Chapter 1683 The Drunkard's Intention (January Monthly Ticket Plus 7)
Bai Shan answered for him, "We both come from the Longzhou Bai family."
Mr. Zhuang also slightly turned sideways to introduce Manbao who was following behind him, and said with a smile: "This is my eldest disciple Zhou Man."
The middle-aged scholar was stunned.
He didn't recognize Mr. Zhuang, but he had heard of Zhou Man.
The story of Zhou Man having a teacher and two junior fellow apprentices was also widely circulated in the capital.
Zhang Chen felt his arm hurt again and couldn't help but look past them at Zhou Man who was standing behind him.
Manbao looked up in confusion and met his gaze, with a look of bewilderment on his face. Why did he stop walking?
Zhou Man is quite famous in the capital. In fact, Bai Shan is also famous, especially among the literati. The two of them are known for their loyalty, righteousness, benevolence and filial piety. He didn't expect to meet them.
Zhang Chen greeted them again, found a place to sit at the top of the mountain, and set out some drinks and snacks. He then sighed and said to the others, "I participated in the imperial examination, but failed. I thought I would have a chance in the autumn exam, but who knew I wouldn't be able to pass. Sigh..."
Mr. Zhuang comforted him, saying, "Although we have two exams this year, there are still many candidates. Brother Zhang, don't be too discouraged."
Zhang Chen had heard this kind of comfort many times and shook his head. "If I don't pass this year, there might not be another exam next year. If I wait another two years, I'll be even older."
Mr. Zhuang laughed and said, "No matter how old you are, can you be older than me?"
Zhang Chen looked at the energetic Mr. Zhuang, then glanced at the three young men serving him on the other side of the mat, and sighed even more, "How can I compare with you, sir? With such a talented disciple, it would be worth it for you to never become an official in your life."
Although Mr. Zhuang felt that what he said was right, he also heard a sense of dejection. He opened his mouth but ultimately did not try to persuade him any further.
It's not appropriate to talk too much with someone you're not close to, so he raised his hand and offered him a glass of wine.
They sat there for a while until Mr. Jiang and the others finally came up the mountain. When they saw Mr. Zhuang and his three disciples, they smiled and said, "I guessed you were going up the mountain, and it turned out to be true."
They didn't mind the fact that there was an unfamiliar Zhang Chen. After all, climbing the mountain on Double Ninth Festival was just about climbing the mountain, looking at the scenery, drinking some wine, and being happy in their hearts.
The three older ones were very carefree, the three younger ones were carefree, and only Zhang Chen was feeling depressed and frustrated, sitting there in a daze.
Mr. Jiang and others also brought some wine up. Seeing that he seemed to be in a bad mood, they simply raised their hands and poured him some wine.
Everyone stayed on the mountain until evening. Zhang Chen got drunk and was finally carried down by Daji and Mr. Jiang's followers.
The carriage swayed slowly as it returned to the capital. Man Bao and the other two rode on their horses, chasing each other towards the capital. After leaving the carriage for a long distance, they turned their horses around and ran back. They repeated this over and over again, enjoying themselves.
They were too young to understand Zhang Chen's frustration.
What's more, neither Manbao, Baishan nor Bai Erlang think that being an official is a very important thing in this world.
There are so many things people can do in this world, and becoming an official is just one option.
On this point, they are even more open-minded than Mr. Zhuang, who has experienced many ups and downs.
Mr. Jiang lowered the curtain, looked away from the window, and smiled at Mr. Zhuang, saying, "It seems your three disciples have made more progress than before."
Mr. Zhuang smiled and said, "They have grown up too."
Mr. Jiang sighed sadly, "You can see them growing up, but I am just getting older. I am getting older day by day, but my children at home are not making any progress at all."
Mr. Chen laughed and said, "Every time I see you, I have to hear you envy me. My ears are about to get calluses."
"Aren't you envious? If you're not envious, why don't you say less in private?"
Mr. Zhuang laughed heartily and waved his hand nonchalantly, "Go ahead and say it. I don't care."
"If I envy you, then you naturally don't care." Mr. Jiang thought of something and turned around to search in his luggage, finding a bundle of manuscripts and handing them to him. "This is the calligraphy I've been practicing recently. I think Bai Shan's calligraphy is very good. Let's see if he wants to copy it."
Mr. Jiang's calligraphy is very famous. It is said that even the emperor has collected it. Mr. Zhuang immediately took it and thanked him on behalf of Bai Shan.
Mr. Jiang shook his head and said, "I will never be able to have such a good disciple in my lifetime. I can only watch and envy him. I am satisfied if I can give him some guidance."
When they returned to the city, Mr. Zhuang asked someone to take Zhang Chen, who was lying in his carriage, to the inn.
Mr. Jiang raised an eyebrow and asked with a smile, "Why don't you take him home? After all, he's a scholar who can take the imperial examinations. He has some skills. Maybe you can recruit him as an aide."
Mr. Zhuang shook his head and laughed, "I'm just a ninth-rank official. Why would I need a staff? I just read books in the Chongwenguan and explain some classics to the prince."
He said, "Manbao doesn't need it at all. She's the imperial physician, she only cares about curing illnesses and compiling medical books. She doesn't need any advisers. As for Bai Shan and Bai Cheng, they're still too young, and it's unclear when they'll be able to enter the officialdom."
Mr. Chen said frankly, "I thought it was because you looked down on him."
He laughed and said, "I saw in his words that he was trying to surrender, so I forced him to drink. I thought you could take advantage of the situation and bring him back, and this staff member would be safe. Who knew you had no such intention."
Mr. Zhuang shook his head, smiled and looked out the window. His three naughty disciples came back on horseback from a distance, laughing.
He said, "We cannot work together if we are not of the same mind. Besides, the other party's intentions are not with us, master and disciple."
But I'm afraid it lies with the prince who is related to them.
Mr. Jiang naturally thought of this, and since they were good friends after all, he couldn't help but ask, "Are you all doing well in the East Palace?"
Mr. Zhuang smiled and nodded, "His Royal Highness the Crown Prince has become increasingly humble, so we are all doing well."
It can be said that the entire court saw the correction and improvement of the prince's character. This time, when the emperor invited the elderly and ministers to dinner, the prince was the one who held the pot and poured the wine.
He was no longer as irritable as in previous years, and he had done a good job in his previous assignments. Although there were imperial censors impeaching him from time to time, they were not a big deal, and he rarely quarreled with ministers in the court.
Therefore, the ministers headed by Wei Zhi were quite favorable to the prince today. Everyone had a pleasant palace banquet together, and then someone mentioned Prince Gong's return to Luozhou.
Prince Gong has stayed in Beijing for too long, and it’s time for him to return to Luozhou. We can’t keep him under house arrest in the palace forever, right?
The emperor pondered for a moment, remembering the queen's opinion, and he tried to decline the matter, saying that today was Double Ninth Festival, and everyone should only respect the elderly and not talk about state affairs.
Wei Zhi, who opposed Prince Gong's return to Luozhou, breathed a sigh of relief.
Prince Gong is in the capital. If he is always imprisoned in the palace, it would be better for him to stay in the capital. When the emperor wants to release him one day, he can then bring up the matter of returning to Luozhou.
As long as he was under house arrest in the palace, there wasn't much he could do.
Ask for monthly ticket
See you tomorrow
(End of this chapter)
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