Chapter 924: Lucky in Life

The ancestor of the Zhang family is in Wulipo in the west of Kaifeng City, and the joint burial tomb of Gu and Zhang Yue's grandfather and several concubines is also here. Now, because Zhang Yu is posthumously crowned the king of Hejian, the three generations of ancestors are all crowned Rongguogong, and the regulations here are naturally very different. There are more green pines and cypresses in the interior than in the past, and even five families of guards have been given, and the original guards plus the sergeants from the Kaifeng Metropolitan Division have guarded the vicinity of this place tightly, preventing those who dare to peep or covet it.

At this moment, the patriarch of the Kaifeng Zhang clan was accompanying Zhang Yue there. He is already seventy-five this year, and his health is not as healthy as when Zhang Yue and others returned to their hometown to bury Gu, standing a little trembling in the cold wind with crutches. Because he was determined to accompany him at the beginning, Zhang Yue couldn't persuade him, so he had to let him, and when he saw him like this, he couldn't bear it.

"Old patriarch, the weather is too cold, and I plan to spend three days here, can you stay with me all the time? Or please go back first, you are so old, if there is anything missing, how can I, a junior, be happy in my heart? ”

The old patriarch is two generations older than Zhang Yue in terms of generation, but there are no outstanding talents in the next generation, and his son is only a show talent when he reaches fifty, and he has not even been able to earn a lift, and the same is true for other branches in the clan. The branch of Zhang Yu, the king of Hejian, had already moved out of Kaifeng, and since the Gu clan moved the other branch to Jingshi, Kaifeng's side has become increasingly dilapidated. Those who have the ability are either to go to a foreign country to find a way to find a background, or to go to the capital to join the two extremely expensive relatives, the only hope here is that the ancestor of the Zhang family is still there, but what if there is another good feng shui land in Beijing, and another family cemetery will not be relocated and buried?

Therefore, seeing Zhang Yue reaching over to help, he grabbed the hands, and his old eyes were already a little red: "Lord Zhang, the little old man is also old, there is one thing you must promise me......"

"What kind of adult, the old patriarch only calls me by my name, here is only about seniority, regardless of official rank." Zhang Yue saw that the old patriarch was holding his hand quite hard, and his heart couldn't help but move, so he asked, "But are you worried about the affairs of the clan?" ”

The old patriarch knew that Zhang Yue was astute, so he lowered his head at this time and said: "I also know that your family moved to Beijing because they listened to the advice of the British prince and for the future, but now although the Zhang family in Kaifeng is stained with your fame, it is also a school opening hall, and it is a sacrificial field, and the clan has subsidized money and food for those who are lonely, widowed and poor, but blindly doing so has actually promoted the lazy habits of those people. You have been away from Kaifeng for fifteen years, and only ten of the teenagers in the clan have passed the county examination, six have passed the government examination, and only three have passed the hospital examination and finally won the show, you must know that this is fifteen years! If it continues like this, the Kaifeng Zhang family is afraid that it will be defeated like the Gu family. I know you won't ignore your own family like the Gu family, but ......"

Hearing this, Zhang Yue knew that his attitude towards Gu Lin that day was only afraid that it would be spread out. Seeing that the old patriarch looked like he wanted to speak and his face turned red, he said with a pleasant face: "The old patriarch is serious, with a virtuous and respected person like you, the Kaifeng family will not fall into that situation, as for the Gu family, I am not used to Gu Lin and his Lao Tzu's style, because the old lady is from the Gu family, they seem to rely on the Zhang family." Over the years, I have given Tian and settled several lawsuits for them, but the result is that they have intensified. That being the case, then their lives are embarrassing, and naturally I didn't force them. ”

Speaking of this, he paused, and then said slowly: "As for the Gu family, I am not completely unhelpful, I have already asked people to inquire earlier, and there are a few poor but willing to go up in the Gu family, so I have already asked people to sponsor them." Those who wish to study can go to the academy, those who wish to do business introduce them to learn to run the industry, and those who are willing to do things on their own, I have also asked people to give them opportunities. It's just that I just want to take advantage of the autumn wind, but I don't bother to tolerate it. ”

The old patriarch understood that this was the case, and he immediately breathed a sigh of relief, but Zhang Yue is now the most powerful in the Zhang family after all, and he has the emperor's trust, so he has to persuade him hard: "Brother Keyue, this is an official, whether it is the same clan or in-laws and townsmen, after all, they have to support each other, even if you look at the old lady's support for you at the beginning, you have to behave, otherwise the current Gu family is only afraid that they will be scoundrels, and at that time it will definitely damage your reputation......"

"It's okay, old patriarch, don't worry, the Gu family is not all inadequate, I might as well tell the truth, the Gu family has a lot of people who have my favor now, and there are only a few people who do nothing like Gu Lin after all, if they make trouble...... The position of the patriarch can also be changed, and the other rooms have long been unable to bear the virtue of their long room. The unvirtuous person occupies the position of the patriarch, how can he educate the younger generation? By the way, what the old patriarch just mentioned, I just want to mention. Now our family is not as good as it was back then, the ancestors were crowned princes, and the whole family was stained with light, and now there are still British Gongyang Wubo, as well as my household book, and the family rules must be established. It is one thing to persuade the good to learn, and it is another to put an end to being full all day long. ”

Du Xuan, who was wearing a hat, led a few children to stand not far away, watching Zhang Yue talk eloquently to the old patriarch, knowing that he was taking precautions for the future of the family, he couldn't help but smile slightly, and his eyes turned to the tall tombstone again. Most of the children had never seen this great-grandmother, and they all looked at it curiously at this time, and the only Jing Guan who had seen it tilted his head and thought for a long time, after all, he couldn't remember the face he had seen when he was very young, so when Sansan44 and Xiaoliu grabbed the corner of his clothes and asked, he looked extremely embarrassed, and finally Du Juan relieved him.

"If you all want to know about your great-grandmother, wait until your father returns."

When Zhang Yue finally ended the conversation with the old patriarch and turned back after sending the people out for a ride, he saw that all the children were looking at him and hurriedly strode forward. When he asked the reason, he couldn't help but smile slightly, and then he half-squatted down in front of the tombstone, looking at the two columns of big characters.

What gave him life was the number of days in the dark, but what gave him this wonderful life was from the beginning of the Zhang family in Kaifeng. When my parents left Beijing that day, they probably went here to worship, but I don't know what kind of mood they felt at that time. Thinking about it, he bent his knees and knelt down, and kowtowed three times in front of the tombstone.

When he got up, he found that Du Juan had also bowed down, and several children followed behind and kowtowed in a proper manner, and finally supported each other to get up. Seeing them surrounded, Zhang Yue looked at the tombstone and whispered: "Your great-grandmother was generous and kind, and she also taught the younger generations strictly. Back then, your father and I were born sick and frail......"

Du Juan once heard Zhang Yue mention the past, but now he watched him patiently tell the children about the past, how to apprentice, how to experience the flood in Kaifeng Mansion, how to take the county test, how to take the hospital test, and how to go to Beijing when the family suddenly suffered...... Scenes of the past came out of Zhang Yue's mouth, and that kind of thrilling thing sounded a little quieter, but there was a faint sense of warmth.

Zhang Yue was surrounded by several children, and in the end, it became an answer to the question. As long as it wasn't so outrageous, he answered patiently, without the slightest bit of sternness that his father should have. Just listening to the children's chatter, he couldn't help but glance back at the solemn cemetery, and secretly prayed a few words in his heart.

The ancestors of the past generations, take advantage of your place to teach your children, and please don't be surprised!

"Dad, you're amazing!" —The one who can say this is naturally the youngest Xiaoliu.

"Dad, if Jingshi is in the water, I will also follow your example back then, and take my brothers and sisters and younger brothers and sisters together...... No, there are also you, your mother, and your aunt...... and grandfather, grandmother and other sisters ......" - this is already a little dizzy, naturally the second son Duanwu who puffed up his chest and made a little man.

"Dad, I will definitely learn from you and take care of my younger brothers and sisters!" - This is a more reliable word from the eldest son Jingguan.

Du Juan saw that Zhang Yue was amused by the determination of a group of children, and only after watching it for a while did he step forward and teach a few words lightly, and finally let the children calm down, and then officially offered incense to worship. There are still the tombs of several generations of ancestors of the Zhang family in the cemetery, so all the way to the past, Zhang Yue has the deacon appointed by the old patriarch next to him to explain the deeds of those ancestors. Naturally, Zhang Yu, the king of Hejian, transported his bones back to Beijing after he died in the war that year and did not bury them here.

After the sacrifice, Zhang Yue asked Du Juan to take the children back, and stayed in the ancestral house for three days, and then returned to the city early in the morning of the fourth day. As soon as he arrived at home, he learned that the old patriarch had held a clan meeting, although he was a junior, but since he was a second-class official residence, he was inevitably invited over. With him in charge, the old patriarch was naturally full of confidence, and he set several clan rules lightly and skillfully. And Zhang Yue knew that these rules and regulations would touch the interests of many clansmen, so he finally opened his mouth and left a sentence.

"When I come back this time, the British Duke will also give an explanation, so our two families will add another 500 acres of sacrificial land to the clan."

Because of the 500 acres of sacrificial fields, the old and young of the clan quickly quieted down. With such a large amount of land and property, there is another amount of income at the end of the year, and those clansmen who only rely on these helpers to live think about the benefits, and their resistance to those family rules is also a little lighter. And a few people who have rich property and don't have to rely on this to live, after all, they are afraid of the power of Zhang Yue and the British Duke in Beijing. In this way, the old patriarch, who was worried that he would not be able to suppress the field and invited Zhang Yue over, breathed a sigh of relief.

After the clan meeting ended, Zhang Yue went back to the old house, he did not go back to the room to see his wife and concubines, but went straight to the deepest courtyard in the north. Since the Gu family moved to Jingshi, this courtyard has been empty, although it has been cleaned and repaired, but probably because of the lack of popularity, after all, it has revealed a gloomy and outdated atmosphere. At this moment, he pushed open the door of the main room and entered, and saw that the middle was still the big case from before, so he closed the door with his backhand, walked silently to the big case, and gently brushed his fingers on it, but he didn't find a trace of dust.

The calligraphy and paintings on the wall were taken away as early as the relocation of that year, and now some are hanging in the Beijing house, and some are still stored in the warehouse. When he entered the east room, the furniture was still the same as it had been, except for the empty space above the railings, and although it was dusty, the dull luster was completely different from the kind of oil that was diligently brushed. When he arrived at Gu's big luodian bed in the innermost, he sat down gently and took a deep breath.

"Grandmother, I did everything you told me back then. Now the second brother is already the commander of the Liaodong Metropolitan Division, the eldest brother is still back to Tongzhouwei, and has been promoted to command the Tongzhi, the fourth brother is already Hanlin, and the two younger brothers are also reading, and the practice of martial arts will be promising......"

"You have always wanted to hold your grandson, but now on my side alone, you have two grandsons and three granddaughters, and there are many of the eldest brother, second brother and fourth brother, so many grandchildren have heard us talk about what happened to you back then, and we have never been pampered, the children are in the small academy, at least they will not lose the face of our family......"

"What is a small academy, you ask? This is what I came up with at that time, there are academies in the world that teach and educate people, but most of them are for children who already have some foundation, and this enlightenment school is uneven. In addition to the subset of classics and history, I have added a lot of other courses, and let them learn them in the name of overseas rare books, and now there are many people who are interested......"

"I've already taken care of the Gu family's affairs. It's not that I don't help you take care of the Gu family, it's just that the few in their own family are already incorrigible, I tell people to pay attention to those small ones, but if they can be created, they will try to help when the time comes, and as for those who are willing to work their own, I will help them one by one. As for the Zhang family in Kaifeng, as long as I am in one day, I will let people take care of one day, but no one can say in the future, and I will ...... the same."

"Actually, there's one more thing I'm afraid I'll have to hide from you for the rest of my life...... However, I have always been very grateful to God for giving me such a home, so that I can have a higher starting point than many people, so that I can have this wonderful life. I started from Kaifeng in my life, and I will always come back to see it more often in the future......"

Muttering this, Zhang Yue gradually lowered his head, chanted for a while, and then stood up and left the room without looking back. The last bit of sunlight of the winter day shone tenaciously through the thick Korean paper and sprinkled on the black Raden bed, as if adding a faint layer of gold paint to the bedding that had lost its owner.

Out of the house, Zhang Yue saw Du Xuan's amber autumn marks coming forward, as well as a large number of children they were carrying, so he walked down the steps with a smile, patted the children's heads, and nodded at them: "We will return to Beijing the day after tomorrow." ”

Not far from the old mansion of the Zhang family, a carriage slowly lowered its curtains. The person in the carriage leaned back comfortably, and said softly, "From now on, he really doesn't need me." ”

The woman in the car was slightly stunned, and then laughed: "Isn't this good, you want to live a light life, and it's not a day or two." The eldest of the Zhang family is younger than you, but he took his wife to play in the mountains and rivers, and you can now be as free as him. ”

The man leaned against the soft cushion, and did not make a sound, and his eyes were full of relief.

More than 1,000 miles away in Baishazhuang, Tongzhou, a group of women are taking turns to drop all kinds of potting gifts into a copper basin, more than one or two silver bills, less two or three copper coins, the jingling sound into the ears of the baby who is being held in the hands of a mother-in-law, which naturally caused a burst of crying. It wasn't until the end of the three major ceremonies for the child's baptism that Zhu Ning, who was invited to watch the ceremony, personally picked up the child, and then led by a girl to the room next to the mother's mattress, and gave the child to the mother.

The two women, who had already combed their high buns, glanced at each other and couldn't help but smile. Whatever happened in the past, at least from now on, they will be mothers of their children.

In the eighth year of Xuande, the world was ripe, the Son of Heaven personally patrolled Kaiping, repelled the army of Warat, the situation was stable, and the crown prince was officially enlightened and studied. In a peaceful and tranquil atmosphere, the successive deaths of the two imperial brothers in Beijing and Shunde Mansion were naturally ignored by most people. In those teahouses and wine shops among the people, people feel that they have met a good year, but there is an additional term in their mouths - Renxuan Shengshi.

I am fortunate in my life, and I am in a prosperous world.