Late Ming Dynasty: Oops, I am surrounded by the Donglin Party

The seats in the hall were scattered. After all, it was a family dinner and there were not so many rules. Some nobles sat at one table, some children of nobles sat at one table, and many sat with their fathers.

However, generally speaking, it was based on the level of nobility, but there were exceptions. For example, at Zhang Zhiji's table, there were three dukes and one earl.

The earl is naturally Jiading Earl Zhou Kui. As the father-in-law of the current emperor, he is qualified to sit here.

Zhou Kui sat next to Zhu Chunchen. The old man seemed to be in a low mood, and Zhu Chunchen was chatting with him.

There was a recliner next to Zhu Chunchen, and lying on it was Zhu Zhengliang, whose legs had just been broken by Zhang Shikang.

Zhu Zhengliang's right leg was fixed with a splint, and he lay in the noisy hall with no desire to live. He didn't want to come in the first place, thinking it was a bit embarrassing, but his father forced him to come.

Zhu Chunchen was very dissatisfied with Emperor Chongzhen's handling of the matter. He felt that Emperor Chongzhen was biased, but as a minister he could do nothing about the emperor.

He and the British prince Zhang Zhiji had a falling out and they ignored each other even when they sat at the same table.

However, whenever a noble or relative came to greet him and ask about the matter, Zhu Chunchen would recount the atrocities committed by Zhang Shikang, the son of the Duke of Yingguo, against his son, as if that made him right.

Zhang Zhiji didn't care about it and talked with other nobles as usual. His strong psychological quality made Zhang Shikang ashamed. He sat next to his father Zhang Zhiji and smiled at Zhu Zhengliang, who glared at him.

Zhou Dasheng, who was sitting next to Zhu Zhengliang, was unhappy. He was the eldest grandson of the emperor's father-in-law Zhou Kui and was good friends with Zhu Zhengliang. He happened not to be present during the conflict at Chen's Restaurant.

He couldn't get angry because there were elders around him, so he walked over to Zhang Shikang and whispered:

"Zhang Shikang, don't be complacent. Sooner or later, I will avenge Brother Zhu."

Zhang Shikang wanted to laugh after hearing this meaningless threat. He knew Zhou Dasheng. To use the words of later generations, this guy was a patriarchal man.

Whenever he was outside, no matter if he was bullied or got into trouble, he would always bring up his grandfather's name, shouting "My grandfather is the father-in-law of the current emperor."

This sentence has always been very effective, and Zhou Kui doted on him to the point that even though Zhou Dasheng was already 22 years old, his words and deeds revealed childishness.

"Oh." Zhang Shikang didn't even raise his head and his tone was very gentle.

Zhou Dasheng's face turned red all of a sudden. Although Zhang Shikang didn't say anything harsh, he felt as if he was humiliated.

"You..." He was annoyed by Zhang Shikang's weak reply. He was very angry, but he didn't know how to vent.

"I understand, but it's best if you take revenge today." Zhang Shikang looked at Zhou Dasheng seriously.

"Why?" Zhou Dasheng was stunned.

"Because, you won't have a chance tomorrow."

The emperor will be here soon, and no matter how stupid he is, he can't take action now. Zhou Dasheng was just a little confused and didn't know why Zhang Shikang said there would be no chance tomorrow, but he didn't ask because that would make him feel like a fool.

On the other hand, Sun Dasheng, Xu Wenyuan and other members of the Second Sons Group all turned into community bullies and tried to get close to the sons of nobles who sat at the same table with them.

Not all nobles are playboys. Except for playboys like the Second Tuan who only spend their time eating, drinking and having fun, and playboys like Zhu Zhengliang and Zhou Dasheng who do all kinds of evil, most of the rest are relatively honest young men from wealthy families.

Most of these people have strict family upbringing and rarely have the opportunity to dine together and drink together on weekdays. They are relatively reserved when sitting at the table.

"Brothers, I think His Majesty must have something important to tell us this time."

The sons of noble families sitting at the same table all looked at him in confusion, not knowing what this burly fellow meant. They didn't even know him, but out of politeness and restraint, no one said anything.

However, this man was very thick-skinned and didn't feel embarrassed at all. Seeing that everyone was looking at him, he continued in a very firm tone:

"Think about it, how many years has it been since our Majesty summoned me to wait?

He summoned us all so suddenly. I thought, His Majesty must be in trouble or he wants to use us. Otherwise, he wouldn't have specifically asked our father to bring us along in the invitation. You know, there is no precedent for this before.

What is our relationship with His Majesty? We are the nobles of the imperial court, sharing weal and woe with the royal family!

Brother, I think no matter what the reason is, this is an opportunity for us!

I don’t know what my brothers think, but I will never give up this opportunity.

What is this called? The strong wind reveals the strong grass, and the waves shake... shake..."

"A loyal minister is known only when times are tough."

A young man present saw him swinging for a long time and reminded him.

"Yes, a loyal minister is known in times of turmoil! We have everything we need, the only thing we lack is an opportunity! An opportunity to achieve great things!"

Although he was the only one who was doing the ice-breaking, most of the people present listened to him. After all, they were all young men, and the idea of making achievements was surprisingly attractive to them.

"Brother, which family are you from?" Someone finally asked the question that everyone present was wondering.

"Me? My father is the Marquis of Huaining!"

At the same time, the other members of the Second Sons Group were also working hard at giving speeches, telling the strange brothers around them, overtly and covertly, that their time had come and that they only had this one chance, so they had to seize it.

On the other hand, the nobles also felt strange about the family dinner suddenly organized by Emperor Chongzhen. After asking about each other's well-being, they began to test each other.

"Marquis Taining, you have a big business and are well-informed. Do you know the purpose of His Majesty summoning us here this time?"

"Oh! No way, my business is bigger than yours, but I'm also busy. I don't go to court, and I don't get along with those civil officials. How can I know why?"

"But I heard that the court has been discussing the lack of pay for three days. Could it be that His Majesty is targeting us?"

"Ha! Didn't we fight once last time? As long as we are united, His Majesty can't force us to pay money, right?"

"That's right. The country has its own laws and the family has its own rules. Our money didn't fall from the sky, and we haven't done anything against the law. We have to insist on voluntary consent."

"Yes, we are here for the banquet. We will go back after eating. We are busy with business at home."

"I heard that a group of skinny horses have arrived from Yangzhou recently, and they are all very pretty. Are you interested, Brother Song?

Let's go out and have some fun together in the evening?"

"That's great. Let's go together. Let's go together."

Compared with the nobles who did not hold important positions in the court, the table where Zhang Shikang sat was quieter. One reason was that he had a superior status, and the other was that the Duke of Chengguo, the Earl of Jiading, Xu Yunzhen and Zhang Zhiji disliked each other.

However, Xu Yunzhen looked at his son who was talking righteously with his deskmate not far away, with a puzzled look on his face. He looked at Zhang Zhiji who was calm and composed, and felt a little uneasy.

After holding it in for a long time, Xu Yunzhen couldn't hold it in any longer and moved his stool towards the seat of Duke of England Zhang Zhiji.

"Brother Zhang, has your son shown any abnormality these past two days?"

Xu Yunzhen was afraid that Zhang Shikang would hear him, so he lowered his voice. Zhang Zhiji was a little puzzled.

"What are you talking about? Isn't my son sitting here quietly?"

Xu Yunzhen felt disappointed, and when he looked at Xu Wenyuan, who was spitting out saliva, he became even more nervous.

At this time, Emperor Chongzhen, dressed in casual clothes, walked in from outside, and the hall, which had been very noisy before, suddenly became quiet.

……