Zhu Mingshan is about to celebrate his 60th birthday.
In the general environment of the Zhu family losing power, this was not a big deal, but for Zhu Niang, it was a very worrying matter. After all, she had just separated from the Zhu family, and her attitude at this time would determine
Due to Zhu Hao's status in the family, even if she didn't want to contact the Zhu family, she had to make preparations for the sake of worldliness.
"Xiao Hao, you will stay in the palace that day. I will tell your grandfather and grandmother that you have been busy with homework recently and cannot go to celebrate your birthday in person. Please forgive them."
In the past, Zhu Niang avoided going back to Zhu's house as much as possible to avoid being taken hostage.
This time she had no choice but to avoid it.
Zhu Hao comforted him: "Mom, even if it's the Hongmen Banquet, you can come out smoothly."
Aunt Li asked: "What is the Hongmen Banquet?"
Zhu Hao briefly introduced the story of the conflict between Chu and Han in history, Liu Bang accepted Xiang Yu's invitation, and finally successfully escaped from Xiang Ying, and then said: "If history is a guide, even if it is a very dangerous banquet, as long as you are careful, you can still escape smoothly.
I will talk to the palace and see if I can ask for leave the day after tomorrow to go with you."
"You want to go too?"
Zhu Niang didn't understand.
Zhu Hao said: "Even if I go, I won't go alone. Instead, I'll ask the palace to send someone to go with me... Mother won't think that the Zhu family dares to embarrass someone who is making things difficult for the palace, right?"
Madam Zhu couldn't help but think of the time when Lu Song accompanied Zhu Hao back home and drove Zhu Wanjian and Butler Liu away. Indeed, as long as people from Prince Xing's Palace were there, the Zhu family would not dare to cause trouble.
"Don't force it, why would Prince Xing's Mansion care about our family affairs?" Madam Zhu didn't think it was a good thing to bother Prince Xing's Mansion with birthday wishes.
…
…
Zhu Hao returned to the palace and went directly to Lu Song to discuss the matter.
Lu Song said: "Zhu Laoqian's sixtieth birthday is indeed a big event. How about this? I'll talk to Zhang Fengzheng, and Zhang Fengzheng will mention it... Didn't you mention it to your husband?"
What he means is that you can ask Tang Yin for advice on how to deal with this kind of thing.
Zhu Hao smiled and said, "Mr. Lu has been busy preparing lessons recently, so I don't want to disturb him too much."
In fact, he was preparing to deal with Yuan Zonggao.
"Um."
Lu Song immediately went to report it, and in the afternoon of the same day, Zhang Zuo and Lu Song came to see Zhu Hao and brought Zhu Youjia's message.
Zhang Zuo smiled and said: "The Zhu family has been in Anlu for many years and is not an outsider to the palace. It is the birthday of this old family, so there is no reason for the palace not to send a birthday gift... I will ask Lu Dianzhan to accompany you tomorrow.
By the way, I will bring along the palace guards to help you support the scene."
Obviously Zhang Zuo was not in charge of this kind of thing. Now that King Xing had made the decision to send someone to accompany Zhu Hao back to Zhu's house, Zhu Hao felt confident.
No matter how presumptuous the Zhu family is, they can't embarrass the orphans and widows in front of the palace, right?
After Zhang Zuo conveyed his intention, he left.
Lu Song became the specific executor.
Lu Song was obviously a little frightened. He was afraid of being blackmailed by Zhu Wanhong, who was also celebrating his birthday.
"Lu Dianzhan, as far as I know, my uncle has not appeared in public until now. The Zhu family does not know that he has returned to Anlu... Since he is hiding, there is no way he will go back to pay his birthday tomorrow."
Zhu Hao is quite confident about this.
If Zhu Wanhong is really a filial son, he will not have a family when he returns to Anlu. This time, he has even hidden it so tightly that his family does not know his whereabouts. If he wants to go back to pay birthdays in the future, he should go there a few days earlier.
Will show up... He hasn't shown up yet, which means he doesn't want to come back.
"I hope so."
Lu Song's doubts were not dispelled by Zhu Hao's comfort.
…
…
The next day in the afternoon.
Zhu Hao left class early.
Lu Song is already waiting outside.
Tang Yin sent Zhu Hao out of the school and reminded: "If you are in trouble, I will help you tell King Xing and ask King Xing to send someone to take you back."
Zhu Hao smiled and shook his head: "No, no."
Tang Yin didn't say much, and he didn't plan to give Zhu Mingshan any gifts. They were strangers to each other. The Zhu family was still a Jinyiwei family, and making friends with factory guards was taboo in Shilin. There was no need for Tang Yin to make things difficult for him.
Zhu Hao and Lu Song walked out of the west gate of the palace. The guards had already prepared carriages, three in front and one in front.
The two carriages in front were occupied by people, and the carriage in the back was pulling birthday gifts from the palace.
The two boxes looked very big, but judging from the ease with which the guards carried them, they were not gold or silver items, which meant that the palace was just trying to save face, and was more of a show of formality.
The carriage returned home first. Zhu Hao went in and asked Aunt Li before he found out that his mother had left just after midnight.
"Master Hao, if you can't do it... you'd better not go." Aunt Li was very worried.
Zhu Hao smiled and said: "Prince Lu Dianzhan is waiting outside. He will join me to send congratulatory gifts to my grandfather on behalf of Prince Xing. Everything will be fine."
That's what he said, but Zhu Hao still had doubts.
The Zhu family cannot be judged by common sense. Sometimes they are like a scholarly family and they will reason with you, and sometimes they are like a family of vulgar warriors who act unscrupulously and emphasize that the winner is king.
Who knows what the old lady will do today.
Judging from the fact that the old lady had always been indifferent to the third bedroom, she was probably holding back her big move and was just waiting for the old man's birthday to settle the accounts together.
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…
A group of nine people left the city.
In addition to Zhu Hao and Lu Song, there were three coachmen and four guards responsible for carrying the boxes.
The palace will definitely not dispatch too many security personnel to give gifts to the Zhu family. Finding a few people to accompany them is considered to be a great honor to Zhu Hao.
When we arrived at the place, we saw a long queue of carriages in front of Zhujiazhuangzi. There were many people from the rich and gentry in the city who came to congratulate them on their birthdays. However, I didn’t see any government officials. I don’t know if they didn’t come or if they just sent someone to congratulate them briefly.
Then left.
"You are……?"
When Menzi saw three carriages with wide axles coming, he naturally wanted to greet them and inquire.
Zhu Hao jumped off the carriage. The door took a closer look, but he didn't recognize him.
Lu Song stepped forward and said: "Prince Xing's Mansion, I am accompanying Young Master Zhu, the third roommate of the Zhu family, to send birthday wishes. Could you please go in and let me know."
As soon as the doorman heard that it was a big deal, he quickly went inside to spread the word.
Not long after, Zhu Wanjian came out with Butler Liu.
Now that Zhu Mingshan is bedridden, the old lady is in charge, but the person in charge is nominally Zhu Wanjian, and he is also responsible for welcoming guests for his birthday this time.
"Who do I think you are, Xiao Haozi... How dare you come here. You also brought the palace guards with you. You are really capable. You have people from the palace accompanying you every time you travel. People who don't know better think you are the prince of the palace."
Zhu Wanjian had a strange attitude as soon as he came up, and he did not shy away from the fact that the palace guards were nearby.
Butler Liu hurriedly stepped forward and saluted: "A few distinguished guests, please come inside."
Lu Song originally wanted to take out the greeting card, but seeing the other party's attitude, he didn't do it.
Too lazy to talk to Zhu Wanjian, Lu Song took Zhu Hao's arm and led four guards to carry the box into the gate of Zhuangzi, leaving only three coachmen waiting outside.
The Zhu family mansion is very lively.
The flowing water banquet started in the morning. Not only the local gentry and branches of the Zhu family came to celebrate their birthdays, but also the tenants and neighbors. However, their seats were arranged in the alleyway and front yard outside, and they did not enter the inner courtyard.
They are all prepared for people with a certain identity and status, and the gifts they send are relatively high-end.
If you just come here to eat and drink, the seats in Zhuangzi Alley are enough.
Many children from tenant farmers' families come to eat with their adults early in the morning. After all, this kind of opportunity for freebies only comes once every sixty years, and whether there will be another time is another matter.
Zhu Hao entered the front yard and saw Zhu Niang sitting on the seat near the inner door.
Although the Zhu family did not imprison Zhu Niang, they did not give it a good look. Even though Zhu Niang had prepared generous gifts when she came and represented the third bedroom of the Zhu family, she was not even allowed to enter the inner courtyard. This shows how mean this family is to the third bedroom people.
Already.
"mother!"
Zhu Hao greeted Zhu Niang from afar.
The people sitting at the table with Zhu Niang were all the stewards of the Zhu family, the storekeepers of the shops in the city, the wives of the villagers, or the wives and daughters of the surrounding people, who were considered to be some prominent figures.
Madam Zhu sat there, not moving in front of her. She only waited for the banquet to end before leaving, so as not to be humiliated.
The aunt next to her was still nagging her, and Zhu Niang was a little impatient. Suddenly she heard her son's voice. She was startled at first. She raised her head and saw her son arriving accompanied by Lu Song and the palace guards.
I felt a little relieved.
"Xiao Hao..."
Zhu Niang stood up to greet her.
The eyes of the aunt next to her lit up: "Let me tell you, Zhu Niang, you have given birth to a good son. He is very smart at first sight and will definitely be promising in the future... My eighth aunt is very good at judging people."
Lu Song came forward and saluted: "Mrs. Zhu."
In the eyes of a group of guards in the palace, as Zhu Hao's mother, Zhu Niang indeed deserves the honorific title of "Madam", but the grandmothers and aunts next to her were snickering.
The Zhu family is a place based on seniority, and a woman who can't even enter the inner courtyard is what kind of wife?
Zhu Hao glared at Zhu Wanjian next to him: "Second uncle, what do you mean? My mother brought such expensive gifts to celebrate her birthday, and you just let her sit outside? Are you not treating us as a family?"
He spoke loudly and could be heard clearly by everyone around him.
Many people did not bother to eat and gathered around to watch the fun.
Zhu Wanjian had drunk a lot of wine throughout the day and was a little dizzy. He was surprised to hear this.
How dare this kid challenge me?
Who gave you the courage?
"Hey, you kid..."
Zhu Wanjian almost exercised his authority as an elder and taught his fatherless nephew a lesson in public.
Butler Liu quickly grabbed Zhu Wanjian, who was about to lose control.
Butler Liu was very clever and realized that Zhu Hao had deliberately denounced it loudly, which showed that the Zhu family did not follow the rules and took the initiative in public opinion. He also forced Zhu Wanjian to reveal his true colors and achieve the purpose of ruining the reputation of the Zhu family. If Zhu Wanjian took advantage of
If Jiu Jiner causes a scene at the birthday banquet... there will be big trouble.
"Master Zhu, please forgive me, all this is arranged by the old lady; besides, even if you and the third lady are the same family, they have separated and lived alone anyway, and the separation of families has its own rules. You have
If you are dissatisfied, just mention it to the old lady."
Butler Liu's words can be regarded as a win back in front of public opinion.
Then he was afraid that the neighbors and tenants outside who did not know the truth and could easily be instigated would be aroused by Zhu Hao, so he hurriedly made an invitation gesture: "Please come in to celebrate Lu Dianzhan's birthday."
"My mother wants to go too!"
Zhu Hao argued hard.
Butler Liu said: "Third Madam, please excuse me." show_htm3();