Volume 2: Residence in the Capital Chapter 179 Tit for tat
The Second Prince was indeed a little afraid of Wang Jie. It was not because he was afraid that the Shuntian prefect had always had some dealings with Zhang Shoulu Sanlang and his student, so he would deliberately throw a brick on his head - this famously ruthless and cold-hearted Wang Datou was the most fair and selfless - but he was afraid that the strong-willed Wang Datou would be very clear about all his faults and convict him clearly!
Therefore, although Wang Datou revealed all his faults at this time, he clearly defined them as faults, not crimes. He immediately felt relieved, and quickly knelt down, saying in an extremely sincere tone: "Father, I know I was wrong."
Lu Sanlang behind Zhang Shou was immediately filled with hatred. After causing such a big uproar in the city, Wang Datou just lifted it up high and put it down lightly. Much thunder but little rain? Thinking that he had offended the Second Prince this time, the little fat man took a deep breath and prepared to take the crucial step.
However, before he took a step forward, he saw Zhang Shou looking at him. Although the young master did not speak, Lu Sanlang, who had studied mathematics for such a long time, immediately understood the intention of the stop and immediately behaved himself. Sure enough, before the second prince's sincere apology received a response, he heard Wang Jie speak again.
"Second Prince, aren't you understating it when you say you knew you were wrong? Since the early years of Emperor Taizu, our dynasty has issued an imperial decree that princes who break the law are subject to the same punishment as ordinary people. Later, Emperor Yingzong and Emperor Ruizong hated the fact that the royal family members ran rampant and did not punish them for breaking the law, so they repeatedly issued imperial decrees to strictly prohibit royal family members from breaking the law. The Second Prince's disturbance last night has now caused an uproar in the city. Do you know how officials and ordinary people in the world will view the imperial court's ban? You did just make a mistake before, but this one thing is a grave crime!"
The second prince had never expected that Wang Datou's trap would actually be waiting for him here. He was already prostrating himself and was filled with hatred. But even though he knew that he was in big trouble this time, he was not willing to give up. So he immediately made up his mind, raised his body and said loudly: "Father, I did behave badly after drinking, but Lu Zhu did it on purpose! He deliberately shouted to ruin my reputation..."
This time, Lu Sanlang couldn't help himself, but he was still beaten to the front. He saw Zhang Shou's figure move in front of him, and then he stepped forward.
"Your Majesty, if people who commit immoral acts after drinking are all blamed on others for deliberately ruining their reputations, then should there be an additional clause in the Ming Dynasty law in the future, stating that anything done after drinking can be exempted from punishment, whether it is theft, murder or even treason?"
The second prince felt a chill rushing through his head, and subconsciously turned his head to glare at the source of the voice. Seeing Zhang Shou standing indifferently at the very back, looking at him coldly, he instinctively wanted to retort, but before he could say anything, Zhang Shou got there first.
"The Second Prince said that Lu Zhu was loudly slandering your reputation at that time. How many people did you bring with you at that time, and how many people did he bring with him? How many people were there around the innocent girl from the Liu family whose reputation you slandered? If he hadn't shouted loudly to attract attention, would you have been cautious? I remember he said that if the First Prince hadn't stepped forward to stop him, the Second Prince's whip would have hit them!"
As Zhang Shou spoke, he slowly stepped forward, passing the ranks of the fourth and fifth rank officials in front of him, and approached the Second Prince. "Also, I'm very curious. When ordinary officials and common people get married, they still need the permission of their parents and the words of the matchmaker. The Second Prince is a prince. Logically, even if the marriage is imminent, it is the Ministry of Rites that selects the concubine and the Emperor makes the decision. Where did you get this information? And why do you think it's true?"
Although this question was aggressive, the second prince felt like he had grabbed a life-saving straw and was instantly overjoyed. He stood up without thinking and glared at the first prince, saying, "Where did I get the news? It was because my elder brother got me drunk on purpose and then said something half-truthful to me. Otherwise, even if I was immoral after drinking, how could I be so confused!"
Arrogant people are so easy to tease...
Zhang Shou almost had the urge to burst out laughing, especially when he saw the eldest prince, who had been pretending that it had nothing to do with him, suddenly turn as red as liver and tremble with anger. He suppressed his smile and frowned, ignoring the two brothers who were glaring at each other, and bowed deeply to the emperor.
"Your Majesty, what happened last night was just as Shuntian Prefecture's Prince Dayin said. To put it mildly, it was just the Second Prince's misbehavior after drinking. But to put it more broadly, it involves not only the reputation of the two families, but also the reputation that our ancestors have worked hard to build, and the people's respect and awe for the royal family. So, last night, I was entrusted by my student Lu Zhu to go to the Lu Mansion to discuss his marriage with Minister Lu."
Just before the palace gate, Zhang Shou rushed ahead to defend Lu Sanlang; now in the Fengtian Hall, during the regular court meeting, Zhang Shou rushed ahead again. At this moment, the Minister of War Lu Wan could not help but feel a deep sense of crisis.
No matter how bad the son is, he is still his own. But looking at the situation now, it is possible that Lu Zhu will call Zhang Shou dad in the future!
Although Lu Wan was the Minister of War, he never thought that the self-satisfied Second Prince had any hope of entering the Eastern Palace. Otherwise, he would not have agreed to the marriage last night with the joint efforts of Zhang Shou and Lu Sanlang.
Therefore, he stood up and said in a deep voice, "I dare not lie in front of the emperor. These days, I was discussing the marriage of our children with Minister Liu of the Ministry of Works. I planned to marry my son Lu Zhu to Minister Liu's youngest daughter. We were going to make the betrothal gift today. My wife even made a scene because I kept the daughter-in-law selection a secret and didn't discuss it with her. Everyone in my family knows about it."
Having said this, he completely ignored the many surprised looks around him, bowed deeply and said, "So, I have already agreed with Dr. Zhang that after the court session today, we will go to Minister Liu's house to get engaged."
Although the Lu Yinxin sent by the Lu family last night, Liu Shiro, who was also burnt, was still a little uneasy. In particular, the two princes were still so much in the hall today.
Not only did he feel relieved, he also felt that his in-laws, who had always had suspicious intentions before, were really reliable - who would stick to their original intentions when the daughter-in-law they chose was said to be the one chosen by the royal family? Besides, although the teacher of the future son-in-law was young, he was also reliable. He was worthy of being the son-in-law chosen by Zhao Guogong Zhu Jing!
Therefore, Minister Liu stood up without hesitation and said loudly: "Your Majesty, the rumors have spread all over the capital. If my daughter had not been strong-willed, she would have committed suicide long ago! Today, I dare to ask Your Majesty to bear witness to my marriage with Minister Lu's family, so that we can tell the world that what the Second Prince said before is completely false!"
Although the eldest prince was just bitten by the second prince and was angry, he saw the Lu and Liu families expressed their views and realized that there was still a chance for the situation to turn around, so he knew to make a decision. At this moment, he also hurriedly said loudly: "Father, what my second brother said is simply ridiculous. How could I know about the marriage of the prince and princess? The marriage between Minister Lu and Minister Liu is a match made in heaven!"
What a match made in heaven! If this marriage goes through, how can he live a decent life in the future?
The second prince was so furious that he was more and more certain that it was Lu Sanlang and Liu Qing who had set him up. However, before he could say anything, the emperor on the throne laughed.
"I really didn't expect that Lu Qing would act so quickly. Is he trying to snatch my daughter-in-law from me ? But it can't be said that he is snatching her. I haven't even heard the Ministry of Rites say who has been chosen! However, you did not abandon your original intention because of the rumors that may be circulating outside. This responsibility is really worthy of praise. Since both your two families have brought it up in the court today, I can also be regarded as a witness."
At this point, the emperor paused and said lightly: "I will give the newlyweds a piece of calligraphy later."
After these words were spoken, not only were Lu Wan and Minister Liu both overjoyed, even Lu Sanlang was so overjoyed that he almost scratched his ears and pinched himself to make sure whether he was dreaming or not.
When an official family outside holds a wedding, the palace can reward one or two pieces of palace silk or something like that as a token of appreciation, which is already very good. To reward exquisite jewelry and auspicious decorations, that requires the emperor's deep favor. How could a young son like him have such treatment? But now, the emperor actually said to grant him a name... This is a generous treatment that only a daughter of heaven like Zhu Ying, who enters and leaves the palace like a daughter of the emperor's own family, can have!
So, although the emperor did not name him, seeing that his father and future father-in-law had already knelt in front of him, Lu Sanlang also hurried out to express his gratitude. But as soon as his knees touched the ground, he heard an inopportune voice.
"Your Majesty, what you said is wrong! Minister Lu and Minister Liu are indeed important ministers of the country, but what benefit can their children bring to the country? Why bother Your Majesty to give them names? Moreover, if the two families have already prepared for the engagement, wouldn't it be too coincidental for Lu Zhu and the Liu family's daughter to meet by chance on the street?"
Zhang Shou saw at a glance that it was Minister Zhao from the Ministry of War who was making trouble. He was not surprised at all that someone asked such a question, because this matter was just too coincidental! If it was really a pure coincidence, he would not have asked Zhu Ying to come to the palace in the middle of the night to explain the whole thing to the Emperor and the Empress Dowager, and he would not have .
So, he glanced at Lu Wan calmly. As expected, the Minister of War once again demonstrated his responsibility.
"Your Majesty, what Minister Zhao said about the chance encounter is of course not a coincidence. In the past, when the families in the capital arranged marriages, they would often send their family members to visit the couple. I am worried that my son is obese and if others dislike him, it would be unpleasant to force him to do so, so I specifically told Minister Liu about it. And my son has been studying in the Imperial College these days and is only free at night, so naturally we can only let the children see each other in the middle of the night."
Lu Sanlang simply felt that his father had refreshed his understanding of him time and time again today, and all the resentment that had been pent up for many years flew to Java. No matter how many times his father had beaten and scolded him in the past, just for this time, he would definitely be filial to his father in the future!
