Volume 2: Residence in the Capital Chapter 83: Dr. Zhang Goes to Beijing
Zhang Shou had just washed and changed his clothes in the early morning, but before he had time to eat breakfast, he rushed to the gate because of the news brought by Ah Liu. Seeing that all the boys and teenagers from eight to twenty years old in the village were sent here by their parents and elders, there were nine of them, the older ones had longing on their faces, and the younger ones had confusion on their faces, he couldn't help but feel a headache, and could only go forward and explain in a soft and gentle manner.
In the end, he only chose Yang Hao, the second grandson of the cunning old man Yang Laoguan, and Qiao Dang, the son of Qiao Hu, a skilled tiller. Both were thirteen years old, strong young men who knew a little about the world, and were obedient and useful.
After this matter was settled, Zhang Shou realized that all those who came to apply were boys, and there was not even a single ignorant girl.
When he was packing books for his home, he casually mentioned it to Wu, but she gave him an answer that made him laugh and cry.
"The noble young men in Cuiyun's room didn't bring maids with them when they came to study. They were all accompanied by male servants. I think it must have always been like this in the capital. I think this is right. A real man should have masculine spirit. How can he hang out with women all day long?"
Oh my god, those guys came here for Zhu Ying. What would that young lady think if they saw them bringing a maid here? If there really was a trend in the capital that young men were not allowed to take maids before marriage, I think all those noble sons would cry...
Although Zhang Shou was angry and amused, his temperament had changed after his family had gone through a big change in his previous life, and his vision had been raised. When the lively and unrestrained Zhu Ying suddenly broke into his life in this life, he still kept his distance from her, let alone others.
Now, Zhu Ying's cheerful and bright style gradually infected him, so that even a pitiful beauty like Princess Yongping yesterday looked like wood to him, not to mention ordinary women.
If Wu doesn't want a maid, then it's up to her. She'll have to wait on her in the future anyway. She'll probably have to stay in the Imperial College for a long time...
Thinking about this, Zhang Shou laughed and brushed off the topic . However, when it was almost lunchtime and he had finally packed his luggage and was thinking about whether to leave tomorrow or the day after tomorrow, he heard loud shouting outside the door, and then Ah Liu suddenly appeared in front of him.
"The young lady is here."
Zhang Shou was greatly surprised. The next moment, he saw the door curtain being lifted up, and Zhu Ying strode in. Her scarlet dress made her look even brighter and more dazzling, like a ball of fire.
As soon as he saw her hair that was obviously messed up by the wind, he realized that she didn't come by car, but on horseback. He immediately stepped forward and said with a smile: "I was thinking of going to Beijing tomorrow or the day after tomorrow. Why are you here? And at this time, when dinner hasn't even started yet. Did you come here just to eat for free?"
"I..." Zhu Ying's face suddenly turned pale and blue.
She endured it again and again, but she couldn't bear it anymore and said angrily: "It's all because grandma lied to me! She said that after Concubine Yu and I left, you still told Eunuch Chu that you didn't want to be the doctor of the Imperial College, and maybe you submitted a letter of resignation and never came back!"
Zhang Shou burst into laughter, and the homesickness he felt about to leave was instantly washed away. Seeing Zhu Ying glaring at him angrily, and then rushing out like a whirlwind, he quickly said to Ah Liu, who looked innocent, "Go and see, tell Yingying that I shouldn't have laughed at her, I'll cook to make amends to her!"
Although she was very angry at first, Zhu Ying was used to doing things her own way. Although Ah Liu apologized on behalf of Zhang Shou, she immediately changed her anger to joy when Zhang Shou was willing to cook for her. She hurried along the way and was very hungry. She ate a lot of lunch in a hurry. When she put down her chopsticks after finishing her meal, she said something.
"Ah Shou, Aunt Wu, now that everything is packed, let's leave this afternoon and stay in the capital tonight!"
Wu was not so anxious at first, but she could see Zhu Ying's face flushed and her eyes full of spirit. Thinking that she would definitely go out early in the morning, she nodded and said, "Okay, it's better to go today than to wait for a day."
Zhang Shou was at a loss whether to laugh or cry, but before he could come up with a rebuttal, Zhu Ying and Wu turned their heads to look at him at the same time.
"A Shou, let's go first, and the stuff can be shipped later! I'll go talk to Lu Sanlang and Zhang Chen, they must be eager to go home too!"
"Ah Shou, just listen to Yingying and bring your clothes with you. It doesn't matter if the others are a little slower."
Zhang Shou sighed helplessly. Well, I simply won't comment...
The arrival of the resolute eldest lady swept through the entire village like a tornado, and surprisingly did not encounter any obstacles. Although Lu Sanlang originally planned to go back a few days later and live directly in the Imperial College, but others agreed to escort Zhang Shou to the capital together, so he had to reluctantly agree. As for the Yang and Qiao families in the village, they were not reluctant at all and immediately packed clothes to send their children and grandchildren.
After much consideration, Qi Liang expressed his desire to go to Beijing to study with Zhang Shou in preparation for the future college entrance examination.
Therefore, before 3 p.m., the mighty group had already packed up. Old Liu and Aunt Liu stayed behind to escort the luggage with a few Zhu family followers the next day. The other dandies also left their followers behind to pack up their things and set off with their guards. The villagers who led the group to see them off looked at the group of more than a hundred people, looked at each other, and roared with all their might.
"We cordially send Dr. Zhang off to the capital. He will rise to the top and have a bright future ahead of him!"
Zhang Shou was talking to Zhu Ying right away. He was stunned when he heard the shouting. When other villagers came to their senses, they began to join in the shouting. There were also many children who didn't understand what was going on. He simply didn't know what to say.
When he heard the name Dr. Zhang, his first reaction was that after graduating from college, he didn’t want to study and work, so he was forced by his parents to study in the United States. He got a doctorate degree from a fake university that was not much better than Clayton University...
Even before they officially set off on their journey, Zhang Shou still felt a buzzing in his ears, filled with voices shouting "Dr. Zhang." Because later on, not only did the dandies join in the shouting, but even Zhu Ying chimed in once or twice when she was happy.
At this moment, he sighed again while riding on the horse, but suddenly he heard Zhang Chen's mumbling from behind.
"The young master has become a doctor of the Imperial College, where are the rewards for the rest of us?"
Just as Zhang Shou was about to speak, Zhu Ying spoke first: "After I went to see my mother yesterday, I went to the palace with Concubine Yu to ask the emperor for a reward! He said that even if the soldiers were suppressing the rebellion, there would be casualties, but we were almost unscathed, which is simply a miracle! So, in order to reward everyone for their courage and strategy, after returning to Beijing, the emperor will give everyone a banquet in the palace and give out rewards at that time!"
When the words "brave and resourceful" were spoken, the young masters fell silent for a moment.
Well...they were drugged by Zhu Ying, so they can be considered brave and resourceful, right?
Well, it definitely counts, they have also made contributions to the overall situation... contributions that do not hinder the overall situation.
However, when Zhu Ying said that the emperor was going to give a banquet, the crowd was immediately shocked. Although they were the sons of meritorious officials and their fathers and brothers saw the emperor every day, except for Zhang Chen, who was the only son of Duke Qin and had a role in everything, the others had only seen the emperor once from a distance at most.
Therefore, no one knew who started it, and for a moment, there were voices of "Long Live the Emperor" everywhere, which made Zhang Shou's scalp numb. Fortunately, this was not an official road, and the noise did not attract anyone's attention, but only startled countless birds and insects in the fields.
All the heavy items were thrown in Rongshui Village. As everyone had a car and a horse, they could only take small items with them. Therefore, they hurried for the 30 miles and finally entered Chongwen Gate before sunset.
Even if among the twenty or thirty people, more than half of the elders are dukes, marquises, and earls, and the other small half are officials of the third rank and above, the city gate will not be open to them. If you miss the time and want to enter the city, you will have to sit in the basket with fear!
Hearing the long sound of the bell from the bell tower closing the city gate, Zhu Ying couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief, and then complained: "Emperor Taizu said that in a peaceful and prosperous era, the gates of the capital should be open from morning to night. This is the confidence of a great country. He praised the Song Dynasty for not banning night curfews and cursed the Yuan Dynasty for going backwards. Later, the curfew was abolished, but the city gates cannot be enforced if they are not closed."
Zhang Shou couldn't help but laugh. People who were used to the brightly lit nightlife of the modern era naturally hated curfews, but leaving the city gates open, even the gates of the capital, was still too advanced in this era, and officials and civilians could easily feel insecure.
However, Zhang Shou, who had just secretly praised the abolition of the curfew, felt a headache when he discovered that the passers-by on both sides of the road were not in a hurry to go home, but were pointing and watching their huge team of hundreds of people entering the city.
However, this was not the end. Seeing that curious passers-by were gradually lining the streets to welcome him, he heard Lu Sanlang suddenly shouting, "Since we have escorted the young master to Beijing to take up the position of Imperial College Doctor today, we should do a good deed to the end and send him directly to the Imperial College to take up the position! What do you think, is that right?"
Zhang Chen immediately agreed: "Okay!"
Hearing the loud responses from the noble children around him and seeing that Zhu Ying was caught off guard, Zhang Shou suddenly understood.
He had cheated these students who came to him so many times, and now he was getting his comeuppance.
Look, I don’t know when these ruffians united together, and now it’s finally his turn to be cheated!
