Chapter 39: Murder to silence witnesses?
Entering Prince Xing's Palace smoothly may seem like a good idea, but it is actually full of dangers.
They know your background. As the enemy of the palace, how could they trust you and let you meet King Xing's only son?
I've already done you justice by giving you a roof over your head and providing you with three meals a day.
This is a headache!
After some observation, Zhu Hao figured out his current situation. This courtyard was similar to the firewood room or wood warehouse of the palace, and the room he lived in was reserved for the night watchman. Although it was in the palace, it was not part of the inner house, but a transition area from the inner house to the outer house.
To enter the inner house, one has to pass through a gate or climb over a two-meter-high wall, which is difficult to cross as there are guards and patrols.
Zhu Hao started thinking about it.
What can you do in the inner house?
I'm here to be a spy, not an assassin.
Usually, not many people come to the warehouse, and the yard is full of wood and tools. One has to eat with the carpenters and helpers in the east wing of the palace.
The group of people in the East Cross Courtyard was headed by the "two evils".
"The Second Evil" is the nickname given by Zhu Hao.
As their names suggest, the two men were extremely vicious and hated by both humans and ghosts. One was called Hou Chun and the other was called Li Shun.
Hou Chun was not a craftsman, but a troublemaker among the helpers. He was related to an official in the Chief Secretary's Office of the Royal Palace. He was usually arrogant and domineering, and would scold others at any time.
Li Shunze was the foreman of the craftsmen, responsible for directing the work of the craftsmen in the palace. He was stern, arrogant and harsh, and would deduct their wages if he was not satisfied with the work.
Below the two evils are the "two dog legs".
The specific names of the two are unknown. Outsiders call them Daxi and Jianmaochu... Jianmaochu is a local dialect, meaning stingy. He is a cunning and mean person, and is Hou Chun's chief horse.
On Zhu Hao's first day in the palace, when he went to the cafeteria for lunch, he was targeted by Hou Chun and Li Shun.
Li Shun threw two rice balls into Zhu Hao's bowl with a cold face, while Hou Chun called for a sharp-bristled hoe and "carried" Zhu Hao back to the yard.
"...Just chop wood here properly from now on. If you dare to come out, I'll kill you!" The sharp-bristled hoe threatened viciously.
Zhu Hao argued: "Then what should I do about my meals?"
The sharp-haired hoe sneered: "I'll tell you to eat first, otherwise you can starve to death here and never cross the line."
The afternoon passed, night fell, and even when the second watch drum sounded, no one came to call Zhu Hao for dinner.
Zhu Hao simply left the yard by himself, walked through the alley with high walls on both sides, and entered the door of the canteen in the east wing, but saw a group of people who had finished eating and drinking and were gambling around the open-air stove in the backyard.
Only at this time did they ignore Zhu Hao and let him find leftovers to fill his stomach. No one paid any attention to him until he barely finished his meal and left.
The people who work in the palace are basically recruited locally and have families. They live on a fixed salary and can't get away with eating, drinking and whoring without money or status, but when it comes to gambling, anyone can get involved.
If you have big money, gamble big; if you have small money, gamble small.
The banker that night was Jianmaoqiao, who was shouting and yelling at the gambling table, looking very domineering.
After leaving the kitchen, Zhu Hao was not in a hurry to go back. He continued walking along the alley towards the inner house. Unexpectedly, after he had taken a few steps forward, someone from the Royal Guard who was on patrol passed by.
"What for?"
A guard came over and asked.
"I... came to the palace to be a tutor. It's my first day and I can't find the way back to my residence." Zhu Hao bowed.
The guard pointed to the alley behind Zhu Hao and said, "Just turn the corner and you'll arrive. Don't go near the inner house!"
These guards seemed to know his identity and their attitudes were fierce and defensive, which gave Zhu Hao a headache.
You can only turn back.
Zhu Hao thought about it and realized that since Zhu San and Zhu Si were able to run out to play from the heavily guarded Prince Xing's Mansion, there must be a secret channel connecting the inner house and the outer courtyard that could easily pass through the two walls.
But since he had just arrived at the palace, it was not easy to figure out the situation. It was still the same problem. There was no point in entering the inner courtyard of the palace alone. The most important thing was to quickly contact Zhu San and Zhu Si to facilitate the implementation of the next plan and gain the trust of the palace.
…
…
At this time, in the inner courtyard of the palace.
Zhu San and Zhu Si finished their classes for the day and were about to go back to rest at dusk when they saw Yuan Zonggao walking in a hurry.
"Mr. Yuan!"
The two children hurried over to Yuan Zonggao.
Yuan Zonggao saw the two little masters and nodded with a smile.
Zhu San asked, "Mr. Yuan, I heard that our study partners have been selected. Why haven't we seen them in the past two days? When will they come?"
" oh!?"
Yuan Zonggao pretended to be surprised, "Didn't we ask the kid from the Lu family to be your study partner?"
"He? He's too young... He hasn't even started learning yet, and doesn't even know a few words... Aren't the two selected companions said to be very knowledgeable and about the same age as us?"
Zhu San was well-informed. He had been asking people for information these past two days, but the instructors and guards avoided answering his questions, so he could only ask Yuan Zonggao.
Yuan Zonggao smiled.
In fact, not only Zhu Hao, but even the son of the Jing County Magistrate was not summoned to the two little princes... You are a newly appointed county magistrate, and you immediately flatter Prince Xing and send your son to the palace as a companion. Who knows what conspiracy is behind this...
How could Prince Xing's Mansion rashly summon someone into the palace without conducting a thorough investigation?
However, the attitude towards Zhu Hao was different. The Prince Xing's Mansion had not yet summoned Master Jing to the palace. Therefore, the only person who could truly become Zhu San and Zhu Si's study companion was the inexperienced Lu Bing.
Yuan Zonggao said: "Regarding the matter of companion study, His Royal Highness Prince Xing is still considering the situation. You don't have to worry, you will see him eventually."
After saying that, he stopped arguing with them and went straight away.
…
…
Seeing Yuan Zonggao leave, Zhu San was very dissatisfied.
At this time, Lu Bing came jogging over with a Cuju in his hand.
There was a boy behind Lu Bing, who was one or two years older than Zhu San and Zhu Si. He was an attendant that the palace had found for them earlier, and was almost like a servant.
"Third sister, let's go play Cuju." Zhu Si just wanted to play.
Zhu San waved his hand and called Lu Bing closer, and asked, "You said that the news was spread out before, and you also said that someone you know can pass the message to the rabbit seller... What does that person look like?"
Lu Bing's eyes widened. At his age, he didn't know how to describe the appearance of the people he had met.
"How do you know him?" Zhu San continued to ask.
Lu Bing said: "I... I came to take the exam with him, he... is much better than me..."
Zhu San's eyes lit up and he asked, "Do you know his name?"
Lu Bing shook his head.
"Is your name Zhu Hao?" Zhu Si asked.
Lu Bing nodded in surprise and said repeatedly: "Yes, yes, his name is Zhu Hao, I remember it now."
Zhu San pointed a finger at Lu Bing's forehead and complained, "Why didn't you tell me earlier? Wouldn't that mean you were delivering the message to him? Do you know if he has entered the palace yet?"
This stumped Lu Bing.
The fact that Zhu Hao entered the palace was no secret to those who wanted to guard against Zhu Hao's spying, but how could these little guys in the inner courtyard of the palace know about it?
"Go back and ask your father, he should know... Okay, let's go play!" Zhu San saw that Lu Bing was too young and it was too difficult to communicate with him, but this did not prevent him from letting Lu Bing do things.
Lu Bing has a father who is the chief of the royal guard. He is well-informed and can just meet the needs of Zhu San and Zhu Si.
…
…
The first three days that Zhu Hao entered the palace.
Nothing serious, nothing happened.
His main task was to chop wood, but he did not eat at regular times or in regular quantities. He would just eat at mealtime. Occasionally he would be targeted, but after two days no one cared about him. Even the "Second Evil" and "Second Dog Legs" lost interest in him. There was no fixed amount of food supplied in the canteen. If there was more, he would eat more, and if there was less, he would eat less. For a child, he would not go hungry, and after a few days he would occasionally see meat, which showed that the food in the palace was not bad.
It was unrealistic to go to the inner courtyard of the palace. Zhu Hao tried to sneak out of the palace but found it difficult as well.
Fortunately, there is a holiday every ten days, so I can go out of the palace and get some fresh air.
The current situation seems that he is trapped in the palace and unable to move, but in fact he can only be regarded as working here. The palace did not say that he would be trapped here for a long time and not allowed to leave.
At night, when it was pitch black, Zhu Hao climbed onto the roof and observed the alley outside.
If there was one convenience, it was that the alley outside was the only road leading to the inner courtyard in the southeast of the palace. At night, when he lay on the roof, no one would notice that there was a child staring at him.
Zhu Hao could remember who was walking around and when they came and went. At the end of the alley, there was a windproof tung oil lamp. Although it could not illuminate the faces of the people coming and going clearly, it could roughly distinguish their body shapes, giving Zhu Hao an impression in his mind.
It’s strange that there were people entering and leaving the warehouse during the day, but no one was there at night.
It was not until the fourth night after Zhu Hao entered the palace that he was on the rooftop keeping watch when he heard two helpers passing by whispering, "There's something fishy going on here, it's really scary..."
Haunted?
Zhu Hao stayed there for a few days. He felt that he ate well and slept soundly. His life was monotonous but he had the energy to organize and think about his life. It was a rare opportunity for him to calmly summarize the gains and losses of two lifetimes. Who would have thought that he was living in a haunted house?
The next day, Zhu Hao specially found an old carpenter named Old Song who looked kind and had talked to Zhu Hao before during dinner to ask him. He then found out that a maid and a guard in the palace had been having an affair in the warehouse at night, and they were discovered. The maid was so ashamed that she hanged herself in the warehouse the next day.
Finally, Old Song said meaningfully: "You are a boy, your yang energy is strong and can suppress ghosts and gods, don't be afraid!"
Zhu Hao really wanted to curse, I'm afraid of you, you big-headed ghost.
I've died once, so why would I be afraid of someone dying in the house?
Zhu Hao wanted to further inquire which guard was messing around in the palace, but Old Song was very secretive, and it seemed that he knew but didn't want to say it.
The next day, July 5th, according to the agreed rules, he could go home early that morning, stay at home overnight and come back the next day.
Zhu Hao still went up to the roof as usual.
The weather was hot at the turn of summer and autumn, so it was a good time to go out and get some fresh air. Near midnight, two people came over stealthily, went outside the yard, and leaned against the wall, discussing something in a low voice.
Originally, Zhu Hao would not get too close to the alley, but seeing the two men acting stealthily, he naturally wanted to get closer to listen, and immediately climbed carefully towards the direction of the courtyard wall.
"...The Marquis said that if this kid stays in the palace, he will be a disaster sooner or later. Why don't we take the initiative to help the higher-ups and give him to..."
When Zhu Hao heard it, he felt the voice was familiar.
After a little thought, he remembered that the person who spoke was Jianmao Jue, but he didn't know who the other person was.
Bad guy!
Is this to... silence the witnesses?
