Shen Ji half-crouched beside the bedside of Zhao Changping and Mr. Zhao, looking at Mr. Zhao who was already very pale on the bed, and whispered: "Uncle, you must get well. Master will go to Nanjing to see you in the afternoon. He is still waiting." After you retire, we will go to the academy to teach together."
Although Shen Ji is the son of Ye Chan, he originally had to call Master Lu "Grandpa" according to Lu Ruoxi's example. However, his father Shen Yi was also a student of Master Lu, so it would be more polite to call him father-in-law.
Shen Ji paused and continued: "I have already written to my father. My father may also come to Nanjing to see you."
As soon as these words came out, Mr. Zhao slowly opened his eyes. He looked at Shen Ji and slowly shook his head: "Child."
Shen Ji quickly stepped forward and said, "My grandnephew is here."
Zhao Changping shook his head slowly: "You... your father, you can't move, never... never let him leave Yanjing."
"I...I'm not worth mentioning..."
Shen Ji lowered his head and said, "My father and Uncle Jiu both said that when they first arrived in Jiankang in the early years, you, my uncle, took great care of them. In the following twenty years, you always gave them more guidance..."
"You are the great benefactor of the Shen family, anyone should come here."
Zhao Changping still shook his head: "Po Lu, don't say that. Zi and Zichang are both dragons and phoenixes among men. I... I was just born a few years earlier than them..."
He looked at Zhao Jizhou standing aside and said in a hoarse voice, "Second brother."
Zhao Er quickly lowered his head and said, "Say."
"We need to... we need to persuade Zhuzi not to let him go south..."
Zhao Jizhou nodded silently and said: "Don't worry, Dad, he is one of the four assistants. He cannot leave Yanjing easily..."
Zhao Changping nodded silently, closed his eyes, and sighed: "Dad is a little tired. Wait...wait for your Uncle Lu to come over and then wake me up."
"yes."
Shen Ji and Zhao Jizhou then exited the bedroom one after another. After walking outside, Shen Ji sighed and said, "I never thought that my uncle would become so ill after the late emperor left."
Zhao Jizhou clasped his hands behind his back and sighed: "You are still young. When you remember, your father had already conquered Yanjing, and our elder Chen was already proud and proud."
"you do not know…"
Zhao Er raised his head and looked at the sky: "You don't know what Hong De was like twelve years ago. You have never seen how arrogant Zhu Zhenren was at that time."
He turned to look at Shen Ji and said silently: "An envoy dares not to kneel in front of the court, but looks up at the king and shouts at the court."
"In the seventh year of Hongde, the Northern Qi princess who married our Dachen had a conflict with your father, and your father's future was almost ruined."
Shen Ji scratched his head.
When he was born, Shen Yi was already in the process of the Northern Expedition. By the time he could remember, his family had moved to the north. He only knew Zhu Zhenren who fled in a hurry, but he had never seen the arrogant and domineering Zhu Zhenren.
Some people can't imagine how arrogant Zhu Zhenren was when he was driven out of the customs.
Zhao Er continued: "Therefore, you don't know what kind of status the late emperor, who led Da Chen to be so proud, has in the hearts of the older generation like my father."
"That is a holy king who is rare to see in thousands of years."
Zhao Er sighed: "In addition, my father watched the late emperor grow up in the court. This kind of emotion... is difficult for outsiders to understand."
Speaking of this, he looked at Shen Ji and said, "Uncle Lu will come over in the afternoon, and Sanlang will also have to take care of him. Uncle Lu is also old, and he probably feels the same way."
Shen Ji responded, and then asked: "Second uncle, my father..."
"What was it like when you first entered Jiankang?"
Zhao Er touched his chin, thought about it seriously, and then said: "It's been too long ago, and I can't think clearly anymore, but my memory..."
"Your father is a very good money maker."
"Later, because of a few poems, Jiankang became famous."
"make money?"
Shen Ji was startled. He really had no way to connect these two words with his father, who was the Grand Master.
Zhao Er patted Shen Ji on the shoulder and said, "In the early years, the life between him and your Uncle Ninth was not very easy."
"Have you met Xu Fu?"
Shen Ji thought for a while and said, "I've met him a few times, and I heard he is a great businessman."
"He is your father. He was brought to Jiankang from Jiangdu. If I remember correctly..."
Zhao Er thought for a moment before continuing: "When I was in Jiangdu, I was a beggar."
Shen Ji was stunned for a long time without speaking.
That Uncle Xu, who spent a lot of money and was extremely generous, used to be... a beggar?
Shen Sanlang clasped his hands behind his back and looked at the sky.
My father's generation had too many secrets...
In the afternoon, Shen Ji rode out of the city and went outside the city to welcome Master Lu as he entered the city. He spoke respectfully to Master Lu.
Master Lu patted his head and said softly: "Let's just call him grandpa."
Shen Ji lowered his head.
The grandfather and grandson were on the carriage. Master Lu asked a lot about the current situation of the Shen family. After hearing that Shen Ji was going to marry Princess Ning Guo, the old Master was silent for a moment and patted Shen Ji on the shoulder: "What a pity."
"You are like your ninth uncle, you are a material for studying. Grandpa thought that you would take the exam to become an official in the future..."
Shen Ji shook his head and said, "Grandpa, studying is too hard. Besides, after my grandson marries the princess, he may not be able to become an official."
Master Lu was still stubborn: "After all, it is different from Kejia Zhengtu."
The grandfather and grandson came to Zhao's house together and soon met Zhao Changping. The two old brothers are now in their early seventies. After meeting, they couldn't help but sigh with emotion.
Master Lu pulled Zhao Changping's sleeve and said softly: "You sent me a letter, saying that the court has allowed my brother to return to his care. He has recovered his health. We old brothers will go back to Jiangdu together to teach and fish."
Zhao Changping looked at Master Lu and said with tears: "Xian brother, your majesty is so young..."
Master Lu clapped his hand and sighed: "The world is impermanent, the world is impermanent."
"His Majesty was so powerful, but he died young, but we two old men are still alive and well."
The two brothers looked at each other and couldn't help but sigh with emotion.
………
Perhaps because of Master Lu's arrival, Mr. Zhao's illness miraculously improved, but he was still in poor health. At Master Lu's suggestion, they found a sedan to take him from Nanjing to Ganquan Academy in Jiangdu to rest.
Two old brothers left Nanjing together.
And Prime Minister Zhao's fifty years of ups and downs in officialdom have come to an end.
At this point, the previous generation of Shen Yi, Zhang Jian and others have basically all withdrawn from the court, and a generation has come to an end.
…………
After the two elderly people left, Shen Ji was not in a hurry to return to the north. He first stayed in Jiankang for two days. Later, he heard that worshiping Buddha at Jiming Temple was very effective, so he set off to Jiming Temple to pray for the two elderly people and their families.
After arriving at Jiming Temple, Shen Sanlang burned incense, worshiped the Buddha, and asked for a fortune. After reading the fortune, he visited Jiming Temple and looked around. When he walked to the backyard of Jiming Temple, he suddenly heard a man's voice.
"Then Shen Yi has already forgotten about being a mother-in-law. Why is my sister still making things so difficult for her?"
Hearing his father's name, Shen Ji was stunned for a moment, then became curious and walked over.
Under a pavilion, I saw a middle-aged man persuading a nun who looked to be in her early forties.
The man sighed and said, "Sister, there is a man in our family who is in his mid-thirties and has never been married. If you get married, it's up to you whether you want children or not."
"Just have a good life."
The nun had a delicate appearance and looked up at the man: "Brother, hasn't Shen Qi become more difficult for his family these years?"
Hearing the words "Shen Qi", Shen Ji confirmed that the "Shen Yi" mentioned by these two people was definitely not the same name, otherwise it would be too coincidental.
The man shook his head and said: "After the Huaihe Navy disappeared, he didn't pay much attention to our family anymore. Now our family has been abandoned in Jiankang, and they have all gone to Yanjing, and no one remembers it. "
Speaking of this, he laughed at himself: "Now that I go to Yanjing for my brother, it will be extremely difficult to meet him."
The middle-aged nun was silent for a moment and sighed: "But I am already this age, and I no longer want to get married."
"You are still too stubborn."
The man shook his head: "He never stopped you from getting married. If you were willing to put down your dignity, you would have gotten married long ago. How could you..."
"who?"
At this point, the man's voice stopped abruptly.
After hearing the noise, he quickly walked towards the rockery where Shen Ji was hiding, then grabbed Shen Ji by the collar and asked, "Who are you? Why are you eavesdropping here!"
As soon as he finished speaking, two men in gray clothes quickly stepped forward, revealing small crossbows from their sleeves, and aimed them at the middle-aged man.
"Let go!"
The two people shouted at the same time.
The middle-aged man was shocked and angry: "I am Zhao Zhuo, the Marquis of Anping. Which house do you belong to?"
Shen Ji took the opportunity to break away and looked at the middle-aged man up and down.
"So you are Zhao Zhuo."
Zhao Zhuo, who had succeeded Anping Marquis, looked at Shen Ji.
"Which family do you belong to? How dare you bring forbidden crossbow arrows!"
Shen Ji waved his hand and motioned for the two followers to go down. Then he looked at Zhao Zhuo, cupped his hands and said: "Xia Shen Ji, I was just playing here, and suddenly I heard you mentioning my father's name, so I walked closer unconsciously. It's offensive. Please forgive me."
"Shen Ji..."
Zhao Zhuo was stunned: "Are you the son of Shen...Shen Hou?"
He originally wanted to say Shen Qi, but in the end he didn't dare to say it.
Shen Ji nodded and said, "I am the second son in the family."
Seeing the uncertain look on the middle-aged man in front of him, Shen Ji smiled and said, "Mr. Zhao, I don't know what the discord was between you and my father back then, but I understand my father's temper."
"My father doesn't hold grudges, because he has already avenged himself."
"Since my father has done nothing, then our two families..."
He paused and said, "It should be that the grudges have already been settled."
Speaking of this, Shen Ji handed over.
"Junior... take leave."
After saying that, he turned around and left calmly.
Zhao Zhuo and Zhao Houye clenched their fists fiercely and gritted their teeth angrily.