Uncle from a poor family

Chapter 111 Growth (asking for monthly ticket)

Outside the Ministry of Rites.

After Shen Lu walked away, Zhang Yu frowned and looked at his brother and asked, "Yanling, you said you knew, so what did you know?"

Zhang Yanling shook his head indifferently and whispered in his sister's ear: "My uncle means that you don't need to go into the room for the re-selection today. Just walk in front of people to show your appearance and manners, that's all."

"Ah? Aren't these all as they should be?"

Zhang Yu asked curiously, "Why did you have to go into the room to check before? What did you check?"

Zhang Yanling shrugged. "That's a lot to consider, including whether there are any hidden diseases, birthmarks, etc. There will be palace ladies and possibly eunuchs to preside over the event."

Zhang Yu blushed and asked, "Why are there still these embarrassing examinations?"

"Sister, choosing a crown princess is a matter of great importance. Before you are chosen, you are nothing, and they will not treat you as a noble person."

Zhang Yanling said helplessly, "Everything has been simplified this time... If it were formal, a selection would take ten days or half a month, with all kinds of inspections. Do you think an average girl could stand it?"

Zhang Yu was so frightened that her pretty face turned pale. She smiled bitterly and said, "No wonder my mother said that for a girl, this is like going through the gates of hell."

"Mother is afraid that you will be sent directly to the palace after the re-selection and never be able to return home, not that this examination is excessive. Sister, please don't misunderstand me."

Zhang Yanling continued, "It looks like there are a lot of people today, but because the contestants are all girls from the capital and surrounding areas, there are a lot of people coming to see them off. In fact, I roughly counted them, and there are probably only about one or two hundred people."

Zhang Yu looked up in the direction of Daming Gate and asked, "Is that where the palace gate is?"

Zhang Yanling nodded and said, "Yes, once you enter the palace, it's like entering a deep sea. If my sister is really chosen and becomes the Crown Princess, it will be extremely difficult for her to leave the palace."

“It’s pretty much the same everywhere.”

Zhang Yu thought that he usually did not leave the house. Although he went out more often after arriving in the capital, his activities were limited to a small range.

Women of this era have been restricted in their lives since they were born.

Zhang Yanling said, "Sister, I wish you a smooth selection today... When you are finished, I will take you home. Mother will prepare delicious food for us."

Zhang Yu touched his brother's head and asked, "Yanling, I am about to go to the selection of the Crown Princess. Can you tell me who the person who is communicating with me is?"

"Sister, do you really have to know?"

Zhang Yanling asked with a smile, "Or does your sister already have that person in her heart?"

Zhang Yu shook his head and said thoughtfully, "Not really. I just suddenly felt that I was very similar to him. He was also trapped in a cage since he was a child and could not break free... It is very likely that I will also be trapped in a cage in the future. It makes me sad just thinking about it."

Zhang Yanling really wanted to say, then you two can just support each other in the cage from now on.

Zhang Yanling smiled and said, "Sister, I'll tell you the truth, that person is the prince."

"Humph, you lied to me. Forget it."

Zhang Yu snorted softly, and that little expression of mixed anger and joy startled Zhang Yanling.

It’s indeed a bit feminine!
No wonder you scared your husband so much later. With your little temper and coquettish looks, it seems my future brother-in-law will be very fond of you.

"Sister, the front door is open."

Zhang Yanling said, "Wait here first, I'll go over and get your license plate for you."

"No, I'll go with you."

Zhang Yu's face was firm, and she said resolutely, "I have to face the future by myself. Maybe my father also thinks that I should be married off earlier. If I am not chosen this time, who knows what will happen in the future. I never thought that my lifelong happiness would be pinned on this moment..."

After saying that, Zhang Yu took a step forward. Halfway through, Zhang Yanling was stopped by someone, while Zhang Yu, who was holding his hand, was allowed to pass after receiving a license plate.

Zhang Yanling was young and agile. After careful observation, he found that the number plates issued by officials from the Ministry of Rites were divided into A, B, C, and D.

The number plate Zhang Yu received was Jiaxu, so he needed to stand with people with the number plate Jia, and then line up to walk into the open courtyard gate.

Most of the people who came to the selection process were stopped by the officials of the Ministry of Rites and were not allowed to approach the courtyard.

The Jinyiwei maintained order outside, and there were also people in official uniforms who followed the candidates into the courtyard after they entered the gate.

In addition, there are some odd jobs responsible for logistics...

Unfortunately, Shen Lu never appeared among this group of privileged people from beginning to end.

After everyone was let in, the door was closed again.

The people at the door no longer had anyone worthy of their attention, so they began to make a noise and gathered in groups of three or five to greet each other.

The candidates this time did not come from all over the country. Most of them were from Shuntian Prefecture or even northern Zhili, so there was no need to worry about being unable to communicate due to different accents and they could speak freely.

A brief conversation exposed everyone's purpose. Some families wanted to curry favor with powerful people, while others were simply forced by local officials to participate in the election and had no choice but to do so.

A group of people were making a lot of noise and talking there, while Zhang Yanling returned to the carriage, sat down, crossed his legs, and waited leisurely for the re-selection to be completed.

……

……

At the same time, in the inner courtyard of the imperial palace.

There was a banquet in the palace that day, but Zhu Jianshen did not go in person. He was more concerned about Concubine Wan's illness because on the first day after the New Year, Concubine Wan's condition took a turn for the worse and she fainted at one point. She gradually got better after the imperial physician gave her medicine, but she was still very weak.

Originally, Concubine Wan's illness was a secret in the court, but after today's events, the palace could no longer conceal Concubine Wan's illness. The Imperial Hospital held a consultation that day, and a group of the Ming Dynasty's top doctors sat in a circle to discuss treatment plans. As a result, after more than two hours, they still didn't come up with a better solution.

In the Qianqing Palace.

Zhu Jianshen looked worried. He looked at the pile of documents in front of him and asked Tan Chang who was standing beside him, "Haven't they believed it yet?"

Tan Chang said respectfully, "In reply to your Majesty, I have asked someone to ask before. The people in the Imperial Hospital said that Madam Wan's condition is not optimistic. The only solution for now may be to rest."

"Just treat the disease, why do you have to talk about rest? What's the point of the court spending so much money to employ so many imperial doctors?" Zhu Jianshen was very angry. "If a person is healthy, even if he is really sick, shouldn't he be treated? What the hell is rest?"

Qin Chang looked embarrassed. "Your Majesty, I don't know much about your condition, but according to the people in the Imperial Hospital, when it comes to liver disease, the most important thing is to take care of it. Some people are prone to relapses if they are not careful or overworked, and the onset of the disease does not mean anything. As long as you are lucky, you can turn a disaster into a blessing. However, taking medicine... is not very effective."

"It's an old saying, isn't there any new saying?"

Zhu Jianshen was furious.

Qin Chang lowered his head and dared not answer.

"Call Li Qingjia over."

Zhu Jianshen pondered for a long time and probably felt that since he was not an expert in medicine and many things could not be guessed by common sense, he decided to be straightforward and call Li Zisheng, who was said to be able to communicate with heaven, earth and ghosts, to discuss the matter.

"Yes."

After Qin Chang responded, he hurriedly left the hall.

(End of this chapter)