Volume 5: Fellow Traveler Chapter 757: Names, Slander
The three-day wedding leave passed in a flash, and Zhang Shou even forgot the ten sets of books that the emperor had given him through the hands of the third prince, the crown prince, and left these books that made many readers crazy to be put aside. When he remembered, it was already early in the morning when he had no choice but to leave the warm bed with great difficulty and planned to go to the East Palace to teach.
Moreover, he didn't think of this on his own, but he didn't get up early to practice sword today, so Zhu Ying, who rarely got up late, reminded him with a yawn.
"Forget it. I can't read more than a few pages at the last minute. If His Royal Highness the Crown Prince really asks me, I'll just say I don't have time to read." Zhang Shou thought about it carefully, and after getting out of bed, he made a self-destructive decision. When he heard Zhu Ying giggling, he suddenly turned around and stretched out his hand to hook her delicate chin as she was leaning over to get up, and quickly made a stealth move.
Immediately afterwards, he disappeared after succeeding in his attack. When Zhu Ying got out of bed in a rage and wanted to get back at him, Liu Yin came in and said with a smile on his face , "Miss, my son-in-law said he will go out after washing up, so don't expect to get revenge."
"He can hide for a while, but can he hide forever!" Zhu Ying snorted coldly, and then shouted angrily, "And you, how many times have I told you to change the way you address me! It's okay to call me like this in the Duke Zhao's mansion, but how can you call me like this in this family? Ah Shou is not marrying into the family, and if it gets out, people will say that I bully him... It's obviously him who always bullies me!"
Liuyin immediately stuck out his tongue, and Zhanjin, who came in a step later, said with a smile: "I always forget to change my words, and it's also because of the son-in-law... because the young master is too tolerant, and he never corrects me even if I call him wrong. And..."
She paused, and said with a strange look on her face, "Besides, it was Lao An who said before that since the young master has established a family and a career, he should be called Master. But the young master refused to agree, saying that being called Master would make him look like an uncle, so it's better to call him Young Master than Master. And when I see him like that, I always feel that he likes us calling him Uncle."
Zhu Ying laughed so hard that she couldn't straighten her back.
"Nonsense, which man would like to be called son-in-law by his family? Mother said before that everyone should change their way of addressing me in the future. I don't mind being called Madam, but when Ah Shou was called Master, his face really looked like he had swallowed three pounds of nails. But mother said that he was the only man in the family, and it was not right to continue calling him Young Master."
"Mother usually listens to whatever Shou says, but this time she is determined. He argued for a long time before mother agreed to let everyone in the family call him Young Master and put away the word Young Master ... But I see that Liu can't change his words!"
Liu Yin also interrupted, "The stupid son of a landlord can be called a young master, but only those from a family of real status and position can be called a young master when they go out. However, I heard Lao An sighing yesterday, saying that it was fine to call the young lady "Madam", but now they have to call her "Young Madam" in an inappropriate way. The problem is that there is no Madam at home!"
"So, my mother, Old An, is not old at all, but she likes to be called Old An. How do you explain that?"
The master and his two servants were chatting and laughing, and Zhang Shou, who had quickly washed up, did not go out on an empty stomach. Instead, he went to Mrs. Wu's place to get two vegetable buns and drank half a bowl of porridge, and then quickly slipped out the door.
As for the little issue of addressing at home, he knew that his insistence was indeed very boring - but being called "master" at the age of seventeen was like a young boy in his early twenties being called "uncle" by some little brats in later generations. He really couldn't stand it.
It's so hard to live a new life, but I'm not allowed to act young. This is really too discouraging!
After rushing all the way to Ciqing Palace, Zhang Shou heard the bells and drums in the palace telling time, and knew that he was not late. He was relieved, but it also made him determined to work hard while he was young, retire early, and sleep until he woke up naturally. With this optimistic and positive work attitude, he entered Ciqing Palace radiantly, and just happened to see Chu Kuan coming out to greet him.
"Morning, Master Zhang."
Chu Kuan was as cordial and enthusiastic as ever. Seeing Zhang Shou smiling and returning the greeting, he ushered Zhang Shou in and said with a smile, "You are newlyweds but only have three days of wedding leave. You must have worked really hard, Mr. Zhang."
"It's hard work, but when I think about it, although my wedding leave is shorter than others, at least it's two days longer than my brother-in-law's, so I'm not dissatisfied."
Zhang Shou paused for a moment, then said nonchalantly, "It's just that during these three days of vacation, I only had time to spend more time with Yingying, and didn't have time to do anything else."
Chu Kuan had originally wanted to ask Zhang Shou quietly, but upon hearing this, he was speechless. Zhang Shou had already said so much, was he going to chase him and ask if he had read the ten sets of books that the Crown Prince gave him?
Since it was obvious that Zhang Shou didn't have the time or the mood, he skipped the topic. Although he was feeling a little low and even disappointed, he adjusted himself quickly. By the time he chatted with Zhang Shou and sent him in front of the third prince, he was already smiling and there was no sign of anything unusual.
The Third Prince had even less time to think about his gift. He felt a little sorry for Zhang Shou's short marriage leave. However, he was also very curious whether this marriage, which was said to be a perfect match in the capital, would be as happy after the wedding as before. But when he saw Zhang Shou's energetic appearance today, he knew that he didn't have to worry.
So, after the first class, during a short break, he couldn't help but whispered, "Teacher, I heard from my father that he wanted to confer the title of princess on Sister Yingying, so he gave her a set of crowns and clothes. However, Sister Yingying didn't want to, so when you conferred the title of wife, Sister Yingying could only be conferred the title of consort."
Zhang Shou had also heard of this incident. He laughed and said, "The 'peerless and independent' in Li Yannian's Beauty Song during the Han Dynasty only describes a beautiful woman who is alone and waiting for the king to pick her. So a beauty like Madam Li is just a rare commodity. In my eyes, Yingying is peerless and independent. In addition to her peerless beauty, she is also independent and detached, not following the crowd."
"So, Yingying doesn't care about her background. She will only repay those who treat her well with all her heart. She doesn't need the title of a princess to prove that she is loved by the emperor and the queen mother, and..."
Zhang Shou laughed as he spoke: "And Yingying probably doesn't want me to have the reputation of being a royal consort, so she would rather not have the so-called imperial title."
At this moment, even the Third Prince couldn't help but laugh out loud. After he finished laughing, he realized his mistake and quickly explained embarrassedly: "I didn't mean to laugh at the teacher! It doesn't matter if the teacher is a consort of the emperor. It's not like the consort of the emperor in this dynasty can't be an official..."
When he said this, he heard Chu Kuan coughing as if he was choking, and suddenly realized that he had said the wrong thing. After all, it was not said that the son-in-law could not be an official, but for many important positions, the officials in the court would tacitly prevent or block the son-in-law from taking up the post. This kind of thing has happened many times in this dynasty alone.
Whether in the Han and Tang dynasties when princesses were powerful, or in the Song dynasty when princesses were becoming less valuable, the prince consort was always in an awkward position. After all, the four words "royal relatives" meant natural enemies and targets in the minds of many officials - otherwise, how could the Duke of Zhao, as a relative of the empress dowager, become the target of public criticism?
The Third Prince's expression changed slightly. Zhang Shou saw it but said nothing because he knew that the young Crown Prince of the Eastern Palace was growing very fast. Besides, with Chu Kuan around, there was no need for him to remind him.
He finished the day's classes step by step. Just as he was about to leave, he suddenly heard the Third Prince ask, "Teacher, you said before that Fourth Brother and Zhang Chen made a bet that they would go to a place where poor people live to teach and then select qualified students. So has the date been set now?"
Zhang Shou laughed when he knew that the Third Prince meant that he, the Crown Prince, would ask Ye Shi to make a judgment. He said casually, "The day after tomorrow, I plan to let them go. After all, the bet has been going on for so many days, and the Fourth Prince has already sneaked away by keeping Xiao Huasheng and Xiao Cheng. If this continues, Zhang Chen will definitely lose."
Seeing the Third Prince nod slightly, obviously happy and relieved for his Fourth Brother, he continued, "Yingying will invite Princess Yongping and Madam Hong tomorrow, and invite the female teachers who received the invitations to a meeting to discuss. I think this is an opportunity. Your Highness the Crown Prince can send a letter to Miss Ye."
After another pause, Zhang Shou looked at Chu Kuan and said with a smile, "Ask her to make an impartial judgment."
Hearing that he didn't have to show up in person, the Third Prince breathed a sigh of relief - he was certainly not afraid of dealing with people now, but after all, Ye had passed the re-selection for imperial concubines, which meant that she could have been his eldest or second sister-in-law, but now her marriage might be delayed because of such a reputation, and he certainly found it difficult to face her.
Therefore, he nodded heavily and said word by word: "Teacher, don't worry, I will write a letter later. This matter is originally for the sake of cherishing the poor and the weak. Please ask her to be strict with the fourth brother."
Chu Kuan laughed secretly beside him, but he didn't remind the Third Prince that he didn't need to be so righteous. Because he knew Ye's personality. If the Third Prince asked for mercy on behalf of the Fourth Prince, then Ye might even stay away from the Crown Prince of the Eastern Palace. And if the Third Prince said it was harsh... After being relieved, people would be even harsher to the Fourth Prince!
Of course, it is impossible for Ye to relax towards Zhang Chen, because Zhu Ying had tried to bring Ye and Zhang Chen together, but it didn't work out, so Zhang Chen can only wish him the best!
After the Third Prince sent Zhang Shou away, he suddenly muttered to himself, "Although Peanut is very clever and Xiao Cheng is also the child adopted by Yingying's eldest brother, he must have good talent, but there is no other reliable person around Fourth Brother, so I am still worried."
Although the Third Prince's words didn't seem to be directed at him, Chu Kuan certainly wouldn't ignore them. He pondered for a moment, then smiled and said, "If His Royal Highness the Crown Prince is really worried, I have a candidate here."
After spending a long time with the Third Prince, and in view of the Third Prince's "strict" requirements, Chu Kuan no longer modestly called him a servant like he did at the beginning. Seeing the Third Prince nod to signal him to continue, he smiled and said, "It was Luo Sanhe, the Imperial Household Department's promise who spoke for the Imperial Household Department's seal-holder, Eunuch Qian, in front of Master Zhang and reminded him to beware of me."
"Now, he works diligently and solidly in the Palace of Heavenly Purity, and he is quite upright, so he is a little awkward getting along with others. Such a young man who is a bit green is more trustworthy than those slick and sophisticated guys. Most importantly, since he feels that he is upright, he will surely be able to persuade the Fourth Prince to prevent him from making a habit of taking radical actions."
The Third Prince had also heard Chu Kuan confess the incident, and now when he heard someone recommend Luo Sanhe, he thought about it carefully and had to admit that he was a very suitable candidate.
Of course, this does not mean that there are so few eunuchs in the palace that it is impossible to pick anyone out, but... even if there are only a few hundred eunuchs in the huge palace, which is far less than the number of palace maids and female officials, the problem is that except for the people around him and those he is familiar with in the Qianqing Palace, the prince does not know most of them at all!
This was the result of him personally leading the investigation of the Imperial Household Department. If not, he would not have known more than twenty eunuchs in the palace… That’s why my father once joked that with his unserious and careless character, he would be easily tricked.
After thinking about it for a while, the Third Prince nodded and said, "Okay, that's him. I'll tell my father about this."
Even if the emperor remembered him because of Chu Kuan, as he was just a eunuch, since it was the Crown Prince of the Eastern Palace who came to talk to him in person, and he was not demoted for no reason but was sent to look after the Fourth Prince - although the person has not returned to the palace yet, it does not mean that the emperor really does not want this son - of course he agreed.
So, Luo Sanhe, who had no idea what was going on, was called in by the emperor. After receiving a serious warning, he was called in by the third prince before he could fully understand it. After going through this process in front of the father and son, the confused young eunuch finally understood his important task.
From the Emperor to the Crown Prince, they actually wanted him to go outside and keep an eye on the Fourth Prince! With the Fourth Prince's ability to stir up trouble and his attitude of never being afraid of anything, could he keep an eye on him? Even if he had clairvoyance and superb hearing, he couldn't control the Fourth Prince!
Luo Sanhe was sure that it was Chu Kuanjin's slander. However, he was not happy. After the Third Prince finished his explanation, he hesitated for a moment and added two more sentences: "I know this is a bit difficult to ask. After all, even my father and I often cannot control Fourth Brother. So, you might as well ask the teacher for advice when you encounter problems. He is Fourth Brother's nemesis."
"I'm not trying to keep an eye on my fourth brother. I just want him to have more helpers. I also want you to keep an eye out for anyone with bad intentions!"
