Volume 2: Residence in the Capital Chapter 209: Dr. Zhang, please take more care
Zhang Shou, who was hoping to avoid the arduous task of calendar preparation, naturally avoided going to the Ge Mansion for the next few days. He even asked Ah Liu to help look after the Xiao family. He also sent a few books to Guan Qiu and hid in the Imperial College's dormitory at other times.
Zhang Shou heaved a sigh of relief when he heard that Ge Yong had gathered several old friends and officials from the Imperial Observatory to write a petition for observations of the four seas. There were many opinions in the court, some supporting and some opposing. At least he didn't hear that Teacher Ge betrayed that it was all his bad idea. Anyway, with his current official position, it was unlikely for him to leave the capital to preside over any kind of survey...
Although this controversy caused some waves in the tide of selecting the imperial consort and the imperial concubine, it did not cause much response. Everyone was looking forward to the list of the initial screening by the Ministry of Rites, but when the list of 80 people was actually released, some were happy and some were sad.
All the noble children who had come to Zhang Shou to ask for special tutoring were approved. If Zhang Chen hadn't scolded them, they would have wanted to treat Zhang Shou to a few drinks. Everyone felt that if they hadn't called Zhang Shou "little master" by chance in Cuiyun Room and had been staying in Banshan Hall honestly for the past few days, they would have been eliminated long ago based on their past reputation!
After the initial screening, there was a re-selection. When the list of 40 people was released, and 17 people were still on the list, everyone was really happy. Although Zhang Chen said with a straight face that the young master did not like to show off, he could not resist Zhang Wu and Zhang Lu's persuasion, and the others' soft and hard persuasion, he had no choice but to bite the bullet and block people in Jiuzhang Hall in the evening before the day off.
"Invite me to the Duke Qin's mansion for a banquet? Are you inviting me to your home?"
Zhang Shou was a little surprised. Although the noble children of Banshan Hall all called him "Teacher" in person, and there were countless people who followed Zhang Chen and others and called him "Little Master" behind his back, there were indeed not many families who really regarded him as a teacher. The Lu family was because Lu Wan learned a lesson, and most of the others sent gifts, and the rest could not be said.
As for Zhang Chen's father, Duke Qin Zhang Chuan, he had heard Zhang Chen say that he was obsessed with books and ignored his son. He also glanced at Zhang Chuan from a distance at the court meeting, but he never said a word to him. After Zhang Chen was praised by the emperor twice, Duke Qin sent people to send gifts, which was not much of an exchange.
"It wasn't my father who invited me." Zhang Chen saw that Zhang Shou looked thoughtful, and worried that he might have misunderstood him, so he quickly explained, "It was my classmates Awu and Alu who said that my family is big and my father doesn't care about me much, so they wanted to borrow my garden to set up two tables to thank you, young master."
He paused as he spoke, wanting to add that Zhu Ying should never come. Even though he had given up on that extravagant hope and was determined to find a more beautiful woman than Zhu Ying, such as Princess Yongping, he still couldn't stand the heart-wrenching feeling if Zhu Ying was always around. However, he swallowed the words back.
Although his father and Zhu Ying's father, Duke Zhao, did not have an obvious feud, they were not close either, so Zhu Ying would not come. Most importantly, his mother, Lady Qin, Lady Lin, had never liked Zhu Ying very much.
Zhang Shou thought about it and agreed to it. That night, when he went to the Duke of Zhao's mansion, he told the old lady and Zhu Ying and her grandson about this matter. Zhu Ying was so angry that she complained, "It's a rare day off. Zhang Chen and his family are so busy. How can they come with so many gifts? When you become the son-in-law of the emperor, it won't be too late to thank the teacher!"
"Yingying, haven't you heard the saying? The more gifts you give, the less blame you will get!" The old lady nodded with a smile, "You should go. Although it's not Duke Qin who invited you, and it's your students who are thanking you, Madam Qin is much older than you after all, and it's not good for you to go empty-handed. How about this, you can bring something to her for me. She often has dizziness and headaches, so bring some Gastrodia elata."
Zhang Shou naturally didn't understand the routine of this kind of nobles' exchanges, so when the lady was willing to give him some advice, he readily agreed. And when the lady stopped Zhu Ying from joining in the fun, he no longer had any worries.
The next day, after he got up early, changed his clothes and washed up at home, while still eating breakfast, Old Liu came in with a smile and announced that the eldest son of Duke Qin had arrived. When he saw Zhang Chen in a brand new brocade dress and carrying a gift box, he couldn't help but have the illusion that someone had come to his house as a guest.
"My mother specially asked me to come and pick up the young master." Zhang Chen seemed more uneasy than Zhang Shou. He had been to Zhang Shou's dormitory in the Imperial College countless times, but this was his first time to come to this courtyard. He saw the spaciousness of his own home and compared it with the crampedness of this place. He looked at Zhang Shou, who was wearing a green home robe and looked relaxed and comfortable. Seeing his own outfit, which he claimed could not be rude, he felt very uncomfortable.
The lady was right. The more courtesy you give, the less blame you will get! Zhang Shou thought and said with a smile, "Have you had breakfast yet? If not, eat here before you leave. It's only now, you're really early!"
Zhang Chen was about to say that he had eaten, but his stomach growled, betraying him immediately. He could only laugh dryly, especially when Zhang Shou asked for some porridge, side dishes and four-color steamed buns to be delivered, he felt even hungrier. After sitting down to eat breakfast with him, he invited Zhang Shou to get in the car, and then whispered, "It was my mother's order to send a car to pick me up, and asked me to come early..."
"It's my father's order!"
Zhang Shou was a little surprised: "Your father? Did your father know that so many people would come to your house today?"
"I didn't want to tell him, he never cares anyway." Zhang Chen, who had gotten into the car, snorted unhappily, and then said sullenly, "Who would have thought that he, who always only reads books and doesn't care about household affairs, would actually ask my mother this morning. He knew that those people from Banshan Hall were coming, and they wanted to invite you, young master. My mother also said that she would send a car to pick you up, so he told me to come early."
"God knows what he wants to do!" Zhang Chen said this with anger on his face, but his eyes were a little vague. "Anyway, he only has those books in his mind. At most, he just gave this order. I had friends come to my house before, but he never met them!"
Hearing Zhang Chen's tone, Zhang Shou could not help but smile as he classified himself as a friend. After all, they looked like peers, and except during class, he did not consider himself a teacher. On the rest of the way, he casually asked some irrelevant trivia until the carriage finally stopped. However, before he stood up and prepared to get off, a respectful voice came from outside.
"Dr. Zhang, the master said there is still some time until noon, please go to the incense house for tea."
Zhang Chen, who was originally planning to walk in front, was stunned. He immediately leaned forward and jumped out of the car. Seeing that the person standing in front of him was Zhang Ling, the most trusted attendant of his father, he angrily asked, "This is my guest. How could your father just take him away? He didn't even tell me in advance!"
Zhang Ling also lowered his head and looked at Zhang Chen respectfully, "Master, Dr. Zhang is your teacher. The master invited him to come for a while, which is also a sign of respect. Moreover, the master said that you should accompany Dr. Zhang."
At this moment, Zhang Chen's anger disappeared. Although his face was still tense, this time it was not anger, but confusion. From childhood to adulthood, although his father was always around, he rarely spoke to him. No matter if he was praised for his studies, good handwriting, or misbehaving and getting into trouble, or being reported, he always said "I know".
So, later on, he didn't bother to care about how his words and actions would cause his father to react, and he just did what he wanted - anyway, as long as the sky didn't fall, he was sure that Zhang Chuan would not care!
So this time, he really felt a little uneasy. When he took Zhang Shou and Zhang Ling to the so-called incense house, he deliberately explained with a sullen look: "That incense house is where my father mixes perfumes. He just likes these elegant activities that scholars like. Every year, there are dozens or even hundreds of bottles of various incense brands sent out from the Qin Guogong Mansion, and the raw materials alone cost countless."
Although he was criticizing his father, Zhang Chen's voice was not small, and Zhang Ling in front of him turned a deaf ear to him and even walked a few steps faster, as if he could not hear anything . Taking this opportunity, Zhang Chen immediately lowered his voice and said, "Don't look at my father as calm in front of others, but he is also a first-class old fox. Young master, you must not underestimate him."
Holding a box of Gastrodia elata that the lady had asked him to give to Madam Qin, Zhang Shou couldn't help but laugh secretly after hearing this. Even if your father is a second-generation noble, he is still the Duke of Qin. How dare I look down on him?
"He is your father, a pillar of the country. You cannot criticize him behind his back! As for perfume making, it is just like some people are obsessed with gold and stone, some people like to explore ancient times, and some people like poetry and songs. They are all legitimate hobbies. The perfume made by your father himself was sent to relatives and friends. It was his heartfelt gift. The high cost is also normal social expenses. It is your turn to care?"
Zhang Chen saw Zhang Shou glaring at him while he was talking. Although he knew that this was more of a reminder than a warning, he was still very unhappy. Anyway, he had been saying bad things about his father for a long time, but no one had dragged him over to scold him. In that case, what was wrong with talking? If he really didn't recognize this father one day, he wouldn't bother to say a word!
Soon, as Zhang Ling stopped in front of a seemingly ordinary house, knocked on the door and opened it himself, Zhang Shou smelled an extremely elegant sweet citrus fragrance in the air. The fragrance was different from many spices these days, not strong, but it seemed to linger around the body, and people who sniffed it gently would even be refreshed.
Zhang Chen obviously didn't like the aroma, and followed Zhang Shou with an impatient look on his face. Especially when he entered the inner room, the aroma was a little lighter, and he saw his father Zhang Chuan, with slightly frosted hair and a thin figure, concentrating on serving tea behind the large desk by the window. His movements were gentle and his expression was focused, which was quite nice. When Zhang Shou casually handed him the box in his hand, he couldn't help but turn his head and look away.
My family is obviously a noble family, but my father just likes this kind of tune!
"Duke Qin."
"Dr. Zhang, come and have a taste of this cup of tea."
Unlike Zhang Chen who was sulking and ignoring others, Zhang Shou took the initiative to greet him with a bow. However, when he saw Zhang Chuan greet him and enthusiastically handed him a small teacup, he was a little confused as he was not aloof and cold as Zhang Chen had said. He took the tea with both hands, and under the other's piercing eyes, he immediately raised the cup and drank it all without hesitation.
Anyway, he once told Zhu Ying that he was just a vulgar person who didn't know how to appreciate tea, so he couldn't taste the precious Sheqian tea at all, so he might as well keep this setting to the end.
As soon as he drank it, he found that the tea he just drank... had a citrus flavor!
He remembered that, whether in this era or in the future, all true tea lovers despised those who drank scented tea and fruit tea. Some even felt deeply sorry for it, believing that the scent of flowers and fruits would destroy the scent of tea. If it was ordinary tea, it would be fine, but using top-grade tea to brew scented tea would be a waste of nature's treasure. But if his taste buds were fine, the tea he was drinking seemed to be top-grade tea!
Zhang Shou savored the aftertaste. Seeing Zhang Chuan looking at him with a half-smile, he simply said self-deprecatingly, "Duke Qin asked a voracious drinker like me to evaluate the quality of tea. I'm afraid I'll be disappointed. But I have an unwelcome request. This citrus tea is quite thirst-quenching. Can I have another cup?"
Zhang Chen, who had just looked a little tense, smiled with relief. Although Zhang Shou was handsome, elegant, and ethereal, he was not usually arrogant and did not have those elegant hobbies, so he and others naturally felt that this young gentleman was actually easy to get along with. At this time, Zhang Shou's words that spoiled the mood made him feel relieved.
The purpose of drinking tea is to quench thirst. My father even specially brought out the tea ceremony to entertain the guests. Now, it’s like talking to a cow, right?
Zhang Chuan calmly took back the small teacup that Zhang Shou held with both hands and poured another cup. Seeing that Zhang Shou had indeed drunk it all again, he smiled and said, "I originally thought that since you, Dr. Zhang, have an unparalleled appearance and demeanor, you must be elegant in your every move, but I didn't expect you to be such a free and easy person."
"No wonder my son has always been so unruly, but now he can be a proper head monk in Banshan Hall."
Zhang Chen breathed a sigh of relief when he heard that his father did not use words like "naughty" to belittle him, but instead used the word "unruly". He thought that finally his father, who had always ignored him, still had some vision.
"I have lived in seclusion in the mountains for a long time, so I am bound to act on my own. Duke Qin, please forgive me for my impoliteness." Seeing Zhang Chuan motioning for him to sit down, Zhang Shou sat down without hesitation and said with a smile, "As for Zhang Chen, he was born in a noble family, but he is proud of his superiors but does not bully his subordinates. I think the thing he did in the Linhai Camp was amazing and admirable. The other people in Banshan Hall all admire him."
"You admire him a lot? You admired him because he beat you, didn't you?" Zhang Chuan laughed. Seeing Zhang Chen turned his head away from him, but his face was slightly red, he said nonchalantly, "I have always been lazy and didn't care about anything. I never took care of his affairs since he was a child. In fact, I am too relaxed as a father. Dr. Zhang, as a teacher, helped me fulfill my father's duties. I am very grateful."
Before Zhang Shou could reply, he coughed and said, "So, I'll trouble Dr. Zhang to take care of Zhang Chen's marriage."
