Uncle from a poor family

Chapter 274 The Way of Heaven
Qianqing Palace, inner hall.

Zhang Yuan, director of the Imperial Medical Bureau, came with Zheng Wengui and Shi Qin, judges of the hospital, to take Zhu Jianshen's pulse.

After all the trouble, Zhu Jianshen became impatient, but Zhang Yuan was still discussing something with the two of them, and seemed afraid to give the emperor an accurate answer.

"you……"

Zhu Jianshen couldn't bear to watch it any longer, so he called a few people over and frowned, "Can't you say anything in front of me? Just tell me if my condition has improved?"

Zhang Yuan said tremblingly: "Your Majesty, everything is as usual, nothing has changed!"

At this time, Qin Chang just came in from outside the palace. Seeing that the emperor had a gloomy face and seemed very dissatisfied with this answer, he hurriedly asked: "At least your majesty's condition has not worsened, right?"

"This……"

Zhang Yuan seemed to have heard the hint in Qin Chang's words and quickly said, "Yes, the condition has not worsened, but there is no obvious sign of improvement."

Qin Chang glared at Zhang Yuan, blaming him for being tactless, then approached the emperor and said, "Your Majesty, this is a good thing. I heard that many people with liver disease have been in good and bad condition for a long time, and have been the same for decades. You never know when they will recover and be no different from normal people."

"is it?"

Zhu Jianshen looked at Zhang Yuan and asked.

Zhang Yuan replied respectfully: "What Eunuch Tan said is true. Some people with liver disease are like this. As long as they get relief once, they will be fine, and may not relapse for the rest of their lives."

"call……"

Zhu Jianshen heaved a sigh of relief when he heard this, and whispered, "It seems that the medicine Li Qing sent is still useful..."

Zhang Yuan looked at Qin Chang as soon as he heard this, his eyes full of confusion: Did Li Zisheng send medicine? What medicine did he send? When did he send it? How come we don't know?
Qin Chang rolled his eyes at Zhang Yuan, meaning, "Stop looking at me randomly, and don't make random guesses. I have nothing to do with you, and Li Zisheng's delivery of medicine has nothing to do with you. Just do what you have to do."

"Your Majesty, Master Li has been waiting outside for a long time."

Tan Chang reported with a smile.

Zhu Jianshen instantly perked up, his face showing joy: "Is Li Qing here? Why didn't you tell me earlier? All of you go down...let Li Qing come in."

"Yes."

Qin Chang waved his hands, meaning that you three incompetent cowards should get out of here right away and don't embarrass yourself by staying here.

Zhang Yuan and the other two left the Qianqing Palace with great reluctance and full of doubts.

Li Zisheng quickly followed Tan Chang into the inner hall and came to Zhu Jianshen's couch.

"Li Qing, sit down. The stool has been prepared for you in advance."

Zhu Jianshen greeted with a smile.

Li Zisheng hurriedly performed the salute and slowly sat down in front of the emperor.

Zhu Jianshen smiled and said, "I just met with the people from the Imperial Hospital. You should have seen them when you came in... They said that I have been in good health recently. Your medicine is working."

This confused Li Zisheng.

Isn't the prescription I offered just for bedroom medicine? Lai Zhan said the same thing, how come it has become a panacea for curing diseases and saving lives in your hands?

"My dear, you have worked hard and made great contributions!"

Zhu Jianshen issued a commendation.

Li Zisheng said hastily: "This is what I should do, it cannot be considered as merit."

Zhu Jianshen changed the subject and asked, "I asked you to predict the fate of the country. Is there any solution?"

"That is why I came here."

Li Zisheng's words made Zhu Jianshen sit up unconsciously.

Even Qin Chang and Cao Run, the attendant serving not far away, pricked up their ears.

Master Li is finally going to show his power again!

After successfully calculating the secret, Master Li came to tell the emperor about his discovery as soon as possible. What we heard was the first-hand secret... The secret cannot be revealed, and we are fortunate enough to hear it. What an honor it is!
"Your Majesty, according to my calculations, the Ming Dynasty has been prosperous recently and the court is peaceful and harmonious." Li Zisheng said respectfully.

Zhu Jianshen nodded with satisfaction when he heard this: "Great, peace and tranquility is the best... I am very relieved!"

Qin Chang was stunned, thinking, can this be fooled?
Previously, Gu Yan said that it was a bad omen, and the emperor was very unhappy and felt that Gu Yan was deliberately trying to please him. Now that Li Zisheng has turned around and said good things, why doesn't the emperor think that he is fooling around?

Li Zisheng said solemnly, "I have calculated that there will be a good omen at the beginning of next month, which is the phenomenon of 'the sun is born with a bright red color'. It is indeed a great opportunity to show your majesty's filial piety. Your majesty previously proposed to give the Empress Dowager a title, and it is most appropriate to do so now."

Zhu Jianshen instantly became interested and asked with a smile, "Did you predict all this? If it's true as you said, it's a reflection of the prosperity of the country! Qin Chang, don't you think so?"

Qin Chang thought, if you ask me this, how can I answer? Of course I agree!
"Just as Your Majesty and Master Li said, it is indeed so!"

Qin Chang smiled and congratulated, "Congratulations, Your Majesty, congratulations, Your Majesty, this is a good omen bestowed by Heaven. It must be that your filial piety moved Heaven and earth, which opened the eyes of Heaven and bestowed blessings upon you. Your Majesty will surely be in good health and live a long life."

Obviously Qin Chang knew that what the emperor cared about was not some good or bad omen, but his own health. He had to try his best to associate the matter with the emperor's health, so that the emperor would like to hear it.

Zhu Jianshen nodded in relief: "It seems that filial piety is indeed the most basic way of heaven. No matter when and where, only by fulfilling filial piety can we be in harmony with the great way of heaven and earth. Alas! I have misunderstood the prince before."

After hearing this, Qin Chang was a little confused.

Why did the emperor suddenly think of the crown prince and praise him so highly?

Qin Chang immediately suspected that Li Zisheng's words just now were not intended to induce me to say this later, paving the way for Your Majesty to affirm the prince's filial piety. If not, why didn't he mention anything else, but only mentioned the matter of giving the empress dowager a title next month?
"Li Qing."

Zhu Jian took a deep breath and said, "For this matter, I will reward you handsomely. I will let you preside over the ceremony as the Minister of Rites."

"Thank you, Your Majesty."

Li Zisheng quickly stood up from his seat, knelt down and kowtowed to the emperor to express his gratitude.

Qin Chang felt even more uncomfortable after hearing this.

There had just been some unpleasantness between the emperor and his ministers, and the emperor had punished Li Zisheng for it. Now... have they reconciled?

It has only been two days since Li Zisheng was appointed as the Left Vice Minister of the Ministry of Rites, and he is about to be promoted to the Minister of Rites?

Although they were both officials with salary, would his status remain the same as before after he was given the title of Minister of Rites? From now on, when others see Li Zisheng, they will have to call him Minister Li. His power will probably be even greater than before!
Zhu Jianshen was in a good mood and invited Li Zisheng to have lunch with him.

There were some relatively light foods on the table, but there were also deer blood soup, white fungus soup, bird's nest porridge, etc. After all, Zhu Jianshen had been "overworked" recently and needed to supplement some nutritious things, otherwise his physical strength would not be able to keep up with the consumption in the evening.

"Your Majesty, I have something to say, but I don't know whether I should say it or not."

During the meal, Li Zisheng suddenly brought up the topic.

Zhu Jianshen put down his chopsticks and asked curiously, "Mr. Li, do you have any unspeakable secrets? I have never treated you as an outsider. Just speak your mind."

Li Zisheng was slightly startled. Why did these words sound so familiar?
I usually use this set of words when I try to get close to Zhang Luan. Did I learn it from you?

"Your Majesty, the previous impeachment of me by the Minister of the Ministry of Rites, Zhang Luan..." Li Zisheng seemed very embarrassed. He stopped talking halfway, as if he was too embarrassed to continue.

Zhu Jianshen smiled and said, "I have already punished him, reprimanded him, and transferred him to the Imperial Household Department as a junior official... Do you think the punishment is not enough?"

"No, no, no, I think this punishment is a bit too severe." Li Zisheng said respectfully, "I think that the prosperity of the Heavenly Dao today depends on the harmony of the court, and everything should be based on justice. If what I did was inappropriate, and Zhang Luan was punished for impeaching him, it would damage the foundation of the Heavenly Dao, which is not good."

"Oh?"

Zhu Jianshen frowned and thought, as if he was persuaded by Li Zisheng.

If Li Zisheng directly pleaded for Zhang Luan, Zhu Jianshen would not only not agree, but would also think there was something fishy behind it.

It so happened that today Li Zisheng mentioned that filial piety and righteousness are the way of heaven, and that the way of heaven cannot be violated. Now, if I plead for Zhang Luan in the name of upholding the way of heaven, everything seems reasonable... Look, am I pleading for Zhang Luan?
I am clearly helping you, the emperor, to uphold the laws of nature and for the sake of your country.

What does it matter if I suffer injustice?
Loyalty is known by the sun and the moon!

"I've already punished you, are you asking me to change my mind every day?"

Zhu Jianshen said something casually, which roughly meant that this little flaw in the way of heaven was nothing, and even if I wanted to change my attitude, I would have to wait for some time.

Li Zisheng said: "I heard that Zhang Luan won the hearts of the people by impeaching me, and the support of the people is related to the stability of the country and the fate of heaven. In short, we should not go against heaven."

Zhu Jianshen's expression became serious: "Hearing what you said, it seems to be true. I cannot go against the will of the people, otherwise it may really harm the way of heaven."

Li Zisheng smiled and said, "I heard that someone recommended Zhang Luan to the Hanlin Academy, saying that it would be a good idea to let him study hard and gain more knowledge. I also heard that he is quite accomplished in editing books. I think it would be better to let him stay in the Hanlin Academy and edit books for your majesty?"

"Oh?"

Zhu Jianshen frowned slightly.

Qin Chang laughed and said, "Master Li, you can study calligraphy anywhere, why do you have to go to the Hanlin Academy? Besides, the Hanlin Academy is inaccessible to ordinary people. You should understand this better than anyone else, right?"

Li Zisheng said, "Eunuch Tan, what you said is both right and wrong. It is natural to revise a book for His Majesty in a formal setting. Moreover, Zhang Luan has won a reputation before, and His Majesty has already punished him. Transferring him to the Hanlin Academy is a kind of encouragement and praise for him. In this way, Your Majesty can not only fulfill the laws of the court, but also retain talents for the court, and stop the mouths of those with ulterior motives, and show the will of heaven and the people's heart. Shouldn't it be accomplished?"

Tan Chang couldn't help but smile bitterly.

You, Li Zisheng, have so many crooked ideas. It seems that you are sincere about letting Zhang Luan enter the Hanlin Academy, right?

Don't think I don't know that you and Zhang Laizhan have a secret relationship. My eldest nephew has already told me about your dealings.

Zhu Jianshen was very satisfied after listening to this and said with a smile: "Mr. Li, I didn't expect that you would take such a small matter to heart. Zhang Luan impeached you, but not only did you let bygones be bygones, you also thought about him... No, it should be thought about me. I think what you said makes sense, so let him enter the Hanlin Academy."

Qin Chang said in embarrassment: "Your Majesty, it is not impossible to arrange for Zhang Luan to enter the Hanlin Academy, but he is a fourth-rank official in the capital, and it is difficult to arrange for him to enter the Hanlin Academy. Moreover, the officials in the Hanlin Academy are all very noble..."

"What's wrong?"

Zhu Jianshen got stubborn. The more Qin Chang opposed him, the more he insisted on his own opinion. He just wanted to make some minor adjustments. "There are some problems for a fourth-rank official in the capital to go to the Hanlin Academy... In this case, let's demote him two levels and give him a sixth-rank Hanyuan official... If it's not suitable to be a reader or lecturer, then let him be a sixth-rank historian. It's just right for him to compile books. I'm waiting to see the subsequent stories he writes."

When Qin Chang heard this, he immediately felt that Li Zisheng had guessed the emperor's thoughts.

Writing a storybook...

History Museum Compilation...

Isn’t this just a perfect match?

……

……

Li Zisheng left the palace after lunch, and the emperor arranged for Tan Chang to see him off.

"Master Li, you are truly a man of high moral character and a generous heart. That Lord Zhang offended you so much, but not only did you forgive him, you even helped him get a job in the Imperial Academy. If this were to be spread out, it would definitely be a great story."

Qin Chang did not forget to compliment him.

But there was actually a hint of temptation and sarcasm in his words.

Li Zisheng smiled and said, "Eunuch Tan is wrong. I am doing this to maintain the stability of the heavenly order. I have made the specific reasons clear to Your Majesty. Please do not misunderstand me."

"hehe."

Qin Chang smiled slightly, with a hint of ridicule in his smile.

"Eunuch Tan, you seem to be somewhat opposed to Zhang Laizhan's admission into the Hanlin Academy. Do you have any grudge against him?" Li Zisheng asked calmly.

"Our family has no dealings with him, so how can we celebrate the festival?" Qin Chang's face changed suddenly.

Li Zisheng said, "I heard that when Zhang Laizhan was on his way to the capital, he was still a student, and the Imperial Guard sent a centurion named Tan to escort him along the way. I don't know what the reason was. Did Eunuch Tan know about this person at that time?"

"you……"

Qin Chang was suddenly speechless.

It was not his arrangement that Qin Yun was sent to escort Zhang Luan's family to Beijing, but after Qin Yun returned to Beijing, he had asked Qin Yun about the situation of the Zhang family several times.

Li Zisheng was clearly hinting to him, don't think I'm not aware of the little tricks you've been doing behind Zhang Luan.

Even if Zhang Laizhan and I are in the same boat, what does it have to do with you, Qin?

Don't look for trouble.

……

……

Zhang Luan reported to Taichang Temple that day.

Originally, he planned to sign in and leave, because in his opinion, the Shaoqing of Taichang Temple was more like a salary-earning official. It didn't matter whether he had actual duties in this office or not. Anyway, he was responsible for sacrifices, rituals, music and other idle affairs, and there would be no errands assigned to him for a while.

But when he arrived at Taichang Temple, he happened to see Deng Changen, the current head of Taichang Temple, who seemed to be waiting for him.

"Master Zhang, I have long heard of your great name."

Deng Chang'en went up to Zhang Luan and flattered him, "Now, everyone in the court praises your loyalty, and some say that you are the greatest minister in history. Everyone regards you as a role model. It is an honor for you to serve in the Taichang Temple. Everyone in the temple is waiting for your guidance..."

Zhang Luan felt extremely embarrassed facing such an enthusiastic boss, and his old face turned red.

"I... I have nothing worth learning... I have only been in the court for a short time and I don't know the rules. I am really not worth mentioning." Zhang Luan had no choice but to speak in a humble tone.

Deng Chang'en said, "It is because of your fearlessness that the court is so clear today. But you must be careful in the Taichang Temple. Among the people you impeached this time, there are people from our Taichang Temple. Do you know whose position you replaced?"

Zhang Luan shook his head.

He really didn't know. He didn't even know what official positions there were in the yamen, let alone who occupied those positions.

A person behind Deng Changen said with a smile: "It's Gu Yan, Shaoqing Gu."

"Who?"

Although it was not the first time that Zhang Luan heard this person's name, he had no impression of it. He only vaguely remembered that his son had mentioned it to him, but now he had completely forgotten it.

The speaker was none other than Ai Yu, the Supervisor of Shanglin Garden. He smiled and repeated, "It's Gu Yan."

Deng Chang'en said, "Master Zhang, let me introduce him to you. His name is Ai Yu. He usually takes care of anything that happens at the Shanglinyuan Prison. You will meet him often in the future. Master Zhang, it is rare for you to come in person today. I have set up a banquet here and invited my colleagues to come together. Would you please do me the honor?"

"I……"

Zhang Luan was also in a difficult situation at the moment.

He was thinking, should I say yes or no?
If I go there, as someone who is in the same boat with Li Zisheng, should I be careful and on guard against Deng Changen doing something bad to me?

If I don't go, I will have to stay in the Taichang Temple in the future. If my immediate superior makes things difficult for me every day, will I still be able to be this official?
Ai Yu approached and said with a smile: "Master Zhang, we all admire you and want to learn more from you. Please give us a chance."

Deng Chang'en said, "Don't misunderstand, Lord Zhang. The people from the Taichang Temple have no direct connection with Li Zisheng and Liang Fang. Today's banquet is purely for the sake of friendship among colleagues."

"Then... let's do it."

Zhang Luan was still very embarrassed, but he couldn't refuse the invitation.

If your boss wants to treat you to a meal, can you refuse?
(End of this chapter)