Uncle from a poor family

Chapter 751 Tailor-made

At this moment, Zhu Youcheng did not want to rush to see his brother-in-law immediately, but he had indeed encountered some trouble.

This matter is also related to Zhang Luan.

The court audited the accounts of granaries in places like Taicang from the second half of last year to the beginning of this year, especially after Zhang Luan became the Right Vice Minister of the Ministry of Revenue. They found many discrepancies, leading some to suspect that Zhang Luan, ostensibly raising money and grain from the people to solve the predicament faced by the northwestern military towns, was actually using the court's reserves to embezzle funds, and may even have been involved in personal enrichment.

As a result, memorials impeaching Zhang Luan gradually increased.

Perhaps the people in the court couldn't understand... Before marrying off his daughter, a relative of the emperor was just a poor scholar whose family was so poor they could barely afford to eat.

As a result, after becoming a relative of the emperor, he not only enjoyed wealth and honor, but also always claimed to take money from his own treasury to subsidize the court.

What about the liar?
If he were truly capable of making money, why would he still be so impoverished at over forty? Of course, this poverty was only relative to the powerful and wealthy in the court; the Zhang family was still much better off than ordinary commoners.

The person responsible for delivering the impeachment memorial was not Li Rong, but Dai Yi.

Although Dai Yi was old, he was always in good health. He was the type in the Directorate of Ceremonial who could sing and dance, loved painting, had excellent calligraphy skills, and was a master at playing the zither.

This person is exceptionally talented and has sufficient qualifications, but his ability to handle political affairs is relatively lacking.

When Huai En, Qin Chang, and Wei Tai were the three powers standing together, Dai Yi had nothing to do with it, and he didn't expect to rise to power.

The problem is that all three of them have now retired, and Qin Ji, who is currently in charge of the Directorate of Ceremonial, is incompetent. After thinking about it, Dai Yi felt that he should also take the initiative to move forward. Even if he doesn't want to be remembered in history, he should at least show his presence. So he took the initiative to report to the emperor what outsiders dared not say, in order to prevent Zhu Youcheng from being unaware of what was happening when he was suddenly attacked by the censors at the court meeting.

Zhu Youcheng frowned and asked, "Does this fellow not know how much wealth his father-in-law currently possesses?"

Dai Yi cautiously said, "They said that the Zhang family had already declined. Although they had dealings with merchants when they were in Xingji, they were still struggling financially."

"But for some reason, they suddenly became rich in the last two years. This may be due to the secret financial assistance from Li Zi Province, but it cannot be denied that Zhang Guozhang may have used his position as Vice Minister of the Ministry of Revenue to profit from it, especially since the impeachment memorial also emphasized the salt tax reform at the beginning of the year."

Zhu Youcheng said with a dark face, "The reform of the salt certificate system was carried out openly and under the supervision of court officials. During this period, my father-in-law stayed at home to recuperate and did not come out. He only put forward a general plan before the New Year and did not personally oversee the exchange of salt certificates. And yet you accuse him of profiting from it?"

"Yes."

Dai Yi quickly said, "People in the court have too many misunderstandings about Zhang Guozhang."

"This is simply unreasonable!"

Zhu Youcheng stood up, flicked his sleeve, and said, "If anyone wants to attack the Zhang family, let them produce evidence. Don't just believe rumors and slander people out of thin air, and then expect me to send people to investigate. Hmph, what use are such arrogant people in court? Go, reject all these memorials. If they dare to submit any more memorials, they will be severely punished!"

……

……

When Zhu Youcheng returned to Kunning Palace, all the food had already been served.

Upon seeing Zhang Yanling, Zhu Youcheng's brows and eyes relaxed, and he appeared very happy. Clearly, in his heart, his brother-in-law was closer than his own brothers. After all, there was still infighting between him and his brothers, especially when it came to the struggle for the throne, which made it impossible for him to open up to them.

On the contrary, his brother-in-law had no conflict of interest with him, and because of his doting on his wife, he extended his affection to his father-in-law's family, especially Zhang Yanling, as the closest people in the world to him.

"Yanling, going to Xishan must have been tiring, right?"

Zhu Youcheng greeted him with a smile, then said with concern, "Oh dear, look at you, you've lost so much weight. You must take care of yourself and rest well after you come back. Don't overwork yourself. No matter what, your health is always the most important thing. A young man needs to be energetic to attract girls... You don't know, lately quite a few families have come to me to propose marriage to you."

Upon hearing this, Zhang Yanling's eyes widened in disbelief as she asked, "Brother-in-law, what are you saying... I don't understand at all!"

Zhang Yu rolled her eyes at her younger brother, "With your maturity beyond your years, how could you not know what matchmaking means? I didn't even tell you just now, I was just waiting for your brother-in-law to speak up."

"Haha."

Zhu Youcheng was very happy.

The things his wife hadn't told his brother, when told by him, seemed quite interesting to him.

For someone with autism, finding a confidant to sit with, feeling the warmth of family, and being able to speak freely about any topic is an incredibly wonderful feeling.

Zhang Yanling said, "Isn't my age... a bit too young?"

Zhu Youcheng pointed to his wife and said with a smile, "Yu'er, you tell us."

Zhang Yu said, "It's those imperial relatives who, having heard of your abilities, have all asked about your marriage prospects... And now, the Empress Dowager is also very concerned, saying she wants to find you a good family."

"Cough cough."

Zhang Yanling asked in surprise, "Why would you think of arranging a marriage with me? I'm not even an adult yet... Besides, don't all families have daughters of marriageable age?"

“There should be. Anyway, they are either princesses, county princesses, or daughters of dukes and marquises. It wouldn’t be a disgrace to the Zhang family if they were to marry you,” Zhang Yu said. “However, I have discussed it with His Majesty. Right now, you haven’t settled down yet. You are in the stage of studying and gaining experience, so it is not appropriate to talk about marriage for the time being.”

"My brother-in-law and sister understand me best. I really didn't want to."

Zhang Yanling said.

Zhang Yu looked at her husband again and said, "Your Majesty, why don't you say it?"

Zhu Youcheng smiled and said, "Even if you don't want to now, you can still consider it and choose one in advance. Originally, I was planning to talk to your father about this, but lately, how is your father-in-law doing?"

The conversation naturally turned to Zhang Luan.

"not too good."

Zhang Yanling shook his head and said, "He's been resting at home, feeling sickly and lacking energy. Fortunately, after my treatment, my father is much better. He was really seriously ill this time, as if he had just walked through the gates of hell. He'll need to rest for a while before he can fully recover."

"Alas! I never expected it to turn out this way." Zhu Youcheng said sadly, "Perhaps it is true, as we said before, that I pried too much into the will of Heaven, and that has caused my father-in-law to suffer divine punishment."

Zhang Yu said, "What divine punishment? Don't listen to that nonsense... Your Majesty, you're not a child anymore. Don't you know that my father's words were just an excuse? He had a lung disease, and his improper lifestyle caused his condition to suddenly worsen. Fortunately, Yanling treated him, otherwise..."

Zhang Yanling said with dissatisfaction, "Sister, why are you undermining me?"

"Tch, can't I just tell the truth?"

Zhang Yu rolled her eyes at her younger brother and said, "Tell me, whose support did I undermine? Before, my family was the closest, but isn't it obvious who's closest now?"

Zhu Youcheng looked very pleased with himself and teased with a smile, "Yanling, I think your sister is absolutely right. You should never hide anything from your brother-in-law."

Zhang Yanling said sullenly, "Girls really are more outgoing... Sister, why did you change your mind?"

"Get lost, you brat."

Zhang Yu said, "No matter how capable you are, you're just a little sparrow. Do you think you can pretend to be an eagle in front of your sister? Alright, alright, let's hurry up and eat. The food is getting cold."

“Just eat, why talk about a meal… Sister, why have you become so literary since you entered the palace?” Zhang Yanling teased.

"Shut up!"

Zhang Yu scolded, "You're not even enthusiastic about eating, what else can you do? If you don't listen, I'll definitely teach you a lesson later!"

……

……

The three sat around the dining table.

The emperor's meals were not as luxurious as one might imagine. They consisted mainly of vegetarian dishes, such as steamed bamboo shoots with tofu, stewed snow pear with yam and lily bulbs, lotus root with glutinous rice and lotus leaf, steamed bok choy with chicken oil, and stewed double mushrooms with jade fat. These were paired with two meat dishes: steamed perch from Songjiang and shredded chicken with chrysanthemum greens and bean sprouts.

Zhu Youcheng and Zhang Yu kept putting food into Zhang Yanling's bowl.

Seeing that the food in his bowl had piled up into a small mountain, Zhang Yanling quickly begged for mercy: "Brother-in-law, sister, let me do it myself... I'm not a child anymore."

"I was worried you wouldn't feel comfortable and would go hungry," Zhang Yu said. "But it's good that you came, otherwise your brother-in-law would always stuff food into my bowl..." Zhu Youcheng thought his wife was jealous, so he quickly put some food into her bowl and said with a smile, "Yu'er, I'm just concerned about you, why are you blaming me?"

Zhang Yu pouted: "But there are some dishes I really don't like..."

Zhang Yanling said, "Brother-in-law, sister, I think you should pay more attention to your diet... I can tell that you live a very simple life, mainly eating vegetarian dishes, but sometimes you still need to pay attention to supplementing your nutrition, otherwise it will be bad for your health."

"It's always good to be frugal."

Zhang Yu said, "Besides, the food here is much better than what we ate at home."

Zhu Youcheng then asked, "Where does it need improvement?"

Clearly, Zhu Youcheng himself did not like rich and heavy dishes and preferred light flavors, after all, that was the food he had been used to since childhood. But for his wife, he was willing to make some changes.

Zhang Yanling said, "The main thing is to make sure we get enough nutrition; we can just make some minor improvements to the diet."

"Then tell me about it later."

Zhu Youcheng smiled and said, "Now I realize that the one in the Zhang family who knows how to cure illnesses is you, not your father-in-law. So, did you learn your skills from your father, or...?"

"Brother-in-law, can we not discuss this issue?"

Zhang Yanling didn't want to betray his elderly father and make his son-in-law, Zhu Youcheng, think that his father-in-law was worthless.

But he also knew that with his sister Zhang Yu's mouth, she had basically told her husband everything that she could and couldn't say.

Otherwise, Zhu Youcheng would not have asked this question.

Zhu Youcheng nodded and said, "Then let's not ask for now. Let's talk about your experience in Xishan this time... I heard from your letter that you gained a lot. Now we are about to repair the Yellow River, which involves the allocation of the court's manpower and resources... Can the two things be done at the same time?"

Zhang Yanling said, "Brother-in-law, are you asking if the funds are enough? The initial expenses for managing the Yellow River will be provided by Minister Li, and it is estimated that three or four hundred thousand taels of silver will be enough."

Zhang Yu asked in surprise, "Is Li Zi Province so rich? Can it come up with so much silver?"

"Ah."

Zhang Yanling nodded and said, "Even my father said that Li Zisheng was not a very honest official. During the reign of the late emperor, he made a living by selling official positions and enriching himself. Fortunately, most of it was contributed to the imperial treasury."

Zhu Youcheng nodded and said, "I asked the people below, and that's indeed the case. So this person... can be used, but can't be used indefinitely."

Zhang Yu said, "You two can handle this yourselves. I'm just a woman, I won't ask about these things... But, judging from what you've said, Li Zi Province shouldn't be a bad place, right?"

Zhu Youcheng said, "Aside from suppressing dissidents, his other misdeeds are not prominent... However, he did help us with the selection of concubines. Yu'er, speaking of which, he was practically our matchmaker."

Zhang Yu rolled her eyes at her husband, but didn't say anything more.

“Even my grandmother thought that although Li Zisheng was not a virtuous person, he was not a great villain either, and he was very principled,” Zhu Youcheng said. “My grandmother told me before that as long as he could be used, we should use him for now. At least he did not form a faction, and when he was impeached this time, not a single court official stood on his side. He can be considered a lone minister. If we can use him well, it will have the same effect as when my father used him, and it can bring certain benefits to my governance.”

Zhang Yanling said, "Then... Brother-in-law, will you feel embarrassed about using Li Zi Province to manage the river? Or do you have a better candidate in mind?"

"I'm fine!"

Zhu Youcheng shook his head, then explained, "It all depends on your father's decision. But it seems this person is dedicated to river management and quite capable, so let him give it a try. Hopefully, he can manage the Yellow River well in three years and live up to expectations. Hey, why aren't you eating? There's still so much food left..."

"Huh? My stomach isn't that big, I can't eat too much."

After saying that, Zhang Yanling touched his stomach.

Zhang Yu threatened from the side: "No leftovers! This is all from your brother-in-law and me. You have to finish it, even if you have to!"

"Ah? Can this still happen?"

Zhang Yanling said with a bitter face, "When did eating become a burden?"

"A half-grown boy can eat his father out of house and home. You're at the age where you're growing, so what's wrong with eating more? I believe you can eat it all. Oh, by the way, Mom complained to me that you're so young, yet you have too many worries, which will prevent you from growing tall. She hopes you can settle down soon."

At this point, Zhang Yu glared at her younger brother and said, "Otherwise, why would your brother-in-law and I be concerned about your marriage?"

"cough."

Zhang Yanling could only keep his head down and continue eating.

Zhu Youcheng laughed and said, "Yanling, what you did is no longer a secret. Many people, even those not in the capital, are inquiring about you."

Zhang Yanling blinked and asked, "What do you want to know about me?"

"It depends on your age and your talent. We hope to arrange a marriage between you and the Zhang family."

Zhu Youcheng said with a smile.

"Isn't my older brother not married yet?"

Zhang Yanling reminded him, "My elder brother is indeed approaching marriageable age, so you can go and take care of him. I'm not in a hurry at all."

Zhang Yu said, "Some people have asked about your older brother, but I've been too embarrassed to say... The two younger brothers in the family are too different, and I'm afraid people will think that I'm playing matchmaker and pairing them up wrong!"

There is no harm without comparison.

Previously, no one thought that there was a distinction between elder and younger brothers when it came to marriage alliances with the Zhang family, but now it seems... if you were to marry the younger brother, you would be making a huge profit.

Even his older sister and brother-in-law were more concerned about their younger brother, Zhang Yanling, and didn't care much about the eldest son's marriage.

……

……

Had a meal.

Zhu Youcheng deliberately sent his wife away and told Zhang Yanling about the current situation in the court.

"I no longer want Liu Ji to remain in the cabinet."

Zhu Youcheng bluntly stated, "If your father's illness has almost fully recovered, then let him join the cabinet. However, he mentioned before that he hopes to continue staying in the Ministry of Revenue and make a difference."

Zhang Yanling said, "I can't make that decision... Is it inappropriate for my brother-in-law to ask me?"

"I just want to hear your opinion."

Zhu Youcheng said.

Zhang Yanling asked, "Then... does brother-in-law hope that my father will join the cabinet, or not? Actually, if my father joins the cabinet, there may not be many ways he can help you. At least in governing the court, especially in drafting proposals and handling court affairs, he is not very good at it and cannot achieve immediate results."

Zhu Youcheng nodded and said, "I know."

Zhang Yanling was very curious, "What do you know?"
“I really want your father to join the cabinet, and at the same time allow him to remain as the Right Vice Minister of the Ministry of Revenue, under the pretext of recuperating from illness, to continue to manage the affairs of the Ministry of Revenue,” Zhu Youcheng said. “In addition, I will also let Mr. Liu Jian join the cabinet, so that he can assist my father-in-law in managing the affairs of the cabinet.”

Zhang Yanling hesitated and asked, "Won't this cause criticism?"

"nothing much."

Zhu Youcheng smiled and said, "My father-in-law has been recuperating for a long time, and there hasn't been any trouble. Actually, this is quite good. It's like having a backup plan. If your father really needs to step up, he can take over the cabinet affairs at any time. Or if there is a shortage of people in the cabinet, he can go and help in time."

Zhang Yanling thought to himself, "As expected, the emperor's father-in-law has a huge advantage!"

Could he really become an honorary elder?
He's a powerful figure, yet he doesn't have to put in the effort... This position is practically tailor-made for Old Man Zhang.

(End of this chapter)