Uncle from a poor family

Chapter 443: A Dog Skin (asking for monthly ticket)
Zhang Luan was afraid that he would be harassed by Jin when he returned home, so he just took a walk around the villa near the palace gate and left before even waiting for his son to come back.

Perhaps he was afraid that Zhang Yanling would ask him a few questions in person and force him to reveal the purpose of his trip, and then mock him or simply not let him go.

So Zhang Luan just left a note for his son and sent someone to deliver it home, and then he excitedly went to Li Zisheng's villa before noon. After all, he would follow Li Zisheng out of the city to "open his eyes".

He was in such a hurry to make himself look like he was doing "business".

It was already afternoon when Zhang Yanling received the note.

At the same time, Shen Lu personally visited Zhang's house.

"Today is the great day when the crown prince ascends the throne, and many people want to give gifts to your father."

Shen Lu said, "But because it was not convenient, they sent them all to me, hoping that I would pass them on. I didn't know what Lai Zhan's attitude was, so I could only come to ask, but who knew... he was not at home."

Zhang Yanling said, "Maybe my father is doing work in the government office?"

"is it?"

Shen Lu was very curious.

In his eyes, his brother-in-law was not a man who worked hard. He was nowhere to be seen in the court all day long. Now that the prince had ascended the throne, it was the time for officials in various government offices to show their talents, but it was difficult to even see him.

Originally, he wanted to use Zhang Luan's power to help him expand his resources and connections, but Zhang Luan never gave him the chance.

Zhang Yanling smiled and said, "My father tries to keep a low profile and doesn't like to socialize with people. Besides, the job he is doing now is an idle one, so it doesn't matter if he knows a few more court officials or a few less... Uncle, you don't have to worry about him."

Shen Lu hesitated and said, "Then...what should we do with those gifts?"

"It's time to retreat."

Zhang Yanling said, "It's easy to beg for mercy when you receive gifts. Accepting gifts won't help you build a close relationship with someone, but will only lead to trouble... Now the censors are watching my father, waiting for him to make a mistake... As for who they can use in the future, it's still unclear, let's wait until we get to the point where we have to face the danger."

Shen Lu sighed, "It's okay for him to retire, but I don't know what path your father will take in the future? Now everyone in the court is talking about it, saying that the prince... that is, the current emperor intends to let him join the cabinet, and said that no matter what, he will be given a real position such as the Minister of Rites, but I don't know now..."

Zhang Yanling shook his head and said, "I don't know about that. Why don't you ask him in person when you get back?"

"That……"

Shen Lu couldn't get anything out of Zhang Yanling, so he stood up and said goodbye.

Before leaving, Shen Lu reminded him, "When your father comes back, be sure to let him know that I was here. If he has time, ask him to visit me. I need to ask him some questions in person."

"When you serve as an official in the court, you will inevitably come into contact with all kinds of people. I don't even know what position he will hold in the future. I only know that he is the father-in-law of the emperor. How can I introduce him to others? Now everyone wants to get something from him... but they are afraid that it will be in vain... Do you know?"

Zhang Yanling smiled and said, "Uncle, there is no need to worry so much. Just tell those who come to curry favor with me that my father has no intention of forming a party at the moment, and he has no intention of doing anything big... Maybe when he is more mature in the future, he will have some ambitions, but it still depends on the situation in the court at that time. It is too early to say these things now."

"well."

Shen Lu is now keen on helping Zhang Luan form a clique.

If Zhang Luan acts alone in the court in the future, he will definitely not be able to accomplish anything, and his brother-in-law will not get any benefits either.

But the traditional civil officials didn't like Zhang Luan at all, so what could be done?

Naturally, they had to find some relatively marginal ministers in the court who had no background and resources and were in awkward positions, and introduce them to Zhang Luan.

But Zhang Luan was not at all keen on forming a party at the moment, which really made Shen Lu, who wanted to make a difference in the political arena, anxious.

……

……

"Where's Dad?"

Zhang Heling walked out of the room, wearing a Qilin robe and an embroidered spring sword on his waist. He stared at Zhang Yanling and asked, "Didn't we agree that you would take me to the Jinyiwei Yamen in the next two days? I am a captain of the Jinyiwei. No matter how high the official is, I have to serve as one before I know whether I have power, right?"

Zhang Yanling smiled and said, "It's okay, I'll take you there later."

Zhang Heling sighed, "No, second brother, you have to listen to me from now on. You have to go whenever I tell you to. Big brother is different from you now. Big brother is an official, and you are just a commoner. Even if you have more wisdom and strategies in the future, we are not the same kind of people anymore."

"What do you mean?"

Zhang Yanling frowned.

This big brother has just been appointed as an official and hasn’t even gone to the government office to claim his position, but he already starts to look down on others?

Zhang Heling said with a smug look on his face, "When I told the people below about my promotion to the position of Jinyiwei Qianhu, they all said that I would be the pillar of the Zhang family in the future... In the past, even when the Wan family was powerful, they never had a full-time Jinyiwei Qianhu. Wherever I go in the future, I will be... revered by everyone."

"cough."

Zhang Yanling coughed and reminded him, "Brother, you'd better be more careful when you brag in the future. Although the three brothers of the Wan family have never performed their duties as Jinyiwei in the past, they have many spokespersons in the court, and many of their servants are doing well in Jinyiwei."

"what!?"

Zhang Heling was stunned and asked in confusion: "What do you mean? They themselves didn't become Jinyiwei Qianhu, but their servants became so, right?"

"Ah."

Zhang Yanling nodded and said, "They don't need to serve in person. You said before that going to the government office every day would be tiring, right? So they arranged for their servants to serve in the Jinyiwei... At that time, they were in the capital, and they were so powerful that they could do whatever they wanted."

"Damn, are you so powerful?"

Zhang Heling's eyes widened, and he said longingly, "Should I also find a few brothers, place them in the Jinyiwei, and let them do the work for me? Then I will give instructions from behind and let them arrest whoever they want... Oh, you reminded me of this."

After saying that, he turned around and left.

"Why are you going?"

Zhang Yanling asked.

Zhang Heling looked anxious and said, "I have to go see which younger brother is more suitable and bring them back to serve as my thugs."

Zhang Yanling rolled his eyes at him and said, "You have just become a captain of the Jinyiwei, and you are already worrying about your subordinates? Our father will take the path of a serious civil official in the future. If you want to cause trouble, you have to choose the right occasion. Do you think that no matter how powerful our family is, it is not as powerful as the Wan family in the past?"

"Second brother, were you the one who said that our sister was the queen? You also said that the power of the queen's family must be greater than the sky."

Zhang Heling showed an unyielding look, stiffening his neck and saying, "The future of our family depends on me, because I am the eldest, and I will be the one to inherit the Zhang family business in the future, right?

"Anyway, don't mind my business!

"I'll go get a few of my brothers and see who's more loyal and who's more capable of working... I'm good at this kind of thing, do I really need you to tell me what to do? Let's go!"

…………

Zhang Heling left without recognizing his relatives.

Zhang Yanling was speechless about this elder brother.

Before, I thought that the devil Zhang Heling had changed his character. If there is a chance, he could be trained a few times, and could be pushed out to take charge at a critical moment.

Now I realize that it is still the same as before. No matter what, an unreliable person cannot be reliable.

"Where did the boss go?"

Jin walked out of the inner courtyard angrily, but only saw the back of her eldest son.

Zhang Yanling said, "I don't know. He said he was going to go out and bring back a few younger brothers to train them well! The general idea is that he has a group of people outside who obey his orders and do things. He plans to come back and train a few of them to join the Jinyiwei and use them for his own purposes."

"You little bastard, wearing a dog skin, do you really think you are a dog?"

Jin started cursing as soon as she opened her mouth.

Zhang Yanling couldn't help but grin when he heard this.

I am more realistic, and my insults are so accurate and pleasant.

"Where's your dad?"

Jin then turned her attention to her youngest son.

Zhang Yanling shook his head and said, "I don't know. He sent me a note saying that he had important matters to discuss with Li Zisheng, and then..."

"Going out fooling around again, huh?"

Jin said with a dark face, "Tell me first, how many women did Li Zisheng give to your father? Where did he place those women? Find them out for me... I don't believe I can't tear the tender skin of those little vixens apart..."

Zhang Yanling shuddered when he heard this.

Do I really want to do this?
In the past, people thought that the cruelest person in the Zhang family was Jin. But later, perhaps because the Zhang family had risen to prominence, Jin's personality began to become gentle and virtuous.

As a result, she now feels that her position in the family is no longer secure, and the wildness of the eldest lady of the Zhang family is aroused again.

Zhang Yanling pretended to be confused and said, "Mom, I don't quite understand what you are saying. What's the point of being a woman or not? I'm young and I don't know what you are talking about at all."

In front of his old mother, Zhang Yanling could only pretend to be ignorant.

Jin stared at her son's eyes for a few times, but didn't find anything unusual. She scratched her head and frowned, saying, "You little kid really doesn't know anything... If you have time, accompany me to the other courtyard outside the city. He must be hiding a mistress there.

"Humph, this old man is always busy and never comes home. He must be out there having a good time... I have to make him calm down in the future!"

Zhang Yanling thought that ancient women’s thinking was indeed more “simple”.

When she found out that her husband was cheating outside, she didn't talk about divorce or anything like that, she just thought about how to discipline her husband.

But the problem is, your husband is now almost in power, he has seen a lot of the world and has rich life experience. Do you still have a chance to persuade him?

Who told you, as a woman, not to go out and work in this feudal and ignorant era?
Otherwise, I, your son, will train a ruthless man like you to assist the Crown Prince or the Crown Princess. This will definitely be much more effective than your cheap father who has no ambition to make progress.

Well, it seems that I have to let you, the noble lady, the mother of the Empress of the Ming Dynasty, participate more in the court affairs in the future. After all, the Zhang family will still have to count on you.

Otherwise, can we rely on Old Man Zhang?
According to historical records, Old Man Zhang didn’t have many years left to live. No one knew what disease he had and it was unclear whether it could be cured.

……

……

outside the city.

In the courtyard purchased by Li Zisheng, Zhang Luan sat at the dining table filled with wine and food, sipping tea and waiting patiently.

Li Zisheng was talking to several men, and there was no woman around.

Zhang Luan deliberately didn't go near to listen. He thought that something unexpected might have happened and the person was not brought over.

"Minister Li, what's wrong?"

After Li Zisheng returned, Zhang Luan stood up and asked.

"fine."

Li Zisheng said angrily, "It's about the autumn grain. Don't I have several hundred acres of land in the capital? I collected some rent and came back... I plan to sell all the land later."

"Why?"

Zhang Luan was very curious.

Why are you selling land?

These days, isn’t everyone trying to accumulate land and build up a family business?

Li Zisheng shook his head and said, "Now I am the target of public criticism, so I have to be on guard. Lai Zhan, you may not know that for an official who was born a Taoist priest, it will be very difficult for me to make a difference in the court in the future, as my every word and action will be watched by others. If I don't want to be attacked, I have to keep myself clean."

"Oh."

Zhang Yanling asked, "What about me?"

Li Zisheng sighed, "You will definitely have countless lands in the future... You don't have to buy them, His Majesty will naturally reward them to you. Come, let's drink... Oh, I'm so confused that I haven't invited anyone out yet."

Zhang Luan smiled and said, "Don't worry."

"Oh, you're not in a hurry, right? Then let's wait." Li Zisheng continued, "This is the list of available personnel I made for you. After you read it, write it down. We'll burn the list later."

"what?"

Zhang Luan wondered, is this place for serious business today or just for fun?

Don't give me this trick!
Li Zisheng said: "Ni Yue's case may soon have a result, but the previous case has not been settled yet. I am talking about the Tongzhou warehouse deficit case.

"The previous emperor didn't make a final decision. Now that Your Majesty has ascended the throne, you should continue to push the case down. As long as you can bring down some people and achieve the goal of killing a chicken to scare the monkeys... you will have a place in this court."

(In the last thirty hours of December, I would like to ask for your monthly ticket support! Thank you!)
(End of this chapter)