GBP Chapter 905 Secret Room
Chapter 905 Secret Room
Having eaten his fill, he understood the gravity of the situation and nodded, "Understood!"
Then he asked, "What should we do with Zhong Zheng? Should we send him back from Qing County? Xiao Hu has asked me about this several times in private. If we keep saying we're just doing an official business, it won't be right to just brush him off."
“Hmm…” Zhang Ping’an lowered his head and pondered for a moment before replying, “No rush, let him stay in Qing County for now. As for Xiao Hu, I will have a matchmaker come to his door soon to arrange a suitable marriage for him. With my father speaking to him, there shouldn’t be any problems. In the future, let him help manage the farm in the suburbs!”
After finishing his meal, he nodded without saying a word. Seeing that Zhang Ping'an still had other things to do, he bowed slightly and withdrew.
"Sigh!" After everyone left, Zhang Ping'an tossed the book onto the table and relaxed in his chair.
He has made many friends, but not many are truly trustworthy and useful to him. He only realized how few people he had when he needed them!
When he left the palace, his father-in-law, Grand Tutor Qian, looked utterly dejected, which made him realize that although the Qian family had seemingly escaped the treasonous plot, the actual impact and repercussions were still considerable.
Especially with the interference of Qin Wang and Cui Ling, two insiders, the new emperor will not promote or give important positions to the Qian family members in the short term.
In officialdom, it's like rowing against the current; if you don't advance, you fall behind. If things continue like this, the Qian family will not only find it difficult to climb any higher, but they will also find it difficult to maintain their current reputation.
I reckon that once things are completely settled, my good father-in-law will have to come and discuss it with him again.
After thinking all this through, Zhang Ping'an began to write a letter to Xiaoyuer.
After finishing writing, he sent two more letters to Lin'an and Ezhou Prefecture.
…………
Time flew by, and several more days passed. The court's handling of the treason case was swift and decisive. After purging a group of people, except for the Second Prince, who was a member of the royal family and was spared some dignity by having the Imperial Clan Court handle the matter, all the other officials and their families were taken to the marketplace and beheaded.
Those who weren't dealt with are considered past.
This matter must not be mentioned again in the court.
Thus, this case of treason has come to an end!
Things gradually calmed down.
At the unanimous suggestion of the court officials, the enthronement ceremony was chosen for the nearest auspicious day, which was three days later.
As the new emperor, Zhou Pu was required to offer sacrifices at the Imperial Ancestral Temple and burn incense at the Xiangguo Temple on the day of his ascension to the throne.
Abbot Yuantong of Daxiangguo Temple will also accompany them throughout.
Zhang Ping'an still couldn't figure out how Yuantong had managed to escape unscathed, and even seemed to be on the verge of further improvement; it was truly strange.
But there were too many things I couldn't understand, so I could only put my questions to myself for now and go to the Qian residence.
Grand Tutor Qian looked as if he had just recovered from a serious illness, and weakly waved his hand, "You've arrived? Please sit down!"
After speaking, she forced herself to sit up straight and began by asking a few questions, "Is Xiaoyuer alright? When is he coming back?"
"It's all good. I'm safe and sound for now. I heard I've even made some like-minded friends. I'll be back in a few days," Zhang Ping'an replied simply.
He never expected that his son would end up in Yangyuan County by chance and even save Cui Ling's daughter.
When he didn't receive the letter at first, he was quite startled, fearing that something unexpected had happened.
Upon hearing this, Grand Tutor Qian couldn't help but smile with satisfaction. He stroked his white beard and said, "Little Fish is a bold, ambitious, and decisive child. He's got the makings of an official. I haven't seen him for a while, and I really miss him."
Zhang Ping'an smiled and said, "Then when he gets back, I'll have him come to visit you as soon as possible."
Grand Tutor Qian waved his hand and said gently, "Well, let him play outside for a couple more days. There will be fewer and fewer opportunities like this in the future. Let's not talk about him today. Let's talk about His Majesty's enthronement ceremony. A new official always makes a big splash when he takes office, and the same goes for a new emperor. Even if an emperor is the most mild-mannered, he is still an emperor and cannot be neglected."
“What my father-in-law said is true. So what does my father-in-law mean…” Zhang Ping’an asked tentatively in a low voice.
"I plan to resign and return to my hometown after His Majesty's enthronement ceremony. I'm telling you in advance so you can be mentally prepared."
Grand Tutor Qian spoke calmly, but this matter was like a thunderclap from a clear sky.
Zhang Ping'an couldn't help but frown. "Resign and return to Lin'an? Why? Father-in-law, you are far from the age where you need to resign and retire. Even Lord Wang of the Privy Council is almost seventy years old and is still sitting in his position!"
"Hehe, my situation is different from the Wang family's. I did this to leave a way out for my descendants. Otherwise, as long as I am still in the court, His Majesty will not give important positions to my Qian family. I am an old man and I will not die anytime soon. If I drag this out, I will wear down these young people. It is better to take this opportunity to retire and return to my hometown. I can leave a good name and make it easier for them to have a good time in the officialdom in the future."
At this point, Grand Tutor Qian paused, glancing at Zhang Ping'an: "I've always wanted to strengthen the ties between our two families through marriage, but you kept resisting, so it didn't work out. Now it seems that this is actually for the best, preventing both families from being dragged into this mess. Didn't you go to the Prince of Qin's residence to propose marriage before? If Xiaoyuer can pass the imperial examination with top honors next year, you might as well try again. After the Prince of Qin... hehe, he'll be quite something!"
Upon hearing this, Zhang Ping'an immediately extracted a lot of information from the words and cupped his hands, saying, "Thank you for the reminder, Father-in-law. I will definitely keep it in mind!"
"Don't forget, you are the son-in-law of the Qian family. It is only right to remind you," Grand Tutor Qian said slowly.
Although he was not in good spirits, his eyes were still sharp.
Zhang Ping'an had dinner at the Qian residence that evening before returning home, only to be greeted by an unexpected guest.
"Master Huiyuan, why are you here so late at night?" Zhang Ping'an was very surprised and quickly welcomed him into the study.
It was freezing cold in winter, and Huiyuan had walked all the way here. He had just sat by the fire for a while and felt a little more comfortable. Now that he had entered the study with the underfloor heating, he immediately felt warm.
Upon hearing this, he rubbed his hands together and replied, "Benefactor Zhang, I have something important to tell you."
"Oh? What is it? Speak slowly, don't rush, here, have a cup of tea first!"
As Zhang Ping'an spoke, he handed him a cup of tea.
"Thank you, Benefactor Zhang," Huiyuan said, taking a few sips before his face grew anxious again. "This morning I accidentally discovered someone tied up and locked up under the abbot's meditation room at our Great Xiangguo Temple."
Zhang Ping'an frowned. "So, there's a secret room beneath the meditation room?"
“Yes!” Huiyuan nodded. “Actually, it’s not just in the abbot’s meditation room. There are also secret passages underground in the Great Xiangguo Temple that lead to the outside of the city. However, these were built many years ago to avoid disaster, and now no one uses them anymore, and even fewer people know about them. If my grandmaster hadn’t told me, and I hadn’t gone there a few times when I was a child, most people really wouldn’t have discovered them.”
"Do you know that person?" Zhang Ping'an asked.