Chapter 256: Rise and Fall, Honor and Disgrace

The British Duke Zhang Fu was training troops in the Xuanfu, and Zhu Yong, the Duke of Chengguo, was in charge of the affairs of the military capital and stayed in Nanjing. These two most trusted dukes and important ministers of the Yongle Dynasty are now all not in Beijing. The crown prince Zhu Gaochi was still in Nanjing to supervise the country, and his health was good and bad, so the crown prince Zhu Zhanji had to rush from Beijing to Nanjing a month ago to serve his illness. Yang Shiqi, who is old and serious, is also responsible for staying in Nanjing to assist the prince. As a result, there are only a handful of people Zhang Yue can count on in Beijing.

He was not escorted back by the Jinyi guard, and he didn't say that he was rewarded for meritorious service or sent to prison for questioning when he came back to report on his work, so he handed over the official document and went up, and after that, there was no movement for three consecutive days. Even though he was anxious and eager to go around to the door to inquire about the news, he knew that it was better to be still than to be motionless at this moment, so he simply became a filial grandson and served in front of Gu's sickbed all day long.

Gu is old, and naturally likes her grandchildren Cheng Huan's knees, but after taking the medicine at noon on this day, she refused to lie down and rest, leaning on the pillow and talking about the old things. When it came to the thrilling past when the northern and southern armies were in full swing, she was embarrassed.

"The Yan army and the southern division have been killed and wounded in a series of battles in Henan and Shandong, because everyone knows that your grandfather will be the king of Yan's army, so our family has to escape from Kaifeng City for refuge. At that time, there was no you, and your second uncle trained all the men in the family into an army, and actually robbed and killed several batches of southern troops in a row, which saved the lives of the whole family. At that time, your eldest uncle had already come out of the office because he was Xie Yuan, and it took a lot of hard work to escape from Nanjing, and it was your father who took someone to answer the ......."

This is a past that Zhang Yue has never heard of, he only knows that his uncle Zhang Yu died in the battle of Dongchang, and then Zhang Fuzi inherited his father's business and made many meritorious contributions, but he didn't know that at that time, the Xiangfu Zhang family was almost wiped out because of the relationship with Zhu Di, the king of Yan. Sure enough, the quest for wealth comes with great risks.

"In fact, compared to the chaos in the world at the end of the Yuan Dynasty, the danger of Jingnan at that time was nothing. At the beginning, Meng Yuan was Zhengshuo after all, your grandfather and grandfather had been out of office, your grandfather even went to the desert, Hongwu only returned to the Ming Dynasty in eighteen years, and your grandfather also lived in seclusion for many years. Now that I think about it, if I had woken up earlier, maybe the family wouldn't have to suffer so much, but if I hadn't had that experience, the Zhang family wouldn't have been able to really see the general trend of the world. The rise and fall of the world, my wife has experienced almost everything. It's just that it's enough for the Zhang family to have your grandfather, and now we are a flourishing family, and we can't afford to toss again. ”

Gu Shi showed a tired expression as she spoke, closed her eyes and stared for a while, she opened her eyes again and glanced at Zhang Yue, seeing him sitting there thoughtfully, she knew that he had listened to what she said, and she must have been able to understand it. Leaning her back back, she said again: "It's been nearly two months since your uncle left the hall, and the Reserve Xuanfu doesn't know when he will be able to come back." It's not convenient for you to go anywhere else now, so you have to go and see your aunt when you're free. ”

Zhang Yue was about to nod his head in reply, when he heard a commotion outside the door, and occasionally a high-pitched voice. Not long after, the bamboo curtain that separated the inside and outside of the room was raised high, and it was the second aunt Dongfang who came in. I saw that she was dressed in a red gold multicolored makeup gauze shirt, a red Hangzhou silk skirt, and the phoenix hairpin on her head looked shining under the candle light in the room, and at the same time reflected the angry face.

"Old lady, I can't live this day!"

Although Dongfang said that she saw Zhang Yue, she was full of grievances and resentment at this time, and she actually forgot what to do, and after coming up to salute, she sat on the edge of the bed and wiped her tears: "The master came back from Jiaozhi so easily, although I brought a woman, I am not so intolerable." She has a body, and I dialed a few girls to serve her, but she even picked and chose and played right and wrong in front of the master! Old lady, she also said that the lord promised to ask her for a seal, where in the world is there such a reason! ”

"Alright, alright!" Gu Shi was already sick, where was he impatient to listen to this, and immediately frowned, "She is now pregnant with the flesh and blood of the second child, and she doesn't understand the rules, and it's time for you, the housewife, to make rules." As for the words of please seal this kind of thing, you should also take it seriously, the court has rules, even if she seals a deferential person, it is to appease her family, and she will not cross you! ”

Hearing this, Dongfang's suddenly became more bitter than eating Coptis chinensis. She is not a virtuous character who is generously tolerant, after getting married, her husband Zhang You is fighting all the year round, and there is only one cowardly and useless Aunt Luo at home, and now it is easy for the husband and wife to reunite, she is firmly regarded as a second-grade lady, who would have thought that there is a young and beautiful concubine for no reason, and this concubine is pregnant when she is pregnant! Annoyed in her heart, she took a deep breath and wanted to reason again, but unexpectedly Gu spoke again.

"Brother Yue, go to the British Mansion first, remember to find Gao Quan to pick up a few things in the warehouse. The British duchess is still a little weak after giving birth to her daughter first, and the ejiao you brought back from Shandong can be used. ”

After sending Zhang Yue away in a few words, Gu Shi sat up straight, his eyes swept over Dongfang's face like a knife, and then he couldn't help coughing twice. It was only at this time that Dongfang Fang was a little panicked, and while stepping forward to help Shunqi, he was angry at the girl to pour hot tea, and finally lowered his head with low eyebrows.

"You're not too young, why are you as ignorant as your young daughter-in-law! The second child reported to me first, she is the only daughter of Mangshi Tusi, and it was Mu Sheng, the prince of Qianguo, who was the big matchmaker. Because of this marriage, the Mangshi Tusi provided a lot of convenience to the Jiaozhi army of the imperial court, and because of this, the other toasts on the side of Qianguo Gong also stopped a lot, and the tribute to the imperial court was more than twice as thick as before, and she saved the second child several times by herself, which is also a good story. If it weren't for the second child's steady progress, do you think the Qianguo Guild would be so enthusiastic? As long as you are a good lady, if you don't like it, you don't see this person, isn't this it? ”

It turned out to be a big media made by Mu Sheng, the prince of Qianguo! Dongfang suddenly clenched the handkerchief in his hand, swallowed the confession that came to his lips slowly, and involuntarily nodded in agreement. It was easy to get the old lady to lie down again, and she withdrew from the room with the girl, and her face gradually turned white. She has been a housewife for many years, and just now she was not so much angry as she wanted to probe the old lady's tone, who knew that she had touched such a hard nail!

That woman's age can almost be Zhang You's daughter, who can't marry with that identity, she has to be a little bit younger for Zhang You!

When Zhang Yue came to the front to find the housekeeper Gao Quan, it happened that the big housekeeper was leading people to clean up the warehouse, so he bluntly said his intention. As soon as Gao Quan heard that it was the old lady's order, he hurriedly asked the two servants to find a few things from the mountain of warehouses, and asked them to take the gift boxes and pack them, and immediately sent Zhang Yue to the gate of the courtyard in person.

"Just now, the second master ordered me to come down to find Korean ginseng and rose incense, and I took someone to rummage through the entire warehouse, but I almost forgot one thing." Gao Quan said as he took out a post from his sleeve, presented it to Zhang Yue with both hands, and whispered, "This is an hour that came in from the front door, and it is the post of the Sun family." ”

The Sun family? Zhang Yue opened it lightly and looked at it, and suddenly realized that it was a little strange at the same time - you must know that Sun Han should still be studying in Nanjing Guozijian at this time, how could he be in Beijing and give himself a post? Having said that, the world is really unpredictable, and this friend who made a similar temper at the beginning will become his brother-in-law in a few days.

"Since the death of Ying Chengbo a year ago, Sun Gongzi has stopped his studies in Guozijian, and now he has made up for Jinyiwei." Gao Quan saw that Zhang Yue seemed a little strange, so he explained with a smile, "To say that Sun Gongzi is also blessed, he was originally a prisoner, and this literary is naturally not an ordinary noble son. Now many people outside envy the blessings of the second lady, although she is not a descendant of Uncle Yingcheng's family, but she is a promising gentleman! ”

Gao Quan chattered about it, but Zhang Yue was really happy when he heard it. Now it is not as good as when it was in the Hongwu period, even if the prisoner can directly become an official, after all, he is not from the right path, with Sun Han's age, I don't know how many years it will take, and this dynasty has entered the eyes of the Son of Heaven, and I don't know how many years of struggle will be less. He looked down again at the agreed time, and then took the gift box handed by Gao Quan, and then hurried to the stable.

Because Zhang Furen was training in Xuanfu, the Qingshui Hutong in front of the British Mansion seemed a little deserted, and there was only a sedan chair and a few horses parked outside the door, and I don't know which mansion's family members came to visit. Zhang Yue came out today with only Peng Shisan, and the two went straight to the West Corner Gate to dismount, and the outspoken Peng Shisan asked the door that greeted him.

"Who else could it be, naturally the second lady in the West Mansion!" The man smiled and greeted Zhang Yue with his empty hand, and said all the way, "The second lady's temperament is also soft, the eldest son of the second master was taught a lesson by the emperor before, and it was easy to heal the injury, but as a result, he fell in love with the girl next to her, and couldn't help but say that she couldn't help but say that she couldn't suppress it." Alas, the third lady also came a few days ago, but it was also a complaint, and the lady has not recuperated well after giving birth, and it is very annoying......

Thinking that the housework at the end of his second room was probably a mess, Zhang Yue secretly couldn't help but shake his head, and then he didn't ask more. handed over the ejiao and a few things he brought with him to Rong Shan, the housekeeper who greeted him, and he asked the British public Zhang Fu about the situation in the Xuan Mansion, and Rong Shan also answered them one by one. Seeing that he was about to reach the door of the cylindrical carved willow weeping flowers, a girl suddenly rushed out of it.

"Steward Rong, hurry up and ask for a doctor, Madame suddenly fainted!"

Hearing the news, not only Rong Shan was shocked, but even Zhang Yue was startled, and hurriedly rushed into the Hanging Flower Gate in three steps and two steps. When he came to Mrs. Wang's main room, he met Mrs. Deng, who was in a hurry and at a loss. After a lot of work, I waited until the doctor arrived to diagnose the pulse, but he got an unexpected result.

Mrs. Wang, who has only been giving birth for more than half a year, is three months pregnant! Calculating the time, it should be exactly one month before Zhang Fu left.