Chapter 6: Let's Have Father Take a Look Too

Inside the small hall, several people each stood in their places.

Zhang Juzheng and the steward You Qi stood to one side, watching.

Zhang Yunxiu sat on a stool, extending his wrist to place it upon the desk.

Opposite him, a middle-aged doctor pressed his five fingers onto it, while his eyes stared fixedly at Zhang Yunxiu.

After a moment of contemplation, he smiled at Zhang Juzheng to the side and said, "Grand Secretary, your son's pulse is steady and his Qi and blood are like a dragon's. I dare to guarantee that your son absolutely does not suffer from hysteria."

Zhang Yunxiu stood up at once and looked at Zhang Juzheng. Zhang Juzheng could not keep his composure; he waved his hand and turned his face away.

"Wang Dafu, why don't you take a look at my father as well?" Zhang Yunxiu gritted his teeth and said, bracing himself.

"Examine the Grand Secretary?" Wang Dafu's face revealed hesitation.

"I am not ill, I don't need you to examine me!" Zhang Juzheng immediately stamped his foot and said.

As he spoke, a flush of red rose through his dark complexion, the black and red intermingling, appearing exceptionally eerie.

Zhang Yunxiu watched with his heart pounding; as the saying goes, illness manifests on the surface—if the toxins in the body cannot be excreted, they naturally accumulate on the face.

Wang Dafu at the side had already noticed, but he dared not speak recklessly.

If he said the Senior Grand Secretary was not ill and he fell gravely ill later, his crime would be no small matter. If he said the Senior Grand Secretary was ill and he could not cure him, his head would not be secure either.

He simply chose to play deaf and dumb, acting as if he saw nothing.

Seeing the two men silent, Zhang Juzheng waved his hand, pointed at Wang Dafu, and looked at You Qi, saying impatiently, "I see this is just a quack; he can't even tell if there is an illness or not. Forget it, forget it. You Qi, take him away, give him some silver, and let him go."

"Yes." You Qi responded respectfully and led Wang Dafu toward the outside.

"Wait." Two voices sounded at the same time.

Zhang Yunxiu saw that Wang Dafu had actually broken free and come forward, looking at Zhang Juzheng and saying, "Although this humble one has shallow learning, this medical skill is passed down from my ancestors; it is not as unbearable as the Senior Grand Secretary claims."

"How bold!" You Qi shouted, his face turning red as he cursed, "How dare you speak to the Senior Grand Secretary like this! Do you believe that I would take men to tear down your signboard right now?"

Being contradicted by a doctor, contradicted by his son, and also being told he was ill, Zhang Juzheng's heart was already roiling with rage.

He glared fiercely at his son and Wang Dafu, sneering, "Fine, I will let you examine me."

"If I am not ill, we shall see what you have to say for yourselves then."

After Zhang Juzheng finished speaking, he returned to his chair and sat down, revealing a section of his withered wrist.

Wang Dafu was expressionless; he stepped forward in two or three strides, sat down before Zhang Juzheng, cupped his hands, and then placed his fingers upon it.

To the side, Zhang Yunxiu and You Qi stared at the two, their hearts in their throats.

The more Wang Dafu looked, the more alarmed he became, his brows knitting together. He thought to himself: Everyone says it is good to be a Grand Secretary, but this body is not even as good as an old farmer's; the Qi and blood are depleted. If it continues like this, I fear it will be at most a year's time.

"What is it? Doctor." Seeing the doctor's brow furrow, Zhang Yunxiu instinctively felt something was wrong.

"How much rice can the Senior Grand Secretary still eat per meal?" Wang Dafu asked a question unrelated to the pulse.

Zhang Juzheng was stunned, and just as he was about to answer, You Qi at the side wiped his tears and said, "Our master is currently working hard every day, and as a result, he can only eat a small bowl of rice per meal."

"What are you crying for!" Zhang Juzheng glared at You Qi, then turned his head back to ask, "So what if I eat a bowl of rice every day? Could it be that just eating one bowl of rice means I am ill?"

Wang Dafu nodded and replied, "The Senior Grand Secretary has passed the age of fifty, and his Qi and blood are already depleted, making him susceptible to illness. Now that you are eating little and yet insisting on attending to every detail yourself, how could your body not become ill over time?"

"Our master has deer blood to nourish his Qi and blood, how could his Qi and blood be depleted?" You Qi muttered.

At this, Zhang Yunxiu almost exploded.

When he arrived, he had seen a group of small sika deer kept in a courtyard and initially thought they were for ornamental purposes.

He had not expected they were for Zhang Juzheng to consume.

"No wonder! To still have such vigor at this age."

While Zhang Yunxiu was stunned, Wang Dafu shook his head with a bitter smile and said, "Deer blood is indeed a highly nourishing substance, but the Grand Secretary is old and frail, and his body is too weak to handle such nourishment. A dose of such potent medicine like this is, I fear, no different from poison."

You Qi let out an "Ah" and turned his head to look at Zhang Juzheng.

Seeing this Grand Secretary with his dark head and black face, and gloomy cheeks, he shrank his neck and retreated two steps sheepishly.

After a few seconds of silence, Zhang Juzheng grabbed his teacup and smashed it fiercely onto the ground; shards flew and tea splashed everywhere.

"Nonsense! I know my own body; do I need a quack like you to examine it?"

"You Qi, see the guest out!"

Having said this, Zhang Juzheng flicked his sleeves and left.

Zhang Yunxiu hurriedly followed. As the two walked along the corridor, Zhang Yunxiu urged, "Father, your body really cannot be delayed any longer. The ancients said that lust is a bone-scraping knife, and you... you are at this age." Before he could finish, Zhang Juzheng stopped his steps, his gaze cold, staring straight at Zhang Yunxiu.

The aura cultivated from years of holding high office, even when only slightly leaked, frightened Zhang Yunxiu into trembling uncontrollably.

He fell to his knees with a thud and said sorrowfully, "Father, what your child says comes from the bottom of my heart; you really must take care of your health."

"Zhuge of Nanyang once said: 'Oh, vast Heaven, why are you so unkind to me?' If you do not want the Wanli New Policy, which you created with your life's blood, to be destroyed in a single day, you must take care of your health."

Zhang Juzheng's gaze was gloomy. He stared at his kneeling son for a long time before his expression softened, and he said, "Go, call Wang Dafu back, and go release all the sika deer in the courtyard."

"You have agreed?" Zhang Yunxiu was overjoyed.

Zhang Juzheng did not reply and turned to walk away.

He was not afraid of death; if he were afraid of death, he would not have chosen to survey the land and offend those powerful clans.

To be a peaceful Grand Secretary, flattering those above and indulging those below—drinking and making merry with beauties every day—would that not be pleasant? Perhaps by the time he retired, the Emperor would praise him, the officials would see him off, and he could win a fine reputation.

But that was not what he wanted; what he wanted was to become a figure like Zhou Gong or Lv Wang.

It had taken him a full twenty-seven years to walk from Jiangling to the Forbidden City, and he had not come specifically just to enjoy himself.

Since he had reached this position, he had to accomplish something.

After receiving Zhang Juzheng's order, Zhang Yunxiu walked with cheerful steps and turned to go to the garden where the small deer were kept.

Two stewards immediately came up to meet him, grinning, and said happily, "Fifth Young Master, are you here to harvest deer blood again?"

"Just in time, someone sent two newborn fawns yesterday; that taste is the most delicious. I guarantee that after the Young Master consumes it, you will be full of vigor, and seven times in one night will be no problem at all."

Testing a cadre with this?

No cadre could withstand such a test!

Zhang Yunxiu glared at the two of them and barked, "Father has ordered that all these deer be taken out and sold."

"Ah? Sold?" The two were startled, "But these are all things the Master usually cherishes dearly."

"Did you not hear what I said? My father told you to take them out and sell them; just hand over the silver you get to me."

"This..." The two still wore expressions of difficulty.

"My words don't carry any weight, do they?" Seeing them prevaricate, and remembering how Zhang Juzheng had been harmed by this deer blood, Zhang Yunxiu felt his chest fill with rage: "Fine, fine, fine, you two just wait there for me, I'll go find You Qi to talk to you."

The two were so frightened their knees went weak, and they knelt on the ground begging for mercy, "The little ones know they were wrong, the little ones know they were wrong, we hope the Fifth Young Master will give us a chance."

Zhang Yunxiu kept a cold face and said nothing; suddenly, a puzzled voice came from behind him.

"Wang San, Zhao Fu, why are you two kneeling on the ground?"

Zhang Yunxiu turned his head to look and saw a young scholar walking over.

The newcomer appeared to be about twenty-seven or twenty-eight years old, with a tall and slender build and distinct facial features; he wore a white sable-fur robe, a jade belt cinched at his waist, and black leather boots on his feet.

He was radiant and dashing, a sight that made one feel extremely comfortable.

"Eldest Brother."

"Eldest Young Master!"

The three of them called out in unison.

The person who had arrived was none other than Zhang Juzheng's eldest son, Zhang Jingxiu.

Because the first four sons were already married, they did not live at the Grand Secretary Mansion.

Today, Zhang Yunxiu had arrived in the capital abruptly, and Zhang Juzheng, thinking of having the family gather together, had sent people to call several of his sons back.

"Fifth Son, what are you doing here?" Seeing Zhang Yunxiu, Zhang Jingxiu was taken aback.

"Eldest Brother, what are you doing here?" Zhang Yunxiu asked back with a smile.

"I... I..." Zhang Jingxiu stammered for a long time without being able to say it, then seeing the two kneeling on the ground, he hurriedly changed the subject, "Right, what are you two kneeling on the ground for?"

Without waiting for the two to answer, Zhang Yunxiu pulled his eldest brother aside and explained it in detail.

After listening, Zhang Jingxiu widened his eyes, looked at his younger brother, and sighed, "Only you would do this; I wouldn't dare speak to Father like that."

"I call this, a dead pig isn't afraid of boiling water." Zhang Yunxiu used an incongruous metaphor, then gave a mysterious smile and said, "If Eldest Brother wants these deer, I can give you one."

"Ahem..."

(End of chapter)