Volume 4: Gathering of Sages Chapter 751: The Realm of Sweet Talk
After hearing what Mother Chu said, Zhu Ying felt that she was both amused and sad. She knew that this was the reason Zhang Shou had told her before, that Ah Liu was avoiding her and keeping her in suspense. Of course, she didn't think that Ah Liu, a stubborn martial arts idiot, would design such a grand show.
"How could Ah Liu think so far ahead? It must be Little Fatty Lu's father and Old Master Liu who are behind this! Everyone is praising Ah Shou for his broad mind, ambition, and great achievements... If you ask me, Ah Shou may be very smart and insightful at other times, but on this wedding day, he does n't care about the grand occasion of having so many wise men gather together!"
Hearing Zhu Ying's nonchalant comments on the grand occasion, and even saying without any hesitation that Zhang Shou would never make other plans during the marriage, Ye couldn't help but feel moved. This couple, who were said to be a couple of gods in the capital, really trusted each other deeply. If she had such a perfect husband, she wouldn't be so resistant to getting married, right?
However, Cao Qingqing asked foolishly, "Miss, why do you say that Sixth Master is not far-sighted enough? I think he is a very thoughtful person. I heard that there were many ruffians and bullies in the outer city of the capital , but now some of these landlords have been beaten away by Sixth Master and some have been arrested by Master Zhu. The rest are much more honest and dare not be so arrogant."
"Not only that, even if the remaining people extort money from the land, they dare not ask for as much as those people in the past. They also took out 10% of the money to set up relief bureaus for the orphans and the weak in several large markets today. Three people are regularly selected from the market to manage these relief bureaus. Every time someone is appointed to manage the accounts, it is Sixth Master who comes forward. I heard that many people in the market praise Sixth Master for punishing the strong and helping the weak."
Fortunately, it is about punishing the strong and helping the weak, not robbing the rich to help the poor!
Liu Qing didn't know why she suddenly had such a lucky thought. Zhu Ying glanced at Cao Qingqing thoughtfully, and saw that she looked at her seriously, without any shyness or discomfort. She knew that if Ah Liu was a martial arts idiot, then the one in front of her was a silly girl.
Come to think of it, if the deal of nine out and thirteen back could evolve into some kind of love, then it would be too much of an overestimation of Liu!
She coughed dryly, but said seriously: "Yes, yes, yes, Ah Liu is indeed very considerate. He always uses his fists to correct any inconsiderateness. This kind of straightforwardness has always suited my taste. However, if he wanted to please me in today's matter, he was totally wrong!"
As soon as he finished speaking, the young man's unhappy voice came from outside: "Miss, don't you like this unexpected surprise? If I had known this, I wouldn't have agreed to those two old guys."
Zhu Ying was startled when she saw Cao Qingqing jump up and instinctively covered her waist pouch. She couldn't help but glance at her with interest, wondering if Ah Liu's nine out of ten return came with a debt? Then she snorted and said, "Ah Liu, don't keep me in suspense like this in the future! Although the two people you mentioned are kind-hearted, what if they sell you out?"
"You are a stubborn kid. You don't have that many thoughts. You just believe what other people say about being good to Shou... Even if you didn't tell Shou before, you should have told me!" At this point, Zhu Ying revealed her "true face" and said angrily, "Next time, you must tell me if you have anything. Don't hide it. Do you understand?"
"Yes, I understand."
Ah Liu in the outer room agreed without any reluctance. As for Zhang Shou's joke that he, with thick eyebrows and big eyes, was the first to betray, he fully admitted it, but he did not intend to repent. Of course, after what happened today, he had nothing to hide from Zhang Shou, and of course he would not hide it from Zhu Ying.
But when Ah Liu just came in to get the news from Chu's mother, he felt that if he left like this, it would be a waste of time. Anyway, he was not interested in the scene of the gathering of the wise men that everyone talked about, and he was even less interested in the socializing. Although this was the wedding day of the young master and the eldest lady, he would rather stay here for a while.
So, he pondered for a moment, then stood there and repeated what Ge Yong had said at the wedding banquet. Although he didn't like reading, he had a good memory. As long as he was willing to remember something, he could remember it after reading it once. As for whether he understood it or not, that was entirely up to him whether he was willing to do so.
His retelling undoubtedly saved Mother Chu a lot of trouble. Listening to her, she couldn't help but think to herself that it was no wonder that after she came in, she asked Mother Jin and other servants who were lent to Zhang Yuan by Duke Zhao's Mansion, only to hear that Zhang Shou had never used a maid and only Ah Liu was by his side to take care of his daily life. Ah Liu was even said to be the housekeeper and guard.
There were also some noble sons who had the quirk of having affairs with men, but Ah Liu was completely different from those handsome and extraordinary boy-lovers. Even her own daughter often praised him, and the Madam Tai and Jiu Niang were very confident in him. She used to think that it was because Ah Liu was a disciple of Master Hua Qi and was a very good fighter, but now she knew that was not entirely the case.
Just now, Miss Cao in the room talked about Liu's "good deeds" in the outer city, the helpless and funny emotions of the eldest lady when talking about people, and now Liu's effortless retelling of Ge Yong's words... Everything shows that this young man is a talent.
It’s just that this young talent has a rather strange temperament!
Compared to the jokes and joking in the bridal chamber, Zhu Ying and the others in the room found it very interesting to hear Ah Liu talking about the things happening outside. When Ah Liu finally shifted the focus from Ge Yong to other guests, including Liu Zhiyuan, Lu Wan, Chu Ying, Qi Jingshan, and other people of different identities and statuses, they couldn't help but burst out laughing.
Because apart from those very familiar old faces, Liu obviously hasn't remembered so many people's names, so in order to distinguish them, he will add a string of adjectives as a prefix to each person.
For example, the big-eared man with a long beard, the pockmarked right face who hums strangely (because he likes to hum coldly), the farmer who wears his Confucian robe to make it look short, and the elegant uncle who likes to touch his chin and say, "As expected..."
Anyway, although Ah Liu did not act out any part when he was retelling what these people said, and just narrated it in a plain and straightforward manner, but... the various aspects of life told by this plain storyteller who was actually completely incompetent still caused laughter in the room, especially from Zhu Ying, who laughed unrestrainedly.
"Grandpa Ge is so cunning. With him backing Ah Shou up, what else can others say?"
After a short pause, Zhu Ying ordered, "Ah Liu, go check for me to see if Ah Shou is still at the table. Is he angry and running away? Although he was tricked by you, it is still a good thing for him. If you find him, tell him what I said. At least be patient. It's just this once! When we have time, we can retaliate in any way we want!"
"Since Fatty Lu's father and Old Man Liu have given him so many things to do, let's give them a bunch of things to do and let them do their best! I've heard that they used to be crazy people who would forget to eat and sleep when they were working, just like my father and my eldest brother! You must tell Ah Shou not to learn from them!"
As soon as she said this, Zhu Ying realized that she had made a mistake in her words. What did she mean by "it's just this once, so just bear with it"? Speaking of which, her mother had also told her to bear with it, but she had never expected that she would say the same thing to Zhang Shou! Of course, the most important thing was that she seemed to take it for granted that they would be together until old age, and that no one would leave the other behind and go first...
When she heard Ah Liu outside hum lightly and then fell silent, Liu Qing wiped the tears from the corners of her eyes. Of course, she was not laughing because of what Ah Liu repeated, but because of the adjectives that were so vivid in her imagination.
She remembered that when she heard Ah Liu describe a pair of wise men who were sitting next to each other at the same table as being plump and thin, the tea sprayed out of her mouth and nose.
It was the first time that Liu Qing heard someone actually use "fat and thin" to describe a man. And from what Ah Liu said, the two men seemed to be well-dressed, but they were both students of a certain headmaster. While agreeing with Ge Yong's words, they did not forget to flatter their own headmaster.
Probably because of this, the two were described by Liu as plump and thin. In short, they were like the favorite concubines who were dependent on the king... As for where Liu learned this allusion, she guessed that it should be Zhang Shou who taught her.
Ye felt that she had completely refreshed her understanding of ladies in the boudoir today - it turns out that apart from discussing poetry and essays, the trivial matters of sisters and sisters-in-law, the secrets of each family's backyard, and even comparing brothers, family property, marriage and all kinds of things, women can also be so unscrupulous... judging men, and they are the most pretentious celebrities!
Of course, if this matter were to be leaked, it would surely cause an uproar.
Therefore, when Ah Liu agreed and then fell silent, apparently leaving, she thought about it and planned to take this opportunity to leave. However, she considered how to start the conversation and was about to stand up when she heard a very low voice from outside: "Sister Yingying? Sister Yingying, are you there?"
Zhu Ying was stunned at first, then she frowned and cursed: "Damn you little brat, this is the bridal chamber! Where else could I be if not here on the wedding night?" She was really mad that he could ask such nonsense!
As soon as she finished speaking, Ye saw a small figure flashing in swiftly. It turned out to be a boy. Although she was not an old scholar who strictly followed the strict rule of not sitting at the same table with children under the age of seven, she was still shocked at this moment. She just thought it was a child from the Zhang or Zhu family. But after Liu Qing blurted out the name, she knew she was completely wrong.
"The Fourth Prince!"
The fourth prince sneaked in through the back door of Zhang Garden. He begged Xiao Huasheng and Xiao Cheng to bring him along, promising not to hang around at the wedding banquet, which attracted criticism from some literati, so the two had no choice but to agree. So there were too many guests today, and the doorman was very familiar with Xiao Huasheng and Xiao Cheng, so he didn't care that there was a child behind them.
So, the fourth prince, with his head down, successfully avoided those Zhang Garden servants who knew him and slipped in here. Of course, when he was near the bridal chamber, he could no longer hide, but at this time he had already achieved his goal, and he said very calmly that he was here to congratulate Zhu Ying. The servants looked at each other, and had no choice but to secretly send someone to notify Zhang Shou while looking for Ah Liu for advice.
As for the fact that people were finally able to move into the new house, it was naturally because A Liu showed leniency and provided a convenient door for the naughty child.
At this time, the Fourth Prince, whose identity was exposed, was not in a hurry. He smiled and bowed to everyone, and then said to Zhu Ying in a flattering manner: "Sister Yingying, today is your big day. Although I shouldn't come according to etiquette, you were so good to me in the past, and you married a teacher. I thought about it and couldn't help it. So I didn't go to the wedding banquet before, and I wanted to come to see you."
"I'll just say a few words. If you don't chase me away later, I'll definitely leave! I know a lot of people have said auspicious words today, and you must have heard them so many times that your ears are calloused. I won't say these words! In fact, I have thought since I was a child that it would be great if I could marry you in the future. So when I heard that you were engaged to someone, I was just like those shameless scoundrels . I was almost furious!"
"But later my father sent me to study with a teacher at Banshan Hall. I thought, I should pretend to be a good student to please him. When he lets down his guard, I can take the opportunity to find out his weaknesses and expose his true colors in front of you!"
Xiao Huasheng and Xiao Chengdu outside the door were stunned.
At first, when Zhang Shou pushed the Fourth Prince over to them, they thought he was a naughty kid who refused to admit his mistake; later, he coaxed them into dressing up as a ghost to scare Master Kong Jiu, and they thought he was so bold because of his status as a prince; later, the Fourth Prince made a bet with Zhang Chen, and although they thought he was a bit righteous, they still believed that the Fourth Prince was just acting impulsively.
But these days, after spending time in various poor places in the inner and outer cities of the capital and understanding the lives of their peers, the two of them truly developed some respect for the Fourth Prince. After all, they were all used to living a hard life, and it was incredible that the pampered Fourth Prince could endure such hardships and still conscientiously take notes, write reports, and discuss solutions with them.
However, at this moment the Fourth Prince confessed to Zhu Ying that he had once harbored ill will towards Zhang Shou!
Zhu Ying was also shocked when she heard this, but she quickly reacted and said happily instead of getting angry: "From your tone, you thought so at that time, so you should have repented now?"
"Of course I am convinced by the teacher now!" The fourth prince answered without hesitation, and then raised his head to stare into Zhu Ying's eyes, "And now I think, Sister Yingying, it is really great for you to marry the teacher! You are the only one in the world who deserves him, and he is the only one who deserves you! The treasure chest I gave you before was made by a craftsman with money I borrowed, but actually..."
He took a deep breath, then raised his head and said, "But actually, because I know that you, Sister Yingying, have many treasures bestowed upon you by the Imperial Grandmother and even the Emperor, I gave you that treasure chest not to put those treasures in it, but to tell you that the teacher is your greatest treasure, Sister Yingying, and you must hide him well!"
