Chapter 578 Through fire and water
After Zhang Luan finished his meeting with Pang Qing, he arranged for Pang Qing to wait in the entrance hall, while he sat in the main hall of the villa waiting for his son to come back.

He was very confused, but didn’t know who to talk to.

As soon as Zhang Yanling came back, he immediately pulled his son into the main hall and closed all the doors and windows.

“Dad, I saw Butler Pang waiting in front. What happened?”

Zhang Yanling asked.

“He didn’t stop you?”

Zhang Luan asked.

Zhang Yanling smiled and replied: “After all, this is our Zhang family’s territory. What right does he have to stop me? But it seems that even if he has something to do, he will communicate with you directly and will not bother me.”

Zhang Luan said with a bitter face: “Li Zisheng was imprisoned.”

“Oh.”

Zhang Yanling looked indifferent.

“Eh? Aren’t you surprised? That’s Lizi Province… With his influence in the capital, he would be imprisoned one day? This is too unbelievable!”

Zhang Luan probably thought of the miserable conditions of the prisoners in the imperial prison when he went to the Northern Pacification Office several times before. He felt a chill in his heart when he thought that even the arrogant Li Zisheng could be imprisoned there, and it seemed that he would be imprisoned soon too.

Zhang Yanling analyzed: “If nothing unexpected happens, he should be asked to be questioned… For the time being, he will not be tortured! Besides, as long as you are still alive, he will be safe for the time being!”

Zhang Luan was slightly relieved, and then asked: “Then tell me, why was he imprisoned?”

Zhang Yanling shook his head. “It’s so confusing. How can you expect your son to know? But logically speaking, if there were clear charges against him, he would have been imprisoned long ago, and would not have been arrested until today… I suspect it is still related to the cases of Liang Fang, Deng Changen and others.”

“That matter…isn’t it all over?”

Zhang Luan asked in confusion, “Even the culprit Liang Fang has been pardoned, how could it implicate others? My son, that case was supervised by your father himself. There were parts involving Li Zisheng, but he cleaned them up. I don’t see why there is anything that has to be implicated on him, right?”

Zhang Yanling hypothesized, “Then… did Li Zisheng bribe Liang Fang? Did Deng Changen and others use Li Zisheng’s connections to perform rituals? How many officials in Beijing who were involved in the Liang Fang case were also related to Li Zisheng? If there is a problem with any of these, Li Zisheng will be in trouble…”

“This one……”

Zhang Luan couldn’t answer for a moment.

Zhang Yanling said: “To put it bluntly, Li Zisheng was not uninvolved in the case. In fact, he was deeply involved with Liang Fang, Deng Changen and others. It was only because he was a great contributor to the emperor’s protection that he was not questioned.

“My old father, do you think this incident is aimed at Li Zisheng? No! In fact, all the spearheads are pointing at you!”

“I!?”

Zhang Luan pointed at himself, looking a little flustered, and asked, “Why? I have no relationship with Liang Fang, and I have never even accepted any gifts from Li Zisheng! It is true that Li Zisheng has sent some to me before, but when did I not return them? Does eating and drinking with Li Zisheng count?”

“Hey, we are now living in the house near the Imperial College! There is also this villa near the left gate of Chang’an, and even the luxurious courtyard inside Chongwenmen. Wasn’t that a gift from Li Zisheng? You want to deny your involvement!”

Zhang Yanling mocked him at first, and then continued, “Dad, let’s not talk about your friendship with Li Zisheng for now. Have you ever expressed in front of others that you want to stand together with Li Zisheng? For example, you want to protect Li Zisheng, even at the cost of your life?”

“This one……”

Zhang Luan tried his best to recall. Although he wanted to deny it, he could only nod in the end, “Yes, I did. At least I expressed this in front of the two eunuchs Qin.”

“What about… in front of Wynn?”

Zhang Yanling asked.

“This…Father doesn’t remember.”

Zhang Luan frowned and thought for a long time before he smiled bitterly and said, “Maybe.”

Zhang Yanling shrugged and said, “See, this is where you made a mistake… Even if you want to protect Li Zisheng, you can’t show it too obviously, otherwise others will know your weakness and use it as your weakness to attack you.”

Zhang Luan’s facial muscles couldn’t help but twitch. He asked bitterly, “My son, you don’t mean to say that it is because your father wants to protect Li Zi Province and is seen as a potential point of attack by potential enemies that he makes a big fuss about Li Zi Province and implicates me? Are they… that bad?”

“This is an open conspiracy!”

Zhang Yanling looked solemn and shook his head, saying, “They were just doing their job, investigating an old case, but it happened to involve a man who is considered a traitor in the eyes of most people.

“Plus, now that the new emperor has ascended the throne and the new dynasty has a new atmosphere, Li Zisheng, the remnant of the previous dynasty, should have been out of date long ago, but Li Zisheng is still stretching his hands so far, who wouldn’t bear a grudge?

“Most people in the court don’t respect Li Zisheng, but they fear him… because many dirty things are firmly controlled by Li Zisheng! It would be best if Li Zisheng could be killed silently and those crimes could be completely buried, so that everyone would be happy!”

“what!?”

Zhang Luan became more and more dazed.

“The problem is… it just so happens that you, Dad, have expressed the idea of ​​standing together with Li Zisheng. Everyone else is playing it safe, but you, Dad, not only want to face the challenge head-on, but also like to put on airs in front of others, acting like you are so close to Li Zisheng that you can almost wear the same pants…

“Wouldn’t it make others think that if they could kill Li Zisheng in one fell swoop and suppress the arrogance of the new nobles and relatives of the emperor, wouldn’t it be a good thing to kill two birds with one stone?”

By the time Zhang Yanling finished speaking, Zhang Luan’s face was pale, sweat was pouring down his forehead, he was restless, and there was obviously something wrong with his behavior.

Zhang Luan stood up in a trance, walked around his and Zhang Yanling’s chairs twice, then sat down again, shook his head and smiled bitterly:
“It seems that I, as a father, cannot show my attitude too obviously… In other words, I should keep my troops in place for now. This is the best way to protect Lizi Province, right?”

“It may not be a good idea to do this!”

Zhang Yanling shook his head and said solemnly, “This matter obviously requires the emperor’s personal order. Otherwise, even Huai En and Tan Chang’s words will not work! Moreover, at such a special time when Wang Shu returned to the court, things broke out one after another, which is enough to show that someone wants to show goodwill to Wang Shu by dealing with me.”

Zhang Luan was in doubt and asked, “You mean this is related to the new Minister of Personnel? Hasn’t he returned to the court yet?”

Zhang Yanling nodded: “The government’s closure of the Huizhou merchants’ shops and warehouses is a clarion call to attack our family. It is also a disguised warning, giving the censors and scholars in Beijing an excuse to publicly discuss or even criticize us.

“Then they attacked your ally Li Zisheng, in order to make you lose your composure and run around to seek justice for Li Zisheng, thus confirming your reputation as a traitor.

“Then Wang Shu will return to the court. At that time, the replacement of old and new officials in the court will intensify, and you will be at the center of the storm, and there is no way you can get off!”

“Then…what should I do as a father?”

Zhang Luan did not shy away from the idea and was prepared to follow his son’s advice directly.

Whatever you say, it’s up to you. Anyway, I’m representing my son, so even if you use me as a tool, I’m willing to do it.

Zhang Yanling said, “Since you have already said that you will stand together with Li Zisheng, then you must take care of Li Zisheng’s affairs. Now it is impossible for you to retreat in exchange for others’ tolerance towards Li Zisheng. It may even directly destroy your image.”

“What kind of person am I in the eyes of others?”

Zhang Luan couldn’t help but ask curiously.

“It means that you are outspoken and daring, willing to go through fire and water for your friends. It means that you are naive and reckless, and you follow your heart. To put it bluntly, it means that you are willing to give up your future for your family and friends, and you are not afraid to make enemies with anyone!” Zhang Yanling explained.

Zhang Luan was dumbfounded, pointing at himself and saying in disbelief: “Father… I am not as stupid as you say, am I?”

Zhang Yanling rolled his eyes and asked, “Dad, isn’t this the attitude you showed in front of others before? Do you now think that what you said and did was too stupid?”

“That doesn’t mean… nothing happened. If anything happened, I would want to avoid it… I was just exaggerating. Especially since I like to drink a little wine, can you take what I say after drinking seriously?”

Zhang Luan said shamelessly.

Zhang Yanling first glared at his cheap father, then raised his arms to encourage him: “Dad, you have to cheer up! What do you mean by drunken words are not counted? When you told Qin Chang and the others that you wanted to stand together with Li Zisheng, were you also drunk? A gentleman’s word is as good as a horse, and we have to be responsible as human beings!”

Zhang Luan smiled bitterly and said, “Yes, yes, yes, Li Zisheng has treated me well. I have indeed thought about going forward and retreating together with him, but the problem is… your ability as a father is limited… Tell me, what should we do next?”

Zhang Yanling asked back: “Dad, if you want to protect Li Zisheng at all costs, what is the most convenient and quickest way?”

“Yes……”

Zhang Luan pondered for a while, and finally shook his head, “I am clueless, and I really can’t think of any way to get Li Zisheng out of the imperial prison as soon as possible… Don’t play dumb, kid, just tell me, I will listen to you!”

“Of course, I will go to the palace to see the emperor immediately and raise the matter with the emperor’s brother-in-law in person. Please ask His Majesty to hand over Li Zisheng’s case to you and let you lead the investigation!”

Zhang Yanling said helplessly.

Zhang Luan opened his mouth wide and asked in shock, “My son, you are not speaking in anger, are you? You want me to go to see the emperor now? Wouldn’t that be… adding fuel to the fire? Can you really do that?”

Zhang Yanling said seriously: “Dad, this is to maintain your image, why do you care whether he adds fuel to the fire or not! Since others want to take advantage of you as a scholar who cares about your reputation and does not want to trouble you as the emperor’s son-in-law, and directly attack your allies, then why do you let them laugh at you?

“Let’s go straight to my brother-in-law without saying anything… Don’t say anything to beg for mercy, just say that you want to personally supervise this case. You can also appropriately express your appreciation for Li Zisheng in front of my brother-in-law, and your urgent desire to not let him be wrongly accused.”

Zhang Luan’s eyes widened, and he was very embarrassed: “This… It’s very stressful for a father!”

“If you don’t want to go, do you want me to go? Of course I can go on your behalf, but if the emperor’s brother-in-law asks about it, what do you want me to say? Are you afraid of other people’s rumors and backing down at the last minute?”

Zhang Yanling fired soul-searching questions in rapid succession.

“No, no, no, can’t I go for you? But entering the palace… doesn’t seem to be an easy thing to do!”

After saying that, Zhang Luan showed a bitter face.

“Go directly to Tan Chang or Tan Ji and tell them that you want to see the emperor immediately. You can tell them clearly that if they don’t report it to you, then you will go to the morning court tomorrow and bring up this matter in public. Let His Majesty hand the case over to you! Let’s see who will be embarrassed by then!”

Zhang Yanling said in a decisive tone.

Zhang Luan took a deep breath, his expression extremely solemn: “My son, your father finally feels the pressure, and my heart is heavy…”

Zhang Yanling said, “Dad, what does this have to do with anything? I haven’t even told you the whole story yet… The measures we are taking against you now also target me, your son.

“I believe that it won’t be long before the imperial censors will start to investigate the issue of weaving in the palace. I’m afraid that all of our businesses and the matter of donating money to the court will be used by them to attack us!

“Don’t think that you have special privileges just because you are the father-in-law of the emperor. They will not tolerate officials competing with the people for profits… In the eyes of those upright officials, abiding by the so-called rules is more important than making profits for the court.

“And some people are determined to take full advantage of these so-called flaws and bring down our Zhang family. It all depends on you from now on!”

“Now that it has come to this, we have no choice but to fight to the death!”

Zhang Luan cheered himself up, patted his chest and said, “I will go find someone to enter the palace right away! You kid, just wait for good news from me at home!”

……

……

Zhang Luan then took Pang Qing out.

Zhang Luan asked Pang Qing to ride in the same carriage with him.

In the carriage, Pang Qing looked out the window and asked curiously, “Mr. Zhang, where are we going?”

“Go see Eunuch Tan Ji Tan.”

Zhang Luan looked determined, looked at Pang Qing and said solemnly, “I will go to the palace to see the emperor immediately.”

“Meet the Emperor? Will it be…”

Pang Qing couldn’t help swallowing.

I feel sincerely moved.

What is a friend? This is a friend!
When you heard that your friend was in trouble, would you disregard everything and risk the whole world’s condemnation to ask the emperor for help?

I looked down on you before!

Mr. Zhang is truly a great man of our time!
Zhang Luan gritted his teeth and said firmly, “I will go to His Majesty and ask him face to face. If this is the reason why Li Shangshu was detained, then I am willing to take over the case myself and will never give anyone the opportunity to frame or slander Li Shangshu.”

“Yes, if this case can really be tried by you personally, Mr. Zhang, the Taoist will definitely be very happy.” Pang Qing said with emotion, “It seems that you really care about your friends!”

Zhang Luan was somewhat helpless and shook his head, “But my son also said that since someone could touch Minister Li, it means that they must have some evidence and even did a lot of homework in advance. And this matter is likely to be aimed at me… Now I have to face many difficulties.”

“Let’s advance and retreat together.”

Pang Qing immediately stated, “When it comes to manpower, material resources, and connections, Mr. Zhang, just give me a call, and I will go through fire and water without hesitation!”

(End of this chapter)