Uncle from a poor family

Chapter 473: Injury is Unfathomable
Qin Chang entered the inner courtyard and saw Zhang Luan lying on the bed recuperating from his injuries.

When Zhang Luan saw Tan Chang coming, there was some disappointment in his eyes. Perhaps in his opinion, among the two eunuchs Tan in the Imperial Household Department, the honest-looking Tan Ji was more suitable for conversation.

As a regular attendant of the Eastern Palace, Tan Ji was a well-known good guy.

And Qin Chang, who came this time, had a very strong aura. After all, he was a former internal minister, and now he was the commander-in-chief of the East Factory. His status and qualifications were there, and he brought his own pressure.

However, he never thought that Qin Chang, as an old minister of the previous emperor and a man who had experienced the ups and downs of officialdom, was even more respectful to him than Qin Ji.

"His Majesty has learned about your injury, father-in-law, and said that you don't have to worry about court affairs, just stay at home and recuperate." As usual, Qin Chang took the lead in conveying the emperor's concern for his father-in-law.

Zhang Luan's eyes lit up, and he asked expectantly, "I really don't have to work so hard?"

His tone was full of ease, as if this was exactly the state of life he was pursuing.

No matter how much power he holds or how high his position is, it is not as good as living his own simple life.

Qin Chang smiled and continued, "You can put aside your duties at the Ministry of Revenue and the Imperial Academy for now, but I'm afraid you'll have to take care of the things His Majesty has entrusted to you."

"what?"

Zhang Luan couldn't help but frown when he heard this.

I thought, this is what you call "just focusing on recuperating"?
Where is my peace of mind?

"Well, the previous cases, especially the ones you personally supervised, should also be concluded... Liang Fang has been in Beijing for some time, and now people in the court are urging us to see how to make Liang Fang's case a solid one."

Qin Chang continued, "The people implicated by Liang Fang, especially Elder Peng, have been sentenced to death, and their families have been exiled. Now we have to give an explanation to the people in the court."

Zhang Luan thought to himself, Peng Hua’s family was really exiled!
It's just exile to the golden house where I hide my beautiful daughter.

But I don’t know if this old man Qin Chang knows about this?
Zhang Luan asked, "How do you explain this?"

Qin Chang said: "Peng Hua was born as a cabinet minister. Although he has committed many evil deeds, he has been an official for many years and has always had a certain reputation. In addition, he has been keeping a low profile all these years. Now there are voices in the court pleading for him, saying that the death penalty is too much and he can make up for his mistakes and commutate his death sentence to exile."

"Oh."

Zhang Luan understood as soon as he heard it.

He thought to himself, it turns out that I am not the only one who thinks Peng Hua’s death was too hasty, even people in the court think he could have been saved?
In addition, I am not the only one who feels sad when the rabbit dies, but everyone in the court is worried.

Tan Chang continued, "The Ministry of Justice is currently discussing this matter. The Minister of Justice brought it up during the court meeting this morning. However, His Majesty's attitude is very firm, which is mainly related to the attitude of Eunuch Huai... He strongly advocated the execution of Peng Hua to serve as a warning to others!"

"Why? Is there any hatred between them?"

Zhang Luan asked curiously.

Qin Chang smiled and shook his head, then said: "Don't you know about the feud between Eunuch Huai and Liang Fang? Any official who is involved in the Liang Fang case may be the target of severe punishment by Eunuch Huai, but he is unwilling to take action against them personally.

"However, considering Eunuch Huai's previously tolerant character and his current power, there is no need for him to kill them all... After all, the target this time is not Liang Fang, but Peng Hua.

"Speaking of which, Eunuch Huai's actions are quite puzzling!"

Zhang Luan couldn't help but glance at his son who was standing at the door and eavesdropping.

I thought to myself, the reason why Huai En wanted to kill Peng Hua was not because he knew that the Peng family had offended me before, so he deliberately returned the favor and took the opportunity to buy me off, right?

Zhang Luan pondered for a moment, then asked, "Then... Eunuch Qin, let me ask you a question. If Peng Hua's death sentence is commuted to exile, will his family be exiled as well?"

"This one……"

Qin Chang thought about it seriously and frowned, "We have to analyze the specific situation. It's hard to be accurate. But the Peng Hua case involves a large amount of money. The Peng family's remaining wealth is not enough to fill the big hole. And it is very likely that someone will blame him for the Tongzhou warehouse deficit. By then... his family will probably have to migrate."

Zhang Luan asked in confusion: "Only when the case involves money will the family be implicated?"

Qin Chang smiled and said, "Why are you so concerned about this all of a sudden, father-in-law? In fact, it's not just about money. Any major case involving treason, or soldiers on the front line who are afraid of the enemy and miss the opportunity to fight, etc., may involve their families because of the serious punishment."

"Are there any exceptions?"

Zhang Luan asked.

Qin Chang said: "Otherwise, only one person would die, and his wife and children would not be implicated. However, there are many cases where family members are implicated in the crime of exile, but most of them are exiled to the border, and very few are directly sent to the North and South Jiaofang Bureau... Everything depends on the specific circumstances."

"It's so complicated!"

Zhang Luan sighed and lamented in his heart, I just can't understand it.

My head is a mess!
Qin Chang smiled and said, "Mr. Zhang, you are recovering at home, but you are still so concerned about the affairs of the court. It seems that the Ming Dynasty really cannot do without you... I have visited you here and brought the words of His Majesty, and I will go back first."

"Please forgive me for not being able to see you off... Yanling, please see Eunuch Tan off for me."

Zhang Luan immediately handed over the task of seeing the guests off to his youngest son who was standing at the door.

Qin Chang said, "I dare not trouble you, Second Young Master. I will leave on my own. But I have to remind Mr. Zhang that the palace may send people to visit you in the next two days, and even His Majesty and the Queen may come in person... It's just a notice in advance, so you don't have to worry too much. If there is really something... I will visit you again."

Are you still coming?

Zhang Luan thought, do you feel that you are very popular? My house is a place where you can come and go as you please? Humph, am I recuperating from my injuries, or am I opening a government office at home?

……

……

Li House.

On that day, Li Zisheng still claimed to be ill and did not attend the court. He was still enjoying a life detached from the world, saying that he wanted to practice Taoism, that is, to do fasting and praying at home and study Taoist matters. He thought that turning a deaf ear to the outside world would make him quieter, and it also showed people that the court really couldn't do without him.

Soon he learned from Pang Qing that Zhang Luan had broken his leg and returned home to recuperate.

"Injured?"

Li Zisheng raised his eyebrows, no longer having the image of a hermit. Perhaps it was because there were no outsiders present, so there was no need to pretend.

"When did it happen? How did you get hurt? Is the injury serious?"

Pang Qing shook his head and said, "I don't know yet. It is said that he fell while walking, and after getting up, he continued to walk forward as if nothing had happened. In the end, he fell to the ground after taking only a few steps, and could not get up anymore. Then he was carried back home by many people."

Li Zisheng frowned and said, "He is not an old and frail scholar who fasts and worships Buddha and doesn't even eat meat. How could his body be so fragile? Or did he do something too ridiculous last night and he doesn't even have the strength to walk today?"

Pang Qing sighed, "Speaking of this, it's even more bizarre... Hey, guess what? This morning, Qi Niang sent someone to inform us that Zhang Luan just came to the mansion to sit for a while last night, and didn't even drink a few sips of wine before leaving."

"What?"

Li Zisheng could no longer sit still. He picked up the peach wood sword and was about to go out, as if he wanted to go out and kill someone.

Pang Qing asked in surprise, "Master Dao, what are you doing?"

"I'm going to visit a patient."

Li Zisheng said as a matter of course, "The situation in the court is so complicated now, and he is injured at this critical juncture. How can I feel at ease if I don't go and see it with my own eyes?"

"You'd better not go... Now both the government and the public are concerned about his condition."

Pang Qing said with a bitter face, "After all, everyone knows now that Lai Zhan will soon become the father-in-law of the emperor, but he was injured at this moment. Some people suspect that he is faking his injury and deliberately trying to avoid something."

Li Zisheng seemed to be inspired and nodded repeatedly: "Yes, yes, yes, Lai Zhan is a person who likes to pretend to be sick. He is probably pretending to be sick and avoiding something. Otherwise, with his personality, why did he just go to the yard to take a look last night and then leave?"

Pang Qing thought, you thought you had figured out Zhang Laizhan's preferences and thought things were stable, but when you turned around you found that Zhang Laizhan didn't play by the rules and was out of your control all of a sudden. Now you are in trouble, right?

Even... with an inexplicable fear?
Pang Qing said: "It's easy to deal with if he's really injured, but if he's faking it, it'll be a big trouble."

"How?"

Li Zisheng asked seriously.

Pang Qing said helplessly: "Think about it, what is going on right now that requires him, the father-in-law of the emperor, to pretend to be injured to avoid it?"

"I!?"

Li Zisheng pointed at himself uncertainly, his eyes widened and his face full of horror.

"Yes, it is very likely that you are involved."

Pang Qing analyzed, "Let's make a bold assumption. Perhaps your majesty and he have already reached a conclusion regarding your matter, and he felt guilty towards you, so he left last night and pretended to be injured to avoid you this morning!"

Li Zisheng paced back and forth like an ant on a hot pot. After a while, he said, "Bingkun, you are usually stupid, but now you have some quick wit...

"After hearing what you said, I think this is really possible. But... I still have to point out a fallacy of yours. That is, if the matter against me really has a result, it must not be the result of discussion between Your Majesty and Lai Zhan, but someone else..."

Pang Qing smiled bitterly and said, "Until now, do you still believe that His Majesty and Zhang Laizhan will protect you?"

Li Zisheng sighed, "I can't guarantee your Majesty's side. After all, your Majesty listens to the Empress Dowager, Huai En, and his lecturers in the Eastern Palace in addition to Lai Zhan. But I can be sure of Lai Zhan's side."

"Then you..."

"I mean, if your majesty really wants to kill me, it must be because of Huai En and the Empress Dowager's secret instigation."

Li Zisheng's face was somewhat sad. "In fact, I saw it a long time ago. The Empress Dowager is a ruthless character. Her previous promises were just to deal with me in a clever way... If she wants to kill me, she will definitely take advantage of the fact that Your Majesty has just ascended the throne and the political situation is unstable. In the name of deterring the scoundrels, she will get rid of me, the biggest threat!"

Pang Qing said: "Maybe you are worrying too much?"

"Damn it, you were the one who said I was at the end of my rope, and now you're saying I'm worrying too much? Bingkun, you have to change your nature of being so smooth and tactful that you don't want to offend anyone. But don't worry, if I really die, I won't treat you badly. I will recommend you to Laizhan's mansion and find a job for Laizhan. I guarantee that you will have no worries about food and clothing in your life."

Li Zisheng's eyes were sincere and he patted Pang Qing on the shoulder after he finished speaking.

"Master Dao, why are you still saying such depressing words at this moment?"

Even though Pang Qing felt speechless, he still thought that Li Zisheng was a man of loyalty and righteousness.

Even when facing a crisis, he did not say he wanted to drag him down, but instead helped him find a way out.

This kind of employer...is indeed rare.

Li Zisheng said, "Come on, go out with me."

"Are we going to...pay a visit to Minister Zhang?" Pang Qing asked.

"Correct."

Li Zisheng nodded and said, "Let's go see Lai Zhan. If he doesn't let me in, or makes up some other excuses, then things will get serious. If we can meet him directly, we can ask him questions face to face... Alas, who would have thought that it has only been a few days since the late emperor passed away? How could... Alas!"

Pang Qing asked: "Then should we bring some gifts of comfort?"

Li Zisheng said: "What gifts of comfort do you want to bring? He can send tens of thousands of taels of silver to the palace, but he is powerless to give women now. Do you want me to give him the house?

"Let's go, let's go and see what his attitude is, and then make a decision after a while!"

(End of this chapter)