Volume 3: Dragon and Snake Movement Chapter 424: Letting Go
Since Wang Datou left office, everyone in Shuntian Prefecture has felt much more relaxed. No one expected that the new Shuntian Prefecture Governor would be Qin Guogong Zhang Chuan, but the officials who had suffered from Wang Datou's abuse had never expected that Qin Guogong's warm and elegant attitude after taking office was like a spring breeze, making people happy to be driven by him.
In addition, there were fewer cases in recent days, so people were naturally talking about it behind his back. Wang Datou's departure must have taken away all the bad luck of Shuntian Prefecture!
However, the Shuntian Prefecture Yamen, which had finally had a few months of free time and had spent its days dealing with cases that the Daxing and Wanping county yamen could not solve, finally saw a huge commotion again on this day.
When Zhang Shou had Ah Liu carry a limp man to the Shuntian government office, and followed the informant into the Imperial College, trying to frame Lu Zhu, the son of Lu Wan, the former Minister of War and current Director of Daming Public Academy, but was caught red-handed, the news spread like wildfire, and many officials were beating their chests and stamping their feet in secret.
Could it be that this Dr. Zhang is a disaster? He had just returned to Beijing for such a thing to happen! It was because the Imperial College and Shuntian Prefecture were too close to each other, otherwise people would definitely think of the county government first, and not all people and cases would be brought to Shuntian Prefecture!
The one who felt the most headache was none other than Song Tui Guan, who was trusted by Wang Jie, the former governor of Shuntian Prefecture, and who was also trusted by Zhang Chuan, the Duke of Qin. But even so, he still took the guy in, and then summoned a team of capable people to start the trial in the Criminal Court. As for Zhang Shou and Ah Liu, they were invited by Zhang Chuan, the Duke of Qin, to the second hall to talk.
Compared with Lu Wan, Zhang Shou and Qin Duke Zhang Chuan had only met a few times in total. The circumstances of this meeting were particularly delicate, but Zhang Chuan was still as calm and composed as ever, and his words and actions revealed the gentleness that came from a scholarly family. Zhang Shou couldn't help but wonder if Zhang Chen had developed such a completely different personality because he had such an elusive father.
Seeing that Zhang Chuan did not ask what the prisoner he and Ah Liu brought over had used to frame Lu Sanlang, and did not ask why Lu Sanlang himself did not come over, but he and Ah Liu did it for him, Zhang Shou simply took out the small and exquisite wooden figure in his arms. As expected, the moment he took out the thing, he saw that the gentle face of Qin Guogong Zhang Chuan was instantly broken, and the corners of his mouth twitched.
However, Zhang Shou pretended not to notice the change and handed the item over with both hands with a smile: "Zhang Dayin, this is what the man tried to secretly put into the residence of Lu Zhuhao, the head of Jiuzhang Hall."
Zhang Chuan took a deep breath, then shook his sleeves and stretched out his hands to take it. After looking at it for a moment, he raised his head to glance at Zhang Shou, then lowered his head to look carefully again, his brows were getting more and more furrowed, until he finally turned to the bottom, he finally saw the words clearly, and his stiff expression just now relaxed slightly, but it revealed undisguised suspicion.
"This thing... should be something that the emperor has close by, right?" The look on his face while scolding was exactly the same as that of the emperor when he was young!
"That's my guess." Zhang Shou laughed and said nonchalantly, "And it looks like it was something the emperor had when he was younger. It might have been a birthday gift or something like that, and it would only be presented to him by someone very close to him. Of course, it's possible that the emperor himself found it interesting, so he had it carved and played with it. In short, I've asked Lu Zhu to notify the Duke Zhao's Mansion."
Duke Qin Zhang Chuan certainly would not ask this stupid question as to why such a thing had to be notified to the Zhao Mansion. There was no doubt that Zhang Shou must have asked his fiancée Zhu Ying to come to the palace immediately to report the matter. It was this eldest lady who could enter the palace at any time who would not miss the opportunity at this time.
Therefore, he nodded slightly and immediately returned the wooden man. Even he was unwilling to stay in this hot potato for too long. Of course, he would not shirk his responsibility.
"Mr. Song is already trying this case, and I will also pay close attention to it." After a pause, Zhang Chuan said in a deep voice, "But to avoid causing a bigger disturbance, Dr. Zhang, you two can rest for a while in the Shuntian government office before there is any news from the palace. Of course, this is just a suggestion, not a compulsion. I'm just worried that this is a series of traps, and this thing will be used to make a fuss."
The reason why Zhang Shou brought Ah Liu to Shuntian Prefecture and asked Lu Sanlang to report to Zhao Guogong Mansion was that he felt that the person who went to deliver the message to Zhu Ying might not be in danger, but on the way to Shuntian Prefecture with this wooden man of unknown origin, he might encounter some unexpected situations. It would be safer for him and Ah Liu to come together. As for going to the palace to file a complaint in person with the official certificate, he felt that it was too reckless.
Therefore, after hearing what Zhang Chuan said, he said without hesitation: "Thank you for your kindness, I will bother you then."
Seeing that Zhang Shou agreed readily, Zhang Chuan couldn't help but feel relieved. He then chatted with Zhang Shou for a while. Hearing that the topic gradually turned to the affairs of Cangzhou and talked about his son Zhang Chen, he unconsciously put away his serious face and replaced it with a relaxed expression. Most of the time he just listened to Zhang Shou, occasionally asked a few questions, and finally laughed.
"Zhang Chen is my only son. He was spoiled by his mother since he was young, but I never paid much attention to him. Dr. Zhang once blamed me for being irresponsible as a father, and I have no excuse because I am indeed lacking in my fatherly ways. Fortunately, although Zhang Chen was naughty at first, he at least has a good character. He has made great progress in the past year with Dr. Zhang."
"If his grandfather knew about this, he would be very pleased."
Zhang Shou tried to hold back, but after hearing this, he couldn't help but ask, "If you want your son to bring honor to the family, shouldn't Duke Qin teach Zhang Chen by example from a young age, so that he can teach his son to be a pillar of society?"
After he said this, he realized that he was a bit impulsive. However, he never expected that Zhang Chuan was not angry, but said in a serious tone: "My Zhang family has always had an ancestral precept that children and grandchildren will have their own blessings. Let them grow up as they want. If they want to study, they can study. If they want to practice martial arts, they can practice martial arts. If they want to be idle and waste the family, then let them do whatever they want."
Seeing that Zhang Shou was dumbfounded, he said seriously: "If my father had not been interested in fame and fortune when he was young, but was interested in strange strategies, he would have joined the late Emperor Ruizong by chance; if I had not been interested in strange strategies and was not good at military strategy, but only liked to compile books, I would have been appointed as the prefect of Shuntian Prefecture. However, I am still forty years old and can still do the job of appointing people to the right positions. What's more, I have a predecessor like Wang Zongxian, so I just need to follow his example."
"As for Zhang Chen, if he continues to be as naughty as before, I will be disappointed, but I can only let him be."
"In my family tree, the first complete record is about the ancestor seven generations ago. He was a juren who had passed the imperial examination but had no intention of becoming an official and was obsessed with business. After that, every generation in the family tree, some of them abandoned their family wealth to become doctors, some worked as military doctors in the frontier, and later became officials for reporting smuggling; some were corrupt; some lost their family property in gambling, their wives and children left them, and some committed suicide by jumping into a well..."
"Some were promoted directly from Juren to county magistrates, and spent their later years enjoying flowers and plants and having many concubines. Some were faithful to one man for life, but ended up having difficulty having children, and ended up with only one son who became useless... By the time of my father, many of the branch clansmen had already dispersed, and he did not go to look for them. In short, the family motto of my Zhang family is to let nature take its course."
This sounds like an ancestral motto that is very considerate of the descendants and especially emphasizes freedom. It is very good... very powerful! It is a miracle that there is no extinction!
Zhang Shou was so confused that he looked at Zhang Chuan and asked, "Then I would like to ask Duke Qin, does Zhang Chen know this ancestral motto, or Zhang's family motto?"
Zhang Chuan looked at Zhang Shou with a smile and said casually, "Zhang Chen is not yet 20 years old and has not yet been crowned in the ancestral temple. Naturally, he does not know this ancestral precept. In the past, the family would tell the children and grandchildren when they were six years old. But when it came to my father, he said that the children and grandchildren were too young and did not understand what it meant to let nature take its course. It might not be good to tell them this, so he changed it to telling them after they were crowned."
Zhang Shou was immediately confused. How could he complain? Telling a six-year-old child that it doesn't matter what he does in the future, that he can just eat and wait for death, is certainly not a good idea.
But when you said this to your children and grandchildren when you were 20, they had already made up their minds and could indeed choose their future. But what if your son had already gone astray in the years before? At least you should have taken care of your son and cultivated his values first, and not been so irresponsible, right?
Thinking of this, he couldn't help but mutter, "Even if we let it go, Duke Qin, you haven't been close to your son since he was young. You've seen people resent you, but you still let it go. Isn't this also the ancestral precept?"
This time, Zhang Chuan finally became a little embarrassed. "I grew up with my father when I was a child. At that time, the sons of Emperor Yingzong were fighting for the throne. The princes were either ready to make a move or were prepared for danger in times of peace or the situation was turbulent. I spent every day with my father and adults, so I never had any idea of what a child should be like. After Zhang Chen was born, I couldn't help but feel a tingling sensation on my scalp when I saw that little baby."
"I never held him in my arms when he was a child, let alone taught him. That was all thanks to his mother. When he grows up, it would be unreasonable for me to teach and scold him like a father. In this case, he can take whatever he wants from home. Whoever he wants to marry is up to his own wishes and ability. Besides, you, Dr. Zhang, will be the one to check for him, so as a father, I will just let nature take its course."
This time, Zhang Shou finally had nothing to say.
It turns out that this seemingly aloof father who only cares about giving birth but not raising his son... is actually a fool who doesn't know how to get along with his son!
Zhang Shou sighed deeply, then said with a smile on his face: "Duke Qin, do you believe it? If Zhang Chen knew that the thing that he has been worrying about for a long time turned out to be this truth, he would definitely be furious and have a big fight with you, his father?"
"That's up to him." Zhang Chuan still spoke very casually, as if what Zhang Shou said was not a major event of a father-son feud, but a trivial matter. "Anyway, he is my only son, and the Zhang family will belong to him in the future. If he hates me, he can raise a son who is better than him and show off in front of me, and despise me as a father."
As soon as these words came out, Zhang Shou became the one who was embarrassed. Sure enough, next, he only heard Zhang Chuan say slowly: "Your son is not as good as my son, and his father is worse than my father. Isn't this what you, Doctor Zhang, said in front of the emperor?"
That day, he accompanied the emperor to meet numerous noble officials and their sons in the Palace of Heavenly Purity, but the emperor had already issued a gag order, forbidding rumors, right? Was it because Chu Kuan failed to manage the eunuchs and palace servants, so the rumors were leaked, or was it simply because the emperor himself was a big mouth?
Just when he was embarrassed and extremely depressed, a crisp laugh suddenly came from outside: "Ah Liu, this is the Shuntian government office. Why are you standing guard outside again? Are Duke Qin and Ah Shou whispering something that no one else can hear? Can you let my cousin and I in?"
When Zhu Ying called him "cousin", Zhang Shou jumped up immediately after his initial suspicion. Duke of Qin Zhang Chuan also reacted strongly. He rushed to the door in one step, being more than twice Zhang Shou's age. However, when he saw the people outside through the shadowy bamboo curtain, he saw the door curtain being lifted high by a slender jade hand.
However, without even bothering to look at Zhu Ying's smiling and angry expression as she opened the curtain, his gaze immediately fell on the face of the "cousin" behind Zhu Ying - who else could it be but the emperor of the day?
He simply couldn't imagine that when someone got the news, he actually left the palace the first moment and ran directly to the Shuntian government office in white dragon fish clothes!
Zhang Chuan almost cried out in surprise, but when he saw the emperor casually shaking his index finger, he could only helplessly invite the person in. When he saw Zhang Shou coming over and bowing, he hurriedly did the same and then planned to invite the person to sit in the main seat.
However, after looking around and finding no outsiders, the emperor did not say anything and directly stretched out his hand and said, "Where is the wooden figure Yingying mentioned? Bring it to me and see if it is the one I can't find."
Seeing Zhu Ying winking at him from behind the emperor, Zhang Shou no longer hesitated and directly presented the wooden man. The emperor took it casually, took a glance at it and said with a smile: "It should be correct. Even if I ask someone to carve a second one based on this, it may not have the same spirit. Let me see the words below. Well, never lose or forget, and you will live forever. Never leave or abandon, and your youth will last forever..."
It was not until this time that Chu Kuan, who had accompanied the emperor in, spoke up: "Then it should be correct. It is the item that was stolen from the Qianqing Palace not long ago. It was the item that the emperor ordered a skilled craftsman to carve on his birthday. The empress dowager was extremely displeased, but the emperor insisted that it was not destroyed. He only ordered someone to carve these sixteen words left by Emperor Taizu as a means of suppression."
I knew it, it must be the emperor's personal belongings, but the reason behind it is really hard to describe!
The emperor glanced at Chu Kuan, as if blaming him for being nosy, and then said with a half-smile: "At the beginning, someone presented me with an exquisite walnut boat, which was amazing, but I thought that such a strange man was a bit eccentric, and he was trembling after entering the palace, so he might not be able to carve anything good. So I took advantage of my birthday to dress casually and went to his house, but he refused even though I offered a large sum of money. In a fit of anger, I drew my sword."
Zhang Chuan was stunned when he heard this, and so was Zhang Shou. Could it be that this was how the little wooden figure got its sword-drawing and cursing posture? The emperor paused, and a solemn expression appeared on his face: "Over the years, many people have carved portraits for me, but this one is the most like. I didn't expect it to be stolen out of the palace by a traitor and framed."
It was only at this time that Chu Kuan whispered, "I have been quietly investigating for more than a year and have found out that it was the Imperial Kitchen Manager Zhou who colluded with the Imperial Palace Lady Guo. Lady Guo stole the wooden man, and that Manager Zhou had correspondence with the rebels in the Linhai Camp."
