Volume 5: Fellow Traveler Chapter 840: Zhang Sheng Borrows Books
Zhang Chen was indeed reluctant to deal with the most slick little fat man Lu. After all, it was easier to fight with others than to go to Huitong Nanguan to cause trouble. But Zhu Er's expression of "you dare not" made him feel unhappy. Therefore, Zhang Chen, who could not stand provocation in his life, was defeated by such a simple trick.
Then, he did not bother to visit the lady, because based on his several encounters with the old lady's temper, if he went to visit her specially, he might be asked to leave before he could even sit down on the chair!
Of course, Zhang Chen would not just pass by without entering. He left Zhu Er, whom he thought was useless, and went straight to the door of Duke Zhao's mansion. He took out a beautiful box from the huge saddle bag tied in front of the saddle he was riding, and then handed it to the doorman who came to greet him with a smile.
"Madam Tai needs to rest and recuperate now. I just sent away the Crown Prince and the Fourth Prince, so I won't go in and disturb her. This is a snack from Tongzhou, please give it to her to try."
The normally eccentric Mr. Zhang was so polite today that even the doorman of the Duke of Zhao's mansion was a little surprised, and he had to respond respectfully. After watching the man leave, the doorman was stopped by Zhu Er before he could send the things away. Zhu Er pulled the man into the door and opened the box without thinking twice.
But he then discovered that there were neatly stacked snacks inside. At first glance, there seemed to be nothing fishy. If there was anything to find fault with... it was probably because Zhang Chen had been riding a bumpy horse all the way, and the snacks were a little broken!
If it were just him, Zhu Er would have wanted to smash all the snacks to pieces for a thorough inspection. However, the two concierges were looking at him with subtle expressions, so he could only close the box in dismay and handed it back: "Go to Qing'an Hall and give it to grandma. But these things are not suitable for patients to eat, remember to talk to Mother Jiang and the others."
"No matter what, it's a sincere gift from Young Master Zhang. Madam will be happy to receive it." The doorman who was speaking picked up the box and laughed, then walked quickly inside. He secretly complained to himself along the way that his Second Young Master was still childish at this age. If he hadn't been there, would he have embezzled the box of snacks sent by Young Master Zhang?
Zhang Chen didn't care how Zhu Er was fussing about the box of snacks he had sent, because it was a box of snacks that couldn't be more normal. And he had brought more than one box of such snacks. After turning back to meet up with a few followers, he gestured and said, "Let's go to Zhang Garden."
Zhang Chen knew very well that in broad daylight, the fat boy who had been separated from his parents and brothers would never be in that small but well-equipped house. Since the East Palace had tutors, Lu Sanlang had almost never failed to be a tutor, so he was always in Ciqing Palace when on duty. But since the third and fourth princes came out today, they were probably in the public school.
However, even though he knew that there was no one in charge in Zhang Garden in broad daylight, he still rushed over regardless. As expected, when he arrived at the door, An Lu, the manager, was a little confused about his arrival. He came forward and said directly: "Master Zhang, my son has gone to the public school, and the young lady has gone to the girls' school. Only Old An is here."
Zhang Chen took out a food box from his saddle bag and said with a smile, "I went to the countryside for many days and haven't been to the teacher's place for a long time. I just came back and brought some local specialties for everyone to try . The teacher is the best eater and has eaten all kinds of delicious food. Forget about him, you can share it with everyone."
An Lu didn't expect that this was actually a gift for them. For a moment, he just felt that the sun was rising from the west. When did Zhang Chen, a nobleman with eyes on the top of his head, become so down-to-earth? He actually sent something to them?
So, he hesitated for a moment, and Zhang Chen rushed past him. Realizing that someone had suddenly come in, he was startled and quickly followed with the box in his arms: "Master Zhang, aren't you here to see my Master and Young Madam today?"
"Well, no! I haven't been to the teacher's house for a long time. I'm here to take a look. Well, I'll go to Tiangongfang later. I'm not an outsider. Do you have to follow me like this? You know the teacher's habit. When is there something in the house that can't be shown to outsiders? Go, I'll take a look and then go to the Outer City Public School to meet him and that little fat guy Lu!"
Young master, you really don’t treat yourself as an outsider!
An Lu couldn't help but secretly complain, but when he saw Zhang Chen rushing towards Zhang Shou's study, he hesitated for a moment, and finally sent someone to deliver a message to Mother Jin. He didn't expect Wu to come forward to stop this young master Zhang, but at least someone had to follow him in case he suddenly did something weird.
However, when Zhang Chen went straight to Zhang Shou's study, he met many people along the way. He greeted everyone and talked a lot. When he finally reached the door, no one came out to stop him. Master Zhang smiled and pushed the door straight in triumphantly. But as soon as he entered the room, he took a breath of cold air and then took three steps back.
What kind of monster is that blond boy inside?
His movement obviously alarmed the people inside. Wu Dawei, who was quietly flipping through books while cleaning the bookshelf, turned around like a whirlwind. Seeing this strange young man looking at him as if he were a ghost, he bowed and said in his now quite proficient Ming Dynasty accent: "I am the young master's book boy. May I ask who you are?"
Book boy? Does Zhang Shou accept even the barbarians as his own?
Zhang Chen was really impressed by Zhang Shou's taste for accepting people regardless of their personal preferences. Seeing that he could speak fluent Chinese and had decent manners, he stopped looking at him with that strange look. He smiled and nodded, then said calmly, "I am Zhang Chen, the eldest son of the Duke of Qin's mansion. Didn't the teacher mention me to you?"
Only then did Wu Dawei widen his eyes slightly.
These days, he was trained to death by his teacher, Liang Jiucheng, during most of the day, and only had time to go out and relax at night - to tidy up the study room at Zhang Shou's place, and he could also quietly flip through the books. The reason why he made an exception today was because his teacher was urgently recalled to the palace.
Before leaving, Liang Jiucheng of course asked him to work in the study, and then come back in the evening to make up for the lessons he missed during the day.
Wu Dawei had seen many of Zhang Shou's students in the public school before - some of them were older than Zhang Shou, which made him better understand Liang Jiucheng's words that those who achieve success should come first. When he heard the stranger's self-proclaimed title and realized that he was actually the son of a duke and a student of Zhang Shou, he could not help but admire his employer.
So, he couldn't help but look at Zhang Chen several more times, then he quickly bowed again, and then said embarrassedly: "The young master found a teacher for me, so I usually come here to tidy up the study at night, and I haven't heard about you."
Zhang Chen didn't think much of it. He thought that he was just a newcomer who came to Zhang Garden during his one month away from home, so it was normal that he didn't recognize him. As for the fact that Zhang Shou had found a teacher for someone, that was even more normal. Zhang Shou was a person who did whatever he wanted. So, he nodded slightly, and didn't say much, but started to rummage through the shelf in the study.
As for what he was looking for...it was of course the book that Ye asked him to borrow when he returned to the capital.
There are the first and second volumes of Ge's New Mathematics with Zhang Shou's annotations. Of course, it would be even better if it was Zhang Shou's notes. He did not expect that Ye, a woman, would be interested in mathematics.
Although the person said that he did not expect to learn anything profound, he just hoped to understand it. Of course, the person also said the most important thing...
The emperor urged him to create conditions himself, and Zhang Shou encouraged him to make things clear to Ye, although Zhang Chen was somewhat .
But he never expected that after he arrived at the Ye family, he actually met Ye smoothly. Not only that, he tried his best to speak in a frank tone, but they didn't chase him away!
He still remembered what Ye had said to him: "I have always been aloof since I was young. I have no interest in the parties and outings that the young ladies like. When they recited poems and wrote poems, I would just watch from the side. When they talked about other families' shortcomings, I would stay away. When they mentioned which young man was a talented and thoughtful person, I never thought of going to take a look."
"As for a man with such a good character as Master Zhang, I look at him no differently than I look at others. I just admire his wonderful ideas. So when the prince was choosing a concubine, I was suddenly chosen. If my mother hadn't begged me to be patient, I would have either left or died."
"I never thought of marrying into the royal family, so when someone stopped my car and spoke rudely, I killed him. I thought that after the news got out, no one would dare to choose me. But I didn't expect that things would be even more bizarre than I imagined. The eldest and second princes, whom the queen treated like treasures, were both defeated inexplicably, and even she herself was defeated."
"So those elders in my family who used to think I was valuable are now afraid to marry me off to anyone because the first and second princes are dead. I am relieved. Before I went to Baijia Village, I planned to hide in the girls' school for a while. After two years, when I have saved some money, I will travel around the world and see the world."
"But if I just leave like this, it might cause trouble for Miss Zhu, so I might have to fake my death. My parents will definitely be sad for a while, but what can I do? Am I really going to live my whole life according to other people's arrangements?"
"I am such a selfish woman. Since you said, Master Zhang, that you want to continue to have contact with me, and are even willing to marry me, and you also said that if we don't get along in the future, you are willing to divorce, then I have to tell you this, so that you know what kind of person I am under this pleasing face."
"I am not a person who accepts everything that happens. I may not be as angry as Miss Zhu, but I definitely cannot bear being bullied. I can serve my parents-in-law wholeheartedly, but the premise is that they can treat me with a normal heart and not find fault with me. I am not harsh on servants, but I will not tolerate anyone being lazy or pretending to obey me but actually disobeying me."
"I don't tolerate any deception or lies."
"I have been trapped by my family for more than ten years and have no freedom. So if I can really get married in the future, in addition to taking care of my husband and children, I hope to do something I like, such as teaching martial arts in a girls' school, traveling around the world in the future, or studying the things taught in Jiuzhang Hall to see if I have such talent..."
Thinking of this, Zhang Chen suddenly smiled. Freedom, isn't that something he also wants to have? Why did he want to marry Zhu Ying so much in the past? Wasn't it because he thought Zhu Ying wouldn't stay at home all day long like his mother, day after day, year after year, forever unchanged?
Moreover, he is a person with a fickle mind. In the future, he might go out and do something else like he did when he went to Xingtai to "cheat" before. If his wife has her own things to do, then he can fully let himself go.
Look at how busy Zhang Shou is now, but Zhu Ying is still enjoying herself. Isn't that great? Moreover, Ye said she wanted to travel around the world, and he actually wanted to go too! As for if the two of them really found that they were not suitable in the future, Ye actually agreed with his suggestion that they should go if they were not suitable, which made him feel more at ease.
If it was another daughter, even if he wanted to divorce, they wouldn't let him! Even though his father usually doesn't care about him, if he really brings up these two words after getting married for various reasons, his parents will really beat him to death!
Therefore, before Ye said anything, Zhang Chen took the initiative to offer to help borrow books, and said that he could get Zhang Shou's notes and annotations. He even thought that if Zhang Shou didn't have any, he would go to the Third Prince. He thought that the little Crown Prince would be so serious about studying that he would definitely have very detailed notes!
At this time, Zhang Chen was thinking and searching at the same time, and soon he had something to show for it. He happily took two thick books from the bookshelf and put them in his arms, but when he was about to turn around and leave, he saw a man standing behind him with a dark face, "Master Zhang, what are you doing?"
"Borrow a book." Zhang Chen did not feel guilty about borrowing a book without the owner's presence. His tone was as if it was natural. "The teacher once said that a book cannot be read without being borrowed..."
He had been prepared and started with the second half of a long story about Huang Sheng borrowing a book. Seeing that the blond boy was confused, he said earnestly, "Look, I came here directly to borrow the book, and no one else in Zhang Garden came to check it out. That shows how much trust they have in me. So if I leave a note and borrow the book, no one will make things difficult for you, understand?"
