Tang Dynasty Xie Lu Lang

Chapter 20 The Furious Mistress
The next morning, Zhang Luo was still asleep when he heard a soft call in his ears.

He opened his eyes, and Ah Ying's bright and charming face appeared before him. Looking at her delicate and tender cheeks, he couldn't help but put out his mouth and kissed them gently, laughing softly, "Ah Ying, you are so beautiful."

The little maid's cheeks flushed immediately after being kissed so softly that even her earlobes were instantly tinged with a blush. She shyly looked away and whispered, "Alang, stop messing around. The head of the palace is waiting in the courtyard."

The so-called head of the mansion is the manager of the courtyard where the master Zhang Shuo lives. He is in charge of all affairs in the house. Although he is also a servant, he is trusted and relied upon by Zhang Shuo far more than ordinary clansmen.

"What is the chief minister doing here?"

Upon hearing this, Zhang Luo's sleepiness disappeared immediately, and any romantic thoughts in his mind also disappeared. He quickly got up, took the robe handed to him by Aying, put it on, and then walked out of the room.

The official who had come here was named Zhang Gu. He was in his early sixties, with gray hair and beard, but a fairly strong physique. He was wearing a simple, clean cloth robe. He was looking up at the humble house where Zhang Luo lived. When he saw Zhang Luo coming out, he hurriedly bowed to greet him and said, "I come to ask so early in the morning to disturb your sleep. How are you, Liu Lang?"

Zhang Luo wasn't a prickly hedgehog who would prick anyone he caught. If someone was kind to him, he would respond with courtesy. Hearing this, he waved his hand and said, "Master, there's no need to be so polite. May I ask what brings me here?"

"Sixth Prince, you are too kind. Before the Lord left for court, he specifically instructed me to tell you that while talent and interest are commendable, true knowledge requires diligent study. The Jicui Tower in the West Pavilion is where the Lord resides and studies. It contains many ancient sages' philosophical sayings and contemporary wisdom. If Sixth Prince diligently absorbs these insights, he will surely broaden his knowledge and enhance his talent. Therefore, I have instructed me to take you to live in the Jicui Tower."

Zhang Gu bowed again and said to Zhang Luo, "In previous years, several young masters have been taught by the master himself in Jicui Tower. The tower has been idle for a long time, and now I am waiting for Liu Lang."

"I am truly flattered by your kindness, great father. However, I am careless and undisciplined by nature, and I am afraid that if I live close to you, I will dislike you and lose your love. Besides, my current residence is sheltered from wind and rain, so there is no need to trouble others to serve me elsewhere."

Zhang Luo didn't expect that there was still a lingering aftertaste from yesterday's party. His grandfather Zhang Shuo actually acted as if he was going to seriously cultivate him. This caught him off guard, and he immediately spoke with some embarrassment.

Zhang Gu, having been in charge of household affairs for a long time and well versed in human nature, did not directly criticize Zhang Luo's humble residence. Instead, he bowed his head and said, "This old servant's eyesight and hearing are gradually failing. I am grateful that the master has not abandoned him and has retained him as a retainer. I am always afraid that I cannot fulfill my duties, but I will do my best to accept your orders. I beg you to be sympathetic and allow me to personally lead you there."

"Ah Lang, go ahead! With Lord Ling's care and concern, no one in this house will cause trouble anymore!"

Yingniang, who was standing by, couldn't help but come forward and whispered that she had always been worried that her mistress Zheng would murder Alang. She felt that with the protection of the old master Zhang Shuo, she could be as safe as a rock in the Zhang family mansion and no longer had to plan to hide somewhere else.

Zhang Luo knew full well that his current position and situation within the Zhang family were no longer important, as the entire family would soon be in jeopardy. Zhang's appreciation of him was truly valuable, but it was a pity it came a little too late.

It is now late March, and Zhang Shuo's political crisis is about to break out in early April. This crisis is caused by the accumulation of the times and Zhang Shuo's personal character. Even if I want to remind him, it will be difficult to reverse it.

After all, Zhang Jiuling, Zhang Shuo's political successor, had already given Zhang Shuo the necessary advice, but he still didn't let Zhang Shuo correct or prevent his mistakes.

This kind of prophetic foresight is naturally not convenient to tell others. After thinking about it, Zhang Luo did not continue to refuse this kindness. Although it was a bit short, it was better than nothing.

In ancient times, channels for obtaining information and knowledge were relatively scarce. If he could take this opportunity to look through Zhang Shuo's collection of books and integrate and summarize it with the accumulation in his own mind, it would also be more helpful to his future development.

The master and servant did not have much luggage to begin with, and they had previously sent some of it to the farm outside the city because they planned to leave the Zhang family. Now when they packed up again, they only had some clothes to change into and basic bedding. On the contrary, the most luggage was the paper, ink and stationery that Zhang Luo had recently bought for writing epitaphs, which filled up half a basket.

Even though Zhang Gu was reluctant to comment on Zhang Jun's household management, when he saw the shabby luggage of the master and servants, he couldn't help but sigh and say, "Sixth Young Master is quiet and self-disciplined, indifferent to fame and wealth, and his aspirations are very different from those of the other young masters in the mansion. It's not hard for him to hone his skills in his youth. He will become a great man next year, respected by the world like our master, and bring honor to our family!"

Many things may not be true as heard or seen. In Zhang Gu's opinion, although Liu Lang was ostracized by his own relatives and had a bad situation at home, he was still devoted to learning. His moral character and integrity made him an outstanding role model among the younger generation in the family.

Even Zhang Gu, a seasoned man, couldn't have guessed that Zhang Luo's scant luggage was a sign of his absconding, and his abundance of stationery was a sign of his intent to profit from writing an epitaph in his grandfather's name. Neither of these actions had anything to do with kindness. His intentions were simply too cunning for the average person to fathom.

Although the Zhang family mansion was large and had many idle people, the news that Zhang Gu, the head of the mansion, had personally welcomed Zhang Luo to live in the Ji Cui Building in the mansion on the orders of his lord Zhang Shuo soon spread throughout the mansion, immediately causing a lot of discussion among the family members and servants in the mansion.

In the residence of the mistress Zheng in the east wing, the sounds of smashing and destroying things could be heard from early in the morning. The maids and servants were all driven out of the courtyard. Only a few of Zheng's trusted servants stood in the room in silence, watching the mistress, who was so angry that her face turned pale, smashing things in the room and venting her anger without saying a word.

"What do you mean, Lord Ling? Am I not even allowed to deal with a single evil child from my own household? You are interfering so openly here, do you think I am unfit to manage the household?"

Zheng was smashing things in the room and screaming angrily. Her usual calm and composed demeanor was long gone, and her whole body was filled with hysteria as if her dignity had been trampled upon and her bottom line had been crossed.

In her opinion, Zhang Luo's actions were not merely a display of admiration and respect for his younger generation, but rather a denial and humiliation of her, the mistress of the eldest house. She already harbored hostility towards Zhang Luo, and usually felt a sense of control over him. But when he slipped out of her grasp, she felt even more shocked and humiliated.

"Prepare the car, I want to leave for home!"

After venting her anger, Zheng said bitterly that on the one hand, she felt that the entire Zhang family might be laughing at her, which made her ashamed to face it. On the other hand, she did not dare to directly question or resist the decision of Zhang Shuo, the head of the family. She could only use this to escape and express her dissatisfaction.

However, as soon as these words came out, several maids who had just let her vent her anger hurried forward to comfort her, saying: "Madam, please calm down. This is just an ordinary family matter. How can you leave so easily?

"With the mistress at home, gossip dares not grow. If she leaves, people's gossip will be feared. Moreover, now all the uncles are under the orders of the Lord. If the mistress returns home now, it is inevitable that personal matters will interfere with official duties..."

"Am I going to have to endure this wrath? Even this little evil creature is so hard to control, how can I possibly control anyone else in this family?"

When Zheng heard this, she felt a little discouraged.

Although she came from the Zheng clan of Xingyang, her family was not prominent, and she relied heavily on the protection of Zhang Shuo, a powerful relative. If she left this time, she feared her father and brother would also bear Zhang Shuo's wrath. Although she dared not mention returning home, she still felt a sense of reluctance.

A maid came forward and gently stroked his back, whispering, "Although this child is evil, he still needs to obey his parents. Besides, no matter how talented he is, he can't escape his illegitimate background.

"The mistress really doesn't need to get angry or argue over who's better, but she needs to properly educate the young man so that he can also spread his good reputation. People will be able to distinguish between the important and the unimportant. Who would be happy with a mere evil child?"

"Indeed, even though the Lord appreciated his talent, he only arranged for him to study at home. But my son, Alang, was soon able to be admitted to the Hongwen Academy and become famous in the national studies. His bright future is beyond the reach of this child!"

Su Qinnan, who had been scolded before, also came forward to comfort her.

After hearing these people's words of comfort, Zheng's expression improved slightly. After taking a few deep breaths, she regained some of her usual composure. Seeing the mess of broken objects on the ground, she frowned again and said, "Hurry up and clean up the house. The master was in the province yesterday. He must be tired after returning today. He needs some quiet rest to recuperate."

Although she was secretly jealous, she was completely sincere to her husband Zhang Jun and took great care of his daily life. In addition, Zhang Jun also loved her because of her prominent family background, so the couple respected each other and had a deep affection.

Leaving the servants to clean up the messy room, Zheng stood up and walked out of the room, heading towards her son Zhang Cheng's residence. Zhang Luo's change of fate reminded her of the prophecy the fortune teller had said, and she couldn't help feeling a sense of crisis.

The Zhang family had a family school to educate their children. Zhang Chang was also enlightened in the family school, but he was infected with many bad habits of his fellow children. Zheng simply kept her son at home and disciplined him herself. After repeated requests, she finally got her father-in-law Zhang Shuo to agree to bring him to the Hongwen Academy to study after the Hongwen student took the exam this spring. Zheng was also very attentive to his son's education.

Fearing that her son's luck would be taken away by that evil boy, Zheng decided to continue to strengthen her son's discipline, so that he could make a name for himself after entering the National Academy.

But when she arrived at her son's room, she found that her son, who was supposed to be studying in the room, was missing. After searching inside and outside, she found a servant boy hiding timidly in the corner.

"Where did Alang go?"

Zheng asked someone to bring the servant over and asked angrily with raised eyebrows.

"The master has just acquired a new female entertainer and is enjoying her in the front hall. When Ah Lang heard about it, he also went to watch..."

The servant who was left behind to keep out did not dare to bear the mistress's anger alone, so he lowered his head and hurriedly explained.

"My dear, your master has been in the province yesterday and today. When did you find a prostitute to entertain you at home? If you continue to talk nonsense, I will tear your dog's mouth apart!"

Su Qinnan, who was standing by as a servant, saw her mistress's face turn pale, and immediately put her hands on her hips and cursed.

The servant boy was even more shocked when he saw this. He knelt on the ground and kowtowed like crazy. "It's true, it's true. How dare I lie to my mistress! Yes, Liu Lang, last night Liu Lang's song pleased Scholar Wang so much that he left a piece of female entertainment for Liu Lang as a gift.

Liu Lang didn't dare to use it privately. It happened that the mistress came home for training, so he presented the girl to the mistress! If the mistress doesn't believe it, you can go to the front hall to check it out..."

(End of this chapter)