Entering the twelfth lunar month, the new year is approaching, and the final exam is approaching.
This final exam has an unusual significance. If you fail the exam, you will probably be asked to leave the palace and will no longer be able to stay in the palace as a companion.
For Zhu Hao...
It doesn't make much difference whether you stay or not.
Staying in the palace seems to have more opportunities to get closer to Zhu Houzhao, but after he comes to this world, there may be a butterfly effect. Whether Zhu Houzhao will die young like in history is a question... Even if everything goes as usual, it will be more difficult for him to leave the palace.
Wouldn't it be nice to get a little space of your own?
In the past few months of living in the royal palace, he felt a kind of aggrievedness of being imprisoned. Although he was just a child and could read thousands of books but could not travel thousands of miles, he still harbored the dream of changing the world and needed more freedom.
In the blink of an eye, it’s the fifteenth day of the twelfth lunar month.
There is no such thing as winter vacation in the palace. As long as it is not a holiday, the children have to study all the time.
When I got home, I learned that Su Xigui had left Anlu. After all, the salt pond outside the city had frozen after the twelfth lunar month. Fortunately, before Su Xigui left, he successfully dried a batch of salt to verify that the salt drying method was indeed feasible. Then Su Xigui sold all the fields he purchased later.
He handed it to Zhu Niang and hurried back to the provincial capital.
"Xiao Hao, Mr. Su didn't buy all the land before he left. He bought almost 4,000 taels of land, and there was still 1,000 taels of silver left. He gave it back. Now I don't know what to do with this money.
"
Zhu Niang is now a moderate landowner.
There are eight to nine hundred acres of land outside the city, and he has a huge capital of seven thousand taels, which can be said to be sufficient cash flow.
If this money is used to buy a theater troupe... it is estimated that all the theater troupes in Huguang ground can be wiped out, and then Zhu Hao will become the entertainment tycoon of this era...
Such thoughts...
It was just a thought, but Zhu Hao would not put it into practice.
You can make a little money by singing in an opera troupe, but if you want to make a career, it's hard to reach the sky. Isn't the purpose of opening a bookstore and a theater stage just to attract Zhu Houcong's attention?
The money earned from storytelling and singing is nothing compared to the money earned from drying salt.
"Mom, how about we do some other business." Zhu Hao suggested.
Zhu Niang nodded: "I have discussed with your aunt recently to see what kind of business is good...but apart from selling grains and salt, we have no experience in doing other businesses, so we really don't know what to do."
Zhu Hao said: "Mom, if we just open a shop to make a living, we can't be considered big businessmen. Otherwise, if we become licensed merchants like Mr. Su, how can we make money by doing business?"
"ah?"
Zhu Niang was really surprised.
My son is still ambitious. Is he not planning to do a small business but preparing to do something big?
Aunt Li pursed her lips and smiled: "Even if we have money, we can't afford to mess around, so it's better to keep our feet on the ground..."
Zhu Niang looked at her son and then at Aunt Li, not knowing who to listen to.
Zhu Hao smiled and scratched his head: "What my aunt said... is right. If we expand the business, it's hard to say who will belong to it in the end... Let's think about everything in the long term."
Zhu Niang was a little surprised when she heard this. Her son actually chose to compromise this time?
Transitioned?
"Mom, there will be an exam in the palace before the end of the year. My idea is that if it doesn't work... I will choose to fail the exam and come out of the palace. Do you agree with my decision?"
Zhu Hao confessed his thoughts and asked Zhu Niang for her opinion.
Zhu Niang did not hesitate at all, nodded and said: "The palace is too dangerous, even if you leave, I will still be able to support you in your studies."
"Yeah." Zhu Hao nodded.
It was rare for Zhu Niang to support him, but he knew that the Zhu family would definitely not agree. If he was kicked out by the palace for poor grades, the Zhu family might hold him hostage and threaten Zhu Niang to hand over the shop, farm and house, and return to the Zhu family.
Live a life of darkness.
"Mom, why don't we change places..." Zhu Hao suggested again.
Zhu Niang shook her head: "No, we can't leave."
Zhu Hao said: "Then let's talk to Dongzhu Su... His brother-in-law once served as a vassal in Jiangxi and has many connections. Why don't we go to Jiangxi and wait until I grow up in two years before returning to Anlu.
"
Zhu Niang did not express her position this time.
Although Anlu is not her hometown, as the saying goes, if you marry a chicken, follow the chicken, marry a dog, follow the dog, she is already a wife of the Zhu family. She has never planned to move. What's more, there is so much land outside the city. She has just bought it and is about to resell it?
dilemma!
But for Zhu Hao, Anlu is his registered residence. Although he will eventually come back to take the imperial examination, he does not have to stay here. After buying the land, he will not grow it himself. He can just collect the rent from the tenants. If he goes to other places
Wouldn't it be fun to study without the threat of the Zhu family?
…
…
When they returned home this time, the Zhu family surprisingly did not send anyone to ask questions, nor did they ask Zhu Hao to go back. It seemed that the Zhu family had forgotten about communicating with him.
Zhu Hao returned to the palace on the afternoon of the 15th day of the twelfth lunar month.
Jinghong didn't come back. After a while, Lu Bing ran into the yard and took a look.
Zhu Hao wanted to call him, but the little guy turned around and went to the inner courtyard. Soon Zhu San and Zhu Si appeared with Lu Bing.
"You came back on time today. Let's go out to the palace to go to the theater."
Zhu San had "unfair thoughts" when he arrived.
Zhu Hao said: "Did your father agree or did Yuan Changshi approve it?"
Zhu San curled his lips: "It's as if we never left the palace in the past... We forgot that we went out of the city to play in the mountains together. You don't even have the courage to do so, do you?"
Zhu Hao sighed: "Today is different from the past. Now there are people outside who want to do harm to you. Everyone in the palace is worried about your safety. You must have someone to protect you when leaving the palace... Or you can try those secret passages before, but they still don't work...
…”
"you……"
Zhu San was about to argue with Zhu Hao when Zhu Si pulled his sister's sleeve: "Third brother, he is right. I went to see it today and several dog holes are blocked."
"Are you talking too much?"
Zhu San turned to glare at his younger brother.
Zhu Sizhen was real and told everything about the two of them sneaking into a dog hole and running out of the palace to play.
However, Zhu Hao speculated that the reason why Zhu San and Zhu Si had the opportunity to escape at that time was mainly because the security level of the palace was not high. In addition, he did not expect that Zhu San and Zhu Si could find a way to sneak out, so they were a little careless.
But after Zhu Hao entered the palace, a fire broke out in the palace, Zhang Zhong was poisoned and a series of other incidents, it was no longer possible for the palace to allow the two children to come and go at will.
Just like at this moment, at the entrance of the courtyard, there were guards peeking in intentionally or unintentionally, and they did not dare to be careless for a moment.
"It's been snowing for the past two days and the weather is not very good. Why don't you wait a few days and I'll ask someone from the troupe to come into the palace and sing for you... Just don't go out." Zhu Hao said.
Zhu Si asked happily: "Can you find someone?"
Zhu Hao said: "I can try to ask, this kind of thing... it's actually better for you to talk about it!"
Zhu Si nodded.
To ask the palace to bring people in from outside, it would be more appropriate for the siblings to go and make the request.
The four of them were going to go out to play in the yard for a while, but it started to snow again, and it was getting heavier and heavier. Zhu San and Zhu Si were both a little disappointed, and were about to go into the house with Zhu Hao to see if there were any ready-made plays to watch.
Lu Song entered the courtyard and said respectfully: "Two princes, the weather is bad. It's time for you to return to the inner courtyard. Later, Yuan Changshi will have to test your knowledge."
Zhu San complained: "Isn't today a holiday? Why do we still have to take the exam? Mr. Yuan is the most annoying. Every time the questions are very tricky, he is very knowledgeable, but he can't expect our knowledge to also improve with each passing day, right?"
Zhu Si asked curiously: "Third brother, are you using this idiom incorrectly?"
Zhu San glared: "Have you learned how to correct others, little brat? Let's understand what we have learned first...Zhu Hao, why don't you go to the exam with us? With you by my side, if there is something we don't know how to do,
You can remind me secretly."
Zhu Hao shook his head gently: "No."
Lu Song urged: "Yuan Changshi asked me to take the two princes back. Please leave as soon as possible. The brazier has been lit over there. If the wind blows later, it will be bad for the two princes to catch cold."
Zhu Si turned around and said: "Zhu Hao, let's play again tomorrow. Remember to talk about that matter..."
…
…
Zhu San and Zhu Si left.
Lu Song originally took them there, but what Zhu Si said before leaving made him feel there was a problem, so he temporarily decided to let his subordinates accompany Zhu San and Zhu Si back to the inner courtyard, while he stayed behind.
"Your son is still outside, aren't you afraid of him being cold?"
Zhu Hao looked outside the house and asked curiously.
Lu Song looked very proud: "He has a strong body and is not so easy to get sick."
Zhu Hao smiled.
Lu Song didn't mince words and asked directly: "What did you just say to the Crown Prince? Why did he say... let you talk about that thing... which thing?"
Zhu Hao had nothing to avoid: "Your Majesty wants to hear a little song from "The Legend of White Snake". I said that I would like to ask the actress who sang White Snake back then to come to the palace to sing for him alone. Let me ask the palace for a request."
"Are you qualified to request?"
Lu Song's tone was harsh, but he hit the nail on the head.
Zhu Hao smiled and said: "So I asked him to mention it to the prince, the princess or Yuan Changshi. In fact, it should be nothing to find the actress to sing alone, right? Hasn't the palace investigated her background? If the palace's guard against outsiders is so strong,
To imprison the prince is to stop eating because of choking, which is really not advisable."
Lu Song thought for a while and did not refute Zhu Hao's statement.
Then the two sat down.
Lu Song was not in a hurry to leave and just let his son play in the yard alone.
From the open window, Zhu Hao saw Lu Bing raising his head like a little fool, opening his arms to welcome the falling snowflakes, looking intoxicated.
Zhu Hao rubbed his hands: "This place is really cold. My hands and feet have been freezing recently at night... Didn't you say you would change our place to live? Why has there been no movement recently?"
Lu Song said: "This place is no better than the frozen Northland, which is thousands of miles away. It's still too cold here... I really should let you go to the north and give it a try... The accommodation prepared for you in the palace is not much better than here."
Zhu Hao smiled and asked, "Did Lu Dianzhan live in the north when he was young?"
Lu Song turned his head and glared at Zhu Hao without answering, but there was no need for him to admit or deny it, because it was the truth.
"Lu Dianzhan, I may have to leave the palace later."
Zhu Hao spoke earnestly, "I have lived in the palace for half a year, and you have the same purpose. We are neither friends nor enemies. I hope we will have the opportunity to meet again in the future."
Lu Song frowned and stared at Zhu Hao: "You want to leave?"
Zhu Hao continued to look at Lu Bing, who was facing the sky and eating snowflakes with his mouth open. He was a little fascinated. The carefree life was so good! But he said: "I have thought about staying in the palace.
Although it’s not offensive, it’s also not lovable. It’s like being a thief for one day and being treated as a thief for the rest of your life. Why should I stay here and ask for trouble?”
"I want to study abroad and come back in a few years... I don't want to be bound by the Zhu family, so Lu Dianzhan, I will leave it to you to investigate the movements of the Jin Yiwei, protect the palace, and protect the crown prince."