Volume 5: Fellow Traveler Chapter 809: Simple and crude, good effect
"Enjoy it."
After paying his respects, the Third Prince knelt on the ground and said these two words. Seeing the horrifying expression on the Emperor's face, he said frankly, "I have always been a law-abiding person. This is the first time in my life that I have done something so outrageous. I even coerced Senior Brother Lu to help conceal it, and persuaded the Empress Dowager to take me out of the palace. The people who followed me didn't know my identity the whole time. This feeling is very special. "
"Of course, if the Empress Dowager hadn't helped, I wouldn't have been able to leave. If Sister Yingying hadn't helped mobilize a team of soldiers and horses, my journey would have been risky. If Ah Liu hadn't prepared the carriage, ointment, and bandages in advance, I would have been riding a horse for a long time and probably wouldn't have been able to walk for the next few days... So, I am far from what my father was in the past."
Is this a compliment or an insult?
The emperor felt the veins on his forehead twitching, and then he heard Zhang Shou's laughter from behind him. This time he finally found an outlet. He immediately turned around, stared at the guy who was laughing, and shouted fiercely: "Zhang Shou, what are you laughing at!"
Zhang Shou, who was originally laughing, immediately changed his face to a serious one: "Your Majesty, what I am laughing at is that the Crown Prince believes that like father, like son, so he intends to imitate the emperor's behavior of wearing incognito to get close to the people. And the emperor wants to let the officials and people of the world see how wise and studious the Crown Prince is, and sometimes he even does not hesitate to belittle himself for this. This is really a deep family love."
"Get lost!"
The emperor couldn't help but blurt out a swear word. Seeing Zhang Shou's bewildered expression, as if he didn't understand what he said, the emperor was furious: "You have corrupted the good prince! Why did you have to learn from me when you can learn from me? Now those guys who watch the palace every day can finally find fault with me!"
"I am not afraid of being criticized, nor do I want to be a virtuous prince in the eyes of others." The Third Prince saw that the Emperor and Zhang Shou were staring at each other, but one was aggressive and the other was pretending to be confused. He quickly made up his mind and argued loudly, "I know that as long as I tell my father, he will definitely allow me to visit my fourth brother, but I want to go quietly and give him a surprise!"
The emperor turned around and before he could scold the Third Prince for being naive, he saw the little prince stand up and walk in front of him. He looked up and said, "The Empress Dowager said that she was busy with government affairs and neglected my father. She didn't say many things to him in time, so it was always difficult for her and my father to open up to each other later."
"After hearing this, I was very scared. I am very worried that things will go the same between me and you in the future... Father, I never thought about becoming the crown prince before. I was willing to do so because you asked me to do so. So I don't care about the reputation of being a virtuous crown prince at all! So, I can be as virtuous as others hope, but I can also be as willful as you were back then!"
"The Queen Mother said that I am still young, so I might as well be young and reckless and experience what my father felt back then. I know she wants my father to be anxious and experience how she felt when she heard that my father was wearing the White Dragon Fish Suit. But I..."
"I just hope that you will not forget what you cherished most in order to win praise and recognition from others! Besides my mother, my father and my fourth brother are the ones I cherish most!"
At this point, the Third Prince lowered his head and rubbed his eyes vigorously. When he looked up again, he saw Zhang Shou smiling and giving him a thumbs-up. Then he waved at him as if to say goodbye, and then tiptoed out of the hall . He was immediately panicked and quickly shouted, "Of course, there is still a teacher now!"
Zhang Shou was originally estimating the distance between himself and the main gate of the Ciqing Palace, calculating how to sneak away while the emperor was shocked. Who would have thought that the third prince was such an honest child, and suddenly he opened his mouth and shouted like that. He immediately felt the emperor's sharp gaze.
So, he could only sigh helplessly and said, "Your Highness, there is no need to involve me in the matter between you, your father and your brother. If I were you, I would just rush over and hug the emperor and cry. Why are you saying so much?"
The emperor almost popped his eyes out. However, what he didn't expect was that the Third Prince actually followed Zhang Shou's outrageous suggestion! He rushed over and hugged his... thighs, and then burst into tears. Seeing that Zhang Shou, the culprit, turned around and ran away, he immediately yelled in exasperation.
"Zhang Shou, stop right there! How dare you run away? Who allowed you to seduce the prince like this..."
However, Zhang Shou seemed not to have heard anything, and he immediately stepped aside and opened the door curtain to go out. When he saw Ah Liu dragging Chen Yongshou to stand by the door, the latter's face was a little pale, and farther away from the door was the innocent-looking Fatty Lu, he waved to Ah Liu and Lu Sanlang respectively, "Okay, we've finished our business in the palace, let's go back."
Compared to Ah Liu who immediately let go and came forward, Lu Sanlang had a look on his face saying, "Are you kidding me?" The emperor is already yelling in anger, so why are we just leaving like that? Will it anger the emperor? Will he order people to tie them back as soon as they leave?
But at this moment, no emperor's voice was heard from inside, only the faint sobbing of the Third Prince. Thinking that he had heard the most noble father and son in the world confiding in each other, even a bold person like Fatty couldn't help but feel a little scared. And when he saw Zhang Shou and Ah Liu, the master and servant, actually walked out like this, although he instinctively hurried to follow them, he couldn't help but complain.
"Teacher, you always say that I'm brave, but your words are really too disrespectful... Especially, what do you mean by 'just hug the emperor and cry'... Isn't that too outrageous?"
Zhang Shou did not say anything, but just laughed, until he left Donghua Gate leisurely, and walked slowly forward under the hesitant gazes of the guards. When he got out of Dong'an Gate, he saw that his carriage was parked there, but there were still twenty or thirty people standing around. When they saw him, they surrounded him and called him "son-in-law". He knew that they were people from the Zhaoguo Mansion.
Obviously, this should be the lineup that escorted the third prince to Baijia Village in Tongzhou today.
So, he didn't wait for the chattering Fatty Lu to speak, and directly dragged him into the car. But after he sat down, he found that Ah Liu hadn't gotten in, so he leaned out and called out again: "Ah Liu, get in the car, I have something to ask you."
After Ah Liu hesitated for a moment and got into the carriage, he told the driver and the people outside: "It's getting late, let's go back to Zhang Garden. When we escort the carriage there, just go back to Zhaoguogong Mansion and report back."
After hearing what Zhang Shou said, the people who were still worried about the guards after Ah Liu left immediately responded with a roar. When Zhang Shou returned to the carriage and sat down, Ah Liu couldn't help but muttered in a low voice: "I told them to go back a long time ago."
"With your attitude of not explaining or clarifying, and just leaving a word, how can they dare to go back without worry?" Zhang Shou couldn't help but bent his fingers and tapped Liu's forehead twice. He saw Lu Sanlang snickering out of the corner of his eye, so he put down his hands and said unhappily, "Why, aren't you afraid that the emperor will send people to kidnap us and take us back now?"
"Since we were not stopped just now, no one will come to kidnap us." Lu Sanlang sat cross-legged with a playful smile, and then said flatteringly, "I was almost scared to death. Teacher, you have a way to easily smooth out such a difficult matter... But as I asked just now, how dare you say that to His Royal Highness the Crown Prince?"
"After all, they are father and son, monarch and subject. The monarch comes first, then the father."
Seeing Lu Sanlang's sincere face, as if he was really just worried, Zhang Shou smiled faintly and said, "Have you ever read Tang Taizong's "Two Calligraphy Letters", copied them, or understood them?"
Lu Sanlang's face changed immediately. Although he was not very studious in the past and his handwriting was just so-so, he still knew the famous "Liang Du Tie". After all, his family had a set of Song Dynasty edition of "Chun Hua Ge Tie", which included the famous handwritten letter of Emperor Taizong of Tang.
It is unbelievable that the dignified Emperor Zhenguan, one of the few wise and virtuous rulers in history, could write such a mushy letter to his son. According to this, if the emperor, who doted on the third and fourth princes, was faced with the third prince hugging him and crying, he would surely be soft-hearted... right?
Seeing that Lu Sanlang understood and then looked relieved, Zhang Shou, who had stayed in Ciqing Palace for most of the day and had to send a message back to let the students go home temporarily, asked Liu about some details of the trip. He waved his hand to indicate that there was no need to tell people the details of the meeting between the two brothers, and then leaned back comfortably, his tense nerves finally relaxing completely.
Although he seemed to be very relaxed when he was in Ciqing Palace, in fact, he was also worried. In this day and age, one should be prepared for the worst. If anything happened to the Third Prince, not only he, Zhu Ying, but even the Queen Mother would not be able to afford the compensation!
Fortunately, he finally returned safely. What he said in front of the emperor was actually quite good. Of course, in terms of effect, the method he taught was definitely simpler, more crude and more effective...
The ethics and morals these days insist that a gentleman should hold his grandchildren but not his own sons. As a result, the relationship between ordinary fathers and sons is like that between leaders and subordinates, not to mention the royal family. It is a complete destruction of human nature.
Since they are father and son, if there is something that cannot be said in a proper way, then just hug each other and cry - isn't it uncomfortable to be so reserved all the time? Even an old-fashioned person like Lu Wan has gradually accepted this, let alone the emperor who is always sentimental? Moreover, from what the third prince inadvertently revealed just now, it is known that in the little prince's mind, his father and fourth brother have always been the most important.
In this way, the emperor probably wouldn't think that the Queen Mother deliberately instigated the Third Prince to leave the palace. Of course, a quarrel between the mother and son is probably inevitable... I just hope Zhu Ying won't meddle in other people's business. It's not bad to let them quarrel!
With this in mind, Zhang Shou closed his eyes and returned to Zhang Garden. After releasing the guards of Duke Zhao's mansion as promised, he lent the car to Fatty Lu to go home. Just after he returned to the study to change clothes, before he had time to go to the bathhouse at home to relieve the day's hard work, he heard a crisp voice coming from outside.
"Ah Shou is back too? I thought I had to go to the palace to pick him up! Ah Liu, you've worked hard today, go and rest early. I owe you a big favor, and I will definitely repay you in the future... No, I must repay you, so just wait patiently!"
Following the sound, Zhang Shou, who was originally leaning on the Luohan bed, saw a beautiful figure enter the room. In addition to the cold wind, she also brought in her usual enthusiasm and joy. He supported himself and sat up straight, and then he saw Zhu Ying untied the cloak tied around her body and threw it aside, then came forward and sat next to him, and picked up the beauty stick.
"Ah Shou, even though the prince said he wouldn't tell you in case you reveal the truth in front of the emperor and get angry, I should still tell you. Anyway, I was wrong today, it's my fault, you can punish me however you want!"
Seeing Zhu Ying using the beauty stick to beat his legs like a courteous person, Zhang Shou couldn't help but laugh. He simply reached out and pulled her into his arms. Then he said meaningfully, "How can I punish you? Then I won't be polite!"
Before Zhu Ying could say anything, she suddenly shook herself and broke free from Zhang Shou's embrace. She gasped and fled from the bed. When she realized what she had just suffered, she couldn't help but glared at Zhang Shou angrily. Even though they were already husband and wife, the two slaps Zhang Shou had just given her on her buttocks really made her feel ashamed and angry.
She was just thinking about how to fight back, but Zhang Shou had already slipped off his shoes and got off the ground. He said seriously: "Next time if something like this happens, please keep it secret from me, or I will chop off as many heads as I want!"
"How can it be so exaggerated!" Zhu Ying was almost amused by Zhang Shou's exaggerated statement, "The emperor is not a tyrant!"
"It is because he is not a tyrant that you chop off my head. If he is a tyrant, not only you and I, but also the Queen Mother will be in trouble." Zhang Shou laughed and then changed the subject, "The Queen Mother accompanied your female students today. Did you really relax?"
"Of course I'm relaxing! The Queen Mother wrote several pieces of calligraphy today, and told the students about her childhood study experience, asking them to study hard and learn more skills. Although men are responsible for the outside world and women are responsible for the inside world, there is no certainty in the world, and there may be a time when women will have to be the head of the family in the future. What's more..."
Zhu Ying paused, but smiled sweetly: "If a woman has ability, she can be famous for her poetry and songs, and she can help her husband to stabilize the area with her martial arts. She can also do business and anything else. She needs to be self-reliant and strong!"
Zhang Shou was not at all surprised to hear the empress dowager, who once ruled the country from behind the scenes, say such words. However, the next few words that Zhu Ying said without a smile made him feel a little annoyed, and even felt a little sympathy for the emperor.
"If I can't be independent and strong, and my husband dies in the future and my son doesn't obey me, won't I be left with tears every day? If I have my own hobbies and career, at least I won't be trapped in the city and bored!" When she said this, even Zhu Ying herself was a little confused. Didn't the Queen Mother stop caring about state affairs a long time ago? What career could she have?
