Volume 5: Fellow Traveler Chapter 849: Suspicion
Those who should know already knew it. This group of people is not small, but at least, they definitely do not include Zhang Wu and Zhang Lu.
Since returning from Xingtai, both of them have been preparing for their wedding. Due to various problems, plus the trip to Xingtai, the cousins' wedding date has been postponed from today to tomorrow, and from tomorrow to the day after tomorrow. However, there are more and more things to prepare, and they only have some free time at the end of the year.
Firstly, they didn't have to go to the Imperial Academy to study, and they didn't have the interest to hang out with a bunch of juniors in the public school Banshan Hall. Secondly, Zhang Chen was tricked by Zhang Shou to go to the countryside to fight the fourth prince, and without a leader, they were inevitably a little bored. Thirdly, Zhang Shou was too busy and newlywed, so the two most sensible students didn't feel comfortable to disturb him.
But now, Zhang Shou suddenly called Ah Liu out of their home and took them out of the city to the public school. After hearing Zhang Shou's instructions in the school hall, the two brothers were still dumbfounded even though they now felt that they were knowledgeable and experienced.
The descendants of Taizu founded a country overseas? And they blatantly sent a ship of people back and claimed it was an embassy? And they claimed that there were not just one ship, but eight ships? This is a play, or a legend, it can't be true, right?
Seeing the plain Zhang Wu looking confused and the cunning Zhang Lu frowning, Zhang Shou said directly: "The Fourth Prince will come later, so you don't have to worry. I will take the responsibility, and you just need to do a good job of receiving him and asking him questions."
Zhang Shoudu explained the word "tricking" directly, and learned that the Fourth Prince would also come to take charge. Although they knew that the naughty boy was never a reliable person compared to the current Crown Prince, Zhang Wu and Zhang Lu still breathed a sigh of relief. Perhaps because they were used to being followers, they were more inclined to follow others in doing things.
The disadvantage is that if there is any credit, the major credit goes to others, and only the minor credit goes to them. But the advantage is that they don't have to bear the biggest responsibility, and they are definitely not the first to take the blame when something goes wrong.
So, in the next few days, Zhang Shou's group of students, each of them did their own job. During this period before the New Year, which should have been the most leisurely time, no one was idle.
Zhang Chen, who was unaware of the situation, used his own Qin Mansion as the base for the war simulation because of Zhang Shou's previous deception, and also spread the word that because of Liang Chu and several juren, it attracted many curious juren to take the initiative to participate; Lu Sanlang was still discussing with others the differences between investment and financial management and stock investment; Zhu Er, together with Ji Jiu and Zhang Dake, forged a "deep" friendship with Zhe Shanjun, although the actual situation was that people were extremely annoyed with these three noble sons.
After the public school classes officially ended on the 24th day of the twelfth lunar month, Zhang Shou sent away Lu Wan and Liu Zhiyuan, who were already aware of the situation and were worried, and then personally organized the students to do a thorough cleaning inside and outside the school - which happened to be the special day of dust removal. Although he did not inform the fourth prince, he went out of the palace, rolled up his sleeves and worked enthusiastically.
Although they were causing trouble most of the time. Fortunately, Xiao Cheng and Xiao Huasheng helped. The two younger ones, Bai Shanshan and Bai Xiaoshui, followed behind the fourth prince and called him Mr. Zheng, and the naughty boy was very happy.
Therefore, on the 25th day of the twelfth lunar month, the school buildings inside and outside had already been cleaned. In order to accommodate the necessary things for the delegation, the emperor generously allocated money from his own treasury to buy everything from bedding to quilts and various utensils. Zhang Shou also used his public power to buy bookcases and suitcases for the student dormitories, making full preparations for adding boarding classes next year.
The Sharp Cavalry Battalion that arrived here in advance to set up defenses cleared the streets first, so that the neighbors all thought that an important figure from somewhere had come to the public school. While every household had their doors closed, they could not help but look out through the cracks in the doors, but all they saw was a line of soldiers in obviously foreign military uniforms, guarding several carriages passing through the street as if they were facing a powerful enemy.
But when they looked at the style of the carriages, they felt that they didn't look like those for nobles, because they were all black-oil carriages with black curtains, which even looked a bit eerie at first glance. However, no one thought that this public school would be used to detain any prisoners. After all, who would dare to cause trouble for the famous scholar Zhang on such a big festival day?
When they were almost at the public school, the dusty soldiers of the Mountain and Sea Guards were sandwiched between a group of Sharp Cavalry Battalion, and then at the back were the black oil carriages. Seeing the drivers driving the carriages through the gate in order, the commander in charge couldn't help but feel relieved. In the cold weather, he couldn't help but raise his hand to wipe the sweat from his forehead. Then, he heard a gentle voice.
"Thank you for your hard work along the way."
The commander looked in the direction of the voice and felt that the dark winter sky was instantly brightened. Although he had heard of the famous scholar Zhang's handsome appearance, when he saw him in person, a rough man struggling to survive in the cold and bitter land, he couldn't help but feel that God was unfair and he couldn't see such people in the garrison.
He quickly suppressed the thought that could easily lead to trouble, stepped forward with a smile on his face and said hello: "It's not hard, not hard. It's hard work for Master Zhang to deal with this bullshit during the New Year. As soon as the words came out of his mouth, he realized that his words were too vulgar, but it was too late to make amends.
Zhang Shou didn't care about the swear words at all. After all, he often said things that were not very polite and did not fit his personality.
"No matter how busy I am, I am only in the capital, but you have to travel back and forth during the New Year, which is of course more tiring. Did they change the carriage just now when we were about to reach the capital? You have been escorting the post all the way, leaving in the morning and arriving in the evening without stopping, so the emperor is sympathetic and ordered people to prepare winter clothes for you. The public school has also prepared a feast, so you can have a good rest after eating."
The commander immediately expressed his gratitude, and soon someone came up and called the forty Shanhaiwei soldiers who had been closely guarding the so-called important figures of the Chinese delegation all the way, together with the commander, to go to the reward banquet bestowed by the emperor.
And when they saw that the emperor actually rewarded them with imperial wine and ten strings of money per person at the reward banquet, even though the charcoal basin in the room was not very warm, everyone felt that the journey was not in vain, and they kept expressing their gratitude to God.
After arranging these hardworking Shanhai Guards, Zhang Shou saw the group of Ruiqi Battalion soldiers outside the public school, who were ready to face the enemy. He couldn't help but want to complain. Is this a temporary measure? Or are they prepared to stay here for a long time? How long will such a large group of guards stay here? This scene is really scary! After a long time, it would be strange if the neighbors didn't treat the public school as a temporary prison!
Think about it, if he were to go out and negotiate with the officers and soldiers of the Ruiqi Battalion at this time, these guys only care about the royal orders and military orders, and don't care about anything else. Not to mention him, even if the Fourth Prince himself came forward, it might not work. Of course, he would not bother with that. After turning back to his school, he asked Zhang Lu to draft a memorial on his behalf. Of course, he did not go through the Tongzhengsi, but the secret box channel.
However, he had just arranged Zhang Lu's work and was thinking about how to meet the man who was brought here with a black cloth on his head in the black oil carriage when he heard the clear voice of the Fourth Prince.
"Teacher, teacher, everyone is here. When are we going to meet them?"
Zhang Shou couldn't help laughing. He glanced at the expectant kid, then smiled and folded his hands, saying, "They were just sent here, and they are still being treated like thieves. They definitely can't feel relaxed and happy. What we need to do next is to let them eat, bathe, and have a good rest, instead of me rushing to see them now."
"We shouldn't be the ones rushing right now, so we need to stay calm."
Seeing that the Fourth Prince immediately wilted, he said with a smile: "Of course, just because I'm not going doesn't mean you can't go. Xiao Huasheng and Xiao Cheng have already changed their clothes. If you think you are capable of delivering wine and food, then go with them. However, they don't know you are a prince. If you are humiliated by them, don't say I didn't warn you."
The fourth prince was immediately overjoyed and shouted, "Teacher, you underestimate me too much. I know what it means to endure humiliation and bear heavy burdens! Besides, these guys don't have the courage to run wild in my Ming territory! I'll go now, teacher, just wait for my good news!"
Zhang Shou saw the naughty kid rushing out like a gust of wind. Just as he couldn't help laughing, he caught a glimpse of Zhang Wu's dumbfounded expression and immediately joked, "Why, are you worried about him? Do you think I was too casual to let him go like this?"
"No, no, no!" Zhang Wu quickly shook his head like a rattle. "I knew that the teacher would definitely arrange someone to keep an eye on the Fourth Prince. I just didn't expect that he would even be willing to do the work of a servant. You know, he used to think highly of himself. In Banshan Hall, he was always worried that others would look down on him and His Royal Highness the Crown Prince."
Because he was eager to explain, Zhang Wu didn't notice that Zhang Lu was trying to wink at him, and he just blurted out what was in his mind. When he realized that he had made a mistake, Zhang Shou said to him with a half-smile, "This mentality is normal. After all, when he and the Crown Prince were in the palace, they were really bullied by their two brothers. It's similar to your situation."
Zhang Wu looked a little uncomfortable when the old story was brought up again, but Zhang Lu quickly lowered his head to hide his emotions. The next moment, Zhang Lu, who was racking his brains to write an article for Zhang Shou, heard that Zhang Shou had also assigned Zhang Wu a task.
"The Fourth Prince will take Xiao Cheng and Xiao Huasheng to do the work of servants. You should also take the trouble to go to the soldiers of the Shanhai Guards and entertain them on my behalf. Say a few nice words to them. If possible..."
"Use all your skills to get them drunk!"
Seeing Zhang Wu agreed immediately, Zhang Shou said with a smile: "But you don't need to get any information from them, you just need to make sure everyone is well fed and well watered. If someone asks you about something, just say that you are the future prince consort. The future prince consort personally coming out to entertain them is enough for them to brag about for the rest of their lives!"
Just as Zhang Shou said, when they learned that Zhang Wu was the future consort of Princess Deyang, everyone from the commander of the Shanhai Guard to the soldiers below were extremely excited, so Zhang Wu toasted casually, and they drank without hesitation. After three rounds of drinking, more than half of the people at the two tables were drunk.
Fortunately, they had already eaten a lot before, so they were full. As people got drunk one by one and were taken away to rest, only the commander was still holding on. However, facing Zhang Wu's earnest persuasion, he seemed to be unable to hold on any longer, so he had to grab Zhang Wu's sleeve and asked in a low voice with a little drunkenness.
"Prince Consort...Prince Consort, I have something to ask, but I can't help it!" Seeing Zhang Wu nod with a smile, as if to ask directly, he leaned forward and asked word by word, "If we get drunk and fall asleep, will we be unable to get up from sleep?"
Zhang Wu was stunned by the question. After a long while, he finally realized what the other party meant. He was a little embarrassed. He was drunk and said directly: "What nonsense are you talking about! Everyone in Shanhaiwei knows about this, how can you hide it? If you want to kill people and silence them, you can just send someone to receive you. Why do you want me to come?"
"It's because of you that the brothers let down their guard. Otherwise, why would they drink so much just now!" The commander narrowed his eyes slightly. Although he still smelled of alcohol, the drunkenness was gone. Seeing Zhang Wu frowning in confusion, the drunken state was clearly not fake, and he couldn't help but become suspicious.
Could it be that his boss was deliberately trying to frame him, and he was just too suspicious? However, the fact that Emperor Taizu had left behind descendants when he founded a country overseas was really a big deal, especially since there was actually a group of guys claiming to be envoys who swaggered through the city from Shanhaiwei to the capital. How could he not be worried?
Zhang Wu was really drunk at this moment. After he told the truth, the commander still seemed unwilling to give up. He said angrily, "Besides, you treat it as a big secret. My teacher and my mistress, as well as the ministers and other old men in the court, and I guess my father and other nobles, all knew it a long time ago!"
"The truth will come to light sooner or later. If they really want to kill someone to silence them, why not just massacre the Shanhaiwei on the same boat? And why do they need to involve the capital? What are you thinking about? It's just like me before. I always felt that everyone wanted to harm me. Now that I think about it, it was really the persecution delusion that the teacher talked about! When you are useless, your family members don't even bother to look at you. When you are useful, everyone wants to look up to you..."
When the commander heard Zhang Wu complain about his own affairs incoherently, he was sure that the future prince consort was really drunk. Seeing him burping and lying on the table, he thought about what would happen if his words and attitude were revealed, and sweat began to form on his forehead.
At this moment, he heard a leisurely voice coming from outside: "How is it, you shouldn't worry about it now, right? You are a tiger general who can tear tigers and leopards apart alive, and you are still worried about ending up in an unclear situation because of something that is unknown whether it is true or not?"
Zhang Shou walked in slowly from outside the door. He saw the commander suddenly jump up, rush forward two steps towards him, then suddenly stop, and then look around unnaturally. He smiled and said, "If you are still worried, I can send a student to draft a letter to the emperor. If you don't want to run back to Shanhaiwei in such a cold weather, how about staying in this public school to help guard for a few days?"
Faced with this unexpected proposal, the commander, who was full of trepidation, was immediately overjoyed and shouted without hesitation: "Good!"
