Uncle from a poor family

Chapter 268 The Price of Stubbornness

Qin Chang and Wei Tai looked at Li Zisheng's leaving back, both of them with serious expressions.

Wei Tai's old face was wrinkled like a bitter melon skin. He looked at Qin Chang and said, "Is he pretending? Could it be that Zhang Laizhan impeached him at his own instruction?"

Tan Chang said: "I think it is more likely that he is so angry that he loses his mind."

"how to say?"

Wei Tai asked hurriedly.

"If he denied his relationship with Zhang Luan in front of you and me, or even turned the tables on us, I would think he was just pretending, or was in cahoots with Zhang Luan."

Qin Chang said, "But now he is responding with a smile, as if he is very familiar with Zhang Luan. It is obvious that he is angry and does not want others to see his inner thoughts, so he is pretending like this."

Wei Tai nodded and said, "That's right. How could such an old fox be so easily seen through? Oh, by the way, why did Zhang Luan impeach him?"

Qin Chang said: "Thinking carefully, Wan'an's actions are not unreasonable. Zhang Luan probably didn't even know his own weight after entering the court as an official. He thought he was a relative of the royal family and started to do things without considering the consequences.

"If there are people who can instigate him or want to profit from this, it can only be the group of Hanlin lecturers in the Eastern Palace who have no power and are like grass."

……

……

It's approaching noon.

Zhang Yu was already having lunch. She planned to take a nap after lunch and discuss the secret of harmony in life with her husband in the evening. Or they could sit at the same table and read a book together, exchanging views on the story. The couple could stay up very late.

There is one good thing about being in the palace, that is, everything is free.

As the Crown Princess, Zhang Yu could eat whatever she wanted and use whatever she wanted.

Although it was said that the emperor disliked her husband a little, the supply of daily necessities was still sufficient. According to Zhu Youtang himself, this situation changed after his marriage this year, while Zhang Yu believed that it was a chain reaction brought about by the death of Concubine Wan.

Zhang Yu was only halfway through his meal when he saw Zhu Youtang stepping into the Duanjing Hall, which made him both pleasantly surprised and greatly shocked.

"Why are you back? Don't you have classes this afternoon?"

Zhang Yu asked.

Zhu Youtang sat down, looked at his wife with a smile and deep affection, and said softly: "I missed you, so I came back to see you."

"You've learned bad things."

Zhang Yu blushed. In her opinion, her husband was not the kind of person who understood romance and never said sweet words. She didn't expect him to say such sweet words today. She immediately rolled her eyes at Zhu Youtang and said, "If love lasts forever, why should we be together day and night? You'd better concentrate on your studies."

Zhu Youtang said, "Yu'er, you are so nice to hear. So even if I come back just to talk to you, it's fine. Okay, okay, stop glaring at me. I know I shouldn't come back at this time. Actually, this is the case. This morning, I heard something in Wenhua Palace. Elder Wan said that your father impeached Liang Fang and Li Zisheng. The matter may be a bit serious."

Zhang Yu asked in surprise: "Liang Fang and Li Zisheng... they are both very powerful, why did my father do that?"

Zhu Youtang shook his head and said, "It is precisely because I couldn't figure it out that I hurried back to ask you. It seems that you are not very clear either. You told me before that it is best to ask your father for advice when encountering difficulties... I will let Jiang Cong leave the palace now..."

"Ah."

Zhang Yu nodded quickly. She seemed to think this was a big deal, but then she hesitated again. "Is it okay for Jiang Cong to go? Should we let Mr. Qin go?"

"No need, Jiang Cong can still handle this matter."

Zhu Youtang trusted Jiang Cong very much.

Zhang Yu asked again: "Will impeaching Li Zisheng and Liang Fang bring great trouble to you or my father?"

Zhu Youtang thought for a moment and sighed, "I don't really understand it either, but my wife told me when I came back just now that if your father offends Liang Fang and Li Zisheng at the same time, it may be difficult for him to gain a foothold in the officialdom in the future, especially Li Zisheng, who is so powerful in the court that he can almost cover the sky with one hand."

Zhang Yu looked at Zhu Youtang with admiration: "You seem to have understood a lot of things recently."

"You all taught me this. I didn't know this before."

Zhu Youtang looked ashamed, "I feel like after the Chinese New Year, a lot of things I didn't know before were poured into my head all at once, and I still can't figure it out now."

Zhang Yu nodded: "Then let Jiang Cong go quickly. My father has always been sensible in doing things, and with my second brother Yanling's advice, there are very few mistakes. If he insists on doing this, he must have a purpose."

"Ah."

Zhu Youtang said, "If your father or second brother could tell me in advance before doing anything, it would be great. Unfortunately, the palace wall separates the inside and the outside... I really hope that my father-in-law can come to the East Palace, even if it's only once every few days."

Zhang Yu suggested: "So you should help fight for my father to enter the Hanlin Academy. Even if he doesn't have to give you lectures, it should be okay for him to deliver books to the great scholars in the Hanlin Academy, right?"

Zhu Youtang waved his hands repeatedly: "No, no, this would be an insult to your father. He is now the Minister of the Honglu Temple, which is a very high position."

Zhang Yu smiled and said, "It's most important that I can help you. Isn't it the same for any official? No matter how high the official is, is he higher than you?"

"Oh."

Zhu Youtang then realized that his father-in-law was holding the official position on his behalf.

Thinking about it, I suddenly felt a little warm.

His wife would rather let her father-in-law work as a handyman in the Hanlin Academy than to be a minister of the Honglu Temple, because it would be more convenient for him to take care of her...

This is what it means to be of one mind as a family!
In addition to being touched, Zhu Youtang also felt that his wife had become even more lovable, able to distinguish right from wrong, and most importantly, could really help him.

……

……

Jiang Cong wants to leave the palace to meet Zhang Luan.

Before leaving, Qin Ji gave him a lot of advice.

"If we go to Zhang's house now, we probably won't be able to see the master of the Zhang family." Qin Ji said.

"What should I do?"

Jiang Cong asked, "Are we going to the Honglu Temple to look for him?"

"No need, you can go directly to his house and ask his people to find the second son of the Zhang family, make things clear, and ask him to pass the message to you." Qin Ji said.

Jiang Cong looked puzzled: "The second son of the Zhang family? Wasn't he said to be only ten years old?"

Qin Ji said: "The second son of the Zhang family who showed up at the age of ten is different from other children. You will understand when you get to know him more. In fact, I don't need to hide it from you, that little guy is a smart guy."

Jiang Cong's eyes widened and he asked, "Then... who is in charge of the Zhang family?"

"Of course it's the prince's old Taishan who makes the decision!"

Qin Ji said, "But I don't know whether Zhang Honglu is really confused or pretending to be confused. Anyway, every time I see him, he always jokes in front of me. He even asks me to ask his second son directly when something happens, and often mentions his son's name. Yanling Yanling is so rare."

Jiang Cong said: "The prince's father-in-law was able to become the Minister of the Honglu Temple so quickly. How could he be easily dealt with? He is probably pretending to be confused. He is afraid of getting into trouble, so he deliberately keeps a low profile."

Tan Ji asked, "Do you think he is afraid of trouble?"

"This……"

Jiang Cong was speechless for a moment.

He even dared to impeach Liang Fang and Li Zisheng. What level of player is he?

That he is afraid of things?

I’m so scared of his grandma’s legs!
Qin Ji said: "Hurry up and go early and come back early. You must remember what I said. If you can see the second son of the Zhang family, don't see anyone else. Remember, it's the second son, not the eldest son..."

"Is it different?"

Jiang Cong asked curiously.

"Very different, you will know if you have met the two brothers."

Qin Ji was also helpless.

Because until now, he still couldn't see through the Zhang family's personnel structure, let alone the mysteries within the Zhang Mansion.

……

……

Just when Jiang Cong left the palace to look for Zhang's family, Zhu Jianshen returned to the Qianqing Palace at noon. Concubine Shao came with him, but he did not see Concubine Shao's son.

Zhu Jianshen had someone prepare the imperial meal, and the table was filled with some bland food.

Since he contracted liver disease, the imperial physician had advised the emperor to avoid certain foods. In addition, the emperor himself hated meat, so he naturally ate light food. This was also related to the fact that Zhu Jianshen had weak liver and spleen and was unable to digest greasy food.

"His Majesty."

Tan Chang appeared in the inner hall of the Qianqing Palace.

Zhu Jianshen knew that Qin Chang had something to say, and he himself had no appetite, so he waved his hand and asked Qin Chang to wait outside.

After a while, Zhu Jianshen came out, wiped his hands with a cloth, and asked, "What's the matter?"

Tan Chang said, "The news just reported is that the Minister of Honglu Temple Zhang Luan impeached the Left Vice Minister of the Ministry of Rites Li Zisheng, the Immortal Master Li."

"Huh? Didn't he just impeach Liang Fang and Wei Juan? Why is he targeting Li Aiqing now?"

Zhu Jianshen sat down, glanced over, frowned and asked.

Qin Chang replied helplessly: "Yes, it's just what happened in the past two days, one after another, it's hard to keep up."

Zhu Jianshen frowned, "As the father-in-law of the crown prince, he has been in the court for less than a month, why would he keep finding faults? Or is he simply unworthy of his position and not worthy of staying in his current position?"

When Qin Chang heard this, he knew that the emperor was really angry.

The emperor would not mind impeaching Liang Fang. After all, he knew everything about Liang Fang and Wei Juan. He even vaguely felt that Zhang Luan was a man of character who was standing up for his son and correcting the unhealthy trends in the court.

But if the impeachment was directed at Li Zisheng, it would be tantamount to touching the emperor's reverse scale.

The emperor would not allow others to attack Li Xianchang, whom he had promoted. There had been people who had impeached him in the past, and their endings were generally not good.

Qin Chang handed over the memorial and whispered, "Your Majesty, Zhang Luan's impeachment is not groundless. It seems... there is some clue."

"What clue?" Zhu Jianshen took the memorial, opened it and took a look, and immediately felt that something was wrong.

Because he had read the storybook written by Zhang Luan, and the handwriting didn't match at all.

"Is this the original or a transcript?"

Zhu Jianshen asked.

"It is... originally."

Tan Chang said respectfully.

Although Zhu Jianshen felt that there was a problem, he did not say anything. After all, even if the storybook was written by Zhang Luan, it did not necessarily require him to write it himself. As long as it was compiled by Zhang Luan, there was nothing wrong with it.

"Li Zi Province is selling official positions and titles?"

Zhu Jianshen asked with a dark face when he saw the content of the report.

Tan Chang said: "Zhang Luan did say that."

This is also the main reason why Qin Chang felt that Li Zisheng and Zhang Luan had a conflict.

This impeachment charge is too serious!
If Li Zisheng and Zhang Luan were in the same boat, and Zhang Luan's impeachment was just a double act between the two parties, then they should have brought up some minor charges instead of accusing him of selling official positions right away.

The key is... this hits Li Zisheng's soft spot!
Zhu Jianshen read it word by word, tilted his head and asked, "Are the officials listed here appointed by me personally?"

Tan Chang said: "These officials were indeed appointed by your majesty, but the list was submitted by Li Xianshi, and it was very long and complicated. Your majesty did not say anything at the time and directly agreed."

"That is to say, Li Zisheng accepted money from these people?" Zhu Jianshen continued to ask.

"This...I don't know."

Tan Chang lowered his head.

It was a rare occasion when someone impeached Li Zisheng, especially his stubborn father-in-law, the crown prince. The reason why Qin Chang took the initiative to report to the emperor was more because he wanted to use the help of others to suppress the increasingly arrogant Li Zisheng.

Li Zisheng's position in the court was too high. The emperor had to ask for his opinion on almost all major matters, so that even the Imperial Household Department was suppressed by him. Qin Chang was naturally unwilling to be inferior to him, so he turned against him at the critical moment.

Zhu Jianshen said coldly: "Then send someone to check and see if it is really as Zhang Luan said."

Qin Chang asked, "Then your majesty...what do you have to say after the investigation?"

"If Li Zisheng really accepted money to grant these people official positions, then let him return the money and dismiss these people. If not, Li Zisheng recommended these people impartially, then punish Zhang Luan."

Zhu Jianshen said impatiently.

"Yes."

Qin Chang responded hurriedly, feeling secretly delighted.

Because he vaguely felt that if Zhang Luan could find out this much, it must be, as Wan'an said, that the list and impeachment strategy were provided behind the scenes by the Hanlin lecturers in the Eastern Palace who disliked Li Zisheng.

In other words, Zhang Luan's impeachment must be well-founded and can withstand scrutiny.

If this is the case, as long as the truth is found out, Li Zisheng will be in big trouble.

"By the way, what are the official positions of those people now?"

Zhu Jianshen suddenly asked again.

"them……"

Qin Chang felt something was wrong instantly.

"Well, let's check it out first."

Zhu Jianshen finally said in a lazy tone.

……

……

Qin Chang walked out of the Qianqing Palace and Wei Tai was waiting for him outside.

After listening to Tan Chang's general account of the situation, Wei Tai asked in surprise, "Your Majesty, do you believe Zhang Luan but not that Immortal Master Li?"

Qin Chang was also a little surprised, and said thoughtfully: "Your Majesty just asked what their official positions were, which is enough to show that Your Majesty knows that these people are all placed in some insignificant and dispensable positions. How could Your Majesty affect your trust in Li Zisheng for a few irrelevant messengers?"

In the middle and late Chenghua period, most of the officials in charge of communication were assigned to relatively idle positions, such as Shanglinyuan, Taichang Temple, Daoluo Si, etc. These people were all nominal positions without regular duties. Even if there were a few regular positions, most of them were from the Imperial Observatory who were performing shaman duties.

Wei Tai asked, "Then... Your Majesty, do you want to use this to target Zhang Luan? Or do you want to punish those officials who secretly gave Zhang Luan advice?"

"I don't know, don't come and ask us."

Qin Chang was a little embarrassed and frowned, "This year, His Majesty's temper has changed a lot. How can you ask us to make a judgment at this time? We will do whatever His Majesty wants us to do. The list is all here, and the East Factory will handle it... I'll leave it to you."

Wei Tai took Zhang Luan's impeachment memorial in his hand, swallowed his saliva and said, "He really knows how to find trouble for others... I'm talking about that Zhang Luan. He just opens his mouth casually, and we have to run around. It's miserable!"

……

……

Zhang Mansion.

Zhang Yanling sent Jiang Cong away.

Unexpectedly, not long after Jiang Cong left, Zhang Luan came back in an official sedan chair...

Originally, the princes and nobles in Beijing all traveled in horse-drawn carriages, but Zhang Luan insisted on trying what it felt like to ride in an official sedan chair, so he specially asked someone to prepare an official sedan chair to pick him up and drop him off to get off work.

"What about people?"

After Zhang Luan came back, he did not see the envoy from the East Palace, so he could not help but ask.

"gone."

Zhang Yanling said, "The one who came this time was not Tan Chang, but Jiang Cong. He is also a eunuch in the Eastern Palace and is also trusted by the Crown Prince."

Zhang Luan said with regret: "Alas, the prince trusts a few eunuchs, and we can't say anything. I just hope that the situation will change in the future!"

After hearing this, Zhang Yanling immediately looked at his old father with a strange look.

Calling eunuchs "castrators", you, Zhang Luan, are really getting cocky now. I'm afraid that your next step is to confront everyone you meet. Do you really think of yourself as the leader of the censors?
"Dad, have a lot of people complimented you recently?"

Zhang Yanling asked tentatively.

"What compliments? Just a few polite words..."

Zhang Luan said, "I'm impeaching the powerful officials of the dynasty for my father, which is something many people want to do but dare not do. Is there anything wrong with them saying a few flattering words in front of me?"

Zhang Yanling nodded, "Yes, even the crown prince in the inner courtyard of the imperial palace knows about your heroic deeds."

Zhang Luan asked nervously, "Is this what the prince sent here for?"

"Ah."

Zhang Yanling nodded, "The prince wants to ask you what exactly you mean. Why do you want to be an enemy of the powerful and nobles of the court, and even provoke a person that no one dares to provoke? According to Jiang Cong, when Wan'an was explaining court affairs to the prince in Wenhua Hall today, he deliberately used this matter to embarrass the prince, believing that it was the prince and the lecturer of the East Palace who secretly instigated it."

"No."

Zhang Luan pursed his lips, glanced at his son, and asked, "Didn't you instigate this?"

Zhang Yanling was speechless: "Dad, you are really capable. You always blame me for everything."

Zhang Luan glared, "If not you, who else can I blame? Hey, that's right, and Li Zisheng, the two of you are just fanning the flames, one of you wants me to impeach Liang Fang, the other one wants me to impeach himself, I've really been used as a pawn repeatedly, and people even say I'm a fool who doesn't know when to advance or retreat. My life is so miserable!"

Zhang Yanling asked, "Has Li Zisheng come to see you in the past two days?"

"No."

Zhang Luan replied, and then asked, "Son, why don't you tell me what you said to Jiang Cong?"

"I didn't say anything. I just asked him to tell the prince that it's better for him not to get involved in this matter. If anyone asks about it, just say that he doesn't know the cause and effect of the matter and it's not right to express opinions casually... I asked the prince to stay out of the palace as much as possible." Zhang Yanling said.

Zhang Luan said: "Now even the Crown Prince knows about this... Is it possible that His Majesty will know about it next?"

Zhang Yanling smiled and said, "Many people in the court have been eyeing Li Zisheng and Liang Fang, and have long been preparing to bring them down. Now someone is finally willing to step forward, and someone will definitely use your impeachment to bring this matter to your majesty."

"Who?"

Zhang Luan asked.

"Li Zisheng and Liang Fang have offended too many people, but normally those people don't dare to be their enemy. However, it is very easy to trip them up secretly. For example, those people in the Imperial Household Department have grudges against Liang Fang and Li Zisheng, but they just maintain peace on the surface." Zhang Yanling said.

Zhang Luan said helplessly: "Alas! The specific content of the impeachment that Li Zisheng asked me to report was provided to me by him personally. I am afraid that most of them are false. If there is no evidence later, I will be guilty of a serious crime. It is not a pity to lose my job. If I am sent to prison, I will be severely tortured..."

"Dad, to achieve a reputation that others have not achieved, you will have to make sacrifices that others have not made. You have to hold on." Zhang Yanling said in an instigating tone.

"Bah, it seems like you're not the one who might get beaten!"

Zhang Luan was so angry that his teeth itched. "Why did I believe Li Zisheng's lies at that time? He probably wanted to use me and destroy me, the chess piece hidden in the dark, so that he could go to the prince himself. Or maybe he thought that I was the biggest obstacle on the road to changing the crown prince, and I had to be removed first..."

Zhang Yanling was delighted when he heard this: "Okay, okay, Dad, don't flatter yourself. If you have time, go write a letter of apology, or go to the government office to sit for a while. It's not a good idea to stay at home all the time. I still have to write a storybook."

Zhang Luan asked, "How's the writing going?"

“Almost finished.”

Zhang Yanling yawned and said, "Because of you and the prince's affairs, I've been so busy that I've been upside down day and night, and my daily routine has been messed up. Now the prince is still sending people to ask for advice from time to time. Do you think it's easy for me?"

"The more capable you are, the more work you should do. Forget it. If I am sent to prison, I will bear the consequences. It will be good to be known as a loyal minister. After I am released, I will get more respect from others. Being an official...is becoming more and more interesting."

Zhang Luan seemed to be addicted to being an official and was unwilling to let go.

Even if he has to take the blame, he seems to have no regrets.

(End of this chapter)