Volume 5: Fellow Traveler Chapter 811: Raising an Army to Punish the Crime
The ten crimes of the treacherous minister Zhang Shou!
Please execute Zhang Shou to thank the world!
I report that Zhang Shou, the lecturer in the Eastern Palace, has deceived the Crown Prince and has ulterior motives...
This is the impeachment that piled up like snowflakes in the next few days. Of course, there were a few truly outspoken ministers who directly impeached the prince for neglecting his studies, skipping classes and leaving the palace, but most officials instinctively avoided the huge risks that might come with impeaching the prince and all pointed their spearheads at Zhang Shou.
Of course, there were even more drastic ones, who swept in all the lecturers in the Eastern Palace and impeached them one by one - Zhang Shou was a brat, unlearned and incompetent; Yue Shanchang was a fame-seeking old farmer; Xu Shanchang was a construction expert, self-degrading; Xiao Shanchang was a man of few ideas, with a low level of character...Except for these four who were not from professional backgrounds, the other lecturers could not escape the fate of being buried with withered bones in a grave.
The one who commented on all the lecturers one by one was none other than the recently returned Duke of Chu, Zhang Rui. Previously, Ren and Duke of Zhao, Zhu Jing, had both gone on expeditions to the north. Zhu Jing had already returned to the capital a long time ago and even took charge of the Ministry of War. However, Zhang Rui had only returned on this cold day in December after more than a year, and it happened to be the day when the crown prince skipped classes. It could be said that it was fate.
Now, those who knew about the feud between Zhu Jing and Zhang Rui were naturally all gloating and watching the fun, intending to enjoy a wonderful battle between the dukes. However, after the Duke of Chu Zhang Rui wrote a long impeachment, which was not known whether he wrote it himself or someone else wrote it for him, and it was spread widely by those who had ulterior motives, the people who came to the door arrived.
Even though they knew that their master and the Duke of Zhao had never gotten along, and that it might be an exaggeration to say that they had a feud for life, but it was also true that they would never have any contact with each other, the doormen did not dare to stop the young lady who came to kill them with a sword. One of them ran away with his head in his hands, one ran inside to report, and the other two stepped forward and tried to persuade them carefully.
"I don't care about that! He didn't come to my wedding, and now he's here to disparage my husband. How can I not come and settle accounts with him? Get out of the way, or I'll beat you in!"
The two gatekeepers who stopped Zhu Ying sighed inwardly. This accusation would surely be a hot topic in the capital. However, the sharp tip of the sword was almost poking their noses. Even though they were old, they were still sharp-eyed and could see that the sword was not sharpened. However, they would not think that Zhu Ying was just a coward.
That's because the young lady knows her limits... otherwise, if her hand slipped and cut some flowers or plants, it would be a big trouble!
So, after a symbolic stop, the two doormen let Miss Zhu in. Zhu Ying, who stormed into the Duke of Chu's mansion, didn't hesitate and went straight to Zhang Rui's study with a sword in hand. Although the two dukes claimed that they would never see each other again, Zhu Ying had been here more than once. Even though she hadn't been here for more than a year because Zhang Rui was away, she was still familiar with the place.
As for those along the way, everyone avoided her. Not only was there no one to stop her, but there wasn't even a living person to be seen. It was as if all the people in the huge Zhang family had hidden in their houses because of her arrival.
Zhu Ying knew without thinking that the person who came in to report this situation would be the one who was shouting and yelling, so she hid. Anyway, she had no intention of meeting Zhang Rui's wife, concubines, and children. She rushed directly to the outer study room and saw that the door was open, as if welcoming her to fall into the trap. She didn't hesitate and rushed in.
As expected, when she entered, she saw Zhang Rui sitting in the main seat in the middle, pretending to flip through a book. Facing this scene, she rushed forward without hesitation and snatched the book from Zhang Rui's hand, then snorted unhappily: "I didn't realize that, Uncle Zhang, you actually like Wei Zheng?"
"You are actually reading his 'Ten Thoughts to Admonish Emperor Taizong'? What? It's not enough that you scolded my husband, and you also want to scold the crown prince and the emperor?"
"Hasn't someone already impeached the crown prince? Since I can't be the first one, I can only find another way and advise the emperor." Zhang Rui yawned lazily, then stood up. He suddenly reached out and touched Zhu Ying's head. He saw the person jump away like a little rabbit and then glared at him. He couldn't help but sighed with some regret.
"When I went to war, you were still a young girl, but when I came back, you became a young wife. And you even kept saying that you would help your man... Tsk, where is the little Yingying who used to look down on all men in the world?"
"What do you care!" Zhu Ying glared at Zhang Qiong fiercely, then raised her eyebrows and said, "How can I despise all men in the world? I just look down on those hypocrites who only know how to revolve around me, or those who are dismissive to my face but drool behind my back! Ah Shou is different. From avoiding me to liking me, he has always dared to say it clearly, unlike some people who say one thing to my face and another behind my back!"
"Okay, okay, beauty is in the eyes of the beholder, as long as you like it!"
Zhang Rui made a series of tut-tut sounds of disgust, then waved his hand and said, "You should be thanking me. It was right for me to scold your Zhang Shou, but when I scolded everyone, he was no longer the target of public criticism. It's been less than two months since the crown prince was enthroned, and rumors are everywhere about how wise the crown prince is. When this happened, of course someone has to take the blame."
"If the prince doesn't want to carry the burden, then the attendants will carry it... If the attendants are too low-ranking to handle it, then the lecturers will carry it together; and if we want everyone to shut up, of course even the emperor has to carry it together."
Seeing Zhu Ying's eyes widen, Zhang Rui spread his hands and said, "Don't look at me. I didn't take advantage of my seniority to scold Zhang Shou and the others. It was the emperor who asked me to do it. Next, I will take advantage of my seniority to scold the emperor as well. When the emperor blames himself, the matter will be over."
Although she had a vague guess, Zhu Ying didn't take it seriously. But when she was about to retort, she suddenly remembered something and said with a sneer, "The emperor is indeed a good abacus, but the prince may not be the abacus bead."
"Oh?" Zhang Rui was really not familiar with the Third Prince - not at all. After all, when he went to war, the First Prince and the Second Prince were fighting each other, and it seemed that the throne of the Eastern Palace would always be in the hands of the two brothers. But who would have thought that when he came back, the Queen was deposed and died, and the two brothers died in an accident, and the throne of the Eastern Palace actually fell into the hands of the Third Prince.
He was just about to ask for details, but he didn't expect Zhu Ying to suddenly stretch lazily, then turn around and walk out, as if he had forgotten the original intention of rushing in and was planning to go back.
He was a little surprised at this, but when he was about to call Zhu Ying, he suddenly heard footsteps coming from outside. Thinking that he had clearly told the strangers to retreat in advance, but someone still ignored him, he couldn't help but frowned, but then he saw that the person who appeared outside the door was the third steward who was in charge of investigation and intelligence.
When the person arrived at the door, Zhu Ying happened to be going out. The two sides met each other. The person hesitated for a moment, and did not avoid Zhu Ying. Instead, he bowed in front of the door and said, "Master, His Royal Highness the Crown Prince wrote a letter to confess that it was all his fault that he skipped classes and left the palace without permission before. It had nothing to do with the many lecturers."
"He had a heavy workload in recent days, so he felt tired and left the palace to relax. He also used his status as the crown prince to order the tutors to cover up for him. All the mistakes were his own fault."
Zhang Rui did not expect that the Third Prince would act so quickly and with such a decisive attitude. He had not even had time to complete his follow-up petition, but he had already written a petition to apologize. He also confessed so honestly that he had skipped classes, left the palace without permission, and was tired of classes... In this way, wasn't the veil of the so-called wise prince completely torn off?
He winked at the butler to leave, but before he could move, he suddenly remembered that he had not yet entertained the guests, so he quickly ordered the servant to bring tea and snacks. As soon as the butler, who kept wiping his sweat, left, he quickly put on a smiling face and persuaded Zhu Ying to come back in and sit down. When the servant outside brought tea and four-color snacks, he personally placed them on the high table next to Zhu Ying.
"Xiao Yingying, I've been fighting outside, and now I can't keep up with the situation in the capital. I really didn't have much dealings with the prince before, unlike you who hangs around the palace every day and knows everyone... What kind of temper does the prince have? Doesn't he know that writing a letter to apologize like this will greatly damage his reputation?"
"How much is fame worth?"
Zhu Ying raised her eyebrows, but took the teacup handed over by Zhang Rui, and then smiled: "When the emperor was willful and naughty, he never cared about his own reputation. Why does he care about the reputation of the prince now? He loves his son very much. Maybe he has even transferred his love for the eldest prince and the second prince to the prince."
"But this requires the prince's willingness! Which truly filial son would be willing to let his father take the blame for his own mistakes? If he accepts it calmly, he would be a disloyal and unfilial bastard!"
Although he knew that Zhu Ying, the disloyal and unfilial bastard, was not scolding him but making an analogy, Xiangyang Bo Zhang Rui still couldn't help feeling a little embarrassed. After all, he had planned to do this according to the emperor's order.
However, he was not a young man, and the embarrassment soon wore off. He then smiled and asked Zhu Ying about the Third Prince's style of doing things, his temper and character... His reasons were legitimate. Although he wrote the letter in compliance with the emperor's order, what if he didn't know the prince at all next time and was used as a tool by someone?
Thus, from Zhu Ying, Zhang Rui learned about the little things about the Third Prince, and of course, inevitably learned about the various interactions between the Crown Prince and his teacher Zhang Shou. He originally thought that the son-in-law of the Duke of Zhao's mansion had risen too fast and his steps were unstable, but now listening to Zhu Ying's endless talk, he couldn't help but become quite interested in him.
Moreover, Zhu Ying said with a smile at the end: "By the way, the Earl of Xiangyang is very impressed by my Ah Shou. He once said in public that my family's affairs are his affairs. You wrote a letter to scold Ah Shou this time, and he will definitely come to trouble you later!"
Zhang Rui couldn't help but laugh, and was about to say that Xiangyang Bo was his second brother after all, so he shouldn't be so treasonous. But before he could finish his words, he heard a commotion outside, and then someone said that Cao Cao was here, and Xiangyang Bo Zhang Qiong barged in.
"Brother, it's fine if you scold others, but what did do to you? It's fine if you scold other lecturers, but you have to drag him into this? He is young, but he is loyal and responsible. Your big nephew is such a useless person, but he can act like a decent person under him!"
Without thinking twice, she came in and started questioning. Zhang Qiong seemed to have just seen Zhu Ying, but she said with a smile: "Little Yingying, are you here to accuse me? You should talk about the eldest brother. He just looks down on young people!"
Zhang Rui had just been rebuked by Zhu Ying, and now his own second brother was also "supporting the right instead of the relative", he couldn't help but feel absurd. However, he was not as tough as Zhu Jing, so he didn't get angry. Instead, he teased Zhang Qiong with a smile: "You are still blaming me? Didn't those young generals in the army often get scolded by you in the past? Now you have changed your temper?"
"How can those young boys compare with Zhang Jiuzhang?" Zhang Qiong snorted with disdain, and then sat down opposite his eldest brother. "Brother, you just returned to Beijing, don't let others use you as a tool. I can let you go and criticize everyone in a general way, but you have to comment on each of them and say that he is uneducated and unskilled, that's too much!"
"Even if he really doesn't want to learn, he still has some skills!" Seeing Zhang Rui's ridiculous expression, Zhang Qiong said seriously, "If he doesn't have any skills, how can he control those fearless dandies?"
"Okay, okay, I said the wrong thing before!" Zhang Rui saw that Zhu Ying was just watching the fun from the sidelines. Although he was extremely curious about Zhang Shou, he had to quickly expect Zhu Ying to stand up.
"Well, I've been here today, and I don't think anyone will think that my Ah Shou is a soft persimmon. Uncle Zhang, you just returned to Beijing, so take a good rest. If you are interested in my father's position, you can compete with him. I promise not to side with my father." Seeing that Zhang Rui almost popped his eyes out, she smiled and said , "I have to go out of the city to pick up Ah Shou now, so I'll leave you now!"
Seeing Zhu Ying openly explain the reason for going to pick up her husband, and then she left like a colorful butterfly, Zhang Rui couldn't help but take a breath, and asked Zhang Qiong beside him as if he had a toothache: "Is this little girl really so obsessed with someone?"
Zhang Qiong nodded without hesitation. Seeing Zhang Rui's face full of regret, he said slowly, "I don't have a daughter, and this little girl got there first. Otherwise, I might have married my daughter to Zhang Jiuzhang. Such a good son-in-law is hard to come by! Really, Zhu Jing came back before but didn't mention the marriage certificate. I even took out your daughter to consider, but the age is not right!"
Zhang Rui just felt at a loss for words. What he didn't know was that Zhu Ying, who left the Duke of Chu's mansion in the name of picking up Zhang Shou, didn't immediately leave the city to pick him up from the public school - let alone picking him up, how could she be forced to abdicate and get away from Zhang Rui so quickly? The eldest lady's accusation has just begun, how can it end here?
