Chapter 54 Roommate
Yu San drove the carriage, carrying Zhu Hao and his new belongings, through the streets and alleys and stopped at the west gate of the palace.
When Zhu Hao returned, the guards from the palace's ceremonial guard department hurried to inform Lu Song.
When Lu Song saw Zhu Hao carrying a lot of bags, his brows furrowed.
"Master Zhu, why are you back?"
Lu Song asked with a gloomy face.
Zhu Hao pursed his lips and said, "Lu Dianzhang is asking knowingly. I have no choice in many things... My grandmother came to my house today and said that if I don't come back to the palace, she will send me to work as a laborer in the kiln... If it were Lu Dianzhang, would you be able to quit if you wanted to?"
Tit for tat, without any mercy!
Lu Song was stunned at first. This kid is so angry. Is he sure that I dare not refute him so he dares to talk to me like this?
But when he saw Zhu Hao's frustrated face, he immediately realized that Zhu Hao was obviously unwilling to come back. If he really wanted to stay in the palace, why did he run away before?
Lu Song sighed inwardly, shook his head, went forward to help Zhu Hao pick up the bag, and led the way into the door.
Following Lu Song to the courtyard where they were staying, Zhu Hao discovered other people's belongings inside as soon as he entered the house. Although he was curious, he did not ask Lu Song.
Lu Song took the initiative to explain the situation.
"You will live here for the time being. The young master of the Jing County Magistrate's family has also moved into the palace and will sleep with you... He moved in this morning and went to the school to study in the afternoon."
Zhu Hao was not surprised at all about the news that Master Jing was entering the palace.
When Lu Song was about to leave, he suddenly remembered something and kindly reminded him, "We should not have any contact recently, so as not to arouse suspicion... You are safe for now, no one dares to harm you again, so don't come to me if you have nothing to do."
Lu Song could not get over the arson caused by the sharp-bristled hoe last time, but he could not guess what role Zhu Hao played in it, so the only thing he could do now was to keep his distance from Zhu Hao.
Zhu Hao shouted at Lu Song's back: "Thank you, Lu Dianzhang."
"oh?"
Lu Song turned around and looked at Zhu Hao.
Zhu Hao nodded: "I am grateful that you didn't tell Captain Lin about my saving the prince from the fire, so my grandmother didn't blame you... Hehe, I didn't expect to save the prince..."
Lu Song asked with a straight face: "So, you knew that Zhu Si was the prince?"
Zhu Hao spread his hands: "Lu Dianzhang is confused, right? After saving him that day, I heard Zhang Fengzheng say it himself... Do you think if I knew in advance that Zhu Si was the prince, would I save him or not?"
Lu Song was speechless for a moment.
Yes, Zhu Si is the prince, and few people in the palace know the truth. How could someone outside, especially a half-grown child, know about it in advance?
"But I think I will definitely save him... I think if it was Lu Dianzhang, he would have the same idea as me."
The attitude expressed by Zhu Hao was actually to remind Lu Song that our goal had been the same from the beginning to the end, that is, not to be an enemy of Prince Xing's Mansion. Investigating the intelligence of the palace for the Jinyiwei was just a job, and relying on the palace for survival and even prosperity was life.
There's no need to make our relationship tense.
…
…
Towards dusk in the afternoon, Master Jing returned.
Lu Bing also came with Master Jing.
At this time, Lu Bing followed behind Master Jing angrily, rolling his eyes from time to time... It was obviously related to Master Jing's previous cold attitude towards him. Even though Lu Bing was young, he had a temper.
"I mentioned you to the prince this afternoon. I didn't expect you to come so soon!" There was a "murderous aura" or resentment in Master Jing's body.
There is a kind of sadness that goes "If we have Yu, why do we have Liang?"
Zhu Hao looked at Lu Bing and asked with a smile, "A Bing, are you here to see your father?"
Lu Bing's face brightened when he saw Zhu Hao. He nodded and said, " I'm going home with my father... He has to leave at the end of the workday, so I have to stay here and do my homework... Zhu Hao, can you please stop calling me A Bing?"
Master Jing pursed his lips and looked at Lu Bing: "Isn't that what the prince usually calls you?"
Needless to say, the "prince" that Master Jing mentioned was Zhu San, because the image that the palace created for the little princess was that of the Prince of Xing, and when encountering danger, it was Zhu San, her sister, who would take the lead.
"I don't like this name." Lu Bing lowered his head and said seriously, "I call you by your full names, can you also call me by my full name? My name is Lu Bing."
"snort!"
Master Jing had a bad attitude, as if the whole world owed him something. Soon he turned his gaze to Zhu Hao: "Your name is Zhu Hao, and my name is Jing Hong."
Zhu Hao smiled when he heard this.
Jing Hong glared at him and asked, "Why are you laughing?"
Zhu Hao's smile remained unchanged: "I finally know your name, Jinghong, a glimpse of a startled beauty... I know this idiom. Laughing means realizing why your father gave you this name... What do you think about this?"
Jing Hong said: "You made fun of my name, why can't I have an opinion? The "Hong" in my name is not the "Hong" in "Jing Hong"... Are you making fun of me?"
"Hey, Jing, stop being so sensitive, okay? How did I laugh at you? My name is Zhu Hao, you can call me Haozi, I have no objection... It's just a name, a code name, don't be nervous."
If Zhu Hao were reborn as a human being, how could Jing Hong be qualified to compare with him even if he had insights? Besides, he never had an excessive self-esteem, and he would not be like a hedgehog who would get angry at the slightest provocation.
You think I'm making fun of you, kid. You might as well accuse me of taking on the role of your father and deliberately taking advantage of you...
Jing Hong calmed down a little.
He has a strong self-esteem, which is related to his background and family education. In the previous selection test, he lost to Zhu Hao, and it was a complete defeat. He couldn't help but feel inferior, so he cared so much about what Zhu Hao said.
Lu Bing stared at the two older people arguing with wide eyes. He licked his lips with a look of unsatisfied feeling and said, "Are you done arguing? I want to go home."
Jing Hong asked, "Didn't you just say you wanted to wait for your father?"
Lu Bing shook his head. "You guys are making so much noise that I feel dizzy. How can I have the energy to do my homework? Besides, my dad is often busy until very late, so he may not be able to pick me up on time. Anyway, this place is not far from my home, so I can go back on my own... My mom must have prepared dinner and is waiting for me to come back."
After these words were spoken, not only Jing Hong, but even Zhu Hao was envious.
They are both tutors in the palace, why is there such a big difference in their treatment?
Others can go to school as day students, so why do we have to live in the dormitory? This kind of life where our parents don’t love us is likely to continue until we grow up...
Lu Bing ignored Jing Hong's envious look and went out on his own.
The guard at the door took the initiative to greet Lu Bing and was extremely enthusiastic... Who made this kid have a good father?
…
…
Lu Bing left.
Zhu Hao reminded Jing Hong who was distracted: "Don't look at him. He is the son of the guard of the palace, one of their own, while we were recruited from the people to accompany the prince. The treatment we receive... is incomparable. It's good that the palace doesn't watch us like thieves."
After saying that, Zhu Hao went into the inner room.
In the inner room, besides the desk by the window, there are two beds, one is his and the other is Jinghong's... No matter how the palace arranges things in the future, at least the two of them will be roommates for the next two days.
After entering the room, Jinghong sat down on the stool next to the desk, looking depressed.
Zhu Hao picked up a piece of pie and was about to break it open to eat, when he suddenly remembered something and gave half of it to Jing Hong.
Jing Hong frowned: "Why eat this? The palace arranged meals at noon, but they won't take care of it at night?"
Zhu Hao smiled and said, "You really asked the right person... I have been in the palace for more than one or two days. Don't be surprised. I just went home yesterday. In fact, I came here early in the morning, but I lived in the courtyard east of the palace... It's like this. The palace opens for dinner later in the evening because many workers have to wait until the sun sets before returning... How about eating something to fill your stomach? Otherwise, you will be hungry!"
Jing Hong looked at the greasy pie, as if he had never eaten such a thing before. In addition, he had not eaten much at noon, so he swallowed his saliva, but said, "No need."
This was because he couldn't lose face and didn't want Zhu Hao to look down on him. After all, they had just argued about it before.
Zhu Hao didn't force it and stuffed the pie directly into his mouth.
The meat filling, which is a 50-50 ratio of leeks and meat, was fried to perfection. When Zhu Hao returned to the palace this time, Zhu Niang and Aunt Li made a batch of these dumplings. The skin was thin, the filling was large, and the aroma was fragrant.
Jinghong was so envious.
Although he is the son of a county magistrate, his father has just taken office as the magistrate of Changshou. Before that, he was unemployed at home and could not make any money. Even though his family has some fields and houses and land registered by villagers that allow him to live a worry-free life, his quality of life is difficult to compare with that of Zhu Hao, whose living conditions have been greatly improved today.
"The food in the palace is not delicious. If you don't eat it, I will finish it!"
Zhu Hao's mouth made a "smacking" chewing sound, further tempting her.
Jinghong did not answer, but stood up and walked out. With his upbringing, he would naturally not accept "beggar's food". He pretended to go to the toilet, but in fact he went outside to wait for the meal to be served, so as to avoid seeing it.
"This kid, you don't know the nature of the palace. You have food but you don't eat it. You deserve to starve."
…
…
Zhu Hao is considered a veteran in the palace.
He knew a lot of things. He could eat more at lunch in the palace, and at night, the guards and craftsmen would eat and take away many dishes before they were even put on the table, just to satisfy the needs of the whole family.
Since you can eat and take food at the palace, why do you need to cook at home?
Besides, the food in the palace is at least of the finest quality. Ordinary people cannot afford fine food every day, so it would be best if they could take some home. So, the higher-ranking people took the better food, and the lower-ranking people took the ordinary food. The rest...
For example, people like Zhu Hao and Jing Hong who make their living from their relatives and friends...it's considered good enough if they can give you something to eat.
In the cafeteria, Jing Hong looked at the bowl of porridge and a plate of pickles on the table, and almost couldn't help but stand up to argue with the people in the kitchen.
"Don't make a fuss. They will tell you that you have food and drink, and you are not satisfied? If you want to make a big fuss, they will teach you a lesson in secret... You don't want their saliva or snot in your food in the future, do you?"
Zhu Hao warned with a smile.
Jing Hong glared at Zhu Hao: "Don't bluff me."
Zhu Hao stretched out his hand and made a "please" gesture, meaning, if you don't believe it, go ahead.
Jinghong really didn't dare to argue.
He was born into a noble family, and now he came to a strange place, especially a royal palace with a much higher status than his own family. Facing a group of jackals, what can he do even if he has a lot of backbone?
Even if you haven't learned to be tolerant, you should at least know that it is better to offend a gentleman than a villain, right?
"By the way, I also have some pancakes made by mixing flour, eggs, chopped green onions and other ingredients together. If you want to eat some, go back and eat them with water. Take a bite when you are hungry. They are so delicious..." Zhu Hao reminded.
Jing Hong frowned: "No need!"
