Uncle from a poor family

Chapter 145 Rapidly Improved Treatment
At Li Zi Provincial Government.

Shen Lu brought Zhang Luan into the mansion and waited for a long time, but did not see Li Zisheng himself. Even Pang Qing, a popular figure in the Li mansion, did not come out to greet them.

Just when Zhang Luan was getting a little impatient and kept getting up and pacing back and forth in the room, looking very restless, Pang Qing finally arrived.

Shen Lu immediately went over to greet him, then took the initiative to introduce the current situation: "Mr. Pang, today is the auspicious day for the Eastern Palace to select a concubine. Lai Zhan's daughter has already left the palace. I heard that the Crown Prince and the Queen Mother both like Lai Zhan's daughter and have chosen her to be the Crown Princess... I wonder if there is any new news from the palace now?"

"is it?"

Pang Qing had his head drooped and looked listless, but upon hearing this, he immediately put on a warm smile and said earnestly, "This is great news... The Taoist has gone to the palace, and no news has come back yet... If the Taoist comes back, everything will be settled."

Zhang Luan frowned, looking impatient: "It really makes me anxious waiting."

Pang Qing teased, "Mr. Zhang, you were anxious when your daughter was selected. This is completely understandable. After all, the situation is unclear... But now it has been said that even the Queen Mother and the Crown Prince have chosen your daughter. What do you have to worry about?"

Shen Lu interrupted and said, "Isn't this... Your Majesty hasn't made up his mind yet?"

"hehe."

Pang Qing said, "Although I don't know the situation in the palace, I don't think your majesty cares who the crown prince chooses as the crown princess. Now the only thing your majesty is concerned about is the condition of the imperial concubine. Who to choose or not... does it matter to your majesty? The key is to see the attitude of the queen mother."

Let’s not talk about the prince’s attitude, but about Queen Dowager Zhou.

This also clearly told Zhang Luan that the prince's subjective choice was not important, and it was the Queen Mother Zhou's opinion that would determine success or failure.

As long as Empress Dowager Zhou nodded in agreement, the emperor would basically not object, because there was really no need to go to such lengths and cause a rift between mother and son.

Shen Lu smiled and said, "Laizhan, I've said before that there's no need to worry... What do you think? Even Mr. Pang said so, so you can just put your mind at ease... When Minister Li comes back, I think your matter will be settled. I want to say congratulations first!"

Pang Qing also said: "Congratulations, the father of the Crown Princess may be the future king... Haha, let's talk somewhere else, why not go to the main hall first, so that when the Taoist comes back, we can meet immediately."

"How can this be good?"

After Shen Lu and Pang Qing's subtle flattery, Shen Lu was now very proud. He smiled and said modestly, "It's the same if we wait here. If Minister Li really has something to do, we can't disturb him rashly."

Pang Qing said with a smile: "The present is different from the past... The Taoist has also said that you, Mr. Zhang, are definitely not an ordinary person. With your insight and foresight, you will surely be able to thrive in the court in the future... I hope you will take good care of me in the future."

Zhang Luan suddenly felt like he was being praised.

It used to be a great honor to come to Li Zisheng's residence, but now people treat him as a person and start to respect him.

That feeling... is just extraordinary!
But he still felt a little unsure in his heart. After all, it was not so clear whether his daughter would be chosen as the Crown Princess. He could only say tactfully, "Mr. Pang is really too polite. I will have to rely on you for advice in the future."

"please."

Pang Qing quickly led people to the main hall.

……

……

The three of them came to the main hall of Li's mansion. Pang Qing did not leave this time, as if nothing was more important than receiving Zhang Luan.

After chatting for a while, a servant from the mansion came to report that Li Zisheng had returned.

The three of them walked out of the main hall together, and saw Li Zisheng walking towards them from a distance with a smile on his face.

"Aren't you here to visit? I was just about to send someone to look for you... You've heard the good news, right? Your Highness, our niece has been chosen as the Crown Princess.

"The Empress Dowager has personally issued an imperial decree, and His Majesty has no objections. The Ministry of Rites has been notified of the matter, and it is estimated that the preparations for the East Palace wedding will begin in the next two days."

Li Zisheng is also a person who likes to show off.

In the past, he valued Zhang Luan very much, but that was more of an exploitation, letting this fame-seeking student serve as his tool. But now the situation is different, and the relationship between the two has suddenly become equal.

but--

If Zhang Luan can now be on par with Li Zisheng...

That's a bit too ridiculous!

After all, Li Zisheng was a powerful official in the dynasty, even the legitimate relatives were far inferior to him, not to mention that Zhang Luan was only the prince's future father-in-law.

Zhang Luan was so excited that he almost fainted, but he still bowed quickly and said, "I cannot thank you enough for your kindness. If it weren't for your help, Minister Li, this would never have been possible. I am grateful for your kindness and will never forget it."

Immediately, Li Zisheng solemnly invited Zhang Luan to sit in the main hall. His attitude towards Zhang Luan had improved greatly. He was no longer domineering and condescending as before, but spoke in a more equal and negotiable tone.

"According to the rules, the next step is for His Majesty to issue an edict and officially announce the marriage. The Ministry of Rites or the Grand Secretary of the Cabinet will then be responsible for handling the wedding affairs. Matters related to the proposal of marriage and the six ceremonies will be handled by special personnel sent by the court."

Li Zisheng paused here deliberately, and then continued, "This time we need to keep things simple and fast. As for the reason, I think you should know it, right?"

Zhang Luan nodded repeatedly: "Yes, it should be related to the illness of the noble in the palace."

Li Zisheng smiled and said, "So we are all family, there is no need to be secretive about any issues... Do you think that this marriage in the Eastern Palace will help Concubine Wan's condition?"

"what?"

Zhang Luan was slightly surprised, then shook his head decisively, "It should be... not very helpful, or it simply has no effect."

"Ah."

Li Zisheng nodded and smiled, "Even if it doesn't help in the end, at least we have done our job and fulfilled our duty as an official. Lai Zhan, I guess the court will issue an order in the next few days to arrange an official position for you, or you can take a concurrent position in the Honglu Temple or Taichang Temple. By then, our official positions will be equal, and there will be no need to stick to etiquette."

Zhang Luan said quickly: "I dare not, I dare not."

Li Zisheng laughed and said, "We were all so close before, but now you are acting distant. Let's discuss things more in the future. From your expression, it seems that you still don't believe that your daughter will be chosen as the Crown Princess?"

Zhang Luan had mixed feelings and thought, this is hard to believe.

Yesterday I was just an ordinary student of the Imperial Academy. I was so mediocre that I even had to live under someone else's roof. Even the house was given to me by you.

Today I am going to be the father-in-law of the prince, and I will even have an official position soon. I no longer have to consider whether it is better to go to the Imperial Medical Service or stay in the Imperial College. Now I can be on equal footing with Li Zisheng. It's like a dream.

After meeting a few spies outside, Pang Qing came back and said with a smile, "Mr. Zhang, I just got the news that the Jinyiwei has sent people to your house to protect you... You left in a hurry, otherwise if you saw these people, you would know whether your daughter was selected."

"Haha."

Li Zisheng took over the conversation and said with a smile, "Laizhan, you should change your mindset... From now on, you are no longer the student Zhang Laizhan, but a court official. You will have more frequent contacts with dignitaries. If you have any questions, feel free to ask me."

"well."

Zhang Luan could only nod mechanically at this moment.

Li Zisheng then said to Pang Qing who was standing behind him, "Bingkun, pack the two paintings that someone gave me earlier and ask Laizhan to take them with him when he leaves. They are both elegant objects, just for daily appreciation, and are not very expensive. You don't have to be so polite, you can deal with them as you like when you return."

Zhang Luan heard it.

Before, they only gave me a house and some servants so that I could have a place to live.

Now that the level of gift-giving has improved, why not just give calligraphy and paintings as gifts?
If it were a work by a famous artist, wouldn’t any of its paintings be worth thousands or even tens of thousands of taels of silver?
As expected, the salary has increased greatly, and I am almost lost.

(End of this chapter)