Volume 2: Residence in the Capital Chapter 139: The Young Lady's Grumpy Mood When She Wakes Up
While Zhu Ying and Zhang Shou each had a good sleep for half the night thanks to the soothing incense that continued to be lit in the room, the gate of Zhao Garden was closed tightly in the second half of the night, and no one was allowed to enter or leave. A thorough search began, in which not even a tree or a pot of flowers was spared.
Even though they used to boast of strict rules, they would find so many forbidden things and gold and silver of unknown origin after such a large-scale search. The manager of Zhao Garden, who was smiling when he greeted Zhu Ying and Zhang Shou yesterday, was stunned by the piles of things found in the search, and dared not say a word.
Zhu Hong, who personally led the search, looked at the piles of messy things, his face was already livid. He took a deep breath and said angrily: "If it weren't for the fact that my Zhaoguo Mansion never lynches people, these stolen goods would be enough to make many of you die dozens of times! Examine them all carefully, and don't let any crime go!"
When Zhang Shou woke up from a good night's dream and got out of bed to change his clothes and wash himself, he heard Ah Liu behind him say, "There was a commotion outside all night last night."
Zhang Shou yawned, and couldn't help but stretch without caring about his image, and then asked casually, "Where's Yingying?"
"The young lady is still sleeping." Seeing Zhang Shou turned his head and looked at him in astonishment, Ah Liu did not explain, but looked at the incense in the corner. At this time, the room had been opened for ventilation, but the sweet fragrance of the incense could still be vaguely smelled in the air, so Zhang Shou suddenly realized. There is no doubt that Zhu Ying was able to sleep soundly until now, relying on this thing.
He got up early and changed into a sandalwood-colored outfit. As for why Zhaoyuan, the branch of the Duke of Zhao's mansion, had clothes that matched his size, he knew without thinking that someone must have made eight or ten sets of clothes and sent them to the manor under the name of the Duke of Zhao's mansion.
He was too lazy to think too much about this kind of thoughtful service. When he left Nuanxiangwu, before he had time to look around, Zhu Hong came up to him quickly. After bowing, he said in a deep voice: "Master Shou, Zhaoyuan has been searched and those with serious crimes have been locked up, but there are also countless people with minor offenses. This is a serious matter. I have sent someone to report to the Madam and Madam."
He paused, then whispered, "I don't want to disturb the young lady's sleep."
"Oh? Are you afraid that Yingying will get angry after she wakes up and say that she was here, but you ignored her? " Seeing Zhu Hong suddenly embarrassed, Zhang Shou laughed and said, "If I'm not mistaken, even if you report it, the government will probably send a message back and let Yingying make the full decision on the matter."
Even if Zhu Ying's rewards and punishments were not so fair, the Taifu and Jiu Niang would not think it was a big deal. After all, after Zhu Ying had clearly expressed her desire to grow up, they would definitely train Zhu Ying well in this troubled time. After all, no matter how you look at it, Zhu Ying is much more reliable than his second brother, Zhu Er Shao!
Zhu Hong had just tried to be cautious, fearing that Zhu Ying would be furious if she knew that Zhao Yuan was full of filth and all kinds of messes. After hearing what Zhang Shou said, he suddenly came to his senses and realized that he had done something wrong. He stood there for a long time before he lowered his head.
"It's my fault. I was confused for a moment and didn't realize that this was the Zhu family's business. The eldest lady shouldn't have stayed out of it. Now the eldest lady hasn't woken up yet. Mr. Shou, can you do it for me..."
The more he spoke, the lower his voice became. He just felt it was difficult to speak. Why should Zhang Shou help him to turn things around when he had done something wrong?
Zhang Shou stared at Zhu Hong for a long time. Without waiting for him to finish his words, he took the initiative to say, "I'll go wake her up and explain everything. But be prepared. She will definitely scold you when she gets back."
Zhu Hong couldn't help but feel uneasy . If it was just scolding, that would be fine... He was afraid that the eldest lady would be angry and think that he acted on his own and deliberately deceived; he was even more afraid that the lady and the lady would also think that he handled the matter inappropriately...
It was Master Hua Qi who took the most important prisoners and ran away, leaving him with a mess. He was so busy that he lost his mind. He found that Zhu Ying had already lit calming incense and went to sleep. After thinking it over, he decided not to wake her up and just sent someone to report directly to the mansion.
When Zhang Shou knocked on the door of Qiu Shuang Zhai, he waited outside for at least two quarters of an hour before Zhu Ying opened the door and came out. Obviously, a girl who got up early to meet people could not be as casual as a man.
She was wearing a crabapple red dress which was very different from the men's outfit she wore yesterday. She wore a red agate hairpin on her shiny black hair. At first glance, she looked as beautiful as a flower, but she did not look very energetic. Obviously, she did not sleep well in the first half of the night and was quite grumpy after waking up.
"Ah Shou, why are you up so early?" Zhu Ying resisted the urge to yawn and said listlessly, "You have a day off today anyway, so it doesn't matter if you return to Beijing later."
"It's getting late, look at the sun."
Seeing Zhang Shou raised his hand and pointed to the sky, Zhu Ying took a look and immediately shielded her eyes from the dazzling sunlight with her hands, complaining quietly, "I was planning to sleep until noon. I've been up for half the night and I'm so sleepy."
When the two maids in the room saw Zhang Shou and Zhu Ying talking, they tiptoed out to bring out some water and then left.
Seeing this scene, Zhang Shou couldn't help thinking that although Zhu Hong was indeed not thoughtful enough, if he really let Zhu Ying stay up all night, after discovering the results of the search, the eldest lady would definitely be even more angry, and might really "go on a killing spree." He then considered his words and roughly repeated Zhu Hong's words in a tactful way.
Sure enough, Zhu Ying, who had been a little listless just now, forgot about her sleepiness in an instant because of her anger.
"These damn guys... all deserve to die!" Zhu Ying felt her face burning and her heart choking. She was so angry that she almost exploded. All the anger that had been suppressed after she fell asleep last night came bubbling up.
"Zhu Hong deserves to die. He didn't even wake me up for such a serious matter, and even sent someone to report to my grandmother and mother. Am I dead if I stay here? I can't kill those servants who committed crimes, but can I not beat them?"
"Besides, the Zhu family has farms and stone quarries in the capital. Can't we just throw them there? Those who are greedy for money and accept bribes will have their wealth taken away. Those who are seduced by women will be sent to mine coal in a mine without women. Those who deceive their superiors and subordinates will be made to do the hardest chores. In short, whatever they are most obsessed with, let them have nothing!"
"Dad once told me that laws are very simple. The difference between a serious crime and a minor crime is the number of beatings. If it is a sentence, it is just the length of time! The heaviest punishment is losing your head!"
Zhang Shou couldn't help but laugh. "I was planning to persuade you not to get angry, Yingying, but I didn't expect you to think of everything. Then go ahead. The Zhao Garden incident is your family's affair. If you, the eldest daughter, come forward, I think the Madam and Auntie Nine will support you if they know about it."
Zhu Ying had just finished speaking when she realized that she seemed a little overbearing and fierce in her anger. She hesitated for a moment, then asked directly, "What about you, Shou? Do you think I'm being too harsh?"
"Me?" Zhang Shou was stunned at first, then he said with a smile, "If I didn't support you, I wouldn't come here to find you. I believe you are sure of the severity of the means. Go quickly, and after cutting the Gordian knot, I will wait for you to return to Beijing together!"
"Well, wait for me!"
Zhu Ying no longer hesitated, and her face lit up with joy. She said something and walked out quickly. After a while, her voice giving orders could be heard through the wall.
"Pass on my message, call all the people to Xiao Cui Hall. No one can be left behind. If anyone is late within a quarter of an hour, he will be punished with ten strokes of the cane for every minute he is late. I don't see who dares to be late! Also, send my breakfast to Xiao Cui Hall as well. I don't have time to deal with those guys on an empty stomach!"
When Zhang Shou quietly left the courtyard gate and returned to Nuanxiangwu, he found that his breakfast had been delivered to the house. While eating, he could vaguely hear various shouts coming from Xiaocuitang in the south, but without exception, they were cut off as soon as they were raised.
After breakfast, he took Ah Liu out of Nuanxiangwu and strolled northward, walking half a circle around the huge Zhao Garden, enjoying the scenery and gardens along the way. When they arrived at the south gate of the garden, they bumped into a group of people who dismounted and rushed in in front of the gate.
"Mr. Shou?" Mrs. Li, who was in the lead, didn't expect Zhang Shou to be at the gate. She called out in surprise. Seeing Zhang Shou nod slightly at her, she quickly stepped back and knelt down to salute. "The Madam and the Madam received a letter via carrier pigeon in the middle of the night, so..."
Before she could finish her words, Zhang Shou smiled and said, "Yingying is taking someone to the Xiaocuitang for trial. Madam Li might as well go over and see if her verdict is fair."
Mother Li was stunned for a moment, then quickly nodded in response, but she no longer cared about the greetings and quickened her pace to Xiaocuitang. But after taking only two steps, she suddenly had an idea.
The lady was going to come over in person, but after discussing with the lady-in-waiting, she decided that it would be better to induce the eldest daughter to take over the matter. Unexpectedly, before she could even bring the message over, the eldest daughter had already acted vigorously.
If that's the case, wouldn't it seem like she doesn't trust the eldest lady if she rushes over in such a hurry?
Thinking of this, Mother Li immediately turned back and came to Zhang Shou with a big smile on her face: "Since the eldest lady has come forward, it doesn't matter whether I go or not. But what happened last night, can Mr. Shou tell me in person?"
Just as Zhang Shou was about to answer, there was a commotion outside the gate. A few moments later, a family guard came in quickly, looked at Madam Li, then looked at him, and finally bowed his head and said, "Master Zhang from Qin Garden came over to ask if Zhao Garden had any problems and if there was anything he could help with."
Zhang Shou's mind suddenly moved. Master Zhang of Qinyuan... is it Zhang Chen? If so, this is a good opportunity to pass on the blame.
