Chapter 14: If the big one fails, start with the small one

Zhu Jia returned home, entered the main hall, and slammed the table with her palm.
Obviously really angry.
Zhu Wanjian took the opportunity to instigate: "I don't know who bewitched that woman. She has repeatedly opposed the family. My mother has made it clear, but she is still stubborn. And those guys who do business with her, we must find out who returned the money in time and make it difficult for them to gain a foothold in Anlu!"
Zhu Jia glared at him: "If you are not capable of doing anything but causing trouble, why would you do this?"
"Mother? How can you blame me? You set the rules. I never thought she could come up with more than 40 taels of silver in such a short time. Mother, why don't we check if she has a lover behind her? Is she secretly helping her?"
Zhu Wanjian's eyes rolled around as he was thinking of some conspiracy.
Zhu Jia sneered, "What if there is none? What if there is? If there really is, are you going to go out and spread the word everywhere, making the Zhu family lose face?"
Zhu Wanjian was so disappointed that he didn't know how to respond.
Zhu Jia said, "Don't they want to be in the spotlight? Then let them continue to run the rice shop. If it's hard to deal with the big ones, try to find a way to deal with the small ones... As long as they work hard, who knows how to find a flaw?"
"Mom? Are you talking about finding a breakthrough from Xiao Haozi?"

Zhu Wanjian looked confused.
Zhu Jia was too lazy to explain to him.
She had originally had high expectations for her second son, but after this incident, she was completely disappointed with Zhu Wanjian.
Zhu Niang's rice shop enjoyed a brief period of peace.
For several days, although the shop had little business, fortunately no one came to cause trouble, and no one nagged them to hand over the shop.
That day, Zhu Hao went out of the city with Uncle Zhong and others to look for new salt pits, and then instructed the contracted farmers on the construction of salt-drying fields. When they came back after a busy day, they saw Zhu Niang and Aunt Li sitting together discussing something. It was hard to tell whether they were sad or happy on their faces.
"Mom, is there something wrong?"
Zhu Hao felt that something was wrong.
Zhu Niang said, "Housekeeper Liu came to us earlier and told us what your grandmother said."
Zhu Hao suddenly realized and sighed, "The old lady is too controlling. She has to be in charge of everything at home. It's as if the sky will collapse without her... Is she setting up some obstacles for us again?"
Aunt Li hurriedly said, "Master Hao, you can't comment on the old lady like this. If she knew..."
"Hehe, if my aunt doesn't tell me, will my mother tell me?" Zhu Hao said with a smile.
His evaluation of Zhu Jia was completely from the heart.
That old lady...
It's really extraordinary strength.
Zhu Niang's face was calm: "This time your grandmother sent someone to pass on a message, the general idea is to let you go back to the Zhu family, the private school teacher there will teach you knowledge, you can start to learn to study... This is a good thing!"
Zhu Hao was stunned.
Would the old lady be so kind as to let him study?
"Mom, isn't it obvious that you think you can't deal with me for the time being, so you want to trick me back and use me as a hostage to force you to surrender?"
Zhu Hao's words frightened Zhu Niang, and she immediately said in a reproachful tone: "Xiao Hao, you are really getting more and more presumptuous. How can you say such things? You are originally a member of the Zhu family. Going back to the village outside the city to study... is understandable! You are already eight years old and have not yet started to learn. I am sorry for you. In the past few years, I have always said that I would hire a teacher for you, but we can't just hire a teacher casually..."
Zhu Hao saw that Zhu Niang was looking forward to him, so he did not refute and asked, "Mother, did Manager Liu tell you what the punishment would be if you disagree?"
Zhu Niang thought about it and suddenly felt a little sad. "Butler Liu said that our Zhu family is a family of military honors. Your father was a captain of the Jinyiwei of the Ming Dynasty and died for his country. If you don't want to study, you can learn martial arts. There are people who teach martial arts. It's no problem to strengthen your body. You may inherit your father's military position when you grow up."
These words "scared" Zhu Hao.
It’s not that he’s not motivated, nor that he doesn’t want to exercise.
But if he were caught by the Zhu family and forced to train hard in the coldest and hottest days of winter, that would be so cool!
With my small body of seven years old, I had to endure hardships every day until adulthood. Not to mention the hardships, if I didn’t get enough nutrition, I would become a sickly person.
There is a saying that goes "A poor man is good at literature but a rich man is good at martial arts." The investment in practicing martial arts is unimaginable for most people. Considering the tense relationship between my mother and my family, would the old lady be kind enough to invest huge sums of money in my martial arts training?
Zhu Hao asked, "Mom, do you want me to study or practice martial arts?"
Zhu Niang glanced at Aunt Li, who lowered her head and obviously did not want to express her opinion.
"Mother hopes that you will study hard and take the imperial examinations. Although the military households of the Ming Dynasty are hereditary, you can still make a difference in the imperial examinations. However, it is not easy to reach the top overnight. Ten years of hard study may be an easy task. On the contrary, if you practice martial arts...inheriting your father's position as a centurion of the Jinyiwei after you grow up is also a way out."
"Your grandmother used the story of Meng's mother moving three times in her message, saying that if you continue to do business with us for a long time, you will become a peddler sooner or later, which does not meet your late father's expectations."
Zhu Niang had high expectations for her son, but she also knew that the road to the imperial examination was not easy, as it was a tough one with thousands of troops trying to cross it.
But if he practices martial arts, the Zhu family is a family of Jinyiwei, and Zhu Hao has the halo of his deceased father as a martyr, so he might be able to make some achievements in his official career.
Zhu Hao said: "Whether it's studying or practicing martial arts, once I enter the Zhu family, I can't leave. Mother will have no choice but to swallow her anger and hand over the land and house."
Zhu Niang was silent.
In fact, she had considered this issue.
She had just had a conflict with her husband's family. Would Zhu Jia be so kind as to let her son go home to study?

There must be a conspiracy!
But she was too honest and would rather think the best of others. After hearing what her son said, she realized after a little thought that it would be difficult for her son to see her again after returning to the Zhu family.
"Mom, I want to study, but I won't go back to the Zhu family. We will be able to make money soon, and then you can send me to an ordinary school, and I can study with others."
Zhu Hao tells his plan.
Aunt Li suddenly interrupted: "But...if we don't agree, what if the Zhu family comes to forcefully take the person? After all, Master Hao is the Master of the Zhu family."
As for the land and houses, Zhu Niang could say that they were the inheritance left by her husband and she would do her best to preserve them.
But now the Zhu family has called their legitimate grandson back to study or practice martial arts, whether it is to take the civil or military examination. The Zhu family has the power to do so, and she has no right to refuse.
"Mom, aunt, don't worry. I don't think they will come to take us away by force before the end of the month," Zhu Hao analyzed.
Zhu Niang was puzzled: " How do you know?"
Zhu Hao smiled and said, "Mom, think about it. They have left us with no business to do now. They must want to see how we respond. If we don't have the money to pay the membership fee at the end of the month, we can only hand over the land and house and return to the Zhu family . Do they still need to force me to study or practice martial arts as a hostage?"
"Only if mother can turn over a steady stream of money, the Zhu family will control me and use it to threaten mother."
Zhu Niang was shocked when she heard this.
If you don't think about it carefully, you really can't figure out so many details.
"Xiao Hao, you...how did you think of this?" Zhu Niang asked in surprise.
My son's train of thought is simply amazing. With Zhu Niang's many years of experience in dealing with people, she has never thought so much about it.
Zhu Hao grinned, revealing two rows of white teeth: "Mom, didn't I tell you before that children of poor families grow up early? Dad is gone, and from now on I will be the man of this yard, I will be able to protect you!"
Although Zhu Niang felt that her son was growing up too fast, she had no way to explain what was happening. She shook her head, pulled her son over, patted him on the back gently, and wanted to comfort him, but found that she had nothing to say.
As a mother, she naturally wanted to protect her son, but she felt that her power was too weak.
Just as Zhu Hao thought.
If the Zhu family really wanted to help Zhu Hao become successful, they would not just send a housekeeper to notify him and give him a heads-up, but would directly take Zhu Hao away.
The reason why she didn't ask for the money directly was because the old lady felt that there was a high probability that Zhu Niang would not be able to give the 40 taels of silver to the family by the end of the month.
In that case, why not just wait for another month and see how the rice shop business progresses.
Because Zhu Jia came to the shop to cause trouble, not many customers dared to risk offending the Jinyiwei and come in to buy things. Even old customers who had been friends for many years passed by without entering.
They say they support it, but if it involves retaliation from the government, why would they get into this kind of trouble for no reason?
As for the cooperation agreements previously signed with the inns and restaurants in the city, they have all been cancelled, and the reason given is very simple... Not only have you offended the government, but you have also offended your own family. We don't want to cause trouble, so please don't come to our door to sell your products in the future. Even if your salt is good, the taste of the dishes we make will only be limited. There is no need to bring double suppression from the government and the Zhu family on you.
Only Zhu Niang and her son knew that their business was going well.
after a few days.
Zhu Niang began to contact teachers in the city, hoping to find a teacher for her son before the end of June so that the Zhu family would have no reason to take the child away.
You see, I have already found a teacher to teach my child how to read, so I don’t need your “kindness”.
Zhu Hao felt distressed when he saw that his mother didn't even care about the business. She obviously had no money and still owed foreign debt to Su Dongzhu, but still refused to give up.
"My mother doesn't understand the situation at all. Even if you find a teacher for the child, they will still have a reason to take me away... But since the Zhu family has already regarded me as an important chess piece, I have no choice but to take an unconventional approach!"
Zhu Hao racked his brains for a solution.
As long as he and his mother run the rice shop business together, the Zhu family will find ways to take him away if they can't deal with Zhu Niang.
Whether it is the government, the village elders, or public opinion, they will definitely support taking him back to study or practice martial arts.
unless……
He has reasons why he can't go back to the Zhu family.
Zhu Hao had a bold plan in mind. He had thought about this plan before, but because he had just arrived, he had not put it into practice. But now it seems that if he does not implement it as soon as possible, he will be controlled by the Zhu family and may lose his freedom in the dark.
"I have to find a way to sneak into Prince Xing's Mansion. Only in this way will the Zhu family have no reason to take me back."
"The threshold to enter the Prince Xing's Mansion is too high. It's not easy to enter legally. It's really a headache..."

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