Volume 2: Residence in the Capital Chapter 170 Hollow Dumplings
Logically speaking, there are differences between men and women, and Qi Liang is a stranger, so he should not enter the house. However, Mrs. Lu now loves Zhang Shou and his son, who is the most beloved, is well taken care of by Zhang Shou and has a good reputation. Therefore, even though Qi Liang is just Zhang Shou's student, she treats him differently. She lowers the gauze curtain in front of the bed and asks Mother Jin to invite him directly into the house.
The reason why Qi Liang went to report to Zhang Shou but arrived only a little later than Lu Sanlang was because Ah Liu drove the carriage to take a shortcut. As for the gift, it was a few nourishing herbs that Zhao Guogong Mansion had just sent to Zhang Shou. Before Zhang Shou had even reviewed it, Ah Liu took the initiative to let Qi Liang bring it over.
At this moment, the young man, who was almost thrown off balance in the speeding carriage, walked into the inner room with a shaky step. Seeing Lu Sanlang looking at him with a smile, he knew that Mrs. Lu should be fine and he couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief.
After paying respects and saying a few polite words, Qi Liang conveyed Zhang Shou's greetings, but he also said deliberately: "Teacher said that filial piety is the most important thing. Since Madam is not in good health, Junior Brother Lu might as well stay at home and accompany Madam for a few days. There is no need to rush to the Imperial College."
Lu Sanlang was actually quite worried about his mother, but what his father had just said when he came back really pissed him off, so he hesitated for a moment, and without saying anything good or bad, he asked directly, "Brother Qi, now that you're out, who's going to take care of you in the Jiuzhang Hall?"
Qi Liang was stunned when he heard this. In fact, he and Lu Sanlang had managed Jiuzhang Hall together before. Now that Lu Sanlang had asked for leave to go home to visit his mother, he was sent by Zhang Shou to visit the patient. Jiuzhang Hall was indeed empty! Although the students gradually got used to the environment, it was fine for them to attend classes on weekdays. Now that the project lacked an organizer, would this precious time be wasted?
He couldn't help sweating on his forehead, but he still managed a smile and said, "I'll go back after seeing the madam. A little time won't matter."
"How can it not be a big deal!" Lu Sanlang suddenly raised his voice, "People are just thinking about making fun of the young master and the Jiuzhang Hall. At this critical moment, we should face the challenge head-on and not give others a chance!"
Mrs. Lu, who was lying on the bed, looked at the completely different Lu Sanlang through the gauze curtain. She could not help but feel relieved and proud. She said, "Xiao Qi, Sanlang is right. Since Dr. Zhang is in need of help, Sanlang should do his best. My illness is not serious. I just need to rest for a few days. You can take Sanlang back with you."
Without waiting for Qi Liang to dissuade her, she said without question: "As long as Sanlang can help Dr. Zhang solve this problem, it will be better than any lip service or bedside care! You know, I used to dream of him having a bright future!"
Madam Lu rushed to say all the things that could be said, and since the Shangshu's wife's voice was okay, it seemed that there was nothing wrong, Qi Liang naturally looked at Lu Sanlang. Sure enough, he immediately saw the person smiling at him.
"Listen, my mother has said so, what else can I say?" Lu Sanlang turned around and bowed deeply to his mother at the bedside, saying word by word, "Mom, don't worry! I don't care about such a small problem! Please take care of yourself. I will not return until I have solved the problem in Jiuzhang Hall!"
Seeing Lu Sanlang walking out of the door with a heroic and high-spirited stride, Qi Liang was stunned for a moment, and then he bowed deeply and ran after him. Zhen couldn't help but reach out and lift the curtain. Seeing the backs of the two young men leaving one after another, she couldn't help but smile and feel very happy. However, when they disappeared outside the door, she immediately looked at Mother Jin who was standing aside.
"Go and see if any of the guys who often go out with the master are at home right now, and call them to the door. I want to ask them one by one in person. I don't believe that if the master doesn't tell me, these guys will still not know where he has been. There are only so many families in the capital, and I can guess his intention. He has the ability to send the betrothal gifts without going home!"
When Mrs. Lu Zhen, with the idea that a mother's strength makes her son strong, decided to find a partner for Lu Sanlang, Lu Sanlang and Qi Liang had already hurried back to the Imperial College in Ah Liu's carriage, which was running too violently. Compared to Qi Liang, who had experienced it once, Lu Sanlang was so scared that his soul flew out of his body, and when he got off the carriage, he felt like he was going to die.
He and Qi Liang supported each other, and then glanced at Ah Liu who was standing beside him with a sad look. As expected, the boy still had no expression on his face, but explained seriously: "You said when you got on the bus just now, hurry up."
Is this faster? This is so fast!
Lu Sanlang roared in his heart, but when he spoke, he turned it into a weak reminder: "It is forbidden to ride a horse at full speed in the capital..."
"We are a horse-drawn carriage." Ah Liu still answered very seriously, and even added, "We are taking a deserted path."
Damn this deserted road, this is the capital, not the wilderness!
Lu Sanlang no longer wanted to talk to Ah Liu about the pros and cons, so he pulled Qi Liang and quickly walked inside. When he was sure that Ah Liu hadn't caught up, he said with lingering fear: "Next time, I will never ride in Ah Liu's carriage. I'm so scared!"
"He seems to know everything, which is not the case usually. He must be in a hurry this time." Qi Liang said this, but after two trips back and forth, he and Lu Sanlang, who were both weak in the legs, supported each other and walked forward. Naturally, his words were not convincing. Especially when Lu Sanlang complained that he should not report to Zhang Shou , Qi Liang smiled bitterly.
"At that time, everyone in your family was so anxious that they seemed to be crying. Naturally, I thought something serious had happened, so how could I dare to delay? If the young teacher had not been in class at the time, I think he would have gone there in person."
After hearing this, Lu Sanlang couldn't help but feel touched. After all, although he never agreed with some people outside who thought Zhang Shou was a gentle and upright gentleman just by looking at his face, he admitted that Zhang Shou was always good to his people. Otherwise, he wouldn't have gone straight to Lu's house for him, nor would he have shared the credit he had obtained with everyone, especially Zhang Chen who benefited the most.
He would not think that he was the one who benefited the most, and he breathed a sigh of relief: "A gentleman will die for his friend. From now on, we should work hard and not let outsiders laugh at us..."
The two walked and talked as they went, and in a moment they were almost at Jiuzhang Hall. However, before Lu Sanlang could imagine whether this place would be in a mess without him and Qi Liang, he heard Zhang Chen's voice coming from inside.
"None of them match? How is this possible? Hasn't the first half of the sentence been figured out?"
Lu Sanlang was shocked. How could Zhang Chen be here? That guy is the head of Banshan Hall, not the head of Jiuzhang Hall? He suddenly felt a strong sense of crisis. He felt that his legs suddenly had strength. He immediately let go of his hands and rushed forward. As a result, Qi Liang, who was unable to react in time, was left there.
"Hello!"
After just one shout, Qi Liang knew that he would never be able to call Lu Sanlang back, so he could only chase him quickly with a mixture of anger and amusement. When he stepped into Jiuzhang Hall, he saw Lu Sanlang and Zhang Chen staring at each other. Although they had not exchanged sharp words, the situation was about to explode. He hurried forward and was about to ask what was going on when Zhang Chen threw his sleeves in annoyance.
"Who wants to compete with you for power! If Senior Brother Qi wasn't here, and the teacher asked me to come and look after it temporarily, I wouldn't have come to Jiuzhang Hall! It's just right that you're back. The first seven of the fourteen characters are probably determined, but the last seven characters can't be figured out no matter what. You can figure it out yourself!"
After saying this, Zhang Chen immediately left with a bright and clear look. However, as soon as he left Jiuzhang Hall, he immediately threw away his righteous momentum.
If Lu Sanlang had not come back just now, he would have really not been able to hold on as the acting head monk. You know, those orders he gave were just forced, and the specific meaning was very simple. Everyone should work hard, and everyone will be rewarded afterwards...How could he know anything about cracking the code, especially what to do in a difficult situation? Apart from drawing a hollow dumpling, he was completely clueless!
When Zhang Chen hurried back to Banshan Hall, the class was almost over. Zhang Shou, who was instructing everyone to pack up, was surprised to hear Zhang Chen report that Lu Sanlang and Qi Liang had returned. But thinking that maybe Mrs. Lu Zhen was not seriously injured and the Lu family was just a false alarm, he did not take it too seriously. Even when he heard that things were not going well, he was not anxious .
"Well, you've worked hard before. Well done! If this really succeeds, you'll also have a share of the credit!"
Zhang Shou's voice was not loud, but the sharp-eared Fourth Prince heard the last sentence and could not help but ask loudly: "Teacher, what great deed has the head monk done to gain merit?"
In an instant, Zhang Chen saw countless pairs of green eyes all focused on him. Especially Zhang Lu, who was used to being his follower, even had some resentment in his eyes, which was nothing more than an expression of "Brother Chen, why don't you bring me along when good things happen." He immediately broke out in sweat on his forehead, but he didn't know how to explain.
At this time, Zhang Shou, who had come to his senses, smiled and said, "Didn't Zhang Chen just go to Jiuzhang Hall to supervise? He has done a good job as the head of this generation, so I commend him. As for the words of meritorious service, that was just my commendation for him. The project has not been completed yet. Even if I think it is completed, it is hard to say whether it will work in the end, so it was just encouragement to Zhang Chen."
At this point, he looked around at everyone calmly and said with a smile: "This is also the method most often used by your elders and even future superiors to motivate people. It has been proven to be effective. But if I use it to motivate everyone to work hard in the future, don't think it's just empty talk and continue to do my own thing. After all, Zhang Chen is the one who holds the imperially bestowed ruler."
Using hollow dumplings to motivate people, how could it be possible to point it out? A large group of students were immediately speechless. But when they saw that Zhang Chen did not show any disappointment or shock, they lost interest. Only the fourth prince persuaded the third prince and decided to tell the emperor when he returned to the palace.
If their father gives them hollow dumplings to coax them again in the future, they will not be fooled!
