Volume 4: Gathering of Sages Chapter 717: One Heart, Different Hearts
Although there were thieves in the house, Zhang Shou was naturally satisfied with the compensation he extorted from the emperor, which included a charity hall and more than 200 children. Zhu Ying came back from Huairou Royal Manor in a rage, and when she went to complain to the emperor, Zhang Shou happened to be there. She was so happy that she felt refreshed when she left. She was so happy that she felt relieved.
So, the emperor, who had been furious just before, saw the couple leaving side by side, and he couldn't help but say sourly: "Do you think it's possible for these two people to misunderstand each other?"
Hua Qi had understood the emperor's evil intentions, but he took a step back, then tiptoed on the ground and disappeared silently. Chu Kuan also didn't want to get involved in the emperor's ridiculous idea, but he was not as lucky as Hua Qi to escape in time, because the emperor looked directly at him.
Therefore, Eunuch Chu, who had just been scolded by the emperor and almost executed by the Meridian Gate in Zhang Shou's opinion, said directly: "Your Majesty, please forgive me. Scholar Zhang tried so hard to make peace before, which temporarily calmed the emperor's wrath. No matter what, I will never add insult to injury."
"How dare you say that!" The emperor was just joking, but when Chu Kuan spoke so bluntly, he couldn't help but yelled angrily, "Also, take away the words 'slave'! I asked you to serve Sanlang in Ciqing Palace, but that was to let you be his mentor and friend who can give him honest advice. I didn't ask you to push those fearful disciples out of the door! All right, get out!"
The Third Prince watched in confusion. Chu Kuan followed his instructions and left, but his father's face became even darker. He hesitated for a long time, thinking that he couldn't continue with his father's topic about Zhang Shou and Zhu Ying. So he might as well continue talking about Chu Kuan. So he couldn't help but whispered, "Father, Eunuch Chu..."
"Don't say anything. You or anyone else, who can understand him better than me?" The emperor snorted angrily, and finally said lightly, "Sanlang, the emperor is a lonely man, because too many people will rely on your favor to bully others, and few people can remain unchanged. I am very lucky to have met a cousin Zhu Jing who has always been the same as before, and..."
"And there's Chu Kuan."
Although he was very annoyed, the emperor still uttered such a name. Seeing that the third prince was rarely interested in listening to the story, but when he looked closely, the child was flustered and had a serious face, so he smiled and said: "Are you surprised that I got angry as soon as I came in just now? In fact, I heard what Chu Kuan said to Zhang Shou..."
While the emperor was educating the prince, Zhang Shou and Zhu Ying also walked out of Ciqing Palace side by side. Although they had not yet reached the point where they felt as if they had been separated for three years, after such a series of events that happened last night, even if they were both unharmed, their moods could not have remained up and down. Therefore, as the two walked, Zhu Ying could not help but gently pull Zhang Shou's sleeve.
"When I heard that some rioters were surrounding us last night, I was thinking about how I could fight my way out of the encirclement and how I could get back to the capital city despite the numerous blockades along the way. Would I rush in front of you covered in blood and scare you? In the end, I was the one who got scared by those weak guys."
Originally thought it would be a difficult battle, but in the end, the eldest lady led a group of fully armed elite soldiers to fight against a group of barefoot farmers who shouted slogans... and the one who shouted slogans was killed immediately, and the rest of the people cried and surrendered after being questioned. If it was Zhang Shou himself, he would also doubt his life after being shocked.
But at this moment, he knew that Zhu Ying didn't need him to comment on what happened last night, so he smiled and spoke after listening.
"I told you before that you were born a lucky girl, and this luck will stay with you forever. So, I told the emperor before you came that if I brought people to pick you up, it would cause you trouble."
Zhu Ying then remembered that when she first met the emperor, she had said the word "causing trouble" in a moment of haste. She felt a little embarrassed, so she simply grabbed Zhang Shou's hand and snorted in annoyance.
"The emperor has bad intentions. He asked you to pick me up in Huairou. First, he might be trying to lure the enemy further. Second, he might have other plans... Anyway, you refused, and I came back on my own. That's the best! Ah Shou, you are very courageous, but you are a beautiful jade. There is no need to collide with stones. I don't want you to go to any place with the slightest risk."
"Do you know that the time my elder brother forced you to go to Cangzhou... I was almost mad, so I went to Cangzhou as well!"
When Zhang Shou thought about Zhu Ying chasing him to Cangzhou later, he couldn't help but laugh out loud.
Although this was in the palace, not on a busy street, it had to be said that Zhu Ying's action was still bold. But since she didn't care, he didn't care about all the looks.
The two of them tacitly agreed not to talk about the eldest prince - let alone whether the eldest prince was the mastermind of this ridiculous farce. In their minds, the deposed queen was dead, and the second prince's life and death were uncertain, so these things were not done by the eldest prince, but by the eldest prince... After all, the rioters even shouted such slogans.
As for the Third Prince, the Crown Prince, and the Fourth Prince, as well as their mothers and their families, they definitely do not have the strength to do so. And the so-called Prince Party has not even taken shape yet.
The emperor, who was more emotional than rational most of the time, obviously had no intention of secretly uprooting his former wife and son - it would be a joke if the emperor did such a thing.
However, because of what happened today, Zhang Shou had a vague idea in his mind.
He vaguely felt that the mother and her two children were not completely innocent. For example, the eldest prince must have been flirting with a certain minister for a long time , so after discovering that the eldest prince had lost power, he still took the risk. After the failure, he was afraid of being investigated and committed suicide by taking poison. However, it seemed that someone was deliberately pushing the mother and her two children to a point of no return.
But what does this have to do with him? The deposed empress and her two children were not his relatives or friends. Was he going to speak up for them just because of a little suspicion? Shouldn't the ministers who supported the establishment of the eldest son as the heir do that?
So he recommended Confucius, and on the surface, it seemed like he was giving him a way out, and he was very "kind" to let him show his true feelings to the crown prince through actual actions, but in fact, he was setting a trap for him - didn't you say that you supported the establishment of the eldest son out of public interest? In that case, then you should continue to show your selflessness and solve the problem of the eldest prince!
Since the emperor had made up his mind, he naturally acted quickly. When he came out of Ciqiong Palace where the third prince lived and studied, he ordered someone to summon Qin Duke Zhang Chuan. When he returned to the Qianqing Palace, he casually flipped through several memorials sent by the cabinet. Before he even realized how much time had passed, Zhang Chuan had arrived.
The Zhang family of Duke Qin had been a civil servant since the previous generation Zhang Yun, and Zhang Chuan was also good at literature. Although they were nobles in the eyes of outsiders, they did not seem to be favored as much as other families. Even some of the marquises and earls were more favored than the Zhang family father and son.
But since Zhang Chuan took office as the governor of Shuntian Prefecture, the significance has changed greatly. Some people even compare him with Zhu Jing, the Duke of Zhao, taking office as the Minister of War.
Therefore, when Zhang Chuan hurriedly went to the Qianqing Palace in response to the imperial edict, and then went straight to the Kong family after coming out of the Qianqing Palace, this naturally attracted a lot of attention.
After the morning court session, Master Kong Jiu did not dare to stay in the Taichang Temple for a moment, and hurried home to check on the condition of Master Kong. Of course, he was more worried because Zhang Shou mentioned Jiang Zhuoer during the morning court session, and he knew that his cousin was his only lifeline. So, when he heard that Zhang Chuan suddenly came to visit the patient and his sister-in-law Gu sent her second son to meet him, he could not help but panic.
He really couldn't help but panic. Although the emperor asked Zhu Tingfang to go to Zhang Garden to pick up the Jiang Zhuoer that Zhang Shou mentioned, after what happened in the past two days, who didn't know that Zhang Chuan, the governor of Shuntian Prefecture, and Zhu Tingfang were actually one and the same? The previous tight outside and loose inside was to lure out those people with ulterior motives.
Maybe Zhu Tingfang has already asked Jiang Zhuoer some things and informed Qin Guogong Zhang Chuan. Now Zhang Chuan has come to question him just because of this matter... Maybe he is here just to target him!
Thinking about how he had talked so much after he came back, he relayed to Mr. Kong all that Zhu Tingfang and Zhang Shou had said, but this cousin had ignored him since he entered the door. Mr. Kong Jiu simply made up his mind and spoke frankly.
"Brother, I know you are mad at me for misjudging the situation this time, which led to Zhu Tingfang, the evil star, but I really didn't mean it! I did see that Ah Liu beside Zhang Shou buying tonics at the pharmacy, and he specifically asked for the best ones, even the store's treasure, the most expensive old mountain ginseng. You should know that this guy is the most stingy, and even asked for usury to lend money to the girl to buy a slingshot!"
"Besides, even my nephew would be so foolish as to secretly transport his belongings out, let alone me. Big brother, you are an official in the capital, have you ever asked your big sister about her daily expenses? It is said that it is not easy to live in the capital. You, a cabinet minister, still have trouble making ends meet, let alone me? But you can ask your big sister, how much do I give you every year by saving money and using the excuses of the three festivals and two birthdays?"
Gu, who was tending to the sick at the bedside, never thought that Master Kong Jiu would speak so bluntly. She saw that Master Kong was looking at her in shock and anger, as if asking whether this was really the case. Even though she wanted to deny it, the gifts she received had a list, and she really couldn't deny it.
Therefore, she simply told the truth: "Master, the expenses in the capital are high. Although my family has done their best to subsidize us, you have to be an honest official and refuse to accept tributes and festival gifts from officials outside the capital. Various social interactions also require money. Our family's assets are all in our hometown, so we are indeed unable to make ends meet."
She glanced at Master Kong Jiu, thinking of the fact that he was still outside receiving the second son of Qin Guogong Zhang Chuan, and that she had ordered her eldest son to reflect in his room after Zhu Tingfang left, she felt irritated, and naturally the more she looked at Master Kong Jiu, the more she disliked him. If people didn't believe everything they heard, how could there be all these troubles today?
She immediately laughed and said, "The Ninth Master does give a lot of gifts every year, about two to three thousand strings of cash a year, which does help to supplement some of the family expenses, but he also does a lot of things in the name of the Master!"
Scholar Kong was almost pissed off by his cousin and his wife. He never thought that his family would be in such a bad state after all, as he had always lived a simple life and his sons and daughters-in-law were not extravagant.
"Good, very good!" Grand Secretary Kong felt as if there was a sweet and fishy taste in his throat, and his head was swelling. He could not help but pound the bed and shouted angrily, "You think I am doing well as a Grand Secretary, don't you? I work hard all day long, but you are doing dirty things behind my back! You will not be satisfied until I write a petition to beg for my life, right?"
When these words came out, Master Kong Jiu and Gu were all shocked. Not to mention them, even the Kong family could not bear the huge blow of the resignation of the Grand Secretary Kong in his prime!
Master Kong Jiu was very sure that once they knew that this matter was caused by him, the clan might expel him. And Gu was also very sure that without the heavy burden of her husband, she would be laughed at by countless people just for the stupid thing her eldest son did - and not laughed at behind her back, but laughed at her in front of him!
So, the uncle and his wife, who had just been at loggerheads, tried to persuade each other hastily. But just when Academician Kong was determined, a servant's cautious voice came from outside: "Madam, the second young master sent someone to report that Duke Qin did not come to visit the master who was ill and did not attend the court today, but was ordered by the emperor, and he will bring someone in now."
At this moment, the three masters in the room were startled at the same time, and then Gu and Master Kong Jiu became unprecedentedly nervous. On the contrary, Master Kong regained his composure in a moment.
"Since the emperor has sent someone to visit me, please come in. I just didn't sleep well last night and I feel a little dizzy this morning."
Gu wanted to say something, but was stopped by the stern look of Kong Daxueshi. And Master Kong Jiu knew very well that even if there was no imperial decree, his nephew who went out to receive him could only delay at most, and he would not have the courage to refuse Duke Qin.
At the critical moment, he could only smile and say, "Brother, you have always been in good health. That little illness this morning is really nothing. It doesn't matter if you are dissatisfied with me, but don't say those fatal words in front of Duke Qin. Everyone knows that it was you who supported our Kong family! After so many years, the only one who can still do well in the capital after resigning is Lu Wan!"
"Don't mention that guy!" When someone mentioned the name that he hated the most, Master Kong's face suddenly changed. He hated to let people know that Lu Wan was not completely Jiang Ge Lao's man, but had connections with him. Lu Wan didn't make it public, which naturally made him feel relieved, so he always turned a blind eye to what the Lu family father and son did.
Just when he was about to give another warning, Zhang Chuan's voice came from outside: "Second Master Kong, it sounds like your father is in good spirits. Does he seem to be healthy?"
