Volume 2: Residence in the Capital Chapter 217 After Selecting a Son-in-Law
As the last two people to see the emperor, Zhang Chen and Zhu Er came out of the Qianqing Palace empty-handed. When people outside saw this scene, they naturally thought that the two people with the most noble family backgrounds got nothing this time, but only those who accompanied the emperor in the Qianqing Palace knew how lucky these two guys were.
It was incredible that he was not punished for almost quarreling in front of the emperor and saying such an extreme thing. Moreover, Zhang Chen also expressed such an unreasonable idea. Although he was scolded back by the emperor, it was still very exciting.
However, as those who had seen the emperor gradually left the palace, more people learned that the emperor had invited Zhang Shou, a doctor of the Imperial College, to accompany him in the selection process, and they were immediately shocked and angry. When they counted the people who had received the rewards, they found that except for Xiao Yun, the son of the doctor of the Ministry of Personnel, who had received a complete set of new books, the rest, such as Zhang Wu, Zhang Lu, and others, were almost all children of nobles from Banshan Hall, and some people became even more dissatisfied.
Under the gazes of many envious and jealous people, when Zhang Wu returned home dizzy holding the plum blossom brush washer, the whole Nanyang Marquis's mansion was in an uproar. As the fifth illegitimate son, he was a transparent person in the family. If it weren't for Zhang Chen's big golden thigh, other brothers would not take him seriously at all, and even the servants were mostly just going through the motions in front of him.
Later, Zhang Wu and Zhang Wu took turns in holding the imperially bestowed ruler in Banshan Hall, assisting Zhang Chen, the head of the hall, in supervising the students. Seeing this, the wife of the Marquis of Nanyang gave him two more followers. When he proposed to apply for the selection at the Ministry of Rites, she hesitated for a moment and then agreed. But no one expected that Zhang Wu seemed to have a little hope this time!
The wife of the Marquis of Nanyang waited patiently until she had learned the follow-up news, and then she called the bastard who had been neglected for many years to her side. After washing her hands carefully, she carefully took the official kiln-fired brush washer with exquisite patterns from Zhang Wu's hand. After looking at it over and over for a long time, she returned it to Zhang Lu with a faint smile on her face.
"Don't just put the things the emperor has given you on the shelf. Put them on the desk and use them. This is worthy of the emperor's painstaking efforts. I will ask him to vacate the courtyard where your house is and give it to you. The rest will be used as a study. Go and pick two more people to serve in the study. Remember, pick people whose whole family lives in the mansion. This way, if something goes wrong, the whole family will be implicated, and you won't have to worry about them doing bad things."
"Of course, I will also give instructions to prevent those who are blinded by jealousy from embarrassing themselves. You should prepare yourself well these days so that you will not be caught off guard when good news comes."
Although Zhang Wu had told Zhang Shou that he hoped to find a strong wife and live alone in the future, he was still stunned by his stepmother's kindness. It took him a long while to realize the last sentence, and he was immediately happy and terrified.
"Mother, what...what good news? Although the emperor gave me this penny, he didn't say anything else. Maybe someone else has also received a reward from the emperor?"
Compared to Zhang Hanzhou, Marquis of Nanyang, who was just a small soldier at first, the wife of Marquis of Nanyang was born into a legitimate military family. Her ancestors were hereditary commanders, and Emperor Ruizong himself acted as a matchmaker. But after she got married, she found out that her husband had many concubines, most of whom were trophies won as victors, and a few were bought maids.
Having experienced these things at home before, she quickly cut the Gordian knot and sorted out these girls. When she found that Zhang Hanzhou didn't care about the inner courtyard at all, she let go and set up a series of house rules. For those who were honest and obedient, she gave them what they deserved. For those who were jealous, she would drag them down and beat them the first time, and sell them immediately the second time.
After two or three beatings, the originally unruly home was put in order, forming a sharp contrast with the Huaiqing Marquis Mansion next door.
She gave birth to two legitimate sons. One was sent away early to learn riding and shooting from his father and brothers, and now he has been appointed as an official and married. The other has been studying under a well-educated Confucian scholar in the suburbs of the capital since he was a child, and has already achieved fame. As for the remaining sons and daughters, she provided them with food and clothing. If anyone wanted to learn something, she would send them a letter from the Nanyang Marquis' Mansion and let them go to study.
She made it clear that they would not lose a cent of the family property in the future, but if they caused trouble outside, they would be kicked out without discussion. She had limited energy, and she had too much time to worry about such a big family and various industries all day long. Who would be happy to take care of more than a dozen illegitimate children? What was she thinking? It was not easy to support them. Would they live on salary alone?
At this moment, seeing Zhang Wu's genuine fear, Nanyang Marquis's wife thought of this bastard's mother who had died when he was young. Although he often followed Zhang Chen around, he was still relatively honest by nature. After she finished laughing, she said calmly, "You probably don't know that before and after you, there are several people who have received rewards from the emperor."
"Among them, the son of Doctor Xiao from the Ministry of Personnel got a new book. You are this plum blossom brush washer. Liu Lang from your uncle's family next door got a Xuancheng purple Hao..." She reported the rewards received by six or seven people in one breath. Seeing Zhang Wu was extremely surprised, she smiled and said, "Who among those whose families applied for the selection didn't send someone to wait at the palace gate to watch?"
"In addition, Zhang Chen, the eldest son of the Duke of Qin, who you used to call Brother Chen, and Erlang of the Duke of Zhao left the palace empty-handed. So, no matter from which point of view, those of you who have received rewards are in the heart of the emperor, that's for sure. So, it's possible for you to marry a princess or a county lady."
Zhang Wu heard the wife of the Marquis of Nanyang speak so confidently that he believed it to some extent. However, when he thought about how Zhang Shou had once asked him in person whether he had ever thought about marrying his master, and the question the emperor asked him was very biased, he felt his mouth dry and it took him a long time before he forced himself to calm down.
The matter is still uncertain. If you really let yourself get carried away by a few words from your stepmother, then you are stupid!
He bowed deeply and respectfully, saying, "Thank you, mother, for your teachings. I will go and thank my teacher later. Today, in front of the emperor, my teacher also spoke for me."
"Go ahead." At this moment, Nanyang Marquis's wife did not look as smart and powerful as others thought. She nodded slightly, appearing graceful and elegant. "Go back and change your clothes. I'll have someone prepare a gift for you."
After Zhang Wu left, Nanyang Marquis's wife looked at her still smooth hands and red nail polish, and began to think seriously about a problem. Even though she didn't think Zhang Wu was that good, choosing a son-in-law or niece-in-law was different from choosing a talent. If the emperor really wanted Zhang Wu to marry a princess, she wouldn't have to worry, but if Zhang Wu married a princess...
No matter how gentle and modest a princess is, she is still a princess. She can never be treated as an ordinary daughter-in-law after entering the house! Therefore, she absolutely doesn't care if the princess' daughter-in-law is separated and lives alone...
While the powerful Nanyang Marquis's wife was in a dilemma, the neighboring Huaiqing Marquis's wife... fell ill and lay groaning in bed. After a shock, Zhang Lu, who was in a worse state than Zhang Wu, barely mustered up enough energy to visit his stepmother, and then left to meet Zhang Shou.
However, the wife of Marquis Huaiqing was not as insightful as the wife of Marquis Nanyang. As soon as the people left, she threw away the cloth on her forehead in anger and cursed angrily: "He was just awarded a pen, but he still shows off in front of me? If it weren't for that damn woman next door who spread rumors in front of the Marquis, he would not be qualified to participate in the election at all!"
No one in the room dared to speak when the mistress was angry, but when hearing the wife of Marquis Huaiqing mention the wife of Marquis Nanyang, some people still looked down on her. As the sister-in-law of the neighbor, it was only natural for her to kindly mention her. Otherwise, with the emperor's words, Zhang Lu could still apply for the election in person. After all, he could apply for the election himself with a clean family background, and then the Marquis's Mansion would be embarrassed!
Besides, the Nanyang Marquis' Mansion next door has strict rules, but my own mansion is full of chaos. My lady falls ill immediately when something happens. The Marquis is impatient just looking at her, but my lady actually enjoys it... Isn't it annoying!
There was a lot of news outside, but for Lu Sanlang, who took turns to take classes in Jiuzhang Hall with Qi Liang today, he turned a deaf ear to the outside world and focused on studying the arithmetic. In order to prevent the gossip from affecting the class, he consulted with all the students in Jiuzhang Hall and "resolutely" decided to change the lunch break to doing exercises!
In order to maintain his dignity as the head of the dormitory, he made full use of his relationship with Zhang Shou, who had a better foundation than everyone else, to prepare in the morning, review in the evening, and do a lot of exercises whenever he had time. As a result, he had already been a very successful substitute teacher. When the afternoon classes were finally over, he gave a dignified announcement and walked out the door with brisk steps.
After being held back for a whole day, he now wanted to know what the result of today's son-in-law selection would be!
As soon as he went out, he saw Xu Heida standing outside the corridor with a complicated expression. Although he didn't know when he came to listen and what his intention was, the little fat boy immediately said vigilantly: "Xu Heida...Xu Jiancheng, I am here to teach the class at the teacher's request. I didn't say a word off topic!"
"I know... The Emperor and Grand Tutor Ge have both personally acknowledged that you are extremely talented and diligent in your studies. I won't find fault with you!"
Xu Heida, nicknamed Xu Heizi, stared at Lu Sanlang with complicated eyes for a few more times, and then said lightly: "The emperor has already met with forty people. You Banshan Hall... No, you are no longer a member of Banshan Hall... Five people in Banshan Hall have received rewards from the emperor, and the other two are the sons of Xiao Langzhong of the Ministry of Personnel and the nephew of He Shaoqing of the Dali Temple. Haha, Doctor Zhang has stolen the show."
As for the emperor's selection of a son-in-law, but Zhang Shou was the one who stood out, Lu Sanlang had expected this after hearing Zhang Shou's invitation. At this moment, he smiled and raised his eyebrows and said, "With such a beautiful woman by your side, if you want to perform well, you must be more talented, or more confident. And the students of Banshan Hall are more accustomed to this kind of thing, so they can naturally perform well."
"Hehe." Xu Heida originally just wanted to stand there casually because of his complicated mood, and unknowingly he stood in Jiuzhang Hall. Naturally, he didn't want to talk to Lu Sanlang who was deliberately talking nonsense at this time, so he sneered and turned away.
But before he could take two steps, Lu Sanlang suddenly stopped him and said, "By the way, Xu Jiancheng, has the young master returned to his quarters?"
"No. This matter has caused a great uproar in the city. Even many students in the six halls of the Imperial College are furious. I don't know how many people want to ask questions. He must come back tomorrow."
Lu Sanlang then smiled and made way. When Xu Heizi disappeared, he immediately ran out. After leaving the Imperial College, he went to a small teahouse nearby and called his two servants. He led out the horse that was specially provided for him to ride, and he immediately had someone lead the horse to the Duke of Zhao's mansion. Sure enough, when he asked at the gate, he got a clear answer.
"The Emperor just sent Dr. Zhang, my second son, and Duke Qin's eldest son directly back here from the palace."
Tsk tsk, look at the emperor, how thoughtful he is! Lu Sanlang just thought so, and then he heard the next sentence.
"The Sixth Young Master of the Huaiqing Marquis Family and the Fifth Young Master of the Nanyang Marquis Family are here."
Lu Sanlang was stunned for a moment, then he realized who he was talking about - after all, when he was with Zhang Lu and Zhang Wu, no one would think of their family background, and their father who was almost non-existent. They were different from Zhang Chen, whose father Zhang Chuan actually had even less sense of existence, and the Duke of Qin was a dumb and deaf man in the court, but Zhang Chen was the only son after all.
He had just arrived in a hurry and didn't know what had happened in the palace. He was too lazy to ask, so he nodded and was about to dismount. But the doorman was very knowledgeable and stepped forward to hold the reins, smiling and said, "The Madam asked the Second Young Master to entertain the guests. Now Dr. Zhang is in the Second Young Master's Ziyan Pavilion, and several young masters are there."
Lu Sanlang used to be one of Zhu Er's "best friends" and went to Ziyan Pavilion often. He even wanted to pretend to visit the lady first, but when he heard the lady say that she was not feeling well and would not receive guests, he followed her advice and went to Ziyan Pavilion instead. However, he had just dismounted in front of the hall when he heard Zhang Chen's loud voice.
"Zhu Er, how dare you say that? If it weren't for you, how could I be so unlucky?"
"Who told you to say you wanted to learn how to write eight-part essays?"
"You're still talking? I'll strangle you to death!"
If it were someone else, Lu Sanlang might have rushed over to act as a peacemaker, but when Zhang Chen and Zhu Er started quarreling, he was happy to sit back and watch the fight. When he was led into the Purple Smoke Pavilion by the servant, he saw that Zhang Chen and Zhu Er were indeed fighting, while Zhang Wu and Zhang Lu were talking to Zhang Shou, ignoring the two fools, so he immediately approached Zhang Shou.
"Young Master, I heard today that five people from Banshan Hall were praised by the Emperor? Xu Heizi only told half of the story, who were they?" Seeing Zhang Wu and Zhang Lu's faces were a little subtle, Lu Sanlang immediately understood, "Could it be that you are all on the list?"
Seeing Zhang Shou nod with a smile, the two people who were making a big fuss behind him suddenly stopped talking. Lu Sanlang turned around and said with a chuckle, "Zhang Chen, Zhu Er, you two are not going to come back empty-handed, are you? Isn't it embarrassing?"
"Shut up!" Zhu Er and Zhang Chen blurted out three words almost at the same time, and then glared at each other fiercely.
At this time, Zhang Shou gently knocked on the armrest and said, "Be quiet, everyone. I think good things are about to happen to you."
