The Zhu Jia family was afraid that Zhu Niang would force her to die and not allow her son to enter Prince Xing's palace, while Zhu Niang was afraid that Zhu Hao would be captured and brought back to the family, so she lived a life of darkness.
In an atmosphere of mutual compromise, the two parties negotiated the final terms. When Zhu Jia came out of the main room, went to the backyard and opened the door to go out, Zhu Wanjian found that his mother's face was filled with anger.
"Walk!"
After Zhu Jiashi said something, she already stepped forward.
Zhu Wanjian glanced into the courtyard and saw Aunt Li coming to close the door. She couldn't help but said anxiously: "Mom, why are you leaving? Why don't you take that boy home? Is this...that's all?"
Butler Liu tugged at Zhu Wanjian and wanted to remind him that the old lady has her own sense of proportion. Since she chose to go inside to discuss, the result must be achieved. Do you need to talk too much?
Zhu Jiashi glared at her son angrily and said, "You are so stupid. Don't use that foul mouth of yours in the future. If you don't speak, others won't know that you are as stupid as a pig."
Zhu Wanjian didn't expect to be scolded by his mother, and he didn't react for a moment. When he came to his senses, his mother had already walked some way and hurriedly caught up to defend him: "Mom, what do you mean by this? How can the child be stupid?"
What I say and do is not all for the sake of the family?"
Butler Liu said: "Second Master, there are certain things you should distinguish between occasions, what should be said and what should not be said, and you should think carefully about it."
"Why didn't I think it over clearly? That woman is the widow of my Zhu family. Do I have to give her face? Mother...what do you mean?"
Zhu Wanjian looked reluctant.
Zhu Jiashi was too lazy to look back and said angrily: "You don't even know when you say or do the wrong things. How can you be stupid? With your qualifications, you still want to take charge of the family business? I'm afraid that if you become big, the whole family will be destroyed by you.
...I am doing all this to allow your brother to return to Anlu as soon as possible. Only he can lead the Zhu family to survive, and he must inherit the position of guarding thousands of households in the future!"
…
…
After Zhu Niang sent Zhu Jia away, she felt heavy.
When she understood that her son had entered Prince Xing's palace as a spy to help the Zhu family gather information, she could no longer feel at ease. However, she could only endure the grievances in her heart and act very strong in front of her son.
Aunt Li didn't know what was going on and began to help Zhu Hao organize his outfit for entering Prince Xing's Mansion the day after tomorrow.
"...The schoolbag was made by your mother herself. The "Four Books" and "Five Classics" are all new books bought from the bookstore, and the Four Treasures of the Study, each one is a fine product...Brother Hao, you have to study hard.
"
"Okay, aunt!"
While Zhu Hao promised Aunt Li, he glanced at Zhu Niang out of the corner of his eye.
But seeing Zhu's mother weeping secretly, Zhu Hao sighed in his heart and walked over to comfort him: "Mother, I have told you that it is a good thing to enter the prince's palace. Not only can I study, but I can also get close to the little prince... I will have a good relationship with him in the future.
Well, he will definitely give me a hand when he becomes successful."
Zhu Niang looked at her son with a smile on his face and frowned.
"Madam, is there... something wrong?" Aunt Li didn't quite understand the connection.
Zhu Niang shook her head and said: "Xiao Hao, after entering the palace, my mother can't stay by your side all the time. If you are bullied, when you come home, tell your mother that she will find a way to get you out of the sea of misery."
Zhu Hao chuckled and said: "What are you talking about, mother? I am going to enjoy the blessings. I will take my mother to enjoy the blessings in the future. I will fight for my life so that I won't suffer. With my head, I don't want others to suffer."
Okay, others still want to take advantage of me? No way!"
…
…
That's what it says.
But Zhu Hao knew that he would not have a good life in Prince Xing's Mansion.
The background of the Zhu family will become a stumbling block for him to gain a foothold in the palace.
The next morning, Zhu Hao ran to the Flower and Bird Market. He waited all afternoon but did not see Zhu San show up. When he was about to leave, he saw a few sneaky people gathering together to discuss something. After a while, they were holding hands.
Went into the teahouse.
Zhu Hao followed him in as if nothing had happened. Given his age, he was definitely harmless to others, so the group was not alert.
But Zhu Hao didn't dare to be too close to this group of people, so he pretended to find someone and went up to the second floor.
There were six people in this group. They chose a window seat with a wide view on the first floor and sat down. They seemed to belong to two parties. They exchanged news in low voices, and the word "Prince's Palace" could occasionally be heard.
The waiter at the tea house was scolded when he went to serve tea.
Zhu Hao saw that he could not find out more information. In order to avoid disturbing the situation, he walked upstairs for a while and then went downstairs. He calmly walked out of the tea room through the door.
"It seems that more than one family is eyeing Prince Xing's Mansion. I wonder if they are related to the Zhu family?" Zhu Hao felt more and more that the ground in Anlu was not peaceful.
It's normal when you think about it. Emperor Zhengde has not had any children for a long time. It is reasonable for Xingwangfu, the most promising person to take over the throne, to be closely watched.
Zhu Hao took a few steps forward and couldn't help but look back at the gate of Prince Xing's Mansion. It didn't matter. An acquaintance was looking around for something. He was short and could easily be blocked by stalls when walking on the road. He was exactly
Lu Bing, who took the Prince's companion selection exam with him.
"Hello!"
Zhu Hao walked over, stood by the road and shouted, which startled Lu Bing.
"Ah? It's you."
Lu Bing obviously wasn't here for Zhu Hao. When he suddenly saw Zhu Hao, he was a little panicked, and then he grinned.
Zhu Hao asked: "Why are you here? You are so young and you are not afraid of being abducted when you go out for a stroll?"
Lu Bing was young and cried frequently, but when he heard this, he looked proud, held his head high and said: "I have practiced martial arts since I was a child, and my father also practiced martial arts, so I am not afraid..."
He looked around and asked, "Have you ever seen a rabbit seller?"
Zhu Hao immediately realized that Lu Bing took the exam with him and failed the second round of assessment, but was selected by default. Moreover, Lu Bing "performed his duties" faster than him. Now he is estimated to have successfully become a companion and obeys Zhu San.
Zhu Si ordered to act.
Otherwise, how can we say that they are related households?
"What do you want from the rabbit seller?" Zhu Hao asked.
"I...I followed the young master's instructions and came out to find a rabbit seller. I have something to say to him." Lu Bing had no scheming, and since he knew Zhu Hao, he didn't shy away from it at all.
Zhu Hao looked around and made sure that Lu Bing was not a bait deliberately set out by someone. Then he said with a smile: "You are such a little kid. It is very dangerous to come out to find someone. Why don't you tell me what you want to say to the rabbit seller?"
I'll help you look for it later and let him know by the way."
"Then...thank you."
Lu Bing was indeed fooled, and he looked grateful, "Actually, it's nothing. The young master asked me to come out to find the rabbit seller. He said that the man was young, probably... about the same as you, and told him that there is nothing interesting in the palace.
Yeah, I want to study somewhere else... Hey, do you know what I'm talking about?"
When Zhu Hao heard this, he realized that this was Zhu San or Zhu Si issuing a "warning" to him?
Why does it sound so awkward?
"I understand, I will tell him for you." Zhu Hao grinned.
Lu Bing nodded, as if he had completed the task, and turned to leave.
Zhu Hao said: "By the way, your name is Lu Bing, right? You also chose to be a companion? I heard from Mr. Jiang that I am also one of the companions."
Lu Bing said happily: "That's great, let's play together in the future... But you are older than me, so we may not be able to play together."
"Let's study and play together. I can still protect you when I'm old...Although you've been practicing martial arts since you were a child, my family is not bad either. We come from a serious military family. What do you think about us helping each other in the future?" Zhu Hao tried to win over you.
Lu Bing.
Lu Bing nodded hurriedly.
From the perspective of the ignorant little guy, having Zhuhao as a friend is a very good thing.
"Then let's make an agreement. I will enter the palace tomorrow, and the son of Jingzhi County has also been selected. He is not very friendly to us. We will work together to deal with him in the future." Zhu Hao said.
"Uh-huh."
Lu Bing thought of Mr. Jing's unruly appearance, and his eyes suddenly became more alert.
For a child, the distinction between friend and foe is very clear. Zhu Hao has helped him, so he is a friend, but Mr. Jing has scared him, and he is definitely not a good person in his eyes.
So before Zhu Hao officially entered Prince Xing's palace, he roped in Lu Bing as an "ally". Whether it was useful or not is another matter. This kid was old and young and his brain was not strong enough. It was okay to help inquire about the news and pass on some information.
And after listening to the warning sent by Zhu San or Zhu Si, Zhu Hao realized that he might not be able to become a true companion in a short time after entering the palace. It was important to have "one of his own" to convey the news.
…
…
The next day.
Accompanied by Yu San, Zhu Hao officially embarked on the road to enter Prince Xing's Mansion as a companion.
Zhu Niang did not see her off in person.
Perhaps it was because the farewell was too sad, and the journey was not far away, as it was in the city, but because Prince Xing's Mansion was like a dragon's pond and a tiger's den, and Zhu Hao was burdened with a family mission, Madam Zhu felt she owed her son, and was unwilling to face it head-on.
While on the road, Zhu Hao thought about what Lu Bing said to him.
It was agreed that Zhu San or Zhu Si would be asked to help and let him go to Prince Xing's Mansion as a companion, but in fact they did not really contribute in the selection. They only helped in promoting the selection, but why should they remind him to stay away from Prince Xing's Mansion?
Woolen cloth?
There is only one explanation. One of the two people should have learned some bad news about Zhu Hao, but could not tell it clearly, so he asked Lu Bing to come out and speak.
With this layer of suspicion, Zhu Hao, who was attentive, discovered various things that were wrong when he entered the east gate of Prince Xing's Mansion.
"Zhu Hao? I know you are working as a book boy for the Crown Prince. If you go this way... don't look around. This is Prince Xing's Mansion, not a vegetable market. If you break the rules and break your legs..."
The people who received Zhu Hao were the disciples of the palace.
Unlike the seventh-rank officials in front of the prime minister's door, the palace does not usually receive visiting officials, and few people come to ask for intercession. The door is purely a decoration.
This man seemed to have no status, but his words and deeds had the significance of being a bellwether for Zhu Hao.
Zhu Hao frowned upon seeing this person come up, knowing that the situation was not good... He entered the palace as the prince's companion, and it was not for other reasons. As for being angry and showing off with a child?
That can only show that even my disciples know the identity of my Zhu Haozhu family and are very wary of me.
Zhu Hao did not expect that when he first arrived, he would be included in the list of "hostile forces" by Prince Xing's Mansion.
In this situation, do you still want to get close to Zhu Houcong?
I'm afraid it's not out of the blue.
Zhu Hao followed Menzi through the east courtyard and came to the center of a low courtyard courtyard.
The doorman stopped, pointed to a small room in the back, and said, "You live in that room."
Zhu Hao raised his hands and asked, "Brother, can I ask, do the other two people I chose as my companions also live here?"
The doorman said impatiently: "Why are you asking so much? There is food, drink and shelter here. If you are not hungry to death, why do you care about others? Listen up, you must not enter the door in front, otherwise you will be caught... hum."
"I know, I'll break my legs if I get caught."
Zhu Hao was very calm and said flatly: "But you should tell me where this is, right?"
The disciple said: "This is where the servants of the palace live. Next to it is the woodshed. If you have nothing to do, go chop wood and exercise... Anyway, someone will tell you what to do next!"