Uncle from a poor family

Chapter 115: Each Has Its Own Relationship (Fifth Update, Please Support)
The house started to get busy again.

Everyone does their own thing.

Tang took her daughter Zhang Yi to the backyard kitchen to busy herself. She would most likely be the housekeeper of the family in the future; Jin took a maid who had just been called from the backyard to serve the master family to clean the room.

Zhang Heling continued... moving things.

As the head of the family, Zhang Luan called his daughter Zhang Yu and son Zhang Yanling to his side and asked them about the selection process at the Ministry of Rites that afternoon.

Zhang Yu didn't think there was anything special about today's experience. He shook his head and said, "It's just to let the girls who come in walk a few steps, talk, and explain where they come from, whether they have studied, and what they are good at. My uncle was afraid that I would be stage fright, so he wrote down what I was going to say in advance and asked me to practice a few more times."

Zhang Luan asked hurriedly, "Then you didn't show your fear, did you?"

Obviously, those who went to apply for the position were a group of young ladies who never left their homes. Although they were basically from poor families, they had a high opinion of themselves.

The common problem of these ladies is that they seldom interact with others. In such a public occasion, in front of so many people, it is easy for them to not even be able to speak clearly.

Zhang Yu shook his head and said, "Everything is fine."

Zhang Yanling smiled and said, "Dad, do you think my sister is a stage frightened person?"

"That's true. This girl is very cunning."

Zhang Luan thought about it and couldn't help laughing. It seemed that he was very confident in his daughter.

Zhang Yu glared at his brother, as if to say, what nonsense are you talking about in front of dad?
Dad is the same, why am I so cunning?

"Dad, when my daughter came out, I saw my second brother talking to someone. He didn't even bother to greet me... They seemed to be talking happily."

Zhang Yu took the opportunity to complain to his old father.

Zhang Luan asked curiously, "Talk? With whom? Did you make friends in the capital? What did you talk about?"

Faced with all these questions, Zhang Yanling replied with a smile: "He is a scholar named Chai from Shanxi. He is not very old, only seventeen years old this year. He sent his sister to participate in the selection. I chatted with him for a while and said some... random things."

"Scholar?"

Zhang Luan was a little unhappy after hearing this, "What is there for me to talk to you about? You are just looking for trouble..."

Obviously, Zhang Luan himself was a scholar, and he felt that it was a great honor to have the title of scholar, so he stood on the other side without hesitation in this matter.

Zhang Yanling said, "Look at what Dad said. Can't I just chat with him for a while? I just told him about the situation in the capital. I didn't use your name to scare people... I just said that I was from Hejian Prefecture. He said that this time his family asked Deng Changen for help, and his sister has a great chance of being selected."

"what?"

When Zhang Luan heard this, he realized that his son had not been chatting for nothing that day.

I actually got such important information.

Zhang Yanling smiled and said, "Father, do you think that only our family knows how to use connections? Other families are the same. Although the scholar surnamed Chai's family conditions are not very good, it is said that there are people in the mansion who are doing business, and they are the kind of business that is relatively large in Shanxi, and they have salt distribution channels. This time, they have spent a lot of money and are determined to win."

Zhang Yu asked curiously, "Is there anyone doing big business in Shanxi?"

"Sister, that's a great word!"

Zhang Yanling praised him and continued, "The Shanxi merchants are similar to the Huizhou merchants. These two are also the two most competitive factions in the Ming Dynasty market. The best business in the world now is salt trading, and the people from these two families who are currently staying in the capital are mostly related to the salt business."

"is it?"

Zhang Luan asked curiously, "Did you ask them how much money they spent? And...what did Deng Changen...do to help them?"

Zhang Yanling said: "I can't ask you about this... Hey, Mr. Chai just doesn't know my background, otherwise he would be scared to death if I told him!"

"Cough cough!"

Zhang Luan thought his son would say something profound, but when he heard this, he choked on his own saliva and started coughing. But thinking about his son's words again, it seemed to make sense.

Deng Changen is certainly awesome, but can he be as good as Li Zisheng?

"Dad, sister, I think we don't need to worry too much about this matter... Think about it, this time the prince's selection of a concubine was appointed by His Majesty to be in charge of Minister Li, and Minister Li is wholeheartedly helping our family. The Shanxi merchant just fawned over Deng Changen, but Deng Changen doesn't get along with Minister Li. It's unclear whether he can help them, and even worse, it might backfire... So we're basically fine."

Zhang Yanling smiled and said comforting words.

Zhang Luan was still worried. After thinking for a while, he asked, "Then... have you met his sister? How is her appearance, makeup, and behavior? Is she decent?"

Obviously Zhang Luan has a stronger sense of crisis. In his opinion, even if his daughter has a great chance, it also depends on the role of the other party.

If the woman put forward by the other party for the election is ugly, then there is naturally nothing to worry about.

But if the other party is also a beauty, more beautiful than Xi Shi and well-educated, then the result is hard to predict. After all, Li Zisheng can only help with the "select three" stage at most. Whether she can become the Crown Princess in the end depends on the choice of the Crown Prince and the Queen Mother. What if they just like the daughter of the Chai family?

Zhang Yanling shook his head and said, "I didn't see her. When she came out, she covered her face with a scarf, but her walking posture was graceful, like a willow swaying in the wind, which was quite pleasing to the eye...

"And this Mr. Chai, although he is the elder brother, seems to have no say in anything. Even though he has the support of a big tree, he is a descendant of a branch family after all, and his words carry little weight. As soon as his sister came out, she was forcibly stuffed into a carriage. The carriage was very luxurious, no worse than the one we used to pick up my sister, and it soon disappeared without a trace."

"That's quite unusual."

Zhang Luan already started to have doubts at this moment.

Zhang Yu was also a little nervous: "Then my selection of concubines..."

Zhang Yanling comforted her, "I've always said that the Chai family obviously chose the wrong temple, so you don't have to worry at all... Besides, even if you don't get selected, my family won't let you get married, right, Dad?"

……

……

The second day of the new year.

It was just past noon when Shen Lu had been waiting for a long time at Li Zi's provincial mansion.

There was still a constant stream of people visiting the Li Mansion that day, but they were all invited to different courtyards according to their official ranks and were treated well with specially prepared wine and snacks.

However, very few people could see Li Zisheng himself, unless the person who came was a first or second rank official of the current dynasty... Of course, bigwigs like the cabinet minister and the chancellor had already visited yesterday, and today they all stayed at home waiting for others to come and pay them a visit, and would never come to Li's house again.

Only Shen Lu was invited to wait in the back hall, and today he was the only one who was sure to meet Li Zisheng in person.

After about a cup of tea, Pang Qing came out to receive Shen Lu.

"Shen Jingli, you came early enough."

Pang Qing greeted with a smile.

Shen Lu hurriedly bowed and said, "Excuse me, I came to talk to Minister Li about the selection of concubines for the Eastern Palace."

"hehe."

Pang Qing smiled and said, "In fact, Minister Li knows most of the things, but we still have to meet him... Let's go, the Taoist has already woken up, let's go and meet him now."

Shen Lu was startled.

What time is it now?

It’s almost noon and Li Zisheng has just woken up?

It seems that Minister Li slept very late last night and I don’t know what he was doing.

(I have tried my best, I beg for subscriptions and monthly tickets, please!)
(End of this chapter)