Uncle from a poor family

Chapter 214 Reputation (Subscription and monthly ticket required)
The sky gradually darkened and the lights were already on in the Duanjing Hall.

Zhu Youtang was trying on the dress he would wear at his wedding ceremony. After putting it on, he looked at himself in the bronze mirror for a long time and seemed to like the new dress in the mirror very much.

"Prince."

Tan Ji appeared behind Zhu Youtang.

Then Qin Ji dismissed all the people who were serving the prince in dressing, and he went over to help tidy up the clothes.

Zhu Youtang asked curiously, "It's already dark, and my wife hasn't left the palace yet? The maid at home must be waiting anxiously, right?"

Qin Ji also has a wife. Although they are not actually married, the couple is very loving.

Qin Ji also gradually influenced Zhu Youtang with his love and care for his family, making Zhu Youtang feel that even eunuch couples could live with mutual respect, which had a great impact on him.

Qin Ji smiled and said, "Eunuch Wei Tai, the chief secretary of the Imperial Household Department, sent someone to tell me not to leave the palace recently."

"Why?"

Zhu Youtang asked curiously, "As the governor of the East Factory, can he be in charge of the affairs of the East Palace?"

Qin Ji said, "He did it for my own good... He knew that Eunuch Liang would definitely cause trouble for me regarding the telescope, and he would probably ask me for the source of the telescope, so he advised me not to leave the palace. After all, the power of the Imperial Stables in the capital is so great that even the Imperial Household Department has to avoid it."

"Oh."

Zhu Youtang seemed to understand something and asked, "If Liang Fang finds someone who makes telescopes, will he be able to make more and better ones?"

Qin Ji shook his head: "The person who gave us the telescope said that this situation will never happen."

Zhu Youtang frowned and asked: "Such a good thing, why must you give it to me? I can't bring him anything..."

It was obvious that Zhu Youtang was in a state of confusion at this moment.

It is said that when you give a gift to someone, there must be something you want. So what is the person trying to achieve by giving me a gift?

Will I be able to help him when I ascend the throne in the future?
The problem is that my father is now in his prime, around 40 years old. I think even if another 20 years pass, I may not be able to become the emperor.

With my frail body, I don’t know if I can live another 20 years.

Qin Ji said: "The prince will know it in the future... You just need to know one thing, that he is sincerely helping you."

"Oh. The more you talk, the more curious I become. I can't help but want to find out the truth."

Zhu Youtang smiled and shook his head, "But I feel relieved that my wife is here. Please keep the secret, I won't ask any more questions."

Qin Ji helped Zhu Youtang tidy up his clothes, and looked at the handsome young man in the mirror with the prince.

Zhu Youtang nodded and said, "That's great."

Qin Ji smiled and said, "Prince, there is a saying among the people that women dress up to please themselves, and you are almost the same!"

"Uh……"

Zhu Youtang immediately understood what Qin Ji meant, and couldn't help but feel a little shy, "My dear, are you making fun of me?"

"No, the prince is going to get married soon. His character and appearance are both excellent. In the future, everyone in the world will admire and praise the prince."

Qin Ji said some meaningless compliments.

Zhu Youtang said with a look of longing: "I wonder if she feels the same as I do at home?"

Qin Ji thought, you really only dress up to please yourself, and after a few words you started talking about your little lover again.

"Prince, Eunuch Wei also mentioned something specifically."

Tan Ji said seriously.

Zhu Youtang asked doubtfully, "Is it important?"

Qin Ji nodded: "Yes. It is related to your majesty's health... Recently, your majesty has been missing Lady Wan for a long time and has fallen seriously ill... Fortunately, his health has improved and he is gradually recovering. Unfortunately, he is still depressed and can hardly smile. If this continues for a long time, I am afraid that his old illness will relapse."

Zhu Youtang nodded in relief: "I know that too. I really want to help my father, but I don't know how to help."

Tan Ji sighed, "According to Eunuch Wei's intention, the Crown Prince should send people to search for rare books and wonderful methods among the people, or search for Taoist longevity techniques, so that Your Majesty can feel relieved and relieve the depression."

"Ah? Is this... possible?"

Zhu Youtang had a clear idea of ​​his position. After thinking for a while, he shook his head decisively, "My dear, please don't embarrass me. I just want to study peacefully... and also, I want to live a simple life in the East Palace after we get married. I'm really looking forward to it!"

……

……

Zhang Mansion.

As a bride-to-be, Zhang Yu saw the mountain of clothes piled up in front of her. If she tried on each set of clothes one by one, she would not be able to finish changing them in a whole day and night.

At this moment, Tang was waiting in Zhang Yu's room with her youngest daughter Zhang Yi. They took out the clothes listed on the gift list one by one and asked Zhang Yu to try them on, making little Zhang Yi very envious.

"Little sister, be good. When you grow up, I will give you so many new clothes."

Zhang Yu saw that his sister's eyes were full of stars and immediately spoke in a doting tone.

When Zhang Yi heard this, she immediately perked up and hurried to help her mother get clothes for her sister.

"This one looks better."

Tang couldn't help but praise.

Zhang Yu turned around and nodded slightly: "This is a dress, of course it looks good, but I always feel like something is missing... What is it?"

Mrs. Tang asked, "Is it because you lack the jewels to complement her appearance? How about getting her a new set of jewelry..."

"no need."

Zhang Yu suddenly turned around, looked out the window, and asked, "Is Yanling back?"

Tang was stunned. Why did he suddenly ask about Zhang Yanling?

Zhang Yi replied: "Sister, I'll go out and see if your second brother has come back..."

Then the little girl ran out, and came back after a long time, saying helplessly: "Second brother hasn't come back yet, but eldest brother and father are back. Dad is still drunk and is scolding eldest brother."

Zhang Yu smiled and said, "That's all my brother's fault... Auntie, please prepare some clothes for me to change into later. I'll go out and take a look now."

"it is good."

Because the clothes are so complicated in design, it takes several people to help put them on and take them off.

With the help of three or four maids, Zhang Yu finally took off his new clothes and went out wearing his old clothes.

……

……

"father."

Zhang Yu appeared in the main courtyard.

Zhang Luan was sitting on the steps in front of the main hall, using the alcohol to teach his son a lesson. He looked up at him and immediately smiled, saying, "My son, why are you out? Go back to your room quickly. It's cold. Don't catch a cold. It'll be bad if you get sick."

Zhang Heling was scolded by his father, but he was still grinning and laughing foolishly.

"Heling, what are you laughing at?"

Zhang Yu asked curiously.

Zhang Heling squinted his eyes and said, "Sis, now that you're here, Dad won't have time to scold me... It's a pity that birthdays like this won't be long before you get married and have to take someone else's surname. Sigh..."

Zhang Yu frowned: "Is this... worthy of your laughter?"

Zhang Luan was furious, but he didn't know how to educate his son, so he said, "Ignore him. He's a bad guy and only says hurtful things. Girl, aren't you trying on clothes in your room? Have you learned the palace etiquette? Are there any words you don't recognize in the book? Do you want your father to teach you?"

Zhang Yu said, "Dad, if there's anything I don't understand, just ask Yanling to teach me. By the way, why hasn't he come back yet? He seems to be very busy recently."

"I don't know..."

Zhang Luan seemed to be looking forward to it too. He glanced at the door and said helplessly, "Actually, I'm sitting here just to wait for him."

Zhang Heling was immediately happy when he heard this, with an expectant expression as if saying "I know, I know, just ask me."

Immediately, the old father glared at him and yelled, "Don't stand there and embarrass yourself. Go to the door and see if your brother is back."

……

……

When Zhang Yanling returned, it was completely dark.

Zhang Luan held a lantern and welcomed him into the house, complaining to himself: "You go out early and come back late every day, are you not at home?"

"Dad, the business is too big. I have too many things to take care of alone. I can't handle it all." Zhang Yanling said, "After all, it's a big business with 5,000 taels of start-up capital. I have to pay attention to it."

"Do you really want to expand your business so much? If you have five thousand taels, you will have enough food and drink for the rest of your life. Why would you still want to run a business?"

As Zhang Luan was talking, he had already led people into the main hall. Then he used a piece of paper to get fire from the lantern and lit the candles in the main hall one by one.

Zhang Yanling warned: "Dad, it's too dangerous for you to do this. Aren't you afraid of igniting the lantern?"

"It's just a broken lamp, which your mother brought from Xingji. Just burn it. We can replace it with a better one later."

After Zhang Luan finished speaking, he told his son roughly what he had experienced at Xu Qiong's house.

"…your uncle was very courteous to me. It was just him and I at the dinner. The food and wine were very rich, and there was even sea fish. He asked about your sister's recent situation and my relationship with Li Zisheng. I only said that I had met Li Zisheng several times through your uncle from the Shen family and entrusted Li Zisheng with some things. Your uncle seemed to want to visit Li Zisheng, but he couldn't save his face."

Zhang Luan sighed heavily when he said this. Zhang Yanling said, "These officials are so cunning. I don't believe that Uncle Xu has been in the capital for so long and has not visited Li Zisheng... They are all high-ranking ministers in the court. Now Li Zisheng is in charge of the assessment, transfer and dismissal of the Ministry of Personnel. They must have some exchanges."

Zhang Luan analyzed, "I guess he wants to pay a private visit and ask Li Zisheng to do something. I didn't know your uncle before, and I thought he was aloof and arrogant, and hard to approach. But after having a meal with him today, I found that he is not opposed to welcoming and seeing off guests, and in a sense, he is even a little enthusiastic about it."

"Hey."

Zhang Yanling smiled and said, "After all, he is a student of the Imperial Academy, so he still has some reputation in the literati circle. It's a pity that the atmosphere in the court is not good now. He has to go with the flow, otherwise he won't be able to survive. But you just wait and see, after a while, those who have committed bad deeds now will definitely be cleared up one by one. Dad, what else did Uncle Xu say to you?"

"he……"

Zhang Luan seemed to be hesitant to speak.

Zhang Yanling asked curiously, "Is there anything that we can't talk about between father and son? He's not going to give you a difficult problem, is he?"

"Your uncle Xu told me a lot about the officialdom in Nanjing, which I, as a father, did not understand at all. He said that many of his colleagues in the Hanlin Academy had been stranded in Nanjing for more than ten years without any chance of promotion. He also said that some of them had been dismissed from their official positions because they had offended the powerful people in the court." Zhang Luan said.

Zhang Yanling nodded: "He must have a deep meaning when he tells you this."

"What's the deep meaning?"

Zhang Luan asked.

Zhang Yanling said, "Put yourself in his shoes. He was transferred to the capital this time because of Li Zisheng's arrangement. He himself is notorious in the officialdom for making friends with eunuchs... What do you think he wants to do most after arriving in the capital?"

"How do I know what he wants to do?"

Zhang Luan rolled his eyes and said, "Son, keeping things in suspense is not a good habit."

Zhang Yanling smiled and said, "I think he is in urgent need of earning a good reputation, especially to gain a good reputation among the Confucian scholars, to win the respect of traditional Confucian officials, and to quickly change the rumors."

"is it?"

Zhang Luan was a little surprised, then he said thoughtfully, "He also told me that he had a colleague in Nanjing Hanlin Academy named Chen Yin, who first offended the cabinet minister Liu Ji, and then had a conflict with Nanjing garrison eunuch Qian Neng, and was dismissed from office. He asked if I could help him get his official position back.

"At that time, I even teased him, saying that as the Minister of Personnel, you are in charge of the official hats of all officials in the country, so why did you ask me to do such a favor?"

Zhang Yanling smiled and said, "Dad, do you know who Chen Yin is?"

Zhang Luan shook his head.

"This man once served as the Shaoqing of the Nanjing Taichang Temple. He was the one who shouted loudly in front of everyone when Uncle Xu went to pay his respects to the mother of Huang Ci, the eunuch of the Silijian, which directly led to the ruin of Uncle Xu's reputation." Zhang Yanling said.

"what?"

Zhang Luan was dumbfounded when he heard this, and after a long while he stammered, "Then...then your Uncle Xu still...still wants me to help?

"This kind of behavior of exposing someone's shortcomings in front of others, and not retaliating afterwards... even if it is a good thing... he actually did the opposite... Was he speaking sarcastically to me?"

Zhang Yanling thought for a moment and shook his head decisively, "Not necessarily. Uncle Xu wants to gain a good reputation, so it's best to establish a good image of repaying evil with kindness. However, Liu Ji and Qian Neng are both big shots that he cannot afford to offend, especially Qian Neng, who is a disciple of Liang Fang, the eunuch of the Imperial Horse Administration, and can be called a tyrant among the local eunuchs. He got involved in this tribute incident, so Uncle Xu can't use the power in his hands to operate."

"Ah, is the situation so complicated?"

Zhang Luan sighed, then suddenly realized, "So he wants me to ask Li Zisheng for help... If Li Zisheng comes forward, Liu Ji and Qian Neng can't blame him, but he can use this to gain a good reputation in the literati circle."

"That should be the case. However, afterwards he will have to ask you, father, to help him clarify the matter and commend him for his achievements. This way, others will think that he is a very generous person and worthy of friendship." Zhang Yanling said.

Zhang Luan waved his hand: "Hey, just like you said before, these officials are very cunning. Is it necessary to just for a good reputation?"

Zhang Yanling said, "Dad, you don't understand his current situation. He is clearly an assistant minister of six ministries and a third-rank official in the court. He can be said to have made it, but he has a bad reputation among scholars. Many people even classify him as a sycophant. He has been in the Hanlin Academy for thirty years. Do you think he is willing to waste his life in officialdom?"

Zhang Luan said disdainfully: "It doesn't matter where you are an official."

"It's different. Very different."

Zhang Yanling shook his head repeatedly, "The Hanlin Academy can be said to be a poor government office. The Hanlins are very noble, but unfortunately they have no power and influence. They rely on the reputation of the literati to support them. The Nanjing Hanlin Academy is even poorer than the others. Uncle Xu has not gained any benefits from being an official in his life. He is just waiting for the day when he will become noble and admired by the literati.

"And now, although you have helped him get the opportunity to be promoted to the Minister of the Six Ministries, you have not helped him to improve his reputation among the scholars. How can he not be anxious?"

Zhang Luan said disapprovingly, "Didn't we agree before we went to visit Xu's house that we wouldn't release the eagle until we saw the rabbit? Besides, even if we help Chen Yin to regain his official position, will it be of any substantial help to us?"

Zhang Yanling smiled and said, "It can't be said that there are no benefits at all. In the future... I will have a confidant who is a minister or a minister, who can make my voice heard at any time in the court, and may be able to help the prince. Even if my brother-in-law becomes the emperor in the future, won't we still need senior officials in the court to make suggestions so that we can make use of the topic? In short, the benefits outweigh the disadvantages..."

"Hiss, you're talking nonsense again. Be careful, there are ears on the other side of the wall."

Zhang Luan heard his son say such treasonous words again. He looked around nervously and then asked, "What should I do? Should I ask Li Zisheng for help? Will Li Zisheng agree to my request easily?"

Zhang Yanling unexpectedly rejected it: "No, let's not talk about whether Li Zisheng will agree or not. It's not worth it just to owe Li Zisheng a favor for an outsider. Besides, if my uncle wants to gain a good reputation, helping his former enemy is certainly a good idea, but the matter is too euphemistic and tortuous, and he may not appreciate it. Now we just need to know what Uncle Xu's purpose is."

"Then...what should we do?"

"Dad, I don't know Chen Yinsu. If I rashly ask Li Zisheng to help such a demoted official get his job back, Li Zisheng might think I'm crazy. There are many ways to help my uncle gain a good reputation. Not only can you help him, but you can also let him know that it's your credit, so that he will rely on you for everything in the future. Isn't that better?"

"Hehehe, your words are quite pleasant to the ear, but I don't know if you can control your boasting after it's exposed! Your father wants to see how you help him later!"

……

……

"Second brother, what did you talk about with Dad? Why did it take so long?"

Zhang Yu was sitting on the edge of the bed. He felt a little unhappy when he saw his brother come in.

She felt that her family ignored her.

Zhang Yanling sat beside his sister without a care, not considering himself an outsider at all. He had already understood his sister's condition and knew that she was suffering from pre-marriage syndrome, feeling that her family no longer considered her one of their own, and at the same time, she was confused about the future...

"Let's talk about Uncle Xu."

Zhang Yanling briefly introduced the situation.

Zhang Yu said, "Okay, Yanling, you are capable now. Uncle Xu is an important official in the court. Is there anything he needs your help with?"

"That's right. Uncle Xu was transferred to the capital through Li Zisheng to serve as an official. He wanted to reverse his bad reputation in the scholar circle, so he discussed with father and wanted to take some special channels." Zhang Yanling said.

"So how can you help?"

Zhang Yu asked curiously, this was probably just like giving a test question.

If my younger brother can help an important official in the court, then wouldn’t it be a piece of cake for him to help me in the future?

Zhang Yanling smiled and said, "There are many ways. I haven't thought about it carefully yet. I will plan it for him later. Sister, don't look at me with such a mocking look... Let's just say the simplest one... Later, you can say good things about him in front of your brother-in-law, so that he has the opportunity to return to the Hanlin Academy and serve as a daily lecturer in the imperial lectures, isn't that enough?"

Zhang Yu was surprised: "Huh? Why is there something about me?"

Zhang Yanling pointed at her nose and said, "Sister, I helped you so much before and made you the queen. Do you think you didn't have to pay anything? Your brother-in-law is very obedient to you now. Do you believe that when you go to the palace, your brother-in-law will definitely take good care of you? Whose credit is this?"

"Alright, alright. I know you're the one helping me behind the scenes... I still have something to ask of you..."

Zhang Yu felt aggrieved at the moment and looked at his brother with resentful eyes.

Zhang Yanling smiled and said, "I see. I have already prepared poems for you. It would be best if you suddenly remembered them and recited one or two of them. This would surely make your brother-in-law fall in love with you."

"Quick, quick... show it to me."

Zhang Yu looked excited.

"Isn't it time to eat? When I came in, I could smell the aroma of food coming from the kitchen. It's good to have two stoves now. Mom should have cooked her specialty today..."

Zhang Yanling didn't seem to be in a hurry at all.

Zhang Yu wanted to raise her fist and hit her brother, but she was just pretending. Zhang Yanling was not afraid at all. He smiled and said, "Don't worry, don't worry. I'll go to my room and get it for you after dinner."

"You didn't tell me earlier that you had finished writing it. You made your sister worry for nothing." Zhang Yu was still acting like a child, pouting her lips.

Zhang Yanling said, "Sister, just because you entered the palace doesn't mean we will lose contact. I can always give you poems and lyrics in time. Besides, if you want to win your brother-in-law's heart, you can't just rely on poems and lyrics, because they are just external things."

"Then...what do we rely on?"

As soon as Zhang Yu asked, he noticed a sly smile on his brother's face. He then rolled his eyes at him shyly and said coquettishly, "How old are you? Do you know so much?"

Zhang Yanling said, "There is one thing that I think we should do together when you get married the day after tomorrow."

"What's the matter?"

Zhang Yu asked curiously.

Zhang Yanling smiled and said, "Now the prince is surrounded by many enemies, we need to help him consolidate his relationship with His Majesty... His Majesty is now depressed because of the death of Concubine Wan, I want the prince to use some methods to help his father relieve his sorrow."

Zhang Yu understood the situation very well and nodded, saying, "You have a point. As a child, if you can help your father solve his problems, you will definitely show your filial piety. But...how can you help him?"

"Sister, do you look down on me?"

Zhang Yanling said with a smile.

"If you have the ability, go help your brother-in-law."

Zhang Yu stood up, put his hands on his waist angrily, turned around and said, "Let's go out to eat."

Zhang Yanling said, "I'll help you. It's only natural for a brother-in-law to help his brother-in-law, but do I think I'm helping you, my sister?"

"Not really."

Zhang Yu said, "You are helping your brother-in-law, not me..."

"Okay, okay, then I will go find my brother-in-law and help him with advice directly in the future, and I won't ask you, sister!"

"How dare you! You deserve a beating!"

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(End of this chapter)