Chapter Thirty-Four: The Prince of Guangping Arrives

  Zhao was somewhat surprised, she didn't think that her second uncle also knew about this matter, so she turned her head to look at her grandmother, waiting to see what she would say.

  Mrs. Zhang slightly furrowed her brow: "This matter is best known only to our family, don't mention it outside, and discuss it less in daily life. Although it's good fortune for this child, if it gets out, it may not be beneficial for the child." Recalling what Lu Yunpeng told her, she felt uneasy at heart.

  Zhang Chaoyi smiled and accepted his sister's request, hugging Zhao and coaxing her: "You can talk now, I heard you've even started reading and recognizing characters? What have you learned?"

  Zhao: "I can recite the 'Three Character Classic' and have learned a bit about the 'Hundred Family Surnames', but I've just started learning characters and my handwriting is not good."

  "Really too clever! Our sister is really capable!"

  Zhao's face turned slightly red, and while selling Meng, he secretly looked at his grandmother. Zhang noticed it and revealed a kind smile: "What else do you want to ask your grandmother? Take advantage of your second uncle being here, hurry up and say it, maybe your grandmother won't agree, but your second uncle might agree first, who knows."

  Zhang Chaoyi burst out laughing: "Really? Little sister is so young and already knows how to play these little tricks? Brother-in-law's slap was indeed well-deserved!"

  Zhang's face stiffened slightly, his smile faded by two points, and he lowered his head somewhat uncomfortably to drink tea.

  Zhang Chaoyi didn't notice anything unusual, but Zhao did and his heart skipped a beat. He quickly said: "I want to ask Grandmother something. Autumn Leaf sister said that Grandmother wants Father and Mother to follow Grandfather in death, so Brother doesn't need to go to the front hall to pay respects tomorrow. Can Brother start learning martial arts then? I heard that the Crown Prince of Guangping was also weak when he was young, but after learning boxing, his body gradually got better after practicing every day. Since Brother's body is not good, can he learn from him too? I learned some boxing techniques from the Crown Prince and Uncle Lu can teach him too!"

  Zhang heard this and habitually furrowed his brow: "What's the point of learning fist techniques? With that skill, it's better to recite a few more pages of books and practice a few more characters. The Crown Prince of Guangping practices health-preserving fist techniques, not just any random fist technique. It's an old imperial custom, passed down from the Taizu Emperor himself. How can your brother compare to him? He's just a young kid who doesn't understand things, teaching you fist techniques. Just remember it and don't go around showing off outside, or people will recognize it and cause trouble."

  Zhao hastily explained: "It's not, what he taught me is not the royal family's ancestral fist method, but just ordinary physical exercise. The prince let the guards in the house teach him. If grandma is worried, then please ask Uncle Lu to teach my brother, isn't he a western teacher at our house? He has such good martial skills, teaching my brother a few moves will be no problem, my brother and I have already asked him privately."

  Zhang's family heard this and got a bit angry: "Lu Huwei was ordered by King Guangping to come and protect our ancestors, although he is called the Western Seat, it's just a cover-up. How can you casually order people around? Also, when did you ever mention this to him? He never comes to the inner courtyard or shows his face at the ancestral temple, are you asking the servant girl to pass on messages?"

  Zhao was immediately intimidated, but in fact she and her little brother were asking Autumn Leaf for help to pass on a message. Autumn Leaf didn't feel inconvenienced at all, so they didn't think much of it. Now that I think about it, there is a distinction between men and women, and this internal and external difference should be paid attention to. What if Grandmother finds out that Autumn Leaf helped, it would be bad for Autumn Leaf.

  Why not... take it easy for now? Wait until she's a bit older and then persuade grandma to agree? But now the young man's physical condition is not good, he coughs with just a slight breeze, kneeling for too long makes him dizzy, his face turns pale and blue if he gets even slightly cold. If he doesn't take care of himself properly, it'll be troublesome to cure later on. What he needs now is not only finding a good doctor to treat his body but also strengthening his physique and increasing his immunity.

  It was unexpected that Zhang Chaoyi spoke up at this time: "Sister, don't be in a hurry to get angry. Isn't Lu Wei here to protect you? Even if it's not convenient to show his face publicly, talking to the child is nothing strange. Don't be startled and make Lu Wei know, it's not good. I think sister's words make sense. As people of our family status, we should prioritize reading books. However, Brother Wei is different. He is not only the grandson of a duke but also will inherit the marquis title in the future. No matter how well he reads, if he doesn't understand martial arts and archery, others will look down on him. Why is Zhao Jiong always ridiculed for being incompetent? Isn't it because he is unremarkable in military affairs? Although Zhao Jiong knows a bit about riding and shooting, he can at least pretend to be something. Brother Wei can't even compare to him, right? Therefore, even if not for physical exercise, he should learn some martial arts."

  The words reminded Zhang that after giving birth to her son Zhao Jiong, she discovered he had a talent for reading and had been looking forward to him taking the imperial examination and becoming an official. She had forgotten that the current situation was different from before. Zhao Wei could continue to study and take the imperial examination, but it might not be easy for him to reach the height she hoped for. If he were to inherit the title of Duke of Jianan, he would only know literature and not martial arts, and outsiders would gossip about it. When Zhao Jiong was young, his uncle, the Duke of Jun, had personally taught him archery and horse riding.

  Zhang sighed: "Forget it, Wei Ge should learn some martial arts. If nothing else, being handy will at least give him the power to fight back if someone dares to harm him. The only problem is that the child's body is not good now, and I'm afraid he can't take it."

  Zhao hastily said: "It's possible to let brother practice some easy and non-strenuous boxing routines first, then find a good doctor to help him regulate his body. Once his body becomes more robust, it won't be too late for him to learn other things."

  Zhang Chaoyi also smiled and said: "This is well said, our sister is indeed clever!"

  Zhang's family, however, glared at her granddaughter with a bad temper: "You're the one who talks the most, what can you say to finish everything!"

  Zhao pretended to be silly with a smile on his face.

  Zhang Chaoyi chatted with her sister for a while before leaving. Zhao had also wanted to go find Xiao Gege and tell him the good news, but was instead carried by Zhang into the eastern bedroom and placed on the bed.

  Mrs. Zhang's expression was very serious, tightly holding her granddaughter's hand, staring at her without blinking: "Good child, grandma asks you one thing, did you really see your grandfather's spirit on the boat?"

  Zhao didn't understand why Zhang still asked this question today, wasn't she very convinced of this point? In fact, Zhao herself had repeated this to herself countless times after saying it, and now she even believed that it was something that had really happened, so when Zhang asked, she nodded vigorously: "It's true! Otherwise, how could I have become smarter?"

  Mrs. Zhang saw her granddaughter's determined eyes and felt relieved in her heart. Yes, if it wasn't true, her granddaughter was only a little over a year old, and before that, she couldn't even speak properly, how could she become so intelligent overnight? It must be her husband's spirit that had enlightened her.

  Although Lu Yunpeng admitted that the two broken white flags were his doing, this does not mean that the county master had never shown any signs of supernatural power. Since the county master could only use a child to warn him when his wife and children were in danger of being killed, it can be seen that ghosts have limited powers. If ghosts could summon wind and rain, wouldn't the world be chaotic? Therefore, the county master did show signs of supernatural power and was very concerned about his second wife and children. What Lu Yunpeng did was not against his wishes.

  Since the white flag incident was not the manifestation of Duke Gong's spirit, then Zhao Kuang's fall from his horse must not have been his intention either. It was probably because Zhao Kuang had done too many evil deeds and got what he deserved! He was lucky to have fallen off his horse without dying, but it was absolutely not because Duke Gong intentionally wanted to spare his life. Zhang Shi felt that once she understood this point, even if she was a bit heartless towards the Xiao Changfang family, Duke Gong would not be angry with her.

  Zhang's whole spirit was lifted, and his mood improved a lot.

  Two days later, Guangping Wang indeed arrived in Fengxian, just in time to catch up with Zhao Laojun and his son's funeral procession. Upon learning of this, he didn't say a word and rushed to the scene, personally presiding over the burial ceremony for the deceased. After the ceremony ended, he also comforted Madame Zhang, the wife of Zhao Laojun, in front of everyone, with a stern yet gentle demeanor.

  The Zhao family felt very proud and respectful towards the Zhang family. Everyone knew that this Prince of Guangping, among the current emperor's sons, although not the eldest, had always been known for his virtue and was deeply loved by the emperor. If there were no unexpected events, the position of crown prince would certainly be his. With such a noble person backing her, and with the imperial edict as the wife of a duke, who dared to neglect her? Her grandson's future prospects would also be boundless.

  In comparison, Zhao Kuang was far worse off. Not only had he committed a serious crime, but he was also paralyzed and couldn't even attend his own father's funeral rites. It was clear that he was no longer of any use. As for his sons and grandsons, who knows how much they would be affected by his actions? Perhaps after some time, they would slink back to their hometown, just like the other members of their clan, and become unremarkable local landlords.

  More and more people in the clan are inclined towards Zhang's side.

  After the ceremony, Prince Guangping followed Zhang's family back to the Zhao family's old mansion. He brought with him Imperial Physician Jiang Cheng, and the first thing he did after entering was to have Jiang Cheng diagnose Zhao Kuang's injuries.

  Jiang Cheng confirmed that Zhao Kuang's injury was irreparable. When the King of Guangping learned of this, he secretly let out a sigh of relief.

  Zhang invited his brother Zhang Chaoyi to be a companion guest, accompanying the King of Guangping in conversation. However, the King of Guangping only exchanged a few pleasantries with him before suggesting that he wanted to speak privately with Zhang. Although Zhang felt it was not proper, he also understood that the King of Guangping would not make such a request without reason. Zhang Chaoyi tactfully withdrew from the main hall and sat outside the door, covering for them.

  After Guangping King told the emperor the truth about the capsized boat, he spoke out about the changes in the situation in the capital. Zhang heard this and was shocked and angry, her whole body trembling with rage: "How could Tian Shangshu say such things?! Does he still have a conscience?! It's fortunate that he is still the Minister of Rites, my son is dead, what is he after, what title?! If Zhao Jiong killed people and did evil, his descendants can still inherit the title, then what use are the laws of the court?! In the future, which family's noble descendant will covet their brother's title, just kill the person, then say that they alone bear the guilt, and have nothing to do with their wives and children, let their son steadily take over the title, won't this world be turned upside down?!"

  "The old lady calmed down." The King of Guangping hurriedly comforted her, "What Minister Tian said, everyone knows is not proper. Father Emperor only worries about Wei Ge's weak body and doesn't know if he can bear the heavy responsibility of being the Marquis of Nan in the future. As long as Father Emperor knows that Wei Ge's body is fine, clever and smart, how could he take away what he should get and let the descendants of the guilty person benefit?"

  Zhang's anger gradually subsided, and she pointed out incisively: "Everyone understands this principle, and Tian Shangshu's past actions were not so muddled. Why did he suddenly become confused this time and say such things? Is there something behind the scenes that I don't know about?"