Uncle from a poor family

Chapter 741 See you soon

When Pang Qing returned from downstairs, there were still chaotic footsteps behind him.

Zhang Luan glanced back and casually said, "Let's get down to business, don't let them come up and bother us... uh?"

Before he could finish speaking, Zhang Luan suddenly stopped when he saw the group of elegantly dressed women filing upstairs behind Pang Qing, and his eyes widened in surprise.

Pang Qing thought to himself, "It has to be you. Even when you're seriously ill, you don't change your true colors."

Before long, the women came upstairs, each carrying a tray.

With a captivating fragrance, the nine beauties, all of them strikingly beautiful, stood in a circle before the table. They varied in appearance, some plump and some slender, each with their own unique style and distinctive clothing, yet none of them appeared overly seductive.

Zhang Luan pointed at the group of women and asked, "Bingkun, what does this mean?"

Pang Qing smiled and said, "It's just a small gift."

Zhang Luan waved his hand, averting his gaze as if an internal struggle was forcing him to avoid looking at the women. He shook his head and said, "I won't ask what kind of gift you gave me. Take it back. Asking for my help is fine, but if I'm not willing, whatever you give me is useless."

Pang Qing smiled and said, "I understood your intentions long ago. That's why I sent these things to you according to your actual needs..."

"What is the meaning of this?"

Zhang Luan frowned and said, "I don't want to accept it, so why are you forcing me to accept it and trying to tie me to your side?"

"Mr. Zhang, please don't say that."

Pang Qing explained, "It's just a small token of my appreciation, Daoist Master, nothing to mention."

"Whether it's heartfelt or not, as long as I appreciate it... Please, stop with all this empty talk! Do you know how much beauty affects me right now? Don't let me see them! If I get distracted and impulsively do something reckless with them, ruining my cultivation, I'm afraid I'll..."

At this point, a woman opposite suddenly burst out laughing.

Zhang Luan was somewhat puzzled and glanced at him sideways.

The woman was about seven or eight points pretty. She was originally standing inconspicuously in the group, but perhaps realizing that she had lost her composure, she quickly composed herself, lowered her head, and dared not move.

Pang Qing was already annoyed by Zhang Luan's rejection, and now he was even more furious, his face flushed as he shouted, "What are you doing? Who told you to laugh?"

The beautiful woman was terrified and quickly knelt down to beg for mercy: "My lords, please spare my life! I just couldn't help myself... thinking about something funny that happened at home."

Zhang Luan said irritably, "You think I look ridiculous and laughable, right? I look like someone with tuberculosis, and you still come to visit the brothel? Haven't you seen me before? Just say what you want to say, I won't be angry."

The woman was honest, and when Zhang Luan told her to speak frankly, she said, "I have been here for many years and have never seen anyone like this official, with sunken eyes, a haggard appearance, and such pitiful words, which is why..."

Pang Qing rolled his eyes upon hearing this and roared, "How does the Jiaofangsi (Imperial Music Bureau) teach its people? Have they no manners? Bring the person in charge up here! We really need to have a serious talk with them!"

Pang Qing was filled with rage.

I spent a lot of money and resources to entertain my employer's powerful backer here, just wanting to receive the best hospitality, and you guys are here causing me trouble?
Do you think I, Pang, am easy to bully?

Just as Pang Qing sent someone to find the manager of the Jiaofangsi (Imperial Music Bureau) to have a serious argument, Zhang Luan, who was being looked down upon, appeared calm and indifferent.

"Bingkun, call them down... Let's talk to each other, don't let them come up and disturb us."

Zhang Luan waved his hand and said, "I really can't touch anything today, not wine or women, I just want to sit down with you and have a good talk."

Pang Qing angrily berated the people from the Jiaofangsi who came to apologize, then angrily dismissed them and had his attendants place the gifts intended for Zhang Luan on a nearby table.

After everyone left, only Zhang Luan and Pang Qing remained upstairs.

Zhang Luan said, "I don't know how much silver Minister Li will have to pay, and since I've only been in the capital for a short time, I haven't saved much money and can't help much. But I've already spoken to my son and asked him what he thinks. We can probably scrape together 100,000 or 80,000 taels of silver."

"..."

Pang Qing was greatly surprised.

It's true that I've come to ask for your help, but my main purpose is to give you gifts so that you can use your connections, especially with the emperor, to help my employer avert disaster.

I'm not asking you to pay for it.

Not only did you refuse our gifts, but you also paid out of your own pocket to help us pay 100,000 taels of silver in compensation? This... it feels like my worldview has been turned upside down!
Pang Qing hurriedly said, "Mr. Zhang, this matter has nothing to do with you. Why are you helping to pay compensation? It doesn't make any sense!"

In Pang Qing's view, even if Zhang Laizhan has some connection with Li Zisheng, it is baseless to say that you are accomplices and participated in a series of corrupt and unjust cases at the end of the Chenghua era!

It's not that I look down on you... but you really weren't qualified to be an accomplice of Lizi Province back then, and you couldn't get a share of the spoils.

When it's time to take advantage, you don't get a penny, but when it's time to lose money, you actively rush forward?

Zhang Luan said, "Don't you know about my relationship with Minister Li? He helped me before, and I will help him in return. It's a mutually beneficial arrangement."

"Besides, didn't he help me when I was raising military supplies several times before? I'm the Right Vice Minister of the Ministry of Revenue. It's fortunate that he's backing me up; otherwise, I wouldn't have been able to hold this position so securely."

Pang Qing quickly replied, "I absolutely do not mean for you to spend any money. On the contrary, I will give you a generous gift."

"It's good enough that he managed to get through this difficult time. Why is he still thinking about me?"

Zhang Luan sighed and said, "Besides, the fact that the people in the court are targeting him this time is also a way of targeting me. If it weren't for me, perhaps there wouldn't be so much trouble."

Pang Qing thought to himself, "Although you seem very unreliable, and even courtesans can't help but laugh at you, just in terms of your demeanor, no one in the entire court can match you."

Instead of backing down now, it would be good if they could lend a helping hand, even going so far as to use their own money and go all out. I have never seen anyone do that before.

If you were helping an upright person, that would be fine... but the Taoist priest behind me has done all sorts of bad things before! You two are more like drinking buddies; are you really that close?

Aren't you afraid that my Taoist master will turn the tables on me in the end?
Wait a minute, who am I thinking of here?

Shouldn't I be doing everything in my power for Master Dao? Why do I now feel that the man before me is more worthy of entrusting my life to as a strategist?
Zhang Luan asked, "Is there anything else?"

Pang Qing quickly said, "Sir, I would like to ask you what the Daoist will face after he returns tomorrow? If he needs support in terms of manpower and resources, please just let me know and I will make preparations in advance."

"I do not know either."

Zhang Luan was somewhat tired and said, "I'll only know the situation after I have an audience with the Emperor. Minister Li still has to attend court and confront his officials. As for how much silver he'll have to come up with, I'm afraid the amount is beyond his means..."

The implication was that although Li Zisheng was willing to pay, and Zhang Luan would also help him pay, he was afraid that the amount would not be enough.

Pang Qing nodded and said, "I hope you can attend court and say a few words on behalf of the Daoist."

Zhang Luan smiled wryly and said, "Look at my body, do I look like I can attend court? It's too tiring! If there's anything I can do, I'll definitely help, but if I were to step forward and openly side with him, I'm afraid it would backfire. If those people see me there, their attacks on Minister Li might become even more severe. Don't you think that makes sense?"

Pang Qing thought to himself, "With the emperor's favor towards you, you are now the powerful minister. My master and I depend on you for survival, so whatever you say makes sense."

"I can't stay any longer," Zhang Luan said. "I've been out for so long, and it's so cold after nightfall. If my condition relapses... will I even survive?"

"..."

Pang Qing remained silent for a moment.

Are you in such a hurry to leave simply because you're afraid of dying?
You really are...

Their inner selves are just as simple and unpretentious as their outward appearance.

Or rather, they were so simple-minded as to be almost foolish, and so kind as to be idiots!
"Should we send these things back to you?" Pang Qing didn't dare to make a decision on his own, so he asked in a consultative tone.

Zhang Luan waved his hand: "Do I lack this little bit? Take it back, it might come in handy at a critical moment... If we really have to compensate the court, who knows how big a hole we'll have to fill... I'm sorry to Minister Li!"

……

……

Zhang Luan took a horse-drawn carriage home.

He arrived home when it was completely dark. Chang Shun was already getting impatient waiting at the door. When he saw his master come down, he quickly went up to him and helped him inside.

"Has my son returned?"

Zhang Luan asked as he walked.

"Are you asking about the second young master, sir? He hasn't returned yet."

Chang Shun quickly answered.

"Ah."

Zhang Luan was about to continue walking into the courtyard when he suddenly remembered something and pointed to the carriage road. "I have something to do and I need to go out later."

Upon hearing this, Chang Shun immediately assumed that his master wanted to go out and indulge in debauchery again, and didn't take his illness seriously at all.

“Master, you can’t go out anymore… The second young master instructed that even if you go out, you can only go for a walk to clear your mind, absolutely not…”

Chang Shun quickly brought up Zhang Yanling, trying to dissuade Zhang Luan from doing something foolish.

Zhang Luan glared and snapped, "Who's in charge of the Zhang family? Uh... hard to say, right?"

Chang Shun looked helpless.

Our sir really does say what he thinks.

"Don't worry, I just promised Qi Niang that I would go and have dinner with her... Hey, I didn't even get to eat a hot bowl of porridge while I was out."

Zhang Luan said helplessly, "It's all Pang Bingkun's fault. He always insisted on taking me to places like the Jiaofangsi, which are full of decadence and debauchery. It made me distracted and unable to eat."

As they were talking, another carriage pulled up at the door.

A squad of guards immediately rushed out from inside the gate and blocked the carriage with unclear intentions, seemingly afraid that the people coming down from it would harm Zhang Luan.

The driver was a manager from the Imperial Music Bureau. Seeing the commotion, he quickly jumped off the carriage and ran to Zhang Luan, respectfully explaining:

"Sir, it's an order from above to send over a few well-trained opera singers to warm your bed and sing you some tunes... They'll be taken back in a few days, what do you think..."

Zhang Luan frowned and said, "Why do you always like to pull this on me... Have I not explained myself clearly enough? Are you trying to kill me?"

The manager was puzzled. "I sent you a woman, and you're saying I want to kill you?"

As they spoke, four beautiful women stepped off the carriage, clutching the hem of their skirts, standing there trembling with fear, looking pitiful... Being suddenly sent out, not knowing where to go, was a terrifying thing for them.

Chang Shun quickly said, "Sir, you can't accept it. Your health is the most important thing."

"Do you think I don't know?"

Zhang Luan waved his hand and said, "Just say that my situation is special and I am not fortunate enough to enjoy this, and send the person back."

"No, I can't. I have instructions from above. If you don't accept them, I won't be able to explain myself when I get back," the steward said with difficulty. "You just need to settle the person in, and a carriage will come to pick them up in a few days."

"Hey, you're pretty good at handling things."

Zhang Luan had no choice but to say, "How about this, have the carriage follow me to the next house and let them move in! I have no interest in those troublesome things right now, nor do I want to watch any plays or listen to any songs. I have absolutely no interest in that. Honestly, it's such a hassle for me to feed them."

The manager cursed inwardly upon hearing this.

Are there really such shameless people in the world?
They've pulled strings and paid the money well in advance, spending a fortune to send you a prostitute.

All you need to do is feed these naive girls, and you can do whatever you want with them for the next few days.

And what did you do...?

Not satisfied?

When you work in this line of work for a long time, you encounter all sorts of bizarre things.

……

……

At nightfall.

Zhu Youcheng did not rush back to Kunning Palace to reunite with his wife and have dinner, but instead stayed in Qianqing Palace to review memorials.

The memorials he reviewed that day were very targeted. He specifically asked Qin Ji, Xiao Jing, and others to find the drafts prepared by Liu Ji and analyze them carefully.

"Your Majesty, it is late at night, you should rest."

Qin Ji stepped forward to offer a reminder.

Zhu Youcheng shook his head and said, "I always thought that Grand Secretary Liu was a veteran official who had earned the Emperor's trust for many years. I thought he must be quite capable, and that he could also be discreet and maintain proper relations with the court officials. But now it seems..."

Qin Ji glanced at the drafts that Zhu Youcheng had reviewed and roughly understood what the emperor meant.

Before, without careful understanding and detailed analysis, it wasn't very clear. But now, after careful research, I've discovered that Liu Ji is the biggest scoundrel in the Ming Dynasty at present.

You say your work skills are lacking, but at least show some respect in your attitude!

As a result, your attitude was not right, and you were not proactive in your work!

In this situation, what if you stood up for the emperor and did something practical?

This is understandable; after all, even trash has its uses!

The problem is that you lack ability, but if you are asked to stand up and stand with the emperor, you only think about your own personal gain and try to use so-called righteousness to stop the emperor from implementing his plans. Aren't you just courting death?

"My dear wife, do you think Grand Secretary Liu is still capable of fulfilling his duties as a cabinet minister?" Zhu Youcheng asked.

"This……"

At this moment, Qin Ji did not want to offend anyone.

Li Rong stepped forward and said, “Your Majesty, Grand Secretary Liu does not have a good reputation in the court. He has always been nicknamed ‘Liu the Cotton’ because people say he doesn’t do his job properly and always tries to shirk his responsibilities, which has caused many state affairs to be delayed. Once state affairs are delayed, they will bring huge hidden dangers, and the court will suffer a lot as a result.”

"Yes."

Zhu Youcheng nodded and said, "This concerns the people of the world, and not a single small matter can be delayed, especially when it involves disaster relief and people's livelihood. He keeps shirking his responsibilities. What right does he have to stand in the court? It seems that it is time for him to give up his position!"

(End of this chapter)