Top Scholar

Chapter 548 The Emperor's Dining Etiquette
In the dead of night, Zhu Shou patted his round belly and returned to the leopard house with a satisfied expression.

Then Zhang Yong, dressed in a blue cloth robe, greeted him with a big smile: "Young master is back?"

"Oh, Eunuch Zhang is still awake?" Zhu Shou let out a satisfied burp.

"How dare this old servant sleep while the young master hasn't returned?" Zhang Yong said respectfully, his hands clasped at his sides.

Zhu Shou chuckled and patted Zhang Yong on the shoulder: "Can't sleep, huh? Don't worry!"

He then leaned closer to his ear and whispered, "Put your red rook back on the chessboard too."

Upon hearing this, Zhang Yong trembled and immediately knelt down, his forehead pressed against the ground.

But from an angle unseen by the emperor, he wore a look of relief, secretly overjoyed, thinking, "My nephew did it! My nephew is truly amazing!"

Zhu Shou looked down at him and said in a deep voice, "You must have faith in the Emperor. Don't be so easily alarmed, as if the Emperor were a cold-hearted and heartless person."

"This old servant has absolute faith in His Majesty! This old servant is just terrified by Liu Jin!" Zhang Yong kowtowed repeatedly, his kowtowing no less than Liu Jin's.

"This old servant deserves to die..."

"Alright, stop trying to imitate his Iron Head Kung Fu." Zhu Shou kicked Zhang Yong's butt with his toe and asked curiously, "Tell me the truth, how did you know Liu Jin was targeting you? Could you really tell from the Emperor and his actions and expressions?"

Zhang Yong lay prostrate on the ground and answered honestly, "What this old servant said is all hindsight. The truth is very simple—this old servant knew that with such a good opportunity, he would definitely not be able to resist dealing with me. Last time this old servant kicked him, he could hold his anger for half a year, which is already his limit."

"Hahaha, I see!" Zhu Shou couldn't help but burst into laughter. "Indeed, the person who understands you best is always your mortal enemy!"

After laughing, he went into the inner chamber, where, with the help of palace servants, he changed out of his casual clothes and back into his emperor's everyday attire.

Now Zhu Shou has transformed back into Zhu Houzhao. Indeed, clothes make the man, and once he donned the dragon robe, his face gained a more regal air.

He looked at Zhang Yong, who was still kneeling on the ground, and said in a deep voice, "Don't worry, I only have these two people I can rely on. If I let you be the scapegoats, who will be willing to risk their lives for me in the future?"

Upon hearing this, Zhang Yong's eyes reddened, and he couldn't help but sob and cry.

"This old servant is willing to do anything for Your Majesty. I will do anything Your Majesty needs..."

"I only want you to be my trusted confidant," Zhu Houzhao instructed in a deep voice.
“Starting tomorrow, Scholar Su will take Qian Ning to investigate the Zhang family. He is my heir apparent and cannot do these dirty jobs in public. You have to cover for him.”

Zhang Yong quickly wiped away his tears and kowtowed heavily: "This old servant understands, this old servant will certainly live up to the mission and will not let Scholar Su get a single drop of dirt on him!"

"Yes, that's what I mean." Zhu Houzhao sat down by the dragon bed, and Zhang Yong quickly stepped forward to take off his shoes and socks, roll up his trousers, and serve the emperor by washing his feet.

“You don’t need to feel wronged. You have different roles. He needs a good reputation, but you don’t.” Zhu Houzhao then said to Zhang Yong, “Of course, you’ll probably be too grateful to him to be jealous of him.”

"Nothing can be hidden from His Majesty..." Zhang Yong said with a smile while soaking the Emperor's feet, "Ever since I met Scholar Su, this old servant has felt more at ease than ever before."

"Right, I'm the same..." Zhu Houzhao closed his eyes contentedly.

~~
After helping Zhu Houzhao to rest, Zhang Yongcai quietly withdrew from the inner chamber.

After leaving Tengxi Palace, Zhang Lin, who was standing to the side, finally couldn't help but say, "Godfather, there's a traitor among us."

“They are all the Emperor’s servants. Isn’t it only natural to be loyal to the Emperor? How can they be called traitors?” Zhang Yong slowly shook his head and said calmly:

"Besides, the Emperor has no intention of hiding it from me. Everyone knows the truth, which avoids suspicion. Isn't that better?"

"Then at least we need to find out who it is, right?" Zhang Lin whispered.

“No, that would be worse.” Zhang Yong shook his head and earnestly advised, “Remember—if one day the Emperor appoints you as his spy, you must do it diligently.”

"Godfather, your son can't bring himself to do that," Zhang Lin quickly said.

"Foolish!" Zhang Yong, however, showed no appreciation for his sentiments and scolded him in a low voice, "Heaven, Earth, Sovereign, Parents, and Teacher—we men can't be as close as the Emperor!"

As he spoke, he tapped Zhang Lin's chest repeatedly, saying, "Remember this: your roots and my roots are both planted in the Emperor! Do whatever the Emperor tells you to do, and everything else has to take a backseat!"

"Yes, Your Majesty, I understand." Zhang Lin hurriedly replied respectfully, then remarked with emotion, "Your Majesty has truly matured so quickly in the past six months."

Zhang Yong nodded with satisfaction: "His Majesty has grown into a true monarch! It's all thanks to Scholar Su."

Zhang Lin said with admiration, "Godfather is truly wise! The bet we made on Su Jieyuan back then will probably provide for us for a lifetime!"

These words struck a chord with Zhang Yong, making him laugh smugly. "Of course! That's what they call good deeds being rewarded!"
The next morning, after the emperor got up, he set off for the palace and went straight to Shou Kang Palace to visit the Empress Dowager.

Upon receiving the news, Liu Jin hurriedly led a group of eunuchs to wait in front of the Cining Gate. Seeing that Zhang Yong was not with the imperial carriage, Liu Jin's eyes crinkled with wrinkles, and the corners of his mouth couldn't help but turn up.

"What's so great about you, my lord?" Zhu Houzhao asked, glancing at him from his imperial carriage.

Liu Jin hurriedly replied respectfully, "This old servant was overjoyed to see His Majesty finally return to the palace."

Then the emperor said with a half-smile, "I think you're right. Mother and son don't hold grudges overnight; they'll eventually reconcile. Today, let's work together to persuade the Empress Dowager to have her meal!"

"Yes, yes, yes!" Liu Jin and the others responded hastily.

~~
The steward of Shou Kang Palace immediately relayed the news that the Emperor was coming to offer him a meal.

Upon hearing this, the Empress Dowager, who was on her sickbed, immediately perked up.

Her previously weak voice brightened a bit as she patted the edge of the bed and exclaimed happily, "Finally, we can eat! I want donkey meat sandwiches! I also want braised donkey intestines, braised until they're dark red and glossy, and every bite is bursting with oil! And our Hejian stuffed pork, coated in egg batter and stir-fried until tender, sandwiched in a freshly baked round flatbread, one bite and your mouth is filled with the aroma of scallions and meat, it's so satisfying!"

She counted on her fingers, her mouth watering as she went: "Finally, I'll have a bowl of milky white mutton intestine soup to fill the gaps, sprinkle some pepper on top, and drink it down with a spicy kick—it'll be so comforting!"

This person was so hungry that he didn't care about delicacies; he just wanted the taste he had as a child.

Madam Jin readily agreed, "Very well, very well, now that we've reached an agreement with the Emperor, let's eat! I'll immediately instruct the kitchen to prepare!"

He leaned closer and whispered to the Empress Dowager, "Don't forget, we have to get the Emperor to get the second son's land back..."

The Empress Dowager nodded: "Don't worry, I won't forget! What have I been starving for all this time?"

Soon, a eunuch's loud announcement came from outside the hall: "His Majesty has arrived..."

The steward and the head lady-in-waiting hurriedly led the eunuchs and palace maids out to respectfully welcome the emperor.

Knowing that the Emperor had never liked her, Madam Jin didn't want to bother with him and quickly said, "I'll excuse myself."

After saying that, he slipped behind the screen.

In the blink of an eye, Zhu Houzhao strode into the palace, passed through layers of curtains to the inner chamber, and looked at Empress Dowager Zhang lying on the phoenix bed. Seeing that although her face was somewhat pale, her cheeks were still round, he was completely relieved.

On the surface, however, she looked anxious and said, "Oh dear, Mother, why haven't you eaten for days? What will happen if you starve?"

The Empress Dowager simply closed her eyes and remained silent.

The female official standing nearby quickly stepped in to speak for her, saying, "Your Majesty, the Empress Dowager is too hungry to speak."

"Then hurry up and serve the Empress Dowager some food!" Zhu Houzhao scolded irritably, then smiled smugly, "Luckily, I brought it with me."

He actually pulled a large, shiny chicken leg from the sleeve of his dragon robe, held it in his hand, and gently waved it under the Empress Dowager's nose, coaxing her in a tone like that of someone coaxing a child: "Mother, smell it, doesn't it smell good? Eating is such a wonderful thing, how can you not eat? Eat, eat, even if you don't want to eat, just try it..."

The Empress Dowager hadn't eaten for five days. Although she was plump and had a bowl of ginseng soup every day to keep her alive, her stomach was so empty that it kept rumbling, each rumble screaming, "I want to eat! I want to eat!"
How could she resist the temptation of that chicken leg? Her nose twitched involuntarily a few times, and saliva uncontrollably dripped from the corner of her mouth, leaving a damp patch the size of a coin on the pillow...

She instinctively opened her mouth to bite into the chicken leg. Just then, a soft cough came from behind the screen. It was Madam Jin reminding her not to fall for the trick!
The Empress Dowager snapped back to reality, abruptly shutting her mouth, her cheeks puffing out slightly. It was unclear whether she was angry at not being able to eat, or angry that the Emperor had played a trick on her…

"It seems the Empress Dowager doesn't like this!" Zhu Houzhao feigned regret, casually tossing the chicken leg aside and loudly decreed, "Change it!"

Liu Jin immediately responded in a shrill voice, "Serve the food! Serve the food quickly!"

In an instant, a series of fragrant dishes were brought in—crispy and savory donkey meat sandwiches, glossy black and red braised donkey intestines, golden and fragrant Hejian stuffed meat, and a bowl of milky white and rich mutton intestine soup. Each dish was one of the Empress Dowager's favorites that she had just mentioned!
Empress Dowager Zhang didn't even need to open her eyes; she could recognize these beloved hometown delicacies just by their smell. Her mouth watered uncontrollably...

But Madam Jin's coughing continued behind the screen, and the Empress Dowager gritted her teeth and stubbornly refused to get up, instead covering her head with the quilt!
"Come on, let's eat!" Zhu Houzhao was practically bursting with laughter inside. He thought to himself, "Let's see how long you can keep up this sweltering heat." He winked at the eunuchs behind him and said loudly, "You all sit down and eat too. Let's set an example for the Empress Dowager and show her how delicious this food is!"

"Hey, hey." Although Liu Jin and the others sensed that something was off with the emperor, they quickly thought, "That's just how I am. As long as I get things done, that's enough. Let's not complain."

A group of people then gathered around the Empress Dowager's bedside, feasting heartily, with sounds of chewing and exclamations of praise rising and falling...

"Get out!" The Empress Dowager finally lost her temper, abruptly throwing off the covers and roaring.

P.S. I'll read the next chapter tomorrow morning...

(End of this chapter)