Chapter 24: Gentleman's Agreement
Zhu San was about to go over to check on his brother, but when he heard this, he looked over and said, "It's one thing for you to save us, but what does this have to do with your studies? You...why do you think that Instructor Sui would accept you as a student?"
"Sister... Third Brother, he... he saved us..."
Zhu Si was more realistic. He felt guilty that not only did he cause Zhu Hao to lose the rabbit he had just gotten, but he also had to rely on Zhu Hao to rescue the brother and sister when they fell into the water.
Zhu Hao said, "You guys can do whatever you want. I'm going down the mountain first."
"Hey, don't go!"
Zhu San saw that Zhu Hao was determined to go back and tell the adults about this matter, so that the fact that she brought her brother out into danger would no longer be a secret.
Zhu Hao looked impatient: "What else are you going to do? I have lost all my rabbits, can you still compensate me for my losses?"
Zhu San said: "You...we really can't help you become a disciple of Sui Jiaoshi. Sui Jiaoshi is a Juren and works for the royal palace. He will not accept outsiders as students casually."
Hey, it looks like there's really hope!
"I don't ask for anything else, as long as I can study. Otherwise... I can go to Prince Xing's Mansion and do odd jobs with you as a study companion. I just don't want to be an apprentice at such a young age and become a peddler when I grow up... As long as you are willing to help me, I will take you out to catch rabbits in the future, and I will also take you to more fun places."
Zhu Hao's attitude was unusually sincere this time.
Zhu Si asked, "What is a companion student?"
Zhu San explained: "The little boy who follows you and studies with you is considered a servant."
"ah?"
Zhu Si was a little confused. How could someone voluntarily become a slave?
Zhu San frowned: "But... our family never accepts book boys."
Zhu Hao shook his head. "From your looks, you must be of noble status, right? You have never experienced the sufferings of the world ... If you tell the elders that you want to find a servant boy and recruit him from outside the palace, I think the elders will agree."
"Third brother, let's agree to him. Anyway, it's nothing if we have someone studying with us."
Zhu Si was the first to be persuaded. "We can play with him in the future and let him lead us to catch rabbits. He is so good and he has saved us before."
It was obvious at first glance that Zhu Si was a good boy who knew how to repay his gratitude. Zhu Hao secretly gave him a thumbs up in his heart!
Zhu San pouted: "Is this something we can decide? If we tell our father...he will definitely ask us the reason. Should we tell him what happened today?"
Zhu Si said: "But if you didn't say it, he would have said it."
Now Zhu San was in an even more difficult situation.
Zhu Hao came forward and said, "As long as you are willing to help me, I will teach you how to say it... I just want to enter the palace to study with you and have the opportunity to take the imperial examination in the future, but I don't want to sign a contract to sell myself... If you agree, we can go down the mountain together, and I will explain it to you in detail on the way."
Zhu San seems to have a lot of ideas, but he is actually just a child. How could he be as cunning as Zhu Hao?
Seeing that it was getting late and she was afraid of any accidents on the road, she had no choice but to agree to go back to the city with Zhu Hao.
…
…
The three of them went down the mountain.
Zhu Si was still a little weak and needed Zhu Hao's help and support most of the time. As for Zhu San, she had also fallen into the water and was still in shock. Moreover, as a girl, it was good enough for her to walk down the mountain by herself. She had no time to take care of others.
"Thank you for saving us just now."
Seeing that the provincial capital was just ahead, Zhu San felt a little guilty and whispered to Zhu Hao.
Zhu Hao supported Zhu Si, looked at the road ahead, and said as he walked: "Next time you go out to play, you must be careful and don't be rash. There may not be anyone to rescue you next time."
Zhu San immediately thought of how he dragged Zhu Hao into the water and was rescued by him.
I feel even more guilty.
"You said... if we want to work as a servant in the palace, what should we do?" Zhu San asked.
Zhu Hao said, "You can tell your elders at home that you want to find a few people of your age in the city. No matter their background, as long as they are talented and knowledgeable, they can be summoned to the palace to study with you. In the future, when they take the imperial examination and enter the court, they may become good helpers... In this way, your elders should agree to find book boys for you."
Zhu San was surprised: "Why do you say that?"
Zhu Hao thought, with your childish brain, how can I explain it clearly to you?
Others may not understand that Prince Xing is the first in line to the throne, but how could your father not know?
According to the Ming Dynasty's principle of succession from elder brother to younger brother, even if your father were still alive, the one who would inherit the throne would definitely be Zhu Si, a kind-hearted little guy like you. Would your father not consider that he would need someone to assist him in securing the throne in the future?
Prince Xing's Mansion is extremely closed, but the more tightly it wraps itself up, the more people outside want to pry into it.
If King Xing was smarter, he should understand that it is better to open up than to block. Accepting children with academic talent in the city to study with his son is equivalent to breaking the closed shell. The fewer secrets in the palace, the lower the defense of the court, and the greater the possibility of his son getting close to the center.
Once you make this proposal, it may give your old father an inspiration. If there are other staff members to analyze it, they will feel that the two children's ideas are accidental and very consistent with the current situation faced by the Prince Xing's Mansion.
Then I'll have a chance to blend in.
"I want to study... If I don't say it this way, how do you think I should say it?" Zhu Hao could only prevaricate.
Zhu San nodded: "We will do it when we get back, but if it doesn't work...will you tell others about what happened today?"
Zhu Hao shrugged and didn't answer.
Now that you've said it, what can I do?
If you don't help me, I will have to make public the fact that you two naughty kids fell into the water while leaving the city. Maybe your father will be grateful and show mercy to me and recruit me into the palace!
Zhu Si asked, "When we choose the book boy, should I and... Third Brother choose you together?"
Zhu Hao smiled and said, "Brother, you are sensible. That's it. But even if we really compare my talents, I am confident that I am not inferior to others. Mr. Lu is so knowledgeable and experienced, but he still chose me as his student? You have to believe in my ability."
"Bragging."
When Zhu San heard this, he stuck out his tongue, but his expression looked much more relieved.
Zhu Hao said, "Except for the time we fell into the puddle at the end, we had a lot of fun today. If I can really enter Prince Xing's mansion in the future, can we sneak out and play together again?"
Zhu San looked at Zhu Hao and asked, "Do you know where there are rabbits?"
"Not to mention rabbits, I can even catch birds... I grew up in the fields, catching civets in the winter and cicadas in the summer. Let me tell you, catching rabbits in the winter is very easy. All you have to do is find a rabbit trail, dig a snow pit, and set a wire trap to catch them... I know a lot of weird stuff. It's normal that you don't know these things since you were young."
There was longing in Zhu San and Zhu Si's eyes.
They grew up in the palace, with their daily routines arranged as regular as clockwork, and they had no chance to enjoy the free and easy life of ordinary children. Now that they have reached the age of playing and pursuing excitement, they naturally feel that the picture described by Zhu Hao is the paradise of their dreams.
Zhu Si couldn't help but grab his sister's sleeve. His meaning was very clear: he must get Zhu Hao into the palace and let the little brother lead us to live this kind of life!
Seeing the wide-open city gate, Zhu Hao pointed to the shops on both sides of the official road and said, "There are shops selling ready-made clothes here. Do you have money with you? We can spend a dozen coins to buy some ordinary children's clothes to change into, and then the soldiers won't notice anything unusual when we enter the city."
Zhu San quickly felt his pocket.
Only then did she realize that her purse was missing.
"Oh, my purse fell into the puddle. It was the purse that my mother embroidered..."
"I...I don't have any money."
Zhu San and Zhu Si both turned their eyes to Zhu Hao.
Zhu Hao frowned: "Why are you doing this? I have... a dozen coins here, but they are all for my mother's medicine. If I don't have this money in two days, my mother's medicine won't be refilled..."
Zhu San said, "Stingy guy, we will return it to you later. You should quickly use the money to buy us some clothes. You are soaking wet and will be questioned by the soldiers when you enter the city."
This is exactly the effect we want.
Zhu Hao's goal was to make the two children owe him something. Even if they failed to enter the palace this time, at least there was a chance for them to meet again.
"You promised to return it to me. If I don't have money to buy medicine for my mother, I..." Zhu Hao pouted with an aggrieved look, as if this would really put his family in trouble.
Zhu Si said firmly, "Zhu Hao, don't worry. You saved us. If we don't even pay back your mother for the medicine, then we are nothing."
Zhu Hao nodded: "In this case, then we are friends. You can't just sit back and watch your friend in trouble. You must help me get into the palace!"
…
…
Zhu Hao had arranged everything long ago.
In a clothing store outside the city, they specially prepared children's clothes, more than one set, and the materials were all very good.
If the two little ones had a little social experience, they would know that three sets of clothes without patches, even if they were children's clothes, would cost more than a dozen cents.
After changing clothes, everything went smoothly when we entered the city.
Zhu San and Zhu Si hurried home.
When entering the palace gate, the guards noticed something unusual, but because there was a difference between master and servant and Zhu San had sneaked out before , they did not ask any further questions.
However, after receiving the notification, Prince Laoxing Zhu Youju immediately sent someone to call the two children to his study.
In front of the desk, Zhu Youlang, wearing a dragon robe, sat upright with a calm expression. The jade ring on his hand was damaged in several places, but he still treated it as a treasure and twisted it with his fingers from time to time.
The two children didn't even dare to raise their heads when they did something wrong.
"Why didn't you study this afternoon? Where did you go to play?" Zhu Youqiu's eyes were as sharp as lightning when he asked the question, and he was intimidating without being angry.
Zhu San hesitated: "We...we went out to play."
Zhu Youqiu's expression became more and more stern: "Where are we going to play?"
"Go... go to the city."
This was not the first or second time that Zhu San lied. In the past, he would always find excuses to understand the local customs and habits. But this time, in order to avoid letting people know that he and his brother fell into the water, he could only say that he went to play in the city.
Zhu Youqi said with a dark face: "It's fine if you are dishonest, but why did you take your brother with you? You even ran away secretly without even taking the guards with you. If something goes wrong, can you afford to take responsibility?"
At this moment, an old scholar with gray hair in a bun and a square scarf came in from the door. He was about sixty years old, with kind eyes and a gentle smile, and saluted Zhu Youluo.
It was Yuan Zonggao, the chief secretary of the royal palace.
Yuan Zonggao, a native of Shishou, was a Jinshi in the third year of Hongzhi. He was the right chief secretary of the Chief Secretary's Office of the Prince of Xing's Palace and one of the right-hand men of Prince of Xing Zhu Youju. After the left chief secretary Zhang Jingming returned to Jiangyin, Zhejiang to observe the mourning period at the beginning of the ninth year of Zhengde, Yuan Zonggao became the pillar of the palace.
Historically, Yuan Zonggao accompanied Zhu Houcong to the throne, and entered the cabinet as the Minister of Rites and Grand Secretary of Wenyuan Pavilion. He helped Zhu Houcong propose the grand ceremony debate, but died of illness four months later.
As for Zhang Jingming, he died of illness in the same year as Yuan Zonggao, but died at the beginning of the year before Zhu Houcong ascended the throne. His status and treatment were very different from those of Yuan Zonggao. Therefore, Gu Lin, who wrote his biography, lamented about Zhang Jingming, "Everyone regrets that Jingming could not be of great use in the dynasty of restoration."
"Prince Xing, it is the nature of children to love to play. Going to the city to stroll around is just to understand the people's sentiments. There is no need to be too harsh on them. Just teach them not to go out without telling others in the future. It is fine as long as someone accompanies them."
