Shi Shouxin was carrying two large baskets of gifts, the baskets were wrapped and decorated with red silk, and stood at the corner of the street in front of Dingyuan Hou Mansion, looking hesitant.

His promotion was also due to Zhu Xiu's relationship, so Shi Shouxin thought of buying some gifts and visiting to express his gratitude.

He didn't know what Zhu Xiu liked, so he went to Jingdezhen for a whole day and bought some jade treasures and pastries from Guanghe Shop.

After this trip, not only did he spend more than half a year's salary, but he also owed a lot of foreign debt, which made his body hurt terribly.

Standing at the corner of the street, I looked at the magnificent Hou Mansion from a distance. At the door of the house, there were servants scrubbing pillars and plaques, hanging red lanterns, posting happy words, and servants and carriages coming and going. It looked lively and festive.

Shi Shouxin hesitated for a long time, then gritted his teeth and strode over with two large baskets in hand.

"Please report to Lord Zhu that Shi Shouxin, the Marquis of Yu, the capital of the Forbidden Army in front of the palace and the inner palace, is here to pay a special visit!"

The concierge came out to greet him, looked him over, and glanced at the two large baskets of gifts. He could tell at a glance that the jades in the baskets were all ordinary goods. Needless to say, the beautifully packaged cakes were also from Guanghe Shop.

The concierge has received many guests, and has developed a sharp eye. From the guest's conversation, temperament and gifts, he can judge the person's status and relationship with his own prince.

The big man in front of him, with his majestic weapons and ape-like arms and waist, made him look like a military commander with extraordinary martial arts skills.

The jade he sent was of average quality, either because he was short of money or because he didn't know the goods at all.

The doorman judged that Shi Shouxin had both, and he seemed to be a soldier with a simple personality.

The pastry gift box he gave to Guanghe Shop showed that he did not know that Guanghe Commercial Center was also the property of Mr. Hou, which meant that he had a normal relationship with Mr. Hou and was not very familiar with him.

Judging from his appearance, the doorman had never seen him before. It was probably his first time visiting the Marquis Mansion.

Both were born in the military, and Shi Shouxin had a familiar rough and simple aura about him, which made the housekeeper have a good impression of him.

"Haha, wait a moment, Marquis Shi Yu. I will go and report to the Marquis right now!" The concierge bowed politely and invited him to sit in the living room of the gate tower.

Shi Shouxin thanked him hurriedly and followed him into the gate of the Hou Mansion.

The house was very busy, with many servants busy moving things and cleaning. Shi Shouxin stood in front of the living room in the gatehouse and looked around, the more he looked, the more frightened he became.

With his eyesight, he could naturally see that these servants wearing brown coats were actually retired soldiers from the army.

Many of them were missing arms and legs, and were blind in one eye and one ear. They were quite efficient at work, not inferior to normal people at all.

Although these old soldiers have been away from the army for some years, their fierceness still remains.

What surprised Shi Shouxin even more was that from the moment he stepped into the gate of the Hou Mansion, several vague eyes fell on him.

Shi Shouxin stared around slightly, but could not find the source of these glances.

He guessed that this was the Hou Mansion's secret sentry watching him in the dark. If he did anything strange, it would alert the Hou Mansion.

Shi Shouxin was surprised that a prince's mansion was so heavily guarded. He silently returned to the living room, sat down and waited with peace of mind.

After a while, there was a noise outside the house, and a voice with surprise clearly reached Shi Shouxin's ears: "Where is Shi Yuhou?"

"Report to the Marquis and wait in the living room."

"Bastard! Why don't you invite Shi Yu to sit down in the front hall?"

"...Shi Yuhou is here for the first time, I don't know this..." The doorman's voice was filled with grievances.

"Hmph! Remember from now on, Marquis Shi Yu is a distinguished guest of the Marquis's residence. Next time, please go directly to the front hall and serve tea. Don't neglect him!"

"The villain remembers..."

Shi Shouxin hurriedly walked out of the living room and saw a young man with disheveled clothes and untied shoes rushing over. It was Zhu Xiu!

"Shi has met Mr. Zhu Hou..." Shi Shouxin bowed and clasped his fists.

Before he finished speaking, Zhu Xiu rushed forward, held his hand and shook it: "I didn't know that when Shi Yu came to visit, he was not welcomed at a distance! The people below are ignorant and neglected Shi Yu. Please forgive me!"

Shi Shouxin was stunned. The Lord Zhu in front of him was wearing a bright red wedding dress without a belt. The robe was spread out, revealing the white undershirt underneath. His bun was loose and askew, and even the shoes on his feet were hanging down.

The smile was very bright and affectionate, which made Shi Shouxin a little confused. He had very little contact with Mr. Zhu, and had never exchanged ten words in total. The relationship was definitely not so close.

Zhu Xiu said with a smile: "Don't be offended by Marquis Shi Yu. I was just trying on the wedding dress. I heard Marquis Shi Yu was visiting, so I was so happy that I rushed over to greet you. I apologize for my rudeness, Marquis Shi Yu!"

Shi Shouxin was flattered and said hurriedly: "Shi paid a presumptuous visit and disturbed Mr. Zhu's wedding preparations."

"Hey, it doesn't matter! I've been tormented by them for several days, and you came just in time, so I can take a breather. Please come in, Shi Yuhou, and let's talk in the hall!"

Zhu Xiu pulled Shi Shouxin into the house.

Along the way, Shi Shouxin's hand was tightly held by Zhu Xiu, and he struggled to break away slightly. However, he could not break free, so he could only endure the embarrassment and pretend to be calm.

Shi Shou had a strange feeling in his heart. When Lord Zhu heard that he was coming, he didn't even bother to take care of his clothes. He ran to greet him in person, holding his hand and making out warmly without any airs.

Shi Shouxin was a little moved. They all said that Mr. Zhu was a literary star who came down to earth. He was talented, and he was appreciated and trusted by officials. Mr. Chai Junhou was a man as bright as a pearl.

He is just a soldier in the imperial army with no family background. He has only been in the army for a few years and has only managed to get a position as a captain.

I thought that the most noble person in my life was Zhao Kuangyin, but I never thought that this Zhu Houye, who I had met a few times and was not too familiar with, would quietly help him a big favor and prevent the imperial army from turmoil in front of the palace.

On this occasion, he was promoted to the title of Marquis of Yu, the capital of the inner palace.

It's very interesting to say that since they met several times before, Lord Zhu has always been interested in him since he knew that his name was Shi Shouxin.

Sometimes when he was on duty in the inner palace, Lord Zhu would come to him specially to chat.

Shi Shouxin never thought that there was anything special about himself.

In terms of martial arts, not to mention the entire imperial army, even in Yishe, he is not the one with the strongest martial arts.

In terms of qualifications, he is young and has no military exploits. In the past, he could only be regarded as the younger brother in the charity society. Others called him "Shilang Shilang", which sounded friendly, but in fact he was not treated as a younger brother.

This time, the younger brother was suddenly promoted and sat in front of all the elder brothers, which made the elder brothers of the charity society dissatisfied with him. They spoke sarcastically and sarcastically. One moment, they said that he had changed his mind to Li Chongjin, and the other moment, they said that he was playing tricks.

He used tricks to steal Zhao Kuangyin's position.

Shi Shouxin felt aggrieved.

It was not like he wanted the position of Marquis of the Imperial Palace in the Inner Palace, it was something that fell on his head inexplicably.

Li Chongjin, under inspection at the Imperial Palace, threw an order stamped with the seals of the Privy Council and the Ministry of War in his face. What else could he do if he didn't accept it?

While feeling aggrieved, Shi Shouxin was also a little unhappy.

Since we are all brothers in the charity community, and we have agreed to share blessings and hardships together, why at the critical moment, only you, the eldest brother, are allowed to get promoted and make a fortune, but my little brother is not allowed to also have a good fortune?

The little brother Gao Sheng just frowned and looked coldly, and spoke sarcastically and mockingly?

Do you really plan to treat me as your little brother for the rest of your life?

Shi Shouxin saw clearly the faces of the so-called Yishe brothers and was greatly disappointed.

In the past, he felt honored that he could be valued by Zhao Kuangyin and join the charity society.

But now...hehe~

Zhao Kuangyin was kind to him, and Shi Shouxian always felt grateful and respectful.

I will no longer blindly follow Zhao Kuangyin's advice like before.

The members of the volunteer society were mixed, both good and bad. From the moment Shi Shouxin made up his mind to visit Zhu Xiu and express his gratitude in person, he decided from now on to draw a clear line between himself and the group of people he had previously called brothers.

As the guests and hosts sat down, Shi Shouxin was the first to express his intention: "I am taking the liberty of visiting here to express my gratitude to Mr. Zhu Hou for his recommendation!"

Zhu Xiu smiled and said: "Shi Yuhou is serious. You have been following the official family for many years and you are a soldier. Logically speaking, you should have been reused by the imperial court.

Li Du inspected and recognized talents with a keen eye and entrusted Shi Yuhou with important responsibilities, which also shows that the imperial court has not forgotten the achievements of you, the old soldiers in charge.

If you want to thank me, I'd better go to Li Du for inspection. I'm an idle county prince, and now I'm just a farming magistrate from the ninth rank. How can I influence the appointment of the generals of the imperial army in front of the palace?"

Shi Shouxin said sincerely: "Shi has already thanked the governor in person! Shi knows that he is young and has little qualifications. Without the care of Lord Zhu in his letter, it is absolutely impossible for Shi to become the Imperial Marquis of the Inner Palace!"

Zhu Xiu smiled and said with a smile: "A letter cannot be decisive. Besides, you helped me a lot by capturing Wang Jun's eagle and dog in Xinlingfang that day! I have always been clear about grudges, and you are

A benefactor is also a friend, so I should always say a few good words for you."

Shi Shouxin smiled bitterly, he was not the only one who captured Wang Jun's forbidden soldiers in Xinlingfang that day.

Dozens of soldiers led by Li Chongjin took action. Why was Shi Shouxin the only one who suddenly rose in rank?

Did Li Chongjin like him especially?

Or does he have a father who is a prime minister?

Shi Shou was confident that because he was close to Zhao Kuangyin, Li Chongjin actually didn't like him very much.

If it were not for Zhu Xiuna's letter of recommendation and the massive rectification of the imperial army in front of the palace, his fate might be even worse than that of Han Chongyun.

Shi Shouxin stood up and knelt down on one knee, clasped his fists and said in a deep voice: "Shi is not a ungrateful person. My kindness to Lord Zhu for promoting me is engraved in my heart and I will never forget it! If I have to do anything in the future, I am willing to serve Lord Marquis!"

Zhu Xiu was overjoyed and hurriedly helped him up, scolding him: "What is Shi Yuhou doing? The courtesy is too heavy, I can't bear it!"

Seeing Shi Shouxin's sincere and solemn expression, Zhu Xiu felt happy.

Shi Shouxin is not a pedantic person. He has a delicate heart under his simple and honest appearance. This is a disguised expression of his willingness to surrender.

Of course, this does not mean that Shi Shouxin will completely surrender and be loyal to him. It is just a good start for reciprocating love. How far this loyalty can reach in the future depends on Zhu Xiu's skill.

Nowadays, Shi Shouxin is being ostracized and isolated by the big brothers in the Yishe. Even Zhao Kuangyin doesn't say it, but in his heart he has some complaints about him replacing him as the chief minister of the inner palace.

Shi Shouxin was not stupid, he could feel the subtle differences in Zhao Kuangyin's attitude towards him.

Although he is still affectionately called "Shilang Shilang", in fact, the brotherhood has changed.

Shi Shouxin did not rely on the imperial guards in front of the palace. Li Chongjin was inspected by the imperial court and promoted him. However, Shi Shouxin knew that Li Chongjin was unreliable and it was not a wise choice to seek refuge with him.
To be continued...