Volume 3: Dragon and Snake Movement Chapter 389: Tip-off, unexpected surprise
Lu Sanlang's sudden visit was indeed a surprise to the Zhu family.
Although Zhu Er used to regard himself as the pillar of the Zhu family and decided to marry his sister to Lu Sanlang, a seemingly reliable friend, Lu Sanlang had been a guest of honor here, but after Zhang Shou and Zhu Ying's marriage was almost a done deal, he always tried to avoid coming here if there was nothing to do, so as not to arouse resentment in others' hearts.
So, at this moment, the lady looked at Lu Sanlang who had not come to visit for a long time, and a smile gradually appeared on her lips: "Sanlang, you are rarely seen. What brings you here today?"
What wind... evil wind! Lu Sanlang sighed in his heart, and then said honestly: "Madam, please forgive me. I don't come here for no reason. I dare not come here to offend people easily, but today is really urgent."
He did not dare to delay and repeated Zhu Ying's words to him in a few words. He did not hide the fact that Zhu Ying advised him to change the place where his old friends gathered into the Jiuzhangtang Academy. As for Jiu Niang's scrutiny, he could only selectively ignore it and kept telling himself in his heart that I am not her son-in-law anyway, not her son-in-law...
Fortunately, the scene he imagined of the mother-in-law and daughter-in-law being furious did not happen. The old lady just sat there quietly, with a look of trance on her face, as if Zhu Ying was provoking not a dignified elder, but an insignificant person. And Jiu Niang was still looking him up and down, as if she was more interested in him as a person, rather than the action Zhu Ying was about to take.
After holding it in for a long time, Lu Sanlang could only cough dryly and said very sincerely: "Madam, Madam, it's not too late to stop the young lady now, before she comes..."
"Why should we stop her?" The lady smiled and said calmly, "The tiger has no intention of hurting people, but people want to hurt the tiger. We, the Zhu family, have never provoked Jiang, but he has repeatedly provoked us, even the future son-in-law. What's wrong with Yingying going out and scolding him now?"
Lu Sanlang was dumbfounded. This... This meant that not only was he not stopping it, but he was actually happy to see it happen?
When he looked at Jiu Niang, he saw that Jiu Niang sneered contemptuously: "According to Yingying's temper, she has already restrained herself by not breaking into the Jiang family's door, not to mention saying a few wrong words in public! Even if her father comes back and finds out, he won't blame her. If the emperor blames us in the future, we will admit it, but as for others, they are not qualified to blame her!"
Lu Sanlang couldn't help but wipe the sweat from his forehead, not knowing whether it was caused by the heat or fear. But he thought about how he was not liked by his father at the beginning, but when the time came, his father still protected him, so it was not surprising that the Zhu family had such an attitude now. But the more he thought about it, the more he couldn't suppress another thought, and finally couldn't help asking.
"You two know the eldest lady's temper. I know that many people outside know it, too. But... but the emperor has thrown a son into the Zongzheng Temple after all. Even if the emperor didn't like the eldest prince in the past, wouldn't he still feel that he had no choice? In this way, he will inevitably vent his anger on others..."
Before he finished speaking, he saw that the faces of Madam Tai and Jiu Niang became very strange. He didn't know why this strangeness came from, but the feeling of ups and downs he had just felt gradually disappeared. Because he finally realized that the Zhu family seemed very calm, and that calmness seemed to be because they felt that the emperor definitely favored Zhu Ying over the eldest prince.
Although it is true that outsiders have always believed that this is a fact, their confidence is a bit too high!
Jiu Niang smiled and said, "For a family like ours, it is a habit to protect the shortcomings, but it also depends on whether it is worth protecting. Just like Erlang, even if he was a bastard at home in the past, as long as he did not do evil outside, if he was bullied, his father would never let that guy off!"
"Just like you, Minister Lu will protect you. First, you have turned over a new leaf. Second... Hehe, no matter how bad your reputation was in the past, you never acted recklessly and bullied the people, right? Compared with small pranks and unforgivable crimes, parents should always distinguish right from wrong, and the emperor's character is even more so. The emperor has always hated evil."
The Madam also sighed in a low voice: "In the imperial family, such a character that can't tolerate any sand in the eyes is actually not desirable. After all, if the water is too clear, there will be no fish, and if the person is too careful, there will be no followers. The emperor certainly doesn't need any partners, but it is impossible for all the people he wants to use to be clean-handed, clear as water, and bright as a mirror. That only happens in novels and legends. But his own son is greedy for profit and harms the people. How can he tolerate it?"
Lu Sanlang suddenly realized what was going on, but he quickly swallowed the words back because he remembered the dark history of the royal family.
The emperor must have seen enough of the fight for the throne every other day, and he knew the consequences of not raising his sons well. Therefore, as long as the eldest prince was not framed, the emperor would at least not vent his anger on others. Of course, if it were an ordinary person, it would inevitably be implicated in the fight between the big guys, but this time it was Zhu Tingfang and Zhang Shou who went to Cangzhou!
So he quickly stood up, bowed deeply and said, "It turns out that I was thinking wrong. Thank you for your guidance, Madam and Madam."
"I can't say I'm teaching you anything, but you're a kind-hearted kid. You've come so fast to tell me the news, and I'm really thankful for your hard work." The lady looked at Lu Sanlang with a smile, and then said kindly, "When you get married, I'll ask Yingying to give you a valuable gift. Even Miss Liu will take the trouble to buy you a box of gifts."
"Your wedding must be a grand one, and make your mother happy. She was so worried about you, her little son!"
Lu Sanlang didn't expect that the Madam would actually tease him like this. Even though he was thicker-skinned than a pig, he couldn't help but blush slightly, but still said with a drooling face: "Then I would like to thank the Madam in advance."
Jiu Niang smiled immediately, and when Lu Sanlang left, she suddenly said, "I just happened to be going to the palace to see Concubine Yu, so I'll take you to the door. I have two words to tell you."
Lu Sanlang was about to say that he dared not trouble the lady to see him off, but when he heard that it was on the way and that she had something to tell him, he quickly agreed. When he left Qing'an Hall, he knew that the lady of Zhao was known for her bad temper, and since she was an elder, he certainly did not dare to peek at her. It was not until he heard her faint voice that he looked up in surprise.
"Although Dalang and Erlang are not my biological children, one is talented in both civil and military affairs and has a strong character, while the other has accomplished nothing and has a weak character, but they both care about their family by nature. You used to be good friends with Erlang and even won his favor. You almost betrothed Yingying to him. Although this is a bit funny, you didn't cheat him or hurt him in the end. Now you have become Ah Shou's student, which can be considered a fate."
Hearing this talk of bringing up the past, Lu Sanlang couldn't help but sweat on his back, and had no idea how to answer. After being shocked, he could only laugh awkwardly. However, when he heard Jiu Niang's next words, he suddenly froze, his eyes widened like bells, and he almost thought there was something wrong with his ears.
"Ah Shou and Ying Ying both mentioned that you have a good business sense. Although your mother favors you as the youngest and gives you a little extra money from time to time, you still have two older brothers looking after you. We can't give all our wealth to you. If you want to start a business or industry in the future but are short of money and can't ask for help from other places, I can lend it to you. Anyway, it's a waste to keep all my money in the bottom of the box."
Lu Sanlang even stuttered: "I... Madam, I appreciate your kindness, but... ahem, no, I mean, the young master is your son-in-law..."
Jiu Niang seemed to be amused by Lu Sanlang's incoherent words, and immediately said with a smile: "Are you afraid that your young master will have no money? As long as he asks, Yingying would be eager to move mountains of gold and silver to him, but he is unwilling. And he has too many ideas. Although you have some savings and property, and Zhang Chen is willing to support him with all his strength, sometimes it is still not enough."
How smart is Lu Sanlang? He understood immediately. It turned out that because Zhang Shou was too stubborn and did not want to accept excessive financial support from the Zhu family, Jiu Niang was afraid that he would force himself on others, so she set her sights on him, hoping that when Zhang Shou needed support, he would not be polite and come to her directly for money, and then he would use his own name to support the teacher!
If it were Zhang Shou, he might have tried every possible way to evade the question at this moment, but who is he?
He is the one who is best at taking advantage of others! He is the one who will not give up until he gets the upper hand! He is the one who is least afraid of being scolded!
Then, Lu Sanlang smiled so hard that his eyes narrowed. "So that's what you mean, Madam. That's great. If the young master has any needs in the future, I will definitely be the first to inform you and discuss with you. With my thin arms and legs, I really can't support him enough. My mother can't move all her belongings to me. Even so, my brothers think she is biased."
"Zhang Chen talks nicely, but he still has to rely on his father to pay for it..."
Jiu Niang saw that Lu Sanlang agreed in a resounding manner, but he kept talking, implying that he was more reliable than Zhang Chen. She understood what he meant and couldn't help but laugh, then said nonchalantly: "It's good that you agree. If you don't agree, I might go to your mother and your future mother-in-law to discuss it. Okay, go ahead, I'm going to the palace now."
When Lu Sanlang saw Jiu Niang boarding the sedan chair, he was immediately relieved. Although he didn't think Jiu Niang would complain to his mother, he was sure that she had investigated his wealth. But how much private money did he have? He didn't plan to tell his mother and future wife, let alone his mother-in-law. As a man, if he had to go back to withdraw some money and had to find a woman, wouldn't it be shameful?
Jiu Niang made Lu Sanlang so excited that he sometimes felt like he was rising to the sky and sometimes felt like he was falling into the mud with just a few words, but she herself did not think that she did anything wrong. Not to mention that Zhang Shou was the son of her benefactor, the widow Zhang, she would have done the same thing even for Zhu Ying.
However, she did not immediately go to the palace to see Concubine Yu as she claimed. Instead, shortly after leaving the front street, she asked the guard following the car: "Can you find out where Yingying is now?"
The guard said with some embarrassment: "We should be able to find it, but firstly, we have to ask around, and secondly, we have to see if the people around the young lady have left any secret signs. The capital is so big, it will probably take at least half an hour."
"Then spend half an hour looking for it." Jiu Niang tapped the car window lightly with her knuckles and said word by word, "If I can't find it by then, it won't be too late for me to go to the palace again." She had to find out Zhu Ying's plan first!
Although Jiu Niang only brought more than ten guards, in a place like the capital, the sign of the Duke of Zhao's mansion would naturally make idle people stay away. In addition, Jiu Niang was not a weak woman, so she found a small teahouse to book for a rest. She only left one guard and a mother to serve her, and sent the rest away.
She had been sitting quietly drinking tea, seemingly unhurried, but in fact she was very anxious. Even though the lady was calm and she did not object to Zhu Ying risking her life to make a big deal, she was worried that if Zhu Ying was too careless, it would be terrible.
She waited and waited until she could no longer sit still, and finally heard the sound of galloping horses. As a figure jumped off the horse outside the teahouse and then strode in, she breathed a sigh of relief.
"Madam." The guard only had time to bow, not even taking a breath, and hurriedly said, "The eldest lady was in the Tianxia Taiping Building facing Qipan Street, and she severely scolded a few scholars who were praising Lord Jiang and belittling Minister Lu. The whole downstairs was full of onlookers!"
That's why he found it so easily! Fortunately, he looked for the places near the imperial city according to the eldest lady's temper!
Jiu Niang was a little overwhelmed. According to what Lu Sanlang told her, shouldn't Zhu Ying invite a few close friends and then release certain words? Why did she target the scholars again? Her daughter really did things as she pleased! However, picking these scholars who curry favor with the powerful as targets would be more effective...
Just as Lu Sanlang reported to the Lady Dowager and Jiu Niang, Zhu Ying was a person who always did what she said. When she asked people to invite her close friends from all directions, she chose the side of Qipan Street, which just happened to have a view of the Tianxia Taiping Tower in the square in front of the Imperial City.
Originally, no shops were allowed to exist in such a place, however, there were exceptions to everything.
That’s right, the plaque of this tavern with a clear meaning of prayer was inscribed by Grandpa Taizu himself!
If Zhang Shou was here, he would have complained again. However, Zhu Ying felt that this place was very appropriate and met her own requirements - besides, the majority of guests here were traveling scholars, so it would be easy to make a big deal out of it.
However, there is a saying that goes: plans cannot keep up with changes! Just as Zhu Ying chose a private room and expressed her satisfaction with the set of special porcelain that the store owner sent her with a smile, she heard a group of scholars talking loudly next door.
"Lord Jiang has worked hard for many years to manage state affairs. Even if he has no merit, he has made great efforts. He is a loyal minister and a good prime minister. In addition, since ancient times, the eldest son has been appointed as the heir. The eldest prince was just deceived by treacherous people and made a small mistake. How can he be killed with one stick? It is absurd to punish the prince but not the rioters! If treacherous ministers like Zhang Shou and Zhu Tingfang continue to deceive people, then there is no hope for the world!"
