Chapter 47 Teachers, you are still young, so you don’t need to worry about your children…
Jingchun Pavilion's business is still booming.
Compared with three years ago, many new dishes have been introduced here. It is said that a new chef has come here and is particularly good at Jiangnan cuisine.
Zhang Jin was led upstairs by the waiter and led all the way to the secluded "Lan" room. The noise gradually faded away. He sighed lightly and pushed the door open.
"Huaiyu is here."
The old man, leaning against the window, heard the noise and turned back with a smile. After years of absence, the old man had become thinner than he had been three years ago, but he was in good spirits, his face radiant with rosy glow.
"Teacher." Zhang Jinwei bowed. "Long time no see."
"After three years of not seeing each other, how could we feel so unfamiliar? Sit down!" Mei Ziqian smiled and pointed to the wine pot on the table. "Today, it's just the two of us, teacher and student. Don't be shy, come and have a drink with me. This is the wine I brewed myself. It's been buried under the plum tree in my hometown for over twenty years. Everyone who has tasted it praises it. Try it!"
"What are you talking about, teacher? When I saw you just now, I was filled with emotion. You resigned from your official position and returned to your hometown, and I went to the border. I thought I would never see you again in this life. I never thought that it was my destiny to meet you again in the capital." Zhang Jinwei said earnestly. He lifted his clothes and sat down slowly.
"It's all in our destiny... Well, maybe!" Mei Ziqian waved his hand with a wry smile. He raised his glass to his most proud student and said, "Come on, drink. Why bother thinking about fate and destiny?"
Zhang Jinwei also raised his glass: "I toast to the teacher."
As expected of a twenty-year-old wine, the sip was clear and lingering. Zhang Jin drank the entire glass, savored it carefully, and exclaimed, "Great wine!"
Mei Ziqian clapped his hands and laughed: "That's good!"
The teacher and student ate some dishes and drank a few glasses of wine before putting down their chopsticks. However, they did not talk about state affairs, but chatted about family matters.
Mei Ziqian explained that he'd been a private school teacher by West Lake for three years, spending his days fishing after class. He'd been living a carefree life. Speaking of his children and grandchildren, his face shone with a touch of kindness and tenderness, a stark contrast to his usual stern demeanor. With that kind smile, he glanced meaningfully at Zhang Jinwei and said, "Come to think of it, Huaiyu, you've been married to the princess for nearly four years, so why don't you have any children?"
Zhang Jin paused as he picked up the food, his expression unchanged as he continued, "I've been in the borderlands for three years, with smoke everywhere and the flames of war constantly raging. The princess and I have been apart for much of the time. I was fighting on the front lines while she was helping the people in the rear. If we have a child, wouldn't it be very hard for her?"
"That's right. You're still young, so there's no need to rush about having children." Mei Ziqian stroked his beard, a glint in his eyes. "But it's strange. His beloved sister has been married for four years, but his brother refuses to marry even a princess. His Royal Highness Prince Rui is truly unfathomable."
Here it comes.
Zhang Jinwei's heart tightened. He put down his chopsticks and said with a smile, "His Royal Highness Prince Rui has been a monk for many years and follows the Quanzhen Dao, so naturally he is unwilling to marry."
"That's even more bizarre." Mei Ziqian filled their glasses with wine. "A prince actually became a Taoist monk. That's fine, as he could just be seeking spiritual support and enlightenment. But I never thought he'd be so eager to assist in government affairs before even returning to secular life."
The wine is good, the food is good, but the words are not good.
Zhang Jinwei raised his eyes and looked at his mentor, his mind racing. He didn't expect to impress Mei Ziqian with just his one-sided words, and he wasn't completely sold on Zhou Heng. Before the situation became clear, anything was possible.
"Teacher, His Royal Highness Prince Rui..."
…
“Mmmmm!”
Zhou Shan tried to struggle and escape from Zhou Heng's clutches, but how could he be Zhou Heng's opponent? Even though Zhou Heng was lying on the couch with his right leg covered in silver needles, it didn't stop him from leaning out half of his body and groping Zhou Shan's cheeks.
It’s simple, it’s just too easy to pinch.
Her skin was soft and delicate, and because Zhou Xian was lazy today and didn't put on any makeup, her fair little face was like a lotus emerging from the water, making her look particularly pitiful and cute.
Before Zhou Xian got angry, Zhou Heng stopped just in time. Seeing the person in front of him with tears in her eyes, he quickly asked the maid to bring some snacks and comforted her.
Zhou Xian said angrily, "If you weren't in poor health, I really wanted to throw you out!"
Zhou Heng picked up a book beside him, flipped through a few pages, and coaxed, "Alright, alright, come and have some snacks. We have a new cook, assigned from the palace, and I asked him to make your favorite silk nest and tiger eye candy. When you leave later, remember to take a few boxes with you."
So Zhou Xian ate the snacks with a resentful look on his face. He puffed out his cheeks and tasted all kinds of snacks. Then he lifted his skirt and sat down on the couch with a swagger.
"What are you looking at?" He leaned his head over and rested it on his brother's shoulder, and stuffed the snack in his hand into Zhou Heng's mouth.
Zhou Heng didn't like sweet things, so he was suddenly given a mouthful of greasy date paste cake, nearly choking to death. Zhou Heng threw the book in his hand, forced himself to swallow the snack, and sneered, "Are you trying to choke your brother to death?"
After saying that, he reached out his hand to tickle Zhou Xian's itchy spot.
Zhou Xian was extremely alert and quickly dodged Zhou Heng's hand, yelling as he did so, "You pinched my face! I fed you snacks! I'm repaying kindness with hatred, it's Sixth Brother who has no shame!"
So spoiled!
Zhou Heng was so angry that he sneered. Just as he was about to tickle the person, he suddenly heard a cry of "Ouch, ouch" from outside the door. It turned out to be Sun Yi. The old man saw the two people quarreling and was afraid that they would step on the silver needle, so he hurried in to stop the fight.
"How can you be so violent?!" Sun Yi ran up with a bitter laugh and carried Zhou Shan off the bed. "What if the needle gets misplaced or pierces you?"
Zhou Xian quietly stuck out her tongue and said coquettishly, "Grandpa, I know I was wrong—"
Sun Yi couldn't stand his coquettish behavior, so he patted his shoulder, then bent down and took out the needle for Zhou Heng: "It will be a little painful, Your Highness Prince Rui, please be patient."
Zhou Heng nodded: "No problem."
The leg injury was sustained last year, when Zhou Heng's troops were trapped in a siege, fighting for a day and a night. When his subordinates dug him out from the pile of corpses, his right leg was a bloody mess, barely visible to the bone. He had also suffered severe internal injuries, and his breathing was extremely weak. Thanks to the renowned doctors Huang Ruiying and Sun Yi, he was able to save his life from the clutches of the underworld.
Even if such a serious injury gradually heals, it will still leave a hideous scar on Zhou Heng's leg. However, even a slight flaw in a beautiful jade will make his strength even more apparent.
When the needle was removed, Zhou Heng's face turned pale and he was sweating profusely. Zhou Shan felt very distressed when she saw this. She took out a handkerchief from her sleeve and carefully wiped the sweat off Zhou Heng's face.
There was a faint floral scent on the handkerchief.
"Your Highness's legs cannot be stood or kneeled for long periods of time. You need to rest more and avoid catching colds. Your Highness is young and strong now, so occasional pain and lameness are no big deal. But as you get older, if you don't take good care of yourself, you'll probably suffer." Sun Yi said worriedly while massaging his legs.
Zhou Heng said, "Thank you, Grandpa. I will pay more attention in the future."
The call of "Grandpa" brought a beaming smile to Sun Yi's face. Now that he had found his grandson, even his grandson's husband, brother, and even the maids and eunuchs in the mansion began to call him Grandpa. The ancients spoke of the joy of family, but Sun Yi had lived a life of broken family and unhappiness. Fortunately, he had found his family in his later years. Although he could no longer enjoy the company of his grandchildren, he was already content.
After experiencing the suffering of losing his wife, son and daughter, Sun Yi saw through it all. He was content with what he had and only hoped that these younger generations in front of him could live in peace, happiness and grow old together.
"Alas, in the opinion of an old man like me, the palace is still lacking a head of household. I went to look for the toilet just now, but the maid and servant couldn't even tell me the way..." Sun Yi shook his head, packed up his medicine box, and muttered to himself.
Zhou Heng laughed: "I didn't manage the servants well. I can just give them a lecture later. Why do we need another head of the household?"
Zhou Xian interrupted, "Didn't the Emperor and the Empress say they were going to choose a concubine for you? They said they'd chosen the daughter of Zhang Jiancheng, the Imperial College's Chancellor. She's gentle and well-read. Do you want to marry her?"
"No." Zhou Heng lay back on the couch and began to flip through his boring scripture again.
"Oh—" Zhou Xian leaned forward and blew a breath into his ear. "I understand. It must be because..."
"Speaking of being the head of the household, I have an idea." Zhou Heng pinched Zhou Shan's face, smiling, "Sister Shan has managed the Zhuangyuan Mansion so perfectly. How about handing over my palace to her as well? It's better than having someone I don't know mess it up."
You wish!
Zhou Xian struggled, "I'll help you run the palace, will you pay me? At least one thousand taels of silver a year! No less, no more!"
"good."
Zhou Xian opened his eyes wide: "Really?" He was a little moved.
"I'm just kidding! If you come to manage my palace, do you believe that Zhang Jinwei will come to kill me tomorrow?" Zhou Heng knocked on his sister's forehead. Suddenly, his expression froze. By the time everyone in the room reacted, the scripture in his hand had already flown out. "Who's eavesdropping outside—"
With a thud, a figure rolled down from the eaves.
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