Volume 2: Residence in the Capital Chapter 203: The Strange Mr. Zhu
If Lu Sanlang knew that Miss Zhu said he was a fat man who was in the way, how would he feel? Most people would act as if nothing had happened and continue to shamelessly watch the fun and listen to gossip.
So, when Zhang Shou, who was thinking this, saw Lu Sanlang walking away for a long distance and still gesturing at him frantically, which probably meant that he would come back immediately after delivering the message, he couldn't help but laugh.
Although Zhu Ying came here on horseback, when she heard Zhang Shou say the place was not far away, she immediately threw the reins to Zhu Hong without saying a word, and then said with a smile: "I either ride a horse or a carriage all day long. Today I stayed in the palace and talked with the Queen Mother for an entire afternoon. I am sore all over. It's a good time to walk and stretch my body!"
Zhu Hong at the back didn't know whether to laugh or cry. Riding a car was fine, but isn't riding a horse the best activity? However, including Zhang Shou, no one saw through her little trick, and Zhu Hong even went to ask Ah Liu where the place was, and brought two people there in advance to dissuade people from taking a detour. Fortunately, the North City was originally one of the most deserted places in the inner city, so the goal was easily achieved.
Along the way, there was no one to spoil the fun.
Although she had her own guards following her and a master like Ah Liu leading the way, after all, she was in public. Zhu Ying did not say anything about the trivial matters that happened in the palace today. She smiled and talked about her mother Jiu Niang picking a few maids at home to practice martial arts, but she sighed as she spoke.
"Zhanjin and Liuyin were also called over by mother. After trying two or three moves, mother scolded them for being three-legged cats. Even I was scolded."
She rubbed her wrist in distress. "Mother said that no matter how good I am at archery, it's useless. I can only shoot rabbits, goats and wild deer during the autumn hunt every year. I can't go to the battlefield. I can't carry a bow and arrow around the city at ordinary times. It's better for me to practice swordsmanship wholeheartedly. But I just like archery. From childhood to adulthood, the first few wooden rings were broken by practice. Now this one was given to me by my father..."
Zhang Shou listened to the girl's story with a smile, until she raised her thumb to show him, then he suddenly said: "Yingying, why do you like archery? Is it because Emperor Taizu was very good at archery?"
Zhu Ying's eyes widened immediately: "Is Emperor Taizu good at archery?"
Zhang Shou could not help but be stunned. Taizu's notes said that because of his extremely powerful rapid-fire ability, he was once considered the symbol of the Holy Son of the White Lotus Sect. Such a distinctive feature should have been widely spread in the process of unifying the world. But from Zhu Ying's tone, she, who always admired Taizu, didn't know?
He tried to make his slightly surprised expression seem appropriate: "I found it in a notebook of an old man, and I thought everyone knew it."
"I see... that's probably just some nonsense that some people don't know." Zhu Ying snorted in annoyance, then shook her head and said, "Emperor Taizu is a man of both literary and military talents, but he has long been worshipped as a wise king by the world, and he doesn't fight in the front. After he ascended the throne, he advocated artillery and muskets, but I don't know how good he is at archery... As for my archery, of course it's because my father and eldest brother are good archers."
As she spoke, she glanced at Ah Liu in front of her, a trace of annoyance on her face: "Of course, my archery accuracy is not as good as Ah Liu's. His rapid shooting is simply amazing!"
Ah Liu ignored the topics that did not involve him, but when Zhu Ying praised him, his ears moved slightly and he said without turning his head: "My archery skills were taught by a madman. He is better than me."
Zhu Ying nodded immediately and said, "Yes, my eldest brother's archery skills were also taught by Uncle Hua. It is said that Uncle Hua is better at archery than my father, but he just refused to teach me, saying that it is not good for girls to fight and kill. But if mother didn't know martial arts, how could she fight her way out of the chaos with Concubine Yu and your mother?"
At this point, the eldest lady seemed to realize that it was inappropriate to talk about the deceased, and suddenly shut up unnaturally. However, Zhang Shou did not mind mentioning the admirable wife of Zhang Xiucai, and he sighed about the heroic woman in his heart. He was even more glad that the topic about Taizu's expertise in archery was successfully diverted.
At that moment, he tried to bring the topic directly to Hua Qi. However, although he was very curious about this guy who was supposed to be the emperor's confidant but stayed in Zhaoguogong Mansion, Zhu Ying couldn't explain it. He only knew that Hua Qi acted strangely and was not liked in Zhaoguogong Mansion.
As they talked along the way, Ah Liu had already brought everyone to the real haunted house - after all, compared to the blacksmith shop that was the target of anger, the place where this little devil actually lived could be called a haunted house. When he dragged the little guy in green clothes and pushed open the gate, the first person to scream was the girl in women's clothing who was trying desperately to break free.
"It's all fixed, it's all fixed!" Feeling Ah Liu's sudden release, the little guy rushed in like a fly, lingered under the grape trellis in the yard for a while, and then rushed into the house like a fly. After a while, there was a voice shouting "Great!", as for other words that were too surprising, others could not distinguish them clearly for a while.
Zhang Shou had already seen some clues, so he glanced at Ah Liu and asked, "Are you looking for someone to restore it to its original state?"
Ah Liu nodded calmly: "I sent a message to the outer court of the Imperial Household Department."
After this was said, not only Zhu Ying, but even Zhu Hong and others looked strange. Even if the Silijian Outer Office was not very busy, there were still many important things to do. How could they have time to take care of such trivial matters? However, Zhang Shou tasted a different meaning from Ah Liu's simple description.
Even if the Imperial Household Department could really find someone to restore the house to its original condition, the problem is, how would that person know what the house was like in its original condition?
After Zhu Ying told Zhu Hong and others to wait outside, Zhang Shou curiously went into the yard. He suddenly asked Ah Liu, "Ah Liu, who was the guy who bought the house and the kid called Brother Zhu?"
Ah Liu immediately raised his eyebrows innocently: "How should I know!"
"Then why did you go to the outer court of the Imperial Household Department to find someone to clean this place?"
"I found them hanging around nearby. So I just went to find them." Ah Liu said matter-of-factly, "They agreed right away."
As they were talking, Zhu Ying, who had already entered the courtyard, only heard the second half of the conversation. She was immediately delighted to find that Ah Liu was still ordering people from the Imperial Household Department around. At this moment, the little girl whose face she had pinched just now had already run out. However, she was too hasty when she stepped over the threshold, and fell directly to the ground with a plop.
She felt so much pity that she went over and pulled the man up herself.
Then, seeing that Ah Liu didn't say anything, she turned to look at Zhang Shou and asked, "Ah Shou, what's going on?"
"I don't know much. It seems that this house was bought by a young man named Zhu from the little boy's uncle and aunt. The little boy's parents died, and his uncle and aunt secretly sold his last home. The kind-hearted young man Zhu not only allowed him to continue living there, but also took him to teach his uncle and aunt a lesson. Later, he took him in and took care of him for a long time."
"There used to be a Beijing official named Mr. Liu who lived next door. His wife, Madam Liu, had a maid named Zhou who was also very kind to this little guy. But later, Mr. Zhu went to the north to fight in the war, and Madam Liu passed away. Her family carried the coffin back home. So, this little guy, who had finally found someone to rely on after the death of his parents, became alone again. He stubbornly believed that if he drove away the person who bought the house next door, he would be able to get his brother Zhu and sister Zhou back."
Zhang Shou paused for a moment, then asked the little fellow who was trying hard to hold back tears, "Am I right in saying these things?"
The little girl in the green dress sniffed hard and said in a muffled voice, "That's right."
When Zhu Ying heard that the elder brother Zhu mentioned by the little guy had the same surname as her, she couldn't help but ask with interest: "What's the name of the elder brother Zhu you mentioned?"
"Brother Zhu is Brother Zhu." Although the little guy's wrist was hurt by Zhu Ying's grip, he couldn't get angry because the beautiful face was so close to him. He could only whisper, "He never said his name..."
"You don't even know his name? You're so careless, you little idiot!"
Before Zhu Ying could continue to amuse the child, Zhang Shou suddenly interrupted and asked, "Little guy, does the brother Zhu you mentioned live here all day long, or does he come here every now and then? Or does he come here at a fixed time? How did you live during his absence? Where did you get food and drink from?"
As for Zhang Shou's question, the little guy hesitated for a moment, and finally said stumblingly: "Brother Zhu said he has a family, so he goes back at night and often comes over during the day. There is no fixed time, as long as he is free, he will definitely come! Before Brother Zhu went to the war, he left some food and money for me, and asked Sister Zhou to take care of me."
Zhang Shou glanced at Zhu Ying, who was still full of curiosity, and asked gently, "Since he has entrusted someone to take care of you, even if the family next door suddenly encounters a death, you won't be left alone here, right? By the way, it's really impolite to keep calling you little one. Can you tell me your name?"
"My name is Xiao Cheng! Empress Dowager Xiao's Xiao means success!"
The little guy didn't seem to realize how much Zhang Shou criticized his proud self-introduction, but said angrily: "Old Madam Liu died of a sudden illness, and someone came to make trouble. Old Master Liu was angry and anxious, so he fell ill. I went out to find someone to inquire about the whereabouts of Brother Zhu, but no one paid attention to me when I asked around for Brother Zhu. Someone even beat me! When I came back, the Liu family had moved away, and Sister Zhou had followed them. I only found a note under the crack of my door."
As Xiao Cheng was talking, he already hung his head: "But I can't recognize all the characters. There are too many words on that piece of paper..."
Hearing that Brother Zhu had his own family and didn't live here, Zhang Shou said thoughtfully: "Why don't you give me the note and I'll read it to you? Don't worry, I will explain it to you word by word."
Xiao Cheng looked at Zhang Shou hesitantly , and seeing that the face was still filled with a heartwarming smile, he hesitantly took out a brocade bag from his arms, and then carefully took out a neatly folded piece of paper from it. After unfolding it, he held the corners tightly and refused to let go, but just carefully held it up high for Zhang Shou to see.
Zhang Shou was not annoyed. He leaned down and carefully read the words on it, and then said word by word: "Mr. Zhu, my wife suddenly fell seriously ill. Although she spent a lot of money to seek medical treatment, she was powerless. On the day of the funeral, the creditor came to the door. The master fell ill, so I had to persuade him to pawn the house and carry the coffin back to his hometown to take shelter temporarily. Xiao Xiao suddenly disappeared, and I was unable to find him, so I could only leave this letter for you."
When Zhang Shou read to the end, he saw that Xiao Cheng's eyes were already filled with tears, so he asked, "What is the relationship between the elder brother Zhu you mentioned and that elder Liu?"
Xiao Cheng said dejectedly, "Brother Zhu is a student of Mr. Liu next door. He told me that Mr. Liu was not only very honest when he was an official, but also very knowledgeable. However, because several university scholars did not like him, he ended up losing his official position. Brother Zhu bought my house in order to become his disciple. It took him half a year to impress Mr. Liu."
Zhang Shou was still in the early stages of familiarity with the people in the court. Especially according to what the little guy said, Mr. Liu was most likely an excluded marginal figure, so he would be even less likely to know it. Therefore, he immediately looked at Zhu Ying.
Zhu Ying racked his brains for a long time, but finally said with discouragement and guilt: "There are so many officials in the court, and I have never paid attention to this. If it is a grand secretary, a minister, or a vice minister, I can still remember it, but I can't remember it clearly for someone who is idle at home... Those grand secretaries are as cunning as ghosts, and they have excluded too many people!"
Zhang Shou didn't expect that he couldn't count on Zhu Ying either, and he felt helpless. He thought about it for a while before he said, "Do you have a letter or other note from your brother Zhu?"
Finally found someone who knew how to read and was willing to help him read the letter . Xiao Cheng was so excited that he didn't pay any attention to Zhang Shou's words. He was just sad. "Brother Zhu bought my house two years ago. Every day he went to the old man Liu next door and knocked on the door sincerely to ask for a meeting, leaving his own articles. It took him half a year before he was allowed to come in. When old man Liu moved out, he didn't even have time to take away the furniture that Brother Zhu gave him. Woo woo woo..."
He was completely immersed in his past memories until Zhang Shou repeated his previous question. He suddenly woke up: "Yes, I still have a lot of discarded waste paper hidden by Brother Zhu. I'll show it to you!"
The little guy rushed back to the house like a fly, and soon came out holding a wooden box. Zhang Shou took it and opened the lid. When he took out the first piece of paper, he found that the handwriting was straight and neat at first glance, as if it had no special features, but when he looked closely, there was a hint of sharpness coming through the paper. Just as he was reading the article carefully, he suddenly found that there was another person beside him.
When I turned my head, it was Zhu Ying.
Unlike the previous time when she was just idle and carefree, at this moment, Zhu Ying's face was full of disbelief, and she didn't even notice his scrutiny. It was not until he stretched out his hand and waved in front of her that she, who had almost been in a daze, suddenly came back to her senses.
"It's Big Brother... How could it be Big Brother's handwriting?"
There are so many people with the surname Zhu in the capital, how could it be that her eldest brother was studying here secretly without telling her and her family?
The vague guess at the beginning became a reality. Zhang Shou couldn't help but look at Ah Liu unhappily and asked directly: "Ah Liu, did you know this a long time ago?"
"Coincidence." As if feeling that this answer might not be satisfactory, and seeing Zhang Shou's angry face, Ah Liu seemed very reluctant to add a few more words.
"When I was looking around the Imperial College, I heard that the blacksmith shop next door was originally a mansion. The original owner was surnamed Liu, and he seemed to be a high-ranking official before he retired. The original owner of this place was surnamed Zhu, but he did not live here. The two were teacher and student. Master Zhu went to the war, and Madam Liu died of illness, so the whole family moved away. It was very strange. I encountered spies from the outer court of the Imperial Household Department three times in the surrounding area, so when I was looking for a blacksmith shop, I decided to buy this one."
Zhu Ying took a deep breath, stepped forward and grabbed Xiao Cheng's hand: "Come on, you come home with me first! Ah Shou, you should also take Ah Liu with you! Humph, this matter is not over yet, I must get to the bottom of it!"
