Volume 3: Dragon and Snake Movement Chapter 413: A gentleman does not fight?
Although Ge Yong had agreed with the emperor to meet him as soon , and also brought his last disciple Zhang Shou with him, others did not know about this. So, after entering the city, the teacher and student went straight to the palace, and brought Zhu Ying, who was originally there to pick someone up. After entering the palace, they did not come out for a long time, which naturally aroused the concern of all parties.
As a result, many people racked their brains to try to find out the news, and soon they got an answer from the palace gate guards who did not block the news, which made their eyes drop to the ground - the emperor actually summoned him to Wansui Mountain!
Not to mention other people, even Zhu Jing, who had instructed his wife Jiu Niang to invite Wu to the mansion and specifically asked Zhu Ying to invite Ge Yong when she went to pick him up, was also very surprised. At this moment, he learned that his mother was entertaining Wu in Qing'an Hall, and after dinner Jiu Niang took the future relative to her own courtyard to chat, so he hurried to Qing'an Hall, pretending to cultivate himself in the study room.
Before he could even open his mouth, the lady said calmly as if she had foreseen the future: "Yingying's future husband can meet the emperor at Wansui Mountain. He is smart, capable and talented. What's the big deal? As for the future consorts and the groomsmen who don't have this treatment, that's even simpler. After all, they are Ah Shou's students and their abilities are not good enough."
Zhu Jing was full of words but was choked back by the words of the lady. He could only smile bitterly and said, "But this is really too ostentatious. He is not Grand Tutor Ge..."
"What's wrong with being ostentatious? When will Yingying not be ostentatious? Ah Shou is the one who is going to marry Yingying. It would be weird if he was so low-key that he seemed to be non-existent! As for your worry that Old Man Jiang will step down, those guys who originally attacked Old Man Jiang with you will turn against you and make things difficult for our Zhu family just like Old Man Jiang... There's no point in worrying about this."
The lady smiled and peeled a grape nonchalantly, then said calmly: "Whether the peeled grapes are sweet or bitter, you can only know it by tasting them. Before you and Dalang went to the battle, everyone thought that the emperor was wary of the Zhu family, which was a combination of relatives and nobles, and that the Zhu family was a ripe grape that could be eaten at will. But after the skin was peeled, Old Man Jiang was the first to taste the bitterness."
"Do you think that other people have nothing to do after eating and have to come and mess with our Zhu family?"
Zhu Jing naturally believed in his mother's judgment. In fact, when the empress dowager was in power, the elder sister, the Taifu, had always been the empress dowager's think tank. However, what he was worried about at this time was not exactly the same as what the Taifu said.
Therefore, he gestured to dismiss the people. Seeing that Madam Li, a close confidant, also quietly retreated to guard the door, he went forward and sat down next to the lady on the couch. Then he whispered, "Mother, I'm not worried that those guys who overthrew Lord Jiang will target me. I'm worried that the emperor is not satisfied with driving away one prime minister, and is planning to take action in other places. You should know the emperor's temper..."
As if he didn't know what adjective to use, he pondered for a long time before sighing, "Since the big incident of Prince Ye's rebellion the year he took power, the emperor has seemed to go with the flow in recent years, and does whatever the ministers say. He only occasionally acts willfully in some small matters, but the person he admires the most is Taizu, followed by the late Emperor Ruizong and the previous Emperor Yingzong."
Zhu Jing specifically mentioned these three people, and the lady knew what he meant. Realizing that her son was worried that the emperor, after overthrowing a big mountain, was going to implement something as drastically as Emperor Taizu did, she couldn't help but fall into deep thought.
"Zhang Shou is young, and when he meets an emperor who is so eccentric and superior to him, he naturally feels that he is in a great situation. No, it should be said that he is in a great situation. However, if he rashly gets involved in the emperor's purge of the court, the result may not be good. Since he is more obsessed with mathematics, it would be best for him to concentrate on teaching in the Imperial Academy."
"I didn't know that you, who were so picky about Ah Shou before, would actually be so protective of your future son-in-law. Who thought he wasn't good enough and left him in the countryside without paying much attention to him?"
The lady laughed. Seeing Zhu Jing was embarrassed, she said solemnly, "Don't think that the Zhu family can retire just because they won the battle against all odds and Dalang escaped death and made great achievements. The Zhu family built the country with the late Emperor Ruizong, but to put it another way, didn't the late Emperor give the Zhu family this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to rise?"
She paused and said calmly, "The emperor is not young and energetic anymore. He knows what to do. Even if he wants Ah Shou to do something, he will definitely consider everything. And if Ah Shou really agrees, from what I know about him, it must not be for the sake of rising to prominence, but for the favor of being recognized."
"If he retreats to the back of everything just for the sake of safety, and ignores the emperor's promotion of him from an insignificant position, is that the behavior of a gentleman ?"
Zhu Jing was forced to bow his head after being harassed by the lady. However, he still felt a little dissatisfied in his heart. There are few gentlemen in the officialdom. A man as strong as Wang Datou who has no small tricks in secret can be called a gentleman?
Moreover, being a vanguard for the emperor was too risky. He had done his best to repay the kindness of the late Emperor Ruizong, and to protect the young emperor from growing up and raising children. He was even more worried about the last military expedition, fearing that he would lose his army and humiliate the country, and would not live up to the trust of the emperor in using him to lead the army again. But Zhang Shou was different. He was too young.
Moreover, it would be fine if Zhang Shouruo was the kind of person who was ambitious and actively scheming, but he looked a bit lazy and didn't like to compete with others. He was not suitable for getting involved in such muddy water!
At this time, Madam Li's voice suddenly came from outside: "Madam, Master, the eldest lady and Mr. Shou are back together. The eldest lady is very happy and brought a calligraphy gift from the emperor."
The lady smiled and said, "Go tell Jiu Niang and Wu Niang and ask them to come over! They have been waiting for a long time, and finally he has returned. They must be getting impatient."
Hearing that his daughter and future son-in-law came back happily together, and that the emperor had bestowed a calligraphy, Zhu Jing's heart skipped a beat. Not long after, he heard Zhu Ying's clear and pleasant voice coming from outside: "Yes, the emperor kept us at Wansui Mountain for dinner before returning, and then bestowed a calligraphy on Ah Shou... Mother, can you and Aunt Wu guess what's written on it?"
As they were talking, the door curtain was lifted high, and Zhu Jing saw Zhu Ying walking in front with Jiu Niang, while Zhang Shou and Wu were walking behind. Both couples were talking and laughing, and their happiness was beyond words.
When Jiu Niang entered the room, she smiled and said, "I'm not a prophet, how can I guess what it is? It's probably a compliment to Shou, otherwise you wouldn't be so happy!"
"The calligraphy that the emperor gave to Ah Shou reads 'upright gentleman, virtuous and famous teacher'!"
Zhu Ying was beaming with joy as she spoke. After letting go of Jiu Niang's hand, she snatched the calligraphy from Ah Liu who had followed her into the room. She then displayed it in front of her grandmother and parents as if to show off. Zhang Shou had no time to stop her.
It was impossible for Zhang Shou to say that he was not touched by the calligraphy that the emperor had written on a whim, and also stamped with his personal seal—although it was not an official seal like the emperor's treasures, but a small personal seal called the owner of Zhaoming Pavilion. But it was also impossible for him to shed tears of gratitude, as he was not a traditional scholar-official who was devoted to the emperor.
Moreover, he agreed with the last four words of the calligraphy given to him by the emperor. After all, he was relatively satisfied with the teaching results of Zhang Chen and others. But as for the first four words praising his character...
He was very grateful for the emperor's recognition, but he still felt that the words "upright gentleman" had nothing to do with him. Because he was neither upright nor a gentleman!
But no matter what Zhang Shou thought, it did not prevent Zhu Ying from happily announcing the emperor's summons and the emperor and Ge Yong's high evaluation of Zhang Shou. Of course, a small part of it was the result of her exaggeration, and she did not notice Zhu Jing's not very good expression at all.
Zhu Ying didn't see it, but Jiu Niang saw the expression on her husband's face. She walked around to Zhu Jing calmly and asked in a cold voice, "Why, seeing that Ah Shou is now so prosperous, you, the soon-to-be father-in-law, are not happy?"
Zhu Jing came back to his senses with a start, and saw his wife's cold eyes. He thought about how he had locked Zhu Ying up at home all those days, and used the excuse that Zhu Ying was sick from being angered to form alliances outside, and successfully brought down Lord Jiang. However, Jiu Niang used the excuse that she had to put on a complete show, and together with the lady dowager, she drove him to live in the outer study, and once even brought him a tonic soup in person with a sword in hand. How could he dare to provoke his wife at this moment?
So, taking advantage of the fact that Zhu Ying was surrounded by a bunch of servants who were flattering her and had no time to pay attention to the two of them, he quickly pulled Jiu Niang back a few steps and whispered, "Your Majesty's eight words are indeed praise, but have you ever thought that this is also the biggest shackle for Zhang Shou? Since he is a gentleman, how will he use certain means in the future, and... well!"
Feeling his arm being twisted hard, even the dignified Duke of Zhao almost cried out in pain when caught off guard. Fortunately, Zhu Jing reacted very quickly and held back, thus avoiding making a fool of himself in public.
"Why do you always think about the good and not the bad? Don't you think about it? The emperor has said that Ah Shou is an upright gentleman. Those words are true. If someone attacks his character or behavior in the future, it means that the emperor has made a mistake!"
Jiu Niang glared at her husband in anger. Seeing that Zhu Jing's face was still gloomy, she said helplessly, "I know that the emperors of all dynasties would praise someone to the highest level when they want to use him. When they want to embarrass someone, they would also denigrate him to the extreme and then just say that he was misled. If you are worried about this, then don't tell me."
Seeing that his wife finally understood what he meant, Zhu Jing was about to speak, but was blocked by her last sentence.
He was immediately very depressed, and after holding it in for a long time, he said angrily: "But Yingying is going to marry him, how can I not worry?"
"If Ah Shou is really just a bookworm who is oblivious to the outside world in the Imperial College, devoted to teaching sage books, and is so low-key that he has no sense of existence, are you really relieved? He is the last disciple of Grand Master Ge, is good at mathematics, and has subdued so many dandy boys who are regarded as scourges by everyone, and has done a few great things. Do you still expect him to be so ordinary in the future?"
"Believe it or not, if Ah Shou really had a plain personality, Yingying would not like him! Do you really think you can find a son-in-law who complements Yingying, who is as elegant as a bamboo gentleman in a painting, and who doesn't know the mundane daily necessities of life?"
Zhu Jing felt suffocated by Jiu Niang's few words and felt that he should not have discussed the future of his future son-in-law with his mother and wife at all. It was obvious that they had already decided on Zhu Ying's lifelong affairs before he came back, so they would be very satisfied with Zhang Shou and would probably say yes to whatever he did.
Thinking of Nangong Yi coming back from Cangzhou to report on him, because he had not yet mentioned the minor disputes at home to his wife and mother, he simply took Jiu Niang to the west side room, and then repeated the story to her as concisely as possible, and then whispered: "So, since Zhang Shou knows agriculture in addition to mathematics, why did he rashly get involved in political disputes?"
"Yingying's dowry is enough for them to have enough food and clothing for the rest of their lives. I really regret agreeing to postpone the wedding to the end of the year! If he is really doing this just to have the financial resources to marry Yingying, I would rather he be poorer!"
Zhu Er had written letters to the capital regarding Cangzhou affairs before. Jiu Niang knew roughly that Zhang Shou seemed to know a lot about everything, but Zhu Er's own letters were messy and disorganized. Zhu Ying came back early and was not clear about many things. It was the first time she knew that Zhu Er, who stayed in Cangzhou, was about to be in charge of such a big thing with the support of Zhang Shou.
Thinking of this, the corners of her mouth curled up unconsciously, and then she looked at Zhu Jing calmly and said, "I think you are wrong about one thing. Even mathematics and agricultural science cannot be done well by just burying your head in the study. You have to fight for what you should fight for! If Ah Shou had not repeatedly defeated those who slandered him before, and had not done a great job in cooperation with Dalang in Cangzhou this time, how could anyone listen to him?"
"To win, one must have one's own team and one's own strength, and secondly, one must gain the Holy Heart. Both are indispensable. If Ah Shou's team wants to stand out, of course they have to fight and show their edge. At this time, how can they establish their authority without getting rid of a few stubborn old men?"
"You weren't afraid when you were fighting, so how could you be afraid that Yingying and A Shou would charge into battle together in the future? Why weren't you afraid when you asked Dalang to take the risk of his life? Treat your sons and daughters equally, otherwise you are being unfair to Dalang!"
Zhu Jing wanted to say that even if his eldest son Zhu Tingfang was here, he might share the same sentiment as him and definitely did not want Zhang Shou to be too aggressive and make enemies everywhere. However, facing his wife with raised eyebrows and thinking about his daughter who was in high spirits outside, he felt that even if Zhu Tingfang stood on his side, it would only be three to two... maybe even four to two.
There was no doubt that his mother and second son would definitely stand on Zhang Shou's side. Therefore, the head of the family, who was worried about gains and losses, could only choose to remain silent, even though he still had some opposition in his heart.
As for Zhang Shou in the outer room, he didn't breathe a sigh of relief until the argument between Zhu Jing and Jiu Niang in the inner room ended. Of course, he didn't have super hearing, but the problem was that Ah Liu behind him had super hearing and quietly repeated the argument word by word to him.
He never imagined that Zhu Jing, who risked his life to fight with his son, actually hoped that his daughter and son-in-law could live a peaceful and stable life, or in other words, peace is a blessing... No matter what Zhu Jing was like in the past, this father really loves his daughter!
