Damn it, I'm in the garbage book I wrote

Chapter 400 Go with the flow
"Zhao Shiyuan."

There was only this one name on the note. Xia Lin knew that this was the most useful information Jin Lian could convey to him. He probably didn't know the rest of the content.

Who is Zhao Shiyuan?
This question was not difficult for Xia Lin. As a big spy chief, it was easy for him to investigate a young man. He found a few confidants and got the news back in a short while.

"Sir, Zhao Shiyuan is a newly-appointed Jinshi from Lin'an, HZ. He has been highly regarded by the Crown Prince these days. It is said that he is a rare talent, both civil and military, with beautiful articles and excellent policy proposals."

Xia Lin nodded: "Hmm..."

He didn't say much, but got up and went straight to Lao Zhang's house. Lao Zhang had nothing to do today, and was sitting in the yard, picking his feet while coloring the portrait for the Empress Dowager's birthday. When he saw Xia Lin coming, he scraped off the dead skin from his feet and stretched it forward: "Do you want to eat?"

"Go away, damn it."

"If you don't want to eat, why are you looking for me?"

Xia Lin raised his eyebrows and said with a smile: "There is something you must do."

"What's the matter? Did you ruin the reputation of some girl? You want me to go and help you settle the matter? No, no, I have too many problems with your rotten crotch to handle."

Old Zhang waved his hands with a look of disdain and said, "Daosheng, I'm not saying anything bad about you, but you're already an adult, and the most urgent thing is to have a child as soon as possible. You have so many girls, why is there no one who has made any move?"

"You are almost thirty and you still don't have any children. I am embarrassed to mention this matter when visiting the old lady's grave during the Qingming and Winter Solstice. You said I am very reasonable. Tomorrow I will marry you a concubine, the kind that is fat and fertile."

"Go, go, go, go away. If you have anything to say, tell me now."

"Can you get in touch with Zhao Shiyuan?"

"Zhao Shiyuan..." Old Zhang smacked his lips. "It seems there is such a person. He came to me a few days ago and asked if I could draw a portrait of his deceased mother as a memorial."

Xia Lin hummed: "Go, get in touch with him."

Old Zhang frowned: "What's the matter? The prince wants to use him to exchange you down?"

"I think so, but I have three jobs in the capital. The first is to build a new city, the second is to destroy Buddhism, and the third is to lead the Inspection Office. The Inspection Office was sent by His Majesty, and the prince cannot take it away. But the construction of the new city and the destruction of Buddhism are probably going to be taken down. Zhao Shiyuan is a newcomer and has no followers at the moment. You should make friends with him, and I will think of a way to let you take one of the two projects."

"Whatever is accomplished will be a great achievement."

"Yes, but it's hard for me to accumulate more merits, so it's time for you to go up now."

Lao Zhang threw the skin off his feet aside and said, "If that's the case, I'll just walk around."

After saying that, he looked Xia Lin up and down: "What's wrong? Did you make the prince unhappy?"

"I beat up Prince Su."

Old Zhang's pupils trembled, and he looked Xia Lin up and down: "Are you okay?"

"That's about right. Although there are other ways, this one is the best. If I continue to work hard, I will have more power than the Crown Prince." Xia Lin took a deep breath and said, "You know, His Majesty is pushing me to be the Prime Minister. I can't refuse. The old man is really good to me. But if the Crown Prince personally dismisses me, then I can't do anything."

"Oh, so you have to beat up the prince? Why?"

"For a woman."

After that, Xia Lin briefly told Lao Zhang what happened yesterday. After Lao Zhang finished speaking, he stroked the small two-inch beard on his chin and said, "Oh~~~ It seems that His Highness is not very kind-hearted."

"He has been petty for a long time. Go ahead."

Old Zhang packed up his things, took his toolbox and canvas, and went to look for Zhao Shiyuan. Zhao Shiyuan was 22 years old this year. He was a newly-crowned Jinshi and had no official position yet. For the time being, he was a guest in the East Palace. He was a low-key and humble person, and gave people a good impression.

After meeting Lao Zhang, he was extremely polite. After all, Lao Zhang was an official in the central government. Although his position was not high, he had direct access to the emperor's ears.

"Mr. Zhao, I invited you a few days ago, but I was really busy at that time. Now that I have a little free time, I came to paint for your mother."

"Thank you, Master Zhang. How can I bear this?"

"Haha, the Wei Dynasty was founded on loyalty and filial piety. Mr. Zhao is so worthy of such hospitality. No more politeness, please."

The two men came to the courtyard and set up a stage. Zhao Shiyuan was describing his mother's appearance while Lao Zhang was painting. People are most empathetic at this time. At first, they would talk about interesting childhood memories. Later, when they talked about the topic of "the tree wants to be still but the wind does not stop", Zhao Shiyuan was already in tears.

"It's a pity that my old mother didn't live to see her son bring honor to the family. Whenever I think about it, I always blame it on my naughty childhood, not understanding the value of time."

Old Zhang also sighed when he heard this: "Yes, it was said that time is precious. I always thought that I am only 28 years old and time is very cheap, so how can it be precious. But now I suddenly realize that what is precious is not my worthless time, but the time of my parents and grandparents who are growing old in earnest anticipation."

As soon as these words came out, Zhao Shiyuan burst into tears. Old Zhang had just finished the painting. This realistic sketching method that only Old Zhang knew vividly portrayed the face of a kind middle-aged woman. The smile at the corner of her mouth and the bright light in her eyes seemed to bring the deceased back to life in an instant. "Mother!!!"

Zhao Shiyuan was already in pain, and when he saw Lao Zhang pick up the painting, he knelt down and cried. Lao Zhang did not help him but hung the painting in the shade, and then said to Zhao Shiyuan: "Wait a moment, talented man, I will go get the mounting materials."

In fact, glass plates are now available for sale in the capital, but they are relatively expensive and cannot be afforded by ordinary people. Moreover, only Lao Zhang knows the technique of mounting glass with wooden frames. This is why all the powerful people in the capital would go to Lao Zhang to ask him to paint for them.

After a while, Lao Zhang took back the thin wood and glass plates and began the final mounting of the painting. While mounting, he said to Zhao Shiyuan: "I didn't color the old lady's painting. This is the industry rule. It is respectful not to color the dead, and it is a celebration to color the living."

"Thank you, Master Zhang... It's good enough, good enough."

Zhao Shiyuan looked at the painting framed in the picture frame, his tears already wet his chest. He reached out and gently stroked the frame, unable to speak for a long time.

After Lao Zhang fixed the last wedge, he took out a steel nail made in Fuliang and said, "Zhao Caizi, hang it up."

"it is good."

Hanging the painting in front of the hall truly proves the saying that the voice and appearance are still there. If it were someone else, they would find it terrifying to hang such a real portrait there, but as the saying goes, every homeless soul that makes people feel heartbroken is a relative that someone misses day and night.

"Master Zhang, thank you so much... Zhao really has no way to repay you."

Old Zhang waved his hand and said, "Mr. Zhao, please accept my condolences. I will leave now."

"Master Zhang, please wait a moment and stay to have dinner together."

Old Zhang shook his head and said, "No, the Empress Dowager's birthday is coming soon, and I still have a lot of things to do."

"Oh... Because of my business, Master Zhang's important business has been delayed."

"It's okay, it's just a small favor." Lao Zhang bowed to him and said, "Then consider it as Mr. Zhao owing me a meal."

"Master Zhang, take care."

Lao Zhang did not make any requests, and even the conversation was very brief, but this small thing left a very deep impression on Zhao Shiyuan. From Lao Zhang's expression and words, he felt that this man was a moderate and peaceful scholar with extremely good character.

You have to know that at this moment, except the Crown Prince and Zhao Shiyuan himself, no one knows that he is about to be reused. At the moment, he is still an unknown person, a minor Jinshi who is not noticeable in the crowd, and can't even make the slightest splash in this huge capital city.

But Lao Zhang is already a central government official of the fifth rank. Although he is not a real official, his rank is there. His posture and eyes cannot deceive people, which is enough to show that this man has a noble character.

Such a small thing really left a deep impression on Zhao Shiyuan.

After returning home, Lao Zhang and Xia Lin started eating hotpot. The two of them, along with Wu Ning, sat there and chatted while eating. Lao Zhang told them about what happened in the afternoon. Wu Ning asked in surprise, "That's it? Is that how you try to please people?"

"What do you know as a woman? Am I, a fifth-rank official, supposed to kneel before a commoner like him and beg him to join me in the empire? You used to be very smart, how come you suddenly become like this?"

After saying this, Lao Zhang slapped his thigh and reached out: "Let me feel it to see if you are pregnant."

"There's something wrong." Wu Ning slapped his hand away and asked Xia Lin, "Has he always been like this?"

"Yeah, always."

But after Xia Lin finished speaking, he laughed: "To be honest, there is no better way than this. Lao Zhang is still Lao Zhang after all. If it weren't for his sudden lack of brain power, he would be more than qualified to be a prime minister now."

"He's not good at it, he's just missing one."

"What about now? Just wait?" Although Wu Ning always talked about Lao Zhang, he was still worried in his heart: "How long do we have to wait?"

"It could be as short as three days or as long as a month. This matter is urgent. The prince is petty, and the pettier he is, the more anxious he is. Don't worry."

"But they all know that you two have a close relationship."

Xia Lin spread out his hands: "There are few people in the whole court who have a bad relationship with me. I am their God of Wealth. To sum it up, Lao Zhang and I have no financial dealings, no children in-laws, and no officials in the same court. We can only be considered friends, not even a party."

"But you guys wrote anti-poetry together."

"Who knows?" Old Zhang raised his head and said, "Only three people in the world know about this. Are you going to tell on me? You will be executed along with your entire clan."

"Then I have to apply to add one more clan, ten clans." Xia Lin snapped his fingers: "That means basically all the civil and military officials in the court will be killed."

(End of this chapter)