Top Scholar

Chapter 545 Scholar Su Invites Guests

"The Emperor seemed somewhat unwilling, but he didn't show it. Instead, he seriously discussed the matter with Liu Jin. It wasn't until Liu Jin said something that he leaned back slightly and began to scrutinize Liu Jin." Zhang Lin then truthfully replied to what had been said.

"But Liu Jin bowed deeply and kowtowed, as if to express his stance. The Emperor seemed quite surprised by his gesture, and after a long private discussion, the Emperor waved his hand impatiently and dismissed Liu Jin..."

After hearing this, Zhang Yong's face grew increasingly grim. He paced back and forth in the duty room for a long time, then opened the red 'carriage' in his hand and sighed dejectedly, "His Majesty may have to sacrifice a pawn to save the king..."

"Ah, godfather, you could even tell that?" the godsons exclaimed in shock.

"That's why I always tell you to think things through and use your brains!" Zhang Yong snorted and then analyzed the situation logically and with evidence:
"At first, the reason for the Emperor's outburst of anger was undoubtedly the Empress Dowager's threat of a hunger strike. But after Liu Jin offered a few words of advice, the Emperor slumped down, his shoulders drooping. So what Liu Jin said must have hit his weak spot."

"What's your weakness?" Zhang Lin asked.

“Filial piety!” Zhang Yong said in a deep voice. “The Empress Dowager is the Emperor’s birth mother. If she were to starve to death, the Emperor would be drowned in the spittle of the world. Therefore, even if the Emperor is unwilling, he has no choice but to bow his head before the word ‘filial piety’.”

He continued his analysis: "Liu Jin said something else, and the Emperor seemed unwilling, but he didn't react... This shows that the Emperor knew Liu Jin was right. At this point, he had no choice but to listen, so Liu Jin must have been using grand principles to persuade the Emperor to reconcile with the Empress Dowager."

“Yes, yes, that makes sense.” The godsons nodded repeatedly, full of admiration.

"But Liu Jin said something else that made the Emperor lean back slightly and scrutinize him," Zhang Yong continued in a deep voice.
"This is the most crucial point—it shows that Liu Jin's idea is definitely not a good thing, and it has aroused the Emperor's vigilance!"

He sneered, "With such a good opportunity, I don't believe Liu Jin can hold back. He'll definitely take this chance to stab us in the back!"

“That’s not right, Godfather.” Zhang Lin asked, puzzled, “If Liu Jin had set the stage for Godfather’s attack, the Emperor shouldn’t have been surprised.”

"He's been pondering those words for who knows how long, of course he wouldn't be straightforward!" Zhang Yong, however, had long seen through his old rival's true nature and sneered:

"His kowtowing and pleading were even more sinister—this matter had nothing to do with him, but he insisted on getting involved, so his intentions must be far-reaching! No matter what kind of ulterior motives he's plotting, it will definitely end up affecting our family in the end!"

As he spoke, he asserted, "That son of a bitch definitely wants the Emperor to use me as a scapegoat! Otherwise, the Emperor wouldn't have been so indecisive in the end."

"Yes, yes, the Emperor waved his hand impatiently and chased Liu Jin away..." Zhang Lin nodded hurriedly and said, "Afterwards, the Emperor was alone for a long time in a daze, as if he wanted to make a decision, but he was indecisive."

“Godfather, does the fact that the Emperor didn’t reprimand Liu Jin in the end mean that the Emperor was tempted?” Zhang Zhong finally looked up and asked.

“No one will think you’re mute if you don’t speak.” Zhang Lin glared at him.

“Ah Zhong is right, the Emperor is probably tempted…” Zhang Yong sighed.

"Oh no, what should we do?" The godsons were terrified. Was the scene from last year going to repeat itself?
And this time, not even pandas, let alone porpoises, can save their godfather.

“I don’t know either…” Zhang Yong shook his head dejectedly: “I can’t drag Liu Jin into this, nor can I shirk responsibility. If the Emperor blames me, I can only accept it.”

"So we just sit and wait for disaster to strike?" Zhang Zhong asked.

"Of course we can't just sit and wait!" Zhang Yong shook his head decisively, beckoned Zhang Lin forward, and whispered a few instructions to him.

"Okay, I understand." Zhang Lin nodded and quickly ran out.

"Godfather, are you going to get reinforcements?" Zhang Zhong asked curiously.

"How did I teach you? Don't ask questions about things that don't concern you." Zhang Yong scolded irritably, then stroked the red car emblem and paced back and forth in the duty room.

~~
In the southwest corner of the Leopard House, a quiet courtyard hidden by a bamboo grove is the office location that Zhu Houzhao temporarily allocated to the new Court of Imperial Sacrifices.

The courtyard wasn't large, consisting of two sections. The front courtyard, including the side rooms on the left and right, had seven rooms in total, originally serving as lodgings for eunuchs; the back courtyard was a storeroom for storing miscellaneous items. Fortunately, the Imperial Household Department was still relatively small at the time, so this size was just right.

Su Lu was leading his men in planning the office layout when he said to them, "The front courtyard will be used as the office area, and the entire back courtyard will be converted into storage rooms. Our primary duty in the Court of Imperial Sacrifices is to study classical texts and materials, so the place where we store these materials is naturally of paramount importance."

"Where will we cook and eat?" Zhu Zihe asked.

"For now, we'll share meals with the eunuchs from the Leopard House. Eunuch Zhang said they'll bring them over on time... We'll use the largest room in the front yard as both the dining room and the meeting room," Su Lu said.

“There are only six office spaces in total. We’ll also reserve a single room for you, so that’s ten people per room,” Su Man said.

"No need, I don't need a private room, we can all work together." Su Lu laughed, "In the early stages of starting a business, we should all share the joys and hardships."

“Okay, I’ll take the measurements later and have someone build the frame, along with fifty sets of tables and chairs, and some office supplies…” Su Man said.

"Okay, make a list for Zhang Lin and ask him to help us get everything ready as soon as possible so we can get started." Su Lu nodded.

"It would be best to ask Eunuch Zhang to come over," Zhu Zihe said. "Let's finalize things on the spot, to avoid endless back-and-forth negotiations..."

As they were talking, Zhang Lin entered, covered in sweat. "Hey, speak of the devil! Young Master Zhang, you've come at the perfect time. I was just about to discuss some things with you," Zhu Zihe greeted him happily.

To everyone's surprise, Zhang Lin waved his hand and said repeatedly, "Oh, my little Zhu, what time is it? Put all that nonsense aside for now! Once we get through this, I'll pluck the moon from the sky for you."

"What's wrong?" Su Lu asked.

“Scholar, may I speak with you in private?” Zhang Lin pulled Su Lu to a quiet corner of the courtyard and whispered in his ear for a long while.

Finally, his face filled with anxiety, he said, "My godfather is on the verge of death. He says that only the top scholar in the world can save his life!"

Upon hearing this, Su Lu replied without hesitation, "Don't worry, go back and tell Uncle that I share his fate and will do my best."

"That's wonderful!" Zhang Lin breathed a sigh of relief, fearing that Su Lu would 'flee each other when disaster strikes,' and hurriedly added, "My godfather said that whenever the top scholar needs our cooperation, he can simply give the order, and we will not hesitate!"

"Hmm, let me think about it." Su Lu pondered for a moment before instructing Zhang Lin, "Please inform Young Master Zhu for me... just say that my aunt is making cold chicken noodles tonight, and ask him if he'd like to come and eat."

"Yes, I will definitely pass on the message!" Although Zhang Lin was very hesitant to get close to the Emperor at this time, he still readily agreed.

~~
Upon achieving the highest rank in the imperial examination, Su Lu went straight to the kitchen to find his aunt.

Although my aunt rarely cooks herself anymore, she still likes to wander around the kitchen, partly to chat with the other cooks and keep an eye on them to ensure the quality of the food and prevent theft or waste.

"Oh, the top scholar is back so early?" Auntie asked with a smile when she saw Su Lu. "What would you like to eat tonight? Let the aunties cook for you."

Su Lu smiled and said, "Thank you for making cold chicken noodles tonight, Auntie. Also, please add a few of your signature dishes. I'm treating you to dinner."

"Okay." The aunt agreed without hesitation. Her nephew was now the top scholar in the imperial examinations; she'd do whatever he asked—that's how pragmatic she was. She even thoughtfully asked, "Where are the guests from? How many are there?"

“It’s that young Master Zhu from last time,” Su Lu replied.

Aunt's expression turned serious upon hearing this. Her uncle had already warned her that while the family appeared prosperous and powerful, their situation was actually extremely dangerous. From Liu Jin down, countless people wanted to tear them apart. The reason no one dared to act was because of that young Master Zhu…

The aunt's greatest virtue is her clear-headedness. Upon hearing that a protector had arrived, she immediately rolled up her sleeves and said, "Don't worry, Qiu-ge'er. I may not be good at much else, but my cooking skills are quite good! I guarantee your distinguished guest will be satisfied!"

"Thank you so much, Auntie!" Su Lu smiled, her eyes crinkling. "Auntie's cooking skills are very important. Don't you always say that to win someone's heart, you have to win their stomach first?"

"That's right! Nothing's more important than eating!" Auntie retorted, "Just you wait and see!"

~~
Before it even got dark, my aunt used all her skills to prepare a sumptuous meal.

But no matter how long they waited, until the moon climbed over the wall, Zhu Shou still didn't come to their door.

Su Youcai couldn't help but mutter to himself, "It's already late afternoon, could it be... that he's not coming?"

"No, he will come." Su Lu sat on the veranda, holding a lead chisel in his hand, and drafting the regulations of the Court of Imperial Sacrifices in his notebook by the light of the lamp.

Su Youcai sighed and gently advised, "Son, don't be too sure. People say that the imperial family is the most ruthless. The emperor's mind is like the sky; it's unpredictable whether it will be stormy or rainy. He may not show you any mercy."

Su Lu paused for a moment while writing, then resumed his writing as usual, and said calmly, "The Emperor may not speak, but Zhu Shou will."

“Well…sigh…” Su Youcai wanted to say, “Isn’t that the same?” But he felt that saying that would hurt his son too much, so he held back and didn’t say it, only sighing.

Zhu Shou finally arrived late, after the gong had sounded at the hour of Xu (7-9 PM)...

But he was listless and walked with a sluggish gait, a stark contrast to his usual lively and energetic self.

Su Lu closed his notebook, stood up to greet him, and said with a smile, "I'm treating you to dinner, not a late-night snack."

Zhu Shou, however, looked dejected and said, "I'm in a terrible mood today and I'm not in the mood to banter with you. You have to make me happy, otherwise I won't be able to eat a single bite of this whole table of food."

"Here we go again." Su Lu chuckled upon hearing this, reaching out to pull him to his seat. "Do you think you're three years old? Do you need to be coaxed?"

Then he laughed and said, "Besides, we can't put out a dragon lantern or anything for you. The Empress Dowager is still on a hunger strike. What kind of decorum would that be?"

Upon hearing this, Zhu Shou's expression darkened further, and he responded softly, "Yes, it's too early to celebrate."

Su Lu was so shocked that he couldn't close his mouth. Even with his silver tongue, he was speechless.

P.S. Please check back tomorrow morning. I don't know if I'll be able to finish the next chapter...

(End of this chapter)