GBP Chapter 999 Holding Back a Mischief
Chapter 999 Holding Back a Mischief
Zhang Ping'an once suspected that Zhou Pu's infertility might be a lie told by the King of Qin on his deathbed to protect his daughter and grandson.
After all, Xiao Xiangzi had only heard the King of Qin say that; only the emperor's personal physicians knew the truth.
However, despite the addition of so many new women to the palace in recent years, very few concubines have become pregnant. The only two concubines who did become pregnant and give birth to princes and princesses both passed away shortly after giving birth due to illness.
The young prince and princess who were left behind died suddenly before they were even a month old. Judging from Zhou Pu's expression at the time, he was not very sad, but rather had a slightly suppressed anger.
When the two are combined, it makes people feel that something is amiss.
This further solidified Zhang Ping'an's belief in the authenticity of the King of Qin's words.
Now only the eldest and second princes, who are not yet adults, are alive. Regardless of whether these two are direct descendants of the royal family, if Zhou Pu had even a shred of reason, he would not be able to do anything to them.
After all, an emperor without a son cannot hold the throne securely. Leaving aside whether the people would accept it, even the royal family and court officials would not allow such a situation to occur.
Therefore, the final decision on who to hand over the Great Zhou Dynasty to was simply a matter of choosing between the eldest prince and the second prince.
This is why Zhang Ping'an was able to let his son work at the Hanlin Academy for so many years.
Perhaps rising through the ranks from the Hanlin Academy is also a good option, as long as you have someone to back you up, you'll always have a way out.
Eggs cannot be put in one basket.
Hearing his father say this, Xiaoyuer suppressed his emotions for the time being and said nothing more. He turned around and ordered the servants to set out the meal.
Seeing this, Madam Li, with great tact, got up and went to the flower hall to urge the servants to set out the bowls and chopsticks.
Now, her father, Li Chong, is locked in a fierce battle with his mortal enemy, Cui Ling. The discord between the two families is an open secret, known to all the major families in the capital.
It was also a time of constant natural and man-made disasters, and the national treasury was becoming increasingly depleted. His Majesty would often fly into a rage. Li knew that her father, the Minister of Revenue, was not doing well in his position and was having a lot of headaches. The earthquake at the beginning of the year had made him even more overwhelmed.
It is clear that they are on the verge of losing ground in the partisan struggle.
At times like these, the attitude of her father-in-law, Zhang Ping'an, becomes particularly crucial.
Although she was already a member of the Zhang family and was certainly thinking of the Zhang family from her husband's perspective, she still hoped to maintain her family's former glory and honor as much as possible without infringing on her own family's interests.
From any perspective, her family's good reputation benefited her, which was one of the reasons she had the confidence to socialize among the wealthy women in Beijing.
After his daughter-in-law left, Zhang Ping'an continued calmly, "Now that your wife is six months pregnant, don't bring up these troublesome matters of the court and the harem for her. Let's talk about it after she safely gives birth. As a daughter-in-law of the Zhang family, she has done quite well. She is generous, dignified, and knows when to advance and retreat. I have no complaints! As her husband, you should also give her the respect she deserves. I don't usually interfere in your affairs, but you should still be careful. I don't want to see a bunch of beautiful women in our household. It's an eyesore!"
Upon hearing this, Xiaoyuer felt wronged and was both amused and exasperated: "Father, don't you know my character? You've always taught me that if you can't even sweep your own room, how can you sweep the world? Maintaining personal integrity is the most basic thing. I'm not that kind of lustful person. But isn't it because she's pregnant and it's inconvenient for her? She decided to put her in my room herself, so can't I accept her kindness?"
"In short, you need to be careful. Things are different now than they were two years ago. You've seen the difficult situation your father-in-law is in the court. Our family is related to them by marriage, so it wouldn't be right not to help. I'm just pretending not to know right now. Don't let them find fault with me and make me look bad!"
At this point, Zhang Ping'an felt somewhat bitter and helpless. He really hadn't expected that Cui Ling would become more and more resilient under his and Li Chong's suppression over the past few years. Not only did he not fall, but he also became a close advisor to the emperor, often helping Zhou Pu with some shady tasks.
Now that her daughter has turned the tables again, she's even more smug, acting like a favored subject.
In addition, with the frequent natural and man-made disasters in recent years, the national treasury is empty. As the Minister of Revenue, Li Chong naturally bears an inescapable responsibility and is increasingly disliked by Zhou Pu.
As one side gains at the expense of the other, they gradually find themselves at a disadvantage in the struggle.
If Zhang Ping'an doesn't want to be dragged deeper into this mess, the only option is to protect himself.
This is why the saying "pretending to be ignorant when you know the truth" came about.
Unlike his father's moderate approach, Xiaoyuer, though tactful, is also sharp-witted and decisive in his actions.
Hearing this, he smiled and said in a somewhat cold and nonchalant tone, "So what if he gets caught red-handed? It's perfectly normal for a man to be a womanizer. Do you think you should force me to help him because of that? What a joke! You've said before that being an official isn't just about ability, but also about luck. It seems my father-in-law has used up all his luck in the first half of his life, which is why his career is becoming increasingly difficult. With natural disasters and man-made calamities befalling him, who can help him?"
Upon hearing this, Zhang Ping'an paused in stroking his beard, frowned, and rebuked:
"It's fine to say such things at home, but you can't talk nonsense outside. No matter what, we are in-laws, and we should stand together in front of outsiders."
And to be fair, your father-in-law's ability to handle things is beyond reproach. Natural disasters and man-made calamities are unavoidable, but whether it's a locust plague, drought, flood, or earthquake, he has made careful arrangements and put his heart into finding ways to provide disaster relief. His methods for solving problems are sound.
Look how much older he's aged these past few years. If it were someone ruthless and heartless who didn't care about the people, their lives would probably be even harder now! For that reason, I admire him, which is why I don't want our two families to have a strained relationship.”
Xiao Yu'er didn't care about being scolded. He understood his father's concerns, but admiration alone was useless, and ability was useless. That's how cruel the officialdom was; it was either you die or I live.
They can barely support themselves, how could they possibly have the resources to help others?
Now that his father-in-law has reached this point, all he can do is pray that God will stop causing trouble.
"As long as he remains in power, he will naturally be my father-in-law, and I will certainly protect him in public. But if he really falls, that's a different story, and don't blame me for being ruthless. You know our family's situation now; it's not much better than theirs. Cui Rong is currently riding high, and that woman is as petty as a pinhead. I'm afraid she'll whisper in our ear and cause trouble for our family! Today, when I was lecturing at the Eastern Palace, I happened to run into her delivering sweet soup to the Crown Prince. Her eyes were unsettling for no reason; she was clearly up to no good!"