Chapter 59 Utmost Sincerity and Truth, Presented to the World
“Nephew, this, this is actually your residence?” Magistrate Song said weakly, feeling that it was a coincidence that she ran into an acquaintance as soon as she came out, especially since she had just talked about this person with Zhang Shu yesterday.
"Indeed," Zhang Ting replied softly, bowing to the two, when suddenly she was lifted up by a hand.
Zhang Ting glanced over in surprise and saw an elderly man with silver hair looking at her with admiration and a kind smile, which made her feel very confused, yet also vaguely familiar.
Zhang Shu held her hand firmly and laughed, "No need for formalities!" His gaze was fixed on her, like a hungry wolf eyeing a piece of fat meat.
Magistrate Song's face drained of color, and he was drenched in cold sweat. Weakly supporting himself with the help of his maid, he didn't even bother to observe the different attitudes of Zhang Shu and the others, and urged, "Let's go inside to escape the heat."
Zhang Ting lowered her eyes to hide the disdain in them, subtly withdrew her hand, and respectfully invited the two into the house to rest.
This old woman doesn't seem quite right; it's best not to have too much contact with her.
Leading the two through a lush and tranquil bamboo grove, they arrived at the main hall of the house. The blue brick floor exuded a cool breeze, and several ice basins were placed in the corner, making it feel refreshing. The indoor and outdoor areas seemed like two different seasons. Magistrate Song couldn't help but sigh, only then feeling that he had come back to life.
As soon as the three of them sat down, a servant came to serve them iced tea.
Zhang Ting was quite surprised to see this. She had not ordered the kitchen to prepare these things. She asked in a low voice, "Is my husband already up?" After having lunch with Zong Suyi, she sent him back to his room to rest. Logically, he should be taking a nap now.
Xiao Rong replied, "My husband got up as soon as he heard you leaving."
Zhang Tingming nodded and instructed her, "Tell the kitchen to prepare dinner; I'm entertaining guests."
"yes."
After drinking some iced tea and regaining his composure, Magistrate Song heard this conversation and asked in surprise, "Nephew, when did you get married? Why didn't you invite me to congratulate you?"
"I've only taken a favorite concubine; it's not worth publicizing."
Magistrate Song suddenly realized, "So it was a maidservant. No wonder." She slapped her thigh, feeling extremely regretful: "My dear nephew, you haven't even had your proper husband yet, and you've already taken a maidservant. What good young man will dare to easily marry you off in the future!"
“I have a nephew who is beautiful and dignified. I was originally going to arrange for him to marry you.”
Upon hearing this, Zhang Ting breathed a sigh of relief, secretly thinking how fortunate he was to have married early and seized the initiative; otherwise, becoming related to Magistrate Song by marriage would have been extremely unfortunate.
However, she replied apologetically, "I was too impatient and failed to live up to your expectations."
Zhang Shu took a sip of iced tea, glancing disdainfully at Magistrate Song. This treacherous villain dared to pick and choose her beloved disciple? Nonsense!
She coughed lightly, and Magistrate Song seemed to only then realize what was happening, and introduced Zhang Shu.
"Master Zhang, this is the talented Zhang Ting we talked about yesterday."
Zhang Ting was somewhat surprised to hear Magistrate Song address her as "Master Zhang." Just as she was about to get up to formally pay her respects, her arm was grabbed.
"No need for such formalities, sir. I have heard of your reputation in the county. I never imagined that we would meet today. What a coincidence!"
Zhang Ting frowned slightly, still feeling a bit strange. She was actually Zhang Dajia? She had heard Qiu Yuan and the others talk about Zhang Dajia, who was a master of calligraphy and painting with profound knowledge of ancient and modern times, unmatched in the world; she had also seen Zhang Dajia's pine and crane painting in the Sutra Repository, which was unrestrained and free-spirited, showing that he was a bold and unconventional scholar.
But the man in front of her... gave her a sleazy feeling. Zhang Ting secretly glanced at Magistrate Song. If he hadn't introduced her personally, she would have really thought she had encountered a pig butchering scam.
After the two sat down again, Zhang Shu licked his lips, staring at Zhang Ting with shining eyes, and continued the conversation: "I heard from Magistrate Song yesterday that you are exceptionally talented, which greatly surprised me. Now that I have met you today, I will test you!"
"I am very grateful for your kindness, Mr. Zhang. Please ask me."
Zhang Shu cleverly used the Four Books and Five Classics as a riddle to ask her, but fortunately Zhang Ting knew them by heart and could answer them easily.
Zhang Shu was extremely satisfied. If she could answer the questions, she would surely be fine in the imperial examinations. He also tested her on the governance of mountains, rivers, lakes, and important places, which she was able to easily grasp and point out.
......
Several times, Magistrate Song tried to interject, but Zhang Shu interrupted her. She has now realized that everyone in the Zhang family likes Zhang Ting very much.
Having worked hard all day, Magistrate Song felt even more dizzy.
After testing her for half an hour, the more Zhang Shu learned about Zhang Ting, the more itchy she became, eager to take her as her disciple. Feeling that the time was about right, she rubbed her hands together, cleared her throat with a reserved air, and said, "This old woman is currently lacking a young disciple."
Magistrate Song yawned, idly wondering when he could go back, when he suddenly heard these words and looked up in surprise.
Zhang Ting instantly understood. In the half-hour of questioning and answering, she also figured out Zhang Shu's strength. His knowledge was much deeper than that of Lord Han in the capital who lectured the emperor, and his connections were also far superior to Lord Han's. He was exactly the kind of famous teacher she admired. However... looking at his extremely eager expression, she still hesitated.
This person doesn't seem very reliable at all.
Seeing that she didn't respond for a long time, Zhang Shu stared intently at her tightly closed mouth, his eyes almost popping out of their sockets. He was getting impatient and angry. He urged her to agree quickly, become her disciple, and tell him!
Zhang Ting was tense under her glare. After thinking it over, and finding no better candidate around, he finally gritted his teeth and agreed to be taken as a disciple.
She slowly knelt down, lifting her robe. "This junior, Zhang Ting, greatly admires you all. I humbly request that you take me in, teach me your knowledge, and I will study diligently to live up to your kindness."
Zhang Shu suddenly stood up, her hands trembling slightly, and tears welled up in her eyes. She quickly walked to Zhang Ting and said excitedly, "Good, good, good." Her emotions were even stronger than when she first became the disciple.
Zhang Ting respectfully kowtowed three times to her and offered her the tea that Xi Ge had handed her, saying, "Please have some tea, teacher."
After drinking the tea, Zhang Shu finally calmed his agitated emotions, put on the airs of a teacher, and said, "Since you are sincere, I will teach you everything I know." He then helped her up.
Magistrate Song's face twitched. She had just lamented that she had done a favor for someone else, and now she regretted accompanying Zhang Shu to enjoy the scenery in the suburbs. But then she thought, since Zhang Ting is now a disciple of the Zhang family, it wouldn't be impossible for her nephew to marry Zhang Ting. Hehe.
After the ice in the carriage melted, Zhang Sheng was so hot that he couldn't stand it any longer and was sweating profusely. He followed Liu Da's directions to the main hall to escape the heat.
She was so hot that she didn't notice what was happening inside the house, and blurted out, "Auntie, it's so hot outside."
Zhang Shu immediately glared at Zhang Sheng, blaming her for speaking without restraint.
Aunt? Zhang Ting suddenly realized that the teacher she had just taken in was the madwoman from that day. Her lips moved, and a feeling of regret welled up in her heart.
In ancient times, it was difficult to change one's allegiance. Wouldn't this kind of teacher really harm him?
Zhang Shu knew that she had been too dissolute that day and had left a bad impression on others. However, she had ordered Zhang Sheng to stay in the carriage. Who would have thought that she couldn't stay still?
Zhang Shu smiled awkwardly at Zhang Ting, secretly relieved: at least we've already established a master-disciple relationship!
With things having come to this point, Zhang Ting has no choice but to admit defeat.
After giving Zhang Sheng a rest, the dining hall was notified to prepare the meal.
Zhang Ting invited everyone to move to the dining hall. Zhang Shu stepped into the hall, glanced at the familiar decor, and a look of nostalgia appeared in his eyes. He also praised her for her intelligence and wisdom.
"I'm used to handling these things, I'm sorry the teacher found it amusing."
Upon hearing this, Zhang Shu glanced sideways at her maid.
The four men slowly took their seats. Magistrate Song, noticing the elegant arrangement, was taken aback. With the thought of finding out more about his nephew, he suggested, "If we hadn't come to disturb you today, my nephew would be dining with a beautiful lady. But we are not ordinary people, so why don't we invite someone to join us?"
Filled with longing for his deceased friend, Zhang Shu unusually agreed, "Please come out."
They had no objections, and Zhang Ting was even less willing to wrong her newlywed husband, so she directly instructed Brother Xi to invite the people over.
However, just a short while after all the dishes were served and the bowls and chopsticks were added, Zong Suyi walked in gracefully, with Xige Zhui following far behind.
Zhang Ting stepped forward and led the person to sit down beside him, introducing him to everyone: "This is my beloved servant." He then introduced the other servants to Zong Suyi one by one.
Magistrate Song was amazed by Zong Suyi's beauty and eloquence, thinking that with such a beautiful maid, his nephew's future days would probably be difficult.
Zhang Shu suddenly stood up, his pupils dilated, staring straight at Zong Suyi, and walked around the table to stand in front of him. "You are Xiaoyi!"
Zong Suyi rarely saw outsiders, and was startled by the commotion. She shrank back behind Zhang Ting, grabbed her clothes, and looked at Zhang Shu with a puzzled expression.
Seeing Zong Suyi's confusion, Zhang Shu said, "I am your Aunt Zhang. I used to worship Buddha with your grandmother at Guoan Temple. I even held you in my arms." Recalling the scene of chatting and laughing with his old friend about the current situation, and then thinking that the person was no longer there and had died so tragically, Zhang Shu's throat tightened, and his heart felt as if it were being crushed inch by inch by a boulder.
Zong Suyi vaguely remembered that scene and hesitated before saying, "You are Aunt Zhang."
Zhang Shu nodded, her eyes welling up with tears. She couldn't easily touch Zong Suyi, so she simply took Zhang Ting's hand and sighed, "Good child, you are very, very good."
When news of Zong Suyi's demotion to slavery spread, she originally intended to wait for the storm to subside before redeeming him. Unexpectedly, Zhang Ting was willing to withstand immense pressure to rescue him. She felt that she lacked the courage of the younger generation and had let down her old friend in the afterlife.
Zhang Sheng stood quietly to the side, looking at his aunt with concern, and handed her a handkerchief.
Upon seeing this scene, Magistrate Song was surprised to learn that Zong Suyi was no ordinary person. He resolved to investigate thoroughly upon returning home.
Zhang Ting was surprised to find that Zong Dajia and Zhang Shu were actually acquainted, but seeing that the two were recalling sad events, she quickly changed the subject and invited everyone to have a meal.
After the meal, Zhang Ting saw off the preoccupied Magistrate Song and returned to his study. He sat down at the lower end of the table and listened quietly as the two reminisced about the past.
That evening, Zhang Shu spoke at length with the couple. After sharing her hopes for the young couple's future and mentioning Zhang Ting's future career, she deliberately sent Zong Suyi away.
With only the two of them remaining in the room, Zhang Shu paced back and forth, head bowed in thought. Suddenly, she straightened up with her hands behind her back and said solemnly, "Since you are my disciple, I will speak frankly."
"Do you know how fraught your future career path will be?"
Zhang Ting lifted his eyelids, stared intently at his newly minted cheap teacher, and replied, "This disciple understands."
Zhang Shu had anticipated this, sighed, patted her shoulder with a firm expression, and said, "Alright. You don't need to worry about this matter; I will take care of it for you."
If she doesn't send this sincere and genuine child to the heavens and to the suffering people, how can she face the world?
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