Uncle from a poor family

Chapter 551 Multiple Opponents
Inside the workshop.

When Zhang Luan arrived, he sat there carelessly, as if he was very familiar with the place. This time he didn't even bring the crutches he usually used for show.

"Are you completely healed from your injury?"

Zhang Yanling glanced at it and said with a smile, "This is really cause for celebration."

Zhang Luan said, "I have almost recovered, but I have not yet fully recovered... Now I can walk slowly, anything is fine... Am I in a hurry to go to heaven?"

Zhang Yanling was holding a glass jar of chemicals in his hand, and he really wanted to throw it at Zhang Luan's face when he heard the words.

"Dad, what's wrong with you? I congratulated you, but you lost your temper in front of me?" Zhang Yanling said.

"How dare I?"

Zhang Luan laughed at himself and said, "Well, it's my fault that I am incompetent and still want to be flattered. Just today, Eunuch Huai came to me and said that His Majesty hadn't seen me for a while and missed me a lot. He asked me if my injury had healed. If I had healed, I should return to court as soon as possible."

Zhang Yanling pondered for a moment and said, "This doesn't sound like what my brother-in-law said, but rather what Huai En meant."

"Who cares? I can't avoid being idle anyway... I'm being watched..."

Zhang Luan was a little annoyed. "You said that being an official doesn't always go smoothly. I can't be lazy like ordinary people when I'm sick or in trouble. Even if I'm injured and say I'm recuperating at home, how much practical work have I done during this time? Even so, they still think I'm not diligent enough."

Zhang Yanling asked in confusion: "Dad, you wouldn't come to me for such a small matter, would you?"

"Hey, you know how to read people's expressions? It's not easy."

Zhang Luan smiled and said, "Eunuch Huai told me a lot of things... Let me first say congratulations to you, your loom and the matter of finding palace maids to weave have been approved by His Majesty. He said that a group of people will be allocated to you to assist you in your work... proceed step by step, don't think of making a big move right away!"

Zhang Yanling nodded and said, "We'll take it step by step. I understand. However, once Your Majesty has truly seen the power of the new loom, he will fully assist in advancing it."

Zhang Luan said: "You are making a loom, and your father has no objection. He even supports it! But you let your sister weave with you, what is the point of this?
"Your sister is now a daughter of a rich family. No one can trouble her. Even His Majesty is very kind to her... Why do you, her dear brother, want to trouble her?"

Zhang Yanling said unhappily, "Dad, you don't want my sister to be just a vase, do you?"

"What... a vase?"

Zhang Luan asked, "What kind of explanation is this?"

"A vase is just a decoration. You said that my sister is the mother of a country, but she does nothing and has no children. She just idles around in the palace, waiting to grow old and ugly."

Zhang Yanling asked.

"..."

Zhang Luan was speechless for a moment.

I thought, oh no, this kid has become so arrogant that he doesn’t even take his sister seriously.

Zhang Yanling said: "This is what I discussed with my sister. She also hopes to do something practical for the Ming Dynasty to demonstrate her value and make her brother-in-law feel that she is indispensable."

"It's just weaving a piece of cloth... is that so serious?"

Zhang Luan turned his head away. "Why are you getting more and more ridiculous? Do you think the fabrics you weave on your loom are brocade and gold silk? Even if you are the queen, can you sell the fabrics for more money?"

Zhang Yanling smiled and said, "Dad, have you heard the story of Queen Qian?"

"Queen Qian? Which Queen Qian?" Zhang Luan frowned.

Zhang Yanling said, "She is the late emperor's biological mother... When she was imprisoned in the Southern Palace with Emperor Yingzong, she did embroidery to help support the family, but she was known as a virtuous queen by the world."

"You...just for that little bit of fame? Your sister is also stupid enough to believe your nonsense."

Zhang Luan shook his head and said, "Weaving can make your sister a virtuous queen? What do you two think?"

Zhang Yanling smiled and said, "Weaving is not possible, but if you master the weaving technology, and you teach the palace maids how to operate the loom, and you take the lead in supervising and building weaving workshops, bringing a steady stream of income to the Ming treasury, do you think... your reputation will be higher than it is now?"

"Are you dreaming? Oh, there are so many people weaving cloth throughout the ages, how can you two be the only ones who can weave a flower?"

Zhang Luan looked disdainful, raised his hand to interrupt his son, and said, "Alright, alright, I won't argue with you anymore. I wish you and your sister success soon and leave a good story for the ages. From now on, we will worship your sister instead of the Weaver Girl on the Qiqiao Festival! Are you satisfied with this?"

Zhang Yanling frowned and said, "Dad, let's talk about something serious, why are you talking about that?"

"You were the one who started the idle talk."

Zhang Luan's face was dark, but he didn't get angry. He leaned forward again and whispered, "There is something I must tell you... Please help me analyze it."

Zhang Yanling asked: "Is it a question of who should be worshipped during the Qiqiao Festival?"

"Bah, you can worship whoever you want! If I have the ability, I can make all the women in the world worship me in the future, right? You are quite stingy! Isn't it your old job to give me advice? If you have the ability, you can come out and support the Zhang family, so that I can have some peace of mind! Hurry and sit down, I will have a good talk with you!"

Then the father and son sat opposite each other.

Zhang Yanling stopped doing research and started picking pine nuts and eating them with great relish.

Zhang Luan said dissatisfiedly: "You didn't eat?"

"I've eaten it. Isn't it good for the brain? I usually overuse my brain, so I eat pine nuts, blackberries and other dried fruits to nourish my brain." Zhang Yanling explained, and then asked, "Dad, do you want some? This year's new pine nuts are just picked from the pine trees in Liaodong. I asked a chef to stir-fry them. They are very fragrant."

"Then give me some... Bah! You kid, your father wants to tell you something serious... Put aside the food and listen carefully!"

Zhang Luan originally wanted to relax, but suddenly remembered that he had to maintain the dignity of the head of the family, so his face became stern again.

Zhang Yanling put down the pine nuts in his hand, clapped his hands and said, "Originally, I wanted to treat you to pine nut tea, which is a drink made from pine nuts, chestnuts, walnuts and coix seeds. It can relieve cardiovascular diseases, beautify, and resist aging... Am I eating and it's getting in the way of you talking? Go ahead!" Zhang Luan's face became serious and he said, "The night before yesterday, I went to see Li Zisheng. He told me that the Minister of Personnel Li Yu was going to retire. He also asked me who I should recommend if His Majesty asked me for his opinion..."

"Did he recommend anyone?"

Zhang Yanling grasped the key point and asked.

"Geng Yu!"

Zhang Luan was confused and said, "Yesterday I asked someone to inquire about it, and they said that Geng Yu and Li Zisheng had a deep conflict. It was only after Geng Yu left Beijing that Li Zisheng took control of the Ministry of Personnel. In other words... Geng Yu and Li Zisheng should have no connection, right? Then why did Li Zisheng recommend this person?"

"do not know."

Zhang Yanling shook his head and said, "How can I know the private relationships between these big shots?"

"I thought you knew everything."

Zhang Luan said, "I didn't take it too seriously at the time... I thought, since the Minister of Personnel was vacant, His Majesty shouldn't ask for my opinion, right? Is my opinion that important?

"Who would have thought that when Eunuch Huai came today, he would mention this matter to me and ask me to recommend someone so that he could go back and report to His Majesty."

Zhang Yanling nodded slightly, then asked, "Did you recommend it?"

Zhang Luan curled his lips, "Do you think I'm stupid? Li Zisheng said he would recommend Geng Yu, so I just went along with it? I don't know anything about this person's background. What if I make a mistake in recommending him? Others have been officials for ten or twenty years before they climbed to high positions. They know all the social conventions in the officialdom very well... The problem is, I've only been an official for a few days? My connections are just a small piece of land in front of me."

"Ah."

Zhang Yanling nodded in approval, "You were right not to recommend... Didn't you ask Eunuch Huai for his opinion? Does he think anyone is suitable?"

"I actually asked him about it, and he said he had no opinion. He also complained to me that he couldn't sleep at night recently... I was also wondering, what was he worried about? Was it the river works? Or was he simply unable to sleep well because of his old age?" Zhang Luan asked.

Zhang Yanling shook his head and said, "I have only met him two or three times, and each time we were in a hurry and could not have much communication. But I think he looks very bad, or he may have some hidden illness."

"Hey, a hidden illness? What kind of hidden illness could a eunuch have?"

Zhang Luan had a mocking look on his face, "Hey, my son, do you think I should participate in the nomination of the Minister of Personnel?
"Eunuch Huai said that he would come to the mansion again later, or ask me to nominate a candidate, write a proposal and explain the reasons, and he would send someone to pick it up.

"I started to wonder when I heard this. Was he trying to set me up, or was he deliberately making trouble out of nothing when there was no such thing? I recommended him, and he went to outsiders and said that I wanted to influence the appointment and dismissal of officials in the court, so as to frame me?"

"Not to the extent that...if Huai En wants to harm you, you won't be able to resist."

Zhang Yanling shook his head and said, "He doesn't need to do that."

"I don't like what you said. If Huai En wants to harm me, I can't resist? Humph, just go ahead and try!" Zhang Luan almost wanted to lift his sleeves to hit him.

Zhang Yanling changed the subject and asked, "Dad, do you know Wang Shu?"

"Wang Shu? Wow, he's a famous official... When my father was in Xingji in his early years, I heard that this man was very powerful. It seemed that he was quite good at commanding the army and being an official... In addition to talking about Geng Yu, your second uncle also often mentioned this person." Zhang Luan asked curiously, "Is he still an official now?"

Zhang Yanling nodded and said, "I was previously unemployed in my hometown. I heard that the court has re-employed me and I am still working in Nanjing. I was reinstated together with Geng Yu."

Zhang Luan asked, "You mean... to ask me to recommend Wang Shu?"

"No."

Zhang Yanling smiled bitterly and said, "If this man returns to the court to serve as the Minister of Personnel, I'm afraid you will never have a good life again."

Zhang Luan said nonchalantly, "I'm not going to provoke him, so why would he take the initiative to provoke me? Even if he is a famous minister of the time, he should be reasonable, right? I am the Minister of the Ministry of Revenue, so I can say that I have nothing to do with him."

"If you think so, Dad, then I advise you to resign from your official position as soon as possible and go home to grow sweet potatoes!" Zhang Yanling said.

"What?"

Zhang Luan looked puzzled.

Zhang Yanling pointed to the door and said, "Do you know what those Imperial College students are talking about outside?"

"I do not know."

Zhang Luan answered honestly.

Zhang Yanling said, "They are saying that after Your Majesty ascended the throne, he promoted his relatives by marriage and promoted a mediocre person who could not read a single word to be the Minister of the Ministry of Revenue. He also wanted to use river engineering to damage the fortune of the Ming Dynasty, which would cost the people money and eventually bring down the Ming Dynasty."

"Fuck that stinky dog ​​fart!"

Zhang Luan said angrily, "Am I that kind of person? After all, I am a student! I was a student of the Imperial Academy and was in the same class with them... What right do they have to say that to me?"

Zhang Yanling laughed and said, "Who would investigate your background in detail? It would be enough for people to know that you did not come from a legitimate imperial examination background... If you were a Jinshi, there wouldn't be so much trouble."

Zhang Luan asked, "Is this related to the recommendation of who should be the Minister of Personnel?"

Zhang Yanling said: "The pressure you are facing now does not come from above, but from below."

"above?"

Zhang Luan seemed to have figured out some ideas, but he was not sure. He asked tentatively, "You mean, His Majesty will not put pressure on me, but will respect me and listen to my opinions. Those who oppose me entering the court are all those incompetent scholars like students and scholars?
“You can say that, and it seems that there is a big hand behind this!”

Zhang Yanling said seriously, "But Dad, you must pay attention to Wang Shu... His return to the court to serve as the Minister of Personnel may be unstoppable if someone is pushing him. Once he returns, he will definitely oppose you... Dad, you will have a powerful opponent out of thin air!"

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I suspect that I have been infected with both COVID-19 and influenza A. I have been having a low-grade fever recently, and my whole body aches. My head is also confused, and I am not able to type well. I can only write a few hundred words an hour. The chapter that was supposed to be updated after 6 o'clock was delayed until 9 o'clock. Sorry!

(End of this chapter)