Uncle from a poor family

Chapter 677 With me but without him
Zhang Yanling was speechless when faced with such a whining old father.

Sure enough, in front of his family, reasoning was very abstract. His old father's expectations of him had gone beyond a certain scope and he was simply putting him on a pedestal.

It seemed like no matter what it was, there was nothing his son couldn't do.

Blind and optimistic.

I am a pure optimist.

Zhang Yanling said, "Dad, I'm not lying. There was indeed a drought in the fall, and it was the kind of situation where there was no rain for a long time. There was no major disaster in the spring, so it doesn't make much sense to worry about when it will rain now."

"Oh?"

Zhang Luan was skeptical.

"If Qin Ji comes again, tell him this and ask him to tell your brother-in-law, and he will understand." Zhang Yanling said, "After all, it is not the spring planting season for crops in the north yet, and there is no large-scale reduction in the yield of winter wheat. I think a few spring rains will solve the drought in the north."

Zhang Yanling was not lying about this.

Because historically, there was indeed a severe drought in the autumn of the first year of the Hongzhi reign.

Moreover, due to the continued drought and long periods of no rain, the unlucky Cheng Minzheng was impeached by the censor Wang Song, who said that Cheng Minzheng had an improper relationship with his widowed sister-in-law and that this situation was caused by God's punishment. The Emperor Hongzhi, who was eager to pass the blame, really believed the censor's lies and forced Cheng Minzheng to retire and return home.

Zhang Luan asked, "What about the situation in the northwest? It's already past the date you mentioned, why is there still no movement here?"

Zhang Yanling smiled and said, "Isn't no news the best news?"

"My son, your understanding is absolutely wrong. You said there was an enemy and asked Li Zisheng to lead troops to guard against it. If there is no news, doesn't it mean that the Tartars are not coming?"

Zhang Luan pouted and said, "It seems that you are not the one being impeached, so you don't care... I heard from Eunuch Tan that the memorials impeaching me are almost piled up like a mountain in the Imperial Household Department. How much pressure do you think your father must be under?"

Zhang Yanling said: "So, there are few people in the world who have your generosity."

"Are you praising me? Or are you mocking me?"

Zhang Luan frowned slightly.

"Of course I am praising my father. In my eyes, you are a genius of your generation."

Zhang Yanling was not trying to deceive Zhang Luan.

This old father may look out of place, but he is very strong inside.

It is not easy to be an official under such great pressure, mainly because Zhang Luan is just a fake who is just filling in the gaps.

Now he is being attacked by all kinds of public opinions. If it were in the future, he would definitely be the target of cyber violence. Yet, he can still remain calm and live a carefree life at home, singing and dancing. How many people can compare with this mentality?
Sometimes it’s a good thing to think about it. At least all the criticism has been borne by Zhang Luan, and his actions as a son are rarely noticed.

When I go to court to do things myself in the future, I will probably receive less criticism.

The old father has already taken on the responsibility, and everyone in the court is almost numb. How could they still care about a young man like him?

Zhang Yanling said, "Dad, just wait a few more days. I think good news will come soon. Then you can regain your strength, show off when you return to the court, and scold those who have offended you. After this, everyone will treat you as the backbone of the Ming Dynasty."

Zhang Luan shook his head and said, "Forget it. What I want now is to get well soon. I always feel something is wrong with my body. Could it be that I am unlucky and cannot bear the wealth and glory? Humph, I really don't believe in evil. I want to fight against God."

Zhang Yanling rolled his eyes at his cheap father and said, "Just don't end up falling on a woman's belly."

"Bah, what do you know, little kid? This is called enjoying life to your heart's content, you can't understand at your age! If you were like me, having wasted most of your life, and suddenly something like this happened when you were old, you wouldn't be able to bear it.

"Do you think your father is like those born nobles who can look down on everything? Only your brother-in-law can... Well, your father cannot slander the king, and you should stop talking nonsense in front of others, lest you cause trouble. As the saying goes, no one can stay good forever, who knows if your brother-in-law will do something to you in the future? We still have to be a little cautious..."

……

……

After hearing Zhang Yanling's prediction of his life span, Zhang Luan was initially afraid that he would die young, so he would stay at home to recuperate when he had a minor illness. But the problem was that his erratic personality was like that of a prodigal son, and even if he wanted to bring his heart back, it was almost impossible. In the end, he had to go to the outer house even if he was sick, after all, there were things in his heart that he couldn't give up, and he never got tired of it.

After nightfall, Liu Ji was writing furiously at home. He planned to continue to add fuel to the fire and encourage people in the court to submit memorials to impeach Zhang Luan.

Before he knew it, it was already late at night and everyone was asleep. Liu Ji still didn't feel tired and became more and more excited as he wrote. However, he kept rubbing his hands because of the cold weather. At this time, a servant came to the door and reported: "Master, Xu Xueshi is here to visit."

"See you, see you."

Liu Ji raised his head and said something casually, then suddenly thought of something and asked, "What time is it now?"

The attendant said, "The bangzi drum for the second watch has been struck."

Liu Ji frowned and said, "It's already the second watch, and you still come to see me? Didn't you ask what's the matter?"

"I do not know."

The servant was also helpless.

Liu Ji then put down his pen and muttered something, seeming to be very dissatisfied with Xu Pu's visit.

Arrived outside.

But Xu Pu was standing there, looking somewhat anxious.

"what happened?"

Liu Ji asked.

Xu Pu said, "I just received an urgent message from Shanxi Town, saying that Li Zisheng led his troops out of the pass and said he wanted to fight the Tatars head-on." "What?"

When Liu Ji heard this, he was shocked at first, but then he couldn't hide his joy and asked, "Did Li Zisheng really lead his troops to go out of the border to cause trouble for the Tartars?"

Xu Pu was also very puzzled. Why did you react like this when you heard such news?
"I'm asking you something!"

Seeing Xu Pu in a daze, Liu Ji said unhappily.

Xu Pu said: "This matter still needs to be verified, but it is hard to tell what happened for a while. But Li Zisheng dared to lead his troops out of the border, which is really bold and extremely dangerous... If he is colluding with foreign countries, or abusing his power, wouldn't the northwest be in chaos?"

"Yeah!"

Liu Ji couldn't help but applaud.

Xu Pu asked in confusion: "What do you mean by that? Do you still agree with what Li Zisheng did?"

Liu Ji sighed, "Just think about it. He has been stuck in the capital for so many years. He finally has the chance to go to the northwest and have fun. He must want to make achievements so that he can return to the capital to continue to abuse power and endanger the court. If he likes to mess around, let him do whatever he wants."

Xu Pu's face was extremely ugly, and he advised: "Lord Liu, please don't say such things. Li Zisheng disturbed the military and political affairs of the Ming Dynasty and violated the rules of the court. As a minister of the cabinet, how can we sit on the sidelines and watch the fire? This matter must be stopped immediately."

Liu Ji asked, "Where did he come from?"

"Probably... near the Guan area."

Xu Pu said, "We need to investigate the details."

Liu Ji said disdainfully: "Pianguan is at least a thousand miles away from the capital. How can you stop him in the capital? Since you have this intention, why don't you quickly find someone to write a few memorials to impeach him? Oh, by the way, impeach the instigator behind it as well. You know who I'm talking about, right?"

Xu Pu refused directly: "I don't want to get involved too much in the affairs of Master Zhang."

Perhaps Xu Pu has realized that no matter how unpopular Zhang Luan is, he is now serving in the Hanlin Academy and is nominally the president of the Hanlin Academy.

In his opinion, impeaching Zhang Luan was like throwing ink on the lintel of the Hanlin Academy, which was an unwise move. In addition, Li Zisheng and Zhang Luan were not necessarily in the same boat. No matter what evil Li Zisheng did, it could not be simply attributed to Zhang Luan.

Liu Ji glared at him, "Why are you so stubborn? Li Zisheng has already been in trouble. If it weren't for Zhang Laizhan's support, he would have died in prison long ago. How could he have had the chance to command the troops in the northwest? Haven't you figured it out? These two are simply playing with the border defense of the Ming Dynasty for fame and fortune. If you don't impeach him, you're helping the evil!"

"Lord Liu, do you mean to say that tomorrow morning, you plan to personally present this matter to His Majesty?"

Xu Pu asked seriously.

Liu Ji was stunned.

He thought to himself, are you setting an ambush for me on purpose?
Let me say these indignant words first, so I won't be able to refuse your proposal later. It seems that you not only want to drag me into this, but also want me to take the lead?
"Why me?"

Liu Ji asked with a dark face.

"You are the Prime Minister. You should present your report to His Majesty, and your words will carry weight."

Xu Pu said seriously, "Don't forget that your majesty insisted on letting Li Zisheng lead the troops west and gave him the authority of the Chief Censor... No one expected that Li Zisheng would be so reckless and actually take the initiative to provoke the Tartars, but your majesty may not be able to directly revoke the order, so as not to damage your prestige."

Liu Ji sneered and asked, "So I, the Prime Minister, must take the blame? You, the Second Prime Minister, are breaking the rules by submitting a report? Who says they are all the same?"

Xu Pu said: "Not only you have to step in, but also the Minister of Personnel Wang, as well as the heads of the Ministry of War, the Ministry of Works and other departments have to step in to persuade His Majesty to change his mind."

"Humph!"

Liu Ji said coldly: "You still say you want to preserve your majesty's prestige? With so many people standing up to oppose you, won't that make your majesty even more embarrassed?"

"Lord Liu, do you have a better idea?" Xu Pu asked anxiously, "We need someone with weight to persuade us. I can only trouble you."

Liu Ji said angrily, "You can let me come forward, but I have to make it clear. I have drafted a memorial to impeach Zhang Laizhan. All of you must sign it."

"Who?"

Xu Pu had a puzzled look on his face.

It's obviously me talking to you, but you insist on saying "you guys"?
Who are we referring to?
Liu Ji said: "Of course it should be the people from your Imperial Academy. It would be best if it includes all the lecturers from the Eastern Palace. You taught the Crown Prince in the past, so you have a bond with him. I think your words carry different weight."

Xu Pu asked in confusion: "Aren't you also from the Hanlin Academy? What do you mean by you and me..."

"No, no, no, I'm not like you! Who of my class of officials who came from the Hanyuan Academy is left in the court? Who will listen to me?"

Liu Ji looked unfriendly, "Impeach Zhang Laizhan, this is the premise for me to step in... You want to stay out of this, there is no way!"

Xu Pu frowned and said, "Lord Liu, quite a few officials have impeached Zhang Luan recently. Didn't you see that?"

"It's fine if you don't mention this, but it makes me angry when I mention this!"

Liu Ji glared at Xu Pu fiercely. "Who else but the censors submitted a memorial to impeach Zhang Luan? All of you officials from the Eastern Palace are cowering now. It seems that you have no backbone at all... Humph, Zhang Laizhan has the protection of a relative by marriage, so he can become immortal? Do we have to obey him?"

Xu Pu said helplessly: "You can't say that."

Liu Ji said: "You just think that Zhang Laizhan is also from the Imperial Academy, and you want to protect him. I absolutely won't agree to this. Either I or him will be in the court!"

Xu Pu thought to himself that on the issue of whether you exist or not, "we" have almost the same opinion, which is that you'd better get out of here as soon as possible.

Now our rejection of you is far greater than that of Zhang Guozhang.

Who can blame him for not wanting to take advantage of his seniority and bossing people around all day? As the president of the Hanlin Academy, Zhang Luan never made any noise. Although he was the only one who had the final say in the Ministry of Revenue, he was inconsistent and never interfered in government affairs. He even didn't attend court meetings, giving his subordinates full autonomy.

Who doesn’t like a boss like this?
(End of this chapter)