Chapter 169 Frame Zhang Ting, She Won't Allow It...
After finally coaxing Zhang Shile to sleep, the couple lay on the bed, exhausted, like two broken and leaky rag dolls.
A few breaths later, the sound of rustling fabric filled the air.
Zong Suyi propped her head up with one hand, quietly looking at the person beside her.
He asked softly, "Are you still feeling annoyed?"
Zhang Ting, with her eyes closed, hummed in response, "I was exhausted after being tormented by this brat all night, I can't think of anything else."
After a moment, she opened her eyes again and said calmly, "The one who recommended me was the prefect of Zhangzhou Prefecture. My achievements are evident throughout Zhangzhou Prefecture. They cannot be faked or taken away. My position in this matter is simply that of a good official who does more for the people. The emperor has no reason to reprimand me."
"Despite her dissatisfaction, rage, and resentment, she had no choice but to, in front of the entire court and under the pressure of millions of people, call for the execution of an innocent county magistrate. The worst-case scenario for her now is simply to continue serving as the county magistrate of Fengxian. It's no different from before."
“This timing isn’t right, let’s try another one.” She winked at her husband and said.
That's true, the opportunity isn't nonexistent, but it's slim. Zhang Ting didn't want to make her teacher lose face by begging others and have her three senior sisters go through all the trouble for her, all for this slim chance that might even bring her trouble.
She should be more composed, more vigilant, and accumulate more energy to guard against the dagger of power that might inadvertently harm those around her.
She stared intently at the roof beam, her gaze deep and cold, containing a chilling undercurrent.
Whether it's ten years or twenty years, she can endure it.
...
Emperor Chengtai was furious that day, and Gao Qiu was also scolded a lot, but she couldn't get angry at all.
Because everything was progressing according to her plan.
The angrier His Majesty gets, the worse Zhang Ting's luck will be.
That day, she skimmed the foam from her teacup and said to the Fifth Princess, "Just you wait and see, she doesn't have many good days left."
The Fifth Princess wholeheartedly agreed, “Mother Empress gave Prefect He a severe dressing down at court today, so it seems the fire will soon be directed at Zhang Ting.”
Months ago, the prefect of Yingzhou Prefecture offered her two-thirds of its disaster relief funds and grain as a gesture of surrender. Originally, she had no reason to bother with a mere county magistrate; she figured she'd never amount to anything. However, Zhang Ting had actually persuaded Han Bingyue to transfer Yingzhou Prefecture's disaster relief grain! The prize she was about to win had flown away—she was furious!
How dare she rob the imperial family of their money and provisions? Chen Liu would be asking for trouble if he didn't teach her a lesson.
"But why is Qingliu actually speaking well of that guy surnamed He? That's strange indeed," Gao Qiu said, taking a sip of tea.
Last year, the Qingliu faction did a lot of kicking someone when they were down, including Prefect He under her command. Why the sudden change of heart?
Chen Liu echoed indignantly, "If it weren't for Qingliu withstanding the pressure from the Empress Dowager, that He fellow and Zhang Ting would have been finished long ago. How could we still be troubled by this matter now?"
These stubborn mules in Qingliu are hard to chew and have no sense of propriety. Once she ascends to the throne, she will confiscate their property and exile them one day!
Gao Qiu lowered her eyes and put down her teacup, concealing the fleeting satisfaction in her eyes. The future crown prince, who despises the pure stream, will only draw closer to the corrupt; she has always been willing to do anything that benefits her side.
She composed herself, her tone firm, and turned to say, "Your Highness, please don't be angry. I will send someone to make the fire burn even brighter."
One night later, rumors and slander about Zhang Ting spread like wildfire. They claimed she forcibly abducted men, forced women into prostitution, embezzled public funds, and deceived the emperor. The rumors were all very detailed and detailed. Among them, the one that "Zhang Ting has kidney deficiency and difficulty in sexual intercourse" was the most widely spread and almost everyone knew about it.
Gao Qiu was somewhat dissatisfied. What she wanted was for Zhang Ting to have a notorious reputation, for the people and officials of the capital to hate her, to call her a corrupt official and a treacherous minister. How did the rumors start to involve matters between men and women?
"What's going on?" she angrily rebuked the incompetent maid.
The maid was also aggrieved: "So many messages were spread, but I don't know why, everyone only listened to this one." What could she do if people only remembered that one sentence?
Gao Qiu abruptly flicked his sleeve, glaring angrily, "Go down and receive your punishment!"
A piece of trash who's more likely to cause trouble than to accomplish anything!
Chen Liu was somewhat surprised and turned to Gao Qiu for confirmation, "Zhang Ting, is she really no good?" She seemed like such a tall and elegant lady back then; he had even considered marrying his younger brother to her. In the end, she turned out to be all looks and no substance?
"This servant doesn't know..." The palace maids trembled and knelt down in unison. She had only overheard the rumors.
Emperor Chengtai frowned, seemed to be deep in thought, and walked away.
There were many rumors about Zhang Ting in the inner circle, but only this one left a deep impression on her.
Back in her bedchamber, the confusion on her brow remained unresolved.
She had a very good impression of Zhang Ting; she was exceptionally talented in writing and possessed both beauty and grace—a truly unique and beautiful woman. Even after being disobeyed, she never questioned Zhang Ting's abilities.
Now they're telling her that Zhang Ting is a coward who can't handle men?
Emperor Chengtai's brow furrowed even more, and he sounded rather pitiful...
She dismissed everyone around her and asked her old friend, "Xu Qiu, do you think Zhang Ting is really no good?"
Xu Qiu replied awkwardly, "Your Majesty, I do know about this matter. However, I felt that such vulgar language might offend your ears, so I did not dare to tell you."
Emperor Chengtai said that this was not important; she was only curious whether the matter was true and asked Xu Qiu to tell her quickly.
Xu Qiu sighed, "I've also inquired about it privately. This... the rumor originated from Zhangzhou Prefecture, and almost all the officials in Tongzhou Prefecture know about it."
“My great-aunt’s nephew’s daughter is from Zhangzhou Prefecture. She recently entered the palace and told me about this.”
"This rumor is true."
Empress Chengtai found it hard to believe; she still couldn't reconcile that unpleasant word with the woman who once looked down upon the world from the palace.
Even though I still harbor resentment towards her, I can't help but feel sorry for her.
A woman's life revolves around only three pleasures: power, money, and men.
The first two can be earned and accumulated gradually, but if one's health is poor, one may not be able to enjoy the greatest pleasures in life. Even if one can obtain money and power, what is the point of living?
Tsk, sigh!
Speaking of this, Xu Qiu suddenly realized something and remembered an old incident.
"Your Majesty, do you think Zhang Ting knew he was not good enough and was afraid of disgracing the precious daughter of the family, which is why he insisted on refusing the marriage in the first place?"
Emperor Chengtai waved his hand, "If that's the case, he should have stated his reasons when he refused the marriage. Why did he have to anger me?"
When the emperor is angry, millions will die. He didn't believe any subject would risk offending the emperor.
Xu Qiu: "But... would a woman as noble as Lady Zhang, a renowned talent both in and out of court, be willing to swallow her pride and tell the truth?"
Cheng Taidi: "!" She turned her head to look at her old friend. Putting herself in his shoes, she knew that if she were in his shoes, she really couldn't let anyone know.
She tapped her finger and said, "Old friend, you're right."
In an instant, the gloom of resentment in Emperor Chengtai's heart dissipated, and he felt as if the sky was clear and blue.
So that's how it is!
So that's how it is!
She said that the genius she had spotted at first sight, the only woman in the dynasty to achieve the highest honors in all three levels of the imperial examinations, could not possibly deliberately disobey her!
Alas, young people are ultimately too thin-skinned and naive. They are unaware that their fate in officialdom hinges on a single word from the emperor.
But she also sacrificed herself, withstood the wrath, and did not go along with the trend to marry her own son. Otherwise, Emperor Chengtai could not imagine what a miserable scene her youngest son would have been like after the marriage.
What a wonderful child she is; it must have been so difficult for her.
Emperor Chengtai was moved for a moment, and then felt sad. He sighed to himself for a long time, and then ordered Xu Qiu to bring the memorial from Prefect He of Zhangzhou requesting an official title for Zhang Ting.
Her impression of Zhang Ting changed, and she began to read the memorial carefully.
The text states that Zhang Ting was appointed to a critical post as the chief disaster relief officer. Within a few months, he fought against floods, suppressed epidemics, allocated grain, coordinated various parties, planted new crops, and rebuilt homes, bringing order to Zhangzhou Prefecture and making it even better than before.
I was too ill to participate, but thankfully Zhang Ting was there. She saved Zhangzhou Prefecture from crisis and restored peace and stability to the people; I am far superior to her.
Therefore, he submitted a memorial requesting that she be rewarded. He earnestly requested His Majesty's approval.
In fact, when the disaster relief efforts were initially discussed, the imperial court had almost abandoned the Zhangzhou region. The severe droughts year after year nearly crippled the local economy and people's livelihoods. The area was penniless and relied entirely on annual government aid; who wouldn't complain?
Just as the devastating floods struck, the court was in dire straits, with funds even being drawn from Emperor Chengtai's private treasury for disaster relief. How could the court possibly spare any attention for a remote place that was always holding back the progress?
Therefore, everyone tacitly agreed to ignore this place for the time being, and to deal with it when the imperial court had sufficient funds and provisions.
Can the disaster be delayed? In a place that was already poor and plagued by disasters, with no money and no food, all that awaited Zhangzhou Prefecture was corpses floating everywhere and death as the only option for the people.
But almost impossible, it survived and achieved remarkable results, with the disaster situation stabilizing better than in many other states, and the economy reportedly making significant progress as well.
All of this is thanks to Zhang Ting; he truly deserves to be the wise and capable minister I had my eye on from the very beginning.
Emperor Chengtai wrote "Approved" in vermilion ink on the memorial.
Emperor Chengtai's approval of the memorial caused a stir both inside and outside the court. No one expected that just two days ago His Majesty had berated Prefect He, who had submitted the memorial, and then turned around and approved it.
It's like he's become a completely different person; it's utterly baffling.
The night was slightly cool, and a north wind was blowing in gusts.
In the warm room, Xu Qiu lay reclining on the couch, resting with her eyes closed.
"Is everything taken care of? Make sure not a single palace maid lets it slip," she said leisurely.
"You can rest assured, sir, my niece is efficient and decisive," said a short palace maid.
No matter how hard everyone racked their brains, no one would ever know that it was Aunt who amplified the rumors in the palace and even brought them to His Majesty's attention.
“Okay,” Xu Qiu replied.
Since someone was spreading rumors about Lord Zhang, she would amplify those rumors, do the opposite, and use the rumors as a foundation for her own actions, turning the tables on him.
Lord Zhang was an upright and honest man who devoted himself to the country and its people until his death.
Once she's been pecked by insects, how can we just stand by and watch her be framed?
She wouldn't allow it.
They absolutely will not allow it.
They will do everything they can to help her.
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