: A prosperous and prosperous family

There is an inconspicuous small street at the root of Xihuangcheng in Nanjing City. However, almost all locals do not know this place. Although Nanjing has suffered frequent earthquakes since the early years of Xuande, since that nobleman came to settle in Nanjing,

This earthquake miraculously disappeared without a trace. The owner of the big house in this small street was once called the Dinghai Shenzhen, but now the earthquake has disappeared, and he has the nickname Tai Sui. But regardless of this

, this ordinary Taiping Street has become the most legendary place in the entire city of Nanjing.

Everyone knows that the Zhang family is now the number one family in Daming. The British Duke Zhang Fu is now in his nineties, but he is still in good spirits. He is no longer in charge of affairs, and his legitimate son Zhang Zhong has been replaced by his legitimate son Zhang Zhong as the governor of the right government and left government.

, he only sat at home and enjoyed family happiness. Zhang Fu's two direct brothers were not well-known, but there were many famous brothers and nephews in the family. From his younger brother Zhang Xinguan to Sichuan, he commanded the Qian affairs, and the second son inherited the post.

, once he reached the Imperial Academy, he could be said to have all the nobles and military positions; his younger brother Zhang Youjue was granted the title of Yangwu Bo, and now the title is inherited by the second son Zhang Qi, and the eldest son Zhang Chao has accumulated many merits and commanded the envoys. However, except for the British Duke

The other most prominent branch is the Taipinghou.

Occupying the entire small street is the Taiping Marquis Mansion. The gold lacquer plaque with the words Taiping Mansion was inscribed by Xuande Emperor Zhu Zhanji himself, and it was covered with imperial treasures. Therefore, the main entrance with three rooms and five shelves is naturally

It was closed for many years, and even the princes and nobles often came in and out through the side door. The owner here, Zhang Yue, became an official in the imperial examination during the Yongle period. He was appointed as a feudal official in seven years, and entered the Sixth Ministry in three years. After the death of Emperor Xuande

At that time, he was granted the title Taiping Bo. He was still in his early fifties when he became an official, but he was promoted to Taiping Marquis. Compared with the various high-ranking officials and titles he had obtained, the protagonist loved the title of Taiping Marquis very much, and even proclaimed himself the title of Taiping Lay Scholar.

, now everyone calls him Zhang Taiping.

To this day, people in the public still talk about the legend of Zhang Yue. Zhang Yue went through the Yongle, Hongxi, Xuande, and Zhengtong dynasties, established countless meritorious deeds, and was capable of both civil and military affairs. The most important thing is that he is the largest man in Nanjing.

A strong supporter of Jinling Academy, a private college. Not only him, but also his teacher Du Zhen was almost invited by Jinling Academy to be the dean after he retired that day. Although he politely declined, he often went to give lectures and preside over students.

It is a heated debate, but almost everyone who has been to the academy for study tours has seen the style of this cabinet minister. Now both Weng and his son-in-law are frequent visitors to Jinling Academy, which has made Jinling Academy the number one private academy in Jiangnan for many years.

"Abolition of burials, opening of schools, development of trade, and promotion of colonization...compared to these, the wisest thing I have done in my life is actually allowing Emperor Xuanzong to live ten more years...I didn't expect that he would look in such good health.

, actually left earlier than me!"

It was early in the morning, and he was alone in the study reading the letters that Fang Jing and Zhang Jing had sent from overseas. Zhang Yue couldn't help but muttered, and then lazily leaned back on the chair, staring blankly at the ceiling.

He didn't know how long it took before he was awakened by the sound of soft footsteps. When he lowered his head, he saw a figure rushing over and hugging his arm with a smile.

"Grandpa, grandpa!"

"Hey, Qiqi, when did you come?"

"Grandpa, I just arrived today and I hurriedly came to see you first. I must be filial enough!"

Seeing his sweet-looking granddaughter smiling up at him, Zhang Yue couldn't help but rub her head lovingly, and then breathed a sigh of relief thoughtfully. Unknowingly, even the youngest grandchild He was ten years old, exactly the same age as when he first arrived here. When he came back to his senses, he lowered his head and asked. When he learned that it was his daughter who had sent the child over, he couldn't help but asked with a smile: "What about your wife?" What? Are you going to see your grandma first?"

"I'm here. You only care about your grandson, but you don't care about me!"

He saw a young woman standing next to the door. She wore a pastel-colored cardigan, a white silk skirt with threaded edges, and beads on her hair. She didn't use much makeup between her eyebrows, but she looked fresh and refined. She was clearly her daughter. Zhang Ying and Zhang Yue couldn't help but smile and call out "Xiao Liu". It was a good thing they didn't call out. As soon as the call came out, the young woman's face suddenly dropped.

"Dad, it's so easy for you to give us nicknames. After the second sister was called Sansan, the third sister became Sisi. Because I, the youngest, couldn't be more important to my mother-in-law, I became Xiaoliu. But, here we are. You are the third generation, but you have chosen to give my girl Ping a nickname of Qiqi! Can our family be inseparable from those numbers?"

"Isn't this great? Your mother-in-law is Xiaowu, you are Xiaoliu, and now Ping girl is Qiqi, these five, six, and seven are all complete."

He joked jokingly, seeing that Zhang Ying's face was almost unbearable, Zhang Yue raised his hands with a smile and said: "Okay, okay, I only chose this name because I like girls. Look at it. , Counting from your second sister, there are only four girls in our family. Even if I now have a large family of children and grandchildren, there are only seven or seven girls among the grandchildren. Isn’t it just to highlight the wealth of girls? "

"That's nice to say, I think it's daddy and you know how to be lazy!"

The father and daughter were talking to each other, and Qiqi next to him looked up at the two of them with curiosity on his face. After a while, Zhang Yue remembered that his precious granddaughter was here, so he coughed dryly and said, "Okay, okay. , don’t let Qiqi see the joke. Xiaoliu, why did you come back without any news this time, where is my son-in-law?"

"We just arrived today, and my father-in-law and mother-in-law are also here. Now he and his father-in-law went to see grandpa, saying that he would come back later to say hello to you. My mother-in-law went to see my mother now, so I brought Qiqi over. Look at you..."

Before she finished speaking, a girl's voice came from outside: "Master, madam, please change your clothes and get ready to go out."

Perhaps it was because he used to travel all over the world and never had a moment of leisure. In the past two years, Zhang Yue was unwilling to move at home. Most of the time he spent writing books and painting in the study, and Du Wan often accompanied him in writing and painting. Therefore, when he heard what his wife had said, he felt that Monk Zhang Er was confused and couldn't help but look at Zhang Ying.

"Don't look at me, I don't know anything. If there is something mysterious, it must be my mother-in-law's idea!" At this point, Zhang Ying couldn't help but smile, "My mother-in-law is already very old, but she is still the same as me when I was a child. We’ve almost seen each other, so there must be some new tricks being whispered about now! Daddy, hurry up and get ready, if you’re late, you might be told something!”

Zhang Yue had a much deeper understanding of how difficult Xiao Wu was to deal with than Zhang Ying, a wife. After giving a wry smile, he immediately got up and left the study. As soon as he left, Qi Qi grabbed Zhang Ying's clothes and asked

Said: "Mom, didn't you discuss it with grandma and the others first? Why did you say you don't know to grandpa?"

"What are you talking about? Who asked him to give us these ridiculous names, and I'm hiding it from him this time!"

"But, I think the name Qiqi sounds very nice..."

Since Du Wan sent someone to say it specifically, Zhang Yue naturally knew that this was an official outing, so he changed into a crow-green jacquard cross-collared shirt with a right-fold collar, and tied up a four-finger-wide belt embroidered with two-color gold and jade. It was a normal day.

He was formally dressed to go out to visit guests. When he arrived at the main room, he found that the huge place was filled with people. There were many children and grandchildren here, and he couldn't help but be surprised.

Seeing his shocked expression, Du Wan couldn't help but pursed his lips and smiled, leading everyone to greet him, and then said: "Ever since you came back from your official career, you have been bored at home. The children didn't say anything, but they were all thinking about it in their hearts.

The weather is nice now, so they had discussed it a few days ago, saying that they wanted to go out as a family one night. It happened that Xiaowu and his family came back to visit relatives after receiving the imperial decree, so they bumped into each other. Before Jingguan

We also rushed back, but not everyone was gathered together!"

Only then did Zhang Yue find out what was going on. When he saw a group of juniors looking at him with smiles, he felt his heart heat up. He shook his head and said: "What a big thing, you have to hide it from me. I'm just trying to figure it out at home."

Are you happy in your old age? Well, I’ll just follow you today and have a good time and have fun all night long!”

Since it had been prepared long ago, it was naturally ready at the door of the Taiping Marquis Mansion. There were a total of eight large sedans, three of which were carried by four people, and the rest were the cars used by the female family members, all of which filled the entire street.

Although Zhang Yue was already quite old, he couldn't help but shake his head when he saw the canopy filling the street. Seeing that he looked bad, Lian Sheng, who was now the general manager, knew that he would be wrong, so he quickly waved his hand and ordered someone to replace him. Finally,

, the ceremonial guards who were shouting in front and behind were all removed, and only three carriages with red wheels and green curtains were used, plus more than ten guards to accompany them.

The beautiful country in the south of the Yangtze River, Jinling is the elegant gold-producing country, and the Qinhuai River has always been known as the Ten-mile Pearl Curtain. It has golden powder towers, painted boat boats, the sound of oars and lights, countless people in clothes, and countless literary talents. Although today

There is still a ban on officials not being allowed to enter brothels and Chu palaces, but since the business in the south of the Yangtze River has become increasingly developed and Nanjing has lifted the curfew like Kaifeng in the Song Dynasty, the Qinhuai River has been brightly lit every night, attracting countless wealthy businessmen and businessmen.

Now it is just after sunset, and the Qinhuai River ten miles away is once again a scene of heavy drinking and music. The paintings on the river are already carrying bursts of singing in the wind, and you can vaguely see the singing and dancing singers and dancers. There is a green willow beside the river.

A two-story painting boat was moored at the pier. Rich businessmen and businessmen also came to inquire about the price, but they were soon sent back in dismay.

On the upper level of the boat, a man was leaning on the railing and looking into the distance. When he saw the group of people coming not far away, he turned around and said with a smile: "Father-in-law, Yuan Jie and the others have arrived!"

Most of the people who took a night tour of the Qinhuai River were literati and elegant men with prostitutes and concubines. Therefore, when he saw many gorgeous and graceful women getting out of the red wheel-covered carriage and getting on the painted boat, a young man in purple who was watching from the side couldn't help but sigh.

He said: "I am familiar with the singers and dancers on the Qinhuai River. Where did such a group of elegant and beautiful people come from?"

"Today, the old bachelor Du and Taiping Hou Wan, Master Weng and his son-in-law, are traveling to Qinhuai. Master Wan has been appointed to preside over next year's imperial examination. If you dare to talk nonsense, you won't have to think about the imperial examination in the future!"

Zhang Yue naturally ignored the comments from outsiders. As soon as he boarded the ship and saw his old father-in-law and brother-in-law, he first saw them one by one, and then smiled at Wan Shijie and said: "If people know that you, as a host, will try

The examiner actually went boating on the Qinhuai River, and he wasn't afraid that the Metropolitan Procuratorate would impeach you?"

Although he is now in a high position, Wan Shijie still behaves in the same casual manner as before: "If you want to impeach me, you, the Taiping Marquis, are the first to be impeached. What do you mean to me, a small minister of the Ministry of Rites? You will enjoy a happy life, which made me want to be demoted before."

I can't even find someone to intercede...Besides, the boat today belongs to our family, and we don't invite kabuki, so who dares to gossip?"

Du Zhen, who had white hair and white beard, naturally smiled when he saw the younger generation approaching him. When Du Wan and Xiao Wu saw his happy look, they couldn't help but think of the deceased Qiu, so they both stepped forward to express their joy.

After everyone made a fuss for a while, the boat started to set off slowly. At this time, it was getting late and the water surface was illuminated by lights. A large group of people were sitting on both sides of a large round table, and a maid served them.

With tea, wine and fruits, they sat around drinking and chatting, watching the lake. Taking advantage of this opportunity, Du Wan glanced at Zhang Ying, who immediately pulled Qi Qi to stand up.

"Tonight would be boring if there was wine but no music. Qiqi learned another song, so I asked her to play it for everyone!"

Zhang Yue raised his wine cup and looked out the window, thinking of his parents who were much older but traveling around the world together. Suddenly, when he heard this sentence, he immediately turned his head in shock and saw Qiqi sitting upright in front of him, his index finger lightly

I picked the first note. In a moment, the famous "Dragon Song of Autumn Water" made by Xuande Emperor Zhu Zhanji burst out with an incomparably beautiful tone.

Du Wan is good at chess, San San is good at calligraphy, Xiao Liu is good at painting, and Qi Qi has played the piano well at the age of eleven. At this moment, all I can see is her hooking and rubbing, and although her technique is still immature, it is

It was enough to make everyone present gasp in amazement. Halfway through the spring flowing on the stone, many of the boats passing by had their gauze and bamboo curtains rolled up, and some even stuck their heads out to look this way.

At the end of the song, Zhang Yue couldn't help but praise him. Just when he was about to praise his granddaughter, he saw Qiqi running over with difficulty holding the piano. He raised his head and said, "Grandpa, this is what I prepared specially for your birthday."

Yes, does it sound good?"

When he was an official in the past, outsiders would disturb him on his birthday, so Zhang Yue, who never tired of taking the trouble, gradually formed the habit of celebrating his birthday except for his birthday. This year, he put this matter behind him. When he heard this sentence

He suddenly realized what he was saying. Before he could answer, he saw that the table in front of him was filled with all kinds of gifts like magic.

What caught him even more off guard was that his old father-in-law, Du Zhen, smiled, stood up and opened a long red sandalwood box. Xiao Wu next to him hurriedly stepped forward to help unfold it, but all he saw was a colorful picture of a hundred birds celebrating birthdays.

The surrounding blank space was stamped with seals one after another, and it looked like there was not even a trace of space left.

"This is given to you by the students you taught at Jinling Academy."

At this time, Wan Shijie also unfolded another picture together, but it was a picture of thousands of sails sailing to the sea. On it, there were many names densely written in neat small letters. Zhang Yue couldn't help but see that the first name was Fang Rui.

He laughed. Needless to say, this was a congratulatory gift from those maritime merchants who made a lot of money.

What Du Wan gave was a hand-made hat, Jing Guan gave a newly made musket made by the imperial court, San San gave a new cotton curtain produced in Songjiang, and Xiao Liu gave a pair of thousand-layer cloth shoes sewn by himself...

...Although when he celebrated his fiftieth birthday in the capital, Emperor Zhu Qizhen and distinguished ministers gave him countless expensive gifts, they were not as ordinary as these ordinary things today.

With this touch, Zhang Yue naturally drank one cup after another for the first time amidst the crowd's urging to drink. When he was drunk, he felt that the boat suddenly stopped, and then he heard someone drinking loudly below.

There was a sound.

"By the orders of the old Marquis, his wife and the master of the family, I wish Taiping Marquis a birthday!"

As soon as he finished speaking, there was a sudden explosion outside. Everyone in the boat looked up and saw the jade platform in the night sky, which was astonishingly bright. There were eight immortals holding birthdays, bead curtains hanging upside down, beautiful girls coming from the east... countless

Fireworks bloomed in the night sky, but all they could see were the shadows of lights and the sound of explosions and splashing water, which attracted the admiration of many people.

Seeing Zhang Yue standing stunned against the railing, Du Wan stepped forward and said with a smile: "It seems that not only we have remembered your birthday, but also my parents and Uncle Yuan have also forgotten it!"

Zhang Yue looked at the people on the boat and saw that everyone's face was filled with happiness, and his heart felt extremely warm. So he nodded and gently grabbed his wife's hand, and together they looked up at the night sky that seemed like daylight.
Chapter completed!