Chapter 41: Secret Contact
Zhu Hao got the information he wanted and didn't care about rewards at all.
The old lady was very cunning. She probably realized that her grandson knew something but didn't say it out loud. But she also felt that Zhu Hao had only been in Prince Xing's Mansion for a short time and would not know much. After giving him a few simple instructions, she let Zhu Hao return to the city.
When leaving the city, Butler Liu personally picked him up, and when returning, the servants of the mansion drove the carriage. When they dropped Zhu Hao off at the city gate, they let him get off and walk on his own. Zhu Hao did not care about the difference in treatment.
It was almost noon when I got home.
Zhu Niang was not at home, and when asking Aunt Li, she only learned that it was the government officials who invited the merchants in the city to a banquet at the county government office and treated them well, as if there was something important to discuss.
It was past noon before Zhu Niang came back.
"Mom, is there anything going on at the county government office?"
Zhu Hao asked without waiting for Zhu Niang to say goodbye to her son.
Zhu Niang said, "The new magistrate in Beijing said that the situation in Jiangxi and Jiangxi was not peaceful, and that banditry and riots were also frequent in our Hunan, Guangdong and South China. The Huguang Military Commission wanted to send troops to suppress the rebellion, but they were short of food and money, so they asked the merchants in the city to help raise funds... So, Niang donated 12 stone of grain. There was nothing she could do."
Zhu Hao really wanted to say that this was simply blackmail.
It's fine for the imperial court to ask local officials to pay for the suppression of bandits, but can such a thing be imposed on ordinary merchants? You, Jing Zhongkuan, are really a person who will do anything to achieve your political career, even worse than your predecessor Shen Li.
"The magistrate of Jing County has just arrived and is taking good care of us. We have no choice but to come out and express our stance."
According to Zhu Niang, not only did she promise to donate grain worth ten taels of silver, but she also took the lead. Perhaps it was because Jing Zhongkuan came to the shop as soon as he took office and flattered Zhu Niang.
Jing Zhongkuan's move is simply...
Zhu Hao sighed and said, "Mom, we can't be too honest. How much have others donated? Also, I complained to the Zhu family that we were running out of money, but now I'm actively responding to the government's call for donations. Isn't that suspicious?"
Zhu Niang said: "I didn't think too much about it at the time, but the Zhu family and its businesses were not among those invited this time, so I guess they probably didn't know."
Do you really think that the Zhu family is out of touch with the news?
Lady, you are not just following the crowd, but you are the one who takes the lead.
Zhu Hao was glad that his relationship with his family was relatively balanced. Perhaps it was because he went into Prince Xing's mansion to gather information that even though the Zhu family knew about it, they did not make things difficult for Zhu Niang. After all, the old lady promised in person that as long as she paid twenty taels of silver every month, Zhu Niang could use the rest as she pleased.
…
…
The family sat down and had lunch together.
Zhu Niang and Aunt Li were both very concerned about Zhu Hao's experience in the palace. Zhu Hao could only tell some lies to comfort them, saying that he had started studying with Zhu Houcong, the prince of Xing Wang.
As a result, both women looked relieved.
"Mom, I won't stay at home tonight. I have agreed with Prince Xiaoxing that we should read together at night." Zhu Hao prepared to return to Prince Xing's mansion early.
Zhu Niang asked in confusion: "You only come back for one day in a ten-day period... Can't you stay one more day?"
Zhu Hao said, "Mother, this is the case. I just met Prince Xiaoxing. We need to interact more to enhance our relationship. Besides, I will study hard when I return."
Aunt Li pulled on Zhu Niang's sleeve and said, "It's rare that Master Hao is so eager to learn. Let him go back."
If Zhu Hao didn't want to go back to the palace after returning home, the two women would definitely be worried.
Just like in later generations, if a classmate is unwilling to go to school, parents must be alert to find out the truth and see if their children are being bullied at school. But now Zhu Hao took the initiative to ask to go back to school. In the eyes of the two women, Zhu Hao should not have suffered in Xingwang Mansion, so they naturally feel relieved.
Zhu Niang went to the kitchen herself and made some meat-filled pancakes for Zhu Hao before dark. She also gave her son some loose change and copper coins so that Zhu Hao could use them to improve his relationships when he returned home, and buy snacks if he was hungry...
…
…
Originally, Zhu Niang wanted to ask Yu San, Zhong Shu and others to come home and send her son back to Prince Xing's Mansion, but Zhu Hao left home on his own on the grounds that he was anxious to go back to study.
Zhu Hao wanted to find an opportunity to contact Lu Song when the people from the Royal Guard Department of the Palace were inspecting the East Courtyard before dark.
After staying in the palace for a few days, he has already figured out the daily habits of the people there.
All the guards of the Royal Guards are military households, and they are actually also responsible for farming. The fields are rented to them by the Xingwang Palace for farming. The guards are divided into two shifts, one for farming and the other for guarding. They usually change shifts in the afternoon, every two days.
When it's time to change shifts, Lu Song, the guard of the palace's ceremonial guard, will appear.
At this moment, Zhu Hao guessed that Lu Song was most likely the court's spy planted in Prince Xing's Mansion. His job in Prince Xing's Mansion was at a standstill, so naturally he had to make full use of this relationship.
Zhu Hao had just entered Prince Xing's Mansion from the southeast corner gate and was still some distance away from the east wing when he heard muffled "bang bang bang" sounds and a pig-killing-like voice that kept shouting, "Unfair, unfair..."
Zhu Hao felt that the voice was familiar. Wasn't he the guy who was peeing under the wall with the sharp-haired hoe last night, discussing how to deal with him?
When I arrived at the gate of the east courtyard, I looked inside and found it was very lively.
More than a dozen people from the Royal Palace's Guard Department came. Three craftsmen were pressed on a wooden bench and were being caned by the guards of the Royal Palace's Guard Department. The one being caned was the one who was shouting, and Zhu Hao looked a little unfamiliar.
Zhu Hao knew the other two people who were beaten. One was called Wang Wu and the other was called Lao Ga.
Lu Song, the chief guard of the palace's ceremonial guard, stood aside. He was the executor. As for the craftsmen of the palace, they stood against the wall. Hou Chun and Li Shun looked at Lu Song and the guards of the palace's ceremonial guard with angry eyes. However, Jianba Hao was not punished, and no one saw him at the scene.
"Lu Dianzhang, what do you mean? My people just start fighting when I tell them to?" Hou Chun couldn't stand it anymore and went straight up to Lu Song to question him.
Lu Song said, "It was ordered by Chief Yuan himself. The people in your East Courtyard are dishonest and have frequently lost items. This time they were caught red-handed... In addition, the accounts of the wood purchased in the past six months don't match... We'll check this matter later."
Lu Song is obviously not a reckless man with courage but no strategy.
His words have two meanings. One is that these people are dishonest and deserve to be beaten.
The second level is to warn Hou Chun that if you speak for them and there are problems when checking the accounts later, don’t blame me for being ruthless.
Hou Chun was a little frightened when he heard this, and he stepped aside obediently and stopped talking to his men.
Zhu Hao was originally an outsider, but after looking around, he suddenly realized something was wrong.
I just heard the sharp-haired hoe and the guy who made the pig-killing noises discuss how to deal with him last night. The next day, this guy was reported for having dirty hands and feet and was caught in a scandal. Could it be that someone is protecting him secretly?
Zhu Hao couldn't help but think of the person who hid in the wall to eavesdrop on the news last night. Then he looked at Lu Song's figure. Hey, they really are somewhat similar.
…
…
The guards who were carrying out the caning inside beat the man with twenty sticks and then withdrew.
Lu Song brought his men out and saw Zhu Hao standing at the door. He couldn't help but frown slightly. It was obvious that he didn't want to face Zhu Hao directly. He called for his men and was about to leave.
Zhu Hao walked over and greeted with a smile: "Lu Dianzhang, I am Lu Bing's friend... My name is Zhu Hao, and my grandfather is Zhu Qianhu of Jinyiwei."
Lu Song didn't expect Zhu Hao to greet him in such a "special" way. Just when he wanted to wave his hand to drive Zhu Hao away, Zhu Hao suddenly leaned close and whispered: "I have something concerning your son's safety, and I want to discuss it with you... Do you think it's convenient tonight? I'll wait for you!"
After saying that, Zhu Hao ran away first.
This confused Lu Song.
"Boss, what did that kid say?"
A man walked up to Lu Dianzhang and asked.
Lu Song looked at him and said, "What can a child say?"
The man smiled and asked no more questions, but Lu Song's face did not look good. It was obvious that what Zhu Hao said to him made him feel emotional.
…
…
At dusk that day, everything was the same as before.
Zhu Hao first went to the kitchen to eat together. Jianmaochu and others also came back. They went out to work in Wangzhuang outside the city early in the morning. The three people who were beaten before had been carried home to recuperate.
"There must be someone plotting against us. We have been working in the palace for so many years and everything has been fine. How could something like this happen? Master Li, I can't swallow this!"
The sharp-haired hoe was filled with indignation.
Daxi, the other "dogleg", slammed the table and said, "We must teach them a lesson. My Lord, please make sure to report this to the inner courtyard!"
Li Shun put down his wine glass and sneered, "They are the royal guards, what are you? Hurry up and eat, and then go home. If there are any noisy wives and children at home, go home and deal with them as soon as possible, otherwise they will tear the roof off the house if you don't punish them for three days. Otherwise, find a place to sleep properly... The yard will be locked at night these few days. Whoever makes trouble will be punished!"
Li Shun, as the leader of this group of craftsmen, felt that they were being targeted and even their gambling programs every night were cancelled.
If this group of people didn't gamble, they couldn't get out through the small door in the east wing. Zhu Hao had been thinking about trying to sneak out at night to explore the terrain, but now it seems that there is no hope.
…
…
Zhu Hao returned to the warehouse yard.
He went to his room, lit the tung oil lamp, and took out the pack of candles that Zhu Niang had prepared for him from his schoolbag.
In order to prevent her son from feeling lonely at night, Zhu Niang prepared nine candles for Zhu Hao, meaning that Zhu Hao would light one candle every night. The candles were very thick, and one candle could burn for nearly two hours as long as the flame was normal. Together with the tung oil lamp, Zhu Hao could have light to illuminate the first half of the night every day.
It is considered a luxury these days.
Zhu Hao wanted to pick up the book and read it, but he couldn't calm down.
What he was thinking about was whether Lu Song would really come to the appointment in the evening. At that time, he talked about Lu Bing's safety. Lu Song only had this son for the time being, and his second son Lu Wei had not been born yet. He should be aware of Zhu Hao's identity as an undercover agent. How could he be indifferent to his words?
It was almost midnight when footsteps were heard outside. Lu Song finally arrived.
“Bang, bang, bang!”
There was a slight knock on the door.
Zhu Hao had actually seen it on the wall a long time ago. He came down carefully and opened the door. Lu Song was holding a lantern without a candle in his hand and had a sword on his waist, which was equally dangerous for Zhu Hao.
What if Lu Song wants to kill people to silence them?
"Lu Dianzhang, you are finally here. I have been waiting for a long time."
Zhu Hao greeted with a smile, looking confident of victory.
Lu Song closed the door by himself, and when he turned around, he looked around the room, his expression slightly nervous. Zhu Hao smiled and went to light the tung oil lamp by himself.
