Volume 4: Gathering of Sages Chapter 643: Heart as Hard as Steel and Will as Strong as Iron
This is actually wine mixed with water!
Zhang Chen was originally angry and believed that Zhang Shou and Lu Sanlang had colluded in advance, but when he calculated the time again, he felt something was wrong. Lu Sanlang hurriedly came out of the bridal chamber to thank the Crown Prince for the gift. It can be said that not long after he came out of the bridal chamber, the little fat man followed him. The descendants have been entertaining guests, so where did they have time to discuss with Zhang Shou?
And the Fourth Prince certainly didn't reveal his affair with him at the beginning, otherwise he wouldn't have come to him alone and carefully accepted the paper ball from him. Moreover, if the Fourth Prince had told Zhang Shou earlier that he would lead people to block the new house of Fatty Lu, how could Zhang Shou agree so readily? He would have scolded him to death, right?
Realizing that the wine was not from the Lu family, Zhang Chen couldn't help but look up at the two insignificant guests who he thought were just here to eat and drink. It would have been fine if he hadn't looked at them, but when he did, he almost popped his eyes out.
The three people who were sitting there just when he came in just now disappeared in just a moment! Even though he was brave and sure that it was not a mountain spirit or a ghost, he couldn't help but feel his scalp tingling at this moment, and accidentally knocked over a plate. Just as he was trying to pick it up in a hurry, he only heard a crisp bang.
Uh, it was smashed in the end... No!
Just as this thought came to mind, Zhang Chen heard another bang. At this time, his mind had completely cleared up. He accidentally smashed the plate. This was the second sound. The previous one was not his doing!
So, he was bending over to check the fallen plate and soon found that not far from his feet, under the same table, there was a broken spoon. Obviously, it was not him who dropped it. Realizing that someone might be warning him, he slowly stood up and saw that he was the only one in the yard, so he laughed like he was drunk.
"Do you think I'm the god of plague? Why are you walking so fast? What have I done to anyone? I just scolded Zheng Yan for causing trouble and got beaten up! He was punished with twenty rods, and he can be fine after kneeling down and copying some books. How can it be so easy? Zhu Ying dared to block the gate of the Imperial Household Department. As a prince, shouldn't he go to Chu Kuan to ask for clarification?"
He slapped the table hard again, and then gulped down two more mouthfuls of wine, but he was grimacing at the unpalatable stuff. The only thing he was thankful for was that the wine had been warmed up just now, and there was a mat shed in the yard with a charcoal fire burning underneath. The weather had finally been a little warm in the past few days, otherwise if he drank like this, he would have a stomachache when he got home.
But just thinking about it, he couldn't help but feel a little fortunate that the Fourth Prince didn't pretend to be drunk. He already felt that this watery wine was unpalatable, let alone the Fourth Prince? Even if he drank a belly full of water, it would still taste bad!
As he was thinking this, he stood up unsteadily, looking around, and seemed to be still talking about wine, when he suddenly saw a figure flashing by the door. He was already alert and walked to the table opposite. Seeing that wine was warming on a small stove, he casually took a porcelain bowl and poured another bowl. This time, as soon as the wine entered his mouth, he was caught off guard and choked again.
This time it was pure wine without any water added... Isn't this just a scam?
Zhang Chen was already very angry, and now he was even more angry and started to curse: "Lu Sanpang, you bastard!"
He couldn't scold others, so he just scolded that damn fat guy to vent his anger! He simply sat down at the table, drinking, stuffing food into his mouth, and continued to scold people, as if he was drowning his sorrows in wine. After two bowls of wine, plus the wine mixed with water he drank before, he gradually became drunk and was actually three or four points tipsy.
Just as he was leaning on the table in a state of agitation, he heard a voice beside his ear: "Master Zhang?"
Zhang Chen shuddered suddenly, but his body did not move at all, thinking that he did not hear anything because of the alcohol. The next moment, he only heard a rustling sound, and it turned out that someone was approaching him. Although his hair almost stood up, he still tried his best to control himself to relax his body and not react to the stress, but his ears still stood up after all.
Soon, he heard a very slight movement. It was as if someone was gently opening the lid of something. He only thought about it for a moment and suddenly realized that the guy who sneaked in was clearly opening the wine pot that was heating on the stove! He suspected that the person might add something to the wine, and he instinctively wanted to open his eyes and jump up.
But before he could make a move, he heard another soft voice in his ear: "Master Zhang, Master Zhang? Alas, cold wine hurts the liver, and hot wine hurts the stomach. Even if you are unhappy for a while, you are young and you shouldn't drink too much!"
Zhang Chen didn't care about this kind of preaching, but at this moment, when he heard the voice, he felt a strange dizziness, as if he couldn't help but hum. Before he could be surprised, the next moment, the soft voice sounded again.
"You said before that you were beaten and that it was all the fault of the Fourth Prince? Well, that being said, in the final analysis, wasn't it the people in the Imperial Household Department who caused the trouble? There are people in the Imperial Household Department who don't abide by their duties and try to extend their hands from the palace. Master Zhang, you are a top noble, but you were deceived by them. How can this be tolerated!"
"No... That's right, this is intolerable!" Zhang Chen himself didn't expect that he would actually agree with the voice. Hearing this voice, he was very alert for a moment, but after being alert, he was terrified. Because the other party actually said a lot of words to him in a persuasive manner, and he kept agreeing with him. That kind of timid state even sounded abnormal to him.
Even if he tried to refute or interrupt, his mouth and tongue seemed to no longer belong to him, and he couldn't make any sound. This went on for a long time, and just when his mind was really going numb, he heard the other party suddenly speak again with earnest words.
"Master Zhang, you used to like Miss Zhu so much, but now Zhang Shou has snatched your love away. You still regard him as your teacher. Isn't this a pain for your loved ones and a joy for your enemies? Zhang Shou doesn't really regard you as a student, but just a pawn! Look at how grand Lu Zhu's wedding is today, but what about you?"
"Even Zhang Wu and Zhang Lu, who used to be your followers, have been betrothed to princesses and princesses of the royal family. What about you?"
Zhang Chen was furious. He didn't want princesses or princesses. They weren't the most beautiful ones. It would be troublesome for him to marry them home and keep them as a treasure! Zhu Ying had also recommended several girls to him, but he lost interest after asking around. He wasn't a superficial guy like Zhang Wu or Zhang Lu who was satisfied with just a rich wife. If she wasn't a unique and stunning beauty, he would rather not marry her!
Overwhelmed by this anger, he, who had just felt unable to move, suddenly slammed the table and shouted angrily, "Bullshit!"
Almost at the same time, he heard another voice echoing: "Yes, they have been using me!"
Zhang Chen opened his eyes suddenly after slapping the table and yelling angrily. He saw the man squatting in front of him clearly. He saw the man staring at him in astonishment, then he stood up and ran away. He suddenly woke up and almost got angry.
He was just wondering, how could someone with his personality be led by the nose and follow the crowd? It turned out that this bastard was actually imitating his speech, and he didn't know how to make him unable to speak. This actually led him into a ditch! But when he thought that he couldn't move or make a sound for a while, he felt a little scared, and he was several beats late before he roared: "Where are you running away, thief!"
But when Zhang Chen stumbled out of the yard, he had already disappeared. Blown by the cold wind, he felt a chill on his forehead from having drunk a lot of wine, and he couldn't help but reach out to hold the wall next to him. But even so, he was still a little dizzy and couldn't stand, and he slid down to the ground unconsciously.
Just when he felt that his body could no longer support his head and he was about to fall to the ground, he suddenly felt someone supporting his back, followed by an angry voice: "Hey, hey, what's wrong with you? You can't be so useless!"
"A-Liu and Uncle Hua went to chase the guy. Uncle Hua just said you were awesome. That guy seemed to be using hypnosis, but you not only woke up on your own, but you almost broke his spell! If you're a real man, hold on a little longer. I'll go get some help!"
"Don't, don't call for help!" Zhang Chen, who was originally drowsy, was immediately alerted when he heard the crisp voice. He bit his tongue hard, using the stinging pain to wake himself up, and then he struggled to get up with strength that he didn't know where he got from. Turning around and seeing that it was indeed Zhu Ying in men's clothes, he stammered, "You... you saw everything?"
"What do you mean seen? I heard it!" Zhu Ying said angrily. Seeing that Zhang Chen was obviously dizzy, she immediately left him alone and looked up and called out again. When she saw Zhan Jin and Liu Yin, who were also dressed in men's clothes, hurried in, she and two maids carried Zhang Chen to the same table and sat him down.
Seeing that the man was sitting there but still not being honest, shaking his head vigorously to try to sober up, and even reaching out to drink the wine, she picked up the chopsticks and hit the man's hand in annoyance. Hearing Zhang Chen gasp in pain, she said with a straight face: "I don't know if anyone has added anything to your wine, and you dare to drink it carelessly?"
Zhang Chen knew that Zhu Ying had this kind of temper. Although he was grinning, he didn't dare to say anything. He could only smile bitterly and said, "Since you have been here for a long time, have you been hanging out with the male guests outside?"
"How is that possible? I was chatting with Madam Lu before, and I heard that you and the Fourth Prince were here, so I sneaked out to take a look. As a result, I ran into Uncle Hua, and then I found out that you and the Fourth Prince were flirting." Zhu Ying did not mention that she had already told Zhang Shou that Zhang Chen and the Fourth Prince were having an affair. Seeing that Zhang Chen immediately became dejected, she smiled and said, "Fortunately, you are here in person today!"
"Yeah, who knew I would encounter something so weird!"
Zhang Chen wiped the sweat from his forehead. Zhan Jin, who was standing beside him, was very considerate and handed him a handkerchief. He grabbed it and wiped his sweat without even looking at it, then threw it away. However, he was still frightened: "If Zheng Yan really met that guy, who knows what would happen to him!"
"It's good that you know!" Zhu Ying glared at Zhang Chen unhappily, then clapped her hands and stood up: "By the way, I came here today to tell you, don't you want to marry a stunning beauty? I saw one yesterday, she is so beautiful that she can make fish sink to the bottom of the water, geese fall to the ground, and the moon hide in shame. It depends on whether you dare to go and see her in person."
Although Zhang Chen still had a splitting headache, he was immediately excited by Zhu Ying's praise. If the always conceited Zhu Ying could praise her beauty, she must be a real beauty. Even though he thought that he had been in the capital for so many years and there must be something he didn't know, he still asked immediately: "Why don't you dare? Whose family is she? How old is she?"
"She's not young, the same age as you." Seeing Zhang Chen startled at first, then overjoyed, Zhu Ying said slowly, "But I can tell you, she's not a virtuous girl. Her martial arts skills are probably not much worse than mine. She once cut off the ear of a young man who blocked the road with bad intentions and sent him to the government office. Do you think about whether you're afraid?"
No way, so fierce?
Even though Zhang Chen really likes unique girls, he couldn't help but feel a little cold in his ears, but more of it was itching in his heart. But remembering that Zhu Ying hadn't mentioned such a girl before, he couldn't help but ask: "Since there is such a special girl, why didn't you tell me before?"
"She's from Tongzhou, not the capital!" Zhu Ying rolled her eyes at Zhang Chen in anger. "Also, I have to tell you in advance that she was on the list of concubines for the princes and passed the re-selection. Because of her fierce temper, Chu Kuan specifically reported to the emperor that she must not be selected. Anyway, I got the list of concubines from the emperor, and I will give the ones who should be assigned to the girls' school to the girls' school, and the others..."
Before Zhu Ying could finish her words, Zhang Chen shouted without hesitation: "Let's not talk about anything else, I must meet this person!"
Maybe it was because he had just been hypnotized, but when Zhang Chen heard the name Chu Kuan and thought that he was from the Imperial Household Department, he felt disgusted. He thought that since Chu Kuan didn't want it, then it must be what he wanted - he was not a loser like the eldest prince or the second prince!
Thinking about what people had just said about Zhang Shou and Zhu Ying in front of him, but Zhu Ying's words just now showed that she really cared about his lifelong event, he forced a smile and said, "If this thing works out, I will definitely thank you very much..."
Seeing Zhu Ying snorted and ignored him, he quickly explained: "Look, I didn't wake up when that guy said anything else, but when he said something bad about the young master and you, I woke up immediately and started to scold him! My heart is as hard as steel and my mind is as strong as iron. Even if I can't trust my father, I won't distrust you!"
"You only know how to say nice things!" Zhu Ying sneered, stood up slowly, and then yawned lazily, "Anyway, you behaved well today, so I won't let your father know about this, so that you won't be beaten again! You should know that your father told Magistrate Song in Shuntian Prefecture that he has realized a truth now, that beating is love and scolding is care, so this is how a father should be!"
