Master, you still haven’t told me if you’ve been promoted high up to Governor?”Lady Zhang asked again with concern.
“Blessed with His Majesty’s trust, it is a promotion to Governor.”Zhang Jing spoke in a cloudy manner, his tone as flat as if he was saying that he had returned from grocery shopping.
“Really, that’s really thankful, Amitabha Buddha.”When Mrs Zhang heard this, she couldn’t help but raise her eyebrows and smile, the crow’s feet at the corners of her eyes faded several times, and she joined her hands together and worshiped several times in a row.
“You’re worshipping heaven and earth and reciting Amitabha Buddha, won’t the two Buddhist and Taoist families be fighting in the sky?”
Zhang Jing shook his head helplessly, crying and laughing.
“If the rites and rituals are not to blame, how could the Gods and Buddhas be to blame.”The smile on Lady Zhang’s face remained unabated as she opened her mouth to defend.
“I always give you say, to be cautious, to be correct body pure heart, dismissal or, promotion or, and how different, power is just an external object. The body is not correct, the heart is not pure, power and wealth are all smoke.”
Zhang Jing shook his head slightly and said softly.
“Master, your words can be unkind, we have been an old married couple for decades, don’t you understand me, when you were still called Cai Jing, I was with you, after you and the first became an official, for decades as one day, how have I ever relied on your power!”Lady Zhang sniffed, but could not help but show thinly veiled anger and said angrily.
Before waiting for Zhang Jing to open his mouth, Lady Zhang continued, “The reason why I care about whether you were promoted or not is not because a few days ago when you were dismissed from your post, you were tossing and turning for days on end, having trouble sleeping and sighing ……”
“Yes, for my husband, I was wrong about madam.”Zhang Jing smiled bitterly and begged for forgiveness, and resumed, “The reason why I sighed and had trouble sleeping a few days ago is not that I, Zhang Jing, am greedy for power, but that I need this power to fulfil my ideal – to sweep away the Japanese invaders, to return the trust of His Holiness, to return the people to peace, and to return the Qiankun to a clear sky.”
“You don’t need to explain, I understand everything.”Lady Zhang softly said.
Zhang Jing locked eyes with her and couldn’t help but be moved ……
Zhu Pingan couldn’t help but pull the corner of his mouth on the side, what did I do wrong, the wine hasn’t even been drunk yet, and he was stuffed with a handful of dog food.
“Cough cough, I’ll go and order the cooker room to fry a few more wine dishes.”Lady Zhang was the first to come back to her senses, her face slightly red, she coughed and owed it to her.
“Madam no need, just the usual dishes will do.”Zhu Pingan arched his hand and politely said.
“How can that be, it was not easy for Master to bring someone back, how can he not fry a few more dishes. Besides, today, Master was promoted to a higher position, so he also has to fry a few more dishes to celebrate.”Lady Zhang smiled and said.
“Madam fetched my treasured imperial tribute wine ‘Pearl Red’ as well, today is the time for it to be opened.”
Zhang Jing emphatically reminded Lady Zhang as she left.
Lady Zhang heard, could not help but be stunned for a moment, full of surprises, some doubt their own ears, that altar of wine can be described as the master’s lifeblood, how many times did the son hit the idea of the thirty-six tactics are used, but every time in front of the master to hit a wall, also thought that the master to be brought to the ground, did not think that today it is actually to be opened to drink?
Lady Zhang could not help but look at Zhu Pingan for two more eyes, this young man called Zhu Pingan looked quite ordinary ah, even let the master so different eyes.
Zhu Pingan ……This name seems a bit familiar, I always feel as if I have heard it several times before.
Lady Zhang recalled it while heading towards the cooker room.
“Zi Hou, please.”Zhang Jing reached out and invited Zhu Pingan into the living room.
The living room’s furnishings were also rather simple, but elegant, so it was evident that the Zhang Jing couple had good taste.
Soon the dishes were served, a total of eight dishes and one soup, cold lotus root, peanuts in old vinegar, scrambled eggs with fungus, braised tofu, mung bean sprouts in vinegar, white woad in vinegar, braised pork, steamed fish, and a pot of fish head and tofu soup.
This is a home-cooked meal, unlike the last reception banquet, which had the name of a home-cooked meal but not the reality of a home-cooked meal.
Of course, the “Pearl Red” is not missing.
“Oh, you’re Zhu Pingan, the famous Yingtian scholar! Well, not bad, although the appearance is not outstanding, but the talent is outstanding, is also a talent, see you are not too old, can ever married?”
When Lady Zhang came to deliver the wine, she suddenly remembered who Zhu Pingan was and couldn’t help but ask curiously.
Then did not wait for Zhu Pingan to answer, then enthusiastically introduced, “My distant cousin’s family has a little girl, people long beautiful, know the book and polite, the neighbourhood has been praised, but also has not been promised to a family it …….”
There are not many people who can enter the eyes of the master, and those who can make the master look at them differently are even fewer and farther between, and are bound to be excellent in character and talent. Moreover, this Zhu Pingan is a scholar, and also eliminated the Japanese invaders that invaded Yingtian, is a rare literary and military. Such a young talent, if he were to start a family with my niece, wouldn’t it be a great thing.
“Madam ……”Zhang Jing frowned.
“I am also concerned.”Lady Zhang explained.
“Thank you madam for your concern, it’s just that Ping An is already married, so I can only respectfully decline.”Zhu Pingan arched his hand and thanked him.
“That’s such a pity, still wanted to introduce you guys to each other.”Madame Zhang said with unavoidable pity, then said with interest, “I wonder what kind of girl, so blessed, next time you come bring your wife with you.”
“Thank you madam, I will definitely when I have the chance.”Zhu Pingan arched his hand and said.
“Alright, I won’t bother you guys anymore, you guys quickly eat while it’s hot. Although you are happy today, but you should drink alcohol in moderation, too much alcohol hurts your body.”Lady Zhang said and got up to leave, giving a word of advice before she left.
Because of the ancient preoccupation with men and women having different tables, Lady Zhang went to other rooms to have her meal and did not have her meal at the same table. As for Zhang Jing’s son, he accompanied his daughter-in-law to visit his old husband’s family in Henan, he left last month and is still not back yet.
Therefore, there were only two people at this table, Zhu Pingan and Zhang Jing.
“Come, Zi Hou, taste this imperial wine ‘Pearl Red’.”Zhang Jing opened the sealing clay of the wine altar, poured in the wine jug, carried the jug and poured wine for Zhu Pingan.
Zhu Pingan got up and held the wine cup with both hands and received the wine, the wine went into the wine cup, the carmine red coloured liquid swirled in the cup.
Drops of real pearl red want to burn, no wonder the name “pearl red”.
“My humble servant borrows a flower to offer Buddha, this cup of wine is to your honour, congratulations on your honour of being promoted to the position of Governor Minister.”Zhu Pingan held his glass of wine in honour of Zhang Jing.
“Hehe, speaking of which, I really borrowed Zi Hou’s auspicious words. This cup of wine is what old me owes you.”Zhang Jing smiled faintly and raised his wine cup as well.
The two of them raised their cups in a gesture and then drank it down.
After a cup of wine was downed, Zhu Pingan felt a mellow and sweet liquor going from his throat into his stomach, with a very mellow aftertaste.
“How is this wine?”Zhang Jing asked with a smile.
“Mellow and sweet, with a long aftertaste, it is worthy of being imperial wine, my humble servant borrowed the blessing of Your Excellency and was fortunate enough to drink imperial wine, so I will have one more enviable talking point in the future.”Zhu Pingan smiled slightly and replied.
“Not bad, this wine is a yellow wine fermented by the red song, it has a long aftertaste, just like His Majesty’s imperial grace, we, as subjects, should be like the red song, not forgetting our own responsibilities, working diligently, contributing all our strength for His Majesty’s rivers and mountains, for the people of the Great Ming, and for the Langlang Qiankun to the end of our lives.”Zhang Jing lamented.
“Ping An has been taught.”Zhu Pingan nodded vigorously.
