Uncle from a poor family

Chapter 799 Incident
Summer has arrived in the blink of an eye.

The training of the new army has temporarily come to a standstill.

The situation on the northwestern border has become more peaceful, and there has been no news of Tatars harassing the border for a long time. However, there is intelligence that Tatar herders are migrating to the Hetao region. These herders are not settling down to graze their livestock. Rather, it is because internal strife within the Tatars has destroyed their pastures, leaving them with nowhere to graze their livestock. They have no choice but to seek a living in the no-man's-land near the Ming Dynasty.

Zhang Luan officially assumed the post of Left Vice Minister of the Ministry of War.

He visited the Ministry of War several times and participated in several court meetings. He seemed to be in good spirits, but he always gave people the impression of being sickly.

The emperor was very respectful to his father-in-law, Zhang Luan, and would often let him stay home to recuperate. Unfortunately, once Zhang Luan entered his luxurious courtyard where he kept his mistress, he would stay there for days on end, and no one could see him.

Meanwhile, the personnel structure of the court remained unchanged for a long time. The emperor deliberated repeatedly on the selection of new cabinet members, but still did not choose the next cabinet minister from Li Dongyang and Xie Qian.

Once Zhang Luan returned home, he became completely oblivious to everything else.

Zhang Yanling was also busy with his own business. Besides mining, opening factories, and conducting experiments, he was also making money by developing various new industries. He even started an iron mine in the Yongping Prefecture area.

Furnaces were added one after another, and forging workshops were set up all around the capital.

In addition to the various industrial products they originally produced, their business expanded from the capital to Shandong, Henan, and then to Southern Zhili and Jiangnan.

The merchants from Huizhou originally only wanted to do business with Zhang Yanling in the official salt trade, but they found that Zhang Yanling was also very skilled in other business sectors, so they followed suit and soon discovered that it was indeed profitable.

Consequently, Huizhou merchants, led by Qin Zhao, began to invest in and participate in many joint ventures.

Zhang Yanling did not have a monopoly.

However, he was very strict about the distribution of shares. His next plan was to open a futures market in the Ming Dynasty, plunder a large amount of resources from overseas, and begin to reform some capitalist production relations in order to give rise to the nascent market economy in the Ming Dynasty.

The pricing power was given to the market, but at the same time the imperial court supervised it in the name of the state. As the money shop business progressed, the banking industry gradually became more effective and began to transform from simple storage and lending into the main means of regulating the economy of the Ming Dynasty.

The weather was unusually hot that day.

Zhu Youcheng was in the rear hall of the Qianqing Palace, eating chilled watermelon while reviewing memorials.

Because of the scorching sun, the temperature inside the palace was too high, so he had no mind to read the memorials in his hands carefully, and even the breeze fanned by the servants next to him was hot.

"Let's stop for now."

Zhu Youcheng was always reasonable and didn't want to see those around him suffer because of him. "Take a rest first. I can fan myself... Oh, by the way, has the Empress sent anyone to deliver anything?"

Xiao Jing bowed and said, "Your Majesty, I have already sent it over, but Her Majesty the Empress said that to ensure the stability of the fetus in her womb, she cannot eat cold food casually... Also, Her Majesty the Empress said that she is not very hot."

"Thank you for your hard work, Queen."

Zhu Youcheng said with emotion, "She has carried too much burden for me... Send some ice to the Empress. Even if she doesn't eat it, it will be good to put it in the palace to cool her down."

"Yes."

Dai Yi deeply felt what it means to have a deep love between husband and wife.

Xiao Jingxian went to give some instructions, then returned and said, "Your Majesty, recently some people in the court have submitted memorials requesting that you take in more concubines to ensure the continuation of the Ming Dynasty's imperial line. Here are... several memorials."

"dont see!"

Zhu Youcheng looked displeased.

Xiao Jing knew, of course, that these court officials had no idea about the actual situation in the palace. They always applied their own experiences to the emperor, assuming that Zhu Youcheng was young, vigorous, and at the age when his heart was fluttering with desire, so he must want to take more concubines. However, they couldn't bring themselves to do so, since it was still the period of mourning for the late emperor, and that's why there was no word of him taking any concubines.

Since the emperor is too embarrassed to say it, we can help by bringing it up. This will earn us a good reputation for being knowledgeable and tactful, which may be very beneficial for our future career!

Xiao Jing said, "Rumors are circulating that someone has advised the Empress Dowager and the Empress Dowager, hoping that the two elders can offer some advice to His Majesty..."

Zhu Youcheng shook his head: "The Empress is pregnant, how could I hurt her feelings? Besides, I don't want to think about those things at all. I only find it interesting when people I love do them together. Others forcing their way in only disgust me... Why would they do that?"

In the emperor's eyes, what those people did was utterly incomprehensible and violated human ethics; they deserved to be punished by heaven and earth.

Clearly, this new emperor is a believer in pure love, only acknowledging his lover and desiring a life of just the two of them. As for the three thousand beauties in the harem... that would be terrifying for someone like him who suffers from autism.

It must be those ministers trying to assassinate me!

Otherwise, why would they insist that I establish close relationships with so many strange women? The thought of a group of complete strangers surrounding me, striking seductive poses, sent chills down his spine.

Staying in this environment for too long will kill you!

Xiao Jing kindly reminded him, "If Your Majesty is going to pay your respects to the Grand Empress Dowager and the Empress Dowager in the coming days, please keep this in mind. The two elders may bring it up on their own initiative."

"Don't worry, I will take care of it."

Zhu Youcheng said, "Go to the Directorate of Ceremonial and bring over the next batch of memorials. I need to review them quickly. I'd like to have dinner with the Empress later. To be honest, it's only been a few hours since we last met, but I already feel so worried and heartbroken. Sigh..."

Xiao Jing thought to himself, "You can't judge a book by its cover."

There's no one else who can be an emperor this powerful!

No wonder the Zhang family father and son are so highly regarded. Just look at the relationship between His Majesty and the Zhang family... Since ancient times, has the relationship between a monarch and his maternal relatives been this good?
This is absolutely unprecedented!

……

……

Empress Zhang Yu took a nap that day.

I felt listless after getting up. I had originally planned to review the accounts of the weaving workshop, but I just couldn't muster the energy.

When the lady-in-waiting brought the account book over, she simply held out her hand and said, "When Yanling comes later, let him take a look... He's quick and accurate, so it'll save me some effort."

When Zhang Yu first came into contact with textiles, she found it very interesting and even regarded opening a textile workshop as her own career... She wanted to realize her own value, help her husband share some of the economic pressure, and also enrich her own life.

But once she got pregnant, and as her belly grew bigger day by day, she was afraid that overworking would affect the baby in her womb. She was also prone to fatigue and drowsiness. In the end, she would rather read a storybook or listen to a tune than work hard to manage the weaving workshop.

In her simple mind, only by giving birth to a prince and making her son the crown prince of the Ming Dynasty as the eldest son could her career be considered to have made great strides.

Under these circumstances, doing more things will be futile.

As an empress, if she wanted to secure her husband's favor, prevent him from having affairs, and ensure a more comfortable life for herself and her family, the greatest guarantee was to have children... many, many children.

"Your Majesty, the accounts have piled up quite a bit."

The female official asked, "Should we send it to Zhang Xiaoguojiu later?"

"He may not have the time for that."

Zhang Yu's eyes were a little dazed. He yawned and shook his head, saying, "Speaking of which, I just woke up, so why am I sleepy again? Oh dear, I suddenly want to get a cat or a dog to keep by my side and play with all the time. That would make life more interesting."

Because of her pregnancy, or perhaps as her maternal instincts gradually developed, she felt the need for something cute and that could provide long-term companionship to alleviate the boredom and loneliness when her husband was not around.

Because of her recent pregnancy, Zhu Youcheng dotes on her like a treasure, and he doesn't even dare to sleep with her at night, let alone engage in any strenuous activities.

In this situation, Zhang Yu occasionally felt bored and wanted to find something to do, but didn't want to be too busy. In the end, she wanted to do something she had never tried before...

Ultimately, it's very difficult to find inner fulfillment while living in the palace.

The lady-in-waiting said, "I heard that a theatrical troupe has recently come to the palace to perform! They said they will be performing a grand opera here at Kunning Palace, and will also be performing at Qingning Palace afterwards."

"When?" Zhang Yu asked in surprise.

"It'll be in the next couple of days."

The female official frowned slightly and said, "I don't know the exact time either."

Zhang Yu said, "Then let's ask the Imperial Household Department who's in charge of this. Speaking of which, I've been wanting to hear some opera performances lately. Some of the melodies are beautiful, the lyrics are lovely, and the imagery is profound, but I haven't heard any recently... Yanling is the same; he rarely comes to the palace, it's driving me crazy with boredom! Hmm, I'll go and urge him later!"

The female official bowed and said, "This servant has noted it down. Your Majesty, if you wish to see the young imperial brother-in-law, this servant will give the order later."

……

……

Zhang Yu lived a carefree life in the palace, with food and clothes provided for her. She didn't have to worry about anything. She just tried to make her life more fulfilling and happy, but it was an undeniable fact that she became increasingly lazy.

Meanwhile, at the Zhang family's residence...

Ms. Jin, however, was extremely busy.

The main reason is that the Shouning Marquis's mansion recently received land as a reward from the emperor. Originally, it was time to receive this land after the summer harvest, but unfortunately her husband has been away from home, so she, as the head of the household, has to take care of it.

She could only ask Zhang Heling, who was unemployed at home, for help.

Her eldest son was growing up day by day, and had even reached marriageable age, but she couldn't make decisions about his marriage. Zhang Luan didn't seem to be in any hurry to find a satisfactory marriage partner for her eldest son.

In this way, Zhang Heling became a tool, helping Jin Shi register her household with the government, taking back the land, finding some tenants, and buying some servants. After going through this process, Zhang Heling looked quite like the eldest son of the family.

Unfortunately, what Jin didn't know was that Zhang Heling's apparent actions were just a facade, as he delegated them all to Chang Shun.

Chang Shun's family offers a one-stop shop for brokers, with connections to all sorts of people. As long as you spend the money, Chang Shun can handle all the affairs of the city perfectly.

"Mom, I'm not coming home tonight!"

Zhang Heling returned to the city with his elderly mother.

Before the carriage even entered the city gate, he spoke frankly to Madam Jin.

Jin lifted the carriage curtain, looked at her son sitting in the passenger seat in front of the driver's seat, covering his nose to avoid the smell of horses, and asked, "What are you doing?"

Zhang Heling's face was full of anticipation: "I want to go to the brothel... I heard that new girls have recently arrived there, I have to go and see them."

Upon hearing this, Chang Shun, who was rushing to catch the train, immediately perked up.

This young master of ours seems to be good for nothing, but he's an expert at eating, drinking and having fun, and he has extensive connections. After all, he used to be a commander of the Embroidered Uniform Guard, and he's well-connected in both the legitimate and underworld circles of the capital.

Madam Jin said, "Don't go out and cause trouble! You're not even married yet and you want to come back with a bunch of illnesses? You don't care about yourself, but your mother still wants the best for her grandchildren!"

Zhang Heling said impatiently, "Hey, I shouldn't have told you! I'm old now, I have my own thoughts and life, Mother, don't worry about me, besides, even if you wanted to, you couldn't! I'll move out of the mansion later, and from now on, you'll just be living a widow's life with four walls!"

These words enraged Jin, who was about to reach out and grab Zhang Heling's ear when Zhang Heling leaped up, landed steadily on the ground, waved at Jin, and ran away in a flash.

……

……

Zhang Heling went to the brothel to see the new girl with great excitement.

He seems to have inherited his father's fine tradition; even though he was still just a young man, he was no less lustful than Zhang Luan.

Although Zhang Heling already held the title of the emperor's brother-in-law and had a powerful father and younger brother, the world of fame and fortune in the capital did not recognize someone like him who didn't have much real ability.

The power structure in the capital is currently being restructured, which has resulted in Zhang Heling not receiving much respect from others.

Unfortunately, Zhang Heling was carried home that very night.

Zhang Luan was in the other courtyard, completely unaware of the time outside, when Qi Niang came to tell him that his son had been beaten.

"My son was beaten? Yanling? Where was he attacked?"

Zhang Luan was so shocked that he could hardly contain himself.

Qi Niang replied, "It is the eldest young master."

Upon hearing this, Zhang Luan instantly felt relieved, as if the death of his eldest son was nothing out of the ordinary and there was nothing to regret.

"That's okay."

Zhang Luan said, "I'll go back and see what's going on another day."

Qi Niang frowned.

She thought to herself, "They're both your own sons, so why is there such a big difference between them in your eyes?"
"Is there anything else?"

Seeing that Qi Niang hadn't left, Zhang Luan couldn't help but ask.

Qi Niang probably felt that her arrival had disturbed her master's good time, and that she had to get things done to prove that her words weren't unfounded, so she continued to remind him:

"Master, the Second Young Master sent someone to say that you must go home and see the family. If you don't go back at this critical juncture, and don't even find out who did it, wouldn't it make your family seem too easy to be bullied?"

Zhang Luan calmed down slightly, looking disappointed: "This is really bad timing! Do you expect me to go back and seek justice for that unfilial son at this crucial moment?"

Qi Niang said, "Master should at least go back and ask."

"Then let's wait another half an hour..."

Zhang Luan waved his hand and said.

Lady Qi frowned.

I thought to myself, why do I need another half hour? How long are you trying to hold on? It's just a shiver, how can it possibly last that long?
We're all family, why do you need to pretend in front of me?
"That's fine!"

Seeing Qi Niang's questioning gaze, Zhang Luan finally lost interest, or rather, he felt his behavior was a bit embarrassing. He stretched out his hand and said, "This awful weather is just too hot. My son can make the house warmer in winter, but I wonder if he has any way to make it cool?"
"Ugh, it's so hot during the day that you can't do anything. It's only a little cool at night, and I still have to clean up that brat's mess? It's unbelievable."

Lady Qi smiled and said, "Master has to accept reality... all children are different..."

She quickly helped Zhang Luan tidy his clothes.

Zhang Luan was delighted to be served. As he reached out to touch Qi Niang's belly, he remarked, "Speaking of which, why aren't you carrying any eggs? Or am I really so old and frail that I'm useless?"

Qi Niang blushed and said, "Didn't Master say long ago that everything about this outer residence is good, except that we shouldn't leave behind any offspring, to avoid trouble later?"

"That's what they say, but sometimes..."

Zhang Luan shook his head and sighed, "Speaking of which, I've been taking special care of you, always saving your seed... It's one thing for others, but for you... Sigh! Never mind, I'm going home to see what that kid is up to! I'll be back later, so get ready."

Qi Niang asked, puzzled, "Are you coming back?"

Zhang Luan said, "You think it's interesting that it's only half-finished? I can only think that this is to make things more enjoyable later... You arrange it well, and I believe you can keep me looking forward to it."

Qi Niang smiled and said, "Master, please don't complain about the arrangements being inadequate or that you're too tired."

(End of this chapter)