Chapter 41: Secret Rendezvous

Zhu Hao had obtained the intelligence he desired and cared little about any rewards.

The old dowager was shrewd; she could probably sense that her grandson actually knew something but was withholding it, yet she also felt that since Zhu Hao had only been in the Principality of Xing for a short time, he couldn't know too much. After giving a few brief instructions, she allowed Zhu Hao to return to the city.

Upon leaving the estate, Steward Liu personally escorted him out. For the return trip, a servant drove the carriage, but once they reached the city gate, Zhu Hao was made to get down and walk the rest of the way. Zhu Hao cared little for such disparities in treatment.

It was close to noon when he returned home.

Mother Zhu was not in. Upon inquiring with Aunt Li, he learned that officials had invited the city's merchants to the county government office for a feast and lavish hospitality, seemingly to discuss matters of great importance.

After the noon hour had passed, Mother Zhu finally returned.

"Mother, is something the matter at the county office?"

Not waiting for Mother Zhu to first exchange pleasantries with her son, Zhu Hao initiated the questioning.

Mother Zhu said, "The newly arrived Magistrate Jing claims that Jiangxi is unsettled, and the unrest has spread to Huguang Southeast and other places, leading to frequent bandit rebellions. The Huguang Regional Military Commission intends to dispatch troops to suppress them, but they are troubled by a shortage of provisions and grain, so they've asked the city's merchants to help raise some... I ended up donating twelve stones of grain. It couldn't be helped."

Zhu Hao desperately wanted to say that this was nothing short of extortion.

If the imperial court needed to suppress bandits, it was one thing to make the local government pay, but how could such a burden be apportioned to ordinary merchants? You, Jing Zhongkuan, really are a man who will stop at nothing for political advancement; you surpass your predecessor Shen Li by far.

"Magistrate Jing has just arrived in the region and has shown us some consideration. We couldn't afford not to make a statement."

In Mother Zhu's view, not only had she promised to donate grain worth ten taels of silver, but she had also taken the lead. Perhaps it was because Jing Zhongkuan had visited her shop immediately upon taking office and flattered her.

Jing Zhongkuan's tactic was simply...

Zhu Hao sighed softly. "Mother, one cannot be too honest in this world. How much did others donate? Besides, we went to the Zhu family and complained that we were barely keeping the pot boiling, yet here we are suddenly actively responding to the government's call for donations. Won't that arouse suspicion?"

Mother Zhu replied, "I didn't think that far ahead at the time. However, the Zhu family and their affiliated businesses weren't among those invited, so I suppose they wouldn't know."

Did she really think the Zhu family was kept in the dark?

My dear mother, you didn't just follow the crowd; you jumped out to take the lead.

Zhu Hao was grateful that his current relationship with the family maintained a relative balance. Perhaps precisely because he had entered the Principality of Xing to gather intelligence, even if the Zhu family caught wind of this, they didn't make things difficult for Mother Zhu. After all, the old dowager had personally promised that as long as the twenty taels of monthly stipend were handed over on time, Mother Zhu could dispose of the rest as she saw fit.

...

The family sat down to eat lunch together.

Mother Zhu and Aunt Li were both deeply concerned about Zhu Hao's experiences within the princely estate. Zhu Hao could only offer some white lies to comfort them, indicating that he had already begun studying alongside Zhu Houcong, the Heir Apparent of Xing.

Hearing this, both women wore expressions of relief.

"Mother, I won't be staying at home tonight. I've already agreed with the young Prince of Xing that we will read together by candlelight." Zhu Hao prepared to return to the Principality of Xing early.

Mother Zhu asked in puzzlement, "You only come home once every ten days... Can't you stay another day?"

Zhu Hao explained, "Mother, it's like this: I've only just met the young Prince of Xing, and I need to interact with him more to foster our bond. Besides, I'm going back to study diligently."

Aunt Li tugged at Mother Zhu's sleeve and consoled her, "It's rare for Young Master Hao to be so eager to learn. Let him go back."

Had Zhu Hao expressed a reluctance to return to the princely estate upon coming home, both women would certainly have worried.

Just as in later generations, if a student refused to go to school, parents would bestir themselves to uncover the truth and see if their child was being bullied at school. But now, since Zhu Hao had proactively proposed returning to study, the two women naturally assumed he was not suffering any hardships in the Principality of Xing, and thus their minds were set at ease.

Mother Zhu personally went to the kitchen and, before nightfall, prepared some meat-filled pan-fried cakes for Zhu Hao. She also gave her son some loose scrap silver and copper coins so that he could grease palms when he got back, or buy snacks if he grew hungry...

...

Originally, Mother Zhu wanted to call Yu San, Uncle Zhong, and others to escort her son back to the Principality of Xing, but Zhu Hao used his haste to return to study as an excuse to leave home on his own.

Zhu Hao wanted to take advantage of the time before nightfall, when the princely estate's ceremonial guards patrolled the East Wing Courtyard, to find an opportunity to make contact with Lu Song.

Having stayed in the estate for a few days, he had already figured out the daily routines of the people inside.

The guards of the princely estate's ceremonial guard bureau were all military households who also bore the responsibility of garrison farming. The fields were rented to them by the Principality of Xing for cultivation. The guards were divided into two shifts: one farmed while the other stood guard, usually changing shifts in the afternoon once every two days.

During the shift change, Lu Song, the captain of the ceremonial guards, would appear.

By now, Zhu Hao guessed that Lu Song was very likely an informant planted in the Principality of Xing by the imperial court, and since his own assignment in the estate had reached an impasse, he naturally needed to make full use of this connection.

Just as Zhu Hao entered the Principality of Xing through the southeastern side gate and was still some distance from the East Wing Courtyard, he heard dull thuds of "bang, bang, bang," accompanied by a piercing howl like a slaughtered pig: "Injustice! I've been wronged..."

Zhu Hao found the voice somewhat familiar. Wasn't it that fellow who, just last night, had been pissing against the wall with Spiky-Hair Mole and plotting how to deal with him?

When he reached the front gate of the East Wing Courtyard and poked his head in to take a look, he found the scene quite lively.

Over a dozen men from the ceremonial guard bureau had arrived. Three craftsmen were being held down on wooden benches and subjected to the cane by the guards. The one howling was the man undergoing the punishment, whose face was somewhat unfamiliar to Zhu Hao.

The other two being beaten, however, were both known to Zhu Hao: one was called Wang Wu, and the other was Old Ga.

Lu Song, the captain of the ceremonial guards, stood to the side supervising the punishment. As for the craftsmen of the princely estate, they stood near the wall. Hou Chun and Li Shun cast angry glares at Lu Song and the guards. Spiky-Hair Mole was not being punished, and his person was nowhere to be seen on the scene.

"Captain Lu, what is the meaning of this? You beat my men just like that?" Hou Chun truly could not bear to watch any longer and stepped forward directly to question Lu Song.

Lu Song replied, "This was personally ordered by Chief Administrator Yuan. Your people in the East Wing have sticky fingers and have been repeatedly losing items; this time, they were caught red-handed... Furthermore, the accounts for the timber purchased over the past half year don't match up... We'll investigate this matter later."

Lu Song was clearly no rash simpleton lacking in strategy.

His words carried a double meaning. First, these men had sticky fingers and deserved to be beaten.

The second meaning was a warning to Hou Chun: if you speak up for them, then when the account audit turns up problems later on, don't blame me for showing no mercy.

Upon hearing this, Hou Chun grew somewhat timid, obediently retreated to the side, and stopped speaking up for his subordinates.

Zhu Hao was originally an outsider, but after casting a glance around, he suddenly sensed something amiss.

Just last night, he had overheard Spiky-Hair Mole and that pig-squealing fellow plotting against him, and the very next day, this man was reported for theft and caught with stolen goods. Could someone be protecting him behind the scenes?

Zhu Hao couldn't help recalling the figure hiding in the partition wall eavesdropping on news the previous night. Looking again at Lu Song's physique, he thought: *Well, come to think of it, they really do bear a striking resemblance.*

...

The guards executing the cane punishment stopped after twenty strokes.

Lu Song led his men out and, upon seeing Zhu Hao standing at the entrance, furrowed his brows slightly. Clearly wishing to avoid a direct confrontation with Zhu Hao, he waved his men forward to leave.

Zhu Hao walked over and greeted him with a smile, "Captain Lu, I am a friend of Lu Bing... My name is Zhu Hao, and my grandfather is a thousand-man commander of the brocade-clad guard."

Lu Song had not expected Zhu Hao's greeting to be so "peculiar." Just as he intended to wave his hand and shoo Zhu Hao away, Zhu Hao suddenly leaned in close and whispered, "I have matters concerning the safety of your young son that I'd like to discuss with you... Do you have time tonight? I'll wait for you!"

With that, Zhu Hao scampered off ahead.

This left Lu Song utterly bewildered.

"Sir, what did that kid say?"

A burly man stepped up beside the captain and asked.

Lu Song glanced at him and said, "A child. What could he say?"

The man smiled and asked no further. Lu Song's expression, however, grew rather unsightly; clearly, the words Zhu Hao had spoken to him had stirred ripples in his heart.

...

By dusk that day, everything remained as usual.

Zhu Hao went to the kitchen first to have dinner with the others. Spiky-Hair Mole and the rest had also returned, having spent the entire morning and day working at the princely estate's manorial farms outside the city. The three men who had been beaten earlier had already been carried back to their quarters to recover from their injuries.

"There must be villains plotting against us behind our backs! We've worked in the princely estate for so many years without a hitch; how could this sort of thing happen? Master Li, I just can't swallow this anger!" Spiky-Hair Mole said, filled with righteous indignation.

Big Xi, acting as the other "secondary lackey," slammed his table and declared, "We must teach them a lesson! Master Hou, you must take this matter up to the inner courtyard!"

Li Shun put down his wine cup and sneered, "Those people are legitimate guards of the princely estate—what are you lot? Eat your meals quickly and disperse after you're done. Those of whose wives and children are kicking up a fuss, go back early to rein them in before they tear the roof off after three days of no beating, or else find a place and obediently pull the covers over your heads and sleep... The courtyard gates will be locked tight every night for the next few days. In the middle of this storm, whoever stirs up trouble gets disciplined!"

As the leader of these craftsmen, Li Shun felt they were currently being targeted, even canceling their nightly gambling sessions.

If these men weren't gambling, the small side door of the East Wing Courtyard wouldn't open. Zhu Hao had originally planned to try sneaking out at night to scout the terrain, but now that seemed entirely out of the question.

...

Zhu Hao returned to the storeroom courtyard.

Entering his room, he lit the tung oil lamp and took out the pack of candles Mother Zhu had prepared in his book bag.

So that her son wouldn't feel lonely at night, Mother Zhu had prepared nine candles for him, meaning Zhu Hao could burn one each night. The candles were quite thick; if the flame burned normally, a single candle could last nearly two hours. Combined with the tung oil lamp, Zhu Hao could easily keep his room illuminated throughout the first half of every night.

In this era, that was considered an extreme luxury.

Zhu Hao originally intended to pick up a book and read, but he could never quite settle his mind.

What occupied his thoughts was whether Lu Song would actually come to their appointment tonight. He had mentioned matters concerning Lu Bing's safety, and since Lu Song only had this one son at the moment—his second son, Lu Wei, had not yet been born—he ought to understand Zhu Hao's identity as an undercover agent. Could he really remain indifferent to such a warning?

Late into the night, the sound of footsteps approached. Lu Song had come after all.

*Tap, tap, tap!*

A light knock sounded on the door.

Zhu Hao had actually spotted him from the courtyard wall ahead of time. He cautiously came down and opened the door. Lu Song was holding an unlit paper lantern and carried a saber at his waist—a combination that still posed a danger to Zhu Hao.

What if Lu Song decided to silence him permanently?

"Captain Lu, you've finally come. I've been waiting for quite some time."

Zhu Hao greeted him with a smile, wearing the expression of someone who held all the winning cards.

Lu Song closed the door himself, turned around to scan the room with his eyes, and looked slightly tense. Zhu Hao smiled and went on his own to light the tung oil lamp.