out and brought Zhang Chen over after a while.
Although he knew that Zhang Shou was in Zhao Garden, when they met, he thought that this was the Zhu family's villa, and Zhang Shou lived here like the owner. Even the Zhu family's servants didn't think it was surprising. It was obvious that his relationship with Zhu Ying was set in stone. Thinking that all his thoughts about Zhu Ying were in vain, Zhang Chen was a little depressed. After a while, he called "Teacher" listlessly.
He is now the head monk of Banshan Hall, and Zhang Shou is in charge of the Imperial College Doctor of Banshan Hall. The teacher-student relationship is more legitimate than before.
Zhang Shou personally appointed Zhang Chen as the head monk. He pretended not to notice Zhang Chen's depressed expression and said with a smile, "This gate is not a place to talk. Yingying is in Xiaocuitang now, so let's go to Qinfang Pavilion."
There were dozens of servants and guards outside Zhao Garden, who were guarding as if they were facing a great enemy . When Zhang Chen entered Zhao Garden, he found that there were almost no people in such a big place. He had been feeling suspicious for a long time, so when Zhang Shou said so, he hesitated for a moment and nodded.
He had been to Zhao Garden in previous years. This time, he followed Zhang Shou along the winding path, passed through the rockery, and when they arrived in front of Qinfang Pavilion, he couldn't help but ask.
"What happened in Zhao Garden?"
" Last night, two traitors who had escaped death from the Linhai Camp were found in the garden. There was a big commotion. Later, Yingying was afraid that something might happen, so she searched the garden all night. After all, Zhao Garden is outside the capital, and she was afraid that someone would collude with the traitors. In the second half of the night, she found a lot of messy things, so Xiaocuitang should be full of ghosts and wolves howling at this moment."
Zhang Shou explained briefly, but he never mentioned the fact that someone was targeting him, and he didn't even mention that Zhu Ying actually slept until early in the morning because of the effect of the calming incense. As expected, Zhang Chen was surprised at first, and then he became furious.
Especially when at this moment he happened to hear begging for mercy and screaming from Xiaocuitang , he could no longer hold back.
"What a courage!"
If we were to ask who hated the rebels in Linhai Camp the most, it would definitely be Zhang Chen. The emperor and other officials in the court all had to stand back. Back then, he "spoke for justice" and exposed some of the dark deeds in Linhai Camp, and many people regarded him as a thorn in their side. The rebels of Dinghai went to Cuiyun mainly for him.
Therefore, when he thought of the time when he was almost embarrassed by Ding Hai, the furious Zhang Chen had forgotten that he had just sat down. He stood up and said without hesitation: "I also go out of the city to the garden to relax occasionally. Usually, the servants take care of the inside and outside. Maybe there are one or two bad apples in Qin Garden... No, I have to go back immediately to clean up the inside and outside!"
Thinking that if the rebels had also sneaked into his Qin Garden last night, he would probably be humiliated by them on his own territory, Zhang Chen felt a surge of evil fire running through his limbs. He stiffly bowed to Zhang Shou, then turned around and left. When he rushed out of the southern Zhao Garden gate, he stretched out his hand without saying a word and called for the accompanying guards.
Ever since he met with danger in Cuiyunjian, even when he was in the capital, he would always bring eight highly skilled guards with him whenever he went out. This time, taking advantage of the holiday at Banshan Hall of the Imperial College, he went out of the city to stay at Qin Garden, and he brought twenty-four people with him at once!
"Everyone, be alert! There are escaped fish from the Linhai Camp lurking nearby. Come with me and search Qin Garden thoroughly, just in case!"
Zhang Shou knew that his words had worked when he watched Zhang Chen leave from a distance. He arrived at the gate and saw that the servants and guards brought by Li Mama not only kept people there to guard the gate diligently, but also guarded the gate along the wall at intervals, clearly to prevent anyone from escaping. He waved and called one of the guards over.
"There should be many other gardens near Zhao Garden and Qin Garden, right?" After receiving a positive reply, he instructed, "Send two or three people to find out which of these gardens are occupied by the owners from the capital. After finding out, you can remind them that there are rebels from the Linhai Camp nearby, and then use Zhao Garden and Qin Garden as examples."
The servant who was called over understood immediately. If only Zhao Garden was in such a mess, who knows how many pots of dirty water would be thrown at it later. But if other gardens were also searched, then even if they found something in the end, no one would know, but at least the riot in Zhao Garden would not be so conspicuous. He immediately agreed respectfully and rushed out the door.
When Zhu Ying, exhausted physically and mentally, took Mother Li out of Xiaocuitang, she learned that more than a dozen gardens near Haidian, led by Qinyuan, were all in chaos and searched. Zhu Ying was at a loss, and Mother Li thought of Zhang Chen's visit to Zhang Shou just now, and immediately realized that this was indeed the best way for the Zhaoguo Mansion to get rid of the slander.
She quickly whispered, "It should be that Mr. Shou said something to Zhang Chen."
"It's Ah Shou..." Zhu Ying felt her temples throbbing after having just punished 20 or 30 people, some lightly and some severely. She couldn't help but take a deep breath and said angrily, "Ah Shou has been implicated by me. He took a risk last night and is helping me with decisions again today! From Rongshui Village to now, it's all because of me. I've brought him so much trouble!"
"How can you say that, young lady!" Mother Li knew that although Zhu Ying seemed cheerful, she would often get stuck in a dead end when it came to people close to her, so she quickly tried to persuade her, "If it weren't for young lady, Mr. Shou might have stayed in that small village forever, and the world would never know about his talent. Now he is a doctor of the Imperial College appointed by the emperor himself, and even the prince has to call him teacher."
Seeing that Zhu Ying's expression had finally relaxed a little, Madam Li quickly said, "He risked his life last night, but he helped the rebels to be captured alive. With the emperor's consistent attitude towards him, he might be promoted again. Miss, if you feel bad about it, go back and urge Ah Liu to practice swordsmanship well. When Master Shou learns it, he will have a way to protect himself."
Zhu Ying hummed in a somewhat depressed tone, and went straight to Nuanxiangwu to look for Zhang Shou, but she found nothing. The room was empty, not to mention people, not even a ghost was seen. When she was about to ask someone, she remembered that she had severely cleaned up Zhao Yuan, and now one-third of the non-combat personnel were reduced, and the rest were ordered by her to stay in their rooms!
Zhaoyuan is such a big place, where can she find someone?
At this moment, Zhu Ying suddenly heard a familiar voice: "Miss!"
Looking up at the sound, she saw Ah Liu squatting on the wall. Before she could get angry, the young man said seriously, "The young master is at the teahouse at the gate and wants you to go to Qin Garden together."
Zhu Ying was confused and had no time to think about it, so she hurried out immediately. When she arrived at the tea room on the left side of the main entrance, she saw Zhang Shou sitting on the bench where the doormen used to chat in the past, with a relaxed look on his face, and he didn't stand up until she came to the front.
"A Shou, why are we going to Qin Garden? I heard that Zhang Chen has been searching Qin Garden since he returned. Not only Qin Garden, but also the surrounding gardens are being searched urgently. It's a mess."
"Because of this, Zhao Garden, as the first place to spread the news, must also express condolences and show some respect. Let's go to Qin Garden and tell Zhang Chen what the results of our search were and how many people were punished. If we take the initiative to publicize our family's dirty laundry, the other families who had to make a big move because of the news we passed on will feel less resentful, right?"
As soon as she thought about it, Miss Zhu suddenly understood. She turned around and found that Ah Liu had led out the horses of the three of them. She was too impatient to send someone to look for Mama Li again. She immediately called a guard at the door and told him to tell Mama Li a message. Then she immediately jumped on the horse. When she saw Zhang Shou getting on the horse with the help of Ah Liu, she immediately shook the reins vigorously.
"Hurry, let's go!"
Just as Zhang Chen had chased after Li's group just as they arrived, Zhang Shou and Zhu Ying and Ah Liu set out from Zhao Garden and trotted for less than half a cup of tea before they arrived at the gate of Qin Garden, which also had a large area enclosed by the lake. Before they dismounted, they heard Zhang Chen's angry roar from inside.
"Privately hoarding weapons and gold and silver antiques of unknown origin, that's fine... but there are actually seven people in Qin Garden who are not on the list, and not one or two. Are you planning a rebellion?"
