Chapter 45 See You in Jianghu
Seeing that the court officials were about to start another dispute with the emperor, Zhu Zhanji naturally chose to "run away, which is the best strategy." Zhu Yuhuan personally escorted his fifth uncle out of the city, and also had a lot of things hauled away, and followed Zhu Zhanji back to his fiefdom of Xiangyang.
With the reward from Emperor Zhu Qizhen, Zhu Zhanji's trip to the capital, while not entirely risk-free, was certainly rewarding. Not only did it dispel Zhu Qizhen's suspicions, but he also got to witness some of the excitement. However, if he continued to stay in the court, who knew if any ministers would ask Zhu Zhanji, the emperor's uncle, to speak out, and he didn't want to get into trouble.
The most important thing is that there is now a princess named Zhu Yuhuan in the court who can assist in the administration. If Zhu Zhanji stays in the capital for too long, it is inevitable that someone with ulterior motives will try to sow discord between them.
In the past, Zhu Zhanji could have regarded it as an impossible thing, but since he saw Zhu Yuhuan's "moves" at the banquet for the completion of the renovation of the three main halls, Zhu Zhanji has completely understood that his niece is becoming more and more like his biological mother, and is no longer a simple princess. Especially since Zhu Yuhuan has already stepped into politics, Zhu Zhanji can no longer simply regard himself as an elder as he did in the past.
No matter what, Zhu Zhanji’s life principle can be summed up in one word: “run.”
Zhu Yuhuan personally escorted Zhu Zhanji out of the city. Seeing Zhu Zhanji's cheerful expression, he said with a smile, "Fifth Uncle has been staying in Beijing for a few months. I'm sure my aunt and cousins must have missed him terribly."
Zhu Zhanji heard her say this and forced a smile off his face. "Yes, she wrote to me earlier, asking if Your Majesty had treated them so well in the capital that after such a long time in the capital, he hadn't even sent back any news. Had he completely forgotten about them?"
Hearing that he still wanted to flatter Zhu Qizhen at this moment, Zhu Yuhuan suppressed his smile and then said: "Fifth uncle is back in Xiangyang this time, and I don't know when I will see him again."
Zhu Zhanji thought it would be better not to meet again. After all, unless something big happened in the capital, the princes were generally not allowed to return to the capital.
If it weren't for Zhu Qizhen this time, Zhu Zhanji would have no reason to attend the funeral of Empress Dowager Zhang. But the fewer such reasons there are, the better. Zhu Zhanji doesn't want to live in fear all day long.
Thinking of this, Zhu Zhanji sighed and said, "Now that my brothers and sisters have all started their own families and careers, I only have you nieces and nephews left. Changde is married, you are an outsider, Yongqing and Prince Qing are still young. If I say that no one is worried, I would be lying..." He changed the subject and continued with a smile, "Fortunately, we have Empress Dowager Cihui and the Empress Dowager to take care of us. What does I have to worry about? Especially Empress Dowager Cihui, her kindness and virtue are well-known to everyone..."
Zhu Yuhuan saw that he answered fluently and showed his concern for family affection from time to time. It was obvious that he regarded his words as a test. It was very likely that he felt something was wrong from the awkward atmosphere in the court recently and was worried that he would accidentally conflict with Zhu Yuhuan's interests.
Zhu Yuhuan couldn't help but sigh inwardly: Zhu Zhanji's philosophy of running away when faced with uncertainty was truly masterful. Regardless of their previous relationship, once he sensed a gap or boundary, Zhu Zhanji would immediately and tactfully withdraw. Wasn't this a form of "survival wisdom"?
The most important thing is that his identity allows him to use this "wisdom", isn't this a kind of luck?
Zhu Yuhuan accompanied his fifth uncle all the way to a pavilion twenty miles outside the capital's city gate. The uncle and nephew looked at the autumn scenery outside the city in silence.
After a long while, Zhu Zhanji saw that the time was almost up, so he said to Zhu Yuhuan, "Huanhuan, Fifth Uncle is about to return to his fiefdom. You should take care of yourself. When it's time to step back, step back. In life, you are the most important thing. Everything else will be decided by fate. Why should we worry about it?"
These words were sincere and heartfelt. Zhu Yuhuan didn't say much, but nodded solemnly and said, "I understand, don't worry, Uncle Wu."
Zhu Zhanji knew her character and understood that Zhu Yuhuan was born with his own temperament and would not be easily taught, so he just smiled and said, "Then your fifth uncle has left, so you should go back early."
"Huanhuan understands." Zhu Yuhuan bowed slightly and said jokingly, "The mountains remain unchanged, and the rivers flow forever. Who knows, maybe we uncle and nephew will meet again in the martial arts world."
Zhu Zhanji said with a smile: "You have read too many novels."
Zhu Yuhuan smiled slightly and said nothing.
Although Shuntian is the capital, it is not far from the border. In addition, the weather is cold, with gusts of cold wind in autumn. Most people are reluctant to go out often, which adds a sense of solemnity.
Zhang Fu's mood was similar to the autumn atmosphere, a little lonely and cold, especially when Zhu Qizhen talked to him alone about his son's inheritance of the title while they were practicing riding and shooting, Zhang Fu's mood became even worse.
After being married for many years, Zhang Fu had only one son, Zhang Zhong. Unfortunately, Zhang Zhong was disabled, and Zhang Fu's relationship with his two younger brothers was not good. In addition, he was old, so he had to consider the worst outcome, which was that he would die before his grandson was born.
If his son couldn't inherit the title, who would take on the responsibility of running this vast British mansion? But if he took the initiative, wouldn't he offend even more people? How could Zhang Zhong, a wealthy son without any achievements or titles, and without even a single friend or colleague who could hold a say in the court, navigate the world?
In addition, Zhu Qizhen deliberately brought up these things this time, obviously to warn Zhang Fu that as the emperor, he could use Zhang Zhong's health as an excuse to prevent him from inheriting the title. By then, Zhang Fu would have died, and no one in the court would speak for him.
Thinking of these things, Zhang Fu felt a headache.
If Zhang Zhong had a brother, he wouldn't have to worry about such things, but his son is his own, and he only has one. If he doesn't plan for him, who else can he plan for?
Zhang Fu was feeling depressed and didn't want to stay at home for too long after coming out of the palace. He changed into casual clothes and asked his servant to drive him around the city, just to relax.
He could only worry about this matter alone. No matter how good his relationship with Yang Shiqi and Yang Pu was, there were some things that he could not let them know.
In fact, he had a vague idea of who he wanted to ask, but Zhang Fu was also very clear that some people should not be provoked casually. Maybe they were the bait set by the emperor. Once they bit him, he would probably not be able to escape easily.
The servant had been with Zhang Fu for many years and was somewhat aware of his depression, so he only drove the carriage to a busy place to make Zhang Fu feel at ease.
The carriage circled back and forth in the busiest area of the city. Seeing that the time was almost up, the servant said through the curtain, "Master, it's almost time. Shall I drive you back home?"
After a long while without receiving a response from Zhang Fu, the servant assumed that the Duke of Ying was too tired and had fallen asleep in the carriage. He then took the initiative to drive the carriage towards the Duke of Ying's mansion. Suddenly, Zhang Fu said, "I'm a little thirsty. Let's go have a cup of tea nearby."
The servant was a little confused, but he knew where the best tea was these days, so he said, "Then I'll drive to Taiping Teahouse right away. I heard there's often storytelling there, so it must be interesting."
Zhang Fu just responded and listened to the sound of the wheels rolling over the stone slabs without saying a word.
He heard Zhu Yuhuan mention to Zhu Qizhen in the palace today that the things he was going to prepare to go to the imperial farm after leaving the palace after today's class might be in Taiping Teahouse at this time.
Taiping Teahouse had its own rules. Knowing that some officials in the capital did not want others to know that they were drinking tea in the teahouse, as the business grew, it opened several doors. As soon as the carriages entered the courtyard, they were covered with various signs, and the servants driving the carriages also sat down and rested in different places, so that they would not be easily recognized.
Zhang Fu separated from the servants and sat down on the second floor under the guidance of the waiter. He deliberately did not ask for a private room, but just sat in an ordinary seat on the second floor, sharing a table with several other tea drinkers dressed as ordinary people. This position was very good. He could see the storyteller in the center of the first floor by just looking up.
Taiping Teahouse welcomes both literati and ordinary people, and can be said to appeal to both the elite and the masses. When Zhang Fu entered, he heard the servants mention that the various facilities and activities in Taiping Teahouse change every day, and there are all kinds of new things.
For example, the stories told by the storytellers were not the ones commonly heard among the people, but were from students who came to Beijing to study or take the imperial examinations. It was said that the rewards offered by Taiping Teahouse were quite generous, so many scholars who were somewhat short of money flocked to it.
The storyteller on the stage was speaking with great enthusiasm, and the drinkers upstairs and downstairs were all listening with great interest. Only Zhang Fu was looking around absent-mindedly.
"I heard that girl was not polite at all. She scolded the clan elders fiercely: 'My young lady was reading poetry at the age of three, was proficient in literature at the age of five, and was a good writer at the age of eight. She formed a poetry club and also won the spring examination with high honors. It's a shame for you old fools who have studied in the clan school all your lives and have never achieved any honors. How can you, just because she is a woman, not even be able to protect your own property and shops?' A group of old men who knew their destiny were red, green, blue, and purple. They hesitated for a long time and could not say anything. They just said that Aunt Feng was just a girl. No matter how good she was, she was still disabled. How could she compete for the clan's property?"
Zhang Fu was originally distractedly looking around, thinking that Princess Shunde might be there, but when he suddenly heard the last few words, he immediately came back to his senses.
The wooden clatter ended the faint clatter in the hall. The storyteller cleared his throat and said, "This time, Min Baixiang bravely rebuked the Fifth Elder. To know what happens next, please listen to the next chapter, where Hui Fengniang outsmarts Lang Yanei!"
After hearing the ending of the storyteller's words, the tea drinkers couldn't help but sigh. Several people around had already stood up, obviously they had finished listening to the story and were about to leave. It was obvious that they came to Taiping Teahouse just for the storytelling.
Zhang Fuzhi, after hearing the end of the story, was already curious and couldn't help asking the tea drinkers at the same table, "What is this story? How come you've never heard of it before?"
"Those are the stories that scholars brought to the Taiping Teahouse. Naturally, this gentleman hasn't heard of them. Even we, the idlers who hang out outside all year round, haven't heard of such stories." Seeing Zhang Fu's vigor and vitality, and noticing that he was dressed simply but had the look of a wealthy man, the man said enthusiastically, "Is this your first time here, sir? I'm sure you haven't heard the previous stories. Let me tell you some."
Zhang Fu did not comment, but immediately called the servant on the second floor to come over, saying that he had reserved the tea for this table and asked them to bring some new snacks.
Seeing Zhang Fu being so generous, the tea drinkers at the same table were all smiling. The person who responded to Zhang Fu's words first immediately introduced to Zhang Fu the story of the storyteller in the past few days.
It stands to reason that in the stories circulating among the people, there are many stories in which the heroine is a lady from a wealthy family, but this story is slightly different.
"Mrs. Feng is the apple of the Feng family's eye. She's naturally intelligent, well-read, and a skilled writer. Mr. Feng, on the other hand, is a philanthropist, often donating money to scholars and hosting literary gatherings. His daughter's pseudonymous poetry is surprisingly comparable to theirs." The tea drinker winked and said, "Those literary gatherings are just as lively as this Taiping Teahouse."
Zhang Fu chuckled, understanding the man's underlying meaning. He simply meant to say that Princess Shunde was using the characters in the story to praise him. Of course, he wouldn't take such a line, so he simply continued, "Why did you only say the beginning?"
Seeing he didn't respond, the tea guest didn't say much, but continued, "This Aunt Feng originally had a harmonious family. The only downside was that she had no brothers or sisters. She was all alone. First, her mother passed away. When she chose her husband, Lang Yanei, before she married, her father also passed away due to illness, just like her mother. This left Aunt Feng all alone in the vast Feng family. Although she was a woman, she managed the family business very well."
Zhang Fu was not surprised by the direction of this story. He just nodded slightly and said, "I see."
"Unfortunately, it's extremely difficult for a woman to survive alone in the world. These elders from the clan came to her door one after another, saying that they wanted to make the decision on Aunt Feng's life as soon as possible. In fact, they just wanted to seize Aunt Feng's property. Aunt Feng was so smart that she knew what these people were trying to do. But her future husband, Lang Yanei, was also a man with ulterior motives. On the surface, he wanted to help Aunt Feng collect the family property, but in fact, he was secretly coveting the Feng family's property. He already had a lover with a maid, and he thought that once Aunt Feng married, he would 'cut the grass and eliminate the roots'. Tsk tsk tsk... Otherwise, why would he be called Lang Yanei? He has ulterior motives!"
Zhang Fu exclaimed in surprise, "I didn't expect this story to be so exciting. It's quite different from those stories about talented scholars and beautiful women."
It's not just very different, it's completely different... I'm afraid this storybook was not written by those scholars, it wouldn't be surprising if it was written by Princess Shunde herself.
The tea drinker didn't know Zhang Fu's feelings and just smiled and said, "That's right, otherwise these people wouldn't come to this teahouse every few days to drink tea, just to hear this story in its entirety!"
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