Even though the injuries on his body were not concealed, after leaving Qianqingmen, Zhu Tingfang still seriously warned Zhu Ying and Zhang Shou, telling them not to tell the wife about the matter. However, Zhu Ying snorted and told them directly. The elder brother rejected this request which he thought was very reasonable.
"Mom has already figured it out, how do you still want to hide it? Do you think grandma can be fooled casually?"
Zhu Ying frowned and didn't even look at her elder brother. She also didn't look at Zhang Shou who had just used her as a cover for her elder brother in front of others. She muttered in a low voice, "Don't be afraid of being scolded if you dare to do it! Besides, there is nothing wrong in the world." With a ventilated wall, you can control the mouths of everyone around you, but you can also control the mouths of those northern captives? Maybe they are eager to publicize your humiliation to everyone!"
The journey out of the palace was delivered personally by Liu Feng, the steward of Qianqing Palace, who knew everything about it. Even for a family like Zhao Guogong, who was always close to the emperor, this kind of special encounter was not common. In addition, Liu Feng looked angry. Don't let others get close, and others will naturally stay away. Therefore, he ensured that no one else could hear what the last three said, but he also made sure that he heard every word.
At this moment, he only heard the eldest son of Zhao Guogong, who had so many scars on his body that even his scalp went numb, spoke. Zhu Tingfang's words were very simple, but as soon as he heard the voice and understood the meaning, he couldn't help but hit him. A chill.
"We killed all the bandits in the firearms camp, leaving no one behind."
Zhu Tingfang paused as he spoke, then sighed and said: "When we were there, we were all unkempt and we were beaten frequently. Who still remembers who was beaten? Later, I was picked to make firearms, so I didn't suffer. It was so painful. As for those knife wounds, some were from the first battle, and some were from the last battle to wipe out the firearms camp."
"Moreover, were they more humiliated if I suffered the humiliation of being whipped at the hands of Beilu, or if I led people in and then directly cooperated with others to completely destroy the firearms camp? Of course, they may still have the blueprints on how to make firearms. There may still be some craftsmen, but it will take time to start over. The most important thing is that the saltpeter smuggling route can no longer be maintained!"
After taking a look at Zhang Shou, Zhu Tingfang smiled and said: "I don't want people to know that I'm injured. That's because I don't want my grandmother and mother to worry, and I don't want you to worry either. I don't want anyone with ulterior motives to worry." If people think that I am injured, the Zhu family can give them an opportunity to take advantage of it. However, I am definitely not jealous of my previous experience of being defeated and captured, Yingying, do you understand?"
Zhang Shou saw Zhu Ying biting Yin Hong's lips again and remained silent. He only felt that he had further grasped the context of Zhu Ying's eldest brother. There is no doubt that this is a proud and conceited, but strong and tenacious person, so he does not Allowing yourself to show a little bit of weakness in front of others is very tiring, but as the eldest son and brother, such a responsibility is very valuable.
"Humph!" Zhu Ying snorted in the end, thinking that she was responding to Zhu Tingfang's teaching. When she left the Donghua Gate, she only saw Liu Feng waving, and then a pack sedan came slowly over. .
"The emperor said that the weather is cold and windy. Miss, please stop riding a horse and sit in a sedan." Liu Feng's voice was neither loud nor quiet, but it was enough for others around to hear, "The same is true for Dr. Zhang. You are not like Mr. Zhu. Now that you've worked up your muscles well, let's go back together in the sedan with the eldest lady. After all, it will take a long time to go around from Donghua Gate to Xicheng, so you can just drink tea and talk along the way."
As soon as she said these words, Zhu Ying immediately realized that this sedan was not prepared for herself and Zhang Shou, but was specially prepared by the emperor for her eldest brother. However, when she saw Zhu Tingfang frowning slightly and then remaining silent, she realized
The person was simply planning to acquiesce to the emperor's high-sounding reasons, but pretended not to understand the deeper meaning. A moment later, he planned to ride a horse to show off his strength, which made him extremely angry.
Just when she was about to lose her temper, she only heard Zhang Shou say: "I appreciate the Emperor's kindness, but Yingying and her eldest brother are reunited after a long absence, so they should be allowed to sit in this sedan chair. After all, the eldest son has been riding a horse all the way.
It’s time to take a rest after returning to Beijing after a long day of work. Although I’m not as strong and strong as him, I can still climb mountains and go to the fields without any problems. I’m just riding a horse to enjoy the cold wind, so that’s fine.”
Having said this, Zhang Shou smiled bitterly at Liu Feng again: "Please tell Eunuch Liu to tell the emperor that in front of Brother Yingying, I am asked to ride in the same sedan with her. How can I sit still?"
His voice was neither too loud nor too quiet. When the guards and guards stationed at Donghua Gate heard it, many people snickered. My uncle always became more picky when he looked at his brother-in-law. If Dr. Zhang really followed the instructions
The emperor arranged for Miss Zhu to go back in the same sedan chair. Even if Mr. Zhu didn't say anything at this time, he would definitely remember it when he looked back!
Dr. Zhang chose to decline, which is definitely the right thing to do!
The corners of Zhu Ying's mouth suddenly turned up high. She stepped forward with a smile and grabbed Zhu Tingfang. Then she winked at Zhang Shou and said, "Ah Shou, thank you for your consideration, brother, saddle, horse, labor, time!"
She deliberately emphasized the words "pommel horse is tired", but regardless of whether Zhu Tingfang was willing or not, she pushed Zhu Tingfang to the front of the carriage, and then said angrily: "What, brother, what are you going to say about not being allowed to sit at the age of seven?
Are you unwilling to ride back in the sedan with me?"
What else could Zhu Tingfang say? He could only glance at Zhang Shou with complicated eyes, and then reluctantly climbed up the ladder. When he sat down in the sedan chair, he saw Zhu Ying following him in, closed the sedan door again, and then
Ignoring him, he directly opened the curtains on the side, said hello to Liu Feng, and clearly winked at Zhang Shou who was riding a horse beside him. He finally couldn't help but speak.
"Yingying..."
"You are not allowed to talk. Give me a good rest!" Zhu Ying threw down the curtains and stared at her elder brother with a stern face. "If you have anything to do, go home and tell your grandmother and mother. I'm very angry now!"
As she spoke, she tilted her head and tilted her head to look beside her in a daze, but she didn't care that the curtains had not been fastened yet, and the cold wind was blowing into the sedan. Until someone knocked lightly on the window outside, she opened the curtain angrily and saw Zhang Shou.
, his face looked better now.
"Yingying, the curtains are not fastened, and the wind just exposed such a big gap. What should you do if you are frozen?"
As Zhang Shou said this, he glanced at Zhu Tingfang, who was still in a daze in the sedan. Even if you, miss, are not afraid of the cold, you still have to consider the frail elder brother beside you, right? Seeing Zhu Ying, he was stunned for a moment, and then quickly turned his head.
Glancing at Zhu Tingfang, he smiled and said: "You have always been a person who gets angry quickly and goes away quickly. You are open-minded and never express your anger. Why are you so stingy today?"
"Who is being stingy!" Zhu Ying's face turned red, she glared at Zhang Shou and quickly closed all the curtains. After finishing her work, she turned around and saw Zhu Tingfang looking at her thoughtfully, and she couldn't help it.
He said angrily, "Brother, what are you looking at!"
"Of course it's to look at my sister who is getting more and more beautiful."
If such words were said by someone like Zhang Chen and Lu Sanlang, Zhu Ying would not find it strange at all. But when she heard her elder brother say this, she couldn't help but raise her eyebrows: "Brother, you just
Why are you so glib when you go out?"
"I'm telling the truth, why am I so glib?" Zhu Tingfang smiled, then looked at Zhu Ying seriously and asked, "Is he really nice?"
Although the word "he" didn't seem to have a clear reference, Zhu Ying immediately understood that the eldest brother was referring to Ah Shou. She immediately showed a cheerful expression and said with a smile: "Of course Ah Shou is very good! Brother
, you don’t know, after you and your father left Beijing, there were a lot of messy things! First, the censor impeached, and then the second brother..."
Even though she knew that Zhu Er would definitely get scolded or even be severely whipped if she wanted to tell the truth about her betrothal to Lu Sanlang, but Zhu Ying knew that her eldest brother would have already listened.
I have already said it, and let others in the family say it. It is better to take the initiative to say it myself, so that the eldest brother may see that the second brother has changed his mind a little, and will turn around and strike more lightly.
However, for her, these are trivial details after all, and those about Zhang Shou are the most important. She devoted a lot of space to her acquaintance with Zhang Shou, and highlighted Zhang Shou's talents and conduct, as for his appearance.
...The eldest brother has seen it himself, so there is no need for her to be nagging.
Zhu Tingfang listened quietly. From Zhu Ying's clear tendency and countless kind words, he knew how much his sister liked Zhang Shou. In his eyes, marriage was just the order of his parents.
The matchmaker's words are the guarantee for the inheritance of the family line. As long as the husband respects his wife and the two of them treat each other as guests, that's all. He takes things like two lovers very lightly.
He heard that his father and his mother had a deep love for each other back then. Even though they had not had any children for many years, his father never showed affection and his grandmother did not urge them, but after all, they were separated. After his mother died, his father and stepmother also had a very good relationship, but later they still had a close relationship.
Haven't we been strangers for more than ten years?
He even felt that the more deeply he invested in the love between two people, the greater the harm he would suffer if something happened in the future. What's more, Zhu Ying's temper was similar to that of her mother Jiuniang, although she was cheerful and cheerful now.
, but if you are stubborn, even nine cows can’t pull you back!
But listening to Zhu Ying's narration, it was clear that people were already in deep trouble. Zhu Tingfang thought of his sister's stubborn temper. When her words finally came to an end, he asked in a deep voice: "Yingying, tell me the truth, you like it very much."
He, does he like you as much as you like him? Marriage is like a steelyard. If you invest a lot, but he only treats you as ordinary, then I would be very sorry for you."
Zhu Ying didn't expect that her eldest brother would consider such a long-term consideration. She was stunned for a moment, feeling a little guilty, but then she said confidently: "Of course Ah Shou also likes me! He said that he will only show affection when he is facing me.
I couldn’t help myself, and even said..."
She paused, then smiled and said, "He also told me, who else could he marry if I didn't marry him?"
Zhu Ying's words not only failed to reassure Zhu Tingfang, but he became even more worried and hurriedly asked: "Let's put aside the fact that we can't help ourselves, how could he tell you that you should marry him?
"
"I asked Ah Shou to marry me and go home as soon as possible? Brother, you don't know, the emperor gave the palace of Prince Lu to Ah Shou! This is not a gift from the emperor, but a gift from the elders!" Zhu Ying said, then
He told me exactly what happened that day.
Zhu Tingfang simply didn't know what to say. He was originally secretly angry at Zhang Shou for being so shameless, but he never thought that this was not a phoenix begging for a phoenix, but...a phoenix begging for a phoenix! Besides his sister, who else
Would a girl say such unsubtle words to a man? Fortunately, Zhang Shou was not stunned, but responded normally!
For the first time, he secretly favored Zhang Shou in his heart. Zhu Tingfang suddenly felt that the young man outside was not without merit. Whether it was saving face for him in front of his grandmother and stepmother, or later helping him speak in front of the emperor, or perhaps
When I first saw the carriage, I gave him the seat without even thinking... Of course, the most important thing was to accommodate his sister who was really too bold!
As for the emperor's lavish gift of a luxurious courtyard to Zhang Shou, he didn't care much. Even if Zhang Shou was poor, if Zhu Ying really liked it, and Zhang Shou's character and talent really surpassed him and his father, then
That was enough. But when Zhu Ying boasted about the century-old peony garden with a smile, he finally suddenly remembered who Zhu Ying mentioned as King Lu.
Thinking of this, Brother Zhu couldn't help but feel a little annoyed at his ignorance. He took a deep breath and said in a gentle tone: "Yingying, Zhang Shou doesn't know, you should know that although King Lu is dead,
, but he is a troublesome figure. Even though the Emperor has already relieved himself, the Queen Mother..."
"He was raised by the Queen Mother, but he is not the Queen Mother's biological son."
Zhu Ying snorted with some disdain, then raised her head slightly and said: "Do you think I am so stupid? I told this matter in front of the Queen Mother. The Queen Mother was very happy and said it was a pity to leave such a garden empty.
Why don't you let Ah Shou and I stay here? He also said that the emperor has finally done a great thing this time!"
The attitude of the Queen Mother and the Emperor... is really too open-minded and open-minded!
Zhu Tingfang thought so in his heart, but he would not doubt the Queen Mother and the Emperor's always preference for Zhu Ying, so he was speechless at this time. However, the sister who had always been doting on Zhu Ying actually had a sweetheart, and now she was happily getting married.
, he was inevitably a little upset, and he couldn't help but change the topic: "By the way, what happened to Zhang Shou's students?"
Seeing Zhu Ying suddenly beaming, Zhu Tingfang quickly added: "I'm not asking about the little fat guy from the Lu family and Zhang Chen. I'm asking about you, the one who was recommended by Mr. Wu Ge as a clerk in the Shuntian government office, and me.
I remember my family said before that I got seventh place in the Shuntian Prefecture examination, but later I didn’t take the college examination, but went to the Jiuzhang Hall of the Imperial College! It seems that one is named Deng and the other is Qi? "
"Grandma and mother have told you about them to my eldest brother?"
Zhu Ying was surprised this time. However, Deng Xiaodai and Qi Liang were indeed pretty good young men. She immediately introduced them with a smile. At the end, she slapped the armrest and said: "I both
I forgot another big thing... Hello, brother! You raised a child outside and didn’t even tell your family, you are going too far!"
Zhu Tingfang was stunned when he heard the words that he had raised a child. He had a child? Who gave birth to it? How come he never knew about it? In an instant, he became furious. Who was so despicable and shameless that he dared to mess with him?