Uncle from a poor family

Chapter 283 Watching a Show
For several days in a row, Zhang Yanling wrote storybooks in the morning, rehearsed plays in other courtyards in the afternoon, and wrote various plans and drew blueprints in the evening. Although he didn't have to attend classes, he was more tired than his teacher.

Zhang Luan came back very late that night and was scolded by Jin again, which made Zhang Luan very unhappy. After a tantrum, he ran to his study and saw his son writing something. He couldn't help but go over to take a look. The strong smell of alcohol emanating from his body made Zhang Yanling frown.

"Dad, have you been drinking again?"

Zhang Yanling didn't even turn his head. He asked casually while writing, "I seem to hear mother scolding you."

"My son, remember, women are not easy to get along with. When you marry in the future, you must be careful. Don't marry one with a bad temper, otherwise you will live a life worse than death!"

Zhang Luan began to influence his son with his own views on marriage.

Zhang Yanling did not respond, but asked: "Who did you drink with tonight?"

Zhang Luan said, "Who else? They are my colleagues in the Imperial Academy... The three newly crowned top scholars, Fei Hong, Liu Chun and Tu Rui, plus some scholars from the Imperial Academy, are having their admission ceremony today. I am going to join in the fun, just to make myself familiar with them and drink with them in the evening.

"Speaking of the Hanlin scholars in this department, they all seem to be very talented. As a father, I dare not easily talk about knowledge in front of them, for fear that I can't compare with them."

Zhang Yanling pouted and asked, "Are you afraid that you can't compete or is it simply impossible to compete?"

"Okay, okay, okay, your father has no knowledge at all, and is just a lazy person waiting to die. I think you should be satisfied with this, right? You are becoming more and more like your mother, little brat."

Zhang Luan sat aside, seemingly sulking.

After a while, seeing that his son was still writing, Zhang Luan took the initiative to break the silence and asked curiously, "What are you writing? A new play script?"

Zhang Yanling shook his head and said, "No, I'm writing something very necessary to record and organize the memories in my mind for future use."

Zhang Luan was surprised and said, "You are not doing the things in front of you, but are thinking about planning for the future? Why don't you wait until later to write? There will always be a way out when you reach the mountain... You are still young, you should do something serious."

"It's because I'm young and my family hasn't risen yet, so I can still calm down and record some things. If a few years pass, I'll be busy thinking about how to fight with others all day long, and I won't have the energy to write these things. Even if I wanted to write, I'd forget them all."

Zhang Yanling now has to keep records.

Because all the knowledge points come from the brain's memory, and there are no formal written books for him to review and learn new things, which means that as time goes by, many things will inevitably be gradually forgotten. So he has to write them down on paper while he can still remember them.

It is not necessary to record everything he learned in his previous life. The information is too complicated and he cannot remember it all. He can only pick out the key points, especially those that can be used in this era.

"How's the playwriting going? In my opinion, Li Zisheng will send someone to urge us to do it soon. After all, when it comes to currying favor, it's better to do it sooner rather than later." Zhang Luan said.

"Oh, they have already finished rehearsing. Several troupes are practicing hard, and then they will select the best ones and send the best ones to the palace."

Zhang Yanling introduced, "We have only arranged two new plays, and there is no rush for the others. In fact, the performance is just a name, or a cover. The key is that Li Zisheng wants to send women to the palace, and he cannot be criticized by the literati, so he can only go through this formality, and nothing else matters."

Zhang Luan was shocked, and then asked curiously: "I heard that some dignitaries in the court are also very concerned about your majesty's bedroom affairs? They have repeatedly presented things related to it?"

"Oh, you mean Wan'an!"

Zhang Yanling smiled and said, "Wan'an is a person that the orthodox civil officials in the court despise... Dad, please don't think that you can get close to him just because he is the Prime Minister. People like him are destined to fall in the future, and they will be the ones who will be ruined the fastest."

"Oh, even the Prime Minister is going to suffer? Son, in your eyes, is there no good person in the court?"

Seeing that Zhang Yanling still didn't turn around and was still writing, Zhang Luan stretched and yawned, saying, "Forget it, forget it, it's useless to ask you, remember to rest early.

"I will go to the Imperial College tomorrow to meet my former classmates and have a drink with Cui Ru. We have already arranged this... To be honest, the classmates I met in the Imperial College are more simple and honest, and they don't have as many scheming minds as the people around me now."

Zhang Yanling finally spoke up: "Dad, you have nothing to do now, you can do whatever you like, and you will never be able to rest in the future. Oh, by the way, Dad, the Sun family sent someone to invite you to their house today, but you were not at home, so they left without waiting. The visiting card is on the table in your room, remember to take a look when you go back to your room to rest."

Zhang Luan said unhappily, "Humph, you rented the shop to him, if there is any trouble, you should deal with it yourself, I am too lazy to ask.

"My classmate is just a scholar, not even an official. Why should I care about him? Now that I think about it, it's a good thing your sister didn't marry him. The Sun family is full of short-sighted people. Fortunately, they didn't harm my precious daughter."

……

……

At night, it’s four o’clock in the east.

The old courtyard of the medicine shop.

Sun You renovated the shop. In addition to the front door for business, he also furnished the reception hall, living room and guest rooms in the back.

"Dad, how much money did this cost?"

Sun Chengying came along for the inspection and couldn't help frowning.

Her heart was bleeding at this moment.

The shop is not her own, but it is decorated so luxuriously. She doesn't know where her father got the confidence from. How will he make a profit in the future if he expands the shop so much?

Sun You said confidently: "The shop will open soon, and I wanted to invite Zhan Qian to support the business, but it seems that he is too busy and has no time to come.

"But many people from Hejian Prefecture in Beijing will come to show their support. Just wait and see. Our Sun family will soon prosper. This will be the contact point for officials from Hejian Prefecture and merchants in Beijing. I think everyone will give me some face. The name of our Sun family will gradually spread throughout our hometown and become as prosperous as the Zhang family."

……

……

Pengjiadi store.

Peng Mianfu looked at the pile of rotten wood soaked in water in front of him, his face turning green and red, and he looked extremely angry. He looked around and shouted, "A bunch of useless rubbish, there are so many of you and you can't even deal with a few petty thieves? You might as well raise a few dogs, at least they will bark when something happens."

All the managers, waiters and porters present disagreed.

Can dogs compete with us? Dogs can only rely on people. If they were left alone to face so many people, they would definitely run faster than anyone else. If we hadn't stepped forward, the goods in the store might have been damaged. Not only are you not grateful, but you're also scolding us?

They were not indentured laborers of the Peng family, but were only hired temporarily to do work and received monthly wages. They could help out, but there was no need for them to risk their lives for them.

The shopkeeper came forward and whispered, "Boss, this happened suddenly, and the thieves were too ferocious. They threw the goods into the water and beat people. They aimed their sticks at our heads. It was natural for us to suffer. But our people also injured the leader, who was hit right on the head. I guess he didn't feel well either."

Peng Mianfu then looked at the housekeeper behind him and asked sternly, "Have you found out what's going on with the Zhang family?"

"In reply to your question, I have found out that the Zhang's medicine shop in Dongsi is no longer in business. It has been sublet to a family surnamed Sun in Hejian Prefecture. I heard that they are going to open a rice shop. The store has been renovated and opened a few days ago."

The housekeeper was cautious because everyone knew that Peng Mianfu had a bad temper.

The Peng family has encountered too many misfortunes recently, and with Peng Hua about to retire, the entire family, including the business, is in a situation of internal and external troubles.

Peng Mianfu sneered: "Any merchant from Hejian Prefecture dares to be the first to stand out? In the capital, who does rice business without a deep background? It seems that we should teach him a lesson..."

The housekeeper hesitated and said, "Master, do you mean to send more people to destroy the store?"

"Would I do something so tasteless?"

Peng Mianfu had a sinister look on his face. "Not only will I not cause trouble, I will also give him a business deal to see how capable he is and how much business he can handle. Find me a familiar merchant to discuss business with him. I will make him enter the city upright and leave lying down!"

The housekeeper swallowed his saliva and said hesitantly: "Merchants with local official backgrounds will not do business with strangers. Let's not waste our time!"

Peng Mianfu said disdainfully: "This kind of person has just arrived, and he must want to expand his business as soon as possible. Go and check his background for me first, so that he won't lose everything. My last name is not Peng."

"Yes Yes."

The housekeeper agreed, but was thinking in his heart.

Why don’t you let the Zhang family go bankrupt?

Or are you just too cowardly and can only vent your anger on people with the surname Sun?

……

……

In the Forbidden City, it was already evening before we knew it.

The throne had been arranged early in the morning next to the temporary stage set up in the back garden of the palace.

Li Zisheng, Tan Chang and Wei Tai accompanied the emperor to the back garden of the palace. Along the way, Zhu Jianshen was talking to Li Zisheng. Even Tan Chang and Wei Tai next to him could see it. Now the emperor trusted Li Zisheng very much.

"Your Majesty, I heard that Xuanfu has been in turmoil recently. The local governor has asked the court to transfer silver from Taicang to prepare for border reserves. The Ministry of Revenue is also complaining about poverty."

Li Zisheng said casually.

Qin Chang couldn't help but glare over.

I thought, Li Zisheng, you are so bold. The emperor only asked you to take care of the affairs of the Ministry of Personnel, but now you want to interfere in the affairs of the Ministry of Revenue and the northwest border. Zhu Jianshen was puzzled: "The court has spent a lot of money in the past two years. I heard that the tax revenue of the treasury has been declining year after year. Is it because of frequent disasters or because there are too many corrupt officials in the local area?"

"Hard to say."

Li Zisheng shook his head.

Zhu Jianshen sighed and frowned, "I am devoted to the country, but there are always people who hold me back... So, Li Qing, you have time to help me check and see if there are any gaps that can be made up. Especially the salt permits. The grain used for the salt permits in the northwest should be sufficient every year, but every year they ask the court for money under different pretexts. They are becoming more and more unrestrained."

Qin Chang hurriedly stepped forward and said, "Your Majesty, in fact, the Ministry of Revenue has already handled this matter."

"Ah."

Zhu Jianshen seemed to have realized that Tan Chang didn't want Li Zisheng to interfere too much in state affairs.

He did not expose it directly, but waited and watched the people below fight for a little benefit. This can be regarded as a way to control his subjects.

When they arrived in front of a pavilion, Li Zisheng said with a smile, "Your Majesty, we are here."

"Ah."

Zhu Jianshen walked to the glittering throne and sat down, extending his hand to signal: "Li Qing, sit here with me... You asked someone to arrange the play, and I have some questions, so I can ask you."

Li Zisheng said, "Your Majesty, you are really praising me too much. In fact, I don't have time to watch this play, but I have asked someone to arrange it so I know roughly what it is about. I am afraid I can't answer your questions."

"Then you come over and sit over here too. At least after watching the show, I have some insights and can talk to someone about them."

Zhu Jianshen was in high spirits and insisted that Li Zisheng sit next to him, completely exceeding the social distance that should be maintained between the monarch and his subjects.

……

……

The show begins.

Zhu Jianshen was concentrating on watching the stage, and Li Zisheng was also watching there seriously.

As he said, he had indeed not seen the play in advance. He only heard Pang Qing's general description and knew what it was about... He only knew the content of the first scene, and he couldn't say what the second scene was about.

After Zhu Jianshen started watching the play, he spoke noticeably less.

The content of the play was quite fascinating. At least Zhu Jianshen sighed repeatedly after watching it. Qin Chang and Wei Tai, who were standing next to him, also felt that there was something "heart-stirring" in the play after witnessing it with their own eyes.

Qin Chang whispered to Wei Tai, "This Immortal Master Li is really taking an unconventional approach... Knowing that Lady Wan has just passed away, he dares to arrange this kind of love drama. Aren't you afraid that His Majesty will be upset and depressed?"

"That's the truth."

Wei Tai responded casually, but his eyes were fixed on the stage.

Because the new play is so good.

Zhu Jianshen watched for a while, and when the actors on the stage changed scenes, he reached out and pulled Li Zisheng. Li Zisheng then turned around and looked at Zhu Jianshen, but suddenly realized that he could not look the emperor in the eye, so he quickly lowered his head.

"Li Qing, where do those gods come from?"

Zhu Jianshen asked.

Li Zilue was embarrassed: "Maybe... we were all mortals in our previous lives."

Zhu Jianshen was like a curious baby: "Does the immortal still remember the things in the mortal world? Why does a fairy not want to be a fairy, but want to marry a mortal man?"

"I don't know."

Li Zisheng was embarrassed.

How do we view this drama adapted from a folk myth and start discussing philosophical questions?
There may not really be gods in heaven, and even if there are, I don’t know what they are thinking...Are you asking the wrong person this question?

"They sing really well." Zhu Jianshen expressed his feelings again, "I'll ask them to come over and sing a few lines for me separately. The tune is really... wonderful."

Li Zisheng wondered why the emperor suddenly cared about the melody?
Don't want to watch the show, just want to listen to the music?
This hobby... is really simple. If you just like to listen to music, the Jiaofangsi is a good place to go.

……

……

On the stage, the play "The Legend and the Heroine" is still being performed.

When it was time for the next change of scene, Zhu Jianshen had the show stopped.

Qin Chang hurriedly approached and asked, "Your Majesty, what happened? If they didn't sing well, let someone punish them."

"no no."

Zhu Jianshen shook his head repeatedly. "After listening to it, I felt a little depressed. I felt that the plot was too depressing. For example, Dong Yong sold himself to bury his father, but he was able to move the fairy in heaven. The fairy even came down to earth to marry him... I couldn't help but think of Wan Shi. She and I were probably like this."

When several people heard this, they thought, in your heart, that old woman, Concubine Wan, is like a fairy in the sky?
Or do you hope that she will become an immortal after her death, waiting for you to ascend to heaven and reunite with her?

Li Zisheng said hurriedly: "I was not well prepared. I shouldn't have asked people to stage such a play, which made Your Majesty worried."

"No, no, this play is very good."

Zhu Jianshen said expectantly, "I want to ask them to come over so that I can take a closer look and see if they look like Wan Shi."

"..."

Now even Li Zisheng was speechless.

You are such a pretendingly affectionate emperor. First of all, you say that you are depressed and can't bear to watch such a sad drama, but now you turn your head and want to look at the female actor up close?
Qin Chang waved his hand and quickly asked someone to summon the female actor over.

Li Zisheng was only interested in the actress who played the role of the Seven Fairies. He called her to come over, but before she could get close, Li Zisheng leaned over and whispered:
"Your Majesty, the fairy who secretly betrothed Dong Yong is the youngest, the seventh fairy. There are six other fairy sisters above her who have yet to appear."

"Oh?"

Upon hearing this, Zhu Jianshen immediately looked at Li Zisheng, as if asking, why didn’t you say it earlier?

It seems that I was careless. If I had known earlier, I should have waited until all seven fairies appeared, and then called them over together to see which one looks more like my concubine.

The woman Pinting who played the role of the Seventh Fairy came forward, knelt down, and barely raised her head. Her beautiful face looked so pitiful.

She was not very old, only about sixteen or seventeen years old. Although she was pretty, she did not dare to look Zhu Jianshen in the eye.

Zhu Jianshen was not satisfied after reading it. He turned his head and asked Li Zisheng: "Will the Queen Mother appear next?"

"This……"

Li Zisheng thought about it and realized that was right. How old was Concubine Wan when she died?
Find a little girl here. The emperor doesn't think she looks like his maid.

Besides, Concubine Wan was much older than the emperor. Ever since the emperor could remember things from childhood, he had always seen Concubine Wan as a very old woman, a woman of mature charm...

Li Zisheng said anxiously, it seems that I was careless and did not figure out what the emperor likes.

"I don't know about this, but I think... he probably hasn't appeared yet."

Li Zisheng said, "Why not change the play later? Not only will the Queen Mother appear earlier, but the other female gods will also appear... In the heaven, there are many female gods, for example..."

Qin Chang took the initiative to interrupt: "Master Li, you are a member of the Fang family. It is not appropriate to blaspheme the immortals in heaven like this, right?"

Li Zisheng frowned: "Eunuch Tan, I'm just looking for someone to stage a play. These people are just performing. Is it necessary to say that they are blaspheming the Heavenly Court?"

"What about the celestial beings in heaven..."

Zhu Jianshen waved his hands, "I don't even know if there is one, so don't make it sound so weird. I just want to watch the show quietly. Li Qing, your suggestion is very good. Since we are playing the role of immortals, we should have more female immortals appear, and it would be better if they appeared earlier."

Li Zisheng smiled and said, "Yes, Your Majesty, I will have someone arrange it."

Zhu Jianshen waved his hand and said, "No more talking. Keep singing. She has a good voice. I will keep her in the Qianqing Palace today. I will listen to her singing carefully."

What I meant was that even if this girl was very young and did not fit my inherent impression of Concubine Wan, she was at least a girl with unique characteristics, so I accepted her with a smile.

(End of this chapter)