Volume 2: Residence in the Capital Chapter 256 Family
Outside the door, Zhang Shou, who had just returned, looked sideways at Zhang Chen, who was standing beside him. Seeing the young man's face turning pale and blue, and feeling guilty, he dared not look him in the eye. He could not help but smile, and then turned around and walked out. When he heard footsteps behind him, it was clearly Zhang Chen following him, so he asked without turning his head, "You shouldn't think Zhang Wu and Zhang Lu are ungrateful now, right?"
There was no answer from behind, but the breathing seemed to be heavier . He did not continue to provoke Zhang Chen, but continued to walk forward calmly. It was not until they were far away from the brightly lit lobby, and the darkness around them was like a dark cloud, surrounding them from all directions, tightly wrapping them up, that he heard a weak voice behind him.
"Young Master, do you really think I'm suitable to go to Xingtai?"
Without waiting for Zhang Shou's answer, Zhang Chen's mood became even more complicated. The capital city was already cold in the first month of the year, and it was even colder at night. After just a short while outside the lobby with the heating on, he felt his whole body was cold, and even his teeth seemed to be chattering. However, he didn't want to move.
"My father has only one son like me. I am not as ambitious as my elder brother Zhu Er. I have always been content with getting by. Therefore, I am neither good at literature nor martial arts. Everyone says that each generation of the Duke of Qin's Mansion is inferior to the previous one. So, young master, you said before that you wanted me to be proud to say in front of my father that your son is not as good as my son, and his father is worse than my father. I feel very happy."
"But that's all I can do. Before, because of the spinning machine, I went to learn about it and how the weavers and spinners lived... But I just thought they would live better with the new machines, but I didn't think that far. For a duke like me who has never experienced a hard day, is it useful to sneak to Xingtai?"
You said so much in one breath and asked such a complicated question, but I just want to ask you one thing... Don’t you think it’s stupid to stand in the wind and talk on this cold night with howling north wind?
Zhang Shou touched his nose, which had become dry and even itchy from the wind, and turned around unhappily, saying expressionlessly: "How do you know if you haven't done it? It's important for people to know themselves, but you also need to know that man can conquer nature!"
"Okay, stop talking nonsense and go to the study to talk!" Zhang Shou had just finished speaking when he suddenly heard a voice coming from behind him without any warning: "Master, lanterns."
Zhang Shou turned around suddenly and saw Ah Liu standing there, holding a festive red lantern in his hand. If this happened in a normal mansion with people living there, this scene would not be surprising. However, in this mansion that had been vacant for many years and only had lights on in the front, it was really terrifying to see a person holding a lantern suddenly appear!
Especially when the light of the big red lantern shone on Ah Liu’s expressionless face, it was simply like a horror movie!
Zhang Chen's reaction was more intense than Zhang Shou's - because he was not that familiar with Ah Liu - he even took four or five steps back in one breath. If it weren't for the smooth bluestone corridor under his feet and no other obstacles behind him, he might have been so scared that he sat down on the ground!
It was not until Zhang Shou shouted that he breathed a sigh of relief: "A Liu, are you trying to scare me to death?"
Ah Liu stood there calmly holding a lantern, and asked as a matter of course: "Master, do you know where the study is?"
Zhang Shou was choked and speechless. When Ah Liu turned around and led the way, he saw Zhang Chen following him again on tiptoe, so he simply told the truth: "I have only owned this house for a few days, and I have only brought Yingying here once before. Apart from the Untitled Hall and the Hundred-Year Peony Garden, I have only taken a quick look at other places. I really don't know where the study is."
Zhang Shou was always smart and wise, but today he was rarely seen being humiliated in front of Ah Liu. After hearing this explanation, Zhang Chen found it funny, but he had to suppress the corners of his mouth and tried to pretend that nothing had happened.
"That's not surprising. My house is so big and I often got lost when I was a kid." But I'm not lost at home at this age!
Zhang Shou could see that Zhang Chen was trying hard to hold back his laughter, so he just laughed helplessly too: "Ah Liu is good in everything, loyal, superb in martial arts, always available when called, even without being called...but his shortcoming is that he does whatever he thinks of, and his ability to act is too strong. But when you try to say something bad about him, you find that he is not wrong!"
Zhang Chen thought about his feelings when he was with Ah Liu, and then thought about the great shock he had just received. He couldn't help but feel sympathetic, and nodded in agreement, saying, "Such a servant is indeed a bit unbearable."
Zhang Shou laughed and said casually, "I was weak and sickly since I was a child. After I gradually got better, apart from relying on my mother, most of the time it was Ah Liu who accompanied me to wander around the countryside and experience this different world. I don't have any brothers or sisters, but I have always regarded him as a family member."
He ignored Zhang Chen's surprise and paused before continuing, "In fact, I envy him very much. He is an excellent martial artist. He can ride a horse, shoot arrows, and drive a car. It seems that there is nothing he can't do. If he is no longer around me one day, I really don't know what to do."
Zhang Chen couldn't help but ponder deeply when he heard this. There were many servants and servants around who grew up with him, but he didn't seem to have developed a deep relationship with anyone. Seriously speaking, his relationship with Zhang Wu and Zhang Lu was the same.
He just helped a pair of brothers who were bullied at a birthday party of the Duke of Chu, and then gained two followers. His idea was actually very simple. Since they trusted him and were willing to follow him, they were his people. Since they were his people, how could he let others bully them?
Even if they are their parents, brothers, and family members, that is not allowed!
Ah Liu, who was walking in front, walked as quietly as a cat hunting at night. In the cold night wind, the big red lantern in his hand was steady, with only the candlelight inside swaying gently, reflecting the faint smile on his face. Although he did not make any response to Zhang Shou's words, he was actually in a very good mood.
When he stood in front of a small building, he stretched out his hand and gently pushed open the two doors, then walked into the house. After a while, the house that was just dark became bright. When Zhang Shou entered the house, he felt a warm feeling coming over him, and the chill from walking in the wind just now was completely dispelled.
Zhang Chen couldn't help but wonder, "The ground dragon here is also on fire? Young sir, the inner court really takes good care of you."
Zhang Shou knew how he got this house, and he couldn't hide it from Zhang Chen, so he said nonchalantly, "I dare not refuse the gift from the emperor, let alone the gift from the elders. So since the emperor wants me to bring you here to discuss these two things, I am here. If the inner court knew about it and made preparations in advance, it would not be surprising."
Seeing that Ah Liu was about to go out with the lantern, he immediately stopped him and said, "It's so cold, there's Lu Sanlang over there who doesn't treat himself as an outsider. You don't need to take care of him, and you don't need to stand outside in the cold wind. Just sit here. "
Ah Liu's eyes flickered for a moment, and he finally agreed silently. He put down the lantern and checked the tea sets, and found a bamboo tube of spring water and a few cans of tea. Therefore, when Zhang Shou and Zhang Chen sat down to talk, he was already familiar with brewing tea.
Seeing this, Zhang Chen could not help but become more envious - he envied Zhang Shou for having such a skilled servant. However, he soon lost his reverie because Zhang Shou said something he had never expected. He was silent for a long time before he whispered, "Young Master, do you think I can really do it?"
"I think it's OK." Zhang Shou took the tea when he saw Ah Liu bringing the tea tray over. He gave one to Zhang Chen first, then took the rest for himself. He motioned for Ah Liu to quench his thirst, and then he said in a gentle and persuasive way, "Of course, if you don't want to, I'll change someone else. For example, my unreliable future second uncle."
"Zhu Er is just a bully. Besides, his elder brother has returned, so it won't be his turn to inherit the Duke Zhao Mansion in the future. Even if he goes out, he may not be able to control people!" Zhang Chen snorted and said contemptuously, "Does he think I don't know that he is colluding behind the scenes and wants to be the head of Banshan Hall? What if I let him be the head? Does he really think he can control the situation?"
After muttering, he glanced at Zhang Shou, and finally drank the tea in one gulp, not caring about the heat. Then he grinned and said, "Oh my god! There are beautiful women everywhere... maybe if I go out for a while, I will have a romantic encounter."
Zhang Shou was so confused that he didn't know whether to laugh or cry. He suddenly remembered the last time Zhang Chen asked him to compensate for his beauty. It was true that there were some dandies who really just lived a lazy life in Banshan Hall, but the ones he was most familiar with had very different personalities.
On the first night of the first lunar month, some people were troubled, some were happy, and some were sleepless and sat around talking about sadness. Naturally, the palace maids in Kunning Palace had seen this kind of desolate and miserable scene a lot recently. The previous steward was sent to the Langxia family, and the queen was too lazy to send a new steward, so they were all careful.
As the eldest prince who had his own courtyard outside the palace, he was not supposed to stay overnight in Kunning Palace to avoid suspicion. However, he refused to leave with the excuse that he was about to leave the capital and wanted to spend more time with his mother. No one dared to chase him away. After all, the emperor didn't say anything after he found out, so what else could others do?
At this time, he filled his glass with wine again, and then drank it all in one gulp. Seeing the empress's look of confusion, he wiped his mouth and sneered, "I am the eldest son of the emperor, and I volunteered to go to Jiangnan, but my father sent me to Cangzhou. Zhang Wu and Zhang Lu are just two illegitimate sons of marquis families, and they haven't even married a princess, but they were entrusted with the important task of going to Xingtai."
"Oh! What does father mean by this? Are you trying to say that I am no different from the two illegitimate sons of marquis families?"
The queen, who had been in a daze, suddenly woke up and shouted with a sullen face, "Shut up!"
The eldest prince was filled with anger, and he did not expect to be scolded by his mother. He was confused for a moment. But when he was about to say something, the queen's cold eyes glared back at him.
"What can they compare you with? You are an upright prince. Your father sent you to Cangzhou, but he didn't tell you to go alone. Can't you choose a capable official who is inclined to establish the eldest son as the heir among those famous officials in the capital? After a trip to Cangzhou, can't you impress them with your ability and tolerance?"
The eldest prince was aroused by the queen's words. He immediately grasped the wine glass tightly and said word by word: "Mother, you are right. Although this is not as good as going to Jiangnan, it is also an opportunity! Zhang Wu and Zhang Lu are just small characters. How can I be afraid of them? But..."
He gritted his teeth and finally spoke out what was in his heart: "But Zhang Shou and Lu Sanpang have made me lose both my money and my life this time, and I have become a laughing stock of others. I really can't swallow this!"
"I can't swallow it either." The Queen took a deep breath and then laughed, "I thought Zhu Ying had carefully selected a son-in-law, but it turns out that he is greedy and hypocritical! Moreover, he was born on the same day as Zhu Ying and Yongping! Who did Zhu Ying's mother think she could hide her affair with Concubine Yu from?"
The eldest prince's eyes suddenly narrowed. In his current anxious position, he really didn't want any more accidents to happen.
Especially since Zhang Shou and Princess Yongping were born on the same day of the same month of the same year, and had questionable backgrounds... If Zhang Shou was the scholar's posthumous son, then it wouldn't matter if the emperor favored him, and it wouldn't matter even if he married Zhu Ying or even Princess Yongping.
However, if the rumor spread that Zhang Shou and Princess Yongping were taken away by mistake, his situation would be dire.
That means that besides the Second Prince, he will have another competitor!
Therefore, he coughed anxiously and said, "If you, mother, want to deal with them, please be careful and don't..."
The Queen immediately raised her eyebrows in displeasure: "Don't worry about this matter, I know my limits! Of course I won't let Zhang Shou become your father's son, but I can't tolerate Zhu Ying's mother and Concubine Yu's tricks to win the Emperor's sympathy and pity! They should have died in those chaotic armies, then there wouldn't be all this mess now!"
Although the eldest prince knew he shouldn't say it, he couldn't help but sneered, "Zhang Shou and Zhu Ying are certainly hateful, and Concubine Yu and her daughter are certainly damnable, but don't you think that the current situation of us is all caused by my second brother? If he was willing to be honest, if he was willing not to fight with me, how could I be so embarrassed! When did he ever treat me as his brother and you as his mother?"
"That rebellious son! I gave birth to him in vain!" The queen was so angry that she almost broke her long nails, but she quickly suppressed her anger and said word by word: "He will have to take forty strokes of the cane later. During this period of time when he recovers from his injuries, he can do nothing. For now, ignore him! The Zhu family thinks they can bring down those imperial censors by muddying the waters? Dream on!"
