Tang Dynasty, my wife Wu Zetian

Chapter 174 Zheng’s Matchmaking
After changing her clothes, Concubine Zheng came to the main hall, but Li Zhi was no longer there.

A palace servant whispered, "Madam, an official from the Ministry of Revenue just asked to see you. The Saint has gone to handle government affairs and said he left a gift for you."

"Gift?"

Concubine Zheng was slightly stunned and turned her gaze to the desk where Li Zhi had just sat. She saw a round-headed red wooden pen placed on the desk.

Concubine Zheng walked over and took it in her hand, only then did she realize that it was a decorative pen with two small square characters engraved on it: Wenchang.

"Is this a Wenchang pen?" Concubine Zheng asked in surprise.

The palace attendant smiled and said, "That's right. Zhang Dajian said this is a Wenchang brush presented as tribute by the Governor of Zitong County. It was consecrated by the Qiqu Mountain Temple Master and more than ten magicians. It has great blessings and the saint gave it to you as a gift to celebrate your birthday."

The lucky stars that dominated literary fortune in the Tang Dynasty were Wenquxing and Wenchangxing. There is also a saying that Wenchang Emperor Zi Tong God is the incarnation of Wenquxing.

The Wenchang pen represents the blessing of Emperor Wenchang and implies good fortune in literature.

Concubine Zheng asked, "Young Master, are you congratulating me?"

Another eunuch laughed and said, "The Saint just said that Young Master Mingyu has passed the imperial examination!"

Concubine Zheng was overjoyed. She held the Wenchang pen tightly in her hand and prayed to Emperor Wenchang in the void.

After finishing her prayers, she instructed several palace maids to decorate the Wenchang pen, tie a ribbon on it, and hang it on her body.

Then she stretched out her hands and ordered, "Bath."

She had just danced and was sweating. If she hadn't been afraid of keeping Li Zhi waiting for a long time, she would have taken a shower immediately. Now that the emperor had left, she naturally had to wash herself.

Several palace maids came forward to help her undress, and some went to pick various newly opened flower petals in the garden.

Just as Concubine Zheng was bathing in a large carved bathtub, a palace maid came to report that her grandmother and mother had entered the palace and were waiting outside Changle Gate.

Concubine Zheng knew that the two elders came for Zheng Mingyu.

Because the two of them did not have imperial edicts, Concubine Zheng ordered her personal maid to go to Lizheng Hall and ask the Queen for permission to enter the palace, and then go and bring the people over.

Concubine Zheng knew that it would take a while for the two to come over, so she bathed for a while before getting up and wiping her body.

After changing her clothes, Concubine Zheng came to the bedroom and ordered people to light the "Yinchi incense" in the incense burner, and also asked people to prepare the latest tribute spring tea cakes.

Half an hour later, Madam Lu and Wang, both dressed in appropriate formal attire, came to Xunfeng Palace together to pay their respects to Concubine Zheng.

Concubine Zheng raised her hand and said, "No need for formalities." She dismissed all the servants, had the door closed, and performed the junior's formalities to the two elders.

The two men hurried over and grabbed her hands to prevent her from bending.

Madam Lu said with a smile, "Ying'er, do you know about Mingyu's situation?"

Concubine Zheng smiled and said, "I see. His Majesty also sent me a gift."

He picked up the decorated Wenchang brush on the table and said, "This is a Wenchang brush offered by the Zitong Governor. It has been blessed by the temple priests and the masters. Give it to Mingyu to keep. Tell him to take good care of it. This item contains blessings, so don't lose it."

Madam Lu stretched out her hands, carefully took it, and said solemnly: "Such a treasure, even if he lost it himself, this treasure cannot be lost."

Wang smiled and said, "The saint is truly thoughtful. He even remembered such a trivial matter as Mingyu."

The implication of this statement is, of course, that Concubine Zheng is quite favored in the palace.

Concubine Zheng’s family knew her own business. The emperor’s favorite was still the empress, and she could not compete with her. There was no need to tell these things to her family.

"Now that Mingyu has passed the exam, I'll have to trouble you, Grandmother, to take care of his marriage to Lu."

When Mrs. Wang heard this, her expression became slightly uncomfortable. This marriage had not been what she had hoped for, and it had also lowered her status within the palace.

Madam Lu smiled and said, "Don't worry, Your Highness, I will definitely take care of this matter."

Concubine Zheng clapped her hands and ordered the palace maids to come in and serve tea to the two of them.

After finishing her tea, Madam Lu smiled and said, "Mingyu was able to pass the exam this time thanks to that university teacher. If he hadn't taught Mingyu all night long, he might not have failed."

Mrs. Wang said hurriedly, "That's exactly what you said. Mingyu doesn't like the other teachers we have at home. She only likes to listen to Mr. Gao's lectures on classics and history."

Concubine Zheng sighed softly, "That high school scholar is His Majesty's personal scholar. He's willing to go to so much trouble to help Mingyu. We must repay him well."

Madam Lu smiled and said, "I heard from Wanjun that Gao Xueshu seems to have someone he likes, but he has never proposed marriage."

Concubine Zheng was surprised and asked, "How could Wanjun know such a thing?"

Madam Lu said, "I heard it from my neighbor."

Concubine Zheng nodded and said, "I wonder which lady from a prominent family the university professor has taken a fancy to? Could we help her out?"

Madam Lu smiled and said, "It's the daughter of the young county lady of the Du family, Princess Chengyang."

Concubine Zheng was surprised and asked, "That child Du Rong?"

Madam Lu smiled and said, "Isn't it?"

Mrs. Wang suddenly said, "I heard that Gao Xueshu and Madam Du had some grievances. How could he fall for Madam Du's daughter? I wonder if what Zhao Lin said is true."

Madam Lu glanced at her and said, "Zhao Lin is on duty at the Hongwenguan with the university students. How could he be wrong?"

Mrs. Wang lowered her head and said, "That's right."

Concubine Zheng thought for a moment and said, "If that's the case, their marriage will likely be fraught with difficulties. We can play a role in this matter and repay the favor owed to the university professor."

Mrs. Wang smiled and said, "Then when I return, I will visit the Du Mansion and help the college student act as a matchmaker."

Grandmother Sun Sannu chatted for a while, and around 3:00 p.m., Mrs. Lu and Wang took their leave together.

After Mrs. Wang returned home, she ordered someone to prepare a generous gift and immediately went to the Du Mansion.

But on second thought, the Du family's old house had long been bought by the Jiangnan Lu family, and no one knew where it had moved to now.

I had no choice but to send someone to inquire first.

After the twilight hour, Wang finally found out that Du had moved to Dayefang in the south of the city. Since curfew was approaching, Wang had no choice but to wait until the next day to visit.

In Dayefang, in a small courtyard with two entrances on East Street, there was a burst of "crackling" sounds. It turned out to be Du Fu smashing things in the hall.

In the inner room, Du Chong's wife, Wei, was holding Du Rong and gently comforting her, "Don't be afraid, don't be afraid."

As soon as he finished speaking, he heard Du Fu's angry roar from outside: "Someone must be trying to harm me, someone must be trying to harm me!"

"Bang!" Another piece of ceramic was smashed.

Du Fu actually passed the imperial examination, but he would rather not have passed.

This time, the imperial examination had one more list than in the past. The Jinshi in the first two lists could be awarded official positions, while the Jinshi in the last list would be awarded as civil servants.

Du Fu was the number one scholar in the imperial examination in the third year of Yonghui. This time, let alone being in the top three, he only made it to the third list of civil servants. This was a great humiliation for him!

Suddenly, there was a "bang" sound, and Du Fu pushed the door open and rushed in like a bull, looking at Du Rong viciously.

Wei hugged Du Rong tightly and shouted to her son, "Since you've passed the third place in the exam, be a good official. You'll get promoted someday. Why lose your temper at home?"

Du Fu acted as if he hadn't heard her words and shouted at Du Rong, "Gao Youdao must be the one who's trying to harm me. Why did you go looking for him?"

Du Rong argued, "After I contacted him, all the neighbors moved away. It was clearly Mr. Gao who helped us, how could he possibly harm you!"

Du Fu angrily said, "I don't believe he's so kind. He just changed his tactics and wanted to humiliate me in a more ruthless way!"

Du Rong immediately started to sob.

Wei cried, "Rong'er, don't stay here. This evil creature has gone mad. Go find your mother quickly. Don't worry about Du anymore. This family can't be saved."

When Du Fu saw the two women hugging each other and crying, he was stunned for a moment, then suddenly came to his senses and turned to leave the room.

The next day, Wang came to Du's house and ordered the servants to knock on the door. It was Du Fu who opened the door.

Wang smiled and said, "It's Mr. Du. Is your mother home? I want to talk to her."

Du Fu's face was gloomy. He asked, "What do you want from mother?"

Wang forced a smile and said, "Well...it's about your cousin. Is your mother home? If not, I'll come back another day."

Du Fu said coldly: "If you have something to say, just tell me."

Wang was helpless and could only say, "Mr. Gao, the newly crowned number one scholar last year, you should know that I want... to have your cousin and him..."

Du Fu's face changed drastically, and he interrupted, "Gao Youdao, don't even think about marrying the daughter of the Du family. Get out of here!"

Wang's face suddenly turned very ugly, and she snorted coldly: "Is there still a Du Men in this world?" She turned around and got on the carriage.

The driver shouted and drove away.

Du Fu was like a deflated ball, gasping for breath, slowly sitting on the doorstep, covering his face with his hands, and crying softly.

Just then, a voice came from the front.

"Taiwanese athlete, why are you crying here?"

Du Fu suddenly raised his head and saw a person standing in front of him. It was Gao Youdao.

Du Fu was furious and asked, "How dare you come to see me?"

Gao Youdao said coldly: "What qualifications do you have that make me afraid to see you?"

Du Fu became even angrier and punched Gao Youdao. Gao Youdao dodged sideways and punched Du Fu in the chest with his backhand.

Du Fu covered his chest and knelt on the ground.

Gao Youdao snorted coldly, "This is revenge for your Dumen destroying my right hand."

Du Fu suddenly raised his head and shouted angrily, "If you want revenge, you can even cut off one of my hands. Why do you have to resort to such despicable means?"

Gao Youdao asked, "What despicable means?"

Du Fu said sternly, "You deliberately found someone to put me on the third list to humiliate me, didn't you?"

Gao Youdao looked down at him, silent for a long time, and said, "If you really doubt it, why don't you report it to the Dali Temple or the Censorate?"

"I……"

"Are you scared? Or do you know that no one is trying to harm you? This is your true level, and you just don't want to admit it."

Du Fu seemed to have been hit hard, his face showed confusion and his eyes lost their anxiety.

Gao Youdao said slowly: "Du Ruhui."

Du Fu suddenly woke up, looked up and asked, "What did you say?"

Gao Youdao said slowly, "Your great-grandfather, Du Ruhui, was more talented than you when he was young, but because he was ostracized, he served as a county lieutenant for more than ten years. Did you know?"

Du Fu was stunned and speechless. He had only heard of Du Ruhui's glorious deeds, his name listed in the Lingyan Pavilion and his respect from the world, but he didn't know about this matter.

Gao Youdao continued, "General Xue Rengui was still farming at the age of thirty. How is he doing now?"

Du Fu swallowed his saliva.

Gao Youdao said slowly, "I am a humble person. I was suppressed by your Du family and gave up on myself for more than three years. What can I do now?"

Du Fu's whole body trembled slightly.

Gao Youdao said, "If you are a coward who can't stand up, then find a deserted place, soak in a wine vat and get drunk. Don't embarrass your great-grandfather in Chang'an City and drag down your mother and cousin!"

After saying that, he turned around and strode away.

(End of this chapter)