Chapter 86: The First Meeting of the Beautiful Woman in the Wu House
"It is said that the yamen in Beijing only care about money and not people, but I never thought that today would be so smooth."
The three of them were walking on the street in a happy mood. Things went smoothly today, and they spent some time wandering around the capital. Chen Zhong talked about his curiosity.
They stopped in front of a stall where people were making candy, and Zhang Cheng said casually: "With Governor Chen's letter and Yangge's advice, how could they dare to secretly interfere? They just don't want to get involved.
"
"Hahaha……"
There was a burst of laughter, and everyone wandered along the street casually until noon when they returned to the small courtyard behind Tongchun Tower. They entered the courtyard from the side, and Zhang Cheng was not in a hurry to go upstairs.
He stood under the willow tree, looked at the koi swimming in the small pond next to him, and said, "It's noon!"
Chen Zhong came over and said, "General, I don't know what Wei Zhice is busy with. He hasn't shown up all day."
"Haha, Zhi Ce has a task I gave him to handle. You and Niu Sheng have a rest first, and then follow me out for a walk in the afternoon."
Zhang Cheng felt a little thirsty as he spoke, so he entered the small building with Chen Zhong and Niu Sheng. He took a sip of herbal tea in the hall on the first floor, then went upstairs to his room and lay down.
…………
Although Wu Jinkang, a doctor in the Ministry of Industry's Camp Maintenance Department, only holds the official title of the fifth rank, he is responsible for the maintenance and management of the royal palace, mausoleums, altars, temples, palaces, city walls, warehouses, buildings, and barracks.
Precisely because he manages many craftsmen and civilians, although his mansion occupies a small area, it is extremely exquisite and elegant, especially the pavilions, terraces and waterside pavilions.
At this moment, Mrs. Wu Han of the Wu Mansion was drinking tea in the flower hall, with several maids waiting on her side, and two young ladies who looked like young ladies studying the art of needlepoint.
A woman trotted over and said at the flower hall: "Madam, there is a man named Zhang Cheng from the Xuan Mansion outside. He claims to be your nephew and wants to come into the manor to meet him."
Mrs. Wu was also slightly surprised. She said: "Ah, I just said a few days ago that I would go to Beijing to see you, but I didn't expect that I would arrive today!"
She paused, quietly turned her head and glanced at the two women who were doing needlework, and then said: "Mother Wu, he should be the nephew of my cousin who married to the Zhang family in Xuan Mansion. You can lead him to the side first.
Wait in the side hall, I'll be there in a moment."
Wu Ma, who had just come in to report the news, turned around and was about to leave when a childish voice came: "Wu Ma, wait a minute, is this my cousin Zhang Cheng who killed the slave chief?"
"It's your cousin who is a general. He has just been promoted to the third rank of the Imperial Guard, and he is the general of Xuanzhen. Now he is coming to the capital to see the emperor. Your cousin is entrusting him to me.
This sister has brought some local products from Xuanfu."
When Mrs. Wu said this, her eyes kept looking at another young lady who was doing needlework, but she saw that she turned a blind eye to the conversation between the mother and daughter and continued to embroider seriously.
"Mother, why don't you ask your cousin to come directly to the flower hall? Yue'er also wants to meet cousin Zhang Cheng and listen to his talk about how to kill the slave chief Yue Tuo."
The woman who spoke was none other than Wu Tingyue, a young lady from the Wu Mansion. Seeing that her mother was unwilling to comply, she quickly said, "Mother, Sister Ji also wants to meet cousin Zhang Cheng."
As soon as these words came out, the sister Ji next to her panicked and actually pricked her finger with an embroidery needle. She tried to endure it and did not scream. Mrs. Wu over there said angrily:
"You girl, you are so arrogant. You don't look like a lady among all the people. Look at Xuan Zhu, she is much more well-behaved and steady than you."
Wu Tingyue looked unconvinced and continued: "Sister Ji also wants to see it, right? At worst, we don't say anything, we just watch it!"
Mrs. Wu actually laughed when she heard what her daughter said. He still turned to look at Miss Ji and said, "Does Xuan Zhu think it's okay too?"
"Xuanzhu doesn't have to worry about anything, it's up to Mrs. Wu to make the decision."
A pleasant voice came, and Mrs. Wu finally felt relieved and stopped testing her. She turned around and said, "Mother Wu, just bring my nephew right here."
…………
Not long after Wu Ma left, she led Zhang Cheng outside the flower hall and said loudly: "Madam, General Zhang Cheng has arrived and is waiting outside."
Mrs. Wu said calmly: "General Zhang, please come in."
Zhang Cheng walked into the flower hall under the guidance of Wu Ma. He stood in the middle of the flower hall with his eyes focused, bowed and said, "Zhang Cheng wishes my cousin my aunt."
"Cheng'er, get up, Mother Wu, bring a chair to Zhang Cheng, sit down quickly and talk." Mrs. Wu said in a calm tone.
"so high……"
An exclamation came from the side, but Zhang Cheng did not turn around to look. Based on the voice, he guessed that it was the little cousin of the Wu family. In fact, Zhang Cheng's height of 1.75 meters was the highest among his peers in later generations.
Considered a tall man.
What's more, in an era like the late Ming Dynasty, the average height of men was only about 1.66 meters. Of course, there were many strong and strong people whose heights were much higher than the average.
Even among the most capable frontier troops of the Ming Dynasty, Zhang Cheng almost stood out from the crowd, so Wu Tingyue suddenly saw him and let out this exclamation.
What Zhang Cheng didn't know was that even the beautiful eyes of Miss Ji Xuanzhu of the Ji family were looking at him, her brows filled with praise.
But none of this escaped Mrs. Wu's eyes. Her eyes were always on Ji Xuanzhu, observing his every move.
Just then, when she saw that Miss Ji had no objection to calling Zhang Cheng to the flower hall, she felt that the matter must have been done. When she saw Miss Ji like this, she couldn't help but feel convinced.
At this time, Zhang Cheng had already sat down at the bottom. He was facing Mrs. Wu on one side and his cousins Wu Tingyue and Ji Xuanzhu on the other side. He was already handsome, handsome, and tall.
And these years of military career have made his edges and corners more clear-cut. Although his skin color is not as fair as before, he is more calm, capable and majestic, far from being comparable to those white-faced scholars in Beijing.
"When Zhang Cheng came, my aunt specifically asked me to come to my house in person and say hello to my aunt after arriving in Beijing." Zhang Cheng said in a calm and peaceful tone.
Mrs. Wu asked with a smile on her face: "Excuse me, Cheng'er, my sister is always in good health."
"Please be at ease, auntie. My aunt is in good health and there is no need to worry about her. She just keeps thinking about her. I specifically asked Zhang Cheng to invite me on my behalf. When it is convenient for my aunt, she can go to Xuan Mansion and see the scenery of the frontier. My aunt can also do it.
Spend some time with you." Zhang Cheng said.
"Well, I miss my sister too. It's just that the journey is far away and it's not easy to travel. By the way, Fang'er has grown up now." Mrs. Wu asked Zhang Cheng about her niece.
At this time, Wu Tingyue couldn't help but interjected and asked: "How is sister Fang'er? I haven't seen her in ten years!"