Volume 3: Dragon and Snake Movement Chapter 374: We are all born from the same roots, but we have different temperaments
Although he knew that Ge Yong's so-called strangling him to death was just a joke, and that Old Grand Tutor Ge had repeatedly spread the word that Xian Yunhe and others must be killed, perhaps it was just a gesture to test his attitude. However, Zhang Shou certainly appreciated Ge Yong's attitude of not caring about the possible reactions of the court and taking charge of the aftermath.
So, when Ge Yong said he would not go back to the court and would go back to his room to rest, he not only sent him back to his room, but also went to fetch water, helped him wash his face, and took the food sent by Ah Liu, and had a good meal with the teacher. Of course, at the dinner table, Teacher Ge, who did not care about the old rule of not talking while eating and not talking while sleeping, had to pull him to discuss astronomy again.
God knows how big Zhang Shou's head was when he heard about those star orbits - even if they were graduates of science and engineering, how many people would be interested in minoring in planetary and comet orbits after getting an A in advanced mathematics?
It was not until Ge Yong dragged him to talk about mathematics after dinner that Zhang Shou had no choice but to bite the bullet and directly throw out the plane rectangular coordinate system for the old man to figure out how to use it, and only then was he able to successfully get out of it. Of course, being entangled in this new system, the old man no longer had the heart to take a nap, and even had no time to eat dinner. He could only say sorry.
Anyway, Ge Yong is a person who keeps learning until he dies, that's what a real academic master is!
Coming out of Ge Yong's guest room, Zhang Shou found that there was not only Ah Liu outside the door, but also Zhu Er and Zhang Chen. However, compared to the excited Zhang Chen, Zhu Er was being held by Zhang Chen, looking embarrassed as if he wanted to leave but couldn't. Sure enough, when he waved to the two to come out and talk, Zhu Er started to cry out for help as he walked.
"I was so hungry that I didn't even have lunch, but Sixth Brother wouldn't let us in, saying we shouldn't disturb Grandmaster Ge from talking to you! I said I was leaving and would come back after lunch, but Zhang Chen refused to let me in. He was really too overbearing. We waited for a long time in vain!"
Zhang Chen kicked Zhu Er with anger, and when he saw him running away, he wanted to speak angrily, but Zhang Shou told Ah Liu to find some food and bring it to the room, and then motioned for the two of them to follow him to their residence. So Zhang Chen glanced at Zhu Er with contempt, and quickly caught up with him, repeating what he and Zhu Er had said before in the gap between the two cases.
Although he had been talking endlessly about a so-called cooperative plan in front of people, Zhang Shou did intend to first seize the spinning line with Young Master Jiang as his best chess piece, and then consider other things. Now, when he heard Zhang Chen volunteer to integrate many weaving workshops and weavers, and vowed that Zhu Er planned to organize the trial planting of cotton brought from overseas, he was a little stunned.
He didn't expect that the two of them not only heard his words, but also took them seriously. He was both angry and amused, but he had to admit that the two of them did have good vision...
However, he had just proposed this matter, and there was no need to make a decision so quickly. He simply asked the two people for their opinions as they walked. As a result, Zhang Chen, who had actually run a weaving workshop, was able to express some ideas, but Zhu Er... it was obvious that he was being forced to do something, and he hesitated for a long time but couldn't say anything.
Thinking that it was he who gave Zhu Er the so-called good farmer character, Zhang Shou was in tears and knew that Zhang Chen must be afraid that he was not strong enough, so he dragged Zhu Er along. He also knew that compared to Lu Sanlang, who was emerging in the capital because of his talent, and Zhang Chen, who was reckless and impulsive but dared to fight, Zhu Er was really mediocre.
Think about it, this second son is indeed miserable. His grandmother, father, stepmother, everyone is resolute and daring. His elder brother is both civil and military, and even the seemingly willful and impulsive Zhu Ying is daring. It is said that a crane stands out from a flock of chickens, but Zhu Er is like a chicken standing out from a flock of cranes. He has been hit too hard since he was a child.
So, when he returned to his residence, he saw that Ah Liu had already sent a box of snacks, and indicated to Zhang Chen and Zhu Er to fill their stomachs first. After careful consideration, he said to Zhang Chen and Zhu Er: "Go back and make a detailed plan for me. After I look at it, if I think it is good, then it is not a bad idea to let you organize and plan it."
Seeing Zhang Chen's delight, he agreed immediately and ran away without even paying attention to the half-eaten crystal cake, leaving Zhu Er with a troubled face. He had to remind him: "Don't just work alone, go out and find more people to help. Xian Yunhe also involved some cotton farmers in the shocking case. You might as well ask Xiao Huasheng for help and ask him to find a few people to discuss it with you."
Zhu Er thought this was not feasible, and he said hesitantly, "I have only met those guys once in the palace, and most of the time we have hardly spoken. Besides, Xian Yunhe and several leaders are in prison, and will be exiled next. What if they hold a grudge against me, or even if they don't say anything, they will trip me up in action?"
"You think too much! You were able to put down your pride before, and followed the old salty fish to jump into the sea, break into the palace, and lobby the eldest prince. You had such a strange adventure. Don't you know that some people outside say that you are the righteous second son? No matter who it is, you will always have a little bit of goodwill towards those who have shared joys and sorrows with you. How could you forget that you have such an advantage over Zhang Chen?"
As Zhu Er listened, his eyebrows gradually danced with joy. Finally, he clapped his hands vigorously and said, "Yes, let's give it a try! Well, Old Salty Fish still owes me a big favor. He is worthy of being my future brother-in-law. He is so thoughtful... Uh, I'm leaving first!"
The words "future brother-in-law" were often on said this, he suddenly realized that today was different from other times. He laughed hurriedly, turned around and ran away, his speed was so fast, as if there was a ferocious beast chasing him from behind.
Seeing this scene, Zhang Shou felt suspicious no matter how he looked at it, but he was really exhausted after working non-stop for the past two days, so he didn't take it too seriously. After laughing and shaking his head, he finally couldn't help yawning again. But at this moment, he heard Ah Liu's faint voice in his ear.
"Master, have you forgotten something?"
"What did you forget?" Zhang Shou asked sleepily. When he got no answer, he turned his head to glance at Ah Liu. Seeing that the young man was staring at him with some dissatisfaction, he suddenly realized that he had indeed forgotten someone.
The young lady who should have appeared at the first moment and was always full of laughter and joy...how come she is gone? Thinking of Zhu Er's strange reaction and Ah Liu's dissatisfied reminder at this time, he couldn't help but cover his forehead in distress, sighed and asked: "Tell me, where did Yingying go again?"
Just don’t tell me that you went back to Maliu Mountain to dig tunnels again!
"The eldest lady has returned to Beijing." Ah Liu's answer was simple, direct and clear as always. Seeing Zhang Shou was slightly stunned, he thought for a moment and finally added, "She brought six people including Zhu Hong, and the carriage."
Zhang Shou was relieved to know that the young lady had finally remembered to take the specially made carriage of the Duke of Zhao's Mansion with her, and that this trip was to return to Beijing. However, although he knew Zhu Ying's character very well and was well aware of her style of coming and going without a trace, he still felt that the young lady's return to Beijing was a bit sudden.
He asked in confusion, "Did something happen at the Duke Zhao's mansion in the capital that made her rush back?"
However, his inquiry was met with Ah Liu's somewhat contemptuous look. At this time, Zhang Shou just realized that the three brothers and sisters of the Zhu family were all in Cangzhou. If Zhu Tingfang came here on orders like him and could not leave without permission, if something really happened to the Zhu family in Zhaoguo Mansion, Zhu Er should have gone with Zhu Ying!
Zhu Er didn't have the excuse of not going home because he was afraid of being beaten. If Zhu Er had something going on at home and he insisted on not going back, Zhu Ying would also ask him to go back. If being a young lady wasn't enough, there was still Master Zhu!
Thinking that Zhu Er was indeed somewhat guilty just now, Zhang Shou's face darkened unconsciously: "So, Yingying's second brother got into trouble again, so he wanted her to rush back to Beijing to help intercede and deal with the aftermath?"
"It's not her second brother, it's you."
For the first time, Ah Liu wondered how Zhang Shou, who had always been quite smart, could become stupid. He said these seven simple words, and seeing Zhang Shou's surprised face, he had to add, "She is worried about you."
Zhang Shou understood immediately. He patted his forehead gently, then shook his head and smiled, "According to her personality, she would really be so impetuous. If she had just waited a while, it would have been better. I just talked to the teacher about everything. The teacher probably guessed that I would give Xian Yunhe and the others a break, so she was prepared. Besides, if someone really insists on it..."
He paused, then said nonchalantly, "At worst, I can go to Qiongzhou Prefecture to experience what it was like to be a Buddhist like Dongpo back then."
Ah Liu frowned immediately, his always stern face became even colder: "If you go, she will go too!"
Zhang Shou didn't expect that Ah Liu would choke him back like this. He wanted to say that he was not asking to be exiled to Hainan, but just wanted to investigate the environment there and see how to cultivate rubber trees on a large scale. But he knew that Ah Liu wanted to tell him that Zhu Ying's character was such that once she set her mind on a path, she would stick to it to the end, and once she set her mind on a person, she would never give up. He was speechless for a moment.
It was true that the Qiongzhou Prefecture of that time could not be equated with the Hainan Island, a the sea route also had weather conditions and various risks, he could only temporarily give up the idea.
It doesn't matter if he's alone, but if Zhu Ying is involved... then we really have to think about it carefully! In this era, the climate and soil that you don't like can be fatal!
Since Zhu Ying had already set out to return to Beijing, after asking about the departure time, Zhang Shou was sure that there was no way he could catch up with her. He was also really tired, so he simply chased Ah Liu out and went to bed for a nap.
When he woke up, he saw that the room was dark, and his first reaction was why it was still dark outside... It took him a long while to realize that he was taking a nap, and it was not that it was still dark, but that it was already dark outside.
He rested the back of his hand on his forehead and muttered to himself, "I slept so hard that I couldn't tell the difference between day and night. It's really..."
Although no one disturbed him and he could sleep until he woke up naturally, it was a good thing. But taking a nap was different from sleeping at night. When he turned over and got up, he felt dizzy and groggy, and it took him a long time to recover.
When he got off the floor and lazily put on his clothes, he suddenly heard a knock on the door. The knock was regular and measured, three times, a pause, then three more times, then a pause, then three more times. It seemed that if he didn't open the door, the knock would continue endlessly.
“Here it comes!”
Seeing that the person outside was persistent, Zhang Shou could only hurriedly tie his belt, roughly tidied his hair, and then he slipped on his shoes and went to the door. As soon as he opened the door, he saw Zhu Tingfang standing outside. He had expected that the person who was so meticulous even in knocking on the door must be his future brother-in-law, so he said, "Why, is there something important?"
"Nothing important, I just saw that you didn't have dinner, so I came to see you." Zhu Tingfang looked at Zhang Shou from head to toe for a long time with a strange expression, as if he had never seen anyone take such a long nap. He was not embarrassed to see him, and looked at him seriously. Then he said, "A monk from Wanghai Temple was sent to discuss with me how to transport the stone tablet out of the tunnel. What do you think?"
Just ignore that damn thing!
Zhang Shou muttered this in his heart, but in front of Zhu Tingfang, he had to show a relatively cautious look: "The stone tablet is almost buried in the deepest part of the tunnel. It would take a long time for Yingying and I to go in and out empty-handed, not to mention sending people in to drag such a heavy object out. I think that under the current situation in Cangzhou, it is better to save manpower."
"Cherish manpower? Haven't you always asked Zhang Chen and my second brother to investigate the idle people without land or jobs? Since there are so many idle people, can't you find something for them to do? Why do you still need to cherish manpower?"
Seeing Zhu Tingfang looking at him with a half-smile, Zhang Shou was slightly stunned, and then he said nonchalantly: "Even if there are many idle people in Cangzhou, they cannot be abused. After all, Maliu Mountain is not in Cangzhou City. Even if two carriages carry more than a dozen people, it will take three days to go back and forth, right? A stone tablet weighing hundreds or thousands of pounds requires more than one or two people, and we also have to consider whether there will be danger when entering..."
"Okay, okay, I know what you mean!" Zhu Tingfang raised his hand to signal him to stop, then smiled: "Actually, that's what I meant too."
Zhang Shou was immediately furious. Is that what you mean? Then why are you arguing with me?
As if he didn't notice Zhang Shou's resentment, Zhu Tingfang said to himself: "There is no need to start a war over a stone tablet of unknown origin. After all, there are already countless Taizu manuscripts in the ancient and modern collections that cannot be deciphered. If there is no shortage of this stone tablet, a rubbing is enough to get by. I am not Yingying. But Wanghai Temple claims that part of the tunnel was dug during the Mingxi period."
