Uncle from a poor family

Chapter 52: Last lesson?
Shen Lu met Zhang Luan and went to see Li Zisheng immediately after leaving.

After all, it was already Bingzi Day, and Li Zisheng was quite hesitant about whether the Ningxia earthquake would really happen, so he asked Shen Lu to test Zhang Luan's attitude.

Tongzhengshisi Yamen.

Li Zisheng listened to Shen Lu's retelling, paused for a moment, and then asked calmly, "From what you said, your brother-in-law is quite principled... Does this mean that his method is reliable and that he has eradicated the smallpox that has plagued China for thousands of years?"

"Not necessarily! Maybe my brother-in-law is just talking nonsense!"

After Shen Lu denied it, he quickly spoke up for Zhang Luan: "I have advised him, but he didn't listen. What about planting the abscess fluid of a sick cow on a person's arm? In my opinion, this method of treatment is not reliable at first glance. It is better not to promote it."

Li Zisheng sighed, "It's too late to call a halt now."

"Ugh!"

Shen Lu sighed heavily.

Obviously, in Shen Lu's eyes, he didn't believe that his brother-in-law was really capable of preventing and treating acne. Even if he had achieved some results before, it was just a blind cat catching a dead mouse, and something would go wrong sooner or later.

Li Zisheng sighed, "He has no way of knowing the situation in the palace, but he can accurately tell the current situation. His prediction of the Ningxia earthquake does not seem to be groundless... Oh, by the way, how did he calculate it? Did you ask clearly?"

Shen Lu shook his head and said, "He doesn't seem to be good at astrology or anything like that."

Li Zisheng said: "We cannot rely solely on celestial changes to predict disasters. If the heavens could explain everything by the changes of the stars, then all disasters would have a traceable path. In fact, most disaster warnings are far-fetched after the fact. Even the words of those self-proclaimed great magical powers are not credible."

When Shen Lu heard this, he thought to himself, are you trying to sabotage yourself?
"Has he made any achievements in the field of talismans?" Li Zisheng asked again.

Shen Lu thought about it and shook his head honestly.

For him, whether or not Zhang Luan could be saved was secondary. The first thing he had to do was not to let himself be implicated.

As an official, he cannot be dragged down by a cheap brother-in-law who has just become a student and has no idea of ​​how high the sky is and how deep the earth is. Since he thinks Zhang Luan is unreliable, it is best to keep a distance from him on major issues.

"It all depends on tonight!"

Li Zisheng said, "I have already found someone to study it all day... They say that the secrets of heaven cannot be revealed. This time I want to see if the secrets of heaven will be discovered in advance."

Shen Lu saw that Li Zisheng was taking it seriously, and couldn't help but feel a little worried. He asked, "Then... Minister Li, if there was no earthquake, should we have someone make a false report?"

"No."

Li Zisheng refused coldly, "If it was when the plan was just made, it might be feasible, but now it is obvious that someone wants to put me on the spot. Regardless of whether the local authorities have made false reports or not, as long as they say there is, the court will definitely send people to investigate in detail. If it is not true, I will definitely be accused of bewitching the emperor, and I will have no way out."

Shen Lu said dejectedly: "Alas, if this hadn't happened, I really don't know how it would have ended."

Li Zisheng responded with a sneer.

When Shen Lu saw this, his heart skipped a beat and he suddenly understood.

Li Zisheng said that he had no way out, but in fact he had great skills and could definitely push the matter away. It can be said that he was instigated by others. As for Zhang Luan, who was the instigator, it would definitely not be so easy for him to end up like that.

Shen Lu was filled with resentment. Why had I been so bewildered as to actually tell him about this matter?
Not only did it harm Lai Zhan, but it was also difficult for me to extricate myself from the matter.

……

...Imperial Observatory.

For two consecutive days, Deng Chang'en stayed here to observe the changes in the stars.

The result was nothing.

People from the Imperial Observatory also accompanied Deng Chang'en in the research, but even after various calculations, no one could draw the conclusion through citing classics that a major disaster would occur in a certain place.

"How did Mr. Li come to the conclusion that there would be an earthquake in Ningxia tonight? I have studied astrology and calendars for decades, and I have never seen such a crude prediction of a disaster in a certain place... Could it be that he blatantly went against the will of Your Majesty and sided with the Crown Prince to gain a good reputation among the Confucian officials?"

Deng Chang'en racked his brains but couldn't understand what Li Zisheng was up to.

Ai Yu, the supervisor of Shanglin Garden, stood nearby and tried to comfort him:

"Your Majesty, don't worry. Even if he wants to gain a good reputation, it will only happen if an earthquake really happens. Otherwise, everyone will know that he is talking nonsense, and Your Majesty will find it difficult to trust him in the future."

Deng Chang'en asked, "Can you find out who he has met recently?"

Unable to find out what Li Zisheng was up to on the surface, Deng Changen could only find another way and speculate the cause and effect of the incident based on how Li Zisheng usually treated others.

There must be interests involved behind political events, and they cannot happen for no reason.

Ai Yu said helplessly: "Minister Li has been very low-key recently. He usually goes to government offices and private residences, and occasionally goes to the Taoist temple to repair the Taoist temple as ordered by His Majesty."

Deng Changen frowned: "Could it be that there is some expert helping him behind the scenes? Have you checked it carefully?"

Ai Yu said: "We didn't find out which alchemist had contact with him, but we heard that he had contacted the Imperial Hospital and was arranging for the relatives of Shen Lu, the Silver Bureau official, to work in the Imperial Hospital. This person is amazing. He actually promoted the method of preventing and treating smallpox in Hejian Prefecture. I heard that it was very effective."

"I've heard about that, too."

Deng Changen asked, "Who is that person?"

Ai Yu shook his head and said, "He is a little-known person. He is now a student in Beiyong. He is over 40 years old and has not achieved anything. But I heard that he is the cousin of Zhang Qi, the former governor of Liaodong. He is also from an official family and has marriage relations with some ministers in the court."

Deng Chang'en pursed his lips and said, "This kind of person is not worth mentioning. We must first find out what Li is up to! Tomorrow morning, let the people from the Imperial Observatory submit a petition to impeach him."

Ai Yu asked in surprise, "Isn't it too early to impeach tomorrow morning? If there is an earthquake in Ningxia, it will take at least a few days for the news to reach the capital."

"Humph!"

Deng Chang'en said, "The stars haven't changed at all, but the Imperial Astronomical Observatory is using this as an excuse to impeach him. Isn't that right? If he delays for a few days, he will surely find a way to break the impasse, and the people below may dare to speak nonsense in defiance of the world... Only by accusing him of a crime first, the people below will be afraid of being implicated, so they dare not cling to him casually and call a horse a zebra."

Ai Yu suddenly realized: "I see, this is to give the people below a warning, so that they know who to stand with."

Deng Chang'en said, "Your Majesty is very eager to change the crown prince. His mention of the earthquake in Ningxia has made Your Majesty undecided. It is clear that he is deliberately disrupting Your Majesty's national plan... When the people below impeach him, Your Majesty will ask for my opinion, and I will make him pay for it."

Ai Yu quickly complimented him: "Your Excellency has a good idea. If you submit a memorial directly, it will definitely make His Majesty suspicious. However, if someone else impeaches and you just say a few words from the side, it may be more effective than anything else. I think this Minister Li is just another monk Jixiao."

Deng Changen sneered, "A monk and a Taoist priest, both of them think they can gain a foothold in the court by relying on some crooked ways. Compared with me, they are still a little naive... I will teach them a good lesson!"

(End of this chapter)