Chapter 20 The Rabbit of Life
I finally waited for you, and fortunately I didn't give up.
Zhu Hao quickly looked in the direction where the voice came from, and saw that the young man he met in the morning had changed into a clean and tidy cloth robe, a flat scarf on his head, and a pair of almost new leather boots on his feet. At this moment, he was looking at him with his head tilted.
Several men in civilian clothes mixed in the crowd, looking around vigilantly. This meant that someone was secretly protecting him, but the alert level was not as high as that of the Crown Prince of Xingwang.
This young man appeared twice, and there were no thorough precautions. Either this was not Zhu Houcong, or the Prince Xing's Mansion had no security awareness at all.
The former is more likely.
When the crowd around heard what the young man said, they whispered to each other and pointed at Zhu Hao.
The security guard sneered, feeling proud that someone had stood up to expose Zhu Hao's lies.
Zhu Hao said loudly, "My dear young master, you saw me fishing this morning, but you didn't know why I was fishing. You and I have never met before, and you don't even know my mother. How do you know if my mother is sick? Without any evidence, how can you conclude that I am lying, or even accuse me of being a bad guy?"
When it comes to arguing, just grasp the key points.
The key is...
We don't know each other. I said my mother was sick, and the person in charge is me, so I have the final say.
Unless you can find evidence that my mother is not sick.
The people around were immediately led by Zhu Hao's remarks and started talking again.
"Yes, he is selling rabbits at such a young age. If his family is not really in trouble, who would be willing to do so? It seems that he is a filial son."
"Yes, yes, how could such a young child lie?"
…
"I'm selling my rabbits, but I haven't opened a business yet. This big brother wants to take a penny from me as a guarantee, but I can buy two pancakes for a day with this penny. Where can I get it... Is there any kind-hearted person who can buy my rabbits so that I can use the money to treat my mother's illness? And also so that this big brother can complete his business smoothly?"
Zhu Hao looked at the people around him with pitiful eyes.
Some people just spoke in support of Zhu Hao, but now when they were asked to show their support through practical actions, they immediately took a few steps back and looked at each other, indicating that the matter had nothing to do with them.
Finally, Zhu Hao looked at the young man who had spoken before: "My young sir, you see my rabbits are lively, smart and cute, but I can't even feed myself, let alone feed them. I can only think of a way to sell them, sell them to a good family so that they won't starve to death, you see..."
Since the boy came, it means he really likes rabbits.
But Zhu Hao had just contradicted him.
The young man frowned slightly, and unconsciously put his snow-white thumb into his mouth and bit it gently, as if he was thinking about whether to buy it or not. For a moment, he revealed the cute and naive attitude of a little girl.
Zhu Hao's heart was shocked and his mind was working rapidly.
This young man was most likely a girl. Although she was the young mistress of Prince Xing's Mansion, she was not Zhu Houcong. The guards were very concerned about her safety, which showed that she had a high status in Prince Xing's Mansion and was qualified to study with the palace's guests.
As for raising a girl as a boy, it was obvious that Prince Xing wanted to confuse the public with a fake one and prevent people from knowing which one was his real son.
How could Prince Xing’s Mansion have no sense of security?
He is so cunning.
Letting a young master of Prince Xing's Mansion go out of the house from time to time may also be one of Prince Xing's plans. Since this is not his real son, he can be released as bait to see if anyone will do anything bad to him, so as to lure the snake out of its hole and catch it all in one fell swoop.
In summary.
The person with a similar status to this girl in Prince Xing's Mansion was probably Zhu Houcong's sister, Princess Yongfu, who was one year older than Zhu Houcong in history.
The title of princess was bestowed by Zhu Houcong after he became emperor. For now, she can only be called the little princess, whose name is unknown.
But all this is just Zhu Hao's guess and there is no evidence to prove it.
"Not only will I sell you rabbits, I'll also teach you how to raise them. Later on, I can also take you to catch rabbits. I know there's a place on the mountain outside the city where you can catch rabbits. I occasionally catch some and bring them here to sell..."
Zhu Hao further implemented the plan.
Selling rabbits is the first step in establishing connections. The real purpose is to have a channel of communication and prepare for entering the Prince Xing's Palace.
The boy was not interested, and someone among the onlookers could not help asking, "Where did you catch the rabbits? Let's go get a few to try."
Zhu Hao said angrily: "How can you bear to eat such a cute rabbit? How much meat is there on the rabbit? But if I really can't sell it... I can only eat the rabbit and give it to my mother to replenish her body..."
Feeling sad.
The expression is just right.
The boy who was still hesitating just now suddenly determined to buy it: "No, no, I'll buy it...how much?"
"Wow!"
The onlookers all thought that this child was too gullible.
Just a few words, someone was mocking you just now, and now you change your mind and want to buy it?
Someone quickly reminded: "Ask the price first before buying, don't let others ask for too much and take advantage of you."
Zhu Hao said, "How can you talk like that? I'm selling rabbits to treat my mother's illness. Seeing how much you cherish them... How about this, I'll sell you two rabbits for five cents, how about that?"
This price...
"Sell it to me, kid. I'll give you six cents."
Someone was shouting loudly, clearly bullying Zhu Hao for being ignorant.
Although the rabbits Zhu Hao got were not fat, each one weighed at least one or two kilograms. Don't mistake rabbit meat for meat.
With six cents, you can’t even buy two or three catties of rice, let alone two rabbits weighing two or three catties.
Zhu Hao said disdainfully, "I sold them at a low price because I saw that this young official would not kill rabbits and would treat them well... I would not sell them to you who want to buy them back to eat meat, no matter how much money you offer... Otherwise, why would I not go to the vegetable market and sell them here?"
These words touched the young man's heart.
"Okay, I'll buy it."
The boy obviously felt that he had gotten a great bargain for the six cents.
Zhu Hao said, "I will be honest with you. I will give you the money and the goods. Give me six coins, and I will give one coin to the village head. If I still have rabbits in the future..."
"Sell them all to me. I'll take whatever you have. How much is one?"
"Sanwen!"
"make a deal!"
The deal was done and it looks like a long-term deal.
The people around were going crazy. A rabbit for three cents?
This is clearly disrupting the market!
“No!”
A burly man in his thirties rushed out and tried to stop the kid from trading with Zhu Hao.
The young man ignored the man, ran over, took out a purse embroidered with golden chrysanthemums, and counted out six coins from it. Judging from the style of the purse and the embroidery on it, it was obvious that it was an extraordinary item, made of the finest Shu brocade, and probably of tribute level.
…
…
Hand over the money in one hand and the rabbit in the other.
Zhu Hao got the money and paid the cent owed to the land insurance first.
Seeing that there was nothing exciting to watch, the onlookers dispersed.
The boy wanted to take the rabbit cage with him, but Zhu Hao chased after him and said, " I made the cage, you can't take it with you."
"Is it okay for me to buy it with my own money? How much?"
The boy thought Zhu Hao was very stingy.
I've already bought a rabbit, so what's wrong with giving you a bamboo cage as a gift?
Zhu Hao said, "I won't sell it no matter how much money you pay. This is an important tool for me to catch rabbits... I don't have a bamboo forest at home, so I can't get bamboo strips to make a cage... Can't you just take the rabbit home?"
The boy thought the cage was very exquisite, but there was nothing he could do if the seller didn't match the sale. Just as he was about to reach out to take the rabbit in the cage, he was stopped by the man who followed closely.
The man meant that he was responsible for carrying the two rabbits out of the cage.
While the man was leaning over to catch the rabbit, Zhu Hao leaned close to the boy and whispered, "I know there's a nest of newly born rabbits on the mountain. I plan to catch them in two days. Do you want to come with us?"
"Ah...you are so cruel."
The young man exclaimed, his girlish demeanor clearly revealed.
Zhu Hao said seriously, "If you don't bring them back to raise, they might get sick and die if it rains in the mountains. The survival rate of these little rabbits in the wild is very low."
How could a child not be moved when hearing such words?
Go up the mountain to catch rabbits.
Catching a whole nest at once makes my heart beat faster just by listening to it.
"It doesn't matter if you don't go. I will catch it myself and take it home to raise it myself." Zhu Hao said regretfully.
"Hey, didn't you say you would sell it to me after you caught it?" the boy said anxiously.
Zhu Hao said, "A whole litter of rabbits, are you raising all of them? They're all very small, and you don't know how to raise them. What if they die? I've raised rabbits at home, so I know how to raise them..."
This is also a way to attract the other person's attention.
If wild rabbits are domesticated, they will surely die of illness, starvation, or mental exhaustion in no time. If you can't keep them alive, you will come back to me to buy a pet rabbit. Please teach me how to raise one.
Does Zhu Hao really understand this?
It's just paper talk!
In my previous life, I occasionally saw farmers raising rabbits when watching short videos, but I have almost no experience in doing it myself!
This is called inviting someone into a trap.
"When are you going?" The other party was indeed tricked.
Seeing the man coming over with the rabbit, Zhu Hao said hurriedly, "Tomorrow morning, I'll be here. I'll leave after 9:00 p.m. If you want to go, come early."
"It's not possible at 9:00 p.m., let's talk about it after noon, when the master will be resting."
One sentence can reveal your work and rest habits.
It turned out that the teaching activities in Prince Xing’s Mansion were scheduled in the morning, and there was a tradition of taking a nap at noon, so the children had the opportunity to sneak out at this time.
"Well, we'll meet at noon. We've agreed that we'll divide it by the number of people. Don't be greedy then."
"It's a deal."
…
…
Gentleman's agreement.
Zhu Hao finally set another trap for the boy.
The trap he set was not to catch rabbits, but was specifically aimed at the young man and Zhu Houcong behind him.
Stating that it will be divided according to the number of people is actually implying that the young man can bring more people with him, giving him the opportunity to "be smart". If you are really close to Zhu Houcong, and then you sneak out, why don't you take your younger brother with you to get a larger share?
It's such a fun thing, and you're the only one who wants to go. Don't other people in Prince Xing's Mansion have any intention of playing together and seeing new things?
Zhu Hao left the flower and bird market.
Not going home.
Instead, he hurried out of the city to arrange everything.
We need to make preparations for two scenarios. The first scenario is that the boy comes alone. In that case, let him catch the rabbit and return with a full load, so that we can prepare for the next meeting.
The second situation is that Zhu Houcong followed.
The corresponding means for the two situations are completely different, and Zhu Houcong is the real target of this hunt.
If I catch you, I will have control over my life, and I can do whatever I want with it.
