Zhu Niang followed her into the shop. She wanted to thank Yuan Zonggao for the palace's cultivation of her son, but after hearing Yuan Zonggao's words, she felt confused for a moment.
Isn't my son studying in the palace?
What do you mean it's better to let him enter the palace?
Zhu Niang was a traditional Chinese woman and looked particularly humble in front of the nobles. She said: "Quanzi's father died young and he was not formally initiated into the palace before he entered the palace. Only a passing Mr. Lu taught him. If he did something bad in the palace,
, please be considerate to Mr. Yuan."
The implication is that I have sent my son to the palace, and I will not interfere with your discipline.
Master, Master, he has no father, so you should be his half-father.
Yuan Zonggao smiled, turned to look at Zhu Hao with his head drooped, and asked: "Zhu Hao, what do you think?"
Zhu Hao did not look at Yuan Zonggao, but said dejectedly: "I...I'm afraid."
Zhu Hao must behave like a child at this moment. He almost died in a fire today. Some people claimed that the fire was set to burn him to death, and even blocked the door when he was trying to save others.
If he has experienced life and death and still chooses to stay in the palace fearlessly, it can only show that he has deep intentions and other purposes.
Mother Zhu stroked Zhu Hao's head and said, "Xiao Hao, it's rare that Mr. Yuan appreciates you so much... Why, are you afraid of living up to Mr. Yuan's expectations?"
Zhu Hao looked embarrassed, as if he wanted to explain to his mother, but couldn't.
Yuan Zonggao saw Zhu Hao's reaction and understood that the child was both afraid of death and afraid of his mother's disappointment. A child whose father had died early and was now able to take care of himself could only keep his grievances in his heart.
"Well, Zhu Hao, you have just experienced a life and death test, why not rest at home for a few days, and then return to the palace after you have completely calmed down."
Yuan Zonggao was considerate and offered to let Zhu Hao not go to the palace for the time being.
Zhu Hao hesitated slightly, said "Yeah" and nodded slightly.
"That being the case, I won't bother you much. The palace has arranged a place for you. You can study with the prince when you go back this time... Since you haven't officially been enlightened, you have to work harder so that you can keep up with the progress... Let's go
Bar!"
Yuan Zonggao didn't want to stay in the market for a long time, so he walked into the shop to show that he didn't mean to look down on anyone, and he would naturally leave after the matter was settled.
Madam Zhu didn't expect Yuan Zonggao to leave so soon, so she hurriedly said to persuade him to stay: "Mr. Yuan, why don't you stay and have a casual meal?"
"Ha ha."
Yuan Zonggao had already stepped in front of the door. Hearing this, he turned around and said with a smile, "I still have to deal with some things. Besides, it's getting late, so it will be inconvenient to stay here... When Zhu Hao has a future, I will definitely not refuse.
"
It sounds like he is very optimistic about Zhu Hao and is ready to train him carefully.
Zhu Niang felt very comfortable hearing this.
You see, even Mr. Yuan, a dignified royal family chief and a Jinshi, thinks that my son has a talent for studying. In order for him to get ahead, no matter how much hardship I go through, it is worth it.
…
…
Yuan Zonggao, accompanied by Zhu Niang and his son, walked out of the shop and took Lu Song and others to the street.
Yuan Zonggao was not in a hurry to get on the sedan chair.
Lu Song followed step by step, but finally couldn't bear it any longer and stepped forward and asked: "Yuan Changshi, since you want to take him back, why are you... not in a hurry?"
The most confused person at the moment is Lu Song.
Zhu Hao was obsessed with escaping from the palace and had no intention of going back, but Yuan Zonggao was determined to take him back. Shouldn't the situation be the other way around?
Yuan Zonggao was very anxious before, but now he asked Zhu Hao to rest at home for a few days...
Don't know what to think.
Yuan Zonggao said with a profound look on his face: "Do you think that his child can come and leave the Xingwang Mansion whenever he wants? There are many things that are beyond his control!"
"Let's go, I will take you to meet someone."
Lu Song was very surprised when he heard this.
After thinking about it for a while, he realized what Yuan Zonggao was talking about.
Zhu Hao was sent by the Zhu family to the palace to spy on intelligence. Now Zhu Hao was almost set on fire and was so frightened that he wanted to escape from the palace and didn't want to go back. But will the Zhu family follow Zhu Hao's wishes?
I am afraid that the Zhu family will still force Zhu Hao back to the palace. If he insists on not obeying... all kinds of blackmail methods will be used.
…
…
Zhu Hao was not in a hurry to send Yuan Zonggao and Lu Song away.
Return to the palace?
What's the rush!
With Yuan Zonggao's foresight, how could he fail to consider the consequences of driving him away? Will the Jinyiwei represented by the Zhu family give up surveillance of Prince Xing's Mansion?
To take a step back, even if the palace does not let him go back, Zhu Hao will not lose.
He saved Zhu Houcong twice in water and fire, and established a connection with the future Emperor Jiajing.
Zhu Houcong is now seven years old, and he is not a childish person who cannot remember things. Once this kind of fateful friendship is established, will he write off the past of being rescued twice when he becomes an adult?
At the moment, if he stays outside the palace and occasionally meets Zhu Houcong, it may be more effective than studying in the palace.
Zhu Niang quickly took her son's hand and returned to the shop, asking with concern: "Xiao Hao, you said there was a fire in the palace, and you said someone wanted to burn you to death. What happened?"
Zhu Hao said: "Mom, I can't explain the details to you. Anyway, I escaped from the fire today. Let me calm down for two days before I consider whether to return to the palace."
In order to prevent Zhu Niang from worrying too much, it is inconvenient to describe the details of rescuing people at the fire scene to Zhu Niang.
But how can Zhu Niang and Aunt Li not be worried?
It turns out that entering the palace is so dangerous!
She didn't think much of it at first, but she thought that if Zhu Jia allowed her son to go into the palace to spy on information, it would be tantamount to making an enemy of Prince Xing's family. Thinking of this, Madam Zhu thought about whether to let her son completely give up the idea of returning to the palace to study.
…
…
Yuan Zonggao never took the sedan chair and took Lu Song to meet a mysterious man.
At sunset, the man appeared outside the villa where we had met. This villa was not the property of Prince Xing's Mansion, but privately owned by Yuan Zonggao.
Lu Song waited outside for a long time and saw a middle-aged man of medium build and plain appearance appearing in front of him. He stepped forward and asked about his surname and purpose before taking him into the other courtyard to meet Yuan Zonggao.
"Sir, people have brought it."
Lu Song was afraid that this person did not know Yuan Zonggao's true identity, and it would be bad if he leaked the details because of his poor address, so he only called Yuan Zonggao sir.
Yuan Zonggao smiled and said: "Old Liu, you are here? Let me introduce you. This is Lu Song, the officer of the Imperial Guards Department. As for him... he is Liu Hong, the old steward of the Zhu family of Jinyiwei."
Lu Song's heart suddenly rose to his throat.
The person in front of me is actually the Zhu family’s Butler Liu?
How did Yuan Zonggao bribe and win over the secret agents of Prince Xing's Mansion?
Lu Song thought to himself, maybe in Yuan Changshi's heart, I was trustworthy, so he let me know the true identity of the Zhu family insider, but in fact, I was doing things that were embarrassing to the palace secretly...
Thinking of this, Lu Song felt ashamed.
"Liu Hong has been in the Zhu family for more than 20 years and knows the Zhu family thoroughly. However, his status is special and unknown to outsiders. If there is anything that needs to be communicated in the future, you should contact him."
After speaking to Lu Song, Yuan Zonggao said to Liu Guanjia again, "Old Liu, Lu Dianzhan is the pillar of our palace and is absolutely trustworthy. If there is any emergency in the future, just tell him."
Butler Liu quickly saluted Lu Song: "Young man, I have met Lu Dianzhan."
Lu Song cupped his fists and returned the greeting.
Yuan Zonggao waved his hand and said: "Lu Dianzhan, please wait outside first and don't let anyone get close to you. I have something to ask Butler Liu."
It was said that Lu Song would be contacted in the future, but he could not participate in the secret conversation this time. Lu Song did not feel unhappy because of this. He knew that his identity was embarrassing, and when he was leaving, he thought to himself that he must not reveal the true identity of Butler Liu.
From the bottom of his heart, he was looking towards Prince Xing's Mansion.
…
…
After Lu Song went out, Yuan Zonggao asked about Zhu Hao in detail.
But Yuan Zonggao did not tell Butler Liu that Zhu Hao had rescued people in the palace, and the person he saved was Prince Xing. He only wanted to verify the relationship between Zhu Hao and the Zhu family.
Butler Liu selected some situations he knew to explain.
"...This child is very talented, and his actions are very targeted, and he is really a malleable talent. But the three wives have never been favored by the old lady. His father wanted to pursue a career in the military because he lacked parental care since he was a child.
He was able to stand out, but unfortunately he went north to put down a rebellion and died for his country, leaving behind orphans and widowed mothers who were often bullied by the family, and even his father's inheritance could not be preserved."
"As for this child entering the palace as a companion, it was only after the family found out that he went to participate in the selection and passed it in one fell swoop. The old lady was very annoyed about this. She came to scold him and ordered him to go to the palace to find out information..."
Although Butler Liu has a prejudice against Zhu Hao, it is not as deep-rooted as Zhu Jia's and Zhu Wanjian's. At this time, from a relatively neutral perspective, he feels that the Zhu family has treated Zhu's mother and son badly.
In other words, Butler Liu did not make trouble for Zhu Hao.
He knew very well that as long as Zhu Hao had a bad relationship with the Zhu family, Prince Xing's Mansion would not kill Zhu Hao.
Yuan Zonggao's face was lukewarm: "It seems that this son has not been planning for a long time. Has he ever told the Zhu family about the affairs in the palace?"
Butler Liu wondered: "This... I don't know."
Yuan Zonggao nodded and continued to ask: "Didn't Jin Yiwei send someone to contact the Zhu family before? Can we find out where this person lives in Anlu? Who else have he met?"
"this……"
Although Butler Liu was an internal agent of the Zhu family bribed by Prince Xing's palace, everything he did involved the affairs of the Zhu family. His ability was only reflected in managing the business and running the business. It was obviously a bit overwhelming for him to spy on intelligence.
"That's fine."
Yuan Zonggao did not force it, "If someone from Jinyiwei visits the Zhu family in the future, please inform Lu Dianzhan immediately. He lives in Xiaoguaizi Hutong near the palace, and ask him to tell you his detailed address later."
"Yes Yes."
Butler Liu responded quickly.
Yuan Zonggao said: "Okay, while the city gate is not closed before dark, you can go back early to avoid arousing suspicion. Later, the palace will arrange for your scholar son to be the county registrar near his hometown."
Butler Liu knelt down and kowtowed repeatedly, thanking him profusely.
The county chief registrar is a ninth-rank official, usually promoted and appointed by tribute supervisors and officials. He is the second official of the county magistrate. He is in charge of household registration, arrests, and document processing in a county. When the county magistrate or county magistrate is vacant, the chief registrar is also expected to act.
County magistrate position.
Serving as the chief registrar of a county means a step-by-step transition from civilian to official. No wonder Butler Liu is so grateful.
When Butler Liu went out, Lu Song looked at Yuan Zonggao with some worry, "Yuan Changshi, can this person... be trusted?"
Yuan Zonggao curled up his lips and said: "Is there anything worthy of trust? He betrayed his master's family for the future of his descendants, and the palace now has an extra set of eyes and ears, so everyone can get what they need. No matter how much he does, he will get corresponding rewards.
, if he is the one who suffers when his identity is exposed, will he not know the seriousness of it? Such things... one is willing to fight and the other is willing to suffer!"