Volume 2: Residence in the Capital Chapter 247: Don't Keep Trash
For the people in the Duke of Zhao's Mansion and the emperor, Zhu Tingfang's return marked the end of a phase of the previous northern expedition.
For a large number of officials in the capital who had once clamored that the father and son of the Duke of Zhao had lost the war and humiliated the country, the fact that the heir of the Duke of Zhao's mansion, who had been missing for a while, had returned intact, looking a little thinner but with no other serious problems, was enough to make them restless. Even though it was the New Year when the government offices were sealed, they had no choice but to connect with each other.
So on the eve of the 30th day of the twelfth lunar month, a piece of news came out that, while the Shuntian government office had not put up the notice board and had put away the drumstick for beating the complaint drum, an old woman hit the drum with her white head, suing the Chief Censor of the Metropolitan Censorate, who had once been a touring censor, for fabricating charges and forcing the Fang family, a local prominent family who was kind and generous, to the point of being ruined.
After the incident, Shuntian Prefecture Governor Wang Jie personally took the person to the Shuntian Prefecture Yamen for resettlement.
This was just the beginning. By the evening, the Daxing County Office, Wanping County Office, the Censorate and the Criminal Department had even had their drums knocked once, and a total of four censors had been reported. These four people were the most vicious people who had jumped up and down to slander the Zhu family father and son.
With endless news coming one after another, Zhang Shou didn't have a good meal at the Zhaoguogong Mansion. After he took Wu back, after the ancestor worship, three more complaints came, and the Zhu family didn't have a good meal at the New Year's Eve dinner. Zhu Ying even smashed her chopsticks in anger and said angrily: "What do these messed up things have to do with my family?"
As she spoke, she slammed the table and stood up: "If our Zhu family had ordered someone to do this, how could they mobilize the victims to complain everywhere, and let such an old man with white hair risk his life to complain? This is simply taking human life lightly! I think someone just wants to confuse the waters, and they want to speak for those censors who are so good at talking! Using such means is really despicable!"
Zhu Er hadn't figured it out at first, but when Zhu Ying said that, he suddenly understood, and he also slammed the table and said, "As long as we can prove that these charges are false, then all these censors who slandered others will be cleared of all charges!"
But as soon as he stood up, he was glared at by the Taifu, Jiuniang and Zhu Tingfang, and he hurriedly sat back in fear. Just when he thought he would be scolded, Jiuniang suddenly looked at Zhu Ying and asked directly: "Yingying, why are you so smart today? Did you figure out these mysteries by yourself?"
"Of course not!" Zhu Ying took back the chopsticks with confidence, and then said calmly, "It was Ah Shou who said that. Ah Shou told me before he went back at noon that if there are two or three, there must be three. If there are more after the third or fourth, then there is no doubt that they want to stir up this mess and make our Zhu family the target of public criticism!"
Zhu Tingfang sighed at Zhu Ying's tone of mindlessness and just listening to what others said. However, what Zhang Shou told Zhu Ying was exactly what he and his grandmother had decided after discussing it in the afternoon. Therefore, he couldn't help but criticize and asked, "Did your Ah Shou tell us what the Zhu family should do?"
"Brother, Ah Shou hasn't married me yet, so he's not mine yet!" Zhu Ying glared at Zhu Tingfang, then shrugged and said, "Ah Shou said that it's most likely our Zhu family's enemies, or those imperial censors. And Dad went on this expedition and won a victory, which hindered many people's way. Plus, they're afraid that we'll retaliate against them and make false accusations, so of course they'll take the initiative to muddy the waters."
She paused, then continued calmly, "But Ah Shou said that people who do nothing will not leave any flaws, but people who jump around and do a lot of things will leave a lot of clues. Some people think they are very smart, but they are just being smart. So, if you want to say what to do? Hey, that is to do nothing first and see clearly what others are doing."
Zhu Er was immediately dissatisfied: "Do nothing and just watch? Doesn't this make us, the Duke of Zhao, seem too easy to bully?"
"To respond to ever-changing situations with the same attitude is true most of the time, especially when the Emperor is watching. The Emperor is not very old, but he has been on the throne for 27 years this year. He may not understand the ministers' tricks after one or two days, or ten or eight years, but after nearly thirty years, how can he not understand them?"
The lady smiled and motioned to Mama Li to give Zhu Ying a piece of pickled vegetables and eggs. Seeing that Zhu Ying hesitated for a moment, but finally ate it with a sad face, she smiled and said, "Just like I like these two bites, it doesn't matter if it's New Year's Eve. Whether you like it or not, just have someone make it and serve it to you, Yingying, and Yingying will have to eat it. The relationship between the monarch and his subjects is similar to this, but more complicated."
"If the court wants to implement something, it must rely on the ministers below to execute it, so different kings do things differently. If they are strong, they will get out if they don't do it, or even kill them if they don't do it, just like Qin Shihuang, who whipped the world and no one dared to disobey. If they are weak, whatever the ministers say is the truth, just like clay sculptures or wooden sculptures, or even puppets."
"Even wise rulers can be divided into two types. One is like Emperor Taizong of Tang, who cooperated tacitly with Wei Zheng and appeared to be open-minded and willing to accept advice, but in fact, most of Wei Zheng's advice was what he actually intended to do. The two of them just earned each other the reputation of being a wise ruler and a loyal minister. As for the other type, they were passively coerced by the loyal ministers and had to do what the ministers wanted them to do. They could only take it easy even when people spit on their faces."
The lady said this in one breath, paused, and then laughed again.
"The emperor is different. He doesn't insist on anything most of the time. He will just follow the cabinet's decision and that's it. But if anyone thinks they can suppress him with public opinion, that's wishful thinking. Just think about the emperor's actions during the first one or two years of his personal rule. He is a soft-hearted person who doesn't take hard measures. If it weren't for the empress dowager, he would have fought to the death."
Jiu Niang thought about the emperor's character that she knew, and couldn't help but laugh. She nodded and said, "Mother is right. If you think that you can tarnish the military achievements of our Zhaoguo Mansion by taking the initiative and muddying the waters, then you are underestimating the emperor!"
As they were talking, the door curtain was lifted, and it was Mother Jiang who entered the house. Duke Zhu Jing of Zhao had not returned today, so the New Year celebration at home was not particularly lively. After offering sacrifices to the ancestors, the hosts had a feast in the back, and the servants had a feast in the front. They set off some fireworks and firecrackers for a festive occasion, but did not invite any opera troupe to entertain.
At this time, Mother Jiang still had a bit of the atmosphere of fireworks. After curtseying, she smiled and said, "Madam, Madam, the New Year's reward money has been distributed. Everyone said they want to come over and kowtow to thank them for the reward."
"They have worked hard for a year, but it is what everyone deserves, so I will not keep it until after the night. This year's reward is to reward them for their diligence this year, and it has nothing to do with next year. So there is no need to kowtow, they should remember that the Zhaoguo Mansion has always been clear about rewards and punishments. It does not keep useless people, but it will never treat people harshly. I don't want the matter of Zhu Yu and Zhu Gongquan to happen again."
When the lady saw Jiang Mama quickly agreed and was about to leave, she stopped her husband and said, "Today is New Year's Eve. On such a big day, our Zhu family will not bother with those with ulterior motives. After midnight, which is New Year's Day tomorrow, you and Ah Li should make arrangements as I instructed before. You want to defame yourself and get away with it? Haha!"
Seeing that Mother Jiang agreed and walked out quickly, she glanced at her daughter-in-law and three grandchildren, and then said with a smile: "After the New Year, our Zhaoguo Mansion should also organize some weddings!"
After hearing this, Zhu Ying smiled happily, but Zhu Tingfang couldn't help but feel a little uneasy. He had already seen that his sister's marriage to Zhang Shou was not only approved by his grandmother and stepmother, but also by the emperor. However, even so, it was only one marriage, how could there be several?
Even if Zhu Er is included, there are only two cases... Could it be that the elders included him as well?
Zhu Tingfang thought about how he had met a fortune teller on the road when he went on this expedition. The fortune teller said that he had a hard life and would bring bad luck to his relatives and friends. He did not believe it at first, but then he thought about how his mother died not long after he was born, and then his stepmother ran away, and then his fiancée died not long after they were engaged. Now when he returned to Beijing, he suddenly learned that his master's wife had also passed away... Since he had such a fate, why should he implicate others?
Just as Zhu Tingfang's eyes flickered, the lady suddenly sighed, "Speaking of which, there are indeed many weddings to be held in the capital next year, one princess and two county ladies. If Princess Yongping didn't want to get married, I'm afraid there would be one more."
"Princess Yongping doesn't want to get married?" Zhu Tingfang was slightly stunned. He was deeply impressed by this beautiful lady who was born on the same day as his sister, because she had a completely different personality from Zhu Ying. Zhu Ying was outgoing, while Princess Yongping was reserved; Zhu Ying liked fancy clothes and ornaments, while Princess Yongping preferred elegance and simplicity; Zhu Ying liked riding horses and hunting, while Princess Yongping liked playing the zither, chess, calligraphy and painting.
Of course, he still found it incredible that Princess Yongping actually liked eight-part essays...
After receiving Zhu Ying's exaggerated reply, and hearing that Zhang Shou was actually called by the emperor to accompany him in selecting the son-in-law and the groom, and that the three people who finally stood out were all from Zhang Shou's Banshan Hall, Zhu Tingfang felt that there was something indescribable about Zhang Shou, the future brother-in-law. He was distracted and could not help but teasing Zhu Ying unintentionally.
"Yingying, Princess Yongping is slightly inferior to you in appearance. You are much better than her in riding and archery, but she is much better than you in talent and scheming. From childhood to adulthood, you have always been competing for everything. Knowing that you like Zhang Shou so much, she didn't even think of competing with you for your husband?"
"Brother, you've really learned bad habits!" Zhu Ying was so angry that she kicked him, but the leg she touched was like an iron plate, and it didn't move at all. She was afraid of hurting her brother, so she immediately retracted her foot. Facing Zhu Tingfang's vague smile, she said angrily, "Who made Yongping so short-sighted? Not only did he look down on Ah Shou, but he also allowed others to embarrass him... "
Zhu Ying briefly told Zhu Tingfang about the incident at Yuehua Tower, and emphasized that Zhang Shou and Princess Yongping rarely met and even spoke to each other, so she was confident. At the end, she made two more domineering declarations: "She is a proud person, she won't be so shameless as to compete with me for a husband! Of course, even if she does, she will definitely not be able to compete with me!"
"A-choo, A-choo, A-choo!"
Standing in the Ge family's yard, watching the group of little ones that he and Wu brought with Ge Yong to celebrate the New Year setting off firecrackers, Zhang Shou was struck by the cold wind and could not help but suddenly burst into a series of sneezes. Beside him, Ah Liu was still reporting the situation to himself.
"Deng Xiaodai said that Wang Dayin had someone identify the old woman who went to the Shuntian government office to bang the drum and file a complaint. She was a beggar woman who had been begging for many years near a land temple in the outer city. She had no connection with any prominent family."
Zhang Shou didn't bother to answer, he went back to his room and got a stack of papers to solve the image problem, then he came out again with a slightly red nose. He said with a smile: "Anyway, the person who bribed them will probably not be caught. In the eyes of others, this dirty water was not thrown by the Duke of Zhao, but it was also thrown by the Duke of Zhao... It's okay, Master Zhu is back, and the Duke of Zhao has many capable people."
Ah Liu looked sideways at Zhang Shou, and was sure that Zhang Shou was not joking about his tone of giving up, but was serious. He immediately said gloomily, "But I have asked someone to investigate."
Because Ah Liu had just said a lot of words, but suddenly returned to his habit of speaking only a few numbers. Zhang Shou didn't react at first. When he suddenly realized that Ah Liu meant to ask someone to investigate instead of investigating it personally, he immediately turned around and looked at this boy who didn't play by the rules.
"You want someone to track you down? Where did your people come from? Is it Mr. Hua Qi? The outer office of the Imperial Household Department?" It's no wonder that Zhang Shou thought of these guys who also have the functions of spies... It's because he has personally experienced Ah Liu's ability to send people!
Ah Liu looked at Zhang Shou in confusion and emphasized, "They are not from the Zhang family!"
Considering that Ah Liu had emphasized the issue of Hua Qi's affiliation last time, Zhang Shou breathed a sigh of relief. But then his heart tightened again, and he quickly asked, "Who did you ask to track it down? These guys in our family can't do such a thing."
"Of course they can't." Ah Liu showed a mocking smile that showed they were all idiots, and then said calmly, "I found a few suitable people. Whoever can track down the result will be a member of the Zhang family. The Zhang family doesn't keep useless people."
Although Ah Liu kept referring to the Zhang family, Zhang Shou was very satisfied with the title. However, the message conveyed by Ah Liu's words made him laugh and cry. He immediately said with a stern face: "Who told you to be so bold as to recruit people at random?"
When Zhang Shou found that Ah Liu didn't answer and just stared at him, he couldn't help but get even more angry: "Why, you still want to say that I ordered you to do that? When did I ever say that?"
"When we came out of Prince Lu's mansion that day, you told the eldest lady that the garden was too big and you didn't know how many people would be needed to clean it."
Zhang Shou felt so overwhelmed that he raised his voice unconsciously: "But I'm talking about sweeping!"
"I'm looking for people who can clean and do odd jobs now!" Ah Liu seemed a little confused. "I haven't even started looking for people who can look after the house yet. They don't have the skills to do that!"
Zhang Shou felt like a scholar meeting a soldier, unable to explain his reason. Whose housekeeper was supposed to have the ability to track down conspiracies? Was he hiring a servant or a detective?
