Jing Zhongkuan spoke highly of Zhu Niang, but he was obviously showing off to the onlookers.
"Fellow fellow villagers, if I live a long life and my people can abide by the virtues of women like Mrs. Zhu San, why worry about the lack of education in this county? Why worry about the people not being able to live and work happily? Why worry about our Ming Dynasty not being prosperous?"
Jing Zhongkuan talks a lot, and at first glance, he sounds like an ignorant old scholar.
Zhu Hao felt something was wrong.
Will a rotten scholar, as soon as he takes office, go to the place where his predecessor fell down and make this long speech?
"good!"
But for the common people, this kind of cliché is the best way to win people's hearts.
Amidst the applause of everyone, Jing Zhongkuan bowed his hands to Zhu Niang, then turned around, held his head high and walked towards the county government officials who came to greet her.
Jing Zhongkuan left, and the people who followed him left naturally, and Mipu returned to peace.
Aunt Li came to the door, looked at Qian Chuanzi who was staring at him with resentment, and asked curiously: "What's going on?"
Madam Zhu frowned slightly: "Perhaps I have devoted my loyalty to the country and gained a reputation abroad."
Zhu Hao walked through the curtain and trotted to Zhu Niang: "This has nothing to do with dad's reputation. I think this Xinzhi County is quite skillful. I'm afraid he is a difficult owner. We must be more careful in doing business in the future."
Aunt Li was puzzled: "Such an official is very good. He understands the sentiments of the people and is approachable. Why does Master Hao have such a big opinion against him?"
Zhu Hao said: "Mom, he is just a county magistrate with a limited official career. He was transferred from Shen County Magistrate before his term was over. It has something to do with us anyway. When he took office as a new official, he didn't come to the government office. He came here to ventilate first.
How can such a person be said to have no scheming intentions?"
Zhu Niang and Aunt Li met each other, and finally their eyes fell on Zhu Hao.
Zhu Hao stuck out his tongue when he saw it and ran back to the backyard.
…
…
In the afternoon, as soon as Zhu Hao went out, he heard that Jing Zhongkuan had come to Prince Xing's Mansion to pay a visit, but he was rejected.
Zhu Hao went to the inn to meet Mr. Lu who was about to leave Anlu.
Mr. Lu was quite surprised by Zhu Hao's arrival: "Zhu Hao, do you know I'm here?"
Zhu Hao smiled and said: "I've always known it... Didn't Mr. Lu talk about his residence with that Sui teacher before? I'm right next to him and I'm not deaf. Is Mr. Lu about to leave?"
At this time, Mr. Lu had packed all his luggage and everything.
Although Zhu Hao did not come in person in the past two days, he asked Yu San to keep an eye on him and say hello to Mr. Lu once he noticed any signs of leaving.
Mr. Lu sat at the table by the window and nodded slightly: "Although I accepted you as my disciple, it's a pity that I didn't teach you a word. I'm so ashamed, so ashamed... I will leave for Jiangxi tomorrow."
Zhu Hao said: "So Mr. Lu is planning to defect to Prince Ning?"
"hehe."
Mr. Lu did not answer.
At this moment, an old servant came in from outside. Seeing that there were guests in the room, he quickly left.
Mr. Lu asked: "Is the carriage ready?"
"Yes, sir, everything has been arranged and it won't delay tomorrow's trip," the old servant replied.
Mr. Lu waved his hand: "Then you go and rest, we will be on the road early tomorrow morning."
After sending the old servant away, he turned to look at Zhu Hao. Mr. Lu noticed that Zhu Hao's expression was different and asked, "Zhu Hao, did you come to me for something?"
"Um."
Zhu Hao nodded, "I want to enter Prince Xing's Mansion."
Mr. Lu looked a little puzzled, but then he seemed to want to understand something: "I heard that Prince Xing's Mansion is recruiting a companion for the Crown Prince, and they will be selected from among the sons of the gentry and rich men in the city. Your application...does it have something to do with the family?"
Zhu Hao thought to himself, how can I say that you are not simple?
In just a few words, I realized that I might have been sent by my family to Prince Xing's Mansion to act as an internal agent.
"No, I just want a chance to study... Mr. Lu should know that I have a bad relationship with my family. The elders in the family want to take me back and take care of me in order to force my mother to hand over the property left by my late father.
In this family, I really want to get out of the family’s control.”
Zhu Hao spoke very directly. Mr. Lu shook his head after hearing this: "In terms of benevolence and righteousness, this is inappropriate... Don't you have an expert teaching you behind you? Could it be that the person behind you wants you to sneak into Prince Xing's Mansion?"
Zhu Hao smiled and shook his head.
"Zhu Hao, do you want me to help you?" Mr. Lu asked.
Zhu Hao said: "Mr. Lu has gone through a lot of ups and downs. At this time, he no longer wants to care about worldly things, right? Even if Mr. Lu gets acquainted with Prince Xing's mansion, it is unlikely that he can help me."
"I know that your husband is going to Nanchang, and I came here to see him off. By the way, I would like to remind you that if you find out that... someone in Nanchang wants to lead troops to cause chaos and endanger the imperial court and the country, it may be best to withdraw in time."
Mr. Lu's expression was calm and he waved his hands without thinking about it at all.
"Okay, Mr. Lu, I won't ask you if you are a Liuru layman. For me, once you are a teacher, you will always be a teacher. I hope we will have the opportunity to meet again in the future. Student, please resign!"
Zhu Hao never made any request to Mr. Lu until he left.
Mr. Lu sent Zhu Hao to the door of the inn. After saying goodbye, he looked at Zhu Hao's thin back and fell into deep thought.
"Master, who is this?"
The old servant came quietly behind Mr. Lu and asked in confusion.
Mr. Lu looked back and said with a smile: "This little friend is not an ordinary person. After Zhongliang, he was able to speak well at a young age, and he was able to show off his youth and maturity. Dongzhu Su was full of praise when he mentioned it in his letter."
The old servant asked: "Dongzhu Su, is it the shopkeeper Su who sells salt?"
"It's him. Two months ago, he bought two of my paintings and treated me to a trip to Huguang... His brother-in-law is from Huangfantai, who has just moved to Huguang for half a year. He has a profound background... This Su Dongzhu is in Jiangxi
He has a wide network of contacts and it will be beneficial to get to know him." Mr. Lu nodded slightly.
The old servant was puzzled: "I am willing to sell paintings to Mr. Su, but why do you ignore the local gentry's request for paintings?"
Mr. Lu shook his head and sighed: "That's different. Merchants only pursue profits. If the officials and gentry ask for paintings, the nature will change... The former local magistrate offended the powerful and was transferred to another place within a few days. His future is bleak... The most serious thing in officialdom is
It's better not to provoke anyone..."
…
…
Tianxing Prince's Mansion has set up two tables outside the south gate of the Prince's Mansion to accept registrations from Anlu school-age children.
By the afternoon, there were very few people coming to sign up.
At sunset, a man in his thirties who was dressed in luxurious clothes came out of the mansion and came to the registration table and asked: "How is it? Is the number of people over a hundred?"
The official in charge of registration hurriedly stood up and saluted: "Uncle, there are only more than thirty people who have signed up."
The middle-aged man looked displeased: "It is such a glorious thing for me to recruit boys to the palace to study. How come there are only thirty or so people to apply for it in one day?"
At this moment, a child with a cute little round face, eyes like black gemstones, clear pupils, and slightly raised corners of his eyes. He looked smart and smart, ran over and asked with a smile: "Can I apply for the election?"
?”
The official looked at the visitor and said, "Call your elders to come."
"My elders are busy making a living and have no time to be distracted, so I came to sign up myself... My name is Zhu Hao. I can memorize the Four Books and Five Classics. I should meet the selection criteria, right?"
The person who came was none other than Zhu Hao.
Just as the pian was about to refuse, the man next to him pulled him, and then asked with a smile: "You are so young, can you memorize the Four Books and Five Classics?"
Zhu Hao nodded his little head vigorously: "Yes, how about you test me?"
The clerk frowned: "Uncle, the little kid is used to being naughty and causing trouble. Just throw him away. Why bother talking to him?"
Zhu Hao seemed not to have heard anything. He looked at the thirty-year-old man and asked in surprise: "Oh, can't this be Mr. Jiang? I have long heard that Mr. Jiang comes from a family of Wu Xun and is a rare all-rounder in the world.
."
Even if you wear it thousands of times, you will never wear it.
When Zhu Hao heard the official call this person "Uncle", he knew that the person in front of him should be Jiang Lun, the younger brother of Princess Xing.
In fact, Princess Xing's father, Jiang Zhe, had no sons. Jiang Zhe belonged to the father-daughter family. When he passed away in the fourth year of Zhengde, he had no children. Prince Xing felt pity and asked the court for a decree, saying that Jiang Bin, Jiang Zhe's brother, the governor of the capital camp, also knew Jiang Bin.
His son was adopted into Jiang Zhe's name and became Princess Xing's nominal brother.
Jiang Lun was only a seventh-rank casual official in Prince Xing's Mansion and had no actual duties. He could manage everything but did not have much power. After Zhu Houcong ascended the throne, this nominal "uncle of the state" suddenly became the uncle of Yutian, and the Jiajing Dynasty became famous.
Prominent cousin.
Today, Jiang Lun is in an awkward situation. Princess Xing has no sibling affection for him, and his status in the palace is far inferior to that of Yuan Zonggao, Li Ji, Zhang Zuo and other subordinate officials.
After hearing Zhu Hao's words, Jiang Lun smiled brightly: "Boy, you can talk...here, write down his name, I will take the exam myself later!"
"Uncle, isn't this...not good?"
The official's face fell, thinking that Jiang Lun had broken the rules.
Jiang Lun suddenly became serious: "There were not many people to apply for the election, and finally someone who looked smarter came up. Do you want to drive people away or what? If you choose, it won't matter. Just record the name in
Case...hey, it’s not for you to choose, why are you so nervous?”
When the official was scolded, he could only look at Zhu Hao angrily and then pick up his pen to write.
"Mr. Jiang, I wonder when the election will take place?"
Zhu Hao felt relieved when he saw the official registering his name on the registration book, but his expression did not change at all. He looked at Jiang Lun with a smile.
Jiang Lun said: "The palace will post a notice within a day or two. You can go back and wait."
With a dark face, the official wrote down Zhu Hao's name and then asked about his family background. Zhu Hao answered them one by one.
Jiang Lun looked on with a smile. Hearing Zhu Hao say that he came from a family of Wu Xun, he smiled and said: "No wonder you know me. It turns out that your father is from the Ming Dynasty Jinyi Baihu, and they are both from military families... Speaking of military families,
It is difficult for children to study. Apply carefully and don’t embarrass our military family!"