Volume 2: Residence in the Capital Chapter 205: Having an older brother at home is stressful
The emerald green dress turned into a red jacket and flowered silk trousers. His original pigtail was undone and his hair hung down, but under Jiu Niang's deft hands, it had been turned into two sky-high braids. At first glance, Xiao Cheng looked like the chubby white boy in the New Year pictures, if the smile on his face wasn't so stiff.
The dishes that were served to him not only looked exquisite and beautiful, but also tasted delicious. Although he tried his best to tell himself to be polite and well-educated, he still ate too much without realizing it. Finally, after all the dishes were cleared away, he could not help but burp, and then his face turned red with embarrassment.
"This child has really suffered a lot." The old lady was a person who could be soft-hearted or hard-hearted as she wished, and what's more, this child was taken care of by her eldest grandson, so she was naturally willing to take him in. Therefore, when Yutang and Yulan both served tea to everyone present, she said gently, "Xiao Cheng, how about you live here from now on?"
Seeing the little fellow's eyes wide open, clearly very surprised, Zhang Shou smiled and said, "This is the Zhu family of Zhaoguogong Mansion. You can continue to study and learn martial arts here, and then wait for your brother Zhu to come back safely. Of course, once there is news about your brother Zhu, everyone will tell you as soon as possible."
Zhaoguogong Mansion? Being too young, Xiao Cheng could not understand the meaning of these four words. But when Zhang Shou, who looked kind and friendly, told him that this was Brother Zhu's home, he could understand. Although he was grateful that others were willing to take him in because of Brother Zhu, he was reluctant to leave his home that he had finally restored to its original state.
He finally shook his head sadly: "Before leaving, Brother Zhu told me to wait for him at home. When the time comes, he will give me a horse suitable for me to ride and a snow-white wool blanket, but the condition is that I can memorize all the "Three Hundred Tang Poems" compiled by Emperor Taizu himself. But I have wasted these days, I must go back and memorize it well!"
"Besides, there is a sword at home that Brother Zhu left for me to defend myself!"
Regarding his words, Taifu and Jiuniang were impressed that he knew loyalty and integrity at such a young age. Zhu Ying was sad that her elder brother was still missing. Zhang Shou secretly criticized Emperor Taizu for not sparing even the 300 Tang poems. Zhu Er, who was only brought in during dinner...
During this dinner, he just realized that his elder brother had secretly gone to study under the former military minister Liu Zhiyuan, and he felt that life was really bleak. His elder brother was already such an outstanding person, why did he spare no effort to improve himself, and would he give a mediocre person like him a chance to survive? With such an elder brother at home, how could he not be stressed?
Zhu Er's self-pity was not as unnoticed as he thought - of course, Zhu Ying, who was always optimistic, would never notice it. The lady and Jiu Niang exchanged glances secretly, and they were a little hesitant about how to deal with the child Xiao Cheng, and also a little worried about how to cheer up Zhu Er, the only male left in the family.
At this time, Zhang Shou said slowly, "Madam, Auntie Nine, let Xiao Cheng live in his own home and wait for the eldest master to return peacefully. I think this is more suitable for him. I just bought the house next door. Although it would be a bit noisy if there were only one blacksmith and two carpenters, I also sent Yang Hao and Qiao Dang from my family there so that Xiao Cheng can have a companion."
As he spoke, he nodded slightly to the surprised and happy little guy and said, "I have to go back to the Imperial College anyway, I'll take you back in a while." Seeing Xiao Cheng nodding repeatedly, he suddenly turned his head to look at Zhu Er.
"I'd like to trouble you to come with me, Mr. Second. Lu Sanlang has come up with an idea for a scholarship. Please help him to discuss it." Seeing Zhu Er was stunned at first, and then he showed a hesitant expression, he coughed and said, "This is an important matter. If you do it well, it will benefit the people in the Imperial College and your reputation. Anyway, if you are late, you can stay at the Xiao family and you won't miss your class tomorrow."
Zhu Er's biggest headache now is his reputation that cannot be washed away. In addition, the blow he suffered tonight was too great. He didn't want to face his grandmother and stepmother, and of course he didn't want to face his simple, rough and direct sister. So he immediately said, "Okay!"
Grandmother and stepmother easily agreed to let him go out overnight because of Zhang Shou's words. Zhu Er was relieved, but he also felt a little wronged, thinking that he was an unwanted person in the family. After following Zhang Shou out and getting on the carriage, he still felt heavy in his heart, listless and didn't want to talk.
What's more, there was a child next to him who obviously worshipped his eldest brother like a god.
As the carriage bumped, Xiao Cheng, who had been nervous and worried all day, gradually fell asleep, mumbling to himself from time to time, calling Zhu Da Ge, which made Zhu Er more and more anxious. However, just when he was having a headache from the bumping of the carriage, Zhang Shou's voice suddenly came from the side: "Did you hear from Lu Sanlang that the emperor is going to personally choose a son-in-law for Princess Yongping and Princess Deyang?"
What, the emperor is personally choosing his son-in-law?
Zhu Er was not someone like Zhang Chen, Zhang Wu and Zhang Lu who had to take on management responsibilities in Banshan Hall. In the afternoon, he had an elective class, and there were only two other students for his Guqin class. Of course, he went home after class, so this news revealed by Zhang Shou was the first time he heard it! He was caught off guard and instinctively blurted out five words: "What does it have to do with me?"
Zhang Shou smiled meaningfully and said, "It seems that you don't want to marry the Lord. Then I feel relieved."
Zhu Er's face was already a little stiff. When he heard Zhang Shou say this, he was stunned for a moment, and then he said angrily: "What do you mean by this? What do you mean by rest assured? Do you think I am not worthy of the princess?"
"It's not a question of whether you are worthy or not, it's because there are too many people who want to be the Lord."
Zhang Shou chuckled, and then said nonchalantly: "For example, there are so many people in Banshan Hall, at least dozens of them want to marry a princess. After all, since you are in Banshan Hall, your classmates' study talent and diligence must be inferior to yours. In this case, marrying a princess is a very good way out. In the future, you can live with the princess and serve as an official. What's wrong with that?"
Zhu Er instinctively racked his brains to refute: "Have they never thought that after marrying a wife, the husband's authority is weakened, and if he talks to a woman for a few more words, the woman's hand may be chopped off?"
"You've read too many of those messy legends, haven't you?" Zhang Shou couldn't help but sneer. "Although there are some fierce women among the princesses of this dynasty, generally speaking, at most some don't allow their husbands to take concubines, but I've never heard of any beating or killing people out of jealousy. The royal family education has always been good. What's more, living under someone else's roof and relying on others for support is almost the same as a weak husband, isn't it?"
Zhu Er was speechless, but he was also slightly angry, thinking that Zhang Shou was talking about him. But to his surprise, Zhang Shou then said calmly: "Zhang Chen pursued Yingying before, but now he finds that it is too late and he has little hope. He even spoke nonsense in front of me the other day, asking me to compensate him for the beauty, and then clamoring that he wanted to marry Princess Yongping!"
Seeing Zhu Er almost popping his eyes out, Zhang Shou shrugged and said, "Of course, I asked him, can he write eight-part essays?"
Zhu Er burst into laughter, feeling relieved and relieved: "That's right, how could a beautiful and arrogant woman like Princess Yongping be interested in him? A toad wants to eat swan meat!"
But as he was laughing, he noticed Zhang Shou staring at him, and he suddenly felt uncomfortable. He stopped laughing and turned his head to look away.
"But, among the princesses, there is only one who is as arrogant as Princess Yongping. If Zhang Chen expresses his desire to marry her, do you think she will be unwilling to marry him? You know, Zhang Chen is no longer the idle the head monk of Banshan Hall, and he is gradually showing his potential."
Although he and Zhang Chen had similar backgrounds, Zhang Chen was the only son while he was the second son. At this moment, Zhu Er was dissatisfied and thought that if he and Zhang Chen were swapped, he would definitely be better than that guy. However, what Zhang Shou said next shocked him so much that his scalp went numb. He immediately turned around and glared at Zhang Shou.
"Didn't you want to marry Yingying to Lu Sanlang to win the support of his father, Lu Shangshu? At that time, you should have thought that if your father and your eldest brother couldn't come back, you would have to support the family."
"Hey, even if you are my teacher now and will be my brother-in-law in the future, I still have to warn you that that is all in the past! I was desperate at the time and tried all kinds of treatments, but in fact, I was also doing it for Yingying's own good! Besides, I have knelt in the ancestral temple, and I have come to apologize for you, and I have even been beaten. What else do you want from me!"
Zhang Shou ignored Zhu Er's agitated look, which was like a hedgehog's stress reaction, and said calmly, "Even now, you still have to think about it. Your father is in charge of the army and has won many battles. He may be able to return home safely soon, but what will you do if your elder brother, who is so outstanding and hardworking that most people feel ashamed of him, cannot come back safely?"
"I..." Zhu Er felt as if his throat was blocked by something. He wanted to speak, but he couldn't utter a word.
"You and your elder brother have completely different qualifications and personalities. This is not to belittle you. Some people in this world are born geniuses, such as your elder brother. What's more terrifying is that such geniuses work harder than you. Therefore, the path you can take is different from your elder brother's. It doesn't matter whether you want to be the lord or not, but whether you can perform well in such an occasion to face the emperor directly is very important."
Zhu Er was stunned for a moment. Yes, he was not really that opposed to marrying the emperor—of course, he was not sure what his grandmother, stepmother, and even sister thought—but if he was not like Zhu Ying, who took entering the palace as a daily routine, and could show some performance during the rare opportunity to see the emperor, then at least he would not be as confused as he is now!
Just as he was thinking excitedly, he suddenly realized a problem and hurriedly looked at Zhang Shou and asked, "How can I perform well?"
You actually asked me this kind of question?
Zhang Shou was both angry and amused. "I don't know what the emperor will ask you, so how can I know how to perform well? However, I think the emperor should know your abilities, so you don't have to worry about him asking you to write essays or do math problems. You'll probably have to improvise."
Improvise... But I can't do that! From childhood to adulthood, I have never been able to solve any problems on my own!
Seeing Zhu Er start to panic, Zhang Shou could only tell him, "This is a selection of a consort, not a test for the top scholar, so the best thing to do at this time is to be honest and frank, generous and cheerful, and don't make unrealistic statements and promises just to show off yourself. To be honest, the emperor doesn't expect everyone who wants to be a consort to be as talented as the talented scholar that Princess Yongping appreciates."
"Because you should know what choices noble children with such talents, like your elder brother, will make. So, you must be careful not to mistake your purpose. You should use the opportunity of the emperor's selection of a consort to show yourself, not to participate in the selection just to show yourself. After all, the latter is called impure motives."
Seeing Zhu Er suddenly realize, Zhang Shou complained in his heart, this is just like a billionaire choosing a son-in-law, but you are not interested in his daughter, but actually want to apply for the position of general manager, and talk about a lot of irrelevant things, but end up making the other party angry and embarrassed.
You look down on my daughter and yet you come to apply for the election. You have bad intentions! But he is a billionaire. You may only lose a job opportunity. But if you face the king of a country and anger him, you may not have a chance to work in the future...
When Lu Sanlang heard the noise of carriages and horses outside and hurried out of the Xiao family's courtyard gate, he saw Zhang Shou and Zhu Er getting off the carriage one after another, followed by Ah Liu carrying a child out of the carriage.
Seeing that the child was completely different from the one in the green dress before, he was just slightly stunned, but then he just thought that Zhang Shou had changed the child back into men's clothes, and didn't take it too seriously: "Young sir, where have you been? I almost wanted to go back..."
Zhang Shou did not answer, but waved his hand first, and after telling Ah Liu to carry Xiao Cheng to the bed and put him there, and then taking Lu Sanlang and Zhu Er into the house, he briefly told Lu Sanlang about a series of events, including the original owner of this place was Zhu Ying's eldest brother Zhu Tingfang. This time, Fatty Lu couldn't close his mouth.
Especially when he heard that Zhu Tingfang had spent half a year to become Liu Zhiyuan's disciple, he glanced at Zhu Er, who had a bitter face, and couldn't help but feel his scalp tingling: "You are so outstanding but you are still working so hard, Zhu Er, your elder brother really doesn't leave any way for others to survive!"
"Who says it's not?"
Zhu Er gave a bitter smile, but before he could reply, Lu Sanlang said with a big smile on his face, "Young Master, Miss Zhu hasn't told you everything yet, but the official news has been passed to the Imperial College. I heard that this time the Emperor is not only going to choose a consort, but also a royal concubine. In addition to Princess Yongping and Princess Deyang, there are two other princesses who are quite favored by the Queen Mother and the Emperor."
He paused, then winked at Zhu Er, "The Emperor said that he would not intervene in the marriage of princesses whose parents are both alive, and the fathers of those two princesses are not alive, so he has to be a good royal elder and will definitely screen them carefully and choose the right husband for them. Moreover, they can apply for the selection without their parents. Now, many people in the entire Banshan Hall are ready to make a move!"
He paused, then said with a playful smile: "The two Zhangs, and many others who used to stay in Cuiyun's room, begged me to come to you, young master, saying..." He paused, and even winked, "saying that they want to apply for special tutoring."
Special tutoring? Tutoring about what? Zhang Shou was surprised at first, but then he saw Zhu Er, who also had a subtle expression.
At this moment , he finally understood. These guys actually thought that he attracted Zhu Ying at first sight and won her favor the first time he stepped into the gate of Zhaoguo Mansion. Was it all due to his real ability? If he said that the first impression was actually based on his face, would they despair?
