When Zhu Jia returned home, he entered the main hall and slapped his palm on the table.
He was obviously moved and really angry.
Zhu Wanjian took the opportunity to instigate: "That woman, I don't know who was bewitched by it, actually went against the family again and again. My mother has made it so clear, but she is still stubborn. And those guys who are doing business with her must be found out.
Who returned the money in time, making it difficult for him to gain a foothold in Anlu!"
Zhu Jiashi looked at him angrily: "If you hadn't succeeded more than failed, why would you have done this?"
"Mom? How can you blame me for this? You set the rules. How could I have imagined that she could come up with more than forty taels of silver in such a short period of time? Mom, why don't you go and find out if there is... a concubine behind her?
?Secret aid?”
Zhu Wanjian's eyes were moving wildly, thinking of conspiracies again.
Zhu Jiashi sneered: "What if it's not there, so what if it is? If it is, do you still want to go out and publicize it everywhere to disgrace the Zhu family?"
Zhu Wanjian was frustrated and didn't know how to reply.
Zhu Jiashi said: "Don't they want to show their face? Then let them continue to run the rice shop. It's hard to start with the big ones, so just try to find a way from the small ones... As long as you work hard, are you afraid that you won't find a flaw?"
"Mom? Are you talking about looking for a breakthrough from Xiao Haozi?"
Zhu Wanjian looked confused.
Zhu Jiashi was too lazy to explain to him.
She originally had high expectations for her second son, but after this incident, she was completely disappointed in Zhu Wanjian.
…
…
Zhu Niang’s rice shop ushered in a brief period of peace.
For several days, although there was little business in the shop, fortunately no one came to make trouble, and no one asked them to hand over the shop.
On this day, Zhu Hao and Uncle Zhong went out of the city to look for a new salt nest, and then gave instructions to the contracted farmers on the construction of salt flat fields. When they came back after a long day of work, they saw Zhu Niang and Aunt Li sitting together and discussing something, with expressions that were expressionless.
Is it sadness or joy.
"Mom, is something wrong?"
Zhu Hao felt something was wrong.
Zhu Niang said: "Butler Liu came to us earlier to pass on your grandmother's words."
Zhu Hao suddenly understood and sighed: "The old lady is too controlling. She has to control everything in the family. It seems that the sky will collapse without her... There won't be any more obstacles waiting for us, right?
"
Aunt Li hurriedly said: "Master Hao, you can't comment on the old lady like this. If she knows..."
"Hey, if my aunt doesn't tell me, will my mother tell me?" Zhu Hao said with a smile.
His evaluation of Zhu Jiashi was completely heartfelt.
That old lady...
It's really not that strong.
Zhu Niang's face was calm: "This time your grandmother sent someone to send a message, to the effect that you should go back to the Zhu family. The master there will teach you knowledge, and you can study for enlightenment... This is a good thing!"
Zhu Hao was startled.
Would the old lady be so kind as to let him study?
"Mom, it's not obvious that you think you can't deal with us for the time being, so you want to trick me into going back and acting as a hostage, so that I can force you to submit?"
Zhu Hao's words startled Zhu Niang, and she immediately said in a reproachful tone: "Xiao Hao, you are getting more and more outrageous. How can you say such things? You are from the Zhu family, and you are returning to Zhuangzi outside the city.
Studying... is understandable! You are eight years old and you are still not enlightened. Mom is sorry for you. In the past few years, I have always said that I would hire a husband for you, but we cannot afford to hire a husband casually..."
Zhu Hao saw Zhu Niang's ardent expectations for him, so he did not refute, but asked: "Mom, did Butler Liu tell you what the punishment will be if you don't agree?"
Zhu Niang thought for a while and suddenly felt sad, "Guard Liu said, our Zhu family is a family of martial arts. Your father was a member of the Imperial Guards of the Ming Dynasty and died for the country. If you don't want to study, you can practice martial arts. There are dedicated people.
Teaching martial arts and strengthening your body are all a matter of course. When you grow up, you may be able to inherit your father's military position."
These words "scared" Zhu Hao.
It's not that he is unmotivated, or that he doesn't want to exercise.
But if he is captured by the Zhu family and asked to practice in the winter and in the summer, the feeling will be so "refreshing"!
With my seven-year-old body, I endured hardship every day until I reached adulthood. Not to mention the hardships involved, if I couldn't keep up with my nutrition, I would become a sick man.
There is a saying that the poor in literature and the rich in martial arts, the investment in martial arts training is unimaginable to ordinary people. With the current tense relationship between mother and son and the family, the old lady would be kind enough to invest huge sums of money in her own martial arts training?
Zhu Hao said: "Mom, do you want me to study or practice martial arts?"
Zhu Niang glanced at Aunt Li, who lowered her head and obviously didn't want to express her opinion.
"Mom hopes that you will study and take the imperial examination. Although military households in the Ming Dynasty are hereditary, they can still make a difference in the imperial examination. However, it is not easy to reach the top in one step. Ten years of hard work may be light, but if you practice martial arts... as an adult...
Inheriting your father's position as Jinyiwei Baihu is also a way out."
"Your grandmother used the allusion of Mencius' mother moving three times in her words, saying that if you stay in public and do business with us for a long time, sooner or later you will become a trafficker. This is not in line with your late father's expectations."
Zhu Niang had high expectations for her son, but she also knew that the road to the imperial examination was not easy, and thousands of troops would cross the single-plank bridge.
But if it comes to martial arts training, the Zhu family is a Jinyiwei family, and Zhu Hao has the blessing of his deceased father's martyr halo, so he may be able to make a difference in his official career.
Zhu Hao said: "Whether it's studying or practicing martial arts, as long as I enter the Zhu family, I won't be able to leave. My mother will only have to swallow her anger and hand over the farm and house."
Zhu Niang was silent.
In fact, it's not that she hasn't considered this issue.
She had just had a conflict with her husband's family. Would Zhu Jia be so kind as to let her son go home to study?
There must be a conspiracy!
It's just that she is too honest and prefers to think the best of people. Now that her son has said it, she knows after a little thought that it will be difficult for her son to see him again after he returns to Zhu's house.
"Mom, I want to study, but if I don't go back to Zhu's house to study, we will make money soon. Then we can send me to an ordinary school and I will study with others."
Zhu Hao told him his plan.
Aunt Li suddenly interjected: "But... what if we don't agree and the Zhu family comes to ask for someone by force? Master Hao is the young master of the Zhu family after all."
As for the land and house, Zhu Niang can say that this is the inheritance left by her husband and try her best to preserve it.
But now the Zhu family has the right to ask their direct grandson to go back to study or practice martial arts, whether it is to take the civil or martial arts examination, and she has no right to refuse.
"Mom, aunt, don't worry, I don't think they will come to force anyone before the end of the month." Zhu Hao analyzed.
Zhu Niang was puzzled: "How do you know?"
Zhu Hao smiled and said: "Mom, think about it, they have left us with no business now, and they must see how we respond. If we don't have the money to pay the contribution at the end of the month, we can only hand over the farm and house and go back to the Zhu family. They
Are you still dragging me to study or practice martial arts as a hostage?"
"Only if my mother has a steady stream of money to hand over, the Zhu family will take advantage of me to blackmail my mother."
Zhu Niang couldn't help but be speechless after hearing this.
If you don't think about it carefully, you really can't figure out so many details.
"Xiao Hao, you...how did you come up with this idea?" Zhu Niang asked in surprise.
The son's brain circuit is simply amazing. With Zhu Niang's many years of experience in dealing with people, she has never thought so much.
Zhu Hao grinned, revealing two rows of white teeth: "Mom, didn't I tell you before? The children of the poor have long been in charge. Now that my father is gone, I will be the man of this yard from now on. I will stand upright and I can protect you!"
Although Zhu Niang felt that her son was growing up too fast, she couldn't explain what was happening now. She couldn't help but shake her head, pulled her son over, patted his back gently, and wanted to comfort him, but found that she had nothing to say.
.
As a mother, she naturally wants to protect her son, but she feels that her power is too weak.
…
…
Just as Zhu Hao thought.
If the Zhu family was really kind-hearted to help Zhu Hao become a useful person, they would not just send the butler to inform him and give him a vaccination first, but would directly pick him up.
The reason why she didn't ask for someone directly was because the old lady felt that Mother Zhu would most likely not be able to come up with forty taels of silver and give it to her family at the end of the month.
In that case, let's just postpone it for another month and see how the Mipu business progresses.
The shop was causing trouble because of Zhu Jia's visit. Not many customers dared to risk offending Jin Yiwei by coming in to buy things. Even old customers who had been with him for many years stopped entering.
They say they support it, but when it comes to official retaliation, why would they cause such trouble for no reason?
As for the cooperation agreements previously signed with inns and restaurants in the city, all have been cancelled. The reason given is very simple... You have offended the government, and you have offended our family. We don't want to cause trouble, so please don't come to our door to sell again in the future.
Even if your salt is good, the taste of the dishes we make will only be limited. There is no need to provoke double pressure from the government and the Zhu family for you.
Only Zhu Niang and her son knew that their business was going smoothly.
after a few days.
Zhu Niang began to contact teachers in the city, hoping to find a teacher for her son before the end of June, so that the Zhu family would have no reason to take the child away.
You see, I have hired a husband to educate my children, so I don't need your "kindness".
Zhu Hao felt heartbroken when he saw that his mother didn't even care about business. She still refused to give up even though she had no money and still owed foreign debts to Dongzhu Su.
"As a mother, I don't understand the situation clearly. Even if you find a teacher for your child, they still have reasons to take me away... But since the Zhu family has regarded me as an important chess piece, I can only take the wrong path!"
Zhu Hao thought hard about countermeasures.
As long as he still runs the rice shop business with his mother, the Zhu family will find ways to take him away if they can't deal with Zhu Niang.
Whether it is the government, village elders, or public opinion, they will definitely support him in taking him back to study or practice martial arts.
unless……
There is a reason why he can't go back to Zhu's house.
Zhu Hao had a bold plan in his mind. He had thought about this plan before, but because he had just arrived, he had not put it into practice. But now it seems that if he does not implement it as soon as possible, he will be controlled by the Zhu family, and he may be lost in the dark in the future.
free.
"I have to find a way to sneak into Prince Xing's Mansion. Only in this way will the Zhu family have no reason to take me back."
"The threshold for the Kexing Prince's Palace is too high. It's not easy to enter reasonably and legally. It's really nerve-wracking..."