The palace had previously banned several children from playing Cuju, so that they could not delay their studies, but Zhu Hao knew that the palace was trying to protect Zhu Si's safety.
The ban was suddenly lifted and Zhu San and Zhu Si were allowed to come to the West Courtyard. This matter did not seem that simple.
It was as expected by Zhu Hao.
Just after dinner that evening, Yuan Zonggao brought Lu Song to see Zhu Hao. At this time, only Zhu Hao and Jinghong were left in the room.
Yuan Zonggao called Zhu Hao to the courtyard alone and said, "Zhu Hao, tomorrow the palace will host a banquet in the city to entertain someone. Then you and Zhang Fengzheng will go together."
Zhu Hao understood what he was hearing.
The person he is going to meet is most likely the eunuch Zhang Zhong.
The palace wanted him to meet a great eunuch in the palace...
It’s worth pondering. Could it be that we let him go as the crown prince of Prince Xing?
"Mr. Yuan, I wonder who I am going to see?" Zhu Hao went out of his way and asked proactively. As the internal agent of the Zhu family in the palace, he should not have raised such a sensitive question.
Yuan Zonggao did not hide it and answered directly: "I am going to see a distinguished guest from the capital, who is the deacon of the palace. You are not going in your own capacity tomorrow, but in the place of the crown prince... After meeting that person, everything will be done."
Ask, you answered as the crown prince, with your intelligence, you should be able to handle such a situation easily, right?"
Zhu Hao thought to himself, it was probably the Hongmen Banquet.
It's just unclear whether Zhang Zhong proposed to see the crown prince, or whether the palace took the initiative to facilitate the crown prince to meet the world. There was a big difference.
He didn't let Zhu San go, and he didn't pretend to be Jinghong, but let him... Aren't you afraid that he would tell the Zhu family about the matter, and then the Zhu family would report it?
Prince Xing's Mansion obviously had a plan, and Zhu Hao felt that he was being used.
"Lu Dianzhan, later on, you will send Zhu Hao the clothes he wants to wear, and he will also teach you about etiquette." Yuan Zonggao first gave Lu Song a few instructions, and then looked at Zhu Hao, "If you are unable to do it tomorrow,
, can’t cope with the situation, just stay silent and don’t answer, do you understand?”
Zhu Hao said: "I understand."
Yuan Zonggao nodded with satisfaction, "Okay, Lu Dianzhan will go with me. I will explain some details and he will guide you later."
…
…
Yuan Zonggao and Lu Song left.
Zhu Hao began to think about the pros and cons of this matter.
Jinghong walked out of the room, checked that there was no one else, and then asked: "What does Mr. Yuan want from you?"
Zhu Hao was still stunned and did not answer.
After a long time, it was completely dark, and Lu Song arrived with the clothes Zhu Hao would wear tomorrow. He called Zhu Hao to the courtyard, nominally to provide guidance on etiquette for the palace, but actually to explain the situation to Zhu Hao.
"...it's Eunuch Zhang who has proposed to meet the crown prince, and the palace cannot refuse...maybe he will invite you to a private banquet by then," Lu Song said.
Zhu Hao frowned: "It means that the palace is worried that Eunuch Zhang has evil intentions, so it asked me to go in place of the crown prince? Can't you let the princess go?"
Lu Song shook his head: "The princess has always been a noble person, and she is registered in the royal family. Eunuch Zhang sees people in a subtle way, so he will definitely not be able to hide it."
Can’t hide it?
Zhu Haoxin said that it was clear that King Xing felt that Zhu San was also his own child and could not risk his own flesh and blood.
"I know what you want to ask. Are you asking Jinghong? His thinking is not as quick as yours, and his secrets will be exposed if he can't react... Obviously you are more suitable to deal with such a situation."
At the end, Lu Song added something.
Zhu Hao was thinking about it again.
In fact, Jinghong didn't go because he wasn't smart enough, but because he was a son of an official. How would he explain to the county magistrate if something happened?
On the contrary, he, Zhu Hao... was originally an undercover agent sent by the Zhu family. He died and no one cared whether he died or not.
Zhu Haodao: "Lu Dianzhan, Yuan Changshi knows my identity and background, and asked me to see Eunuch Zhang. Let's not talk about whether the Zhu family and Lin Baihu behind you are having a banquet together. It's my side... Isn't the palace afraid?
I told my family that the palace asked me to pretend to be the crown prince?"
Lu Song looked at Zhu Hao with pity on his face: "You are really worrying too much. It was not a formal meeting. There was no official document from the court, and there was no secret decree from His Majesty. The reason why we met was all because of his special status. Even after the incident,
So what if someone tells me? When he comes to Anlu, it’s not all about reviving the palace. When the time comes... the palace will send him a generous gift, and he will naturally know how to report it to the court when he returns to the capital."
This statement is contradictory.
Since Prince Xing’s Mansion thinks it can bribe Zhang Zhong, why should it worry about him being detrimental to the crown prince?
It was not a formal meeting, but he had to go to see it. It was obvious that the palace wanted the prince to show his face in front of important figures in the court, so that the world would know that Prince Xing was not an idiot or a fool, even though he was still far away from the position of crown prince.
, we should also let those civil servants in the court who have concerns about the position of the crown prince, such as Yang Tinghe and Liang Chu, know that there is such an alternative plan.
I want to show my face, but I don’t want to take risks...
Use me as cannon fodder?
"Lu Dianzhan, will you go with me tomorrow?" Zhu Hao asked.
Lu Song said: "I don't know yet."
Zhu Hao asked again: "If Lin Baihu asks, will you tell Lin Baihu truthfully that the person Zhang Zhong met is not the real Crown Prince Xing?"
Lu Song did not answer this question and said to himself: "The clothes are all here. There is not much difference in body shape between you and the prince. You need to put your clothes in order tomorrow morning. Don't worry about class. Just follow the prince's instructions."
After saying this, Lu Song didn't stop and left straight away.
Wait for Zhu Hao to return to the house with his clothes.
Jinghong was surprised and said: "This is... such luxurious clothes. Did the palace reward you?"
Zhu Hao said: "Do you think it's a good thing? It's better not to ask the reason. I won't go to class tomorrow. If Mr. Gongsun asks about it... just say that there is something wrong with my family."
…
…
Early the next morning.
Jinghong and Lu Bing both went to class, while Zhu Hao was still sitting by the couch. He was dressed in the prince's regular clothes. He looked like a bride to be married, but he didn't have the uneasiness of the bride. Instead, he looked a little cramped.
Waiting to meet the big shot from the capital.
Waiting until three o'clock in the morning, the palace official Zhang Zuo came, followed by Lu Song and two guards.
"Oh, how can I say that the prince is a talented person? Look...this dress is tailor-made for you. Who dares to say that you are not the prince when you walk out?"
Zhang Zuo didn't have as much power as Yuan Zonggao, but his tone of voice made him feel like he deserved a beating.
Perhaps it was because eunuchs were born to be cunning and mean. Today, it was another eunuch meeting another eunuch. Zhang Zuo was so excited that he actually made fun of him.
Zhu Hao said: "Zhang Fengzheng, who are we going to see today?"
Zhang Zuo pretended to be respectful: "As for the Crown Prince, the person I want to see today is Eunuch Zhang Zhong, the eunuch of the royal horse. He is a popular person in the Bao Fang. The Crown Prince may not know where the Bao Fang is. He is... the elite of the world.
A gathering place.”
Zhu Hao really wanted to spit in the other person's face.
As a filthy place like the Leopard Room, where the world's elites gather, why didn't you think Zhang Zuo was so hypocritical before? Or maybe it was because he was too "young". He had previously observed Zhang Zuo's courtesy and politeness when communicating with Jing Zhongkuan, and he also
I thought he was a decent person, but who knew he was such a thing.
In the field of power, honest and honest people do not exist!
"Your Majesty, it's time to set off. If there is anything you don't understand, ask as soon as possible. Don't talk too much when you get there. Even if you are asked aggressively, just wait for our family to reply on your behalf."
…
…
Zhang Zuo did not bring many people with him this time. Except for Zhu Hao and Lu Song, he only had a small number of followers.
Not by horse-drawn carriage, but on foot.
When we arrived at a wine shop, there wasn't even a door plaque. We went up to the second floor, which was facing the direction of the palace. On the other side, we could see the bookstore. It was surrounded by an open space and the scenery was nice.
Zhang Zuo arranged the seats and asked Zhu Hao to sit down and wait, while he and Lu Song stood aside.
After a long time, there was movement downstairs.
Zhu Hao was about to stand up, but was pushed back to his seat by Zhang Zuo: "There is no need to alarm the Crown Prince, Lu Dianzhan, take good care of the Crown Prince."
Then Zhang Zuo went downstairs to greet him.
After a while, Zhang Zuo's laughter came, and under his guidance, a tall, fair-skinned, but fierce-looking middle-aged man came up the stairs.
This person was wearing a loose Taoist robe, and was followed by a well-dressed guard...
It was Lin Baihu.
When he saw Lin Baihu, the first person whose expression changed was Lu Song.
Lu Song's eyes flickered with a hint of avoidance, not daring to look at Lin Baihu, but Lin Baihu's eyes looked over with obvious anger.
One is his own undercover agent in the palace, and the other is the internal agent arranged by the Zhu family in the palace... But no one informed him in advance that the palace would find someone to pretend to be the crown prince today.
"Is this Prince Xing?"
When Zhang Zhong arrived, he spoke in a loud voice, but unfortunately he had a drake voice, which was hoarse and harsh.
Although Zhang Zuo was the official of the palace and his status was respected, he was just a nobody in front of Zhang Zhong. He said respectfully: "Exactly."
Zhu Hao was still sitting there.
Now he wants to enter the role, pretending to be the only son of King Xing. He does not need to meet with a eunuch, he just needs to sit there.
Zhang Zhong saw that Zhu Hao was unmoved, not even looking at him, and his face became even more fierce. However, after waiting for a long time, he took the initiative to step forward and bowed down: "My Zhang, I have met Prince Xing."
His Royal Highness."
Zhu Hao still didn't look at anyone seriously, raised his chin, and said loudly: "Forgive me."
Only then did Zhang Zhong straighten up, his eyes a little angry, feeling that Prince Xing didn't take him seriously and his self-esteem was damaged.
As a eunuch, and a powerful eunuch in front of the emperor, he cares most about other people's attitudes towards him.
Lu Song quickly clasped his fists and saluted without saying anything.
Zhang Zhong glanced at Lu Song and asked Lin Baihu on the side: "Who is this..."
"It's just a guard, not worth mentioning!" Zhang Zuo replied respectfully.
"Okay, our family will have another banquet somewhere else. We don't want outsiders to be present. Your Majesty...please."
Originally, Zhang Zuo, on behalf of Prince Xing's Palace, invited Zhang Zhong to dinner as the host. Zhang Zhong came up and explained that he wanted to invite Crown Prince Xing to the banquet alone, and no one from Prince Xing's Palace was allowed to accompany him.
"this……"
Zhang Zuo looked very embarrassed.
Zhang Zhong glared at him and asked, "Is there a problem?"
Zhang Zuo looked at Zhu Hao. If the person in front of him was really the crown prince of Prince Xing, he would definitely not agree. Prince Xing is just a baby, and no one can take responsibility for anything that happens.
But if it's a fake...
Then whatever happens is fine, it’s up to you!
But in order to dispel Zhang Zuo's suspicion, he still had to pretend to be embarrassed and said: "The guards must accompany him. The prince repeatedly ordered before coming out that the prince should not be harmed in the slightest. Please forgive me, Eunuch Zhang."
Zhang Zhong glanced at Zhu Hao coldly, turned around and headed toward the stairs, leaving two words lightly: "Whatever."