Chapter 46: Writing a Storybook
Zhang Fu didn't care how attractive this story was. He just continued to ask, "What happened next? From what the storyteller just said, did Aunt Feng figure it out?"
"Of course, this Aunt Feng is quite clever, practically insanely intelligent!" the tea drinker said cheerfully. "Aunt Feng had her maid, Bai Xiang, test her. She figured out that Lang Yanei was just trying to curry favor with her for the Feng family's fortune. Naturally, she wouldn't take the bait so easily. With a few words, she coaxed Lang Yanei into a corner, helping her deal with the clan elders who wanted to forcibly divide the family fortune."
Zhang Fu was even more surprised when he heard him say this. He said, "This storybook in the teahouse is quite novel. Do the government dare to allow it to be told?"
If someone deliberately guides me, saying it's an intentional innuendo...
"Your Excellency, you may not know that the streets are no longer as strictly controlled as they were before. There are many storybooks, and the content is becoming more and more rich and interesting. Who doesn't like to read these lively and interesting books? Besides, this story is openly about the events of the Song Dynasty and has nothing to do with this dynasty. How can you take it seriously?" The tea guest sat up straight and said, "Besides, this is Taiping Teahouse. Everyone knows that this is the property of Princess Shunde. Who would dare to come here to cause trouble? This princess is the first princess in this dynasty to assist in the administration. Who knows if there will be such people in the future? The current emperor is willing to let Princess Shunde assist in the administration. He is really magnanimous. How could he be afraid of rumors?"
Zhang Fu couldn't help but sigh: "That's true..."
Although only a few people have seen Princess Shunde, it now seems that her influence on the two capitals of Zhili is indeed not small.
The tea drinker had been so engrossed in his story that he had forgotten to stop talking. Seeing Zhang Fu's pensive expression, he felt a little embarrassed and asked, "Perhaps the lord doesn't like to hear such stories... But it is us ordinary people who like them..."
Zhang Fu came back to his senses and said with a smile, "Who doesn't like a story like this? I think it's more wild and interesting than other stories. Although there have been similar plays in the past, they are definitely not as interesting as this."
Seeing that he didn't show any sign of anger, the tea drinker knew he was genuinely interested in the story. He breathed a sigh of relief and said, "Master, you're right. Otherwise, Taiping Teahouse wouldn't be so bustling. Not only us ordinary people, but I've heard that many young masters and young ladies from wealthy families also love to hear this story and often come to Taiping Teahouse for tea just for this story."
Zhang Fu said with a smile: "Although this story is good, there is one flaw."
The tea drinker didn't expect the master to be so critical of a story, but he still smiled and asked, "We're just listening for fun, but you need to listen to it first to find out the problems with the story."
Zhang Fu sighed, "No matter how resourceful Aunt Feng is, how can a woman fight against her clan or her husband's family? It's just that the writer of the story has a little more sympathy for her."
After listening to the story of Aunt Feng from the tea drinker, he immediately thought of himself. After all, for people like them, the emperor was the largest clan in the world, and Aunt Feng was just a character in the story. As long as the author wanted, there would always be a way to make her stand out in the world. But what could Zhang Fu do?
Another tea drinker at the same table disagreed. He looked like a scholar and said, "Brother, your words are absurd. Princess Shunde is also a woman, so isn't she also qualified to assist in government? This is the grace of the late emperor. There's one thing the previous speaker didn't mention. Aunt Feng not only manages the family business in an orderly manner, but also makes the shop flourish. She has long since used the business to become a close friend of the emperor's. The princess is kind and charitable. Although there are no saintly officials in operas, the princess is also an emperor. The emperor's grace is vast and his compassion is compassionate. This story can always be performed."
Zhang Fu was slightly stunned when he heard this, with mixed feelings in his heart. He said, "That's right... Since the emperor is on Aunt Feng's side, the ending of this story must be a happy one for everyone."
"That's right."
The tea drinker who had told the story at the beginning noticed that Zhang Fu was preoccupied and seemed to be deeply attached to the story. Thinking about the capital, especially the Taiping Teahouse, where it was easy to meet noble people, and seeing that although Zhang Fu had white hair, his demeanor did not look like that of an ordinary person, he could not help but smile awkwardly and stood up, saying, "Master, please continue to enjoy your tea. I have heard the story enough and will not stay any longer."
After saying this, he didn't even bother to eat the snacks that Zhang Fu had ordered, and ran away in a hurry, fearing that if he ran a little slower, disaster would befall him.
The scholar also saw him slip away, although he did not understand, but seeing that today's story was over, he also stood up and left.
Zhang Fu didn't care about the tea drinker's misconduct, but focused all his attention on the story and what the scholar said.
Since the princess was kind, it seemed that he could only work hard to seek the emperor's grace.
Princess Shunde is now assisting His Majesty in governing the country. How could she be unaware of what the emperor said? Otherwise, this teahouse would not have been telling such a story a few days ago. I'm afraid Princess Shunde was using the name of storytelling in Taiping Teahouse to secretly remind him that the emperor's intentions were the most important.
No matter how high Zhang Fu's position was, he had no chance of winning against the emperor.
After listening to the teahouse manager's report on Zhang Fu's situation, Zhu Yuhuan flipped through the storybook in his hand and couldn't help but laugh. "Who wrote this storybook? It's quite interesting."
At first glance, it looks like a traditional storybook, with a young lady raised in seclusion and a sharp-tongued maidservant. However, the story it tells is different from the traditional storybook, and it can be called a Ming Dynasty version of a reversal short story.
Han Guilan felt a little embarrassed when she heard this, but she still admitted obediently: "I wrote it..."
"What's there to be embarrassed about? I think this storybook is well written. When it's finished, I'll have it checked and proofread, and then have it sent to a bookstore for printing. I'm sure it will sell a lot, and then we in Guilan will be rich."
Han Guilan blushed, then changed the subject and asked, "Your Highness, will this really work?"
"That depends on how the Duke of England understands it." Zhu Yuhuan smiled slightly, put down the notebook in his hand, tapped the table with his fingertips, and said, "I haven't been to the teahouse much in the past few days. I just said I was packing things to take to the imperial farm. These days I've been here to check the accounts. If he's interested, he will naturally come to me."
Seeing her so confident, Han Guilan felt more at ease. She then said, "Ms. Zhou is also fully prepared. The person assigned to teach her archery and horse riding said that she is making rapid progress. Although she is not a sharpshooter, she is at least quite adept at it."
Zhu Yuhuan curled his lips, half jokingly saying, "Why would you want a sharpshooter? They have similar personalities, so why would they like someone too strong?"
Han Guilan naturally understood the implication and said, "Your Highness is right." She thought for a moment and couldn't help asking, "But...how can Your Highness be so sure that the Emperor will take Miss Zhou back with him after meeting her?"
Zhu Yuhuan lifted the hair by her ear and said with a smile, "I am your Majesty's sister. How could I not know what kind of person your Majesty likes?"
Zhu Zhanji and Zhu Qizhen, the biological father and son, not only have similar personalities, but also have very similar preferences. In a nutshell, they both like the "feeling of being alive."
Being in a high position, I am used to seeing people bowing their heads and being pleasing to the eye. It would be strange if I didn't feel moved when I suddenly met a lively and lovely one.
Zhou Yingying has a lively and competitive personality, which may seem unpleasant to others, but it is completely different in the eyes of Zhu Qizhen and others. Everyone has a repressed side and wants to vent through others.
Anyway, for them, whether it’s gentle and virtuous or lively and cute, it can be solved by saying “I want it all”.
Han Guilan still felt worried and said, "If the Emperor's child has a different temperament..."
She followed Zhu Yuhuan and had a good understanding of Zhu Qizhen's personality. Zhu Qizhen often acted on impulse. If he lost interest in Zhou Yingying after a while, Zhou Yingying's life would become even more difficult, and it might be better for her to stay outside the palace.
Zhu Yuhuan looked at Han Guilan and said gently, "I gave her a convenient opportunity, allowing Yingying to be close to the water and get the moon first. But whether she can seize this opportunity is not up to me. Only she can control her own destiny. She will naturally pay attention to it and will definitely use all her abilities. Besides, she may have thought of the worst case scenario. If she fails to enter the palace, what will she do?"
Han Guilan met Zhu Yuhuan's deep gaze, and her heart tightened. She knew she was overthinking it, and replied, "Guilan understands."
Zhu Yuhuan saw the nervousness on her face and said with a smile, "This little girl has high aspirations. Didn't Cheng Ming's letter say that? This girl is extremely hardworking when she learns. It's obvious that she is willing to do her utmost to follow the trend. We should also have confidence in her."
Han Guilan nodded heavily and said, "Yes."
Zhu Yuhuan picked up the script on the table again and was about to shout for someone to take it for proofreading when someone knocked on the door and announced, "Your Highness, the Duke of Yingguo is here again, dressed casually as before. Would you like to seat him at the tea table outside the private room as before?"
Zhu Yuhuan and Han Guilan exchanged a glance, noticing her surprise and astonishment. Then he said, "Last time, we made the Duke of Ying sit outside, which seemed like a poor show of hospitality. This time, please invite him to a private room, prepare some fine tea and snacks, and treat him well. I'll finish dealing with this storybook before I go back."
The storybooks written by Han Guilan are very popular at this time. Some people have only heard of her reputation but have not personally sat down to listen to the stories. In this case, the paper version should be arranged as soon as possible. Maybe you can make a small profit.
Although such a small business could not make money as quickly as those in the north and south, no one hated money. It was also a good opportunity to secretly influence publicity, so Zhu Yuhuan would certainly not let it go.
"yes."
After listening to the story, Zhang Fu went back and pondered it for a long time. He also knew that what Zhu Qizhen said to him this time was both a test and an opportunity. If he could grasp it well, Zhang Zhong would definitely be able to inherit the title smoothly in the future.
After all, the emperor was still young, and Zhang Fu was already in his twilight years, so Zhu Qizhen could still guarantee the inheritance of the title of Duke of Ying.
Even if Zhu Qizhen died young like the previous emperor, he couldn't have died before his son Zhang Fu, right?
This time was different from the last time. Although the teahouse was bustling, it was not as crowded as before. There happened to be a vacant private room on the second floor. Zhang Fu was led through the corridor, but he was slightly distracted when he saw the "Cat Slave Picture" hanging on the second floor.
Of course he recognized it. This picture was created by the late Emperor Zhu Zhanji. The five raccoons above probably represented his five children. He couldn't help but think of his only son, and his heart became more determined. Even the emperor couldn't help but care about his children, let alone him?
"Sir, please come into the private room."
Zhang Fu came back to his senses and went into the house to sit down. He saw that the interior was elegantly decorated, which showed that a lot of thought had been put into it. Not to mention that after the servant closed the door, Zhang Fu could hardly hear any sound from outside. It was obvious that a lot of effort must have been put into the renovation of the second floor, and even the sound insulation issue was taken into consideration.
He sat in the private room, but Princess Shunde showed up for a long time, and for a moment he was unsure of her intentions.
He naturally did not believe that the opera he heard that day was just a coincidence, but Princess Shunde had not appeared for a long time, and Zhang Fu suddenly felt uneasy and began to worry.
Could it be that he really had misunderstood? Was the play that day just a coincidence?
Fortunately, there was soon movement outside the door. Someone pushed the door open and Zhu Yuhuan, wearing a pink Taoist robe, walked in. The servant who followed him immediately closed the door from the outside to prevent others from seeing the two of them coming and going.
Zhu Yuhuan smiled at Zhang Fu and said, "Duke Yingguo seems to have found some free time these days to come to the teahouse and have a rest."
Zhang Fu had already stood up and chuckled, "I only heard from Zhong'er that the princess's business was booming, but I've been so busy with official duties that I haven't had time to visit her... It just so happens that I've had some free time these days, so I came to try the new tea from Taiping Teahouse..." He paused here, then continued, "I didn't expect to hear the storyteller in the teahouse. The story he told was quite innovative, so I thought I'd come to hear the follow-up..."
If you really want to listen to storytelling, you won't go into the private room.
"I see..." Zhu Yuhuan didn't expose Zhang Fu's accusation. He just sat in the main seat and said, "This story is indeed quite interesting. Even I have never heard of it. No wonder the Duke of Ying is so curious."
Zhang Fu didn't dare to sit down. Seeing that she didn't respond, he gritted his teeth, put on a serious face and said, "To be honest, I was inspired by that story. I hope Your Highness, in consideration of my years of loyalty to the royal family, you will point out a clear path for me and Zhong Ge'er."
Zhu Yuhuan pretended to know nothing and uttered a surprised "Hmm" before saying, "In terms of experience in government and military service, I'm far inferior to the Duke of Ying. Why do you still want me to show you the way forward?" He then added affably, "Please sit down, Duke of Ying. It's not nice to talk while standing."
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