Volume 2: Residence in the Capital Chapter 204: The generations are messed up?
In the Qing'an Hall of the Duke of Zhao's mansion, when the lady learned that Zhu Ying had returned with a little girl of seven or eight years old, and Zhang Shou followed behind with Ah Liu, even though she was always wise, she couldn't help but feel puzzled. If it was ten or eight years later, after the two got married, Zhu Ying's situation could still be said to be returning to her parents' home with her daughter, but now...
There is no way Zhang Shou, who is so young, could have a daughter this old! Even with someone else, it's impossible!
The old lady then instructed Yutang who was standing beside her, "Go to Yuqing Hall and ask Madam to come over."
If the couple had a rare quarrel, then Jiu Niang might be able to come and persuade them...
Although this was just a precautionary measure, when Zhu Ying rushed into Qing'an Hall like a gust of wind, holding the hand of a confused little girl who obviously didn't understand the situation, the old lady saw her fierce face and couldn't help but think that Zhu Ying and Zhang Shou might really be having a quarrel.
Sure enough, the next moment, Zhu Ying let go of her hand, rushed over, and called out aggrievedly: "Grandma!"
The old lady's heart trembled when she heard the word "Grandma" being called, and she felt that the situation was more serious. She quickly embraced her most beloved granddaughter and asked in a low voice: "What's the matter? Don't be anxious, talk slowly, I have asked someone to call your mother..." As she spoke, she observed the little girl in the emerald green dress with .
With her sharp eyes, she could tell that the little girl's dress looked good, but it was not made of good material. Moreover, she was quite thin, and from her complexion, she was obviously malnourished. She stood there looking around uneasily, with a vigilant look in her eyes, like a young animal that had entered an unfamiliar environment.
When she saw the door curtain move, it was Zhang Shou who entered the room, followed by Ah Liu. The lady saw Zhu Ying's eyes were red. She thought for a moment and decided not to question her since she knew nothing about it. Instead, she nodded amiably to Zhang Shou who was bowing. Then she asked gently, "Ah Shou, what happened? Why is Yingying like this?"
Zhang Shou took the box from Ah Liu, walked slowly forward, opened the lid with both hands and handed it to the Madam. "After Yingying read the articles and handwriting in this box, she said they belonged to her eldest brother. Madam, please take a look and see if it is true."
Yingying's elder brother? Zhu Tingfang?
The lady took a deep breath and reached out to take out all the papers in the box. After flipping through a few sheets, she found that each sheet had traces of being smoothed and compacted, as if they were picked out from the wastebasket one by one and specially preserved. However, she clearly remembered that the Zhaoguo Mansion always had the strictest rules, and all discarded papers were burned.
After all, many officials and their families were involved in major crimes because they were not cautious enough in this regard and were betrayed by their servants.
After confirming that the handwriting was indeed written by her most respected grandson Zhu Tingfang, she immediately looked up and asked, "It is indeed the writing style and handwriting of Brother Yingying. Ah Shou, where did this come from?"
Zhang Shou passed the box to the side, and when he saw Ah Liu quickly take it, he pulled Xiao Cheng over and told him everything. He did not hide the fact that Ah Liu had investigated the area around the Imperial College and had discovered that there were two suspicious families, and that he had asked Lu Sanlang to buy the blacksmith shop in order to study the mystery of the gift from the emperor.
Firstly, it was easy for others to make guesses, and secondly, he had already told Zhang Kang about it, so there was no need to hide it from the Duke of Zhao's Mansion.
The lady was a little surprised at first, then she sighed repeatedly, and her expression was complicated. But when Zhang Shou explained that Xiao Cheng, who was wearing a emerald green dress, bought a set of girl's clothes for Ah Liu at the clothing store just because Ah Liu wanted him to be quiet, but he was actually a real boy, she was a little amused.
However, it was Zhu Ying who reacted even more. The eldest lady almost jumped up and said angrily, "How could it be a boy!"
This time, no matter how beautiful she was, Xiao Cheng still couldn't help feeling ashamed and angry. He raised his head and shouted, "It's not what I wanted to wear. He forced me to do it!" He pointed at Ah Liu angrily while speaking, but it was obvious that Ah Liu didn't even blink, and he couldn't help feeling discouraged again.
After Zhu Ying was angry, she couldn't help but smile when she saw Xiao Cheng's angry look. She had met many boys and girls in other dignitaries' homes before. There were many who were rebellious and arrogant, but there were also many who were well-behaved and cute. But the same thing was that most of them were pretentious and good at pretending. But Xiao Cheng in front of her seemed much more real.
At that moment, she looked at Ah Liu and said angrily, "Ah Liu, don't do this again next time! Even if you are young, you are a man with dignity. How can you tease me like this?"
But just when Xiao Cheng was grateful, Zhu Ying, who only had an older brother but no younger brother, smiled and said, "If you want him to wear women's clothes, he should agree to it himself. How can you force him?"
Zhang Shou saw that the little guy who had just been relieved suddenly became angry again. He couldn't help laughing, then stepped forward to touch his head and said gently: "Don't be afraid, your brother Zhu is also the eldest brother of this beautiful sister, and the grandson of the lady. Since he took you in and taught you for a long time, we will also treat you as one of our own."
Although he was young, Xiao Cheng had already guessed something after hearing so many things before and now. When the car came in before, it did not stop at the gate but directly at Qing'an Hall. When he got out of the car, he was stunned by the carved beams and painted buildings. At this time, Zhang Shou directly exposed the truth, and he suddenly felt even more dizzy.
The lady smiled and nodded, saying, "Ah Shou is right. If Yingying's elder brother had told us earlier, you wouldn't have to be displaced and have such a hard time during his absence. We could have also stepped forward to take care of the Liu family."
Seeing that Xiao Cheng burst into tears all of a sudden and was sobbing that he couldn't speak, the lady ordered Yutang and Yulan to take Xiao Cheng to change his clothes. After the little guy was persuaded by Zhang Shou, hesitantly followed her. When she saw Jiu Niang had already come in, she briefly explained to her what had just happened in a few words.
Then, the lady sighed thoughtfully.
"Yingying's elder brother has always been strong-willed and determined to be proficient in both literature and martial arts. But I never thought that he would hide it from me and his father and go to school secretly!" Having said that, the lady thought of her son Zhu Jing, who had been very opinionated since childhood, and felt in her heart that she might really not know, but Zhu Jing might be pretending to be ignorant.
Zhu Ying couldn't help leaning on the old lady's shoulder and said, "No wonder my eldest brother used to go out for a whole day in the name of meeting friends, and he didn't even take me with him. I blamed him for this. It turns out that he went to study under a master! Grandmother, who is that old man ? I heard that my eldest brother suffered a lot of grievances from him in the beginning in order to become his master. My eldest brother is so outstanding, why doesn't he look down on me!"
"If the surname is Liu, and your eldest brother still thinks highly of him, then there is most likely only one person."
Jiu Niang has been practicing Buddhism in Zhaoming Temple for many years, but she is not oblivious to the world outside. She is devoted to seeking peace and tranquility. She has 18 years more experience than Zhu Ying. When she thought about it, her expression became subtle, and she even glanced at Zhang Shou. As a result, Zhang Shou didn't feel anything, but Zhu Ying, who had already wiped her eyes and sat down, saw it with her sharp eyes.
"Mom, why are you looking at Shou? Could it be that my brother's teacher is related to Shou?"
"That's about right." Jiu Niang laughed a rare laugh. "Your second brother is now considered Ah Shou's student, and your eldest brother...his teacher Liu should also call Ah Shou "Junior Brother". After all, Old Master Liu was a late bloomer and was admitted as the champion in the imperial examination presided over by Ah Shou's teacher, Grand Master Ge. So, if Old Master Liu has to call Grand Master Ge "Teacher", shouldn't he call Ah Shou "Little Junior Brother"? "
Zhu Ying was stunned for a moment. When she saw Zhang Shou couldn't help coughing, she woke up and said angrily, "But Dad asked Grandpa Ge to teach me! My eldest brother is so powerful and outstanding, Dad should have asked Grandpa Ge to teach him. Why did he have to find someone else!"
As a result, the eldest brother was a generation lower than Zhang Shou for no reason... Wait, she has always called him Grandpa Ge, so in this case, isn't she also a generation lower than Zhang Shou for no reason?
The Madam didn't know that Zhu Ying's thoughts had gone so far in an instant. She shook her head helplessly and said angrily, "Who is like you? You don't know how to appreciate the blessings you have. When Master Ge came to teach you, you made me very angry. Fortunately, you found Ah Shou as your disciple! You two and Princess Yongping experienced a great disaster in your childhood. The Emperor felt sorry for you, so he asked Master Ge for help."
"As a result, Princess Yongping admires Master Ge's writing and prose, but Master Ge has not been interested in those stepping stones in recent years. And you, you fish for three days and slack off for two days when you study, and you know nothing about arithmetic. How could Master Ge accept you as a disciple!"
When Zhang Shou heard that Ge Yong had lived in the bamboo house in Rongshui Village for a few months, he always felt that Zhao Guogong Zhu Jing was too powerful to be able to invite Ge Yong for a child whose qualifications he did not know. Now that he heard the lady reveal that it was the emperor who personally went to ask for the teacher, he could not help but feel mixed emotions.
Some things are just coincidences, but some things are really just a matter of fate.
Hearing about the birth story, Zhu Ying looked at Zhang Shou uncomfortably. Seeing that his expression was only slightly dim, she quickly changed the subject and said, "Well, even if Dad didn't persuade Grandpa Ge at the beginning, Big Brother should know that Grandpa Ge is well-educated! As long as he asks sincerely, Grandpa Ge might accept him!"
"Every profession has its own specialty. Grand Tutor Ge is a good writer and a master of mathematics. He also has a lot of insights into people's livelihood. But there is one thing that Grand Tutor Ge doesn't like to touch, and that is military strategy, or more precisely, border affairs. But your eldest brother is determined to be able to serve as a general in a certain place, so for him, Grand Tutor Ge is certainly not the best choice."
It was the Madam who explained, and she then further revealed the mystery to Zhang Shou and Zhu Ying: "Yingying, the old man Liu that your elder brother studied under was Liu Zhiyuan, who once served as the Minister of War, but was later attacked and impeached, and resigned in anger and stayed at home. By the way, after Zhang Chen helped to file a complaint, he was the one who was ordered by the emperor to clean up the Linhai Camp."
At this point, she paused, and then said meaningfully: "That time, 103 people were beheaded in front of the camp gate, countless people were exiled to hard labor, and many people's financial resources were cut off. That time, Liu Zhiyuan got the infamy of being called the Beheaded Liu."
"Zhang Chen was young and frivolous at that time. He was born into a noble family, so no one could do anything to him. But Liu Zhiyuan was 48 years old when he passed the imperial examination and became the Minister of War in his early 60s. Later, he was slandered and resigned. Naturally, it was almost impossible for him to get back on the job. Grand Tutor Ge did try to persuade him, but he said that it would be better to write books than to spend his precious time fighting with others!"
Zhu Ying recalled carefully, and finally remembered that she had heard that Liu Shilang of the Ministry of War was a tough man, and that the Linhai Camp had a bloodbath, but no one would tell her the details in front of a girl like her, so she naturally just heard about it. But at this moment, her previous thoughts of defending her elder brother were gone without a trace.
Zhang Shou couldn't help but admire him, "Such an upright old man is indeed worthy of admiration. Master Zhu has a good eye. However, he was able to keep his studies a secret for so long without telling his family and outsiders. His ability to keep secrets is truly amazing!"
"That's right, why would you hide it from your family!" Zhu Ying agreed with Zhang Shou's words, but then she said thoughtfully, "But Ah Liu said that spies from the outer court of the Imperial Household Department were lurking around there. Are they keeping an eye on the area around the Imperial College because of Ah Shou, or are they keeping an eye on that place because of my brother and Mr. Liu?"
Zhu Ying had indeed only just noticed this, so she brought it up. Seeing that Zhang Shou did not answer but looked at Madam Tai and Jiu Niang, she hurriedly said, "Mother, since he is my eldest brother's teacher and was forced to carry the coffin back to his hometown by some so-called creditors, he must be in the same group as those who attacked my father and eldest brother before! Send someone to investigate!"
"By the time you remember this, it's already too late!" The lady shook her head unhappily, then looked at Ah Liu and said, "Ah Liu, have you told your master?"
"I haven't met any lunatics recently." Ah Liu habitually used the word "lunatic" to refer to Hua Qi. After thinking for a while, he explained, "But Mr. Liu will definitely be fine."
Zhu Ying was naturally not satisfied with such a guarantee. At this time, Zhang Shou suddenly laughed and said, "Even if Master Zhu left money and food for Xiao Cheng, it is impossible for him to last for a few months, especially after the Liu family next door moved out. The little guy is just a little thinner, but he is not skin and bones. Someone should have sent him food during this period."
The Madam and Jiu Niang understood immediately. Perhaps the spies from the outer court of the Imperial Household Department were the ones who regularly sent food to the child. Since the Imperial Household Department knew about it a long time ago, the Emperor must have known about it too. There was no need to worry about the current situation of the Liu family.
On the contrary, Zhu Tingfang, whose whereabouts are still unknown, is more worrying!
