Uncle from a poor family

Chapter 281 Don't worry about me doing things
outside the city.

The Li Mansion's courtyard was brightly lit at night.

The layout of a typical Jiangnan garden is that the entire courtyard is built around a lake. At this time, in front of the largest pavilion in the courtyard, graceful maids came and went, bringing wine, food, fruits and snacks one after another. The three tables were already filled with a dazzling array of food.

Li Zisheng lazily put his legs on the chair in front of him, with a woman on each side massaging his legs and another woman behind him massaging his shoulders. He looked so carefree and comfortable.

Zhang Luan's side is much more simple and elegant.

In addition to the food and wine in front of him, there were two girls standing next to him holding wine jugs to help pour wine. Each of them was a stunning beauty that fascinated Zhang Luan.

Opposite the pavilion, there is a grand stage built by the lake. More than a dozen lanterns illuminate the area around the stage. At this time, a play is being performed on the stage by a Nan Opera troupe.

Due to the distance, Zhang Luan couldn't hear clearly what was being sung. At this moment, his attention was not on the stage, but on Li Zisheng who was sitting across the table.

He was waiting for Li Zisheng's instructions, such as how to distribute the beauties tonight... Other things are not allowed, but at least I have to take the two who are pouring wine away, right?

Just when Zhang Luan was daydreaming, Li Zisheng spoke.

"You guys step back first."

Zhang Luan was somewhat confused by Li Zisheng's words.

You treated me to all these beautiful girls, but after just a few drinks, you sent them away. What does that mean?
If you want to talk about things, it won't affect anything if you let them stand by.

"Laizhan, do you know why I invited you here?"

While Li Zisheng was speaking, he put his shoes back on, sat up straight and looked at Zhang Luan.

Zhang Luan was slightly embarrassed: "I don't know... Is there something else you want to discuss with me?"

Li Zisheng said: "Things like the secrets of heaven depend on luck, you have mentioned enough... Even if His Majesty doesn't say anything, we can't always go and spy on them, right? Otherwise, we will be punished by heaven!
"Here's what I was thinking. You are very good at writing storybooks. His Majesty praised your writings highly. I wonder if you have any unique ideas about writing plays?"

"This……"

Zhang Luan was a little confused.

He finally understood why Li Zisheng didn't force him to drink today. He knew that he couldn't drink much, so he deliberately only let him drink a few glasses, then stopped and let him eat more vegetables, fruits and snacks. He also repeatedly reminded him to pay attention to the performance on the stage.

Li Zisheng smiled and said, "Your Majesty has used your prescription recently and is now in great shape. However, no one in the current palace is as favored as the former Empress Wan. If you want Your Majesty to temporarily forget the pain of losing his beloved concubine, the only way is to... place your affection elsewhere."

"If we rashly send beautiful women into the palace, the method is too simple and straightforward, and people will get bored. Under the influence of public opinion, it will not be effective. But if we just send a troupe to perform operas to entertain your majesty, and then something happens... wouldn't it be novel?"

Li Zisheng had great expectations for Zhang Luan, and seemed to be waiting for Zhang Luan to provide him with an opportunity to curry favor with him.

Zhang Luan sat there, looking very hesitant.

Li Zisheng asked, "Isn't this a very difficult matter?"

"what?"

Zhang Luan was stunned for a moment, then smiled and said confidently, "I can give it a try."

Obviously Zhang Luan also knew that it was not difficult to reject Li Zisheng at the moment, and it was impossible for Li Zisheng to pester him because of this matter, or let the alliance and cooperation between the two end.

only……

If he refused rashly, then there would be no chance of having a romantic encounter tonight. Only by showing his ability and fulfilling Li Zisheng's request could he sleep with the beauty.

As for whether the task can be completed in the future, it depends on whether his son has the ability.

Li Zisheng smiled when he heard this and said, "Laizhan, you are omnipotent. It is no exaggeration to say that you are a genius. You know astronomy and geography, and you are well-versed in history and the present. You can be said to be a national talent. In the future, the Ming Dynasty will need talents like you to support the country...Laizhan, I am very optimistic about you!"

"It's too praised, it's too praised."

Zhang Luan looked somewhat embarrassed.

In the past, he could openly say that he had to let his son take the lead for the sake of the family's prosperity and decline. But today, it is obvious that he let his son take the lead for his own happiness.

He was also thinking, what benefits would I get from helping Li Zisheng in this way?
It would be meaningful if my son could give some play scripts to the prince and let him find people to stage the plays.

"Laizhan, do you have any concerns? Or do you want to leave this opportunity to the prince?"

Li Zisheng smiled and said, "There is no need to hide anything between you and me. Let me put it this way, if you were not here, I would have second thoughts about whether I would help the prince, but because of you, I will definitely stand on the side of the prince, without any falsehood."

"is it?"

Zhang Luan was embarrassed.

I didn't want Li Zisheng to see through even my inner thoughts.

"The prince is still young after all, and there are things he cannot control, like sending a troupe and women to His Majesty. Do you think the prince is capable of doing it?"

Li Zisheng also took great pains to dispel Zhang Luan's concerns.

Zhang Luan nodded and said, "Minister Li is really thoughtful. It is indeed inappropriate for the Crown Prince to do this."

"You still call me Minister Li, but I am not a minister anymore."

Li Zisheng pretended to be angry.

"Then I should call you Minister Li..."

Zhang Luan quickly changed his words.

Li Zisheng smiled and waved his hands: "You misunderstood, I have been relieved of my duties now, and the promotion to Shangshu is just a suggestion from His Majesty. Whether it will be successful depends on your recent performance... Isn't that what I am looking for you?"

"oh oh."

Zhang Luan nodded in agreement.

"In public, I must do a good job, especially the matter of the Queen Mother's title. I have to make sure everything is in order. But in private, I must also do my best!"

Li Zisheng talked about his own way of being an official, "Let me put it this way, when working around His Majesty, you have to be careful at all times, and nothing can be taken lightly. It seems that I am trying to win favor, but in fact, this is something that a close official has to do... Alas, if you were in my position, you would understand my difficulties."

Zhang Luan bowed and said, "Master Li, you have worked hard."

Li Zisheng smiled and said, "Why do you have to work so hard? These are all rewarding... Come on, come on, why are you asked to leave without even a trace? Lai Zhan, these women today were all given to me by others. If you like any of them, just tell me. Pick one or two that you think are the best and take them away."

"How can a gentleman...take away what others like?"

Zhang Luan swallowed his saliva, but he still had the desire but not the courage to do it.

It's enough to just visit Lizi Province. If you really want to take the person back, it will be troublesome.

Li Zisheng said with a smile, "Then you choose first. Call all the women in the yard over and let this master, your best friend, take a look at them one by one. An ugly daughter-in-law still needs to meet her parents-in-law. Why hide them? You will have to do the work of welcoming and seeing off guests in the future."

At this moment, Zhang Luan quickly realized that the establishment of this courtyard was not simple.

In addition to selecting beauties for the emperor, it was also a place for Li Zisheng to win over people around him. He seemed to suddenly understand why Li Zisheng had been able to stand firm in recent years. He sighed in his heart, this method is really varied. If this courtyard was mine, wouldn’t I... be happy and not want to leave? ...

……

Early the next morning.

As soon as it was daybreak, Zhang Luan returned home and waited in the yard.

Seeing Zhang Yanling coming out to wash, he walked over, grabbed his son and dragged him to the main hall: "Put down what you are doing, your father has something to tell you in detail."

Zhang Yanling asked, "Dad, why are you back so early? Didn't you say you were going to the government office today?"

"As a father, I have nothing to do in the Hanlin Academy. If you ask me to write storybooks there, what can I write?" As Zhang Luan spoke, he had already pulled his son to the front door of the main hall.

Before entering the house, Zhang Luan told his son roughly about Li Zisheng's request for him to write a play script.

Zhang Yanling said: "He has insight and means. He is good at doing good things. Li Zisheng is trying to please the emperor."

"I know that he wants to offer a woman, but the script is also very important." Zhang Luan said, "How can a woman alone attract the attention of His Majesty? The thoughts of the royal family are too difficult to guess."

Zhang Yanling smiled and said, "So... Dad, do you think I can guess what the emperor likes?"

"Aren't you being asked to write a play script? I thought, a play script is not much different from a story script. At worst, I can just write a play script based on Journey to the West and The Scholars and send it to the palace."

Zhang Luan came up with what he thought was a brilliant idea, but he didn't know it was a bad idea.

Zhang Yanling waved his hand and said, "Okay, Dad, I know about this matter and I will help you with it. Don't worry."

"Is it really okay?"

Zhang Luan seemed to have let go of a huge burden.

Zhang Yanling smiled and joked, "Dad, you must have been very busy last night, right? Now that you are back, you should hurry back to your room and rest. If you go to the Hanlin Academy later, no one will notice you."

"You kid, you only know how to make fun of me, but with your words, I feel relieved."

Zhang Luan looked in a good mood.

Zhang Yanling said, "But father, writing a play is different from writing a story. Maybe I need to meet those actors in person, select some who can sing, and make some comments on their voices and skills. I will select the best ones, and appearance is secondary.

"If you think it's feasible, please tell Li Zisheng to transfer his people to our courtyard and I will personally give them instructions."

"You're going to do it yourself?"

Zhang Luan looked somewhat hesitant, but he still reminded her, "Son, if you want to handle this matter yourself, I have no objection, but you have to think carefully. Those are the women that Li Zisheng is going to present to His Majesty. They are all beautiful women from the south of the Yangtze River, and no one has ever touched them before... Can he be assured if he sends them here?"

Zhang Yanling shrugged and said, "He asked us for help, but he still has so many concerns? Besides, I'm just taking a look and I'm not doing anything. Why should he worry about it?"

"Well... okay, I'll go talk to him. If I had known that writing a play would be so troublesome, I might not have agreed to his request."

Zhang Luan said as he glanced at his son. He found that his son's eyes were full of mischief. He immediately felt embarrassed to look at him again. He could only turn his head away and murmured, "I was very tired last night. After drinking the hangover tea, let's go back to sleep."

……

……

Wenhua Hall.

After finishing their classes this morning, all the lecturers in the Eastern Palace were about to leave the palace. They did not have any teaching assignments this afternoon, and the next few days were all days off.

For them, the first phase of the Spring Lectures has come to an end.

As a student, Zhu Youtang expressed his gratitude to all the teachers. He walked up to Xie Qian and wanted to hear Xie Qian's summary of his studies during that period.

Xie Qian smiled and said, "The prince has made great progress recently. I thought that his studies would be delayed after he got married, but I never thought that he would still be diligent and studious, and completed his studies several days earlier than expected.

"In the next few days, Your Highness should study the Four Books more and write corresponding essays for the assigned topics. I will proofread them for you when I return."

Zhu Youtang said respectfully, "You all taught me well, and my wife also gave me lots of advice and encouragement. I would like to express my gratitude to Mr. Xie first."

"The Crown Princess..."

Xie Qian didn't expect that the Crown Prince would actually mention the Crown Princess at this time.

Zhu Youtang smiled and said, "Mr. Xie, do you still remember the poem I showed you earlier?"

Xie Qian suddenly thought of something. He looked around and found that everyone else had left Wenhua Hall. After no one paid attention to this place, he said seriously:

"I have asked someone to look at those poems before. They are very neatly written, gorgeous but not superficial. They are definitely classics. I wonder which master wrote them? Are they in the capital now?"

As literati, although the lecturers of the Eastern Palace were not known for their literary talent, there were many famous poets among them.

But from Xie Qian's point of view, that poem is not something that ordinary people can write.

Not to mention becoming famous for a while, it would not be difficult to be unique in the Ming Dynasty or even leave a good reputation for eternity.

But it is really strange that the lyrics written by such a person fell into the hands of the prince, and the literary world did not realize who wrote them.

Zhu Youtang smiled and said: "It was written by my wife."

"Cough cough cough..."

Even though Xie Qian knew that the author of the lyrics might be among the people around the prince, he did not expect such an absurd answer at the mere sound of it.

"Mr. Xie, are you okay?"

Zhu Youtang said this with endless reverie on his face, and a sense of happiness arose spontaneously, "I have corresponded with my wife for a long time, and it was not until later when the imperial concubine was selected that I knew that the person who wrote the lyrics was her. With her talent, she can probably be compared with the great female poets and lyricists who have been the best in the literary world since ancient times, such as Li Yi'an, Xue Hongdu, and Xie Lingjiang."

"Ah."

Xie Qian nodded helplessly.

This assessment is not wrong.

"Mr. Xie, do you think she writes well?"

Zhu Youtang seemed very interested in hearing other people's comments on his wife's poems.

Xie Qian said: "After hearing what the Crown Prince said, I think these poems are indeed extremely graceful, but they also have a heroic spirit and a bit of masculine character... Perhaps... the Crown Princess is as brave as any man."

After all, Xie Qian is the leader in today's poetry appreciation circle.

Although those poems read in a graceful and elegant boudoir style, they clearly have the meaning of being written by a man in the voice of a woman.

But the prince said that it was written by the crown princess, and Xie Qian had no choice but to accept it because he couldn't find the answer to the question.

(End of this chapter)