Volume 4: Gathering of Sages Chapter 633: The Love of Parents in the World
Just outside the door, Xiangyang Earl Zhang Qiong's face turned pale and blue.
Although he didn't hear his son complaining just now, and thought that his moaning was just a pretentious act, he now knew that the big guy was not complaining about anything else, but about the servants in the mansion treating him badly! Just as Zhang Shou said, a son is a son, and a servant is a servant. Moreover, Zhang Wuji must not be complaining about the capable manager, but the servants!
And Zhang Shou even said that he would apologize to him... How could he have the face to ask Zhang Shou to apologize to him? Even if it was the father's fault if the son was not well educated, and the teacher's laziness if the child was not well taught, it was the father's responsibility first, and then the teacher's responsibility. Zhang Shou didn't teach his son to beat the drum to report the incident, right? In the end, his son was raised with resentment by him. If he didn't resolve it, it might bring disaster to the family in the future!
Song Juren and Deng Xiaodai, who were standing behind, saw that Xiangyang Bo Zhang Qiong was standing at the door and not going in. He kept shaking his head. They were a little unsure whether he had heard the conversation between Zhang Shou and Zhang Dakuai and had some grudges in his heart. Deng Xiaodai wanted to speak up to remind him, but Song Juren got ahead of him and asked loudly, "Xiangyang Bo, is this your son's residence? "
What you are saying is complete nonsense. If you want to remind my son and Zhang Shou inside, can't you say something smarter?
Zhang Qiong, the Earl of Xiangyang, glared at Mr. Song. If this guy hadn't been so lucky and famous, and was about to become the son-in-law of the King of Jiangdu, he wouldn't have bothered to care about this idle man. But at this moment, he saw Mr. Song scratching his head and showing him a stupid smile, and he felt that he looked a bit like his big son.
They are all brave and brave, and they are all reckless. The difference is that this lucky guy has succeeded, while his foolish son who is only reckless has not found a way out. In fact, wasn't he the same when he was young? Therefore, his title is not as good as that of his elder brother, nor as good as that of his third brother, and his literary talent and military strategy are even worse. His only advantage is...
He has many sons, five in total. The oldest one is quite outstanding, but the youngest one is still crawling on the ground!
But now Zhang Qiong heard what Zhang Shou said to his useless big son, he felt that he was really not good at teaching his son. He took a deep breath, and without looking at Song Juren and Deng Xiaodai, he pushed the door open and walked in. He saw the big guy on the bed crouching in panic, as if he was trying to struggle to get out of bed, but was pushed back by Zhang Shou. He snorted with a fierce face.
"What are you trying to do! Just lie down quietly until your wound is healed!"
Growing up, Zhang Dakuo had been beaten countless times, his father had never visited him, and no one even sent him medicine for his injuries. It was only his stepmother who was fair and at least provided him with food, clothing, and medicine. Otherwise, he didn't know how he had survived these seventeen years. But after his stepmother passed away, a favored concubine took charge of the household affairs, and his life became difficult.
At this moment, he found that although Zhang Qiong's attitude was still cold, the implication was that she knew his injury had not yet healed. Therefore, he hesitated for a moment and finally continued to lie on the bed.
"I'm sorry to have embarrassed you, Master Zhang. This is how it is with a big family and a big business. Where I can't take care of, there are villains who curry favor with the powerful." Zhang Qiong simply made his attitude very clear. Seeing that Zhang Shou was still smiling, his son who was lying on the bed turned his head to look at him in surprise. The movement was so big that it seemed like his neck was about to break.
He immediately scolded her angrily, "Just like your teacher said, I am your father. If you have any problem, you can come to me openly and honestly. It's nothing to swallow your anger when you are wronged. Aren't you very arrogant outside? If you show a little bit of tyranny, who would dare to treat you like that?"
Zhang Daku suddenly felt a little bitter. Being arrogant outside was his appearance to make others respect him, but how could he be arrogant at home? Not to mention that his father could hold him down with just one finger, even among his brothers, he couldn't show it. He could usually fight those servants, but when he couldn't get out of bed, his life was in the hands of others, what else could he do?
Seeing that the man was lying on the bed without saying anything, Zhang Shou picked up the book he brought as a gift and tapped Zhang's head lightly: "You wooden head, if you go to your father to complain about trivial matters every day, he will either be annoyed to death or angry to death. But if your son occasionally comes to him to complain, do you think he will believe you or a few servants?"
"If you tell him, will he turn a deaf ear and not investigate? The most important thing is that you are no longer the unworthy descendant who has achieved nothing despite being old. You are at least the head of the temple. Do you think your father is blind? The beating he gave you this time is the same as Zhang Chen's father beating him. He is worried that his son, who has embarked on the right path, will ruin his future. Rather than saying that he is disappointed in his son, it is more like he is filled with fear!"
Zhang Qiong felt that Zhang Shou had said all the things that his father, who was always strict, had not been able to say. But before he could choose between being angry and remaining silent, he heard Zhang Shou's voice again.
"I once reprimanded Duke Qin in front of the emperor for raising a child but not educating him, and for being irresponsible. But under the rule of filial piety, how many sons tremble in fear when they see their fathers, as if they were meeting an important guest, and are even so scared that they can't even speak a complete sentence?"
"How many fathers act like strict fathers all day long, with a cold attitude and are very frugal with words, as if they are adhering to the ideal of a gentleman who would rather have grandchildren than children, but in fact they don't know how to get along with their children?"
"People are all made of flesh and blood. You should care more about your father, be more considerate, put yourself in his shoes, and show your filial piety to him more often. Don't be scared by his cold face all the time. Sometimes you won't be so discouraged alone in this cold room. Actions are worse than words, but at least it's better to say it than not to say it!"
What Zhang Shou said made Zhang the big guy involuntarily look at Zhang Qiong. When he found that his father, who had always been criticized for being brave but not wise because of his impatience, was embarrassed, he even glared at him fiercely when he found out that he was peeking, snorted, and looked directly at the beam above his head, but he did not stand up, nor did he leave in anger. He suddenly realized a fact.
What Zhang Shou said turned out to be true. Even if his father was not as good to him as Zhang Shou said, he at least felt that his son was more important than those servants and managers!
Although he looked fierce, he was actually not stupid. When he finally realized what was going on, he reacted very quickly. He almost jumped up, then knelt on the bed and kowtowed heavily.
"Dad, I have never been good at literature or martial arts since I was young, so I gave up and never achieved anything. Although I made some progress later thanks to the guidance of my teacher, I was afraid of my father like a tiger because of the impression I had in my childhood, so I never dared to open up to him! This time I went to beat the drum to report the incident, which was really rash. I was wrong..."
But at this point, he lowered his head and said honestly: "I took the risk at that time because I thought that the law does not punish everyone, and there were those academic officials in the Imperial College who made big mistakes standing in the way. If we risked our lives and made a scene, claiming that we were speaking up for our former teacher, maybe someone would sympathize with our sincerity and say a few words for us..."
"When I was beaten, I thought I was right to think so, but now I know I was wrong! Not all of them went to fight with me, only more than half of them, and many others fled away out of fear. And just looking at the reactions of the people in the court over the past few days, you can tell that they will not help us at all. I was so self-righteous that I almost implicated my family!"
"My fault is that I never dared to say a word to you, my father. My fault is that I never dared to ask you for advice on these important matters. My fault is that I am almost an adult, but I am still smug about my childish ways... My fault is that even when the servants at home took the opportunity to add something to my medicine, I was afraid that my father would not believe me, so I didn't dare to tell them."
Zhang Qiong was naturally very satisfied to hear his son sincerely reflect on himself and analyze things in depth. However, he was used to keeping a stern face, and now he was so stiff that he couldn't relax. But when he heard the last sentence, he finally exploded after trying hard to maintain the mask of a strict father.
"What? Someone spiked your medicine? What bastard is so bold?"
After the roar, when Zhang Qiong heard the big guy stammering a name, he didn't ask for any evidence at all, and rushed out without hesitation, leaving the people in the room behind. In a moment, he could be heard outside yelling. When Zhang Shou saw Song Juren, who followed the others in, looking at the door and seemed to want to go over to watch the fun, he laughed and said, "Don't let the family disgrace be made public. Don't be curious. Xiangyang Bozhun will be back soon."
Seeing Zhang Shou's nonchalant look, Zhang the Big Guy hesitated for a long time, but finally couldn't help asking, "Teacher, aren't you afraid that I'll just make up a story and deceive my father?"
"If you said all these tear-jerking words just to trick your father into disposing of a mere servant, then that's all you will achieve in the future."
Zhang Shou sneered and said calmly, "Besides, if you really lied to your father, would you tell me now? Zhang Wuji, Lu Sanlang and Ji Jiu used to pretend to be ignorant, and Zhang Chen was smart but rough. But you are different. You are very straightforward. Even if you use tricks, they are superficial."
Although this was equivalent to being directly called clumsy by Zhang Shou, the big guy Zhang gave a bitter smile and finally collapsed directly on the bed. He didn't even notice when Ah Liu came forward to pull up the quilt that had just slipped off for him.
"Teacher is right, I'm not that smart, I haven't thought that much. The ideas I just mentioned were just a sudden thought when everyone followed me to Qipan Street. It was just a reason for me to be more resolute and not waver. This is the only thing I can do. I have to think of reasons to comfort myself even when I'm making trouble."
"Most people are like this." This time, it was Deng Xiaodai who couldn't help but comfort Zhang Dakuai. "Because they feel uneasy after being impulsive, but they have to bite the bullet and do it, so they have to find reasons to comfort themselves. In fact, I am the same. Not only me, but even Wang Zongxian once confessed to others in casual conversation that he sometimes does things this way."
Zhang the big guy had seen Mr. Song, although he had only heard people talking about this strange man from afar. As for Deng Xiaodai, he had only seen this clerk in Shuntian Prefecture from afar, who was said to be from the same hometown as Zhang Shou and had studied under him for many years.
Hearing people talking about Wang Jie, he could not help but be surprised and asked curiously. This did not involve any secrets, and Wang Jie said it in public when he was meeting many subordinates, so Deng Xiaodai naturally had no scruples and told Wang Datou the words that analyzed his strengths in public.
Zhang Shou did not find it strange, because Wang Jie was a person who was strict with himself and others, so it was normal for him to analyze himself in everything. He let Deng Xiaodai take over and teach Zhang the big guy a lesson, but he was curious about how long it would take for Zhang Qiong to come back. As a result, Zhang Qiong came back much earlier than he expected.
Because, before Deng Xiaodai finished telling the anecdote about Wang Datou, Zhang Qiong came back with a gloomy face.
As soon as he entered the room, he angrily said, "That traitorous servant admitted after a few whippings that he did deliberately add something to your medicine, but as soon as he opened his mouth, he said that because you had a conflict with the adopted son of a eunuch in the Ministry of Ceremonies in a teahouse a few days ago, he was bribed to keep you in bed for three months. I was too lazy to ask any more questions, so I blocked his mouth and ordered people to beat him forty times. When the medicine turned out to be mute, I drove him out and let him fend for himself!"
Zhang Dakuai simply couldn't believe such a reason. He was a very arrogant person outside, but he always paid attention to the circle. At least he would not cause trouble in some elegant places frequented by dignitaries, or in places of entertainment and pleasure frequented by high-ranking nobles. At most, he would only act arrogantly in places where his status could suppress others.
He has been acting tough less often recently, and he vaguely remembers this conflict, but he doesn't think he will get drugged! He looked at Zhang Shou, but Zhang Shou didn't say anything. He just patted him on the shoulder and comforted him to take good care of his injuries. Then he nodded slightly at Zhang Qiong, and the two of them walked out. Faced with this situation, no matter how stupid he was, he knew that something might be wrong.
After half an hour, Zhang Shou led his people to leave the Xiangyang Marquis' Mansion, and then visited the Weinan Marquis' Mansion. This time, he stayed for a short time before saying goodbye and going out to the Qin State Duke's Mansion. Although it should have been time to leave the court, he learned from the door that Qin State Duke Zhang Chuan was still in Shuntian Prefecture, so he asked to see Zhang Chen directly.
However, the concierge politely invited him to the flower hall to serve tea, and then went inside to report. But in less than a moment, the man came out with a face full of fear and trepidation, bowed and said: "Mr. Zhang, my young master felt unwell after attending the imperial lecture this morning, and is now sweating on the bed. He said that he would go to see Mr. Zhang in person another day, but today he doesn't want you to see him sick and embarrassed."
Seeing Zhang Chen still pretending to be sick, Zhang Shou couldn't help but laugh and cry. Although he would definitely be able to meet people easily if he took a tough attitude, why bother? He stood up calmly and asked Ah Liu to hand over the small box.
"Since he's sick, this can be used. You can take it to him. And tell him to take good care of it."
Zhang Chen felt relieved when he heard the servant bring in Zhang Shou's words "Take good care of it", and thought he had gotten away with it. However, when he opened the box and saw the porcelain bottle inside, and then opened one of the clips and saw the words "for internal use and external application", he took a closer look at the porcelain bottle and smelled the odor, and couldn't help but get angry: "Zheng Yan, that stinky boy, is really unreliable, and is just a big mouth!"
