Uncle from a poor family

Chapter 37 Hands and eyes reaching the sky
The next morning, Cao Shun and Shen Lu went to see Zhang Luan together. With Shen Lu's introduction, the two sides sat down to drink tea and chat, and they quickly became familiar with each other.

Zhang Luan knew that Cao Shun was a juren, so he behaved very respectfully. However, he did not understand why Shen Lu brought this person to see him. He only knew that the other party was Shen Lu's friend, but he was not sure to what extent their friendship was.

After dealing with it casually, Shen Lu went out to see Cao Shun off.

Zhang Yanling leaned over and asked, "Dad, who is that person?"

Zhang Luan said, "You are your uncle's old friend in Tongzhou. He is a juren and has served as an official. He is mature and steady in dealing with people. Your father still has a lot to learn from him."

"Learn to be an official? I think that... Dad doesn't need to learn at all. Anyway, Dad's ambition is not to pass the exam and become an official, right?" Zhang Yanling said with a smile.

"What do you know? If your father doesn't want to be an official, what's the point of entering the Imperial College? At your age, after graduating from the Imperial College, you can at least seek an official position. Even if you can't become a high-ranking official, you can still show your face in front of the government."

Zhang Luan said, flicking his sleeves, "Hurry up and pack up, and get on the road. Eh? Why don't I see Captain Tan?"

Zhang Yanling said, "It seems he went out to do some work."

Zhang Luan thought for a moment and shook his head, "Captain Tan is a pretty good person, but no matter how I look at him... I feel uncomfortable. Officials in the court are all very scheming."

"Dad, are you making a veiled criticism?" Zhang Yanling asked.

"Do you think I'm talking about your uncle? He's not a scheming person and treats people with sincerity. Even though he's just a juren, he's very well connected in the capital, because he came from the Yintai. If your father had studied in the Imperial College for a few years and could have entered the Yintai Division..."

The Song court set up the Yintaisi to manage the memorials and documents of the whole country. Because the office was located inside the Yintai Gate, it was named so. The position of the Tongzhengsi of the Ming Dynasty was equivalent to that of the Yintaisi, so it was also called the Yintai.

Zhang Yanling was surprised that his old father had a sweet dream in broad daylight, and he quickly reminded him: "Let's go quickly. We need to settle down in the capital. Even if you want to think about something, you can think about it slowly on the way. Don't delay the trip."

Want to dream?
Take your time when you're in a hurry on the road.

……

……

The group continued on their journey.

In order to facilitate his conversation with Zhang Luan on the road, Shen Lu asked his own driver to drive Zhang Luan while he rode with Zhang Luan.

Shen Lu's carriage was in the front, and Qin Yun intentionally approached the carriage. Apparently, Qin Yun felt that Shen Lu's identity as an experienced official in the Ministry of Public Administration could be used.

Zhang Heling was bleary-eyed. He waved his whip and looked up, asking curiously, "What does my uncle do? Does he have a big house in the capital? Can we stay at his house when we go there?"

When Zhang Yu heard this question, she couldn't help but lift the curtain, wanting to hear her second brother's answer. She was also curious about Shen Lu's background.

Zhang Yanling said, "Generally, officials in the capital are appointed by Jinshi, but it is rare in this dynasty for a Juren to reach the level of our uncle."

Zhang Yu said, "Second brother, I'm afraid what you said is not right. I asked mother yesterday, and she said that my uncle was only a seventh-rank official, no different from the county magistrate... Isn't the county magistrate of Xingji also a juren?"

"You don't know this, do you?"

Zhang Yanling showed off his knowledge with a smile, like a child showing off. "Beijing officials are of the seventh rank, and they can be promoted by at least three levels if they are transferred to the local areas. This means that if my uncle is transferred to the local areas, he can easily become the deputy governor of a prefecture. With a little bit of promotion, he may even have the opportunity to become the governor of a small or medium-sized prefecture."

Zhang Yu asked in surprise, "They are both seventh-grade, is the difference so big?"

Zhang Yanling whispered, "Do you know who has the final say in the Tongzhengshisi now?"

Zhang Heling was not interested in the topic and continued to drive with his head down. Zhang Yu hurriedly urged him: "If you know, just tell me now."

"It's Li Zisheng... He is a close minister of the emperor. I heard that he is a Taoist priest and does things unconventionally. All officials in the court who want to be promoted have to pass his review. As a result, the Tongzhengshisi, which was originally a very inconspicuous government office in the court, is now fawned upon by everyone. Our uncle must be very capable to be able to work in the Tongzhengshisi." Zhang Yanling said.

"What does great mean?" Zhang Heling asked.

"It's just great." Zhang Yanling explained.

Zhang Yu then realized that her humble uncle was actually a powerful figure. She then asked with some anticipation, "I wonder how his family is doing?"

Zhang Yanling smiled and joked: "Sister, you don't want to marry one of our cousins, do you? If I have to pursue something, I will not marry anyone other than the prince." "Look at what you are saying. You want to be beaten!"

Zhang Yu punched his brother and then lowered the car curtain.

After a while, Zhang Yu opened the curtain again and asked, "Yanling, you didn't study for many days before, how do you know so much? Did your father teach you all this? I see that sometimes when your father encounters trouble, he will ask you what's going on."

"I……"

Zhang Yanling found this issue a little difficult to explain.

Zhang Heling grinned and said, "The second brother is just bragging. Not only does he believe it, but even dad believes it. Sister, you have a brain, don't listen to him."

Zhang Yu said, "Big Brother, you said you have brains, why doesn't Dad listen to you? Logically speaking, shouldn't you be the one to help Dad deal with problems at home?"

"I...am I not learning right now?" Zhang Heling was a little unhappy.

As the eldest son of the Zhang family, Zhang Heling always felt that he was very awesome, but he was useless in front of his sister.

Zhang Yanling ignored their argument and looked into the distance, saying, "In my estimation, after we arrive in the capital, the imperial court will start selecting a princess for the crown prince soon, and it will not be later than the first month of the year... Sister shouldn't have many rivals."

Zhang Yu finally heard what he wanted to hear. He didn't bother to argue with his empty-headed brother and asked hurriedly, "How many people should be elected?"

Zhang Yanling said: "I think there will be about 300 to 400 people."

Zhang Yu was shocked: "You still call this unbeatable?"

"hehe."

Zhang Yanling was overjoyed.

As far as Zhang Yanling knew, the unsuccessful selection of concubines for the crown prince in the Ming Dynasty began in the sixth year of Tianshun when Emperor Yingzong selected a concubine for Crown Prince Zhu Jianshen, who later became Emperor Xianzong.

At that time, no one responded to the imperial edict. Ordinary families did not dare to send their daughters to the palace casually, because there were only a few who could become empresses and concubines, and the rest would most likely be sent to the palace and never leave. The demonization of the royal family among the people was very serious.

In the seventh year of Tianshun, Emperor Yingzong was furious and issued an edict to Yao Kui, the Minister of Rites:
"Last year, we sought a marriage partner for the Crown Prince, but there has been no suitable match so far. Now, we are issuing a notice to all officials and civilians in Beijing, Northern Zhili, Nanjing, Yingtian, Huai'an, Yangzhou, Shandong and other places. Girls aged 14 to 18 with dignified appearance and pure nature should be reported to the government. If the family members hide their daughters and do not report them, relatives and neighbors are allowed to report them first and wait for the selection."

What this means is that the selection of a princess for the crown prince was not smooth last year, and this time they cannot be allowed to nominate themselves, but instead neighbors have to report on each other.

Want to avoid being my daughter-in-law?

There are no doors!

Come and choose one by one!
The results confirmed that the three people who were finally selected all had miserable lives. After all, in the entire Chenghua dynasty, the most powerful foreign relative was still the Wan family, and the others were not even a foil.

Against this background, how many people would respond to the call to choose a concubine for the Crown Prince Zhu Youtang, who currently has no power at all?

Zhang Yanling said, "There should be three or four hundred people selected, but how many of them are of good family background and have some talent, that is, they can play the piano, chess, calligraphy and painting?"

Although the selection of concubines for the Crown Prince of the Ming Dynasty did not require any extraordinary talent, basic literacy was still required. She also had to have studied women's studies and read the "Book of Filial Piety for Women". This alone basically kept most people out.

"Besides, my sister is very beautiful, well-educated, and knows right from wrong...but it's not nice for her to hit her brother casually."

Just when Zhang Yu was overjoyed and thought that she was the only choice for the Crown Princess, she frowned instantly when she heard her brother's words, and her fist almost landed on her brother's back again.

Zhang Yanling said with a smile: "Sister, we can't be arrogant at home. If you have the ability, you can control your brother-in-law and make him loyal to you."

Zhang Yu said, "You want me to be the Crown Princess, and you want the Crown Prince to favor me alone. How is that possible?"

Zhang Yanling said, "Sister, you don't know this, right? The prince can also marry only one wife for his whole life... If you have any questions about this in the future, you can come to me and I will help you solve your problems."

The third update is here! Please support me during the PK period, thank you!
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(End of this chapter)