Volume 4: Gathering of Sages Chapter 605: Plans cannot keep up with changes
"They will definitely say, 'How dare this vagrant kid cheat my precious daughter?'"
Zhu Ying imitated the elders' stern face and shouted, which immediately made Hailing County Lady giggle. She even laughed so hard that she leaned on Zhu Ying's thighs. After she finally straightened up by rubbing her belly, she said playfully: "I've said it before, my father likes to forge iron, how could he look down on Mr. Song who likes to cook? Besides, Mr. Song is also from the Guangdong Song family, a famous family!"
When the little girl talked about Mr. Song's background, she smiled brightly: "In this era, of course, it is important to marry someone of equal status. If he really came from a very poor family and didn't have the title of a juren, even if I liked the way his eyes lit up when he talked about cooking, I definitely wouldn't dare to mention it. But since he has that and has met the emperor before, of course I have to bite the bullet and give it a try!"
"After all, my father doesn't like to compete with others, and my brothers don't have much ambition either. They always feel awkward when they get along with those who strive to make progress. Dad is lucky to marry someone as good at managing a family as Mom, so he can do whatever he wants. Although I am not as good as Mom, I also hope that my future husband can do whatever he likes, not to mention that what he likes happens to be what I like!"
"In this regard, I think I am more fortunate than you, Sister Yingying. Dr. Zhang is so good at mathematics, but you should not like him, right? If he talks about mathematics to you, will you roll your eyes at him? Ouch, don't tickle me, isn't it okay that I am wrong!" Zhu Ying's words broke the window paper, and Princess Hailing suffered a tickling attack from Zhu Ying's anger. She could only stretch out her hands and shout in surrender.
Zhang Shou, Mr. Song and the Fourth Prince, who were outside, could only hear the clear laughter of the two girls in the carriage. Although Mr. Song wanted to pull Fang Qing in, Zhang Shou rejected him directly. This is not a fight. The more people there are, the braver they are. The more people there are, the more trouble they will cause! So, he had no help at the moment, so he hung his head.
The fourth prince was young, and when he heard the laughter, he felt itchy in his heart, and was very curious about what Zhu Ying and Hailing County Master were talking about in the car. Zhang Shou knew Zhu Ying's character, and knew that she must be teasing the little girl. And Mr. Song was stimulated by the laughter, and felt like a deer was beating in his heart. He was distracted just now, and now he was about to lose his soul.
By the way, could it be that the Princess of Hailing was just talking to tease this fool? If so, if he rashly went to the Jiangdu Palace, something bad would happen!
The Fourth Prince couldn't bear to see Mr. Song's stupid look, so he rode his horse closer and waved his whip in the air beside him. When he saw that he had finally come back to his senses, he said unhappily, "Hey, stop being so dazed! Have you thought about it? What are you going to say when we get to Sister A Ling's house?"
"You can't say that I'm a chef participating in the imperial chef selection competition and I ?"
The Fourth Prince imitated the adults and said this with his chest and belly protruding. Seeing that Mr. Song was even more guilty, he said angrily, "Hey, hey, you are so useless even before you even get to the Prince of Jiangdu's Palace. What will you do when you get there? Can't you learn from your teacher? You know, when your teacher first went to the Duke of Zhao's Palace, it was..."
"cough!"
Seeing that the Fourth Prince was about to use him to severely attack Mr. Song, Zhang Shou had to cough heavily, directly cutting off the Fourth Prince's idea of continuing to talk. This time, the Fourth Prince shut up and rode his horse to the back secretly, obviously trying to avoid his lesson, so he hooked his finger at Mr. Song.
Although he had a bitter face, he had said all these words in front of the Empress Dowager, the Emperor and others. At this moment, Mr. Song still rode his horse resignedly to Zhang Shou, and then smiled bitterly : "Doctor Zhang, I heard that the Lady Zhao and the Lady Zhao both like you very much as their son-in-law. Can you teach me how to talk later? Fortunately, I am riding a horse, otherwise my legs would be weak!"
Zhang Shou couldn't help but laugh. He glanced at the fourth prince who was stealthily listening beside the carriage, thinking that this reckless child was really asking for a fight, and then he smiled and said, "You just heard that Hailing County Lady's father, the King of Jiangdu, likes to forge iron."
"Since you like hard labor, which is considered a menial job by the nobles, then there is a certain possibility that they will recognize your special hobbies, but the premise is..."
He paused, and said with a half-smile, "The prerequisite is that you must show qualities that he respects. Otherwise, with your current cowardly look, even if I am the King of Jiangdu, I am not willing to betroth my daughter to you!"
Seeing that Mr. Song was still a little sad, Zhang Shou suddenly had an idea and changed his way of scolding him: "Do you think I don't know your little trick of making sweet-scented osmanthus dumplings today? Aren't you just trying to get demoted? You are so useless! Unless all the famous chefs in the world are just in name only, do you think the emperor will really choose you, a scholar, to be the imperial chef?"
"But you have made a name for yourself by participating in this event. Do you think people will be curious and patronize your shop when you open one in the future? Even so, the Song family in Guangdong is indeed very wealthy. Ask your uncle, Mr. Song, if he is willing to give you money to expand your business?"
"Absolutely not. You should know that he thought you were embarrassing before! Yingying is willing to pay, but you should have seen my workshop that day. There are many things to research and even more money to invest. How much profit can I give you to open a dessert shop and promote it all over the city?"
"Without further investment of manpower and resources, your fame from participating in the Imperial Chef Selection Competition will soon vanish. However, if you really want to marry the Princess of Hailing County, that would be different."
"The King of Jiangdu is well-known throughout the capital for his wealth. Don't think of yourself as a prospective son-in-law meeting your father-in-law. Think of yourself as going to his house to solicit investment. How should you behave, what words should you use, and what products should you use to impress him? Then, he can become your life investor and help you open your dessert shop and then make it bigger and stronger. Think about it yourself!"
Song suddenly realized, "So that's it! I understand! When I was in Guangdong, I often saw people coming to my family to lobby for investment..."
If you really treat your future father-in-law as a financial sponsor and try to curry favor with him, that won’t work!
Zhang Shou saw that Mr. Song might go from one extreme to another. He had to cough again and then said earnestly, "You should show your talent and hobbies in front of King Jiangdu, but don't forget to show your single-mindedness ! Princess Hailing certainly likes the desserts you make, but you have to remember that you are not her cook!"
Presenting facts, reasoning, and persuading them step by step... When Zhang Shou finally turned around the idiot who was unable to adapt because of the sudden jump from the imperial chef competition to the scene of a potential son-in-law meeting his father-in-law, Ah Liu, who had left earlier, had already returned on horseback. When he saw them, he said seriously, "I just went to inquire, and the King of Jiangdu and the Queen are all in the mansion, and the four young masters are also there."
Mr. Song, who had just finally mustered up his courage, suddenly turned pale. It would be fine if only his future father-in-law was here, but how come so many people were here by chance? Did this family really not like going out? There were six people in total. How difficult would it be to deal with them?
He was just nervous when the curtain of the carriage behind him suddenly opened, revealing a face that was both smiling and angry: "Mr. Song, my parents and brothers are all very good people! Don't worry, I'm here for you!"
Although Mr. Song came from a prominent family and had won the provincial examination, he had many brothers at home who were more outstanding and motivated than him. Many of them proposed marriage to him, but he was a little afraid of marrying a wife who would control him. Besides, he wanted to go out and explore the world, so he used the excuse that he had not passed the imperial examination, so he had no time to take care of his family, and he kept delaying the marriage.
As for the Song family, they thought that having a Jinshi son would lead to a good marriage. Since Song Juren's mother couldn't do anything about it, who would force him to have more children? Who would be so nosy!
Therefore, it was the first time that a girl confessed her love to Mr. Song in public. At this moment, the words of Lady Hailing, "There is still me," were like someone handing him a glass of ice water on a hot summer day. He felt refreshed from head to toe. He immediately straightened his back and said confidently, "Don't worry, Lady Hailing. I will take responsibility for my own actions!"
Zhang Shou couldn't help but cover his forehead. Even if some stories say that women would cut off their arms if touched, and would refuse men's rescue if they fell into the water, and would rather drown, and then emphasize the importance of gender separation... But today is only the first day you met Princess Hailing, let alone physical contact, can you count the number of words you said, okay?
You are not responsible for anything! With your character that will be misunderstood as soon as you open your mouth, it will be hard to say what will happen if you meet King Jiangdu later!
Ah Liu, who was standing by, saw that Mr. Song was in high spirits, while Zhang Shou looked like he had a headache. He couldn't help but find it very interesting. The corners of his mouth actually curled up. Until Mr. Song rode away in a heroic and proud manner, he followed Zhang Shou's horse and whispered, "Master, if he is beaten out later, can we just leave him and run away?"
Why are you bringing up things that are not related to the topic?
Zhang Shou couldn't help but glared at Ah Liu fiercely. Seeing that he was still looking at the show, he said unhappily, "Don't just watch the show. If it were you, meeting your father-in-law for the first time, would you be any better than him? Don't be like Hua Qi, wandering around alone. It's time for you to get married!"
Ah Liu didn't expect Zhang Shou to bring up the topic of himself. After a moment of hesitation, he said seriously, "The Princess of Hailing County likes Young Master Song's ability to make sweet soup. If I really want to get married... she must be able to beat me!"
“Cough cough cough cough…”
This time, Zhang Shou was genuinely choked. He bent down and coughed violently. He ignored Mr. Song who looked back at him in surprise. He straightened up and glared at Ah Liu in frustration: "Are you marrying a wife or looking for a rival?"
"In life, you need to meet your match." Ah Liu said this with great momentum, and then quickly added, "The madman said it, not me!"
Hua Qi, what kind of devil have you taught Ah Liu to be... I will never let you go! Zhang Shou was so angry that he made another big fuss against Hua Qi in his heart, but he had no time to change Ah Liu's distorted view of marriage, because he could see the high wall not far away, and the voice of Hailing County Master could be heard from the carriage behind.
"Here we are. Other palaces have always had red walls, but because mother disliked red walls being too gaudy, ours was changed to white walls and black tiles. However, the rules inside cannot be changed... Hey, go tell the neighbor next door that I'm back!"
Having been to the palace more than once, staying in the Duke of Zhao's mansion for several days, owning a Zhang Garden that was once the Prince of Lu's villa, and having visited various magnificent imperial palaces in later generations, Zhang Shou naturally reacted calmly to the five-room, seven-frame gate with red lacquer, gold coating and copper nails. On this point, Mr. Song also reacted calmly.
Guangdong is adjacent to the sea in the south, and the maritime trade is prosperous. Therefore, it has been getting richer since the early Ming Dynasty. In addition, the emperor is far away, and the luxury of the rich is no less than that of the dignitaries. Even the peddlers wear gold and silver, silk and satin when they have money, not to mention the rich. When they build houses, they create various tropical gardens, and some even invite garden masters from Suzhou and transport rockery.
So, when Lady Hailing, who floated down from the carriage like a butterfly, sent away her entourage and led the way herself, what she saw was Mr. Song with clear eyes, who followed her all the way in and commented on the pros and cons of various buildings in a very stylish manner from time to time - although she had no way of telling whether Mr. Song's comments were correct or not, she really liked his calm attitude.
So, when she saw her third and fourth brothers coming after hearing the news, she immediately went to greet them happily. As a result, the two brothers, who were originally just curious about how their sister brought such rare guests as Zhang Shou and Zhu Ying, suffered huge critical hit damage in an instant.
After listening to their sister's brief account of the whole incident, the two young men stared in amazement at the unattractive Mr. Song - although Mr. Song could actually be considered a man of good looks, but in the eyes of the two brothers at this moment, he was nothing more than a toad wanting to eat a swan - it took them a long time to come to their senses. One of them was so angry that he raised his fist and was about to step forward, while the other, who was calmer, ran inside.
As a result, Zheng Sanlang, who was swinging his fist, was directly stopped by the Princess of Hailing County, while Mr. Song, who escaped the disaster, had no time to rejoice, because he heard a roar immediately afterwards.
"What? Some brat from nowhere is coveting my precious daughter!"
Following the sound, Zhang Shou saw a strong man in coarse cloth and holding a big iron hammer rushing out. Because he heard Hailing County Lady say that her father liked ironwork, he immediately realized that this was the King of Jiangdu.
However, a hobby is a hobby, and he has seen too many people who just do their hobbies for a while on a whim but give up in a moment. But looking at the strong muscles bulging under the rolled-up sleeves of King Jiangdu, his rough beard, and the weight of the huge hammer, he doubted King Jiangdu's blacksmithing skills, but his strength was full.
Just as he was about to push Mr. Song behind him to provide some cover, an agile figure rushed over and hugged the sturdy man's waist. "Uncle Wang, where is the dagger you promised to give me? I haven't seen it in a year!"
