Volume 4: Gathering of Sages Chapter 582 Uninvited Guests
"What on earth did the eldest and second prince come here for yesterday?"
On this day, when Zhang Shou, who was dressed even more solemnly and formally than yesterday when he attended the imperial lecture in Wenhua Hall, met his host Lu Wan who came out to greet him personally at the gate of Lu Mansion, this public school chief priest who was always very calm in front of outsiders could not help but ask in a low voice a gossip question that should have been asked by the little fat boy Lu Sanlang.
Zhang Shou was also puzzled by the question raised by Lu Wan - the Second Prince was obviously desperate and biting wildly yesterday, and the First Prince seemed to be instigated by someone, but the words he said were not so much an attack on him as they were a trap for himself. What on earth are these two brothers doing?
However, he had been driven out of the capital by the emperor, and it seemed that it would take a drastic change for him to make a comeback, so he just let it go after he couldn't figure it out.
So at this moment, he smiled and said indifferently: "They are already people I may not see again from now on, why bother about them? Doesn't Lu Jijiu think that today's ceremony of your son's coming of age is more important? Although not many dignitaries were invited, after today's event, Lu Sanlang will be a man on his own. The wedding will follow soon. It's really fast."
"This kid is always thinking about showing off, so annoying! Fortunately, he is not too stupid. He wrote a letter to request that the position of Donggong attendant be rotated, so that other students in his term can share the spoils." Although he said that Lu Sanlang was not too stupid, Lu Wan looked very pleased. He always thought that this fat boy was too greedy, but he didn't expect that he could control himself in the face of real benefits.
The eldest and second princes, whom he had just complained to Zhang Shou about, were now forgotten. Compared with the two drowned dogs and the future of the Lu family, the latter was of course more important.
Because Ge Yong had criticized him for his lack of etiquette before, he had made sufficient preparations in advance today. From his clothes to the etiquette of personally welcoming Zhang Shou, everything was meticulous. Only when he spoke at this moment was he a little casual.
After all, today was not a day when the house was packed with guests. If they followed the etiquette of coming of age from beginning to end, he and Zhang Shou would be exhausted. Most importantly, he had already seen that Zhang Shou was not interested in red tape, and Ge Yong's previous criticism was just a disguised way of making him pay more attention to Zhang Shou, the main guest.
At this time, the host and the guests entered the gate chatting and laughing. Lu Wan was talking about who had been invited. There was no doubt that Lu Sanlang did not invite too many elders to this ceremony. The most important elder was Lu Sanlang's future father-in-law, Minister Liu of the Ministry of Works. The rest of the spectators, including the sponsors and so on, were Zhang Shou's other students represented by Zhang Chen.
He also fully understood Zhang Shou's spirit of giving Jiuzhangtang a holiday today, and invited all the students of Jiuzhangtang in Beijing to come and watch the ceremony. For this, he received unprecedented gratitude from Lu Sanlang, and he still couldn't help sighing when talking about it now.
"If it weren't for you, Dr. Zhang, with Lu Zhu's lazy personality, the best outcome for him in the future would be to be a wealthy man with a lot of money, and it would be impossible for him to have any other prospects. It's because of your insight that we have become a genius, Lu Sanlang. What you said when you brought Zhu Ying to rescue him was true."
Zhang Shou was a little confused. I didn't come to your house in the first place. I came to your house with Zhu Ying openly, okay? Of course, if we take into account the key note that Liu secretly took from Lu Sanlang, then it would not be wrong to describe his behavior at that time as looking for trouble.
Fortunately, Lu Sanlang knew to leave the emergency code 110. In a flash, more than a year has passed...
He was about to make a joke about Lu Wan's attitude at that time, but he didn't expect a faint voice to suddenly come from behind: "Master, there are guests outside."
Before the Lu Mansion's concierge could respond, Ah Liu suddenly reported the news. Lu Wan could not help but be stunned. She had heard that Zhang Shou's trusted aide was magical and powerful, but wasn't this too much? Could it be that there really were people with clairvoyance and super hearing in this world?
Zhang Shou, who was most familiar with Ah Liu, was moved and immediately asked, "Did you hear any noise on the street outside?"
Ah Liu nodded slightly, and when he saw Zhang Shou's look that said "you'd better explain in detail in case the guy next to him doesn't understand" - he was sure that was what he meant, so he said seriously, "There are a group of 20 to 30 people riding horses trotting towards this side, and they are also slowing down. The only place with such a large number of guests visiting this street today should be the Lu Mansion, right?"
Lu Wan immediately revealed a bit of awe. If Ah Liu was lying on the ground listening to the sound, then it would be normal for him to have such ability, but he made such a judgment without anyone making any unusual movements. If he was fighting in stealth or ambushing, wouldn't this be a great achievement? But as soon as he thought about it, he realized that he was no longer the Minister of War!
He couldn't help but pat his forehead in self-pity, and then said thoughtfully: "Lu Zhu's future father-in-law hasn't arrived yet, but he doesn't like ostentation. Zhang Chen's guys who like to be surrounded by people have already arrived. His two uncles are not top officials, let alone put on such airs. I don't think I invited anyone else..."
Seeing that Lu Wan was obviously confused, Zhang Shou, who had just had some vague guesses, couldn't help but look subtle at this moment.
No way...is it really like what I think?
It's impossible. Today is the second day of the imperial lecture. Of course, the famous scholars and celebrities who give lectures will be replaced by a new group, and the audience will also be replaced by a new group. Otherwise, going to listen to lectures every day will be a huge burden for both the lecturers and the audience. It is said that this is also the benevolent policy of Emperor Taizu.
However, there are also people who cannot be replaced. For example, the Queen Mother can find excuses not to go, but the Emperor who presides over the Imperial Lecture must be there. No matter how eccentric the Emperor is, he will not be lazy and run to the Lu family! Well, he must be overthinking, absolutely overthinking! The one who would come to join in the fun in such a blatant way is Miss Zhu. It must be Zhu Ying who came now!
Just as he was thinking this, he heard a clear and hearty voice coming from outside the door: "Ah Shou just came in? What a coincidence, it seems that I arrived neither too early nor too late!"
Hearing that it was indeed Zhu Ying, Lu Wan's frown immediately relaxed. Although according to the rules, the daughters of noble families would only attend the coming-of-age ceremony of other families, as for the coming-of-age ceremony, that was the business of men, but Miss Zhu wanted to come... so why not? Anyway, as Zhang Shou was the guest of honor, he was not afraid that someone would spread any messy rumors.
However, when he saw the person behind Zhu Ying, who walked in leisurely with his hands behind his back and even had the leisure to look around, his scalp immediately went numb and he didn't even know what to say!
It's fine if Zhu Ying came... But how did she bring the emperor here? Today is the second day of the imperial lecture!
Seeing that Lu Wan was as surprised as if he had seen a ghost, the emperor's mustache quirked slightly. When he saw Zhang Shou couldn't help but look at Zhu Ying, and the couple were desperately winking at each other, as if they could communicate with each other just by using their eyes, he coughed majestically, and then took the initiative to answer the doubts and said, "You don't need to wink at each other, I'm exhausted for you."
"Don't think too much. Such a big mistake happened yesterday. I have already said at the court this morning that the lecture will be suspended for one day. Let the Imperial Household Department reorganize it and make a list of the people who give lectures and listen to the lectures every day, so that everyone has an idea. If you plan to have a heated debate in front of me, then everyone should be prepared. Don't mess around like yesterday."
Your Majesty , your mentality of just wanting to see the world in chaos is too obvious!
Zhang Shou thought so in his heart, but he would never say it out loud. But he didn't say it, the emperor came over leisurely with his hands behind his back, smiled at him and said: "It would have been more appropriate for Sanlang and Silang to come today, but Sanlang is racking his brains with Silang to do the exercises you assigned, so he can't spare the time, so I can only come to see them on their behalf and explain it to them later."
Seeing Zhang Shou was speechless, the emperor smiled at Lu Wan and said, "Why, Mr. Lu, you don't welcome me? You will probably have more uninvited guests later. Well, at the request of Mr. Yue, I have issued an order to summon talents who are proficient in astronomy and mathematics. There are several in the capital area. Now they have arrived. Although they have passed the initial examination, I don't want to hand over the subsequent examinations to the Imperial Observatory."
The emperor made no secret of his distrust of the Imperial Observatory. Seeing that Lu Wan's eyes almost popped out of his head, which clearly showed that he understood what he meant, he smiled and said, "So, you have to keep your family calm and don't reveal my identity. Just treat me as an ordinary guest. In this way, I can observe the 'talent' who is said to be proficient in astronomy and numerology through Lu Zhu."
The emperor specifically emphasized the word "talent", and Zhang Shou was suddenly unsure of what he meant.
Was this a mockery of the people who came to answer the call for nothing, or did the emperor have high hopes for these people? Was he going to personally screen them, or was he going to give this important task to Lu Sanlang?
After thinking about it, he felt it was troublesome, so he just laughed it off and nodded seriously, saying, "Jiu Lu, just follow the emperor's instructions and make good arrangements."
You make it sound simple! Lu Wan was almost going crazy. It was very rare for the emperor to visit his subjects' private residence. Even though the current emperor was famous for his love of hanging out outside, this was still rare. How could he receive him now? The most important thing was that the emperor had to hide his identity, but most of the guests who came to his house knew the emperor!
The former Minister of War felt that his head was about to explode with pain, but the emperor suddenly made a slight gesture, and a guard who was accompanying him held a box in both hands and placed it in front of him.
"Since Sanlang Lu is having his coming-of-age ceremony today, you should first wear a black cloth crown, second a Jinxian crown, and third a Juebian. I know you have prepared all three. Besides, there is no reason to reward them. Yesterday, someone said that there were many fine jades in my treasury, so I had someone clean up the storehouse when I got back. This jade lion paperweight and that hairpin are for your little fat boy's coming-of-age ceremony."
Lu Wan suddenly felt even more overwhelmed. If this was a formal award, then of course he should express his gratitude with great ceremony, and then accept it with great fear and trepidation. At the very least, Lu Sanlang would have to kowtow to him in person.
But the problem is, now Lu Sanlang's hair is disheveled before the coming-of-age ceremony, how can he meet people?
What's more, the emperor had just told him not to show off!
Helplessly, Lu Wan could only take it first, and after raising his hands to his forehead to express his respect and gratitude, he held the box to his chest and whispered, "In this case, I thank the emperor for his generous gift, and I will go and make arrangements right away."
At this point, he threw the task of receiving the emperor to Zhang Shou without thinking, and left quickly with these two honorable but troublesome rewards. When he left, Zhu Ying, who had just made a name for herself and then watched the show with a smile beside her, said to Zhang Shou with a smile: "A Shou, don't blame me, I met the emperor halfway, it was not planned for a long time!"
"Yingying, this is not how you should use the words 'long-planned'!" The emperor was very satisfied that Zhu Ying still treated him the same way after knowing her life experience. He joked with a smile. When he saw Zhang Shou rubbing his eyebrows, he deliberately said with a stern face, "Why, are you so unhappy to see me coming?"
"Because the emperor didn't just come to watch the fun, he also brought trouble." Zhang Shou knew that the emperor didn't like others to be as solemn as if they were meeting a distinguished guest in such an informal occasion, so he simply told the truth, "I originally planned to steal a half day of leisure, but now it's ruined."
"You, the guest of honor for today's coming-of-age ceremony, actually treat such a serious and solemn matter as a leisurely activity? Do you know what the coming-of-age ceremony is? Huh?" The emperor sternly gave Zhang Shou a brief etiquette lesson. Seeing that Zhang Shou had an expression of listening attentively to the instructions, but it was obvious that he was not listening at all, and Zhu Ying also had a daydreaming look on her face, he was too lazy to find fault with her anymore.
"You are the only ones who dare to talk to me like this. One of you is pretending and not paying attention, and the other one doesn't even pretend! What do you mean I brought trouble here, and others are just worried about having nothing to do, but you don't know how to appreciate your blessings! Stop pretending, it's Lu Sanlang who should do it, not you Zhang Shou. Yingying, don't always think that I am exploiting your ideal husband!"
Zhu Ying smiled. It was right to exploit Fatty Lu, but it was absolutely wrong to exploit Zhang Shou... They were getting married next month, so how could Zhang Shou have so much free time? At this moment, she had completely forgotten that Lu Sanlang's wedding date was earlier than theirs.
She winked at Zhang Shou, and saw Zhang Shou immediately agreed on behalf of Lu Sanlang. When the emperor acted like an elder and asked Zhang Shou to call him uncle to avoid "revealing his identity", Zhang Shou hesitated for a moment and actually agreed. She was immediately happy and sad. She was happy that the emperor now treated Zhang Shou like a son-in-law, but she was sad...
Both her mother and her savior, Zhang Shou's biological mother, are no longer alive.
She walked inside with the emperor and Zhang Shou, and when Lu Wan came out again and welcomed the three of them to the flower hall for entertaining guests, she suddenly said, "Uncle even gave the fat boy a jade lion paperweight and a hairpin as a gift for his coming-of-age ceremony. Yesterday, Ah Shou was so angry that he even smashed the jade on his body. You should at least give him some compensation, right?"
