Chapter 8

Zhang Anshi said, "But I didn't do anything wrong..."

His words were abruptly cut off.

Suddenly, a eunuch rushed in and said, "There is another imperial edict from the palace."

Upon hearing this, Zhu Gaoshi's face changed dramatically. He had just been scolded; could he be about to be berated again?

Even Lady Zhang became tense and worried, saying, "Could it be that the Emperor is still angry and wants to impose further punishment?"

Zhu Gaoshi took a deep breath, glanced at Zhang Anshi with a helpless look, and sighed, "I will receive the edict. You... stay here..."

Lady Zhang frowned and said, "Your Highness, we are like birds of the same forest. How can we fly away when disaster strikes? We will go together."

Zhang Anshi looked at his sister and brother-in-law and firmly said, "I will go too."

The Crown Prince and the Crown Princess, dressed in formal attire, left the inner garden and went to the main hall of the Office of the Grand Tutor in the Eastern Palace to receive the edict.

At this time, the officials of the Office of the Grand Tutor, who served in the Eastern Palace, were already waiting to welcome the imperial edict.

The officials of the Office of the Grand Tutor were all subordinates of the Crown Prince. The previous edict from the Emperor, which showed no mercy, had already made them tremble with fear. Now, another edict had arrived, and these people suddenly sensed a strange atmosphere.

The current Emperor's dislike of the Crown Prince was well-known, but such a public reprimand was rare.

Could it be... that someone has slandered him... and the Emperor is considering replacing the Crown Prince?

Therefore, when the Crown Prince and the Crown Princess arrived, everyone's thoughts were complex.

When they noticed that Zhang Anshi was also trailing behind, many people gritted their teeth in anger.

Isn't he the culprit, this good-for-nothing guy?

If the Crown Prince is in trouble, everyone's future is also at risk.

Zhu Gaoshi's thoughts were also incredibly complex. He was overweight and had weak legs, but he managed to support himself and bow, saying, "Your subject receives the edict."

The eunuch who came to deliver the edict took out the imperial edict and read aloud, "By the grace of Heaven, the Emperor decrees..."

At this point, the subordinates all bowed to the ground, silent as a tomb, but many of them were filled with doubt.

It's a 'decree,' what's going on? A decree is used for commendation and promotion, shouldn't it be a reprimand?

Zhu Gaoshi was also momentarily confused, feeling as if he were in a fog.

The eunuch continued, "No one is perfect. Since the Crown Prince ascended to the position of heir, he has been diligent and loyal, working hard and conscientiously..."

Zhu Gaoshi, though usually composed, couldn't help but raise his head, his eyes full of surprise, thinking he must have heard wrong.

"The wise say: A good general does not seek great glory. Now, the Crown Prince has taught his subordinates with unique and ingenious methods. Therefore, a special edict is issued to commend him, to praise his hidden virtues. So be it!"

The eunuch finished reading.

The hall remained silent.

Zhu Gaoshi was completely stunned.

His father, the Emperor, had gained the empire through military might and was known for his straightforward nature, but...

Today, he had opened his eyes. In the morning, the Emperor had issued a harsh reprimand, saying he couldn't discipline his subordinates, but by noon, he was commending him, saying he was like a wise general who doesn't seek great glory... What was going on?

At this moment, someone behind him cleared their throat, reminding the Crown Prince to receive the edict.

Zhu Gaoshi finally reacted and hurriedly bowed to thank the Emperor, receiving the edict.

He carefully pondered it but still couldn't grasp the deeper meaning of his father's words.

Zhang Anshi, however, was delighted and said, "Brother-in-law, this is the Emperor praising you, saying you have taught me well."

Zhu Gaoshi's face turned pale, and he quickly looked around, saying, "The Emperor's intentions are unpredictable. Don't speak rashly."

Although he had stopped Zhang Anshi, he had a rough understanding and quickly pulled Zhang Anshi to the back garden to ask what he had done recently.

Zhang Anshi said, "These past few days, I have been studying diligently. This morning, many people came to the school and beat up those who were usually unruly, but they didn't touch me. When they heard my name, Zhang Anshi, they even told me to stand far away so I wouldn't get splattered with blood."

"The Emperor is truly remarkable. He can see through everything and knows I am a reliable person."

Zhu Gaoshi: "..."

Lady Zhang also took the edict, examined it for a long time, and said happily, "Your Highness, it's true. This is the Emperor praising our Anshi. Don't think it's just praising you; it's actually a roundabout way of saying our Anshi is capable."

Zhu Gaoshi still found it hard to believe and said, "Am I dreaming?"

Lady Zhang was unhappy and said, "I've always said that our Anshi is a steady and honest person. It's others who have misled him, causing occasional problems, but his heart is pure and good. Anshi, are you hungry? Let's have a meal here today..."

Zhang Anshi shook his head and said, "No, I have something to do."

"What is it?" The sister who had just been questioning him now showed a loving expression.

Zhang Anshi said, "My brother's buttocks are beaten to a pulp. I need to find a doctor for him."

Zhang Anshi said this and hurriedly took his leave.

Watching Zhang Anshi run off like the wind,

Zhu Gaoshi took the edict again, looked at it, and suddenly laughed, "My heart is finally at ease. Our Anshi is not entirely useless."

Zhu Gaoshi's joy was evident. Just a moment ago, he had been on edge, but now he had received the Emperor's commendation, and his heart, which had been hanging, was finally at rest.

As for Zhang Anshi, it seemed he had indeed made some progress, which was even more gratifying.

...

Zhang Anshi was a person with a conscience.

At first, his relationship with Zhang Ge and Zhu Yong... was somewhat utilitarian.

This can be understood; such a young and naive boy, if you don't take advantage of him, would he still be a person?

If these two were in the modern world, they would definitely be the target of phone scammers from a certain province.

But as they spent more time together, the so-called sworn brothers became real to him.

Now that Zhang Ge had been beaten, he didn't know how badly he was injured, and Zhang Anshi couldn't help but worry. No matter what, he had to find a way to visit him.

This morning, Zhang Ge had been beaten to the point of bleeding, and he needed some medicine.

The medicine was already prepared. Zhang Anshi, who had come to this world, was most afraid of death. After all, in this era, a simple cold or fever could be fatal.

The first thing Zhang Anshi did after adapting to this world was to try to extract some medicine for emergencies.

For example... penicillin.

In fact, penicillin was already known in the Tang Dynasty. In Chang'an, tailors would apply paste to their fingers cut by scissors to help heal the wounds, and the green mold produced on the paste was actually penicillin, which has antibacterial properties.

Of course, this primitive form of penicillin was not very effective.

To enhance its effectiveness, the mold needed to be extracted and then grown in a nutrient solution to increase its quantity and purity.

The nutrient solution was simple to make, just a mixture of rice juice and sweet potato juice. After the mold was implanted, it would take ten to fifteen days to grow.

After that, the mold could be purified using a funnel, a clay pot, cotton, and charcoal powder, resulting in true penicillin.

Zhang Anshi took a small porcelain bottle and carefully filled it with the penicillin he had cultivated, then set off excitedly for the Zhang family.

...

In the Wenlou Hall, the Yongle Emperor was full of anger.

He walked back and forth with his hands behind his back, occasionally cursing, "I never thought these guys would be so useless. If I were the High Emperor, I would have beaten them to death."

He read the memorials again and found that, except for Zhang Anshi, the rest were mostly scoundrels, which made the Yongle Emperor even more worried.

"Especially Zhang Ge. This boy is the worst. He is very bold."

After cursing, a eunuch outside said, "Your Majesty... Your servant has come to report."

The Yongle Emperor, with a dark face, said, "Come in and speak."

The eunuch tiptoed in, bowed, and said, "Your Majesty... Your servant has followed your orders and carried out the punishment. Especially the ringleader, Zhang Ge, who received twenty lashes."

"Deserved it!" The Yongle Emperor, Zhu Di, said angrily, "If his father were still alive, he would have broken his legs."

The eunuch bowed and did not dare to speak.

The Yongle Emperor then asked, "How is he? Has he learned his lesson?"

"..."

"What is it?"

"After the whipping... Zhang Ge... has..."

Zhu Di's face became even more serious, and he frowned, "What do you mean?"

"He has fainted..."

Zhu Di fell silent.

The hall was unusually quiet.

The eunuch was puzzled and cautiously raised his head to glance at Zhu Di.

Zhu Di suddenly said in a loud voice, "What, did you really use corporal punishment?"

The eunuch was stunned and couldn't speak for a long time.

Zhu Di became agitated and shouted, "Damn it, he's just a child!"