The journey of the only child of a peasant family to take the imperial examination

“You…” Zhang Ping’an paused, not expecting Sanya to admit it so readily.

So he cut to the chase and asked directly, "Who is his father?"

"Does it matter who his father is? He's an unwanted child. I was so afraid he would be disabled too. Luckily, God was kind to me and the child was born normal. But I'm all alone and can't take care of him. I could only entrust him to a nearby farmer and visit him often when I had the chance to beg for alms. Now I think I was quite selfish to do that," Sanya sighed, her face showing helplessness and regret.

“You already knew he was sold to my household, didn’t you? Why didn’t you go to find him? You know I wouldn’t stop you if you came,” Zhang Ping’an said in a deep voice.

Sanya lifted her eyelids, a hint of mockery in her eyes; only now could she see a trace of her former self.

“When I was discovered having an affair with a man by the abbot of the nunnery, I was locked in the cellar and tortured to the point of almost dying. I was barely able to protect myself, so how could I care about him? I was completely unaware when he was sold. By the time I managed to escape and go looking for him, it was already several months later. Since he can live a more stable life in your mansion, why should I go looking for him?”

"How did that host die?" Zhang Ping'an asked.

"What do you think?!" Sanya's voice was very soft, but her gaze met Zhang Ping'an's without any weakness.

You really have changed!

At this moment, Zhang Ping'an was absolutely certain that the person in front of him was completely different from before.

"You've come back just to get revenge on us!"

Zhang Pingan said this with certainty.

Upon hearing this, Sanya smiled calmly, a smile tinged with malice and mockery. "Perhaps!"

After saying this, she patted her robes, transformed back into the kind-faced old nun, chanted a Buddhist prayer, and left unhurriedly.

Zhang Ping'an was left behind, frowning in thought.

It seems that Zhong Xiaobao's biological father is indeed very important, Zhang Ping'an thought.

When I got back, my colleagues were a little puzzled, "Why did it take you so long?"

"I have an upset stomach," Zhang Ping'an simply replied.

"The Second Prince was also summoned away by Eunuch Liang just now," a colleague revealed with a pointed revelation.

“Now that the Empress has passed away, it is only right and proper for the Second Prince to stay in the capital to observe mourning. This is somewhat different from His Majesty’s previous idea, so it is normal to summon him,” Zhang Ping’an analyzed with a sense of propriety.

“That’s what they say, but, hehe… I’m afraid the Third Prince and the Fourth Prince will be at court tomorrow morning…” His colleague didn’t finish his sentence, but Zhang Ping’an knew what he meant.

He smiled but didn't reply.

His colleagues didn't necessarily want Zhang Ping'an to say anything; they just wanted to prepare him mentally in advance, which was also a way of showing some goodwill.

In the imperial court, there are no permanent enemies or permanent friends, only permanent interests.

And now, they are the small group of people who stand by and watch.

They will only take sides and express their opinions after the princes have determined who is the winner.

Time flew by, and it was evening. Zhang Ping'an returned home very late again that day.

Xiaoyuer stayed up all night, waiting for Zhang Ping'an to come back so he could tell him about Zhong Zheng's situation that day.

"You mean, Zhong Zheng goes to Daxiangguo Temple to burn incense on the first or fifteenth of every month?" Zhang Ping'an pondered, trying to connect the clues in his mind.

“That’s right,” Xiaoyuer nodded. “I investigated all of Zhong Zheng’s servants thoroughly. They all said that in the seven or eight years since Zhong Zheng entered the manor, he has always been honest and dutiful, not talkative, but discerning and steady in his work. He is never impulsive and doesn’t like to go shopping, eat, drink, or compare himself to others. In the manor, he is only close to Uncle Xiaohu, and his relationship with the others is neither close nor distant.”

Another particularly unusual thing is that he goes to the Daxiangguo Temple to worship Buddha on the first or fifteenth of every month. He's a devout believer. Normally, this wouldn't be anything special; many people are Buddhists. But after you told me, Dad, that his biological father was a monk, I became concerned. I suspect his biological father might be at the Daxiangguo Temple!

"Yes, that's possible. You did a good job," Zhang Ping'an nodded in praise.

"I was a little puzzled that the people I sent out couldn't find out who his biological father was. If his father was disguised as a monk from a temple near Qing County, but was actually at Daxiangguo Temple, then that would make sense. But don't worry, I've sent people out to investigate again this time, and I estimate we'll have results in the next couple of days."

"Zhong Zheng is quite composed," Xiao Yu'er said, somewhat displeased. "I underestimated him in the past!"

"Never underestimate anyone," Zhang Ping'an advised gently.

She then told her son about her visit to the palace that day: "You're sixteen now, practically an adult, and the only son in the family, so I won't hide anything from you. Today I saw your third aunt in the palace, and she's just as your grandmother said, very wicked. I think she's full of hatred and wants to take revenge on us. I just don't know what tricks she's going to use, or who her accomplices are!"

"Now the Emperor doesn't like our family anymore, and suddenly this inexplicable Third Aunt has appeared. This year is really unlucky!"

Xiao Yu'er was influenced by Madam Xu from a young age and was somewhat superstitious. "Father, after the Empress's funeral is over, should we go and offer our prayers?"

"Let's not think about whether or not to worship Buddha for now. I don't think things will go very well at tomorrow's morning court session," Zhang Ping'an said with a shake of his head and a smile.

"By the way, your eldest uncle brought up the marriage proposal again today. He knows that I sent a matchmaker to the Prince of Qin's residence to propose marriage for you before, but it was rejected. He was not happy about it, but after I told him that His Majesty is now dissatisfied with me, he didn't say anything more. I guess once your maternal grandfather is free to leave the palace, he will definitely come looking for me again. What are your thoughts?"

“Me? I’ll listen to you, Father. But you’ve said that it’s not good for cousins ​​to marry, and you’ve always been against the marriage with the Qian family. I think we should just let it go. A real man can’t rely on marriage alone. In the end, he has to rely on his own abilities,” Xiaoyuer said firmly, puffing out his chest.

This is where he is most like Zhang Ping'an: neither overly pedantic, rigidly adhering to the integrity of a scholar without knowing how to adapt, nor spineless and easily manipulated.

It's just right in terms of interpersonal relationships!

It only needs time to refine it and allow this precious gem to shine.

“Yes, it’s good that you have your own opinions,” Zhang Ping’an said with satisfaction.

After a long talk, the father and son each went to sleep with some worries on their minds.

The next morning, Zhang Ping'an got up early to go to court.

Everyone knew that there was something important to attend to at the morning court session, so everyone entered the palace quietly, with serious expressions, and no one chatted or gossiped with each other.

The atmosphere was somewhat solemn.

The green-eyed boy glanced at Zhang Ping'an, blinked, and said nothing.

Zhang Ping'an gestured with his eyes that they could talk about it later.

Although Zhang Ping'an had anticipated that the morning court session would not be peaceful, he never expected that Zhou Ziming would be so ruthless towards his own son.