Uncle from a poor family

Chapter 302: A True Loyal Minister
Li Zisheng came early specifically to find Zhang Luan and inquire about Zhu Jianshen's treatment.

The two men found a makeshift platform and sat down. There was no one within a few feet around them. The followers brought by Li Zisheng were guarding the four sides and prohibited people from approaching.

"Laizhan, I'm not kidding you. His Majesty is not in good health... I went to the palace to see him yesterday, and his Majesty was in a very bad condition." Li Zisheng said.

"When did it happen?" Zhang Luan asked.

"does it matter?"

Li Zisheng asked back, and then introduced, "I left Wanhe Temple yesterday. After returning to the city, I went straight to the palace. When I saw Your Majesty, I wanted to say a few good words on your behalf. Unexpectedly, Your Majesty was in a trance and had no intention of listening. Later, the people from the Imperial Hospital went in to diagnose Your Majesty, and I left first."

Zhang Luan thought for a moment and nodded, "Well... first of all, thank you Minister Li for your kindness, but I'm not good at commenting on your Majesty's condition!"

Li Zisheng said, "Since you asked me that, I'll say that... Now it's my turn to ask you, is there really no cure for your majesty's illness?"

Zhang Luan thought carefully about his son's words, shrugged helplessly, and said, "We can only delay it for now. This disease is difficult to cure. Some people can control it well and persist for a few years or even more than ten years, but if it is not good, the condition will deteriorate rapidly, and perhaps..."

"do not talk."

Li Zisheng raised his hand to interrupt Zhang Luan and said in a sad voice, "Just like Concubine Wan, she was fine a few days ago, and then she died? It seems that this disease is really dangerous."

"Ah."

Zhang Luan nodded.

Li Zisheng asked again: "Then...regarding the method of delaying the illness as much as possible, for example, what medicine should be used for daily rehabilitation and conditioning? Oral words are too obscure and difficult to understand. I have a prescription here, which was copied from the Imperial Hospital. Why don't you take a look at it?"

Zhang Luan was shocked.

I thought to myself, wow, you even got me the prescription that the Imperial Medical Bureau gave to the emperor?

This is too serious!
Li Zisheng frowned and said bitterly, "I know that medical matters are hard to explain. It is said that scholars have always looked down on each other. In fact, this is often the case among doctors... You usually shouldn't change other people's prescriptions or interfere with the combination of medicines, but it's okay to check whether the prescription is good or not, right?"

"This……"

Zhang Luan had nothing to say, so he could only take the prescription obediently. After reading it carefully, he nodded slightly, "This prescription is not bad."

Seeing Zhang Luan's perfunctory response, Li Zisheng asked angrily, "What's so good about this recipe?"

Zhang Luan thought that he couldn't fool her anymore, so he said, "Use licorice as the main ingredient to relieve the symptoms of liver disease and regulate the body. This is a common method used by the people."

Li Zisheng was very dissatisfied and sighed, "Laizhan, do you think I didn't ask other doctors before I asked you? Licorice can cure liver disease. Even a folk doctor would know about it.

"But this is a prescription for treating your majesty. If only licorice is useful among these medicines, then what is the difference between a doctor from the Imperial Hospital and a charlatan in the market?"

Zhang Luan's heart was filled with bitterness.

He thought to himself, you are really right, my son said that nowadays there is often no difference between miracle doctors and charlatans.

It's like in your eyes I'm a miracle doctor, but when it comes to saving lives, I may not be as good as those charlatans.

"Are you anxious?" Zhang Luan asked.

"It's not urgent."

Li Zisheng said, "It has always been like this, not just for one or two days. Last year, His Majesty had symptoms of liver disease, even earlier than Empress Wan discovered it, but..."

At this he shook his head.

Zhang Luan was silent for a moment, then said, "Concubine Wan is old, and the disease has worsened relatively quickly. Now it's your Majesty's turn, and the situation is not optimistic either."

“You…”

Li Zisheng pointed at Zhang Luan and said in a tone of regret: "Aren't you quite outspoken? Why do you always try to cover up the matter regarding His Majesty's illness? Is it necessary?"

"It's different, very different!"

Zhang Luan shook his head repeatedly, saying that who would dare to make noises when it comes to the emperor? Don't you want to live?
Li Zisheng looked unhappy, staring at Zhang Luan, and said as if to cheat: "No, no, no, no matter how difficult it is for you, I still want to ask you for a prescription today, no matter whether it is good or not, just prescribe it for me."

Zhang Luan smiled bitterly and said, "Minister Li, aren't you making things difficult for me?"

"I'm just giving you a hard time, what's the matter?"

Li Zisheng said angrily, "You won't listen to my good words or bad words, what can I do? I don't force you, but you always shirk responsibility. No matter what, your majesty is the emperor of the Ming Dynasty. As a minister, can I just watch your majesty's condition getting worse day by day and do nothing?"

At this point, Li Zisheng became extremely emotional, and tears began to flow from the corners of his eyes.

Zhang Luan sighed: "Minister Li is truly a man of character."

After being complimented by Zhang Luan, Li Zisheng burst into tears out of grievance, and Zhang Luan's eyes turned red.

But Li Zisheng knew how to restrain himself. After crying for a while, he seemed to feel better. He took out a cloth and wiped the tears from the corners of his eyes, saying in a sad voice: "Your Majesty treats me sincerely. I can't be so ruthless and turn a blind eye to his pain... I know you have a way to help him. Even if it can't cure it, as long as it can relieve your majesty's condition and not affect his daily life, I will do it without hesitation."

"But……"

Zhang Luan didn't want to give in easily.

Li Zisheng interrupted Zhang Luan and begged in a tearful voice, "Laizhan, I beg you... I know you are afraid of being stabbed in the back, but I am not. Just write me a prescription. I won't say it was written by you. I, Li, still have some credibility, right?
"If anything happens, I will take full responsibility. Come on, just tell me whether you want to open it or not."

Zhang Luan was completely at his wit's end, and said helplessly: "You've said so much, what else can I do? I'll open it, but I need to go back and think it over carefully."

"Okay, but hurry up, in just two days."

Li Zisheng looked at Zhang Luan expectantly and said, "As long as you prescribe a prescription for me, I will send it to His Majesty, no matter whether it is good or bad. As long as His Majesty is willing to adopt it, I will thank you. If others ask, I will say that this is a folk remedy. Even if a knife is put to my neck, or even kill me, I will not tell you a word."

"That's good, that's good."

Zhang Luan felt somewhat relieved.

But I was thinking about it in my heart.

How should I explain to my son when I get back?

I've given him another big job!
But I think my son should be able to understand me, right?

Li Zisheng was very polite to me. If I continued to disagree, he would probably put a knife to my neck next... I had no other choice.

Li Zisheng calmed down a little and took a long time to stand up. He looked at the sky and said, "It's almost time. Come with me to wait for the Queen Mother to arrive."

"Ah? I...I won't go?" Zhang Luan hesitated.

"Where else can you go?" Li Zisheng grabbed Zhang Luan's hand and said firmly, "I feel guilty for not being able to take you to see the emperor today, but it's okay for me to take you to see the queen mother.

"The Queen Mother is kind and knows that you have fulfilled the task entrusted by Her Majesty diligently and helped her to worship Buddha smoothly. She will not treat you unfairly. So, you prescribe me a prescription and I will pave the way for you in the officialdom... You can come to my villa tonight, and I will entertain you with fine wine, food and beautiful women. This time, I will pay for all the money used to rebuild Wanhe Temple, and give you a generous gift. I will not let you down."

……

……

Li Zisheng and Zhang Luan stood in front of the gate of Wanhe Temple. The abbot, other monks, and the Zen master lined up behind them. In addition, officials from the Ministry of Rites and the inner court lined up to wait for their arrival.

After waiting for about an incense stick of time, when the sun was high in the sky, the Empress Dowager Zhou's carriage finally appeared on the mountain path outside Wanhe Temple.

The ceremonial procession accompanying the phoenix carriage was extremely lavish, with the huge procession lined up in a row that was almost two miles long. Perhaps Queen Mother Zhou did not know what frugality meant. It was rare that her son was so filial to her, and she might not have the opportunity to leave the palace once a year. If she didn't show off, what was the point of leaving the palace?
Li Zisheng and Zhang Luan came forward to greet them.

"Greetings to the Empress Dowager and the ancestors."

From a distance, Li Zisheng smiled and bowed.

Queen Mother Zhou was all smiles and waved her hand while sitting on the phoenix sedan chair. Li Zisheng ran over happily.

Queen Mother Zhou pointed at Li Zisheng who was standing nearby and said with a smile: "The magpie chirped today. It turned out that you, Zisheng, came to greet us in person. This Wanhe Temple was repaired in just a few days. You have made a great contribution. I am very satisfied."

"You are too kind, old ancestor. This is not my achievement, but someone else's..."

As he spoke, Li Zisheng intentionally turned his gaze to Zhang Luan in front of him.

Queen Mother Zhou pointed and asked, "Who is that?"

Li Zisheng introduced with a smile: "This is the father of the Crown Princess of the Eastern Palace, Zhang Luan, who is now the Junior Minister of the Imperial Household Department and the historian of the Imperial Academy. His courtesy name is Laizhan."

"Is this Zhang Laizhan?" Empress Dowager Zhou said with a look of delight, "I have heard of his name for a long time, but never had the chance to meet him. Come, come, come."

After saying that, he waved again.

Only then did Zhang Luan dare to step forward, passing through the line of Jinyiwei in front of him, and saluted respectfully in front of the phoenix sedan chair: "Your Highness Zhang Luan, I pay my respects to the Empress Dowager."

"Too strange."

Empress Dowager Zhou looked at Zhang Luan carefully and praised him, "He is indeed extraordinary. No wonder he was appreciated and respected by the emperor in such a short period of time, and was also strongly promoted by the governor..."

"Ancestor is wrong. I did not promote him. It is true that he has his own abilities and is appreciated by Your Majesty." Li Zisheng said with a smile.

Queen Mother Zhou glanced at Li Zisheng and said, "Oh, so that's how it is."

I'm almost saying, are you still pretending in front of me?

I don’t know who was the one who was trying to persuade me when choosing the Crown Princess, but now they are deliberately keeping a distance from me. Are they taking advantage of my poor eyesight?
Li Zisheng was also in a difficult situation. You said that I could be honest in front of you, but with so many people around listening, shouldn't I be confused for once?

Zhang Luan looked reserved and said, "It is my great honor to be able to serve Your Majesty and the Queen Mother... I will do my best and die for Your Majesty and the Queen Mother."

Queen Mother Zhou said, "You are really wrong when I say you are distant... How about this, your daughter is my granddaughter-in-law, so I am one generation older than you, and I am also much older than you in age... In this case, you can call me aunt, and we will be aunt and niece from now on, what do you think?"

When Zhang Luan heard this, his eyes widened.

I wondered what was going on.
The first time I met the Queen Mother, she wanted to talk to me about my relationship?
Aunt?

What is this title?
In my hometown of Xingji, doesn't that mean my father's sister? Unfortunately, my real aunt has passed away for many years. I didn't expect that someone would become my aunt now. How unpredictable things are!

Li Zisheng laughed and said, "Oh, after hearing what you said, I suddenly feel closer to you... Zhang Hanlin, you are really enviable. You are the nephew of the Queen Mother now. When I see you in the future, it will be like seeing the Queen Mother herself. What a great honor this is for you."

Zhang Luan bowed quickly, pretending to be grateful and tearful: "How could I be so worthy of the Empress Dowager's attention? I am deeply humbled!"

Queen Mother Zhou rolled her eyes at him and waved her hand, saying, "We are all relatives, and we can be considered a family. What does it matter if we talk about seniority? This is the only way to appear close enough.

"Laizhan, when you have time in the future, please go to Qingning Palace. I will sit down and have a good talk with you... Your girl is so pretty. I like her just by looking at her. She is filial, sensible, and well-educated. I am very happy every time I see her. Come, call me aunt."

Zhang Luan was embarrassed.

The first time they met, Queen Mother Zhou asked her to call her "Auntie". I couldn't help but feel unhappy about it in my heart. If you didn't know better, you would think she was insulting me.

"Greetings to my aunt."

Zhang Luan said helplessly.

"Hey, that's right."

Queen Mother Zhou smiled and said, "My dear nephew, you and Zisheng will accompany me to the temple. I also want to see what changes have been made to the renovated Wanhe Temple."

Then Queen Mother Zhou got off the carriage and ordered, "Zisheng, you lead the way."

"Okay."

Li Zisheng glanced at Zhang Luan with a mysterious look, then nodded and bowed quickly, walking in front and personally leading the way for Queen Mother Zhou.

Wanhe Temple, shaded by flags, is extremely bustling.

Tens of thousands of people gathered around to watch. They were separated by two layers of Jinyiwei in front and back. They watched from afar and dared not make any loud noise.

It was the first time that Zhang Luan received someone of such high status and he felt a lot of pressure. Fortunately, Queen Mother Zhou was very outgoing and would chat with him whenever she had the chance. She talked about everything from the Zhang family's ancestors to the current situation of the family, what she saw and heard along the way from Xingji to the capital, her feelings after arriving in the capital, etc.

Zhang Luan felt as if someone was hanging him on a tree with his neck tightly strangled, but he was only able to take a breath occasionally. The feeling of oppression was so strong that his emotions such as joy, anger, sorrow and happiness were all easily controlled by the old woman.

……

……

"It's well done."

Queen Mother Zhou stood in the main hall, looked around, nodded repeatedly, and exclaimed, "This Buddha is exactly the same as the one in my dream. Seeing that it is still standing here in good condition, I feel relieved. You all step back first, I have something to say to the Buddha."

"Yes."

Li Zisheng responded verbally, but did not forget to help Zhang Luan.

Zhang Luan finally came to his senses and followed Li Zisheng to the threshold of the Main Hall, where he waited quietly.

(End of this chapter)