Uncle from a poor family

Chapter 152 Grasshoppers on the Same Rope
Shen Lu and Zhang Luan sat in the carriage, talking all the way, and soon arrived at the gate of Lizi Provincial Government.

Shen Lu was the only one talking along the way.

Normally, Shen Lu showed a certain humility in front of Zhang Luan, and tried his best to give his brother-in-law more opportunities to show his abilities. But this time when it came to imparting his experience as an official, Shen Lu said a lot, and all of it was quite pragmatic.

Zhang Luan couldn't help but think.

It seems that what Yanling said was right. His uncle entered the court as a juren and was able to become a seventh-rank official in the capital. He must be quite capable. He could learn a lot from him about the experience of dealing with people in society.

After all, I am not a juren entering the court. At most, I am a student of the Imperial Academy, or a student of the Imperial Academy. Without the selection of the Ministry of Personnel, I will be looked down upon. If my behavior is not proper, it will be embarrassing for me to face people.

When they arrived at the gate of Lizi Provincial Government, they saw Pang Qing coming out to greet them.

There were other guests at the door. When they saw Pang Qing coming out, some wanted to go over to greet him, but were stopped. Then they saw a strange-looking man in official uniform, accompanied by Shen Lu, an official from the Ministry of Public Administration, following Pang Qing into the gate of Li's Mansion.

"Shen Jingli, have you not talked to Lord Zhang about the etiquette of the officialdom?"

After entering the yard, Pang Qing said to Shen Lu with a mysterious smile on his face.

"Yes, Lai Zhan is not very familiar with the officialdom, and he will slowly change in the future. Isn't this also hoping that Minister Li can give him some more advice?" Shen Lu said.

"hehe."

Pang Qing smiled and shook his head, then took the person to Li Zisheng's study.

The host was not at home at the moment, so Pang Qing said, "You can only wait for a while... Minister Li has some official business to attend to today, so he will be here later. Tea and snacks will be delivered right away."

"Okay. Thank you."

Shen Lu was very respectful.

Regardless of whether Zhang Luan is the Crown Princess's father or not, at least his own official position and his relationship with Li Zisheng as a superior and subordinate have not changed, and his mentality has always been good.

After Pang Qing said he was going to do something else and left, the study returned to silence.

Zhang Luan kept twisting his body back and forth, seeming to be a little uneasy.

Shen Lu asked: "What's the matter? Is there something wrong?"

Zhang Luan smiled bitterly and said, "This official uniform is too small. It feels awkward to wear. And...why is there not even a brazier in the study? It's freezing!"

"Ha ha……"

Shen Lu smiled and teased, "You also know that this is a study, how could there be something like a brazier?" Only then did he realize that Zhang Luan was like an impatient ADHD patient, because he could hardly bear the cold.

……

……

After waiting for a long time, Li Zisheng finally arrived.

When Li Zisheng saw Zhang Luan in his awkward official uniform, he smiled happily and waved his hand, saying, "Sit down, there's no need to be polite. By the way, your outfit is really nice. I've heard that you have an extraordinary temperament. You immediately feel that way when you put on this official robe."

Zhang Luan smiled bitterly and said, "Minister Li, you are laughing. I will be more careful in the future and try not to cause you any trouble."

Li Zisheng rolled his eyes at him and said, "What are you talking about? It sounds so formal... Bingkun, please help me order some official uniforms for Lai Zhan. He has just entered the officialdom, so there are some things that need to be prepared."

"That……"

Zhang Luan's brows relaxed, and he immediately asked excitedly, "On the ninth day of the lunar calendar, will I also go to participate?"

Seeing that Li Zisheng didn't mind at all that he came in official uniform and even said that he wanted to buy him new clothes, Zhang Luan's face was full of anticipation.

For him, being able to participate in large-scale activities of the court meant official recognition of him, which was equivalent to formally integrating into the aristocratic class.

Li Zisheng said, "The court has not officially informed you yet, but I think... you will be waiting for the court envoys at home recently, so I'm afraid you can't go."

Shen Lu also advised: "Laizhan, Minister Li is right. For you, the most important task now is to complete the wedding of the Eastern Palace. This is what you should focus on. Don't leave without permission."

"hehe."

Li Zisheng smiled and said, "I just learned some information here... His Majesty has issued an order to send the son-in-law Zhou Duwei to report to the Imperial Ancestral Temple for the ceremony of accepting the bride price and asking for the name of the prince for his wedding. The day after tomorrow, the Duke of Baoguo will be the chief envoy, and the Grand Secretary of the Jinshen Palace Liu Ge Lao will be the deputy envoy to hold the ceremony of accepting the bride price and asking for the name of the prince... "Therefore, you must stay at home for the next two days and don't go anywhere."

"So fast?"

Zhang Luan asked with eyes wide open.

In folk marriages, the process of the three books and six ceremonies may take about half a year, and it is not uncommon for some to take a year or two.

Now that the candidate for the Crown Princess has been decided, the process has begun. Even Zhang Luan, who was anxious to get promoted, felt that it was too hasty.

Li Zisheng smiled and said, "Don't you want to finish it sooner?"

"No... not..."

Zhang Luan was excited, but didn't know how to describe it.

There is probably a contradictory mentality of wanting wealth and glory to come faster, but being reluctant to send his daughter to another family so soon.

Li Zisheng said, "Your Majesty is speeding up the wedding of the Eastern Palace in order to bring good luck to the bedridden Concubine Wan. You know this. You have already said that the most important days are the ninth and tenth days of the lunar month. How could the court delay the wedding of the Eastern Palace?"

Having said that, Li Zisheng's expression suddenly turned a little ugly.

Seeing this, Shen Lu asked cautiously, "Minister Li, the day is approaching. If there is any unexpected event, should we take action to deal with it?"

Li Zisheng shook his head: "The words have been spread, even His Majesty knows about it, what else can we do? Alas! In name, His Majesty listened to my advice and did not blame me at all, but what I predicted was the life and death of His Majesty's loved ones. Even if His Majesty respects me on the surface, I know that there is always a thorn in His Majesty's heart."

Shen Lu and Zhang Luan looked at each other, their faces showing some embarrassment.

It's an obvious thing.

Li Zisheng ran to the emperor and said, your beloved concubine is going to die soon. Even if the emperor thinks you are right to speak the truth and does not give you a bad face, can you feel good about it?
It’s good that you didn’t vent your anger on the spot!
If he fulfills his promise, the emperor will think that Li Zisheng is a jinx...

Even if it did not become a reality and Concubine Wan was out of danger, the emperor would think that you, Li Zisheng, were exaggerating and seriously damaging the royal interests.

In other words, Li Zisheng had to say the most unpleasant words, while Zhang Luan enjoyed the greatest achievement - successfully marrying his daughter into the Eastern Palace.

Shen Lu said, "Laizhan, tell Minister Li quickly if there is any change in what happened that day? For example... based on the changes in the sky, is there any change in what happened?"

Zhang Luan thought about it carefully and realized that his son didn't say more to him, which meant that everything would develop as predicted.

So he stopped hesitating and shook his head, saying, "God's will cannot be violated, everything remains the same."

Just when Shen Lu wanted to say something, Li Zisheng reached out to stop him from asking.

Li Zisheng said: "It would be best if everything goes as Tathagata said, there will be heavy fog on the ninth day, and on the tenth day... Only in this way, even if Your Majesty is unhappy, he will continue to rely on me in the future.

"If nothing had happened, it would seem that we, as ministers, should be happy for His Majesty, but it is easy to... lose His Majesty's trust, which is not a good thing for people like us."

As he spoke, his eyes swept over Pang Qing, Shen Lu and Zhang Luan.

meaning is.

The three of us are now on the same boat, and no one can escape.

Even if you, Zhang Luan, have married your daughter to the Eastern Palace, it is not so easy to jump ship, because the prince has no power now.

Pang Qing said with a smile: "Master Dao, in my opinion, you are worrying too much... If you can accurately predict earthquakes, how can you fail to predict a fog?
"Besides, Lai Zhan should have calculated long ago that his daughter could marry into the Eastern Palace smoothly, right? Otherwise, why would he take the initiative to break off the engagement with the wealthy family in Xingji and come to the capital to participate in the selection?"

As soon as Zhang Luan heard it, he knew that Li Zisheng had investigated him in detail.

Li Zisheng smiled and said, "Yes, yes, what is there to worry about? If nothing goes wrong in Anxi Palace, the prince will have a hard time in the future...

"After all, in this matter, our interests are common and our goals are the same."

Zhang Luan said: "You can't...say that."

Li Zisheng stood up and continued with a smile, "We are all family, so what if we speak out? Laizhan, you will represent the Eastern Palace in the future, and I also care about the Eastern Palace, so let's not be so formal."

(End of this chapter)