Uncle from a poor family

Chapter 694 Even the Gods Have Their Failures

A luxurious mansion near Chongwenmen.

In the small flower hall of the central courtyard, facing a bowl of hot chicken noodle soup, Zhang Luan, who was dizzy due to hypoglycemia, began to eat with relish.

He ate too hastily and even choked at the end. He only recovered after the two maids who were serving him beat their chests and patted their backs.

"Master, why are you different today than usual?" Qi Niang was a straightforward person. Even though she knew that this might offend Zhang Luan, she still couldn't help asking.

Zhang Luan finished his chicken soup and burped comfortably before asking, "First, let me ask you, has Butler Pang been here?"

Qi Niang asked curiously, "Why is he here? He can't come here without the master's permission... This is the rule that Master Li specifically emphasized at the beginning."

Zhang Luan looked very frustrated: "I thought Pang Qing had brought the gift that Minister Li gave me here."

"What? Mr. Pang wants to give the master a gift?"

Qi Niang asked in confusion.

"Yes."

Zhang Luan picked up the teacup and rinsed his mouth, then wiped his face and hands with the hot towel brought by the maid, threw it on the table, and then continued, "It is said that I helped Minister Li win a battle in the northwest, and he sent a message back and asked Pang Bingkun to give me a gift... Until now, I don't know what it was.

"It's all my brat's fault. Why would he chase people away for no reason? Even if some gifts can't be accepted directly, can't you ask for me first?"

"..."

Qi Niang was speechless for a moment.

I was thinking, it seems that your son went against your wishes today and offended you, and you are very upset, so you came here to take it out on me?

Zhang Luan asked, "Can you find a way to help me contact Pang Bingkun?"

Qi Niang asked tentatively, "Master, why don't you go directly to Butler Pang's house? Or you can go to Lord Li's house... It shouldn't be difficult for you to find Butler Pang's people, right?"

"Isn't it inconvenient for me to show up in public?"

Zhang Luan said helplessly, "Li Zisheng and I usually handle official business impartially. He made contributions on the front line, which is his own good fortune. Why would he give me a gift? If this gets to the ears of the people in the court, they will spread rumors in secret, saying that we are in collusion!"

Qi Niang thought, if this is the case, why are you still accepting other people’s gifts?

Are you short of money or women?

Obviously, we have both, so does it matter whether we receive it or not?
No wonder your son kept Pang Bingkun out.

It’s you, the head of the family, who doesn’t know what’s good for you!
Although she was complaining in her heart, Qi Niang smiled sweetly on the surface: "I haven't had time to congratulate you yet, Master. I think that the victory that Lord Li led his troops to in the northwest must have been due to your contribution, right?
"Didn't you say before that you had planned all the matters concerning Lord Li's march and battle in advance? You also said that you could plan and win the battle from thousands of miles away!"

Zhang Luan said, "Hey, what kind of merit is this? Not being scolded by the court officials is good enough... I will stay here with you for the next few days and not go anywhere else."

"this!?"

Qi Niang couldn't adapt to it for a while.

Zhang Luan never considered this place as his home before, but this time he actually plans to live in the outer house permanently?
"What? Is it inconvenient?"

Zhang Luan frowned slightly.

Qi Niang asked, "Master, you are now a powerful official in the court. His Majesty will definitely ask you something important at any time. There are so many people visiting your house. Is it convenient for you to stay here?"

"Ok!"

Zhang Luan nodded and said, "It's not very convenient, but if I keep going in and out of the house and get seen by others, wouldn't that be even more inconvenient?
"I've been promoting this to the public, so I can't get up from bed and see guests... Oh, why is my head still hurting? Please find a place for me to take a nap and take it easy first."

Qi Niang nodded and said, "Master, do you want to sleep in the east wing or the west wing, or in the bedroom at the back house? Who should be sent to serve you?"

"It doesn't matter."

Zhang Luan waved his hand and said, "Now I just want to be alone. The bedding and other things must be fumigated, the kind you usually use, it smells good, oh my... if I had known earlier, I would not have gone out! It's good to stay at home for a thousand days, but it's hard to go out for a moment. What a mistake, I should have listened to my son earlier."

"..."

Qi Niang was speechless again.

You old man, are you seeking refuge here?
As he spoke, Zhang Luan stood up and staggered inside.

Qi Niang hurried over to help. …

……

After Zhang Luan entered the inner bedroom and fell into a deep sleep on the bed, Qi Niang was still somewhat puzzled.

A beautiful woman with quick legs and feet walked in. After looking around, she asked, "Sister, isn't the master here? The banquet hall is still empty. The cook is asking if we need to prepare wine and food. The singing and dancing troupe is waiting, but you haven't given any definite news yet."

Qi Niang said, "The master didn't give me any instructions and went to sleep."

"Sleeping? Who?"

the woman asked.

Qi Niang shook her head and said, "The master is not feeling well and he said he needs to take some rest. So, take my letter and go to the noodle shop owned by Third Sister Lu at the corner of the street. When you get there, tell the shopkeeper that my master wants to see Mr. Pang right away."

"letter?"

The woman looked puzzled.

Qi Niang said: "Do as I say!"

After saying that, Qi Niang took out a letter, which she had just written not long ago.

The woman asked again: "What did the kitchen say?"

Qi Niang said, "The master will make arrangements after he wakes up. Go quickly and don't delay! Mr. Pang will leave the capital in a few days. It's rare that the master wants to see him, so make arrangements first."

……

……

As Li Zisheng's spy and helper left in the capital, Pang Qing's biggest task is to contact the Zhang family.

This time, after receiving the news from Qi Niang, he went to Zhang Luan's outer residence without much thought, and arranged for someone to go in and pass on the message. As a result, he waited for a long time before seeing Qi Niang come out.

"Can I go in and see him?" Pang Qing said, "First of all, let me make it clear that your master has to take the initiative to see me and ask you to pass on the message, otherwise I won't go in."

Qi Niang asked in surprise: "Mr. Pang, are you so afraid now?"

Pang Qing said helplessly: "You don't know how amazing your master is."

"what!?"

Qi Niang looked puzzled.

The face illuminated by the dim light of the lantern showed a look of surprise, as if asking, are you sure we are talking about the same person?
Pang Qing said with emotion: "When it comes to planning and winning, no one can compare to Zhang Guozhang, not to mention his amazing foresight. He was able to accurately predict every move of the Tatars, and helped my Taoist master achieve a feat that he never dared to dream of... His unpredictable abilities are hard to guess."

Qi Niang was stunned.

"Did your master ask me to go in and see him?"

Pang Qing came back to his senses and continued to ask questions.

Qi Niang shook her head.

"Then why did you ask me to come?"

Pang Qing was a little annoyed and asked, "Do you think I'm not busy? Besides, if your master finds out that I'm meeting you, who knows what he will think!

"Let's go, let's go!"

Qi Niang hurried forward to persuade him to stay, saying, "My master is sick."

Pang Qing asked curiously, "Hasn't he been ill all this time? He has been recuperating at home recently and has not been to court or even the government office."

"Different."

Qi Niang said, "Yesterday was fine, but today..."

After Qi Niang's general description, Pang Qing sighed and said, "He is a god, but he indulges himself too much in sensual pleasures. How can he not get sick if he spends his nights partying like this? Even if he is really sick, don't look for me! He is a master of traditional Chinese medicine. Or, ask his son to treat him! Look for me? I can't do anything for him!"

(End of this chapter)