Volume 2: Residence in the Capital Chapter 183 Justice and Family Education
Until the end of the court that day, the emperor did not mention Minister Zhao again, let alone the official Chen who had already thrown down his official hat. However, the officials who filed out of the Fengtian Hall knew that Minister Zhao, the Minister of War, could only be said to have lost the emperor's favor and was in danger, while Chen, the "mere" sixth-rank official of the Ministry of Personnel, was really finished!
Who made him so unable to stand the provocation and not be thick-skinned enough to directly throw away his official hat?
Only a few people noticed that the eldest and second princes, the brothers who were supposed to be the center of attention, were ignored in the end. The emperor even seemed to have forgotten about it and did not even mention how to deal with the second prince. Most people's attention was focused on Zhang Shou and Lu Sanlang.
No one expected that the marriage of a former fat boy would receive such attention . No one expected that Zhang Shou could easily open the box that had been sealed for decades in front of everyone, and then the emperor even gave away the Taizu relics in the box. This was simply enviable!
At this moment, Zhang Shou ignored all the looks and was talking to Minister Liu and Lu Wan with a smile on his face. As for Lu Sanlang… the fat boy, who was a generation shorter than him, followed closely behind, eavesdropping with his ears perked up while also being wary of others eavesdropping on their conversation.
Finally, Lu Wan decided to go home and get the betrothal gift first to prevent any trouble. Minister Liu was naturally very willing to do so, and he said he would go back to the Ministry of Works to ask for leave, and then left in a hurry.
When the future in-law left, Lu Wan's smile suddenly faded. When they left the left gate of Chang'an, what was waiting there was not the horse they had come in with, but a carriage with the Lu Mansion sign. When getting on the carriage, Lu Wan saw Lu Sanlang happily following Zhang Shou into the carriage, and immediately angrily scolded him: "Say whatever you want to say, do you think Fengtian Palace is the Imperial College?"
Lu Sanlang habitually rebelled, raised his head and said confidently: "Am I wrong? That Minister Zhao knows nothing about arithmetic, yet he wants to interfere in the affairs of Jiuzhang Hall. Who does he think he is? His son is a fool who makes excuses for his stupidity, and so is his father. He is just jealous of you for having such a good son like me!"
Zhang Shou saw the colorful expression on Lu Wan's face, which was so wonderful that he couldn't help but laugh: "Lu Zhu, what nonsense are you talking about! Your father has already defended you in front of others today, so why do you have to let your father praise you to the sky and show off his son to everyone like Minister Zhao did before, then you will be happy?"
Just as Lu Sanlang was about to say what was wrong with that, he saw his father glaring at him unkindly. Thinking of the upcoming engagement, he immediately shut up and sat there with his hands down and head lowered. The next moment, he heard Lu Wan snort coldly.
"Humph, if you weren't lucky enough to open the box with Dr. Zhang, do you think you would have gotten through the court meeting today so easily? Open your eyes in the future and remember who is easy to mess with and who is not... If you really mess with someone..." Lu Wan paused, then blurted out a murderous word, "Then kill them all!"
Lu Sanlang looked up in surprise, but Zhang Shou asked with a smile, "Why didn't Minister Lu kill Duke Zhao before?"
When educating his son in the future, he must never do it in front of Zhang Shou. This guy who looks like a gentleman is really good at taking advantage of loopholes and can kill people with one sword at any time!
Lu Wan managed to suppress his humiliation. This time, he did not try to avoid the topic like he did last time at the Ge residence, and then he pushed someone else to take the blame. He just said unhappily: "In the officialdom, it is difficult to distinguish between enemies and friends. There are countless people who are neither enemies nor friends, but are like enemies and friends. I was just pretending at the beginning..."
The Grand Secretary Kong in the cabinet behind him had to stop his activities. Why did he still pursue Zhu Jing, the Duke of Zhao, relentlessly? Was he courting death? Otherwise, he would not have chosen the daughter of Liu Shilang, the Minister of Works, who had always had a good relationship with Zhu Jing, for his youngest son.
Zhang Shou got a similar answer, so he naturally stopped asking any more questions. Even Lu Sanlang, who wanted to continue to pursue Lu Wan, was stopped by his eyes. On the way, he and Lu Wan seriously exchanged a series of procedures and opinions on the next trip to the Liu family.
As for the person involved, Lu Sanlang himself... Haha, these days, the younger generation who want to get married have no human rights! If it weren't for someone as kind-hearted as Zhu Ying, Lu Sanlang would have been waiting for a blind marriage!
Not only did Lu Sanlang not have the right to go to Liu's house, but he was also kicked out of the car by Lu Wan and Zhang Shou on the way. Zhang Shou ordered someone to ride to the Imperial College to publicize some of the things that happened in the Fengtian Hall today to the students, and to inform them of the emperor's reward in advance. Lu Wan said with mixed feelings: "Since you keep saying that you are the head of the hall, remember to do it well!"
"Teacher, don't worry." Lu Sanlang still called the word "teacher" very fluently in front of outsiders. When he saw Zhang Shou staring at him, he immediately said with a playful smile, "Dad, don't worry too. Everyone knows that your son, I, have turned over a new leaf and is as good as gold!"
Seeing that Lu Sanlang was running away quickly, Lu Wan, who was about to hit him, withdrew his slap, but he still felt a little aggrieved. Next, he took Zhang Shou home, first sent someone to tell his wife the good news, and then ordered the housekeeper to take out the betrothal gift that had been prepared. Without a doubt, it was a lively white goose.
As for why it wasn't live geese, it was very simple. Emperor Taizu said that geese were precious birds and would be easily injured if caught alive. Due to years of old customs, their numbers had sharply decreased, so he stipulated that no matter whether they were royal family members or civil or military officials, white geese must be used as a gift instead of wild geese. This then became a typical example of changing customs.
Although according to the general convention, it is not necessary for Lu Wan, as a father, to make a betrothal gift, to make a marriage proposal, however, not to mention that the marriage was brought to the Fengtian Palace today, just to show his sincerity, the Minister of War Lu had to go in person, and even dragged Zhang Shou along. Even Zhen, who was still bedridden yesterday, almost went to meet her mother-in-law in person.
Fortunately, Lu Wan heard from Minister Liu that his careless wife kept Zhen at home to recuperate. When he and Zhang Shou arrived at Liu's house, went through a series of procedures, and were finally invited by Minister Liu to the study for tea, he was very glad that Zhen didn't come.
"My wife has suddenly fallen ill, so I am here to take care of her. I will definitely find time to come and meet you two later."
Minister Liu was also one of the staunch supporters of Emperor Taizu's ancestral teachings, and he did not think there was anything wrong with letting his daughter come out to meet her future father-in-law and fiancé's teacher. At this time, after personally pouring tea for Lu Wan and Zhang Shou, he carefully asked, "The emperor did not mention the second prince today. May I ask Minister Lu and Doctor Zhang, how do you think this matter will end?"
I have experienced the emperor's willfulness several times, so how could I know what he really thinks!
Zhang Shou complained in his heart, but after thinking about it, he avoided the main point and said, "Most likely it will be a reprimand and then confinement?"
The most important thing is that the second prince, like the eldest prince, has not been crowned a king, so there is no way to revoke his title! He really hopes that the emperor can use a board or something like that, but God knows if there are any family rules in the palace!
Lu Wan said lightly, "The Second Prince is naturally behind in terms of seniority, and coupled with his hot-tempered and impulsive personality, the Emperor will definitely teach him a profound lesson this time. He has never been in charge of any duties, so Brother Liu does not need to worry about offending him."
Minister Liu frowned immediately: "He insulted the reputation of our two families, even if offended him! I am afraid that the emperor will not punish him severely, and he will return to his old ways in the future! Humph, even if I have to give up this position, I will seek justice for my daughter!"
Seeing that Minister Liu was determined to get to the bottom of the matter, Lu Wan was stunned for a moment, then she rubbed her chin thoughtfully, and suddenly glanced at Zhang Shou and said, "It depends on whether Dr. Zhang is willing to ask Miss Zhu to come forward."
"Your Majesty is wise. How can a junior like Yingying influence you?" Zhang Shou did not mention that Zhu Ying had entered the palace last night. He made a clean excuse. "Besides, we have already said something so serious in Fengtian Palace. If the Majesty wants to keep things quiet, he will definitely not open the lid directly. This shows that the Majesty is wise and will definitely give justice to the Lu and Liu families."
Minister Liu could not help but nod his head repeatedly, while Lu Wan's eyes flickered and he laughed. At this moment, someone suddenly knocked on the door, followed by a report: "Master, Miss Zhu is outside. She was going to see the fourth lady, but when she heard that Minister Lu and Doctor Zhang came to the mansion to make an appointment, she said she wanted to see Doctor Zhang."
Seeing that Lu Wan and Liu Shilang were both staring at him, Zhang Shou took a sip of tea as if nothing had happened, then said with a smile: "Speaking of Cao Cao, here comes Cao Cao. I'll go see Yingying right away."
Minister Liu saw Zhang Shou getting up and leaving so openly, as if he didn't care about being an engaged couple at all. Thinking of the truth behind the chance encounter he had heard from his daughter last night, he couldn't help but look strange. As soon as Zhang Shou left, he looked at Lu Wan and asked, "Brother Lu, did your Sanlang tell you about the chance encounter on the street last night?"
As soon as Lu Wan heard it, he knew that the young Liu girl had probably told the truth. He could only cough and say, "Lu Zhu told me the whole story. Children are ignorant, but Miss Zhu is kind-hearted. Brother Liu, please forgive me."
When Minister Liu heard that Sanlang Lu had confessed, the only bit of resentment he had immediately disappeared, and he laughed out loud, "No, no, they don't know that we are already discussing marriage, and they are still discussing seeing each other in private. It's not like we are getting engaged, but it's not a sin to see each other on the street. It's fate!"
The father-in-law had insisted in Fengtian Hall that it was their elders who planned the matchmaking. Now that he said so again, Lu Wan was relieved. He raised his teacup with a smile and said meaningfully, "In that case, I will use tea instead of wine. Thank you, Brother Liu!"
"No, no, I should thank Brother Lu! Sanlang is able to stand up and speak for justice. Brother Lu is such a good son. He must have been well educated!"
Being praised like that, Lu Wan almost choked on the tea she had just drunk and felt really bitter in her heart.
Was Lu Zhu well-educated? He really didn't know how Zhang Shou had raised that fat son!
