Chapter 186: Great Prospects Ahead

The bright sun shone high, and the summer breeze caressed gently.

Inside the garden of the Zhang University Scholar Mansion, Zhang Yunxiu held a large pair of shears in his hands, leisurely trimming the flowerbed before him.

Beside him, Han San stood with his back hunched, his face full of respect, waiting on him.

In an instant, everything seemed to come to a standstill.

There was no noise or clamor, only the *snip-snap* of the shears and the rustling sound of the breeze hitting the branches. This was the first time in these past few days that Zhang Yunxiu had been this leisurely.

If not for those people blocking the gate, he truly would not have found this bit of fun.

If one calculated it this way, he really ought to thank that group of troublemaking Scholars outside.

"Snip. Snip."

Accompanied by a rhythmic cutting, the originally messy flowerbed became neat and tidy. The dazzling sunlight hit it, nourishing the fresh flowers within the flowerbed to look exceptionally charming.

Zhang Yunxiu let out a long breath and raised his sleeve to wipe the fine sweat from his forehead.

Only then did he turn his head to ask, "How is it outside?"

How could the sweat-drenched Han San dare to be negligent? He took a few strides forward, cupped his hands, and reported, "This subordinate has already warned those Scholars; I expect it won't be long before they disperse."

"For this matter to ferment so quickly, there must be someone fanning the flames behind the scenes. You must investigate," Zhang Yunxiu urged with an expressionless face.

"Yes, this servant will send people to investigate once I return."

"Send more men to the Kong Family side as well."

"Understood."

The two of them, one giving orders and one agreeing.

Very quickly, Zhang Yunxiu finished speaking about all the things that needed to be done, and Han San at his side wished he could carve every word into his mind.

After listening, he repeated everything Zhang Yunxiu needed to do once more.

Only after confirming there were no errors did he hurry away.

At this moment, Lvluo, dressed in a green skirt, poked her head out from a small pavilion not far away, stuck her body out, and called to Zhang Yunxiu, "Young Master, the tea is ready. The Young Mistress invites you up to have some tea."

Zhang Yunxiu nodded with a smile, put down the shears, and stepped away.

That pavilion leaned against the mountain and bordered the water; three sides were artificial rockeries, with only the side facing due north leaning against Bihe Pond. Once the wind rose, the summer breeze carried the fragrance of the lotus in the pond to provide refreshment, which was quite a delight.

Zhang Yunxiu walked up to the small pavilion, where Xu Ruoxi was sitting upright in a plain dress, facing due north. A stone table was piled before her, covered with pastries and fruits.

Lvluo at the side lifted the steaming teapot and carefully poured water for the two of them.

Seeing Zhang Yunxiu enter, Xu Ruoxi nodded with a smile and gestured for her husband to sit down.

Then, covering her lips, she teased with a hint of playfulness, "It's fine now, but with people blocking the mansion outside, it won't be so easy if you want to go out."

"Then Madam must be careful," Zhang Yunxiu replied with a chuckle, then picked up the hot tea before him, took a small sip, and praised, "Not bad, this tea is rich and fragrant, and the water is sweet too."

Hearing this, Lvluo at the side felt her neck turn slightly pink, and her heart felt as sweet as if she had eaten honey.

Seeing this little hussy acting all love-struck, Xu Ruoxi smiled inwardly and deliberately pointed at Lvluo, saying, "Husband, this tea is top-quality Miyun Dragon Tea, and this water is also taken from the best sweet spring in Nanjing."

"Lvluo went to great pains for today."

Zhang Yunxiu looked Lvluo up and down; she had grown taller and a bit plumper compared to two years ago.

She used to be a little bean sprout, but now she should be called a little potato.

"Not bad," he smiled, first offering a word of praise, then waved his hand and said, "You go down first. It's enough for me to wait on Madam here; if there's anything, I'll call you again."

Hearing the first half, Lvluo was just about to be happy, but as soon as the second half came out, her little face instantly turned dark.

"Yes."

Once the little girl left, Zhang Yunxiu no longer held himself back.

He took a stride forward, grabbed Xu Ruoxi's delicate body in his arms, and planted a fierce kiss on her round little cheek.

"Don't, don't, I'm with child now," Xu Ruoxi desperately stretched out her jade-like hands to push against Zhang Yunxiu's chest.

After a month or two of Zhang Yunxiu's diligent cultivation, Xu Ruoxi had become pregnant. However, because the time had not yet come, her lower abdomen had not yet bulged, and it was still not much different from an ordinary woman.

Regarding this matter, Zhang Yunxiu felt both proud and boastful.

Whenever he thought of Zhang Xuan's cute appearance, he wished he could see the child in Xu Ruoxi's belly immediately. So, upon hearing Xu Ruoxi mention the "child," his hand movements stalled, and he became much more disciplined. Xu Ruoxi took the opportunity to hug Zhang Yunxiu's waist, leaned her head on his shoulder, and after a few seconds of silence, she raised her head and carefully advised, "Husband, I know you have monumental things to do."

"However, since Father and the Emperor both won't let you intervene in this matter, can you just stay at home and keep me and the child company?"

When she said this, her eyelashes trembled slightly, and her beautiful eyes were already misting over.

Even she, a woman, knew this matter was dangerous; the Emperor and Father not letting her husband intervene was mostly to protect him.

With her husband's imperial favor, as long as no major mistakes were made, entering the Grand Secretariat and becoming a Chancellor in the future would be a matter of course.

Zhang Yunxiu smiled and rubbed his wife's head, stared into her eyes, and whispered, "I know. Since Father is taking the lead on this, I naturally won't go wading into these muddy waters."

"Really?"

"What benefit would I get from lying to you?" Zhang Yunxiu curled his finger and flicked it heavily against Xu Ruoxi's forehead.

Xu Ruoxi covered her forehead, let out a cry of pain, then looked at Zhang Yunxiu pouting, and chided, "You dare bully me! I'm going to tell Fourth Brother right now and have him teach you a lesson for me!"

Zhang Yunxiu coaxed and cajoled her, and only then did Xu Ruoxi let it go.

This matter indeed did not require him to take direct action; with Zhang Juzheng taking the lead at the front, he only needed to maintain the relationships within the palace.

Whoever wants to control this world, besides the Emperor, actually only needs to serve two people well.

One is the Senior Grand Secretary of the Grand Secretariat.

The other is the Head Eunuch of the Directorate of Ceremonial.

Thinking of this, Zhang Yunxiu smiled and took the opportunity to hold the beauty in his arms even tighter.

The office of the Directorate of Ceremonial.

Inside the office, Feng Bao and Wei Qing sat facing each other, both wearing python robes.

Beside Feng Bao stood a young eunuch of about twenty, fair and plump, wearing a small name tag.

Glancing at the little eunuch, Feng Bao squinted his eyes and barked, "Wang An, why don't you hurry over and kowtow to Eunuch Wei?"

Wang An took a few quick steps forward, his knees went soft, and he bowed directly to Wei Qing: "Wang An kowtows to Eunuch Wei."

"Oh my, this won't do, this won't do at all." Wei Qing's face beamed like a chrysanthemum as he modestly said, "As the godson of Eunuch Feng, how could I possibly accept such a grand gesture?"

Although the words were modest, Feng Bao heard a great deal of arrogance in them.

By rights, in the past, whenever this Wei Qing saw him, he would have had to kneel to speak, and he would have referred to himself as "this little one" instead of "I."

Wei Qing speaking this way was actually a reminder to him.

The gap in status between the two was not large.

Thinking of this, Feng Bao felt quite like a tiger fallen to the flatlands.

However, he was, after all, an old hand in the palace; he did not let his emotions show on his face, and instead of pursuing the arrogance in Wei Qing's words, he pointed at Wang An and said, "Eunuch Wei, this is the Wang An I mentioned to you; Chief Secretary Zhang said last time that he wanted to take him to the East Warm Pavilion."

"He is indeed a man of talent and looks sharp," Wei Qing replied with a chuckle.

"Then, Eunuch Wei, is that a yes?" Feng Bao asked.

Wei Qing neither said yes nor no; he merely took a small sip of tea and said with a smile, "Eunuch Feng, you are also an old hand in the palace; the eunuchs of the Qianqing Palace are not like those elsewhere."

"They are all personally selected by the Emperor; I may be a somebody in the eyes of these little ones, but before the Emperor, I am nothing at all."

"Brother Wei, do not be so humble; who doesn't know that you are the number one favorite in front of Zheng Guifei?" Feng Bao's tone softened once again.

"Sigh, what favorite or not; I am just an errand runner."

The two of them engaged in mutual hedging, playing tai chi with each other.

In truth, Feng Bao himself knew what Wei Qing wanted—the authority of the Superintendent of the Eastern Depot.

He had managed the Eastern Depot for nearly thirty years and had long since turned it into an impenetrable fortress. If he did not give his nod, Wei Qing wanting to take over the Eastern Depot was simply wishful thinking.

The reason he was dragging things out like this was to squeeze out more benefits for himself.

Seeing Feng Bao remain silent, Wei Qing's heart began to drum. He pretended to glance at the sky nonchalantly and then said, "Eunuch Feng, it is getting late, I must hurry back."

"Yes, Eunuch Wei is busy, I won't hold you up," Feng Bao replied with a chuckle, his chubby cheeks bunching together.

(End of chapter)