Zhu Hao got the information he wanted and didn't care about rewards or anything like that.
The old lady was very cunning, and she could probably sense that her grandson actually knew something but didn't say it. However, she felt that Zhu Hao would not know much in the short time he had been in Prince Xing's palace, so she let Zhu Hao return to the city after a few brief explanations.
When he left the city, Butler Liu personally picked him up, and when he came back, someone from the house would drive him. When he arrived at the city gate, he asked Zhu Hao to get down and go on his own. Zhu Hao didn't care about the difference in treatment.
It was almost noon when I got home.
Zhu Niang was not there, so when I asked Aunt Li, I found out that people from the government had invited merchants from the city to the county government for a banquet, and they treated her well, as if they were discussing something important.
After noon, Madam Zhu came back.
"Mom, is there something wrong with the county government?"
Zhu Hao didn't wait for Zhu Niang to say farewell to his son before asking questions first.
Zhu Niang said: "The newly arrived magistrate of Jingxian County said that the ground in Jiangxi and Jiangxi is not peaceful, and that there are frequent robberies and riots in southeastern Huguang and other places. Huguang Dusi wants to send troops to encircle and suppress them. Suffering from insufficient food and wages, I asked the merchants in the city to help raise funds... My mother then
There is nothing we can do about donating twelve shi of food."
Zhu Hao wanted to say that this was simply blackmail.
If the imperial court wants to suppress bandits, it can just ask the local government to pay for it. Can this kind of thing also be allocated to ordinary merchants? You, Jing Zhongkuan, are really a person who will do anything for his political future. Compared to your predecessor Shen Li,
Nothing less.
"The Jingzhi County has just arrived and is taking good care of us. We have to come out and express our stance."
According to Zhu Niang's intention, she not only promised to donate grain worth ten taels of silver, but she was also the first to do so. Perhaps it was because Jing Zhongkuan came to the shop just after he took office and gave Zhu Niang a high hat.
Jing Zhongkuan’s move is simply...
Zhu Hao sighed softly: "Mom, we can't be too honest. How much have others donated? Also, we complained to the Zhu family that the family was running out of trouble, and here we suddenly responded actively to the government's call for donations, and we didn't mess with them.
Are people suspicious?"
Zhu Niang said: "I didn't think much about it at the time, but the Zhu family and its businesses were not included in this invitation. I guess I didn't know about it."
Do you really think the Zhu family has no information?
Mom, you don’t just follow the crowd, but you jump out and take the lead.
Zhu Hao is glad that his relationship with his family is now relatively balanced. Perhaps it is because he went to Prince Xing's Mansion to spy on intelligence. Even if the Zhu family knew that such a thing was happening, they did not embarrass Zhu Niang. After all, the old lady personally promised that as long as everyone
Yue handed over twenty-two cases of silver, and Zhu Niang could use the rest at her own discretion.
…
…
The family sat down and had lunch together.
Zhu Niang and Aunt Li were both concerned about Zhu Hao's experience in the palace. Zhu Hao could only tell some lies to comfort them, showing that he had started studying with Zhu Houcong, the eldest son of Prince Xing.
As a result, both women looked relieved.
"Mom, I won't stay at home tonight. I have agreed with Prince Xiao Xing that we will read together at night by candlelight." Zhu Hao planned to return to Prince Xing's Mansion early.
Zhu Niang asked puzzledly: "You will only come back for one day in ten days...can't you stay for one more day?"
Zhu Hao said: "Mom, it's like this. I just met King Xiaoxing. I want to interact more with him to enhance our relationship. Besides, I'm going back to study hard."
Aunt Li pulled Zhu Niang's sleeve and comforted her: "It's rare for Master Hao to be so eager to learn. Let him go back."
If Zhu Hao doesn't want to go back to the palace after returning home, the two women will definitely be worried.
Just like in later generations, if there are classmates who are unwilling to go to school, parents must be energetic and explore the truth to see if their children are being bullied at school. But now Zhu Hao has taken the initiative to go back to school. In the eyes of the two women, Zhu Hao is
Prince Xing's Mansion probably didn't suffer, so he was naturally relieved.
Zhu Niang cooked again and made some pancakes with meat fillings for Zhu Hao before dark. She also gave her son some scattered silver coins and copper coins so that Zhu Hao could take care of his relationship after he returned.
You can buy snacks...
…
…
Originally, Zhu Niang wanted to ask Yu San, Uncle Zhong and others to come to her home and send her son back to Prince Xing's Mansion, but Zhu Hao left home on his own because he was anxious to go back to study.
Zhu Hao wanted to find an opportunity to get in touch with Lu Song while the people from the Royal Palace's Yiwei Department were inspecting the Dongkua Courtyard before dark.
After staying in the palace for a few days, he had already figured out the daily habits of the people in the palace.
The guards in the Royal Palace's Yiwei Department are all military households. In fact, they are also responsible for farming. The fields are rented to them by Prince Xing's Palace. The guards are divided into two shifts, one for farming and one for guards. They usually change shifts in the afternoon, once every two days.
.
When the shift is changed, Lu Song, the official of the Palace Guards Department, will appear.
Now Zhu Hao guessed that Lu Song was probably the court's spy in Prince Xing's Mansion, and his work in Prince Xing's Mansion was at a deadlock, so he naturally had to make full use of this relationship.
As soon as Zhu Hao entered Prince Xing's Mansion from the southeast corner gate of the Prince's Mansion, he was still some distance away from the East Crossing Courtyard when he heard a muffled sound of "bang bang bang" and a voice like a butchering pig kept shouting: "You're wronged, you're wronged..."
This voice sounded familiar to Zhu Hao. Wasn't it the same guy who peed under the wall with Jianmao Dao last night and discussed how to deal with him?
When I arrived at the gate of the East Crossing Courtyard, I peeked inside and found that it was very lively.
More than a dozen people came from the Royal Palace's Ceremony Department. Three craftsmen were pinned on wooden stools and were being executed with sticks by the guards from the Wangfu's Department of Ceremonies. The one who received the stick was the one who was shouting. Zhu Hao was a little confused.
However, the other two Zhu Hao who were beaten knew each other, one was named Wang Wu and the other was named Lao Ga.
Lu Song, the ceremonial officer of the palace, stood aside. He was the executor. As for a group of craftsmen from the palace, they stood near the wall. Hou Chun and Li Shun looked at Lu Song and the ceremonial officers of the palace with angry eyes.
Guard, Jianmao Dao was not punished, and no one of him was seen at the scene.
"Lu Dianzhan, what do you mean by this? My people will fight as soon as they say?" Hou Chun couldn't stand it anymore and went directly to Lu Song to question him.
Lu Song said: "It was ordered by Yuan Changshi himself. The people in your East Courtyard have unclean hands and frequently lose items. But this time they caught you and showed up... In addition, the accounts of the wood purchased in the past six months are not correct... this matter
Check back later."
Lu Song is obviously not a foolhardy man.
His words have two meanings. One is that these people have dirty hands and feet and should be beaten.
The second level is to warn Hou Chun that if you speak for them, if something goes wrong when you check the accounts later, don't blame me for being ruthless.
Hou Chun was a little frightened when he heard this, so he obediently stepped aside and stopped talking to his subordinates.
Zhu Hao was an outsider. After looking around, he suddenly noticed something was wrong.
Last night I heard Jianmao Dao discussing how to deal with the pig-slaughtering guy. The next day, this person was reported as having dirty hands and feet. Could it be that someone was secretly protecting him?
Zhu Hao couldn't help but think of the person who was hiding behind the wall to spy on the news last night. Looking at Lu Song's figure, hey, they do look a bit similar.
…
…
The guard inside who was carrying out the cane punishment withdrew after being beaten with twenty sticks.
Lu Song led the people out, and when he saw Zhu Hao standing at the door, he couldn't help but frown slightly. He obviously didn't want to face Zhu Hao directly, so he greeted the people and left.
Zhu Hao walked over and greeted with a smile: "Lu Dianzhan, I am Lu Bing's friend... My name is Zhu Hao, and my grandfather is Zhu Qianhu of Jinyiwei."
Lu Song didn't expect that Zhu Hao's way of greeting him was so "special". Just when he was about to wave his hand to drive Zhu Hao away, Zhu Hao suddenly came closer and whispered: "I have something involving your son's safety, and I want to discuss it with you."
For a moment...do you think it's convenient tonight? I'll wait for you!"
After saying that, Zhu Hao ran away first.
It made Lu Song completely confused.
"Boss, what did that kid say?"
A man walked up next to Lu Dianzhan and asked.
Lu Song looked him over and said, "What can a child say?"
The man smiled and asked no more questions, while Lu Song's expression was not very good. It was obvious that what Zhu Hao said to him had caused waves in his heart.
…
…
At dusk that day, everything was as before.
Zhu Hao went to the kitchen to have dinner together first, and Jian Maoluo and others also came back. They went out to work in Wangzhuang outside the city early in the morning, and the three people who were beaten before had been carried home to recuperate.
"There must be some villain plotting against us. We have been working well in the palace for so many years, so how could something like this happen? Master Li, I can't bear to swallow this!"
Jian Mao Dao was filled with indignation.
Daxi, as the other one of the "two bad guys", slapped the table and said: "I must teach them a lesson. Please bring the matter to the inner courtyard!"
Li Shun put down the wine glass and sneered: "I am a serious soldier of the royal family, who do you think you are? Hurry up and eat, and then disperse. If the mother-in-law, aunt, and children are noisy, go back and treat them as soon as possible to avoid not having to pay for the roof for three days."
, otherwise find a place to sleep with your head covered...the yard will be locked these days, and whoever makes trouble will be punished in the limelight!"
As the leader of this group of craftsmen, Li Shun felt that they were being targeted, and even the gambling programs every night were cancelled.
If this group of people did not gamble, they would not be able to get out through the small door of the east cross courtyard. Zhu Hao originally thought about trying to sneak out at night to explore the terrain, but now it seems that there is no chance.
…
…
Zhu Hao returned to the warehouse yard.
He came to his room, lit the tung oil lamp, and took out a pack of candles that Zhu Niang had prepared for him from his schoolbag.
In order to prevent her son from feeling lonely at night, Zhu Niang prepared nine candles for Zhu Hao, meaning that Zhu Hao would light one candle a night. The candles were very thick and as long as the flame was normal, one candle could burn for nearly two hours. With the addition of the tung oil lamp,
Zhu Hao thought it would be fine if there were lights in the first and middle of the night every day.
It is considered a very luxurious thing these days.
Zhu Hao wanted to pick up the book and read it, but he couldn't calm down.
What he was thinking about was whether Lu Song would really come to the appointment that night. At that time, it was said that Lu Bing's safety was involved. Lu Song was just a son for the time being. His second son, Lu Wei, had not yet been born. He should have understood Zhu Hao's identity as an undercover agent.
Could he be indifferent to his words?
It was approaching midnight when footsteps were heard outside, and Lu Song finally came.
"Bang bang bang!"
There was a slight knock on the door.
Zhu Hao had actually seen it on the wall. He carefully came down and opened the door. Lu Song was holding an unlit lantern in his hand and a saber on his waist. This was equally dangerous to Zhu Hao.
What if Lu Song wants to kill people and silence them?
"Lu Dianzhan, you are finally here. I have been waiting for you for a long time."
Zhu Hao smiled and said hello, looking like he was sure of victory.
Lu Song closed the door by himself. When he turned around, he looked around the room with a slightly nervous expression. Zhu Hao smiled and went to light the tung oil lamp.