Uncle from a poor family

Chapter 264: Sacrifice for Justice (ask for monthly ticket!)
Honglu Temple.

Li Zisheng arrived with Pang Qing, and the servant at the door immediately passed the news into the hall. Zhang Luan hurriedly put down the snack he had taken a bite of and ran out to greet Li Zisheng.

"This body..."

Li Zisheng felt uncomfortable when he saw Zhang Luan wearing official uniform, because in his eyes, Zhang Luan, who was an expert in the art of prophecies and divination, was actually more suitable for wearing Taoist robes.

Zhang Luan explained, "It's more convenient to wear official uniforms when I'm in the government office. After all, many of the subordinates don't know me yet. I can get around easily with this uniform. I don't have anything to do today, so I wanted to pack up and go home, but I didn't expect Minister Li to come in person... What's the matter?"

Li Zisheng pointed in the direction of the government office and said, "Let's find a place to talk."

"Come on, come on. Please come in."

Zhang Luan led the way.

Then the two of them came to the small flower hall in the Honglu Temple which was specially used to entertain guests.

Li Zisheng was not polite and sat down directly in the main seat, because in terms of official position, he, as the third-rank left vice minister of the Ministry of Rites, was indeed Zhang Luan's superior.

"Come and see, Lord Wan came to my house to see me earlier and said that he saw a very surprising memorial. He also said that you joined forces with some prince of Tianfang Kingdom to impeach Liang Fang and Wei Juan?"

Li Zisheng started the topic himself.

Pang Qing stood by and looked at Zhang Luan with a half-smile, as if waiting for him to make excuses.

Zhang Luan did not shy away from saying anything and nodded, "It is true. I went to Huitong Hall and met Prince Ali. He complained bitterly about the Ming eunuchs' lawlessness and lack of respect for foreign envoys. Not only did they rob tribute but they also tried to silence him. I suggested that he submit a petition to impeach the emperor. He said he had already done so once, but it was useless. So I said I would join him in impeaching the emperor."

Li Zisheng's tone instantly rose eight degrees: "Then it is enough for you to impeach Wei Juan alone, why involve Eunuch Liang?"

"Isn't this... Even a foreigner like Ali knows that Liang Fang is Wei Juan's backer? And after Wei Juan withheld the tribute from Tianfang, he used Liang Fang's power to send the tribute to the capital. It was also because of Liang Fang's reputation that the local officials did not dare to intervene. Even now, the government office refused to accept Ali's impeachment memorial."

Zhang Luan seemed righteous.

Look, I am enforcing the law impartially and speaking up for justice. Am I wrong?
"hehe."

Li Zisheng suddenly smiled, pointed at Zhang Luan, and shook his head, "You, you said it seriously, I almost believed it... Tell me, what is your plan? You are deliberately embarrassing Liang Fang, right?"

"Uh……"

Zhang Luan seemed unwilling to speak directly.

Pang Qing laughed and said, "Zhang Honglu, why are you still hiding it now? The Taoist said early on that you had planned it, and I also said that you would not discuss this with the Taoist because you knew that the Taoist would definitely not agree."

Zhang Luan said helplessly: "Okay, I'll make it clear that I want to do my job. I want to do something practical in the position of the Minister of Honglu Temple. Even if I fail, I am willing to do it."

After hearing this, Li Zisheng almost spat a mouthful of thousand-year-old phlegm on Zhang Luan's face.

Are you talking to me about integrity and fulfilling your duties?

We two are both born into Taoist families and know each other very well. Why are you still pretending?
Pang Qing joked, "Your words are not very trustworthy!"

Zhang Luan's hands and feet seemed unnatural, and he said hesitantly: "Since I became an official, I found that... it is difficult to be an official. If I want to leave a good impression on people and make them think that I am competent, I can only... take unconventional measures. Besides, I don't really want to... treat people. Sometimes I... have to do some strange things. Even if... I lose my job, at least I can have a clear conscience."

"Who said you were asked to treat illnesses? In order to avoid treating people, you made fun of your position as the Minister of the Honglu Temple and tried to impeach people everywhere?"

Li Zisheng asked in surprise.

Zhang Luan asked back, "Isn't it because I can treat illnesses that I became this official? It seems that Minister Li said in front of me that His Majesty once asked me about joining the Imperial Hospital as an official."

"Ah, this..."

Li Zisheng was speechless after being asked.

Pang Qing said with a smile: "Master Dao, we are all family, why are you pretending to be confused? You have seen through it all, don't you think Zhang Honglu can't figure it out?"

Li Zisheng glared at Pang Qing.

It seems to be asking, what are you talking about here?

Where does the elbow turn?

"Laizhan, even if you don't want to diagnose His Majesty and don't want to bear the responsibility, don't put yourself in a difficult position. Do you know how powerful Liang Fang is in Beijing? Even His Majesty has to think twice before touching him, let alone me... If you do this, I may not be able to help you..."

Li Zisheng tried to persuade Zhang Luan earnestly, as if he did not regard Zhang Luan as an outsider, but there was already some resentment in his words.

Unexpectedly, Zhang Luan took out a piece of paper from his pocket and handed it over: "I wonder if you, Minister Li, can help me with this?"

"This is……?"

Li Zisheng took the note in front of him with a puzzled look on his face.

I'm telling you that Liang Fang is a very dangerous person, what do you mean by that?
A gift list for me?

Do you think I would lack your little things?

Zhang Luan introduced: "This is a tonic prescription."

"What?"

Li Zisheng's pupils dilated instantly.

Even Pang Qing who was standing by couldn't help but lean over to take a closer look, as if this was something so awesome that ordinary people couldn't see it.

"Laizhan, are you saying... this is medicine for His Majesty?"

Li Zisheng suppressed his pounding heartbeat and asked excitedly, "Why don't you make the medicine yourself instead of giving this to me?"

Zhang Luan shrugged and said, "Look, this is what I think. If I just randomly prepare medicine, it will be just like the pills made by Deng Changen. Even if it works, Your Majesty may not dare to take it. Not to mention that I am not a doctor at all. If something goes wrong, it will be hard to bear the responsibility.

“But if we only give a prescription and list all the medicines used one by one so that people can check them at any time, the result will be very different.

"These medicines are basically mild tonics that do not involve the Eighteen Antidotes. You only need to ask the Imperial Hospital to check them out. If Your Majesty does not see much effect after using them, you cannot say that I did not do my best. On the contrary, it can be regarded as a favor from me to Minister Li!

"Therefore, please, Minister Li, do not mention my name when you explain the situation to His Majesty. Just say that you found it among the people."

Li Zisheng was stunned after hearing this.

Pang Qing hesitated and said, "Mr. Zhang, we are talking about the fact that you shouldn't have rashly impeached Eunuch Liang. Why did you take out the prescription? Your medicine is too valuable. I am afraid that it will be inconvenient for the Taoist..."

Just as he was about to say that he couldn't accept it, he saw Li Zisheng folding the paper several times with great care and putting it carefully into his arms.

joke!

If I don't put the miraculous medicine carefully prepared by Zhang Daxian, the number one doctor and charlatan of the Ming Dynasty, in my arms, should I give it to someone else?
If I give it to the prince, won’t I be at a great loss?

This is called passing by a treasure mountain without entering!
Li Zisheng touched the prescription in his arms, and then asked contentedly: "Laizhan, do you have no confidence in curing His Majesty? Why don't you say that this prescription comes from you? Or is this prescription not suitable for treating His Majesty's illness?"

Zhang Luan smiled bitterly and said, "Minister Li is very clear about the current situation. I really don't have any good solution for your majesty's illness. This is just a medicine to strengthen the body, and it has no effect on curing liver disease."

Li Zisheng came forward and asked in a low voice: "Can you tell me clearly, what is your Majesty's illness...?"

"Ugh!"

Zhang Luan sighed and shook his head.

It seems to be saying, sorry, I can't do anything about this.

Pang Qing said hurriedly: "But Zhang Honglu has never treated Your Majesty, how can you be so sure that there is no cure?"

"I didn't say anything."

Zhang Luan smiled faintly and said, "My words don't count, and I know my own abilities very well. Don't take on a job that you don't have the skills to do. That's all I have to say."

Li Zisheng did not respond and continued to ask: "So, your majesty's illness is actually not much different from that of Concubine Wan, it's just a matter of time, right?"

Pang Qing immediately looked at Li Zisheng with a puzzled look, as if to say, is this something I can listen to? Are you guys discussing the emperor's life or death?

Zhang Luan said: "I have not diagnosed your majesty's condition in person, so I dare not make a conclusion, but it is roughly as you said."

"call……"

Li Zigao let out a long breath, and seemed to instantly understand what he would do in the future.

Either support the crown prince or vigorously promote the replacement of the crown prince. In any case, the emperor's life will not be too long, and he will suffer a similar disease as Concubine Wan's...

In other words, the person suddenly disappeared.

And his continued favor with the emperor would suddenly reverse after a short period of time. By then, his enemies would no longer be people like Deng Changen, but the civil officials in the court. He might become the target of accusations of evil by the officials for no apparent reason...

Thinking of this, he immediately developed a strong sense of crisis.

Li Zisheng was silent for a while and then said, "Laizhan, if you don't want to treat His Majesty, it is far from enough to just impeach others and show your integrity and fearlessness."

Zhang Luan said meaningfully: "Oh... Actually, I recently opened a new medicine shop. It is packed with customers and has good business every day. It has also spread a little bit of its reputation."

"Hey, you want to make a name for yourself?"

Li Zisheng frowned.

Isn't this completely contrary to your low-key and self-deprecating approach in the field of medicine?

Zhang Luan smiled and said, "As the saying goes, a tall tree attracts the wind. I heard that someone is planning to take action against this medicine shop, and even went so far as to find someone to frame and slander it. Then, wouldn't it be..."

"Cough cough!"

Li Zisheng coughed twice, as if he had suddenly realized something. "So you had planned on letting your two sons have conflicts with the eldest brother of the Peng family? You were just waiting for him to come and cause trouble for you?"

"This this……"

Zhang Luan didn't know how to explain it for a moment.

Pang Qing said sarcastically, "Master Dao, it seems that your efforts to stop Young Master Peng from taking revenge were in vain, and you almost ruined Zhang Honglu's important plan."

"Get lost! Shut up and stand aside... Do you have the right to speak here?"

Li Zisheng also started cursing.

Pang Qing didn't care at all and continued to stand by and watch the fun.

Li Zisheng sighed, "Laizhan, I didn't expect you to use such a self-degrading method... It seems that you have really understood the situation thoroughly and know that you are incapable of resolving the dilemma of the royal family... But I think that this is not enough." "Please enlighten me, Minister Li."

Zhang Luan bowed.

Li Zisheng smiled and said, "Look, Liang Fang is at the end of his rope now. If you impeach him, at most people will think you are taking advantage of his misfortune and don't know what's good for you. But there is someone in the court who is at the peak of his career. If you dare to impeach him, people will think you are upright, selfless and fearless, and everyone will regard you as a model of a minister."

Zhang Luan’s eyes widened and he felt like his brain was not enough.

Is there such a powerful person in the court?
Who is it?

Pang Qing acted as Zhang Luan's mouthpiece and asked, "Master Dao, you don't mean to say that this person is you, do you?"

"hey-hey."

Li Zisheng continued to laugh, "Laizhan, in order to help you succeed, do you think my sacrifice is big enough?"

Zhang Luan was so surprised that he couldn't close his mouth. He asked tremblingly: "Master...Master...No, Li...Minister Li, please stop laughing. How dare I...how dare I?"

Li Zisheng said resolutely: "If you want to build a good relationship with the court officials and make them recognize you, you must take a path that others dare not take, and this path in front of you is paved by me...

"Your impeachment of me demonstrates your integrity and selflessness, which can help you gain a good reputation and gain a firm foothold in the court in the future. This is the help I can give you."

After listening to this, Zhang Luan was so grateful that he burst into tears.

What a great spirit this is, to sacrifice you for my career prospects... ?
and many more.

No, what did Li Zisheng sacrifice?

He just asked me to impeach him, but I obviously can't impeach him!
"Laizhan, you must remember that I am always standing behind you and my heart is connected with yours." Li Zisheng said as he stood up, with an attitude of sacrificing his life for justice.

Zhang Luan stood up as well, savored the meaning behind these words, and thought to himself, why do I feel so uncomfortable listening to them?
Pang Qing smiled and pointed out: "Master Dao is helping Zhang Honglu... to enhance your reputation... You can impeach him. As long as you dare to take the lead, there will definitely be people who will stand shoulder to shoulder with you..."

"but I……"

"Laizhan, you are worried that you have no idea and don't know where to start, right? Don't worry, I will find a direction for you after I go back, and you can also follow this line of thought, such as my monopoly of the court, arbitrary appointment of ministers in the court, and even embezzlement..."

"Master Dao, how about we take it easy?"

Pang Qing reminded from the side that it was okay to impeach, but it would be better to find something that was not the main point. Every word you said was aimed at your own weaknesses. Don’t you want to live anymore?

Li Zisheng said: "If your words are not strong enough, how can you show your integrity? And I will give you some evidence of your crimes that others don't know! It's better to link me to Liang Fang!"

"Uh……"

Zhang Luan continued to be confused.

Pang Qing said: "Then follow the plan of the Taoist priest... Zhang Honglu, don't be surprised. I believe that the Taoist priest will help you impeach Liang Fang and make him suffer a bad end."

Li Zisheng said, "Although Bingkun's words are usually unpleasant to the ear, he is right in saying this. I will help you impeach Liang Fang. Just when others think that I am in cahoots with you, you can impeach me. In this way, you can... clear the suspicion of being a partisan and attacking dissidents. Others will think that you are an upright and upright minister of remonstrance in the court."

……

……

Zhang Luan originally wanted to give Li Zisheng a thorough indoctrination so that he would know the huge plan hidden behind his son.

Unexpectedly, when he turned around, he was severely scolded by Li Zisheng.

They are brainwashing each other, and their own brains are almost washed away.

So after Zhang Luan sent Li Zisheng away, he hurried back to his home from the Honglu Temple, and then waited eagerly for his son to come back, to tell his son such explosive news and let Zhang Yanling help him analyze it.

He waited until sunset and finally saw his two little devils coming back. He walked up to Zhang Yanling, grabbed his arm and dragged him into the main hall.

"father!"

Zhang Heling was standing at the main hall door looking inside, meaning that he didn't want me to go in and listen?
"Go eat first. I bought roast duck for you... Isn't it your favorite?"

Zhang Luan was also calm towards his eldest son that day.

When Zhang Heling heard that there was something he liked to eat, he didn't bother to listen to his old father and ran all the way to the inner courtyard.

Then Zhang Luan told his youngest son everything about Li Zisheng's visit to him today, and concluded: "Son, you are really smart. You guessed that Li Zisheng might come to me. The prescription should work soon..."

"Ah."

Zhang Yanling nodded.

Zhang Luan asked, "Don't you want to say something? What is Li Zisheng's purpose in asking me to impeach him? Is he trying to distance himself from me?"

Zhang Yanling thought carefully and said, "Dad, can I say that I don't understand it either?"

"What?"

Zhang Luan asked in surprise, "Is there a time when you don't understand?"

Zhang Yanling said: "After you entered the court, you should have understood that our development and judgment of all things should be based on perfect information. However, in the matter of Li Zisheng asking you to impeach him, the intelligence we can get is too little to conduct a comprehensive analysis."

"It sounds mysterious."

Zhang Luan asked, "Do you ever get confused?"

Zhang Yanling continued, "The biggest possibility now is that Li Zisheng wants to bring Liang Fang down, but doesn't want to do it himself. He wants your help but doesn't want people to think that he is in cahoots with you, so he asked you to impeach him."

Zhang Luan said, "He is just letting me do the offending things, and he is just sitting back and enjoying the results. Even if he bites me back, I won't be able to do anything to him, right?"

Zhang Yanling shook his head: "It won't do him any good to bite you now. There's no need for him to draw a clear line with you."

"Oh."

Zhang Luan nodded, then looked at his son with eager eyes, wanting to hear his son's analysis again.

"But what I fear most is not that he wants to overthrow Liang Fang, but that he intends to push Liang Fang into a desperate situation, leaving her with nowhere to turn to and no choice but to rely on him and be driven by him. Then his goal will no longer be to maintain the crown prince's position as heir to the throne, but to... vigorously promote the change of heir, except that the leader will change from Liang Fang to him."

Zhang Yanling said.

Zhang Luan was shocked after hearing this: "After hearing what you said, why do I feel a chill down my spine?"

Zhang Yanling continued, "Dad, the only help you can provide to Li Zisheng is to give him some advice, which can help him anticipate things, but it won't help with the big things.

"Liang Fang is a centipede. He has a huge influence in the imperial palace and the surrounding areas of the capital. He can provide all-round assistance to Li Zisheng. If Li Zisheng had to choose someone to help him, do you think he would choose Liang Fang or you?"

"Is there any need to ask? Liang Fang will definitely be chosen. Who am I?"

Zhang Luan was a little depressed for a moment.

It was obvious that he had begun to make a name for himself in the court and had even been promoted to a fourth-rank official in the capital, with a bright future ahead of him. However, in front of the powerful and wealthy, he was still like an ant and was led by the nose.

Zhang Yanling said: "If Li Zisheng is determined to help the prince, he must stand on your side."

"Why?"

Zhang Luan asked.

"Because he cannot directly contact the crown prince, even the lecturers around the crown prince are hostile to him. It is impossible for him to use this group of people."

Zhang Yanling sighed, "He can only help you get to the top so that he can pave a smooth road for himself to seek refuge with the Crown Prince in the future. But the problem with this is that the Crown Prince will not be able to obey him like Your Majesty does today."

Zhang Luan nodded: "I understand, a new emperor appoints new ministers."

"Yes, by then, in the eyes of the prince, Li Zisheng's status will be not as good as that of the Eastern Palace lecturer, and even worse than yours. He can only be your vassal. Even if the prince will rely on him to stabilize the court in the early stage, within a year or two, Li Zisheng will fall, and may even die without a burial place." Zhang Yanling said.

"Then he..."

"The mother and son of Concubine Shao have no support in the court. They relied on Liang Fang before. This is something Li Zisheng doesn't want to see. This means that in the future, the government will be controlled by Liang Fang, who was promoted to the head of the Imperial Household Department. The best way is for him to lead and control everything. Then, in half a year, Li Zisheng will be the most powerful official in the Ming Dynasty, and his reputation will be even greater than it is now."

When Zhang Luan heard his son say this, he actually understood in his heart.

He said: "If I were Li Zisheng, I would definitely choose the latter."

"wrong."

Zhang Yanling directly denied his father, "Dad, the latter choice is too costly. If changing the crown prince is an easy thing, His Majesty and Concubine Wan would have already implemented it last year. So Li Zisheng should be very clear that unless the crown prince makes a big mistake, the change of crown prince cannot be promoted."

"you……"

Zhang Luan was a little confused at the moment, and after a long while he asked, "Son, what do you want to say? What does Li Zisheng think?"

Zhang Yanling sighed and said, "Perhaps we shouldn't have told Li Zisheng about your majesty's condition and life expectancy. This is actually a bit disadvantageous to us."

Zhang Luan said, "You told me earlier that there must be a reason for not treating His Majesty... Isn't that what you asked me to say?"

"Dad, do you still want to blame me?"

"No, absolutely not. Son, whatever you say is right. Go ahead, go ahead."

Zhang Luan waved his hands repeatedly, looking extremely terrified.

Zhang Yanling's attitude improved a little, and he said, "In fact, there are pros and cons to telling Li Zisheng or not. The disadvantage is that if he knows the evolution of the situation, it may prompt him to take risks; but at the same time, he knows that Your Majesty will not live long, and that changing the crown prince will take a long time to handle, and there is a high probability that it will not be implemented in time, so he will choose to move closer to the crown prince."

Zhang Luan said: "Father understands. If he feels that the change of storage is too late to be implemented, he will choose not to do it...right?"

Zhang Yanling laughed and said, "Dad, your train of thought is really... I don't know what to say, but what you said is basically correct, and the logic is not bad."

"I was right, why are you still doing this to me?" Zhang Luan straightened his back and said, "Do you think your father has been the Minister of the Ministry of Rites for nothing?"

After a little pretense, Zhang Luan showed a bitter face and asked, "Son, what should your father do now?"

Zhang Yanling said, "Of course you don't want dad to treat His Majesty? Li Zisheng asked you to impeach him, so you should do your best to impeach him! Make the noise as loud as possible."

Zhang Luan said bitterly: "I am a newcomer to the officialdom. If I go to impeach the most prominent dignitaries in the court, I am afraid no one will believe me and will just think I am crazy!"

"Why don't you believe it? You are the father-in-law of the prince. After becoming an official, you are devoted to helping your son-in-law. You are so sincere and sincere. You are also eradicating treacherous people for the Ming court. The clean officials in the court admire you, and the dirty officials are extremely afraid of you. Even Liang Fang is afraid of your prestige and dares not take action against you at this time... Is there anything wrong with this?"

"Yes, yes, yes. If I impeach Liang Fang, Liang Fang will not dare to harm me. Otherwise, everyone will know that he did it. Even if it's for our Zhang family, I have to risk my life to take a chance... Hey, it all depends on your father!"

(It's rare to get double monthly tickets, please give me one! Thank you all!)
(End of this chapter)