Volume 2: Residence in the Capital Chapter 244 Calendar and Scars
Although Zhu Tingfang glared at Zhu Ying angrily, Miss Zhu was not frightened, so his glare had no effect at all. Not only did she ignore Zhu Tingfang's glare, but Zhu Ying even ran to the emperor's side and complained in annoyance that the emperor should not use the excuse of a headache to call Chen Yuanshi from the Imperial Hospital over, but she was glared at by the emperor instead.
"You've got the upper hand, but you're still acting cute. If you don't say you have a headache, then are you saying I have a headache, or Zhang Shou has a headache? It's because of you that I hurriedly called Envoy Chen over!"
Zhang Shou became embarrassed when he saw Zhu Ying, while Liu Feng quickly responded to the order and left. He knew that he didn't need to worry about anything anymore, and was silently thinking about the suggestion made by Elder Wu, which he agreed with.
He was naturally worried about Deng Xiaodai following Wang Jie to wade into such muddy water, but he also knew that without Wang Jie, Deng Xiaodai would stay in the Shuntian government office. Even with the care of his uncle, he would definitely not be liked by the new prefect. His colleagues might even secretly exclude him. It would be better for him to go with Wang Jie and see if he could play his role.
As for the other people in Jiuzhang Hall, most of them had worked as accountants, so if three or five people were assigned to assist Wang Jie, they would be considered specialized. However, their studies would inevitably be out of sync, so he not only needed to ask them to bring textbooks, but also to assign corresponding exercises.
Besides this, should he send Qi Liang to follow Wang Jie first? Of course, in this case, even if he sent his first two students to serve as Wang Jie's right-hand men, officials other than Wang Jie would definitely think that he was planting a private person.
Zhu Ying, who was arguing with the emperor, didn't notice Zhang Shou's distraction, but Zhu Tingfang did. But because of this discovery, he was really puzzled. After all, he was from a noble family and had seen the emperor many times since he was a child. It was not surprising that he could be calm and composed in front of the emperor, but Zhang Shou was able to speak freely just now, but now he dared to...distract himself?
When Zhu Tingfang looked at Zhang Shou again and again, the emperor noticed Zhang Shou's daze. He changed his mind and said with a smile: "Zhang Shou, Teacher Ge talked to me about revising the calendar a few days ago. What do you think?"
While thinking about his own things, he also paid a little attention to the movements on the other side, in case someone asked him a question, he could only answer in a daze. This was a unique skill Zhang Shou had learned when he was in school. At that time, he was often able to do such a feat. Even though he was dozing off, when the teacher asked a question and suddenly called on him to answer, he could answer fluently.
At this time, Zhang Shou came to his senses when the emperor called out his name. However, he could not answer this question. Not only could he not answer it, he even had to smile bitterly and said, "Your Majesty, I don't know much about the calendar. Shouldn't this kind of thing be handed over to the Imperial Observatory? I, an outsider, cannot comment on it. Besides, hasn't the teacher already requested the Four Seas Test?"
The emperor took his time and asked persistently, "You mean I'd better give you a position in the Imperial Observatory so that you can work with the people there to revise the calendar? If I don't give you this salary, you won't work for me?"
"That's not what I meant." Seeing that the emperor was being unreasonable, Zhang Shou was immediately overwhelmed. He made up his mind and said bluntly, "The difficulty of the calendar is as difficult as ascending to heaven. Moreover, any calendar needs a return point, such as the Shangyuan in the Shangyuan Year. This point is very difficult to calculate."
At this point, he said in a more sincere manner: "Although I have a talent for mathematics, unfortunately, it does not include the calendar, because I have no knowledge of astronomy."
"Oh?" The emperor's eyes flickered, and he suddenly asked with a half-smile, "Isn't it because of the previous imperial court's ban on officials of the Imperial Observatory from holding other positions, as well as the ban on folk astronomy and astrology, that you don't want to touch the calendar?"
"Of course not." Zhang Shou's face was full of seriousness. "Didn't my teacher, Grand Tutor Ge, once head the Imperial Observatory for a while? Didn't Grand Minister Qi also head the Imperial Observatory for a period of time? Emperor Yingzong and the previous Emperor Ruizong have already broken this ban, and the Imperial Observatory now has many people who are proficient in mathematics and astronomy, so there is no need for outsiders to interfere."
Seeing that the emperor seemed to be looking at him with disbelief, he simply said casually: "If an amateur like me is allowed to compile a calendar, I can only use a simple method. For example, unify the number of days in a year. There are twelve months in a year, one, three, five, seven, eight, and twelve. These seven months have thirty-one days each, February has twenty-eight days each, and the remaining months have thirty days, which is exactly 365 days."
He pretended not to notice Zhu Tingfang's frown, and continued, "Then, every four years is a leap year. In a leap year, February has one more day, making it 29 days, and a year has 366 days. And every hundred years, if it is not divisible by 400, it is not a leap year, February still has 28 days, and if it is divisible by 400, it is a leap year."
Anyway, he said it clearly, "As for how to calculate the starting year, well, you can compare the new calendar with the current calendar and determine it based on the dates of the 24 solar terms. This simplified calendar has a solar term on the 4th or 5th of each month, and another solar term around the 22nd or 23rd of each month. There are two solar terms in each of the 12 months, which is exactly the total number of 24 solar terms."
At this point, Zhang Shou spread his hands and said, "Such a simple calendar is the limit of my ability as a layman in calendar. If the emperor asked me to work with the officials of the Imperial Observatory to rebuild the complex calendar currently in use, I can probably only do one thing... pretend to be sick, or in other words, pretend to be injured."
"Zhang Shou!" Zhu Tingfang finally couldn't stand it anymore and interrupted Zhang Shou angrily, "The calendar is such an important thing. Farming, fishing and hunting all depend on the calendar. How can you treat it like a joke!"
Who asked the emperor to ask me about the calendar? I calculated the calendar this time, but next time, will I have to calculate solar and lunar eclipses? And next time, will I have to calculate the dates of certain comets? I don't have the experience to do that! Besides, if the predictions are too accurate, it may cause the court officials to be shocked or even wary. If the predictions are inaccurate, it will become an excuse for others to attack me. Why should I dig a hole for myself?
While Zhang Shou was complaining in his heart, he said calmly, "Your Majesty, I just said that this is the only way to save trouble. Master Zhu said that I was kidding. Please find another wise man."
The emperor stared at Zhang Shou for a long time, looking angry and amused. Seeing that he was still calm, he suddenly turned his head and asked Zhu Ying, "Yingying, what do you think of your husband Zhang's calendar nonsense?"
"The emperor said it was nonsense, so why are you asking me?" Zhu Ying snorted in dissatisfaction, and then sneered, "I don't know what the calendar is based on. I only know that the Ming calendar is hanging there, and I tear off a page every day, so I know what day it is. I don't care about the rest. Ordinary people just look for auspicious days for weddings and funerals."
But at this point, she suddenly changed the subject and said, "But, Ah Shou is just talking casually. Not to mention the Imperial Observatory, those old stubborn people in the court will definitely not accept this new simplified calendar, so Your Majesty, please don't make it difficult for Ah Shou. He is not omnipotent, so how can he really be good at all the calculations?"
She saw Zhang Shou secretly signaling to her, otherwise, she would definitely support Zhang Shou and change the current calendar to the one Zhang Shou said. But since Zhang Shou himself didn't want to get involved in the muddy water, she would definitely help him get rid of this troublesome task.
If Zhang Shou went to the Imperial Observatory and dealt with those white-haired old men who looked at the stars all day, wouldn't he have even less free time?
The emperor was just waiting for Chen Yuanshi from the Imperial Medical Bureau to arrive, when he suddenly thought of the calendar and asked casually. Who would have thought that Zhang Shou would actually seriously propose an idea? Although he found it unbelievable, he also felt that Zhang Shou did not just say it casually, but had considered it carefully.
Although he would not really adopt it, in comparison with Zhang Shou's previous interesting ideas, he decided to go back and talk to Ge Yong about it, but he said jokingly: "Since you keep declining, then I will just assume that the Imperial Observatory has no such fate, and I can just give you a smaller salary."
Upon hearing this, Zhu Ying was immediately annoyed: "Your Majesty, you speak as if it were true. Apart from the special gift for the winter solstice, it is true that Ah Shou received three shares, but his salary was only issued by the Ministry of Revenue as a sixth-rank salary. How could there be three salaries?"
Zhu Tingfang, who had been trying hard to remain silent, finally couldn't stand his sister's nonsense any more, and coughed, "There are many officials in this dynasty who hold other positions concurrently, but generally, unless there is a special decree, the salary of the highest-ranking official is given. Zhang Shou is already a sixth-rank official at such a young age, which is a special favor from the emperor. How can you criticize it, Yingying?"
The emperor had only been joking, and Zhu Ying's petty retort was just a small episode for his amusement. However, when Zhu Tingfang criticized him so righteously, he found it boring.
Zhu Jing's eldest son is good in every way except that he is a little too straightforward... Could it be that he learned bad habits from Liu Zhiyuan, the former vice minister of the Ministry of War?
However, when Chen Yuanshi from the Imperial Medical Bureau hurried over, the emperor realized that he had underestimated Zhu Tingfang's injuries.
Although he had escaped the inspection of his grandmother and stepmother before, when Chen Yuanshi arrived and the emperor insisted with a stern face, Zhu Tingfang had no choice but to reluctantly unbutton his outer robe, and then took off his inner padded jacket and silk clothes, and then removed the large amount of white silk that almost covered his entire chest, abdomen and right side.
When the criss-crossing wounds, some of which had healed but some of which still had bright red scars visible, were revealed, everyone gasped. Zhu Ying subconsciously wanted to rush forward, but was held back by Zhang Shou.
"Brother, did you charge into the battle alone amidst thousands of soldiers? How could you be injured so badly?"
Seeing that Zhu Ying was so angry that she started crying, Zhang Shou glanced at the emperor who had an equally ugly expression on his face, and he couldn't help but sigh in his heart.
Chen Yuanshi of the Imperial Hospital stared at the wounds in astonishment for a long time, then hurried forward to take a closer look. After a while, he made a judgment: "The deepest wound is a puncture wound on the right side, which has not yet healed. There are multiple chops and cuts. The wound on the chest and abdomen is the longest. The other wounds are not too serious. But the rest of these criss-crossing scars..."
Chen Yuanshi hesitated for a moment before continuing, "The remaining injuries are more like being whipped. And this whipping was done with hatred, and the blow was very heavy."
I'm afraid he must have been hit dozens of times! But who would be so cruel to the eldest son of the Duke of Zhao, the future heir to the Duke of Zhao's mansion?
Could it be the Duke of Zhao, Zhu Jing himself? No way. Zhu Tingfang's moral integrity can be said to be the best among the noble children in the capital. His literary talent and military strategy are also quite outstanding. Zhu Jing has nothing better to do than to torture his son like this? Even if he violated the military law in the army, he would not use a whip! You know, because whipping is more likely to cause casualties than military sticks, it was strictly prohibited during the reign of Taizu!
When Zhu Ying heard the word "whipping", her face suddenly became murderous. How could she not think of how her elder brother got this injury? Without a doubt, it was definitely the suffering he endured after being captured by the northern barbarians! Therefore, she had no intention of listening to the doctor's nonsense that Chen Yuanshi was carefully telling the emperor - it was nothing more than saying that it was okay, and to carefully apply medicine and recuperate. She turned around and left angrily.
But as soon as she left the Qianqing Palace, she staggered forward a few steps, then sat down on the high steps without any ladylike manners, and then buried her head between her knees. She couldn't help but cry, but she held on without making a sound.
At this moment, she forgot that the emperor had invited Chen Yuanshi from the Imperial Medical Bureau to come over on the pretext that she had a headache. Her hasty appearance and crying undoubtedly made the emperor's painstaking efforts go to waste.
She only knew that at this moment she hated her cruel father, those generals who watched her die without helping, and even more so those vicious northern barbarians. She felt even more uncomfortable when she thought that if her elder brother had not followed their father to the battle this time, he might not have fallen into such a desperate situation.
But just as she was feeling sorry for herself, she suddenly felt something caressing the corners of her hair. She tilted her head slightly with a dazed look and realized it was Zhang Shou, and his fingers were entwined with her dovetail hair. However, she did not feel the charm of the past at all. She bit her lips hard and lowered her head between her knees again.
"Yingying, don't be so petty. The emperor has specially invited Chen Yuanshi from the Imperial Hospital to come here for you. If you leave, won't he be embarrassed?"
Zhang Shou simply put his hand on Zhu Ying's shoulder. Seeing that she was trembling slightly but still did not answer, he whispered, "You are angry at those who slandered your father and your elder brother before. Of course, the emperor can understand your feelings. There are some people in this world who don't go to the battlefield, don't do practical work, and just make a living by scolding people all day long, but you can't be hard on yourself if you are angry."
As he spoke, he glanced at the other people out of the corner of his eye and saw that the guards guarding the Qianqing Gate not far away were still standing straight with their backs to them and not moving. The few palace servants in the yard were also sweeping the yard diligently. It seemed that no one was watching them , as if they were deaf to his excuse. He took the opportunity to reach out and pull Zhu Ying.
This time, Zhu Ying did not resist and was easily pulled up by Zhang Shou and then dragged into the Qianqing Palace. When she returned to the East Warm Pavilion, her eyes were still a little red, especially when she saw Chen Yuanshi busy re-bandaging her eldest brother's wound.
The emperor also heard Zhang Shou's words just now, which were obviously meant for others to hear. He said calmly, "It is easy to offend people by punishing them for their words, but I will give justice to the Duke of Zhao and his son."
