Uncle from a poor family

Chapter 225 Establishing a Personal Design
After Qin Chang finished talking to Zhu Jianshen, he left.

When he came out and saw Wei Tai, Wei Tai hurried forward to ask: "What happened? Did His Majesty say anything?"

Tan Chang said: "Your Majesty asked Tan Ji about what he said at the time, but he did not have a clear attitude."

"What do you mean?"

Wei Tai didn't come to his senses for a moment.

Qin Chang's face was extremely stern, and he said, "You can't see this? His Majesty is clearly well prepared... Regarding the tribute, it is obvious that Liang Fang secretly sent the tribute to the capital and framed the officials associated with the Eastern Palace... Now, anyone who wants to take credit for making the telescope and soap must also see if they have the ability to do so."

"Didn't they say it could never be made again?"

Wei Tai was very curious.

If Prince Ali of the Kingdom of Mecca says that they built the telescope, how can we disprove it?
Qin Chang said, "It's not that the telescope can't be made, but that we can't make a better one. Isn't it said that the scraps can be made? And it's not said that soap can't be made... Didn't you realize that there was actually a trap in Qin Ji's words at that time?"

"This……"

Wei Tai suddenly realized, "You mean, Qin Ji had already expected that someone would continue to impersonate, so..."

Qin Chang looked cautious. "In the past, we didn't believe that Qin Ji would be so cunning. We thought that he had set a trap for the prince when he said that the Huangshan mica had been used up. Now I think that this trap was set specifically for Liang Fang... It depends on whether Liang Fang can figure out the details."

Wei Tai suddenly realized, and said, "If Liang Fang uses Prince Ali of the Tianfang Kingdom to say that the telescope presented by the crown prince was his, Tan Ji will take out the leftover Huangshan mica, and the lies of Liang Fang and others will be exposed in an instant!"

"Ah."

Qin Chang said, "Instead of taking the finished product, take some scraps and ask someone to make one on the spot. Even if it's not perfect, the function is the same. Then ask Liang Fang and the prince of that country what they have to say."

Wei Tai burst out laughing.

Qin Chang said: "So your majesty only asked Qin Ji about his statement at the time, and then just brushed it off without even asking anyone to investigate the background of the prince of Tianfang Country. Maybe your majesty is also waiting to see what the person behind the scenes will do."

Wei Tai asked tentatively: "Then let's..."

Qin Chang sneered: "Liang Fang brought trouble upon himself, and thought that His Majesty was unaware of it, but in fact, everything is under His Majesty's control. Now he is just a clown, and His Majesty just doesn't want to expose him. Let's see how he will act when the incident happens!"

……

……

Liang Fangfu's residence.

On that day, Liang Fang received a mysterious guest at his home. The guest was actually not from a prominent family and was not even an official. He was just a student. He was Peng Mianfu, the eldest son of cabinet minister Peng Hua.

"What did Zhang Luan say when you handed Huang Shanhu to him that day?"

Liang Fang called Peng Mianfu here this time mainly to find out how the carefully designed plan to frame people related to the Eastern Palace was leaked.

Peng Mianfu said innocently, "It was just as planned. I asked him to go back and treat my father. Since he and I were both in Beiyong, there was no problem in talking. He agreed immediately... The things were handed over privately, and I did not show up. However, during the banquet, many people saw him showing off. He was very proud."

"Then... could it be that the conspirator wasn't Zhang Luan?"

Liang Fang frowned and talked to herself.

Just listening to Peng Mianfu's story, this new prince's father-in-law does not seem to be a smart man.

He accepts things as soon as they are given to him and even takes them out to show off in front of others without any sense of caution at all.

If it was Zhang Luan who exposed the matter, could it be that he had a sudden epiphany and awakened after returning home?
The possibility is very slim!
"Who sent the things to Yang Shouchen's house?"

Liang Fang continued to ask.

Peng Mianfu thought about it carefully and said, "At first, my father sent someone to deliver gifts, but the people in Yang Mansion did not accept them. Later, I don't know who took over the task and completed it successfully. After hearing about it, I laughed at myself for being inferior to others."

Liang Fang asked, "In other words, Yang Shouchen had no intention of accepting the gift from the beginning?"

Peng Mianfu said: "After all, he is a lecturer in the Hanlin Academy. His family is relatively well-off, so it is not easy to give him gifts. However, others are not as alert as he is... It is very common for people in the court to give gifts to each other. His family may have been deceived by this."

"Oh."

Liang Fang nodded.

Now that the situation was basically clear, Liang Fang intentionally changed the topic and asked with a smile, "Do you like the girl I gave you earlier?"

"Oh, I like it. I like it."

When Peng Mianfu heard this, he immediately perked up. He was grateful at first, then beamed with joy and said, "She is not only talented and beautiful, but also sensible and reasonable. She is truly the most beautiful woman in the world. It's indescribable!"

Liang Fang smiled and said, "Such a beautiful woman is indeed rare in the world. If my family... could not enjoy her, I would definitely not give her to you. It's a pity that your father is still ill and cannot enjoy her."

Peng Mianfu felt a little embarrassed after hearing this.

It seems that you didn't intend to give this woman to me, but you gave it to me because you had no choice?
Peng Mianfu said, "I heard that Eunuch Liang is collecting rare treasures recently to present to His Majesty. Do you want to send him back?"

"Haha, are you willing to do that?"

Liang Fang asked teasingly.

"Of course I am reluctant, but since Eunuch Liang has given me an order, how can I be the only one to do it?"

Peng Mianfu seemed to be very knowledgeable and interesting.

Liang Fang smiled but said nothing.

Wei Xing at the side was a little unhappy, and he stepped forward and said, "Master Peng, what you said is wrong. How can you take back what you gave away? They are people, not objects. There is no such thing as giving gifts to each other."

"Oh, yes, yes."

Peng Mianfu showed a smile that showed embarrassment but also a hint of relief.

It seems to be saying, fortunately you don’t ask for it back, otherwise I would have suffered a great loss!
Liang Fang advised: "After you go back, continue what you have not done before, and don't let people talk about you."

"which one?"

Peng Mianfu asked in confusion.

"Of course, we should ask that Zhang Honglu to come back to your house to treat your father's illness."

Wei Xing reminded, "Our eunuch Liang also wants to see what his abilities are. I heard that this man can even cure smallpox. In the case of Lady Wan, both the eunuch Tan of the Imperial Household Department and the Minister Li of the Silver Palace Department wanted to ask him to come to the palace to treat Lady Wan, but no one did anything... This matter itself is very strange."

Peng Mianfu was a little curious: "Are you saying that this Zhang Jiansheng is not simple?"

Liang Fang smiled and said, "He is no longer a student, but the prince's old friend, the fourth-rank minister of the Honglu Temple of the Ming Dynasty. We should show him some respect."

Peng Mianfu sighed, "Please forgive me for speaking frankly, but this man is extremely mercenary and has no trace of a Confucian scholar... To say that he has any great ability is almost impossible with my many years of experience in judging people."

Liang Fang asked, "What if he is pretending?"

"People speak the truth after drinking, and it is said that drinking behavior reflects one's character... What do you two eunuchs think? He is frivolous and boastful. Not only does he act crazy when drunk, but he also never tells the truth. After drinking with him once, I don't want to do it again." Peng Mianfu looked down on Zhang Luan in his words.

Wei Xing smiled and said, "You have some truth in what you said. He is willing to send his own daughter to the palace in exchange for wealth and glory. I wonder how magnanimous he is."

Liang Fang waved her hand and said, "It's better to fulfill what you have said as soon as possible to avoid suspicion. Just go to their house and invite them. Just think of it as doing something for our family. We will give them a thank-you gift later."

"Don't dare, don't dare..."

Peng Mianfu said hurriedly, "As long as Eunuch Liang can take care of the Peng family's business in the capital, that would be great."

"That's easy. As long as it's a place that the Imperial Stables and the Beijing Army can get involved in, if there's anything, just give us a heads up... Your father is a cabinet minister of the Ming Dynasty, a well-known figure, who dares not give him face? From now on, we will benefit each other, no more words."

Liang Fang was not stingy and made a promise generously.

Cooperating with the Peng family would be beneficial to him, so he naturally would not resist.

……

……

Zhang family.

Main hall.

Zhang Luan sat in the main seat, with his two sons sitting below him. Today's family meeting was proposed by Zhang Yanling and held immediately.

"Second brother, what are you doing? If you have something to say, just talk to me alone. Why ask the eldest brother to come? I'm very busy recently and don't have time to fool around with you two."

Zhang Luan said with a dark face.

Zhang Heling was immediately displeased when he heard this, and he shouted, "Dad, why can't I participate in something? Are you two doing things behind closed doors? Humph, as the eldest son of the family, I have nothing to do with any major events, right? Is it so humiliating?"

Zhang Luan turned his head away, with a look of pity on his face: "You are still working in isolation... It is better to read a few more books when you have time... You can't even write articles written by sages, but you keep using these words in front of your father, and you use them all wrong. Don't you feel ashamed... Even if you don't take the imperial examination, can't you learn how to behave like your brother? Do you have to be scolded by your father to be happy?"

"Alright, alright, Dad, stop scolding me. This is not the purpose of our meeting today... Let's get down to business now!"

Zhang Yanling interrupted the argument between his old father and his brother.

Zhang Luan waved his hand and said, "Go ahead."

Zhang Yanling said, "I called Big Brother here this time because I actually wanted him to sit in on the discussion. After all, this matter concerns him and involves the rise and fall, honor and disgrace of our Zhang family. I need him to actively participate."

Zhang Luan frowned and looked at his son with confusion in his eyes.

It seems like he is asking his son.

Are you sure that anything related to the Zhang family's rise and fall, honor and disgrace, has something to do with your unreliable elder brother?
That's right?

"I like to hear that."

Zhang Heling smiled and patted his chest, saying, "Is it because our family is so prominent now that we want to marry into a high-ranking official in the court? No problem, no problem. You are a lady from a noble family. Just come to my house and act as a matchmaker. I agree."

I agree with you big head ghost!

Zhang Luan almost wanted to curse.

Zhang Yanling saw that his old father was about to lose his temper, so he hurriedly comforted him: "Dad, you see, my eldest brother is quite clear-headed. Before we even start the conversation, he knows what's going on at home that's related to him, and he's willing to take responsibility. This is a huge improvement." "Really?"

Zhang Luan was dismissive of this.

Is there anyone as comforting as you?
Aren't you treating your elder brother like a fool?
Alas, my two sons...are they sure they have the same father and mother? Are they both my biological children?
Zhang Yanling smiled and said, "However, big brother, you have to be patient... No one wants to marry us yet, so don't worry, you will be useful one day in the future! What I want to say now is that we have to establish a personal image for our family as soon as possible... This matter requires you to take action."

"What does it mean to establish a character?"

Zhang Heling immediately raised his hand to ask a question, acting like a naive and studious child.

Before Zhang Yanling could explain, Zhang Luan interrupted: "Son, you'd better be more careful in what you do... I'm not saying anything to you, but sometimes you are too radical. I hope you don't want to do something extraordinary this time and bring unnecessary trouble to our Zhang family!"

Zhang Yanling grinned and said, "Hey, Dad, you really got it right... As the saying goes, extraordinary people do extraordinary things. As a newly promoted relative of the emperor, our Zhang family may not have power yet, but we can't keep a low profile any longer. We should let everyone in the capital know about our existence."

"Um!?"

Zhang Luan had a strange look on his face.

This sounds like a good thing, to bring honor to the family, but...

"Second brother, these words sound very awkward coming out of your mouth."

Zhang Luan pointed it out bluntly, "Didn't you say before that before something big happens, our family should try to keep a low profile and not show off? Why did you suddenly change your mind?"

Zhang Yanling smiled faintly and asked, "Talent is afraid of being known to others, and will be envied by villains. Do you also fear being known for being flamboyant and domineering?"

"Ahem...what did you say?"

Zhang Luan was choking on his own saliva and started coughing.

This kid, he never stops until he says something shocking.

Zhang Yanling sighed, "The so-called character building is to do what the imperial relatives and ministers should do... Think about the Zhou and Qian families, who often bully and dominate the market in the capital. Even if our Zhang family is not powerful yet, shouldn't we imitate them and let people think that we are normal imperial relatives, not weirdos who are only interested in studying and striving for progress?"

Zhang Luan's eyes widened as he heard this, and he asked tremblingly, "You...you mean, you...are also planning to bully the market?"

"Yes, Dad, isn't this good? In this way, we will be the same as those in-laws. Others will not feel that our family is so out of place. Their guard against us will instantly be reduced. People like Liang Fang and Deng Changen will not be wary of us anymore." Zhang Yanling continued to state his point of view.

"Hey……"

Zhang Luan said disapprovingly: "It's nonsense just to hear it. Anyone who agrees with your opinion is a fool."

There really was a fool who rushed out on his own initiative. Zhang Heling asked enthusiastically, "Brother, how do you bully people in the market? Are you going to smash and rob? I think I know why you sent me out. I think I'm good at this."

Zhang Yanling asked with a smile: "Brother, are you really capable of this? Have you ever done anything like looting and smashing before?"

"I've always wanted to do it... but I've only done small things in Xingji City. If I could do something big in the capital, that would be my dream... Please give me this opportunity to show my abilities, brother."

Zhang Heling almost knelt down and begged his younger brother to let him show his skills.

Zhang Luan frowned: "You bastard, what nonsense are you talking about? And you, Yanling, do you want to ruin the good reputation that our Zhang family has worked so hard to gain? No way!

"Your father was born as a student of the Imperial Academy, and now I am the Minister of the Honglu Temple. As a role model of civil officials, if I can't even discipline my own son, how can I govern the country? So I don't agree with your opinion!"

At this point, Zhang Luan seemed righteous and almost stood up to express his ambition for governing the country, to let people know what a great man he was in his heart.

Zhang Yanling did not give in at all and said sternly, "Dad, I'm giving you a choice now. You can either keep the status quo and let Liang Fang and others gradually target our family and find someone to take revenge on us. You may not come back even if you go out, and die. Or you can listen to me and do what a family of relatives by marriage should do and keep pace with the relatives by marriage in the capital. Even if this brings back a little bad reputation, at least our family will be safe."

"This one……"

Zhang Luan was speechless for a moment.

Zhang Yanling continued: "This is a true man who can bend and stretch!"

Zhang Heling slammed the table excitedly, shocking the confused Zhang Luan.

Zhang Heling shouted, "Yes, yes, yes, second brother, you are right. A real man should be able to stretch and shrink. This is what I always teach people..."

"Hey, big brother, who did you teach? Are you sure you were teaching me, your second brother?"

Zhang Yanling couldn't help but frown when he heard that, and he started to think, no wonder there are no decent people in the Zhang family, it turns out that before I showed up, the Zhang family was full of people like you and your son.

Zhang Luan looked at his second son with an expression of "I don't care who you are". He said, "Then tell me, what do you want to do?"

Zhang Yanling said seriously: "Go and beat someone up, find someone to fight with, and try to make it bigger, so that everyone knows that it was my eldest brother who did it."

Zhang Luan glared at him and asked, "Why is it your eldest brother who is going? You... can go, too... Hey, Boss, you want to go, right?"

Originally Zhang Luan wanted to say, since you came up with the idea, why don’t you do it yourself?

But then he thought, if the Zhang family must lose one of their children right now, then they must kill the eldest son first. As for himself and the second son... they must not exchange them with others first, otherwise the Zhang family will be doomed in the future.

Therefore, when it comes to such taboo matters, you should do it, boss!
As a father, I support you silently behind the scenes!
"Look at what dad said. Who am I afraid of, your son? Isn't it just a fight? Beat him up! It's just... I don't think we have enough manpower."

Zhang Heling was a little troubled and shook his head, saying, "I did find some people who could move things and do the work, but they are not good at fighting."

Zhang Luan frowned: "Do you have a pig brain? Are you still concerned about whether there are enough people? Why don't you ask your second brother who he wants to fight?"

"correct."

Zhang Heling turned to look at his younger brother and asked with a smile, "Second brother, who are we going to fight this time?"

Zhang Yanling said coldly: "He is a person who has schemed to cheat our family."

Zhang Luan frowned and asked, "You don't want to beat Liang Fang, do you? How is this different from committing suicide?"

Zhang Yanling smiled and said, "Dad, we don't have the strength to challenge the eunuchs in the Imperial Horse Administration now. It is said that a real man can bend and stretch, so let him go this time. However, don't you want to beat up the person who once said that he would invite you to go home to treat his father and plotted to harm you to vent your anger?"

"Peng Mianfu? That bastard... How can a father not think about him?"

Zhang Luan felt so angry when he thought of this person.

Zhang Heling asked in surprise: "Dad, you are so angry that your facial features are almost distorted. Is this person a bad person?"

Zhang Luan gnashed his teeth and said, "It would be fine if he was just bad, but what annoyed me was that I treated him sincerely, but he approached me with malice from the beginning. Such a sinister and cunning person is worse than a beast!"

"Second brother, can you understand what Dad is saying?"

Zhang Heling looked at his brother.

Zhang Yanling smiled and said, "Father hates bad people, but he won't go too far. He will just curse them a few times. But this Peng Mianfu is different. Father considers him a friend, but he stabbed father in the back and framed him secretly, wanting to send everyone in our Zhang family to jail... He is a completely sinister villain."

"So you're a hypocrite."

Zhang Heling blurted out.

Now Zhang Luan and Zhang Yanling both looked at him with curiosity, as if to say, good, you have a strong ability to summarize, and you really hit the nail on the head.

Zhang Heling said, "Why are you looking at me? Hypocrites deserve a beating. When we were in Xingji, we got into a fight and were harmed by hypocrites... Humph, that kind of two-faced villain deserves a beating. When are we going?"

Zhang Luan tried to dissuade him: "Wait, Yanling, he is the son of the elder, his family is quite powerful, and we may not know about his deep background, are you sure..."

Zhang Yanling smiled and said, "Dad, if we want to beat him, we must not use the same excuse as the last time he plotted against you. We must have a legitimate reason to do so!"

"What do you mean?"

Zhang Luan asked in confusion, "He used the tribute to cheat us, and that's not justified?"

Zhang Yanling waved his hands and said, "Can the fight between the relatives be caused by disputes in the court? It must be for the sake of profit... As for Peng Mianfu, I have already investigated him. He has been bullying the market in the capital with the help of his father's power, and has offended many people. Recently, he is trying to forcibly purchase a shop in the city."

"Um!?"

Zhang Luan looked confused.

It seems that my son is really no ordinary person. Before beating someone, he even does such detailed and complete preparations.

It turns out that everything was ready, so I mentioned it to him in person.

Zhang Yanling said, "The shop originally had nothing to do with the Huizhou merchants, but the Huizhou merchants were not happy about it, so I asked Mr. Qin, who was cooperating with us, to introduce the owner of the shop to us, so that he could compete with Peng Mianfu for the ownership of the shop."

"Do you have the money to buy it?"

Zhang Luan asked with a frown.

"No need to worry about this. He is buying and we are negotiating. It won't cost too much money." Zhang Yanling said, "In fact, this is just a pretext. Once there is a conflict of interests, it will be easy to fight."

Zhang Heling asked: "What is that?"

Zhang Luan interrupted again: "You mean, if we fight him over a dispute over interests, it will make our Zhang family look no different from an ordinary in-law?"

"Yes, Dad."

Zhang Yanling nodded.

"Where are the staff?"

Zhang Luan also asked about issues that his eldest son was concerned about.

Zhang Yanling smiled and said, "I will gather all the people. The number will definitely be more than what Peng Mianfu brought... This fight will be very measured. No one will die, but it will make a big fuss. Maybe everyone in the capital will know about it... Then it will be just a lot of noise but little action."

Zhang Luan asked worriedly, "What if something really happens?"

Zhang Yanling asked back: "Dad, don't you believe me?"

Zhang Luan was a little worried, but he still nodded: "Since you have planned everything, then go ahead and do it. But you don't have to take the lead, let your elder brother take over..."

Zhang Heling patted his chest and said, "Are you still not confident in my work? At home, it is the elder brother's duty to protect his younger brother... Isn't it just fighting? The second brother is weak, and I wouldn't let him go even if he wanted to. I almost beat him to death last time... Humph, he's always holding me back."

Hearing this, Zhang Luan felt relieved. He stood up, stepped forward, patted his eldest son on the shoulder, and said, "Go, work hard, and come back safely!"

(End of this chapter)