Volume 2: Residence in the Capital Chapter 187 Marriage and Training
Zhang Chen came out of Zhang Shou's room, naturally feeling dejected. Even though he didn't really admire Princess Yongping that much, he was just holding his breath, but when he thought about how he could memorize a lot of poems and songs, but he was completely at a loss when it came to writing, not to mention the eight-part essay that gave him a headache, he still felt bitter.
After asking him if he could write eight-part essays, Zhang Shou said something that left him speechless: "She talked to you about music, chess, calligraphy and painting, and you talked to her about cockfighting and dog walking; she talked to you about the universe, and you talked to her about delicacies; she talked to you about the rise and fall of the world, and you talked to her about asking for land and asking for houses... Since ancient times, talented women have loved talented men, because they can talk to each other. Are you sure you can talk to Princess Yongping?"
"Of course, Princess Yongping is not one of those talented women who only cares about writing poems and discussing metaphysics and philosophy, and does not care about fame and fortune. You can see that the Yuehua Tower Literary Meeting she presided over was actually a competition of eight-part essays. She is not interested in talented parasites, and she is also willing to take a closer look at conceited talents. But there are two types of people she stays away from. One, poor men like me who don't want to take the imperial examination; two, noble men like you who don't seek to make progress."
Zhang Wu and Zhang Lu, who came together, happened to meet Zhang Chen head-on. Seeing that he was looking down and thinking about his own things, not paying any attention to them, they couldn't help but look at each other. Zhang Lu's eyes flashed, and he said he would go to ask what was going on, and hurriedly turned around to chase him. As a result, Zhang Wu, who wanted to talk to Zhang Shou alone, simply went to the door of the dormitory alone and knocked.
When Zhang Shou opened the door and entered the room, he had a lot to say, but he couldn't say it. He could only talk about something else and inquire about Lu Sanlang's marriage. Zhang Shou was naturally calm about this topic and attributed it all to Zhu Ying's kindness. Faced with such a result, Zhang Wu hesitated again and again, but finally couldn't help it.
"Teacher once said that what I need most is not a relative by marriage, but a noble person who is willing to support and help me. Such a noble person is more reliable than marriage. At first, teacher said that this person is Miss Zhu, but now it seems that it is better to say that it is you, teacher. Although you have just entered the official career, you are the last disciple of Master Ge, and the emperor also jokingly calls you Junior Brother, so I am really lucky."
He did not use the three words "young master" anymore, but called him teacher in a very formal way, and lowered his head: "Brother Chen is the head of Banshan Hall. A Lu and I follow him. Now we have a little prestige in Banshan Hall. And because I am valued by the teacher, my father has rarely smiled at me, the fifth illegitimate son, and my stepmother no longer suppresses me openly. But..."
He paused and raised his head to continue speaking, but Zhang Shou suddenly stretched out his hand to stop him. He thought Zhang Shou didn't like to hear such complaints, and when he was about to explain, he saw Zhang Shou suddenly smiled at him.
"But, you are so scared when you think about whether your father or stepmother will marry you a random wife?" Seeing Zhang Wu lower his head to show his agreement, Zhang Shou smiled and said, "When I was in the Shuibobuxing Pavilion in Cuiyun Room, I promised you a future on behalf of Yingying, and of course I will not forget it. The matter of Lu Sanlang is just the beginning."
Although Zhang Shou did not explicitly agree, this last sentence was a clear statement. For a moment, Zhang Wu was surprised and happy, and then hurriedly stood up. He did not care that his movements were too big and he almost kicked over the stool. He bowed and thanked him directly: "Teacher, I don't need to thank you for your kindness. When I get married and start a family in the future, I will never forget the kindness of you and the eldest lady!"
Zhang Shou didn't expect Zhang Wu to be so excited. When he reached out to help him, he had already knelt on his knees. Thinking about Zhang Wu, as a bastard of a wealthy family who was not valued and had no outstanding qualifications, his life in the past ten years was indeed difficult - after all, it is impossible for everyone to be the protagonist of a bastard's counterattack. Although he accepted the greeting, he still pulled Zhang Wu up.
After he pushed the man back onto the stool, he tapped the table thoughtfully, looked at Zhang Wu and asked, "Lu Sanlang told me that he wanted a gentle and lovely wife, but not always virtuous and obedient. And I just asked Zhang Chen if he had thought about who he would marry in the future. Now, I'll ask you the same question again, what do you think?"
A true daughter of a noble family would definitely look down on a helpless bastard like him who has a bleak future.
However, a beautiful girl from an ordinary family might not be able to adapt to the complicated environment of the Marquis' Mansion, and he did not have much ability to protect her.
Zhang Wu took a deep breath and finally said in a deep voice: "My stepmother is an extremely powerful mistress. My eldest sister-in-law comes from a famous family and is the future wife of the clan. She has to bow down to her, let alone my wife? I can't borrow much from the Nanyang Marquis' Mansion, and my stepmother doesn't like to see me, so I hope my future wife can help me separate the family!"
Knowing that such a straightforward statement was really a bit treasonous, he simply told the truth: "I am a concubine's daughter, but my biological mother has passed away for many years, so after I move out, she won't have another second mother-in-law above her head. Therefore, I hope to marry a strong, bold, brave, and bright-tempered girl from a famous family or a concubine's daughter, as long as she can help me manage the family."
"However, my status is too low. I just followed Brother Chen in the past, so I don't know much about the situation of the daughters of marriageable age in various families, especially those who are not the direct descendants."
This Zhang Wu thinks very clearly!
Zhang Shou thought so in his heart, and then half jokingly and half seriously said: "Your requirements are much lower than those of Lu Sanlang and Zhang Chen. Since you don't want to be controlled by your family, have you ever thought about marrying a master?"
cough--
After the initial shock, Zhang Wu almost choked to death on his own saliva and coughed loudly. After finally recovering, he smiled bitterly and said, "Teacher, please don't joke with me. The princesses of this dynasty are not as spoiled as those of the Tang Dynasty, nor are they as easily bullied as those of the Song Dynasty. Each of them is as precious as a treasure, and their consorts are carefully selected, so they never have to worry about finding a husband."
Seeing Zhang Shou still wearing a playful smile, he felt even more embarrassed: "If a useless bastard like me really marries a princess, I can immediately set up a separate residence with the princess. No matter how powerful and shrewd my mother is, she would not dare to act like a mother-in-law in front of the princess. In all likelihood, she would never enter the princess's mansion. Of course, I would be willing to do so, but how is that possible!"
"Where there is a will, there is a way." Zhang Shou joked, but he never revealed the matter of Princess Deyang, nor did he mention that Zhang Chen claimed to be interested in Princess Yongping. He suddenly stood up, walked to the door, opened it and called Ah Liu. When a figure suddenly appeared in front of him, he smiled and stretched out his hand. The next moment, Ah Liu handed over the secret box.
He took the box and turned back. Seeing Zhang Wu standing up in astonishment, his face suddenly flushed, he said calmly, "If Ah Liu hears this, no one else will know. You don't have to worry about it leaking out. As for this box, it is the relic of Taizu that the emperor gave me at the court meeting today."
Zhang Wu immediately forgot the embarrassment of being overheard by Ah Liu after he had just confessed his true feelings, and his eyes widened. He watched Zhang Shou slowly approach, put the secret box on the table, and then turned the dial to unlock it. When the stack of manuscripts inside was placed on the table, he even held his breath a little, until he found that the words written on the papers were like incomprehensible books, and he didn't recognize any of them, and he was very disappointed.
"I hope you can copy this manuscript exactly as it is. Of course, this is not easy. You can ask Zhang Chen and Zhang Lu to help. If Lu Sanlang is free, I will also ask him to help. After copying, I will return the original manuscript to the emperor. After all, it is not appropriate for Taizu's manuscript to be kept in my hands."
Zhang Shou did not show the watch on his wrist. Seeing Zhang Wu's excitement, he further explained: "When I received the gift, I was not thoughtful enough, so I will write a letter to explain this section clearly. After I finish copying one copy, if you are willing, you can help me copy a few more copies."
If it were someone else, they would naturally complain, but Zhang Wu was afraid of having nothing to do and being marginalized, not of hard work. He heard Zhang Shou's hidden meaning and immediately asked , "Teacher, are you going to send someone away?"
"I plan to send a copy to the teacher, Mr. Qi, Mr. Chu, and Wang Dayin of Shuntian Prefecture. Even if the emperor returns the original copy, it would be nice to send him a copy for him to flip through when he has nothing to do. After all, the original copy is a hundred or eighty years old and could be damaged at any time. It's not good for preservation if it's flipped through too much. Of course, I'll give the things to Ah Liu for safekeeping, and you can all come to me to copy them."
Hearing that it would be sent to the emperor, Zhang Wu did not hesitate at all. He nodded heavily and said, "Teacher, don't worry. We will copy it exactly as it is and will not make a single mistake! I will go find Brother Chen and A Lu right away!"
Zhang Shou couldn't help but laugh when he saw Zhang Wu bowing respectfully and then turning around and trotting out the door. The next moment, he saw Ah Liu in front of the door looking at him with deep eyes: "Why?"
Zhang Shou didn't expect Ah Liu to ask why. After a pause, he smiled and said, "Master, if you have something to do, I will do the work for you. Besides, it will be beneficial for them to have their manuscripts in front of the emperor, Teacher Ge, Mr. Qi, Mr. Chu, and Mr. Wang. I am also giving them a chance to practice."
"Actually, it's to be lazy, right?"
"Nonsense!" Zhang Shou sternly rebuked Ah Liu's unreasonable speculation, sorted out Taizu's handwritten notes, put them back into the box, and threw them back to the boy. He then said righteously, "I am training my students!"
The manuscripts left by Taizu are different from the watch on his wrist. They are much more troublesome. If he refuses to accept them in front of the emperor and then claims to copy them, he will have to do it himself, which is not only time-consuming and laborious, but also requires him to be careful not to reveal that he can master the twenty-six English letters. How can it be easier than sending students?
What's more, students will appreciate the opportunity to serve!
This is the best of both worlds!
