Volume 3: Dragon and Snake Movement Chapter 395: The Young Master Likes to Work and Peasant
When Nangong Yi followed Zhang Shou and his party back to the city, he only saw Zhu Er and Zhang Chen riding horses on Zhang Shou's left and right. The three of them were talking and laughing. Most of the time, Zhang Chen and Zhu Er were arguing with each other, while Zhang Shou watched the fun from the side, mediating from time to time, but occasionally he would fan the flames and add fuel to the fire. However, as they quarreled along the way, he gradually understood another thing.
It turns out that Zhang Chen never broke his leg. It turns out that he had been supporting Zhang Wu and Zhang Lu in Xingtai. It was Zhang Chen who caused the eldest prince to hoard cotton and sell it at a high price out of greed! But now this guy is not only fine, but he is also hiring a large number of craftsmen, a large number of weavers and weaver girls, rushing to make looms, hoarding cotton yarn, and planning to do a big business in Cangzhou and Xingtai!
Thinking of Zhu Er's "good farming" and the information he had just learned while listening, Nangong Yi had clearly realized that Zhang Shou was planning to control the cotton cloth industry in Cangzhou and even Xingtai from the two links of raw materials and production. He initially felt that this was a taboo, but thinking about the behemoths that dominated the southeast, and Zhang Shou was just integrating the parts, he felt relieved.
What's more, whether it is Cangzhou or Xingtai, they are all under the emperor's nose!
Zhang Shou had asked about the progress on Zhang Chen's side and confirmed that just as he boasted to Zhu Er, the entire weaving industry was integrated very smoothly and the weavers were willing to have a channel for unified purchase and underwriting. He smiled and said, "It seems that you have really emerged from the abyss this time and have the opportunity to take off. I have nothing to advise you, but I have only one thing to remind you of."
Seeing that Zhang Chen immediately put on a serious expression, as if he was ready to listen to his teachings on not being greedy or arrogant, he smiled unexpectedly.
"Zhang Wu and Zhang Lu are both already in a relationship, and so is Zhu Er. Their marriage is just around the corner. Your father once mentioned that he would entrust your marriage to me, but your requirements are so high, and there has been no response so far. You, a top nobleman, should be careful when you go out, and don't fall for someone else's honey trap."
Zhang Chen was immediately annoyed: "Don't mention it. When I was in Xingtai, those officials and gentry sent me all kinds of prostitutes who were posing in all kinds of ways. When I walked on the street, there were people sticking straw tags on their heads to sell themselves. Their pitiful postures were obviously taught by those brothels. They pretended to be farm girls, or beautiful girls in distress... If they want to deceive me, they must first find a peerless beauty with a national beauty and natural fragrance!"
"Fuchai was also infatuated with Xi Shi. Even if I am not as good as Fuchai, I must at least be on the same level as Zheng Dan!"
Even Nangong Yi was amused by Zhang Chen's matter-of-fact tone, not to mention Zhang Shou and Zhu Er. However, after laughing, the top staff member of the Duke of Zhao's mansion was even more surprised when he thought about Zhang Shou's claim that Qin Duke Zhang Chuan had entrusted Zhang Chen with his marriage, and Zhang Chen did not deny it.
Duke Qin Zhang Chuan has always been a strange person among the nobles. He doesn't care about anything, as if he is only interested in compiling history and books. He even never cares about his son, leaving him to fend for himself like weeds. But this time when Zhang Chen left the capital, he didn't believe that the father didn't know and actually let his son do whatever he wanted? Or did Zhang Chuan trust Zhang Shou so much?
Even though he couldn't figure it out, since it had already happened, Nangong Yi decided to treat it as a fact and reconsider the relationship between Zhang Shou and the Duke of Qin's Mansion. However, he, who had not spoken much, of course remembered the purpose of his visit. At this moment, he suddenly coughed and then said, "Second Young Master, Dong Weng has something for me to bring to you."
Zhu Er was either arguing with Zhang Chen or taking the opportunity to ask Zhang Shou for advice. He tried his best to avoid being alone because he didn't want to face Mr. Nangong, who once smiled and hit his palm with a ruler until it swollen.
But good fortune is not a disaster, and disaster is inevitable, and the thing he feared the most finally came. Seeing Zhang Chen gloating over his misfortune, Zhang Shou nodded slightly at him, and he finally mustered up the courage, and immediately stopped his horse and waited for Nangong Yi, who was a few steps behind, to ride up and parallel with him.
"Excuse me, sir, what does my father want me to do?"
Normally, Zhu Er was afraid of his father, but now he was able to face himself so calmly, and Nangong Yi finally determined that this second son had indeed changed for the better. He suddenly felt a little playful, and said seriously: "Dong Weng said that since you have the ability to run away from home, don't come back."
Zhu Er's heart skipped a beat - didn't Zhu Ying say she would speak for him? Why is his father still so stubborn? If it were his usual self, he would have been so scared that his legs would have gone limp and he would have hurriedly asked someone to help him beg for mercy, but at this moment, he forcibly suppressed his fear and maintained a relatively calm expression.
"Well, I understand. What else did my father say?"
Nangong Yi glanced at Zhu Er's legs hanging down from the horse's back, swinging unnaturally, and then at his seemingly calm expression, he laughed and said, "Dong Weng also said that if you want to come back, you should first make some achievements to let people see, and don't give up halfway, so that people will say that Master Zhu Er is a hopeless case. He believes that his son was just a pearl covered in dust before."
I was scared to death, you only said half of what you said! Zhu Er's eyes gradually lit up, and he was as excited as he was just now. His father actually thought he was a pearl in the dust, how could he not be so happy! He couldn't help but curl up the corners of his mouth, and in the end he just laughed and said: "Of course, now that I'm out, I plan to go back in glory in the future!"
Zhang Chen couldn't help but snorted: "Oh, that's a nice thought."
"What did you say?" Zhu Er was immediately furious. "I think you are just jealous of me! My father has always cared about his son, what's wrong!"
Zhang Chen was so angry at what Zhu Er said that he turned his horse around and ran straight towards Zhu Er. Knowing that his fighting power was low, Zhu Er hid behind Ah Liu's horse without a second thought, and shouted, "Sixth brother, you see, Zhang Chen is just arrogant and unreasonable, you must take charge of it for me and teach him a lesson!"
"Hehe, A-Liu is young master's A-Liu, don't even bother calling him Sixth Brother. Even if you call him Sixth Master today, it's useless!" Zhang Chen hated it most when someone compared their fatherhood with him. He was so angry at the moment that he rushed over and yelled at A-Liu.
"Ah Liu, he usually follows you to learn martial arts, but he doesn't do it for long. Look at his current behavior! If I don't train him well, he will definitely lose face for you as his master! Don't protect him. He needs to be taught some powerful skills , otherwise he won't know his own limitations!"
Seeing the two people fighting around Ah Liu in the back, Nangong Yi ignored them and approached Zhang Shou holding the reins. Then he said with a smile: "No wonder the eldest lady always tells everyone how outstanding Dr. Zhang is. Today I have just seen it. Moreover, maybe because she has been with you for a long time, the eldest lady no longer breaks down people's doors even if she wants to take revenge on her enemies."
Zhang Shou was stunned at first, and then he felt he didn't know whether to laugh or cry. Not breaking down the door was a big improvement for Zhu Ying?
He could only sigh and say, "Yingying doesn't tolerate any injustice. She takes revenge when she has a grudge, and she is straightforward. But, didn't she just return to Beijing? How come she has another enemy? She didn't break down the door, so she wouldn't block the carriages in the street, catch the criminals in the house and expose them to the public? Or would she confront them in the street and make them lose face?"
"Alas, she is too impulsive. Can't she wait until I return to Beijing? She will have more helpers!"
Nangong Yi didn't expect Zhang Shou to directly imagine how Zhu Ying would take revenge on her enemies, and from what he said, it was not so much that he was worried about the conflict between the two sides, but rather that he was worried that Zhu Ying would not have help if he didn't go back! Moreover, this guess was extremely accurate, and he had figured out Zhu Ying's character. At that moment, he remembered what the lady said before he left that day.
"Even if Yingying really wanted to kill people and set fires, Ah Shou would probably just help her pass the knife and torch... because he knew that the people Yingying wanted to kill must be the most heinous and unrepentant people, and the place she wanted to burn must be the nest of the most treacherous and evil people!"
As he thought about it, he smiled and told Zhang Shou about the conflict between Zhu Ying and others on the Tianxia Taiping Tower. Seeing that Zhang Shou was not surprised at all, but relieved, he said, "The mansion is worried that Lord Jiang will be angry and make things difficult for you and the eldest son in Cangzhou, so Dong Weng specially ordered me to come to Cangzhou."
"Please go back and thank my father-in-law for me, Mr. Nangong."
Since Nangong Yi called him son-in-law right away, Zhang Shou thought about it and simply called him father-in-law. Seeing Nangong Yi nod with a smile, he said with a half-smile: "As for the Cangzhou incident, Brother Zhu and I have jointly submitted memorials many times. Some of them went through the Tongzhengsi, but some went through other channels. To be honest, before I left Beijing, I didn't know that Brother Zhu was planning so much."
Before Nangong Yi left the capital, Zhao Guogong Zhu Jing summoned him once and briefly discussed the huge business in Cangzhou. When Zhang Shou said that "Brother Zhu has big plans", he of course knew what he meant and hesitated about how to start the conversation.
However, he did not expect that Zhang Shou would say with a smile, "If Yingying makes such a scene, the whole capital will be in uproar. Elder Jiang will not be able to bear being humiliated by her and will certainly launch a massive counterattack. It will be a fierce battle. If we do not take action now, even if the emperor insists, Brother Zhu will not be able to accomplish what he is planning."
Zhang Shou's words were vague, but Nangong Yi knew that his hidden meaning was that they should take this opportunity to get rid of Lord Jiang - after all, this Prime Minister who was born in Fujian would never want to share the profits from building a port in Cangzhou, whether because of the instigation of his fellow villagers or the Fujian sea merchants behind him.
Building a port is a huge matter, involving too many interest groups. Even if the emperor has had this intention for a long time, and even if the Zhu family is willing to support it, however, if the leader of the opposition is not suppressed, even if they can get the support of officials and businessmen from inland areas such as Shanxi and Shaanxi, as well as Suzhou and other places, it will never succeed!
Therefore, Nangong Yi nodded without hesitation and agreed: "Duke Zhao also has this intention."
Zhang Shou immediately laughed: "My father-in-law is very far-sighted, I know I don't need to worry about it."
But at this point, he suddenly changed his tone and said, "How long do Xian Yunhe and others who are detained in the county jail have to wait for a definite response from the court?"
"This... I'm afraid we have to wait until the confrontation between the mansion and Lord Jiang comes to a conclusion. These days, the court has been arguing that the eldest son and you are harshly treating the eldest prince and favoring the rioters. In fact, the eldest lady's words, 'The prince is guilty and can be given a lighter sentence, but the good people must be submissive when they are bullied,' have been widely circulated in the capital, causing an uproar in public opinion, and Lord Jiang was caught off guard."
Having said that, Nangong Yi paused, then smiled cheerfully.
"However, Lord Jiang's appetite is a bit too big. It would be fine if he just hit back at the eldest lady, but when I left Beijing, several of his capable students and old friends had already started a fight with Grand Secretary Kong and Grand Secretary Zhang, the former Minister Lu Jijiu, and the Zhu family. The capital should be in chaos now."
Making enemies on all sides? Even if he is the Prime Minister, isn't Jiang Ge Lao's boldness a bit too great?
Zhang Shou was thinking this in his heart, and when he saw Nangong Yi's smiling face, he suddenly realized it. The group is too big, and there are too many people, so it is easy for everyone to have their own demands. Jiang Ge Lao can usually control it, but once he is a little distracted, it is easy for someone to force him, the leader, to take action. Add to that the true and false news, and it is not surprising that such a situation suddenly broke out.
I wonder if the four parties involved have already connected into a line?
Thinking that this was none of his business, Zhang Shou pretended not to know and laughed, "No matter how lively the capital is, I can't see it from far away in Cangzhou. It's better to settle the Cangzhou situation first. Fortunately, the cotton fields will be harvested soon, and the shortage of raw cotton can be alleviated a little. Otherwise, there will be many landless and jobless people in Cangzhou, and chaos is inevitable."
"By the way, Mr. Nangong, please go back and tell my father-in-law about today's cotton trial. In fact, it's not just cotton, it's the same for all crops in the world. There are good varieties and bad varieties. Good varieties can allow farmers to harvest an extra three or five bushels, while bad varieties can cause them to have a poor harvest, or even no harvest at all. Since the court is based on agriculture, it should spend more effort on breeding."
At this point, Zhang Shou said with some regret: "During the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period, agriculturalism was once popular. However, in the years since then, although many literati have written books on agriculture, compared with the various poems and songs that have been sung for thousands of years, there are really too few books on agriculture. Farmers can remember a few poems and songs, but they can't even remember the names of a few agricultural books, let alone the contents."
"The agricultural science is truly a matter of people's livelihood, and it cannot be too highbrow for the masses. So I just wrote a letter to Lu Jijiu yesterday, hoping that an agricultural science department can be added to the public school in the future. Please also tell my father-in-law about this."
Nangong Yi was stunned. When Lu Wan was already at the center of public controversy because of Zhu Ying's words, Zhang Shou actually wanted the public school to open an agricultural department? Would Lu Wan agree? This courage to face the challenge head on... Should he say that he and Zhu Ying are truly a perfect match?
He turned his head and glanced at Zhang Chen and Zhu Er who were still making a fuss behind him, thinking that they were also concentrating on working and farming. So, without even hesitating, he said seriously, "Don't worry, sir, I will definitely report this to Dong Weng as soon as possible!"
