After the end of the Zhang family's birthday feast, Kaifeng City, which had been lively for several days, gradually returned to its former calm. Except for a few relatives who came from afar, most of the guests had already left Zhang's house, and the small courtyard that was originally specially set aside for a few guests to live in was also empty. Shen Cang, who had just arrived on the day of the birthday feast, only stayed for four days and hurried back to Nanjing, and before leaving, he did not forget to invite Du Zhen to Nanjing for a while, but Du Zhen had no choice but to prevaricate.

On this day, the three generations of the Zhang family gathered in the Gu family's main room to speak. Listening to the middle-aged steward read the lengthy gift list, Gu Shi didn't say anything about the huge number, but sighed.

"The gifts sent everywhere this time are more than twice as thick as when I was on my fiftieth birthday, and it will not be easy for this favor to be repaid in the future."

The adults of the upper generation all nodded slightly, and the children of the younger generation were all ignorant, but Zhang Yue had already made a calculation in his heart. The Ming Dynasty's Yulu was notoriously low, compared to the generous treatment of scholars in the Tang and Song dynasties, it was simply a heaven and an underground. He even maliciously speculated that the reason why Du Zhen did not continue to be an official was probably because there were too few officials.

Zhang Xin pondered for a moment and then replied: "What my mother said is true, so the British Duke once said that it is best to buy more land in Henan, otherwise the family will become more and more populous in the future, and I am afraid that it will be even more difficult to make ends meet." ”

"That's right." Gu Shi bowed slightly, but then his face showed a little annoyance, "Since you know that you will not be able to make ends meet, why are you two preparing for a birthday gift so extravagantly?" The boss actually gave a white jade seat, aren't you afraid that people will poke your backbone and say that you are extravagant and greedy! And the third child, you are a shadow prisoner who is actually a big spend, so the price of a hundred longevity embroidery must be worth ten hectares! ”

At this time, when the question of the birthday gift was brought out, everyone else in the room couldn't help but be stunned. Zhang Xin looked at his mother's face and didn't seem to be really annoyed, so he smiled and explained a few words, nothing more than the sixtieth birthday should not be ignored. And Zhang Zuo has been very proud in the past few days, and when he saw that his mother-in-law didn't seem to be pursuing what she said, she also laughed and said that this was a sign of filial piety, and she also said something beautiful.

So, this topic was quickly lightly revealed, and a family of mothers, sons, filial piety, brothers, friends, and brothers, concubines and sisters, and a warm scene of joy and harmony.

Zhang Yue didn't know what the other two rooms were like after they returned, he only knew that he returned to the west courtyard with his parents, and as soon as he put down the curtain, he saw that the two of them who were still respectful in front of people just now were all smiling, and the expressions on their faces were wonderful. Before he could react, he was held in his mother's arms, and his head was rubbed and rubbed by her, and he couldn't resist at all, so he had to grin and toss by her.

"The eldest brother still took the lead in the birthday ceremony, and since we curry favor at the birthday ceremony, Yue'er also showed his face a lot, but this time the one in the second room is afraid that he will grit his teeth. To say that although the second brother is in Jiaozhi, but after all, there are still various benefits, maybe there are other light and dark exchanges, the old lady's 60th birthday she actually only gave a pair of vases. ”

"Okay, okay, you know that it's not the second sister-in-law who arranges it all day, this time it's just a joke, and it's better to say less about this kind of thing." Having said that, Zhang Zhuo's face showed excitement that could not be concealed, seeing Zhang Yue looking up at himself with a smile, he couldn't help but step forward and slap his head twice, and praised happily, "Yue'er, you are finally angry!" ”

The pressure is so great, don't you fight for it?

Zhang Yue showed a well-behaved smile on his face, but sighed in his heart. He didn't know how many times he had practiced in front of the bronze mirror in the past two months, and he had finally practiced this invincible smile, but at this time, he felt that his face was stiff - after all, in the past few days, except for the time when a brother and sister got together yesterday, he was all laughing, and his cheeks were already sour.

When her husband and son showed their faces, Sun was of course happy, but when she thought of her mother-in-law's words today, she suddenly became a little worried: "Master, the birthday gift you prepared for the old lady's sixtieth birthday is really worth dozens of hectares?" Don't create a deficit to please the old lady, it will be difficult to make up for it when the time comes. ”

I don't know if Zhang Zuo is too happy and a little carried away in his heart, or because he is happy that his son can fight for himself when he grows up, at this time, after listening to his wife's worried words, he waved his hand indifferently and said: "Don't worry, this birthday gift is purchased with the proceeds I told you last time." Moreover, if the treasure money accumulated during the distribution of monthly money over the years is not used again, it will all become a pile of waste paper, and you can save yourself from worrying about running out this time. ”

As he spoke, he walked up to his wife and son, lowered his voice, and said, "After the previous thing was done, that one has shared a lot of my benefits. Although our family is not as powerful as the eldest brother and the second brother, when it comes to silver, a few thousand taels can still be taken out...... All in all, our family has some foundation now, and we have to be generous when we should be generous! Yingru, we can't compare with the eldest brother and sister-in-law now, but who can tell the truth? ”

Sun's heart was hot when her husband said in a somewhat fanatical tone, and he involuntarily nodded again and again: "What the master said is that we have survived for so many years, even if it is for Yue'er, there is nothing reluctant to spend money." ”

Zhang Yue was inexplicably said by his parents' words, and he could only listen to it and not ask questions, so he could only think about it secretly in his heart. He had heard from Lian Sheng Lianhu that the common currencies in those days were copper coins and treasure money, and there were no such good things as ingots, but the best thing on the market was silver.

The question is, a few thousand taels of silver was not a small amount in the early Ming Dynasty, where did this come from? Also, who is that person?

Even if Zhang Yue had more doubts, his age doomed him to be unable to care about those big and small things, because he still had more important things to do, that is, to officially worship Du Zhen as a teacher.

After the birthday feast that day, he didn't figure out the original intention of Du Zhen's sudden appearance, but he got the benefit after all, and he felt that this Mr. Du acted very much to his taste. If he said that he promised his father at the beginning was just to change the embarrassing position of his family in the entire Zhang family, then now, he is happy to have such a teacher who seems to be an iceberg.

If it was according to Zhang Zhuo's meaning, this apprenticeship ceremony should have called countless celebrities and dignitaries who watched the ceremony, and it was best to publicize it to the world, but Du Zhen, a gentleman, was unwilling to publicize it, and Zhang Yue, a student, was unintentionally showy, so the final ceremony was only in Du Zhen's humble room, not to mention that there were no people watching the ceremony, and Zhang Zhuo's rich bundle of cultivation carefully prepared did not come in handy.

However, Zhang Yue saw his father's embarrassed appearance, and interjected at the right time to relieve the siege: "Daddy, if Mr. values these things outside his body, as long as his wife is an official at the beginning, then now money and wealth are indispensable to officials, you better take things back." ”

Zhang Zuo was startled by his son's boldness at first, and when he saw that Du Zhen was not annoyed, but nodded in approval, he knew that he was wrong, and he couldn't help but regret that he hadn't discussed it with his son before preparing to repair it—and at the same time, with the embarrassment on his face, he was secretly happy with the tacit understanding between this pair of teachers and students. So he immediately got up and took his leave, and left his son in this chamber with great peace of mind.

In the simplely furnished room, the two who had just decided on the status of master and apprentice stared at each other for a long time, as if both sides had their eyes sour, and this strange situation came to an end. However, it's not the same thing for both sides to pretend to be dumb, after all, it was Du Zhen, as an elder, who opened his mouth first.

"If I accepted you as a disciple in front of Shen Minwang, it would be enough for you to make a name for yourself in Henan and even the world, but I didn't, do you know why?"

Zhang Yue once imagined what Du Zhen would say and ask after apprenticeship, but he didn't expect the other party to ask this. However, his brain was extremely fast, and with just a blink of an eye, he smiled and said, "It is easy for a young man to be arrogant, but sir, is this for this?" ”

"Yes, but not all."

A smile appeared on Du Zhen's indifferent face.

"It is more difficult for me to be an official of the Ming Dynasty than the officials of all dynasties. If you are famous but don't want to be an official and want to be a hermit, then there will be a royal butcher's knife waiting; If you are famous but arrogant, you will not be tolerated above; Even if you are famous and cautious, if you suddenly smash down a trumped-up crime, or even sit together because of the sins of others, you may not end well in the end. However, I don't attach much importance to the reputation of the imperial examination, and not all the people admitted are famous talents, and the teachers often dislike those who are famous and flashy. Therefore, a moderate reputation is acceptable, otherwise it is useless and harmful. ”

"Sir...... I don't understand what you mean. ”

Although he was very clear in his heart, Zhang Yue had to pretend to be confused. After all, at the moment he is only a ten-year-old child, whether he is young or famous, young or old, this is possible, but if he has the insight into the world like an adult, it is extremely inappropriate.

Du Zhen waved his hand indifferently and said to himself: "You will gradually understand in the future." I have accepted you as a real disciple for half my life, and I will naturally teach you everything I should teach in the future, not only in learning, but also in dealing with people...... A cup of tea rewards bosom friends, and you are accepted as a disciple but you get such a couplet, maybe it is really fate. ”

The implication of these words made Zhang Yue very happy - the old pedantic master grabbed a lot of money in the world, but it was very difficult to find a gentleman who was well-educated and powerful. At least, with the help of such a teacher, he has enough time and full preparation to face this strange time.

A few days after Zhang Yue's formal apprenticeship, Zhang Fu, the British duke in Nanjing, suddenly sent four elite generals, and also brought a letter from him. Gu was originally a little unhappy because the Zhang family in Nanjing was not seen at the birthday banquet, but after reading the letter, he sighed, and the idea in his heart disappeared in an instant.

"A few years ago, I also sent someone to congratulate me, but it turned out that a five-month-old fat boy was gone! Not only that, but the family of Zhang Hui and Zhang Huan's brothers has to stop, and several concubines have calculated the position of the heir to the country, so it's no wonder that no one patronizes my wife's birthday. ”

Zhang Yue on the side realized that it was the son of the British Gong Zhang Fu who died, and that was the only son. Thinking that people in this era either died young or died in childhood, and there were few people who were blessed and long-lived, he couldn't help but feel deeply worried about his weak body. You must know that it is difficult for the emperor to live a long life with countless imperial doctors waiting for him, let alone him?

Gu carefully folded the letterhead in his hand and put it back in the envelope, and then instructed in an unquestionable tone: "The British public feels that the Zhang family is a martial heirloom, and even if the children and grandchildren do not seek to make meritorious contributions to the battlefield in the future, they should practice martial arts to strengthen their health, so they sent four families who had followed him in the southern and northern wars. Later, you will take your son outside, one of the elders, two of the second and one of the third families, and each of them will bring people back to serve as teachers. ”

Hearing this, Zhang Chao, who has always liked to dance with guns and sticks, was overjoyed, Zhang Yue also felt a burst of heartfelt joy after being surprised, only the youngest Zhang Zhen wrinkled his little face and muttered something softly in his mouth.

The authority of the Gu family in this family is unshakable, and no one dares to disobey the words of the British public Zhang Fu. Even if some people were willing and some were unwilling, everyone still divided up the four generals at the first time and led them back to be settled.

However, it turned out that these four generals were only the first gifts of the British duke in Nanjing. Only seven days later, the second batch of gifts from Nanjing City arrived at Xiangfu Zhang's house again.

This time it was a group of twelve handmaidens with considerable appearances, and according to the words of Zhang Fu's handwritten letter, it was a clan affair to spread out the leaves, so he hoped that the three cousins and nephews in the family would be able to multiply their children. These women are all women from the original good family who were punished and confiscated into the government, ranging in age from twelve to seventeen years old, and they are all the appearance of Yizi.

God knows how a twelve-year-old girl can be seen by Yizi!

Assigned to Zhang Yue's room was a thirteen-year-old girl with a beautiful appearance, named Amber, who was quite pleasing to the eye. However, in the face of such a pleasing girl, Zhang Yue couldn't give birth to a trace of joy, because he thought of Baguio and Hongluan, who were stuffed next to his father Zhang Zhuo, thought of his mother's sadness, and thought of the cruel fact that he was about to have two more little mothers.

Joy and sorrow are the main theme of life, and it is true at all.

PS: 4,000 words chapter asking for recommendation votes!! Please help me sit down in the fourth place in the new book, thank you!

Anyway, I updated 10,000 words yesterday, and today it's almost 10,000 words. whispered, if I can catch up with it tomorrow, there will be three chapters, and if I can't catch it, I will only have two chapters......

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