APSIL -Chapter 131 Build Your Career Before Starting a Family

Although Zhang Shou found Lu Sanlang’s request both amusing and frustrating, when he thought about what Lu Sanlang feared and hated—the kind of blind marriage arranged entirely by parents and matchmakers—which had once been the biggest reason Zhang Shou himself wanted to keep his distance from Zhu Ying, he ultimately did not refuse.

Of course, he did not immediately agree either.

“This matter isn’t something I can guarantee. However, I can mention it to Yingying and ask her to help look around. Among the noble young ladies she knows, perhaps there will be someone interested in a genius who has turned over a new leaf like you. If there really is someone suitable, I’m sure your teacher would be happy to help arrange the match.”

“Of course, since you don’t care about family background or status, if there is someone you like, you can also tell me directly.”

Lu Sanlang nearly jumped for joy.

He certainly did not have this much influence in front of Ge Yong.

Now that Zhang Shou had said this, as long as his father did not secretly arrange a marriage without saying anything, what was there left for him to worry about?

Immediately, he kicked his chair aside, walked around to Zhang Shou’s side, and gave him a deep bow without hesitation.

“Little Teacher, Lu Zhu thanks you!”

As long as his lifelong marriage would not be ruined by his father randomly choosing a wife for him, he did not care even if people called him lu zhu countless times!

Zhang Shou grabbed him and pulled him back up.

“Why are you acting like this with me? Coincidentally, I also have something I want to discuss with you. So regarding the matter you asked me for help with, we can consider it even.”

Lu Sanlang was pushed back into his seat.

After being stunned for a moment, he suddenly understood.

“Is this about that reckless person who sent a sword to threaten you, Little Teacher?”

“Don’t worry. In the capital, I’m practically a local snake. I was already planning to get Zhang Chen and the others to help investigate. I guarantee we’ll dig out the truth and give you an explanation!”

“The sword matter isn’t important. Don’t waste your effort.”

Zhang Shou laughed lightly.

“Since I openly put a scabbard on the sword and carried it around, that itself was my attitude.”

“What I want to discuss with you is something else. I have several immature ideas and need some skilled craftsmen to help me improve the designs and see whether these things can actually be made.”

Although Lu Sanlang had just been loudly boasting about his abilities, if he truly claimed he had absolute confidence, that would be nonsense.

So Zhang Shou’s first statement surprised him, but also relieved him.

However, the second statement was completely different.

Thinking about how he had missed the density experiment at Ge Mansion and the huge commotion afterward, his excitement was far more than ordinary.

He immediately asked:

“What kind of interesting thing is it? Little Teacher, can you give me some hints?”

“Don’t worry. Even if I have to search heaven and earth, I’ll invite the most famous craftsmen in the capital for you!”

Zhang Shou could not help but laugh.

He did not even know how advanced technology in this era actually was. How could he reveal anything specific to Lu Sanlang?

He could only vaguely say:

“I grew up in the countryside. Many things are just ideas I randomly came up with. I don’t even know whether similar things already exist in this world.”

“So explaining it clearly right now would be difficult.”

“Help me find the people first. Once they arrive, you’ll naturally understand.”

Seeing Lu Sanlang hesitate for a moment before finally nodding, Zhang Shou added:

“This matter ends with you. Do not tell anyone else.”

“Understand this—even Yingying, my teacher, and Grand Madam, I haven’t mentioned a single word about it to any of them.”

“When you find the craftsmen, just come over and discuss it with me.”

Hearing this, Lu Sanlang, who had still been thinking randomly, immediately became excited.

So Zhang Shou regarded him as the most trustworthy person, someone who shared the same ambitions!

He immediately said: “Then it’s settled. I’ll carefully select the craftsmen.”

“As for what you said about our debts being even—how could that be counted?”

“What I’m helping you with is merely a small matter within my ability. I might even learn something myself.”

“But what you’re helping me with concerns my entire future marriage!”

“Besides, before this, you and Miss Zhu came to my house to save me, and you announced to Grandmaster Ge and everyone else that I had talent in mathematics, which even caused His Majesty to praise me.”

“Calculating everything, I owe you countless enormous favors already!”

Zhang Shou smiled.

Originally, he had wanted to ask Lu Sanlang for investment.

But after thinking about it, instead of making such a direct and practical request, it was better to first use Lu Sanlang to find the talents he needed.

If he truly needed money later, he could ask Lu Sanlang after the tuition fees he had collected were used up.

The truth was that Zhang Shou was not particularly skilled with his hands.

The electronic information knowledge and programming techniques he understood were completely useless in this era.

More importantly, he needed to meet craftsmen who could truly create things.

Because these people might understand industrial structures and technological development better than anyone else.

And this information was something neither the Zhao Kingdom Duke Manor nor Ge Yong could immediately provide.

Besides, both the Zhao Kingdom Duke Manor and Ge Yong attracted too much attention.

Lu Sanlang’s side was much more discreet.

Furthermore, although Lu Sanlang looked slippery and unreliable, he was actually a fairly simple and sincere little fatty.

He would probably make a good partner.

Thinking this, Zhang Shou smiled.

“Fine. Favors should be repaid with favors.”

“You help me finish this matter first. We’ll discuss the future afterward.”

After enjoying a satisfying hot pot meal, Lu Sanlang left.

Although he had not drunk any wine, his face was flushed as if he were slightly drunk, and even his steps seemed to float.

Standing at the doorway watching him leave, Zhang Shou was about to close the door when he suddenly heard rustling sounds above.

He looked up.

And saw A-Liu’s head poking out from the roof.

If Zhang Shou had not already been used to this boy appearing and disappearing like a ghost, he would have been startled.

“I invited you to eat hot pot, but you disappeared without saying anything. Now you suddenly appear and scare people.”

“Can’t you act normally for once?”

Zhang Shou really did not want to keep looking upward while speaking, so he stepped back several paces.

Then he suddenly realized something.

“Wait. Were you guarding this place because you were afraid someone would overhear my conversation with Lu Sanlang?”

“It wasn’t a secret anyway. Even if someone heard it, it wouldn’t matter.”

A-Liu flipped backward from the roof.

As his body was about to hit the ground, he slapped the surface with one hand.

His entire body instantly turned over, landing steadily.

After dusting off his hands, he walked in front of Zhang Shou and calmly said: “The assassin is in the outer office of the Directorate of Ceremonial.”

Zhang Shou knew the assassin A-Liu referred to was definitely the man who had shot him with an arrow in the bamboo forest and was later captured by Hua Qi.

After a moment of surprise, he asked: “How did you know?”

“I saw him myself.”

Seeing Zhang Shou look him up and down strangely, A-Liu remained completely calm.

“I told you before. I almost entered the Directorate of Ceremonial.”

If Zhang Shou had not grown up alongside A-Liu and personally watched the boy grow, with his Adam’s apple now clearly visible, he might have been fooled by those words again.

Thinking about how A-Liu had personally told him that he considered himself part of the Zhang family, Zhang Shou guessed that A-Liu probably still carried some kind of token that allowed him to enter the Directorate’s outer office freely.

After thinking for a moment, he decided not to ask further.

Instead, he casually asked: “What happened to that person?”

“He’s fine.”

A-Liu answered simply.

Then he added: “He said he was ordered to scare you.”

“Heh.”

Zhang Shou gave a cold laugh.

Perhaps the arrow had not been intended to kill him.

Perhaps he had misunderstood and rushed to save Zhu Ying, allowing himself to dodge in time.

Perhaps A-Liu had also intercepted it.

Looking back, the danger only seemed frightening afterward.

But being treated like this by someone was still infuriating.

Especially after hearing that the attacker was currently living comfortably.

His anger only increased.

Suddenly, Zhang Shou asked: “That assassin was a eunuch?”

“He was a personal imperial attendant.”

“Now he has been demoted to a servant.”

“He shot you once. I beat him once. He’ll have to lie down for several months.”

Hearing A-Liu explain everything in such detail, Zhang Shou stared at the reckless youth for a long while.

Then he smiled and gave him a thumbs-up.

No matter what, running to the Directorate of Ceremonial just to beat someone up for him was already an extremely bold action.

Seeing A-Liu glance toward the messy table inside, Zhang Shou smiled.

“Have you not eaten lunch yet?”

“Pour out the soup base, wash the pot, add fresh water, and make the hot pot again.”

“There should still be enough lamb and vegetables left for you.”

“Lu Sanlang looks fat, but his appetite is even smaller than mine. I thought he was the type who just stuffed himself endlessly…”

Then Zhang Shou casually asked: “Who ordered that assassin?”

This sudden change of topic could easily trick many careless people into answering.

But after Zhang Shou asked his final question, A-Liu simply looked at him with clear eyes.

Realizing his little trick had been exposed, Zhang Shou sighed.

Yet unexpectedly, A-Liu still answered.

“He first said it was the Second Prince.”

“Then he said it was Princess Yongping.”

“But I think he was lying.”

“I was very close to him at the time. I had just pushed him to the edge of death, and his heartbeat was wrong.”

That strange reasoning surprised Zhang Shou.

But precisely because of how unusual it was, he almost immediately accepted A-Liu’s judgment.

He patted the boy’s shoulder.

As A-Liu went to prepare the hot pot again, Zhang Shou laughed quietly.

Thinking to himself:

It seemed this former countryside scholar really was good at attracting enemies.

However, while A-Liu was adding charcoal and water again, sitting there seemingly spacing out while waiting for the water to boil, he suddenly asked: “Young Master, when do you plan to marry Miss Zhu?”

Zhang Shou, who had been analyzing enemies and allies, was completely caught off guard by the blunt question.

After a long silence, he finally managed to say: “First establish a career, then start a family.”

“Establish a career means making money, right?”

A-Liu asked.

But Zhang Shou did not answer.

“In the desert, people get rich through plunder.”

“In the common world, people get rich through swallowing others.”

“In the court, people get rich through confiscating families.”

A-Liu seriously stated this bloody philosophy.

Then he calmly added: “When that madman taught me this, he led a group of bandits to kill another group of bandits.”

“After that, he poisoned and killed all the bandits who followed him.”

“Then all the gold and silver treasures accumulated by both groups belonged to him.”

“What you’re describing…”

“Ultimately, is just taking from others.”

Zhang Shou laughed.

“Taking other people’s wealth may indeed seem like the fastest way to become rich.”

“But that is only wealth transferring hands.”

“It does not truly create more wealth.”

“Real wealth comes from production and creation.”

The phrase ‘cleverly seizing wealth through force’ might indeed be the truth behind how some people became rich.

But it was not his path.

Just as he finished speaking—

A-Liu suddenly looked at him expressionlessly and said: “Someone seems to be outside.”

Zhang Shou was startled.

He quickly walked to the door and pulled it open.

Standing outside were Shuntian Prefecture Prefect Wang Datou and Deng Xiaodai.

The former’s expression was exactly the same as A-Liu’s.

The latter awkwardly coughed.

“Little Teacher…”

“We arrived when you said…”

“First establish a career, then start a family.”

The next moment, Zhang Shou immediately turned and glared at A-Liu.

Good kid.

So all those questions you asked me just now…

Were you doing it on purpose?