Early in the morning, a gray caravan stopped in front of the gate of Shangshu Zhang's Mansion, and as soon as the curtain was lifted, a middle-aged man of medium stature, about forty years old, and yellow skin came.

After getting out of the car, he stretched his body first, and then looked up at the bronze plaque above the door of the mansion, and saw that the four big characters of "Shangshu Zhangfu" were written on it in official script, he smiled slightly and walked towards the gate of Zhangfu.

As soon as he arrived at the door, he was stopped by one of the four doormen guarding both sides of the door, and the doorman first looked carefully at the visitor, and then said very horizontally: Hey, hey, what are you trespassing, do you know what kind of place this is?

The middle-aged man looked at him coldly and said: Isn't this the mansion of Master Zhang, the head of the household department.

Hearing this, the doorman reprimanded: I know that you are still trespassing, believe it or not, I will take you down and send you to the government to beat your board.

Hearing this, the middle-aged man glared at the doorman with his eyes and scolded: "What's the matter, hit my board?" Hum! I don't think any of your yamen in Suzhou City have the courage to do this.

The doorman is very good at observing words and feelings, and when he heard that his tone was not good, he knew that he had encountered stubble today, so he hurriedly lowered his voice and asked softly: Where did this uncle come from------? What's the matter with our Zhangfu?

The middle-aged man raised his head to the sky, and said proudly: Uncle Ben is from Luoyang Palace, and he visited Master Zhang of Shangshu Mansion on the order of the prince, and has important matters to discuss with Master Zhang.

With that, turn around and leave.

As soon as he heard that the person was from the Luoyang Palace, the doorman panicked, and hurriedly ran a few steps in front of the middle-aged man and nodded and said in a low voice: This uncle, since he is a guest of the Luoyang Palace, why didn't he say it earlier, misunderstanding, misunderstanding.

Of course he had to panic, if this matter was known to their Master Zhang, he would be driven out of Zhang's mansion at least, or he would be killed directly.

The middle-aged man said coldly: I wanted to say it, but did you let me say it?

The doorman was busy with the careful saying: It's all small is not good, the small one is damned, you have a lot of adults, don't worry about the small ones, the small ones will go into the house to report to the uncle, please wait here for a while.

After saying that, he turned around and ran quickly towards the house.

After a while, the doorman and a man about fifty years old, wearing a green robe hurriedly walked out, and came to the middle-aged man.

With that, he turned and stepped aside.

Manager Wu bowed to the person who came and said: "This lord, my lord is waiting in the living room, please come down and enter the house."

The middle-aged man returned the favor and said politely: Thank you, Mr. Wu, for your greeting, Mr. Wu, please.

The two walked into the door one after the other.

When the people left, the people came to the door, and they scolded fiercely at the door of the house: Bastard, the dog fights the human power.

In fact, he is not fighting with people.

Mr. Wu brought the middle-aged man into the living room.

When Mr. Zhang, who was waiting in the living room, saw the middle-aged man, he immediately greeted him with a spring breeze on his face, bowed his hand, smiled and said loudly: I said how could a magpie climb a branch and chirp on a tree in the backyard of my house this morning, it turned out to be the head of the palace, welcome, welcome!

Chief Manager Qi hurriedly returned the salute and said: See Master Shangshu.

Master Zhang hurriedly waved his hand and said: I have already retired, and I am no longer a scholar, a commoner, so there is no need to be so polite.

After that, he stepped forward and pulled Manager Qi to sit on the chair.

Qi Zongguan: Lord Zhang is modest, the adult's protégés are all over the government and the opposition, and the influence is very great, since the adult stepped down, some ministers in the court have repeatedly played to the emperor, suggesting that the adult should be used again, and the prince of my family has also praised Zhang in front of the emperor many times as a rare talent.

This compliment, or rather, this sycophant, can be regarded as hitting the point, patting the heart of Master Zhang, although Master Zhang has retired at home, but he still thinks about the scenery when he was in office every day, and even fantasizes about returning to the court one day to continue the beautiful days.

Hearing this, Master Zhang's happy face smiled and said: It's over, it's over.

After speaking, he turned his head to Chief Manager Wu who was standing on the side and ordered: Chief Manager Wu, go and prepare a table of banquets, and I will have a good drink with Chief Manager Qi later.

Mr. Wu bowed and replied: Yes, master.

He turned around and walked down.

Manager Qi hurriedly waved his hand and said: Don't prepare, Lord Zhang, I will come to Suzhou this time to do business, and I will leave later.

Of course, Master Zhang knew that he was not here to visit the mountains and rivers in Suzhou, so he asked tentatively: What is the trip of Mr. Qi------?

At this time, the servant brought tea, placed a bowl in front of each of them, and then retreated.

Master Zhang said: Mr. Qi, please use tea.

Qi Pipe: Thank you!

After that, he picked up the tea bowl, lifted the lid, blew it, took a sip, put it down, and praised: Good tea, good tea.

In fact, he didn't understand tea at all, so he just slapped a sycophant casually.

Master Zhang wouldn't think that General Manager Qi was patting his ass, of course, no one would think that when someone slapped his ass, he was patting his ass, isn't there such a sentence, don't you wear a fart if you don't wear it, this is probably what kind of ugliness of human nature.

Master Zhang said busily: This is the newly fried West Lake Longjing before the rain, Mr. Qi drank it well, and took ten catties back when he left.

Hearing this, Manager Qi smiled and said: How can you let Master Zhang break the bank, no, no.

Master Zhang said: It's nothing to break the bank, I have it in the tea house in Zhang's mansion, and besides, I have to bring some back to the prince.

Mr. Qi: Thank you very much.

After that, he picked up the tea bowl and took another sip before putting it down: This manager came to Suzhou to do business this time, and one of the things is related to your Zhang Mansion, otherwise I would not have come to visit recklessly.

Hearing this, Master Zhang was stunned and asked: What, it has something to do with my Zhang Mansion, what's the matter?

Mr. Qi smiled and said: My lord heard that Miss Zhang Yunfang, the daughter of Lord Zhang, is beautiful and intelligent, virtuous and kind, very literate, and is a famous talented woman in Suzhou City, she has turned seventeen years old this year, and she is not yet married, so she intends to marry Qin and Jin with Lord Zhang, and she is specially ordered to come down to propose marriage for my little prince, I don't know what Lord Zhang wants?

Women in the Song Dynasty got married at the age of fourteen or five, and seventeen was indeed the age when it was time to marry.

Hearing this, Master Zhang was stunned again, and thought silently for a while.

Seeing this, Manager Qi asked with a displeased face: Lord Zhang, why don't you say anything, is my little prince not worthy of your daughter?

Hearing this, Master Zhang hurriedly waved his hand and said: This is not, Mr. Qi, you misunderstood, no matter how good my daughter is, she is just a people's daughter, and the little prince is the son of the dragon and the grandson of the dragon, a royal family, a hereditary prince, how can he not be worthy, so it is difficult to agree to this marriage.

After speaking, he paused, thought for a moment before then said: Your prince may not know that the little girl has been engaged to the son of Li Tinggui in Handan, Hebei since she was a child, so I can't agree.

Hearing this, Manager Qi thought for a while and suddenly said: Who are you talking about, isn't it Li Tinggui who had been a waiter in Lord Zhang's household, but didn't that Li Tinggui anger the former emperor more than ten years ago and was beheaded by the former emperor, I also heard that their home has been raided and confiscated, and the family has also been driven out of the capital.

Master Zhang hurriedly said: No, no, Li Tinggui's son did not die, he and his mother went back to his hometown Handan, and studied hard to prepare for the scientific examination, but his mother died of illness three years ago, before he died told him to come to Suzhou to recognize his relatives, three months ago he asked someone to bring a letter to say this, because of my relationship with his father for many years, I also agreed.

Hearing this, Mr. Qi said in disappointment: So it is a pity that our palace and the Zhang Mansion will not be able to get married, but it is a pity, otherwise Lord Zhang's reinstatement has the full support of my lord, wouldn't it be as easy as taking something out of his pocket.

Hearing this, Master Zhang hurriedly said: It can't be said that it can't be done, so I didn't say yes or no, because the date I set with Li Gongzi was a month ago, and it was said that he should have arrived, but I haven't seen his shadow until today, I don't think anything happened to him.

Hearing this, Chief Manager Qi guessed: What does Master Zhang mean is that this kid may have had an accident or died in a disaster?

Master Zhang nodded and said: It's not impossible.

Hearing this, Manager Qi was excited, and said: Then what are you hesitating about, this marriage is so decided, I will go back and report to the prince to choose a day to hire, and then choose a good day to welcome your daughter through the door Soon the matter will be over.

Hearing this, Master Zhang hurriedly waved his hand and said: No, this matter can't be rushed, once we make an appointment here, and Li Gongzi over there will come to recognize his relatives again, won't this be a joke.

Manager Qi said disdainfully: What are you afraid of, won't it be over if you drive him away.

Master Zhang hurriedly waved his hand and said: This is not good, we must not be ordinary people, once this matter spreads, saying that our Shangshu Zhang Mansion is disgusted with the poor and loves the rich and clings to the wealthy and powerful, and the reputation will be ruined all at once, besides, once this matter reaches the ears of the current emperor, the emperor will not let me go.

Hearing this, Manager Qi said in frustration: Isn't this still no drama.

Master Zhang thought about it, raised his hand and patted it on the coffee table and said: "In this way, I will do it for a period of three months, that is to say, in the next three months, if Li Gongzi does not come to recognize his relatives, then this marriage will be invalidated, because we can't wait indefinitely.

Mr. Qi: But if that kid comes within three months, won't this family affair be completed again?

Hearing this, Master Zhang smiled and said: That's not necessarily.

Hearing this, Mr. Qi was stunned for a moment, and asked incomprehensibly: What does Master Zhang mean by this?

Master Zhang said: My Zhang family has been an official for several generations, none of the men in the family are Bai Ding, and none of the women of the Zhang family are not the emperor's Mrs. Haoming, if the surname Li wants to marry the daughter of my Zhang family, then he must take the test to gain fame, but does he have this certainty.

Hearing this, Manager Qi understood, and couldn't help laughing "haha": Of course he doesn't have it, no matter how talented he is, because our prince said that he doesn't have him at all.