Early the next morning, Zhang Yanling and Xu Wanyi packed up early and headed to Dingguo Duke's Mansion to pay New Year's greetings.
Xu Guangzuo and his wife were very happy to see their daughter come home. However, they were obviously a little colder towards Zhang Yanling. Even Xu Wanyi quickly felt this.
Just as Zhang Yanling imagined, after Zhu Youtang passed away, the Xu family and his son expressed their regrets when talking in private. They thought that the marriage with the Zhang family would bring benefits to the Dingguo Palace, but now,
Cleverness leads to mistakes. Once Zhu Youtang died, the status of the Zhang family plummeted. This was indeed a loss-making business.
Not only that. Without the emperor as a backer, it is still a question whether the Zhang family can hold on and whether it can gain a foothold. You know, the civil servants in the outer court have launched multiple impeachments against the Zhang brothers. The Zhang brothers have done a lot of ridiculous things before.
, Li Dongyang personally impeached the Zhang brothers for forcibly kissing and molesting the maids in the palace. Although the incident was mainly caused by Shouning Hou getting drunk and acting recklessly, Zhang Yanling was still young at the time and did not get involved, but he could not escape his involvement.
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That incident was suppressed by the emperor, and the Zhang family brothers were safe. But now and then, after the death of the late emperor, the outer court is likely to bring up the old matter again. Moreover, the original case also involved the queen secretly.
The rumor that the informant eunuch He Ding was ordered to be executed with a stick. If it is brought up again in the outer court, the matter will be more serious.
Now that the previous emperor is gone, will the new emperor continue to cover up this matter? I'm afraid it's unlikely.
If there is an attack in the outer court, will Duke Dingguo save him or not? Will he care or not? No matter, he is his son-in-law. If the Zhang family falls, what will Xu Wanyi do? He can take him home, but after all, he is his son-in-law.
It's a troubling thing. Besides, who knows that the people in the outer court won't use the reason that Zhang Yanling is the son-in-law of Dingguo Duke to cause trouble for him?
If he takes care of it, he will inevitably fall into a situation of confronting the outer court. I am not afraid of it. It’s just that the outer court is powerful now. After the new emperor ascends the throne, the three bachelors in the cabinet are ministers appointed by the former emperor to take care of his orders. The emperor also
You have to listen to their opinions. This is the time when the power is at its peak. If you start a fight, you have no chance of winning. Instead, you will only make yourself angry and attract constant criticism from this group of people in the future.
More importantly, is it worth doing this for Zhang Yanling? I thought that joining forces would be beneficial to me, but now I have an extra burden. Isn't it like shooting myself in the foot?
It is precisely because of these various concerns that the Xu family sighed and regretted at home and almost slapped themselves in the mouth. Especially Xu Guangzuo, who originally forced Xu Wanyi to marry Zhang Yanling. Xu Yande was opposed to it at the time. Now
Xu Yande complained about this matter to his father, and Xu Guangzuo was so angry that he almost slapped Xu Yande with his mouth.
However, regret is regret, indifference is indifference, the matter has come to this, and there is no medicine for regret. Besides, Zhang Yanling has proved that he is capable. The Xu family and his son did not embarrass Zhang Yanling too much.
When a son-in-law or a daughter comes to visit, he or she should be entertained. The best dishes and drinks are served, and the etiquette is still the same, but the attitude is different from usual.
After the lunch banquet, Xu Guangzuo and his son took Zhang Yanling to the back hall to talk. Xu Guangzuo's idea was to remind Zhang Yanling not to provoke others at such a time, so as not to cause trouble.
After the tea was poured, the Xu family father and son and Zhang Yanling sat down. Xu Guangzuo thought about it for a while and asked: "Yanling, a lot of things have happened recently, and you haven't been home for a long time. There are some things I really want to talk to you about. I want to
Let me hear your opinion. There are no outsiders today, so we can speak freely."
Zhang Yanling nodded and said, "Father-in-law, please inquire."
Xu Guangzuo nodded and said: "The sudden death of the late emperor is really surprising. I never expected that the late emperor would suddenly pass away when he was in his prime, which makes people sad and sad. I think you must be shocked too.
.I wonder how the Queen Mother is doing now? I have been busy recently and have not gone to see the Queen Mother to say hello."
Zhang Yanling said: "Thank you, father-in-law, for your concern. My second sister is very sad and has not been able to come out of it yet. The day before yesterday, I went to the palace to have a reunion dinner. Seeing that she was in very bad condition, I was also very worried. But don't worry, father-in-law, the Queen Mother is
She is a strong-hearted person, and I believe she will come out. After all, she has a very deep relationship with the late emperor and respects her as a guest. After eighteen years of marriage, it is difficult to recover from the sudden separation of life and death, and it will take time to recover."
Xu Guangzuo nodded and said: "Yes, the love between husband and wife is deep, and it is difficult to calm down for a while. Did you go to the palace for a reunion dinner on New Year's Eve? And the emperor was also there? What did the emperor say?"
Zhang Yanling said: "The Emperor is also here, but... I didn't say a few words to the Emperor. They were all common things. The Emperor sat for a while and then left. I had a conversation with the Queen Mother."
Xu Yande frowned and said, "You should talk to the Emperor more often. Don't you know that now you need to have a good relationship with the Emperor? Your Zhang family's situation is no longer what it used to be. There is no need to remind you of this."
Xu Guangzuo said in a deep voice: "Yande, what are you talking about?"
Xu Yande said: "I'm not wrong. Since I am speaking from my own family, there is nothing wrong with me saying these words. Yan Ling won't be unhappy, right?"
Zhang Yanling smiled and said: "Brother is telling the truth. My Zhang family's backer has indeed fallen. There is no need to hide this."
Xu Yande said: "It seems that you are still aware of yourself. Do you have any plans?"
Zhang Yanling said: "Brother, I think strength is achieved by one's own hard work. Power and respect cannot be given by others. Relying on others is always unreliable. The backer will always fall one day, such as the sudden death of the late emperor.
This is an example. There is no reliable backer in the world."
Xu Yande frowned and said, "You can just talk to others about this. There is no need to say such things in front of us."
Zhang Yanling frowned and said, "I'm not talking about the situation. My father-in-law said that you should speak freely. What I said is what I think in my heart."
Xu Yande was about to say something sarcastic when Xu Guangzuo waved his hand to stop him: "Yande, stop talking. Yanling has his own ideas, which is understandable. But Yanling, what I mean is that you still have to manage the relationship with the emperor.
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After the new emperor came to the throne, the situation has changed drastically, and many things are no longer what they used to be. Especially your Zhang family, which had some trouble with the outer court before. There is no guarantee that no one will criticize you. If the emperor does not support you, it may be difficult to cope with it.
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Zhang Yanling nodded and said: "Father-in-law, Yanling knows what to do. Please rest assured, father-in-law and brother, although Yanling is stupid, he is not ignorant of his situation. But please don't worry, I will have countermeasures."
Xu Yande said: "I hope our Duke Dingguo's Palace will not come forward to help you settle the matter. Besides, our Duke Dingguo's Palace may not be able to help you either."
Zhang Yanling said with a smile: "Brother, don't worry, there is no need to borrow the power of my father-in-law. I can handle it myself. There is no need to worry in vain."
Xu Guangzuo and his son felt that Zhang Yanling was talking big words, but what they wanted was Zhang Yanling's words. When the time came, Dingguo Duke's government would do nothing, and he would have nothing to say.
"Well, since Yanling has his own countermeasures, we don't have to worry about you. After all, Yanling is the emperor's uncle, and the Queen Mother is the emperor's mother. The emperor will protect him. The outer court does not dare to go too far." Xu Guangzuo said in a deep voice.
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After a pause, Xu Guangzuo said: "Yanling, I would like to ask you what you think of the emperor. In the past month or so, the emperor's performance has been surprising. He is diligent and humble, and has the style of the late emperor. There is a lot of praise from outside. You