Uncle from a poor family

Chapter 280 The situation has changed
Peng family.

Peng Mianfu received a message from the warehouse and learned that his goods had been pushed into the water and he had been beaten. He immediately became furious and shouted, "Who the hell is going against me?"

The housekeeper of the Peng Mansion said tremblingly: "Master, we have offended many people recently, especially after contracting the wood supply of Wanhe Temple... Will those dukes, marquises, and earls be eyeing us? The people they sent didn't steal anything at all, but pushed our wood into the water. If people knew that this batch of wood was soaked in water, the court would probably return the goods, and then their purpose would be obvious!"

"This business was transferred to us by Eunuch Liang from the Imperial Horse Supervisor. How could anyone dare to cause trouble? Even if it's those dukes and marquises, what can they do? Are they tired of living?"

Peng Mianfu said something, and suddenly thought of something, and asked, "Have you seen what those people look like? Are there two young boys among them, who look stupid? Let me be frank, do you know the eldest brother of the Zhang family? It's the Zhang family that gave birth to the Crown Princess."

"do not know!"

The butler shook his head. "But it is said that there was indeed a child among the fighters. He was half grown up and very brave. Several of our men were knocked out by him. He seemed to be a martial artist."

"How big?"

Peng Mianfu asked.

"About eight or ten years old."

The housekeeper was also a little surprised and asked in surprise, "How could he be so cruel at such a young age? But the people below did say so. I haven't seen it with my own eyes, so I dare not confirm its authenticity."

"Can't be wrong!"

Peng Mianfu said angrily, "That kid must be the second son of the Zhang family... This guy is very cunning. I felt that he was not a good person last time. He thought that I hired someone to find out about the medicine store, so he brought people here to take revenge."

When the housekeeper heard this, he realized that this was not just an ordinary business competition, but a personal grudge that you had incurred from outside?
You said you had nothing better to do than to provoke the Zhang family?

They are a family of relatives from outside the family, and they will inevitably bully and bully the market and do lawlessness in the capital. We have provoked such a big trouble out of nowhere, will we still be able to do business in the future?

"Where is the old man? I want to see him."

"The master is recuperating in his room today and has not come out."

"Humph! He is a cabinet minister after all. How difficult is it for him to deal with a small imperial scholar? I want to let the Zhang family know the consequences of offending our Peng family!"

Peng Mianfu went to see Peng Hua in a rage, hoping that his father would support him.

In the room, Peng Hua was sitting on a recliner under the window reading a book. He didn't even raise his head when his son was talking. After listening, he just waved his hand, meaning, I heard you, you can go now.

"Father, the Zhang family is getting too arrogant now. They even dared to smash our warehouse. The next step might be to set fire to our house... This is a serious problem and must be solved immediately!"

In order to get his old father to take action, Peng Mianfu inevitably made some alarmist remarks.

Peng Hua, however, had a nonchalant look on his face: "You must first confirm that it was done by the Zhang family... As long as you have evidence, you can report it to the authorities, and they will handle it. Don't come to me."

Peng Mianfu was furious: "Don't you know what kind of people in the government are? They bully the weak and fear the strong, dare not offend anyone, and always muddy the waters. How can they stand up for us?"

Peng Hua asked: "Then why do you think you can deal with them without the help of the government?"

"I……"

Peng Mianfu didn't understand what his father meant for a moment.

"Eunuch Tan from the Imperial Household Department sent someone to greet me earlier, saying that His Majesty had recently asked about my condition again. If there is no sign of improvement, he will let me retire and return home... I will leave all the assets in the capital to you. You can do whatever you want with them. I will leave for the south soon."

What Peng Hua meant was that you should solve your problems by yourself. I don’t want to bother with you anyway.

Peng Mianfu asked unwillingly, "Father, are you just giving up your power for nothing? After you leave, what influence will our Peng family have in Beijing? Even those fellow villagers will probably cut ties with us, right?"

Peng Hua continued reading, as if he didn't hear anything.

Peng Mianfu was anxious, and with a red face he made a request: "Even if father really wants to leave Beijing and return home, shouldn't he first get rid of the serious problem? It was the Zhang family who caused trouble first, and they will only take advantage of us in the future."

Peng Hua finally put down the book in his hand and said in a lecturing tone: "Let me ask you, what qualifications do you think I have to expel a Hanlin editor appointed by His Majesty from the Hanlin Academy?"

"He... Isn't Zhang Laizhan just a minor imperial scholar? If you, a minister of the cabinet, want to punish him, isn't it just a matter of writing a document?"

Although Peng Mianfu understood what his father meant, he was still unwilling to accept it.

"When doing things, it's best to use your brain first... Our Peng family has no ability to fight the Zhang family. Although your father is a cabinet minister, he is just a fringe official. What kind of background does the Zhang family have? In the future, he will definitely be the father-in-law or uncle-in-law of the emperor. Who do you think the government will give face to? If I were you, I would go to their house and admit my mistake. Maybe they will spare your feathers and let you go. Otherwise, they will definitely catch you!"

Seeing his son still looking unruly, Peng Hua sighed, "If you keep going like this, if the two guys from the Zhang family really come to set fire next time, do you think the government will investigate for you? Even if they find the Zhang family, who will dare to seek justice for you?"

"The crown prince hasn't taken the throne yet. Maybe one day His Majesty will change the crown prince. What power will the Zhang family have by then? Father, you are afraid before the battle. Isn't this just boosting others' morale and destroying your own prestige?"

Peng Mianfu was so ashamed and angry that he even started to mock his father.

Peng Hua shook his head and sighed, "My son, you don't see the situation clearly! The position of the crown prince has long been as solid as a rock, and the father of the crown princess, the future father-in-law of the emperor, can easily crush you to death with just a stretch of his hand. You still think you can fight with the Zhang family, but don't want to settle the matter peacefully. Are you looking for your own death?"

Peng Mianfu said angrily: "Dad, why are you so timid?"

"Well, if you are really angry and want to teach them a lesson, then you can go find someone they can't control for help. For example, Eunuch Liang and Eunuch Wei, can they sit by and watch the prince's father-in-law make trouble in the capital?

"What you are incapable of doing, others can do. The little power you have gained in the past two years was all slipped to you by Eunuch Liang and others through their fingers, and also for my sake. When I retire, I'm afraid there will be no place for you in the capital.

"I still say the same thing. You should be timid at this juncture, instead of being so arrogant like you are now. You always think you can do anything, but in the end you are nothing."

After hearing what his father said, Peng Mianfu's worldview almost collapsed.

When someone bullies you, not only can you not get back at him, but you also have to take the initiative to apologize?

Why?

"In fact... now even Liang Fang and Wei Xing are on the decline, like grasshoppers in autumn, they can only jump for a few more days. Son, the situation in the court has changed."

Peng Hua looked at his son with pity and shook his head, saying, "It is precisely because things are changing so fast that many people cannot see clearly and still think that they can do whatever they want as before. Now only Li Zisheng remains the same in the court, but I don't know if he is really capable of managing the relationship with the East Palace. If not, his fate will be no different from that of Liang Fang and Wei Xing.

"Okay, that's all I have to say. Please do as you please. I still have some books to read and will write a formal resignation later. Please take care!"

Peng Mianfu held his breath and left the room where his father was.

However, he did not listen to other words of his old father, but he agreed deeply with two points - if he wanted to take revenge on the Zhang family, he could only go to Liang Fang and Wei Xing, or go to Li Zisheng... After all, there would be someone who could deal with the Zhang family.

"The dispute between the old and new factions is also a dispute between the Qianqing Palace and the Eastern Palace. Zhang Laizhan thinks he is a relative of the Eastern Palace and is lawless... He thinks the capital can let him do whatever he wants?"

Peng Mianfu prepared a generous gift and went to see Wei Xing, seeking help while explaining to Wei Xing the matter of the wood being soaked in water.

The butler who followed behind him said, "Master, from what I know, it seems that we were the ones who provoked them first this time. It's hard to say who is right or wrong in this grudge."

"What did you say?"

Peng Mianfu glared at the housekeeper.

The housekeeper was also an honest person. He continued, "They just smashed our store and dumped some wood into the water, but they didn't kill anyone or set any fire. Previously, we sent people to mess with their medicine shop, but it made it impossible for them to continue their business! In terms of losses, they still suffered the greatest losses."

"Humph! If you mess with someone from my Peng family, will he have a good life?" Peng Hua said, "I sent someone to Huguang to bring a batch of new timber to the capital. Has it been delivered yet?"

"Not yet... I'm afraid it's too late..."

"Then find some old materials from the places in Shandong where houses and temples are being demolished, cover them with oilcloth, don't let anyone notice anything, and send them directly to Wanhe Temple. If anything goes wrong along the way, you'll be punished for it!

…………

The Li Zi provincial government has been crowded with guests recently.

Everyone knew that he was about to preside over the ceremony of adding the title to the Empress Dowager. In addition, Li Zisheng now had the power to decide on the appointment, dismissal and promotion of officials, so everyone came to curry favor with him. People came one after another to give him gifts, and now all kinds of good things appeared in the palace.

"Master Dao, I have received many gifts, including gold, silver, jewelry, silk and satin, but are you sure that there will be auspicious signs on the third day of April as Zhang Hanlin mentioned?"

At this time, Pang Qing did not forget to cool down Li Zisheng's fiery heart, "If everyone is present that day and the ceremony begins, but there is no auspicious sign, then you will lose face... and His Majesty's trust in you will probably be greatly reduced."

Li Zisheng cursed: "You know nothing."

Pang Qing curled his lips and said, "I don't understand. Aren't I waiting for you to teach me, Taoist?"

Li Zisheng said with disdain: "Your Majesty is just being filial. Although our Majesty is... to put it bluntly, stubborn and self-willed in state affairs and never takes anyone seriously, he is truly filial to the Queen Mother."

"You don't need to tell me this, everyone knows it." Pang Qing said.

"So on that day, who will really care whether there are auspicious signs? It would be great if there are, but it won't affect the ceremony if there aren't any." Li Zisheng looked a little proud. "Besides, I've come to Zhan for help so many times, and it worked every time before. There's no need to doubt him this time."

Pang Qing muttered quietly, "Ever since Zhang Laizhan entered the Imperial Academy, there has been no movement, and he doesn't even come to your house anymore."

"Are you dizzy?"

Li Zisheng continued to curse openly, "He just impeached me and gained prestige among the scholars. Oh, he turned around and came to visit me again, afraid that others would not know that I was playing a trick on him, right? I have been in less contact with him recently, but how could he not know who helped him get the position of Hanlin?"

Pang Qing shook his head and said, "I really don't understand. You said he didn't want to be the Junior Secretary of the Ministry of Rites, but he had to go to the Hanlin Academy. There is no money to be made."

Li Zisheng sighed, "This shows that Lai Zhan is a man with ideals and ambitions. Who says that everyone is like me, blinded by money? Who am I working so hard to make money for? Isn't it for His Majesty? Our Majesty spends money lavishly and never knows how to control himself. This makes me suffer. I have to help him make money secretly, and I have to bear the stigma. It's so painful."

Pang Qing smiled and said, "Are you suffering? It is said that the villa outside the city is almost full of beautiful women from the south of the Yangtze River. We may have to find another place for them to live."

"You are such a bad mouth."

Li Zisheng straightened his back and said, "I am a Taoist priest from the outside world. How can I be a person who is greedy for beauty? If I come across something good, I will definitely think of sending it to Your Majesty."

"You... to His Majesty?"

Pang Qing laughed non-stop.

Why don’t you keep the good things for yourself, but instead think of giving them to the emperor?

Let’s talk and laugh!

Besides, the emperor never asked you for beauties before he came, so why are you pretending here?

Li Zisheng seemed to be inspired. He stroked his chin and muttered to himself, "Well, your majesty has recently received the prescription presented by Lai Zhan, and has been living a very carefree life, reveling every night... There are only a few women in the palace, and I'm afraid your majesty has long been tired of them. What's the point of such a sexual experience?"

At this point, he ordered Pang Qing, "Quickly arrange a carriage for me. I will go out of the city to help your majesty select a few beautiful women with both good looks and good skills... Alas, you can't understand this kind of hard work..."

Then Li Zisheng stood up with an expectant look on his face and ran away.

"Master Dao, even if you are wholeheartedly doing errands for His Majesty, shouldn't you wait for the people below to prepare the carriage first? It's best to bring more people with you when you go out. I heard that there has been unrest in the capital recently. For some reason, there have been suddenly more bandits. There were even people looting in broad daylight at Jishuitan. It may be that some people want to take advantage of the situation." Pang Qing reminded.

Li Zisheng nodded: "Your words remind me. Now that Liang Fang has lost power, the group of people he has recruited have lost their restraints and started to cause trouble everywhere. I have to find a way to take over his connections. And it would be better to replace the Imperial Stables with someone I can control, otherwise these eunuchs will dislike me every day, and sooner or later something will happen."

Li Zisheng suddenly thought of something and said, "Oh, by the way, while we are preparing the carriage, we will also send a car to Zhang's house to pick up Lai Zhan.

"How can you have a beauty without good wine? With good wine, you need someone to taste it with you... Go to the Zhang family and explain the situation, then come back. Take good care of the house and accept all the gifts. For those with less than 500 taels, tell them that they don't have official positions and prepare some for them. Let them understand the situation before coming back."

……

……

Zhang Mansion.

Zhang Heling stayed at home for several days to recuperate.

He refused to go anywhere and kept asking for meat all day long. However, Jin restricted his diet strictly for fear that he would eat too much and worsen his wound.

However, Zhang Luan didn't seem to care. He had just returned from the Imperial Academy that afternoon. After listening to the servants' report, he changed into casual clothes and said, "Let him eat whatever he wants. If he dies from eating too much, the family business will be inherited by the second son. Our Zhang family will not be affected at all."

Zhang Heling yelled, "Dad, you are so biased. How come my death has no impact?"

"What do you say?"

Zhang Luan had a look of disdain on his face. "Only a brainless person like you would rush forward to start a fight. Nephew, don't come over here. I'm changing my clothes. You little brat, go out and wait."

Jin Qi has also been living in Zhang's house these days, and he likes to join in whenever there is excitement.

Jin took over the work from Tang, tied Zhang Luan's belt, and asked, "Where are you going? Will you be back in the evening?"

"I probably won't be able to come back."

Zhang Luan said, "Why are you looking at me like that, woman? It was Li Zisheng who asked me to go, and I talked to him about the most confidential matters in the court. Do you think I want to go? Besides asking about the secrets of heaven, he just wanted me to help him with his work. Fortunately, he has learned to return the favor recently. Otherwise, as the father-in-law of the prince, why would I bother with him?"

Zhang Yanling sat at the door and said with a smile, "Dad, hurry up, the carriage is waiting anxiously. Maybe Lord Li is waiting to discuss important court affairs with you."

Zhang Luan said, "Look, even Yanling said so. Do you think I'm lying to you? Don't worry, we're going out of the city to the Li Mansion, not the Jiaofang Bureau. You're such a troublesome woman."

In the end, Jin grabbed her husband's belt hard, as if to retaliate against him for being dishonest.

Zhang Luan was very proud. He walked to the door and said to Zhang Yanling, "Son, I'll leave the house to you for the next two days. If I can't come back early tomorrow morning, I'll go directly from the city to the Hanlin Academy to report for duty... Come on, take me out. I have something to tell you on the way."

Upon hearing this, Zhang Yanling hurriedly stood up and followed Zhang Luan out.

"Dad, I heard from the butler Pang who came to inform you that Li Zisheng seemed to invite you to a banquet." Zhang Yanling said with a smile when the father and son were alone together.

"Pah, pah, pah, what do you know about wine? You have to go to a brothel to have wine. I went to a brothel in Lizi Province... Mr. Pang was the same. What nonsense is he talking to a kid like you?"

Zhang Luan said, but he did not forget to learn from his son, "If Li Zisheng asks me about the secrets of heaven again, what should I do?"

"Cold salad!"

Zhang Yanling responded casually, and then said: "You have mentioned the auspicious sign to him before. If he is still not satisfied, I can't do anything. Speaking of which... I think you are also looking forward to what will happen tonight, right?"

When Zhang Luan noticed that his son's eyes looked at him a little strange, he smiled awkwardly and said, "You will understand when you grow up. But with your methods, I'm afraid that all the young girls and wives in the capital will not be able to escape your clutches."

Zhang Yanling said dissatisfiedly: "Dad, are you praising me or insulting me?"

Zhang Luan said, "I, your father, also hope that you can make the Zhang family more prosperous in the future. I, your father, am not capable of this, but you and your elder brother are my only sons. Your future will be different. You must have more children while you are young, or you will be powerless when you are old. Oh! Why am I telling you this? Let's go, today is a great day."

"Dad, you dropped your prescription." Zhang Yanling suddenly shouted.

"where?"

Upon hearing this, Zhang Luan immediately turned around and saw Zhang Yanling with a smirk on his face. He then realized that his youngest son was making fun of him. He glared at him and shouted, "You brat! I'll punish you when I come back! Go now..."

(End of this chapter)