Uncle from a poor family

Chapter 207: Little Zhuge Takes Action

In the afternoon, Li Zisheng returned home. Pang Qing heard the servant's message and hurried out to greet him.

"Master Dao, the gentleman Zhang Yin whom you met the day before yesterday has sent another batch of gifts...he said it was to thank you." Pang Qing said with a smile.

"Which Zhang Yin?"

Li Zisheng forgot about this person for a moment.

Pang Qing smiled and said, "He is Zhang Laizhan's cousin. He was very flattering when he came to see you... He said he wanted to find a job as an official in Hejian Prefecture."

Li Zisheng waved his hand with a dark face, "No, no...just return it to him."

"Ah? This..."

Pang Qing was very surprised.

In the past, Li Zisheng basically accepted all gifts from people who came.

After all, Li Zisheng was not known for his integrity in the court, and as a Taoist priest, there was no need for him to be too careful about his reputation. It was enough for him to have the favor of the emperor.

This time the matter had clearly already been done, and he was just charging a little interest, but Li Zisheng went against his usual practice and refused to charge it?

"Also, please don't have any contact with Zhang Laizhan recently."

Li Zisheng ordered, "If he or your students come to ask for an audience, turn them away."

Pang Qing seemed to understand something when he heard it. He looked around and asked in a low voice, "Master Dao, is there something wrong in the palace?"

Li Zisheng frowned, "Some things cannot be explained to you clearly. You only need to know one thing. Your Majesty is very determined to change the crown prince. I am afraid I can't help you with the Crown Prince's affairs. There is no need to see Zhang Laizhan again and cause trouble!"

Pang Qing's face became uncertain after hearing this. He hesitated for a while before saying, "Master Dao, I have something to say. I wonder if I should say it or not?"

"speak!"

Li Zisheng glanced at Pang Qing and said impatiently.

Pang Qing hesitated, "Master Dao, think about it, Zhang Laizhan has great abilities, he can accurately predict natural disasters and man-made disasters, can't he predict the future of the crown prince? If the crown prince is destined to be replaced, and he is determined to marry into the East Palace, isn't that... asking for trouble?"

"This alone is enough to show that the prince's future is almost certain. Should we side with the East Palace? At least we should leave ourselves a way out!"

Li Zisheng was walking quickly towards the study, but he stopped suddenly when he heard the words, his face full of surprise.

Pang Qing asked again: "Or are you absolutely sure about the change of storage?"

Li Zisheng pondered it carefully and shook his head, saying, "How is this possible? This is about the future emperor, who dares to guarantee it? Previously, I thought that once Concubine Wan died, the turmoil in the court regarding the replacement of the crown prince would end. Who would have thought that Liang Fang, Wei Xing and others would still be obsessed with it, and Concubine Shao was secretly instigating it...

"Looking at His Majesty's reaction now, it seems that he still has a huge prejudice against the Crown Prince. He magnifies even the slightest mistake infinitely, which makes me, an outsider, feel cold all over. The Crown Prince has a long way to go if he wants to ascend to the throne!"

Pang Qing said: "Master Dao, your attitude may also affect the situation of Yichu."

"That's why I want to draw a line between myself and Zhang Laizhan for now."

Li Zisheng pondered and said, "But what you said does make some sense. Since Zhang Laizhan insists on marrying his daughter to the Eastern Palace, it means that he is very optimistic about the future of the prince. So, let's not be too extreme. Next time he comes, you can say that I have something to do and don't want to see him."

Pang Qing said: "Master Dao, you have made two preparations... I know what to do. I will never let Zhang Laizhan feel that he has lost your trust and reliance."

……

……

It snowed a little that day.

The weather is unusually cold and gloomy.

At the turn of the afternoon, Qin Ji appeared outside the back door of Zhang's house in the wind and snow.

After receiving the report, Qin Yun was very curious why someone who wanted to visit the Zhang family would choose to go through the back door. When he went to inquire in person, he was shocked.

"You...you are the eunuch Tan who serves the crown prince in the Eastern Palace? I am...Tan Yun, a captain of the Imperial Guard."

Tan Yun quickly bowed and greeted him.

Tan Ji nodded, looked at Tan Yun for a few times, and asked curiously: "Captain Tan, I wonder what your relationship is with Tan Chang, the eunuch of the Imperial Household Department?"

Tan Yun hurriedly said: "Eunuch Tan is my uncle."

"Well, you are indeed very heroic."

Qin Ji smiled, but he was a little scared. He didn't want anyone to know that he was here to see Zhang Luan, but he had to help the prince find the telescope and soap as soon as possible. He could only bite the bullet and explain the purpose of his trip. "I came to discuss the marriage of the East Palace with Zhang Honglu. I wonder if it is okay..."

Qin Yun hurriedly said, "You are too polite, Eunuch Qin. I will go in and report to you right away."

……

……

When Zhang Luan saw Tan Ji, he was quite surprised.

Last time, I only had the chance to see him in front of Qin Ji's house, but I never thought that I would meet him in person so soon, and that he came to ask for a meeting in person.

I couldn't help but feel grateful.

Fortunately, my son told me the identity of this Eunuch Tan and his position in the prince's mind. This allowed me to deal with it with ease rather than being constrained.

Just when Zhang Luan wanted to invite Qin Ji to sit down in the main hall of his house and chat slowly, Qin Ji insisted on talking only in the back room.

"Father-in-law, you came here in person, is there something important?"

Zhang Luan asked, "Could it be related to... that incident before?"

Although the two were alone, Zhang Luan still didn't dare to speak too thoroughly.

Qin Ji looked embarrassed and said, "The tribute has been presented to His Majesty. In addition to yours, all the proceeds from the families of officials in the Eastern Palace have been handed over. Fortunately, you, Zhang Honglu, informed me in advance, which avoided a disaster."

When Zhang Luan heard this, he thought that Qin Ji had simply come to the mansion to express his gratitude, so he said with a smile on his face: "Eunuch Qin is really too polite. The prince and I will be family from now on. How can I sit idly by when the prince is in trouble? Of course I will help if I can, but if I can't help, I will notify him so that he can be prepared."

Qin Ji was extremely moved, and looked at Zhang Luan with a kind look, "Fortunately, Zhang Honglu helped the prince, so the prince was able to turn danger into safety. Since you are sincere in helping me, I will not be polite. There is still a difficult matter here, or I may need your help..."

"Uh?"

Zhang Luan was stunned for a moment.

He thought to himself, I'm just pretending to be cool in front of you and being polite, why do you really have something to ask of me?
Could it be related to the prince again?

You think too highly of me!

I'm just a salary-earning official at the Honglu Temple. I'm said to be a fourth-rank official, but in fact I have no power at all. How can I help you?

"Zhang Honglu, to be honest, although we made preparations in advance for this incident, we still let Liang Fang, the eunuch of the Imperial Stables who has always had a grudge against the Crown Prince, take advantage of the opportunity."

Tan Ji said with a look of regret.

"You mean... things won't end well?" Zhang Luan asked.

"Mr. Zhang Honglu is very far-sighted. I think you should have expected this."

Qin Ji was a little distressed, frowning and said: "Actually, His Majesty highly praised the telescope in the tribute, saying that it would be used in border military operations, which might have miraculous effects. In addition, His Majesty also wanted to bring back a batch of soap to distribute to the Queen Mother and the nobles in the palace.

"I wonder if Zhang Honglu can find these two things?"

Zhang Luan was confused when he heard this. The yellow coral I handed over was so valuable, but the old emperor had no interest in it at all. How could he be interested in a telescope and soap?

"this and that……"

Zhang Luan's words were evasive and hesitant.

Although he knew that these two things were brought back by his son, how could he know whether he could get more in the future?

Now that I am asked to give this as a tribute, I dare not agree to it lightly.

Zhang Luan frowned, weighing the pros and cons in his mind...

If I rashly agree to it and fail to accomplish it in the end, will I be beheaded?

Seeing Zhang Luan's hesitation, Qin Ji couldn't help but sigh: "If it is really impossible to find it, it's no big deal. We can only blame the prince for his bad luck and not being able to enjoy it.

"Now I am afraid that some people are still lingering around and are trying to catch the prince and relentlessly attack him, trying to alienate the father-son relationship between Your Majesty and the prince... But I still want to thank Zhang Honglu for his timely help."

Zhang Luan said quickly, "Eunuch Tan, don't worry. I didn't say I won't help you. I just need to ask my son about this matter first. He may have a solution."

"Your son..."

Qin Ji immediately thought of the day when he went to meet his little son.

Zhang Luan smiled and said, "I have two sons. The second son is the boy who went to your house to see you that day. His name is Yanling."

Qin Ji nodded quickly: "I have seen him, I have seen him. Your son is very measured in what he says and does. He told me everything you told him to do, and he has the demeanor of a great general."

Zhang Luan shook his head and said with a smile: "Wrong, wrong, in fact, I didn't teach him those words, he thought about it and said them by himself, it has nothing to do with me, haha!"

"what?"

Tan Ji was horrified.

A childish boy, without any instruction from his elders, gave me a long speech, convinced me, and successfully found a solution to deal with the theft of tribute?
It sounds very mysterious.

Zhang Luan grinned: "My son has been naughty since he was young, but he is very smart. He bought the telescope and soap. I didn't interfere." "It was him... Zhang Honglu, are you sure that those two things were not given to you by someone else?"

Qin Ji couldn't help but get excited when he heard this.

Because he knew very well that the emperor had given the difficult problem to both the prince and Liang Fang at the same time.

If it is confirmed that the telescope and the soap came from her, then Liang Fang's chance of finding the two items... would be very slim.

Zhang Luan said confidently, "It is indeed him... There is absolutely no mistake in this matter. I don't know how he got these two things. They have never been seen before. However, whether I can get another batch back will depend on my detailed inquiry after he comes back. I can only trouble Eunuch Tan to wait for a while!"

"Then... my son... is he... studying? Can we go find him now?"

Qin Ji was a little impatient. "Please forgive me, Mr. Zhang. I am extremely anxious. My heart is beating so fast that it is about to jump out of my throat... This thing must not fall into the hands of evil people."

Zhang Luan said, "My son has been setting up business outside these days, and I don't know what he is doing... My child has very positive ideas and is very capable, so I never restrict him. I just let him do whatever he wants and let him develop on his own."

"You... you are really open-minded. Young Master is so talented, why don't you study hard?"

Qin Ji had an incredible expression.

Zhang Luan smiled and said, "I have invited a teacher... or he went out to find a teacher himself, who is a student and has profound knowledge. During this period, he went out with the teacher all day long, saying that reading thousands of books and traveling thousands of miles, and that learning can be fun... I don't know what nonsense he is talking about.

"Faced with such a lively child, I was afraid that if I suppressed him too harshly, he would lose his natural spirituality. So as a father, I usually just control the general direction and most of the time I can only let him do what he wants."

The more Qin Ji listened, the more he was surprised. Finally, he said in a flash, "I remember now. Even His Royal Highness the Crown Prince seemed to be praising the Second Young Master, saying that he was the Little Zhuge of your house."

"is it?"

Zhang Luan asked with a smile, "Does the prince know him too?"

"Yes."

Qin Ji responded but was thinking in his heart, no wonder your daughter, the future Crown Princess, would praise her brother so much, it turns out this brother is really a capable guy, not only is he far-sighted in the matter of selecting a concubine, but he can also see through his opponent's conspiracy and tricks in matters concerning the life and death of the Crown Prince, and finally get out of danger.

in this case……

The capable person from the Zhang family who secretly helped the prince was not you, Zhang Laizhan, but your son?
……

……

It was dark.

When the lights came on, the two Zhang brothers returned home with Chai Meng and Chang Shun.

"Where have you been, little brat?"

When Zhang Luan heard that his two sons had returned, he hurried out from the backyard and started scolding them as soon as they met.

Zhang Heling said aggrievedly: "Dad, I went out with the second son...Why do you always scold me and not him?"

Zhang Luan glared at him and said, "You bastard, I'm too lazy to scold you!"

Zhang Yanling pointed at himself and asked, "So... Dad, are you scolding me?"

"So what if I scold you? Come with me, someone has been waiting for you for quite some time."

After saying that, Zhang Luan took his second son and walked towards the backyard.

Zhang Heling stood there stupidly, saying bewilderedly, "It's bad, it's bad... My father is too lazy to even scold me now? The world is really going downhill."

"My Lord, what you said is inappropriate... 'The world is going downhill' means that the world is getting worse day by day, which is not suitable for this place."

As a teacher, Chai Meng corrected mistakes in a timely manner.

"Mr. Chai, you know how to use words and construct sentences, so do you know what my father is going to do?"

Zhang Heling curled his lips.

Chai Meng smiled and shook his head.

It feels like it's saying that you are the most normal person in your family and the only one I can see through.

A family of freaks except you!

……

……

In the back room.

Zhang Yanling was not surprised by Qin Ji's arrival. Instead, he felt that everything was developing in a controllable direction.

"Eunuch Qin is very busy, but he still has to make a trip in person. It's really troublesome for you... In fact, you can send someone to inform him." Zhang Yanling was the one who knew how to welcome and see off guests the best in the Zhang family. He greeted them politely as soon as they met.

Qin Ji explained: "Young Master, I know that my visit may disturb the peace of your house, but I have to do so due to the urgency of the matter. I can only say sorry. When I entered the house earlier, I was also with that Captain Qin..."

Having said that, Qin Ji still felt a little ashamed.

Zhang Yanling had clearly told him last time that he didn't want the Zhang family to be involved in the court's change of crown prince turmoil, but now he took the initiative to come to the door and was discovered by Qin Chang's nephew.

In this matter, it seems that Qin Ji was not being honest.

Zhang Yanling smiled and comforted: "Captain Qin? It's okay, it's okay... I get along well with him, he won't say anything to others!"

Tan Ji shook his head and smiled bitterly.

Let’s talk about it again. Can he hide such a big thing as my visit to your house from Qin Chang?
"My father has roughly told me the purpose of Eunuch Tan's visit. Please relax. The main thing is to reassure the prince in the palace... The telescope and soap are both made by me. Outsiders cannot get them. In other words, I am the only one who can make them now. It just takes a few days."

Zhang Yanling said confidently.

Qin Jiben was still feeling guilty, and asked in surprise, "Are you serious?"

Zhang Yanling said sternly, "Now even His Majesty is taking this matter seriously, and it concerns the interests of the Crown Prince, my future brother-in-law. How can I treat it as a joke?"

"It's really... It's really a blessing from heaven... Young Master... Zhang Honglu... I don't know how to describe you..."

At this time, Qin Ji was already crying for joy, and he was unaware of the few tears flowing down his wrinkled old face.

That kind of inexplicable ecstasy seems to make people reborn as a human being.

Zhang Luan seemed dissatisfied with his son's answer and asked, "The situation is very urgent now. Can't you make it earlier? Do you have to wait a few more days?"

Zhang Yanling said helplessly: "Dad, the ingredients are not ready yet. Even a good wife can't cook without rice... Everything should be done step by step. You can't eat a fat man in one bite. How can you be more anxious than Eunuch Tan?"

Qin Ji quickly persuaded: "Zhang Honglu, please don't blame the young master. As long as outsiders cannot get it and the items can be presented in the next few days, it will be good...

"I will tell the prince this good news when I return. It will surely help him calm down and face all difficulties and obstacles with a smile. This is already a blessing from heaven, and we cannot force it..."

Zhang Yanling shrugged, "It's not like there isn't one. Dad, the tube-shaped object my brother was holding when he came back just now is a telescope. I made two before, and gave the good one to Eunuch Tan, who gave it to the prince. The other one is usually used by my eldest brother as a toy, and he carries it with him wherever he goes."

"What?"

Zhang Luan's eyes widened when he heard this. "You gave such a valuable thing to your brother and let him use it as a toy? What if he breaks it?"

Qin Ji was also very shocked after hearing this, and hurriedly asked: "Zhang Honglu, can you..."

"Eunuch Qin, don't worry. I will go find my son and get the things back." Zhang Luan stood up and was about to leave.

"Don't worry, don't worry. If there is only one, it won't help. It's better to hand in several at a time." Qin Ji quickly dissuaded.

Zhang Luan was about to go out, but when he heard that, he stopped, touched his head, and said with a smile: "So there is no rush? Okay, I'll make a few more later and have Yanling send them to Eunuch Tan."

Qin Ji was excited: "Then I'll leave it to you two."

Zhang Yanling smiled and said, "It's all thanks to my father... Even if I made it, it was using the technology invented by my father. My father... is just a low-key person and doesn't like to show off."

Qin Ji smiled ambiguously.

It seems to be saying, are you still fooling me here?

Your father betrayed you a long time ago!

I know you did it all from beginning to end, and he has no idea about it at all.

Zhang Yanling said again: "Eunuch Tan, I have another request, which is about the origin of these things..."

Qin Ji put away his smile upon hearing this and quickly stated: "I know how to report this matter and will definitely not let the Zhang family get involved in the court dispute."

"That's good."

Zhang Yanling smiled brightly, "My sister will be married to the Eastern Palace in a few days. I hope that Eunuch Tan will take good care of her then."

Qin Ji said quickly, "What are you talking about, young master? Your sister is the Crown Princess. She is the master and I am the servant. How can we mess up the hierarchy? I hope your sister can give me more advice."

"Haha."

Zhang Luan smiled broadly and said in a heroic manner, "Eunuch Tan is really approachable. After a few simple conversations, we are like old friends, and we can talk about almost anything. The mansion has prepared some wine and food. Eunuch Tan, how about sitting down and having a drink together?"

"No, no, I must hurry back to the palace as soon as possible to reassure the Crown Prince... Zhang Honglu, you are too polite. We will have to keep in touch in the future. After all..."

"Yes, yes, we are almost a family, so we don't need to care about these customs."

Zhang Luan said earnestly, "Eunuch Tan, please go and do your work. You can come to my house anytime when you are free. I will prepare a bed for you."

(End of this chapter)