Volume 2: Residence in the Capital Chapter 246 Why am I always the one who gets hurt?
"Brother Zhu!"
When he saw the small figure rushing up to him like a young swallow and hugging him, even though Zhu Tingfang was caught off guard and his wound was hit hard again, his face inevitably twitched slightly, and he couldn't help but hissed softly and took a breath of cold air. But he finally understood Zhu Ying's ambiguous words just now.
It turns out that it wasn't a scammer who came from nowhere and said that she was pregnant with his child, but Xiao Cheng!
Zhu Ying had hugged her elder brother once before because they had met after a long time, and only then did she find that he was injured. She regretted it very much. Now she found that Xiao Cheng was doing the same thing as herself. She subconsciously wanted to rush over and pick him up, but she was pulled back by Zhang Shou. Then she heard Zhang Shou whispered, "Don't worry, the child is very smart, he has already let go."
Seeing Xiao Chengguo quickly let go of her hand, she took two steps back and asked timidly, "Brother Zhu, are you hurt?" Zhu Ying couldn't help but look sideways at Zhang Shou. She admired Zhang Shou's observation skills and was delighted with her brother's vision. It turned out that this child was as sharp as her. She was worthy of being the child that her brother decided to adopt!
Zhu Tingfang didn't expect Zhu Ying to be so proud of herself and judge others by her own standards. He was also a little surprised by Xiao Cheng's reaction, but what surprised him even more was that he had clearly arranged a life for Xiao Cheng in secret, so why was he in the Duke of Zhao's mansion now? He simply squatted down and did not answer the little guy's question just now, but asked directly: "Who brought you here?"
"Mr. Liu and his family suddenly disappeared, and I had to drill through the wall every day to look for them..."
Zhu Tingfang could only understand the general idea of what Xiao Cheng said after he had stammered for a long time, until Zhang Shou interrupted and gave a brief introduction of the situation. He learned that his teacher had not only suffered the pain of losing his wife, but also owed a large debt for his wife's medical treatment, and was forced to leave his old home. His face turned pale and he was extremely angry.
He took a deep breath and tried his best to calm himself down. Then he looked at Xiao Cheng gently and said, "Chengcheng, since Mr. Liu and his family are not here, why don't you live in my house from now on? Don't worry, I will take good care of you."
However, he originally thought that the little guy would definitely agree, but he didn't expect Xiao Cheng to look at him eagerly for a long time, and finally shook his head: "Brother Zhu, Brother Zhang was worried that I would be alone during the New Year, so he brought me here from home . I can take care of myself at ordinary times. What's more, Brother Zhang also found a job for me, so I don't need to be supported by others!"
Upon hearing this, Zhu Tingfang immediately turned his head to look at Zhang Shou, feeling quite angry. You let such a small child live alone? And what does it mean to find a job? What can Xiao Cheng do with his tiny body? But the next moment, what Zhu Ying said on behalf of Zhang Shou made him speechless.
"Brother, Ah Shou is so thoughtful! Didn't he have someone open a blacksmith shop and a carpenter shop next door? He asked Zheng Dang and Yang Hao from the village to help watch the door there, and to accompany Xiao Cheng to study at night. Xiao Cheng went to the Banshan Hall of the Imperial College to do odd jobs during the day, and those students could teach him the Three Hundred Tang Poems when they had nothing to do. You came back just in time, he has memorized them all, but he hasn't fully understood the meaning yet!"
How could Zhang Shou actually arrange for Xiao Cheng to do odd jobs in the Imperial College?
Zhu Tingfang knew without thinking that such a thing was absolutely impossible for Zhang Shou to do casually. It was not like he had never been to the Imperial College before. If he wanted to, he could even become the head of the Ruxing Hall. However, he was not keen on the atmosphere of the small circles in the Imperial College, and graduated from the Imperial College in less than three years.
Therefore, he was well aware that among those academic officials, some were stubborn, some were domineering, some were sanctimonious, and some were jealous of talented people... Although there were a few with good knowledge, they often only cared about themselves and only regarded the Imperial College as an ordinary stop on the official path. High-ranking officials like the Chief Academic Officers and the Chief Prosecutors often tried to smooth things over in order not to offend both sides, so no matter how many rules and regulations they wanted to change, it was difficult.
Although it was just a trivial chore, it was unlikely that Xiao Cheng would pass it at his age. Zhang Shou must have spent a lot of effort to accomplish this.
He glanced at Xiao Cheng, who was holding his head high and looking ready to show off. He suddenly felt that although he had been very good to the little guy in the past, he had overlooked that Xiao Cheng had experienced such a tragic past since he was a child and needed a good atmosphere the most. Although he knew most of the personalities of the students in Banshan Hall, an awkward relationship was still a relationship after all.
It's much better than the little guy being alone at home! Therefore, he sighed deeply and finally said softly: "Well, Chengcheng, you can continue to live at home. I will visit you often. When I bring the teacher and your sister Zhou back in the future, you will have company again."
Seeing Xiao Cheng agreed with great joy, Zhu Tingfang then pulled him in with one hand. When he returned to Qing'an Hall again, he saw a person waiting eagerly at the entrance of the hall. Who else could it be but his second brother Zhu Tingjie? Seeing the person running over like a gust of wind, but suddenly stopped when he was only three or five steps away from him, and then looked at him with an embarrassed look on his face, he was immediately furious.
"Second brother, when I left, I asked you to take care of the house. Is this how you take care of it?"
Here it comes! Zhu Er wailed in his heart, but he knew his elder brother's temper very well, so he didn't dare to talk back. Instead, he bowed his head carefully and apologized: "Brother, I know I was wrong, and I have apologized to my grandmother and my sister..."
When he said this, he suddenly looked up and quickly sized up Zhang Shou, and decided to quickly cling to another big thigh: "I have been studying hard in Banshan Hall of the Imperial College these days, and never caused trouble. I have really changed. If you don't believe me, ask my brother-in-law..."
"What brother-in-law!" Zhu Tingfang interrupted Zhu Er angrily, but then he heard Zhu Ying snort from behind. He immediately knew that his sister was not satisfied. He felt helpless and amused. He could only glare at Zhu Er fiercely, then turned around and nodded slightly to Zhang Shou, trying to explain his attitude just now, at least to prevent Zhu Ying from getting angry with him.
"Dr. Zhang, you and Yingying haven't officially gotten married yet. If the name Erlang gets out, it will be inappropriate for both families..."
Before he finished speaking, Zhu Ying said angrily, "Brother, why are you making such a fuss? Even Grandma Li and the others in front of Grandma have called Ah Shou uncle! What's wrong with calling him that? Are we in the Zhu family afraid of others gossiping? Besides, you keep calling him Dr. Zhang. It's so strange. If someone hears you, they will be suspicious! Second brother, don't you think I'm right?"
Seeing that Zhu Ying's words actually refuted Zhu Tingfang and affirmed himself, Zhu Er, who had enjoyed this treatment for the first time in his life , was immediately delighted. He immediately nodded his head like a chicken pecking at rice, and echoed: "Yes, yes, yes, of course! We are one family, so we should not have different opinions!"
It turned out that except for himself and his father who were fighting outside, everyone in the family had accepted Zhang Shou? With this realization, Zhu Tingfang felt as if he had been away from home for ten or eight years instead of half a year, and things and people had changed. But when he entered the palace today, he also saw the emperor's attitude towards Zhang Shou, and he could only sigh in his heart for the umpteenth time.
"I'll deal with you when I get back!" After saying these harsh words to Zhu Er, Zhu Tingfang strode in.
Because of what he said, Zhu Er panicked and quickly came to Zhu Ying and whispered, "Yingying, even if it's because I helped my brother-in-law, you must help me in the future."
He was afraid that Zhu Ying's strength alone was not enough, so he said to Zhang Shou, "I have done my homework these days. Even if I didn't finish it completely, it was because I was not strong enough. Brother-in-law, you have to speak well of me in front of grandmother and mother, and ask them to take care of big brother! You know, Xiao Cheng was able to recite all 300 Tang poems these days, and I am the biggest contributor!"
The Imperial College was on holiday, and everyone else had gotten rid of that little evildoer, leaving him alone to recite those 300 Tang poems to Xiao Cheng!
Zhu Er's voice was neither too loud nor too soft, making sure that his elder brother could hear it. However, to his disappointment, Zhu Tingfang did not show any reaction at all, neither turning back nor speaking, while Zhu Ying just smiled at him, made a face, and chased after him. Fortunately, Zhang Shou finally glanced at him and made him a promise.
"Don't worry, a prodigal son who returns is worth more than gold. Your elder brother won't do anything to you." He paused, then smiled and said, "After all, he can't take care of himself right now."
Hey, my eldest brother is actually too busy to take care of himself? Didn't he come back victorious this time? Is there something else he doesn't know? Many stories flashed through Zhu Er's mind in an instant, including various plots that are often seen in dramas, and he even secretly expected his eldest brother to bring back a sister-in-law of extraordinary status.
As long as his eldest brother, who was always respected by his family and the outside world, made some trouble, he would be able to live a much more comfortable life and think about his marriage himself instead of leaving it to fate... Of course, who would be willing to marry him was a problem...
Zhang Shou knew what his future second uncle was thinking about as soon as he saw Zhu Er's eyes wandering around, but he didn't call him out. Compared with Zhu Tingfang, who was born to be trained as an heir, Zhu Er's life was too easy and casual. Even if he studied hard during this period, it was not guaranteed that his enthusiasm would last only three minutes.
When Zhang Shou followed Zhu Er and was the last one to enter Qing'an Hall, he saw that Zhu Ying had dismissed Li Mama, Jiang Mama, Yutang Yulan and other maids in a few words, and Zhu Tingfang handed Xiao Cheng over to them first. He knew that Zhu Tingfang was not going to keep it secret anymore - because Zhu Ying obviously didn't intend to let him keep it secret anymore.
Therefore, compared to the Taifu and Jiuniang who had already guessed, and Zhang Shou and Zhu Ying who were fully aware of the situation, the unprepared Zhu Er was hit hard. He first saw his eldest brother being urged by his grandmother to take off his outer robe, jacket and middle coat, revealing his upper body wrapped in white silk strips. After the white silk strips were removed, he saw various hideous and horrible wounds.
At that moment, Zhu Er even felt his scalp tingling, and he had the urge to turn around and run away. Although there were rumors about his elder brother's disappearance before, he didn't take the so-called defeat seriously after hearing the news of victory. In addition, he felt that his elder brother, as a general, would fight with his soldiers, and it would be impossible for him to charge into battle himself, so he never had a real sense of fighting.
But at this moment, he realized for the first time in his life that fighting was not a play, nor was it a child's play. It was a real battle that could hurt or even kill people! He knew how powerful his elder brother was, but he came back with scars all over his body. Doesn't that mean that it was really dangerous before?
What was even more unbelievable to Zhu Er was that while Zhu Ying accompanied the lady to check Zhu Tingfang's injuries, he told her about his elder brother's experience in the war. When he talked about the bait and prisoners of war, even though he felt that he had prepared himself mentally, he couldn't help but shout, "How is this possible? Is Dad crazy? My elder brother is his biological son!"
He is still the son that Dad has always been proud of and the one he values the most! If it were him, Dad would have thrown him out as bait, that would be more like it!
"What are you yelling about?" The lady said with a sullen face. Seeing Zhu Er shut up immediately, but his face was still full of disbelief and dissatisfaction, she sneered and said, "Fake defeats repeatedly and lure the enemy deep into your territory. These are the most commonly used tactics in leading an army to fight. But think about it, if you lose the battle and lure the enemy, people will die. Aren't they our own people?"
"If there are too few dead, the defeat will not look real. If there are too many dead, the morale of the army will drop, and maybe the battle will turn into a real defeat. Besides, do you think that those baits and those commanders who personally carried out the defeat in the past and present were unscathed and could easily perform the show? What's more, your father has not led the army for many years, and his subordinates pretend to obey but secretly disobey. If your eldest brother doesn't do this, who will?"
The lady's tone suddenly became heavier. Seeing that Zhu Er's forehead was covered with sweat, she personally re-bandaged Zhu Tingfang's wound and put on his shirt. She ignored Chang Sun's frightened refusal and sighed deeply while buttoning his shirt.
"I have more than one son, but why did I let the other two fend for themselves? Your two uncles actually went to the battlefield during the years of Ruizong. But one was cowardly and afraid of fighting, and the other was defeated repeatedly. If it weren't for their eldest brother who washed away their shame with blood, fire and military exploits, even though the Queen Mother and I are sisters from the same mother, the Zhu family would not be where we are today."
"The Queen Mother and I have other brothers, but they are neither good at literature nor martial arts. So, they should just be idle and rich. Don't complain about not having enough power or wealth. Who made them have no merit, let alone hard work?"
"So, I am very sad and heartbroken that Dalang has returned like this, but I am more relieved and proud because the Zhu family has produced another man who is capable of supporting the family business."
Hearing this, Zhu Er felt even more depressed. Anyway, he would never be able to surpass his elder brother in this life...
Seeing Zhu Tingfang was a little surprised at the excessive praise of the lady, he hurriedly said that he dared not. The grandfather and grandson were sighing with each other, and Zhu Ying was chattering. Zhang Shou, who noticed the change in Zhu Er's expression, knew that if the second young master could not see it, he might do something stupid again. But at this moment, he saw Jiu Niang suddenly came to him and Zhu Er.
"Erlang, you are a descendant of the Zhu family, you can't be outdone by outsiders. If you don't want to be a rich and idle person, think about what you want to do in the future. As long as you have thought it through, I have convinced mother before, and I will give you whatever support you want! Otherwise, look at your uncles and great-uncles, if you really want to live that kind of life, no one will stop you."
