The First Great Ancestor of the Five Dynasties

Chapter 487 Give Zhao Er a Gift

At noon the next day, Zhu Xiu slept until dawn. The weather was cold, so he didn't get out of bed in a hurry. He asked Ma Qing to find the Imperial Palace Newspaper and Tokyo Times for the past two months and read them carefully one by one.

While in prison, the jailer could get a few newspapers and periodicals from time to time, but they were scattered and could not be serialized, so Zhu Xiu could only make do with reading.

After reading a few issues, Zhu Xiu discovered that a writer named "Momoya Idle Man" had been very active in the Tokyo Times recently, and his articles had appeared on the front page of several consecutive issues.

In the anthology of "Excellent Digests" published every half a month, more than half of the ten articles are from this person.

His articles cover a wide range of topics, including political criticism, suggestions for local government reforms, business surveys in Kaifeng City, and predictions of the impact of weather seasons on agricultural production.
What surprised Zhu Xiu the most was the article written by this person titled "Mysterious Cold-Resistant Fabric from Outside the Territory—Baidiezi"

In this article, the person used a considerable amount of pen and ink, focusing on what the white dipper is, where it came from, what it is used for, and the current planting situation.

This person praised Baidiezi as a god-given treasure to resist the severe cold, and said that it was a great initiative for Jingzhou to start the cultivation of Baidiezi in the name of the government. He also emphasized that under the leadership of Dingyuan Marquis Zhu Xiu, Jingzhou in the Central Plains had The first planting of Baidiezi.

This person also boldly predicted that a hundred years later, Baidiezi would replace traditional clothing materials such as leather, silk floss, and kudzu as the main textile material.

"This Peach Valley idler is a bit interesting!~"

Zhu Xiu was surprised by this man's vision and erudition. It can be seen from his articles that this man must have learned a lot and must be a powerful person with extensive knowledge.

Zhu Xiu secretly kept this pen name in his heart and asked the Information Department officials to check it out someday to find out who this Taogu idler was.

Ma Qing brought hot water in a basin, followed by a man dressed as a servant in a small hat in green clothes.

"Master Marquis, Chamberlain Zhang is here to see you!~"

"Hehe, Dejun is here."

Zhu Xiu lifted the quilt and got out of bed.

The visitor was Zhang Dejun, Zhang Gui's godson, a handsome little eunuch with red lips and white teeth.

Zhang Dejun hastily put down the box in his hand, took a fur robe and put it on Zhu Xiu: "It's cold, don't be too cold, Lord Hou."

Zhu Xiu spread her arms with a smile and let him change her clothes.

Since they met in the Taiping Palace, Zhu Xiu specially invited Zhang Dejun to visit the palace several times. Each time, he personally took him around Kaifeng City and took him to experience all kinds of delicious and fun things. Guanghe Shop has Zhu Xiu would send someone to send a copy to the palace for any fresh candies or novelties in Jingdezhen.

After going back and forth, Zhang Dejun quickly became familiar with Zhu Xiu and became very fond of this young marquis who was generous and treated him well.

The two are about the same age, Zhang Dejun has a young heart, and whoever treats him well will be doubled.

Zhang Dejun was also a hard-working person, before he knew Zhang Gui, he was often bullied in the palace.

When I was 15 years old, most of my previous memories were painful. It was not until I went to the Taiping Palace and met Zhu Xiu that life became easier.

The most rare thing is that Master Zhu Hou never treats him as a slave, and has an incomparably precious respect for him.

For their eunuchs, this makes them feel the dignity of being a human being, which is more precious than any gold and silver treasures.

Zhang Dejun is a smart person, Master Zhu treats him well, and he always reminds himself not to lose his sense of propriety, and always maintain the humility of a servant.

"I heard that the Marquis returned to the house, and my father specially ordered me to send some supplements. They are rare items that were sent as tribute to the Taiping Palace. The queen mother usually doesn't use them much, so I picked some and asked me to send them~"

Zhang Dejun presented the box.

Zhu Xiu took a look and saw that they were all mountain ginseng, deer antlers, tiger bones, sea cucumbers, shark fins and the like. They were all extremely rare ingredients.

"Go back for me and thank the Queen Mother for the reward, and also thank Chamberlain Zhang!" Zhu Xiu waved his hand, and Ma Qing took the gift.

"How is the Queen Mother lately?" Zhu Xiu said with a smile.

Zhang Dejun grinned: "That's good! It's just that the weather is cold and my legs and feet are not feeling well, but every other day, my father still helps the Queen Mother to go for a walk in the small garden.

The Queen Mother often talks about Mrs. Wu and always asks me why Mrs. Wu doesn't come into the palace to accompany her in chanting sutras."

Zhu Xiu smiled and said: "My mother and the Queen Mother have the same old problem. When winter comes, their legs and feet become weak. You go back and report to the Queen Mother. When the weather gets warmer in a few days, I will accompany my mother to the palace to pay her respects."

The weather has become increasingly cold recently, so Her Majesty must be extra careful when walking in the garden. There should be no water stains or ice on the road to prevent slipping and falling. "

"Don't worry, Lord Marquis. Every day I will lead people to sweep and inspect the roads that the Queen Mother often walks to ensure safety."

After chatting for a while, Zhang Dejun said: "Master Hou, there is something very interesting recently. I heard from some gossipy slaves in AMTD Bureau that recently, there are several Yamen in the city who like to make friends with the eunuchs in the inner palace. , and also specially selected some young people with low-level positions to please them, and invited them to have wine and fun. People from AMTD often went out of the palace to repair their cars and had a lot of contact with people outside the palace. There were a few shameless ones, and they even went to find those few The yamen eats and drinks.

Those yamen are really interesting, and everyone who comes is welcome. Anyone who comes out of the palace is a waiter who eats and drinks well.

In this world, are there people who are born to be taken advantage of? "

Zhu Xiu also thought this was strange: "Do you know which family he belongs to?"

Zhang Dejun thought for a while and said: "The ones I heard them talk about the most are the second son of the old general Zhao Hongyin, the commander of Long Jie Army's left wing, and the other is Han Lingjun, the brother of Han Lingkun's family in Yuhou, the cavalry army!"

"Oh? It's them!" Zhu Xiu frowned.

"Why, Lord Marquis knows them?" Zhang Dejun asked curiously.

"Haha, not only do we know each other, but we also have some grudges."

Hearing what he said, Zhang Dejun became more and more curious and wanted to know what feud Zhu Houye had with these two yamen.

It's just that he knows how to measure things. If Zhu Xiu doesn't take the initiative to say it, he won't take the initiative to ask.

Zhu Xiu picked up the teacup and took a sip, thinking quickly about something.

Zhao Kuangyi and Han Ling were both deliberately approaching the eunuchs in the inner palace. What did they want to do?
This kind of thing can easily cause misunderstandings, and most courtiers and officials will not do it easily.

Zhao Hongyin and Zhao Kuangyin are both cautious people and should not be so rash.

Could it be that two guys are hiding it from their respective families again, and are causing trouble again?

Zhu Xiu put down the tea cup and suddenly had some new ideas in her mind.

"To be honest, these two people do have issues with me, and even have a grudge!" Zhu Xiu sighed.

Zhang Dejun asked quickly: "Although they are the children of high-ranking officials, they have no official positions. How can they have enmity with the Marquis?"

Zhu Xiu sighed again, with a worried and angry face: "This is what happened."

Immediately, Zhu Xiu added fuel to the fire and told Zhao Kuangyi about his attempt to hook up with Zhou Xian.

After hearing this, Zhang Dejun blushed and said, "Shameless bastard! You are so shameless! Since Zhao Kuangyi's elder brother and Lord Hou are old acquaintances, and Lord Hou is older than him, then Lord Hou's female family is his wife!
Zhao Kuangyi actually used dirty tricks to seduce his second sister-in-law?Too despicable and hateful! "

Zhu Xiu spread her hands: "That's right! This Zhao Er has evil intentions and has been a shameless scoundrel since he was a child.

Fortunately he didn't succeed last time, otherwise I would regret it for the rest of my life! "Zhang Dejun was filled with indignation and couldn't help but cursed a few dirty words commonly used in the palace.

He is at the age when young people are loyal. When Zhu Xiu treats him well, he regards Zhu Xiu as his eldest brother and half master. When he hears that his eldest brother is humiliated, he is also very angry.

Zhu Xiu said with relief: "I also taught Zhao Er a lesson about this matter. I beat him up severely. I think I should let him remember it and not provoke me easily again."

"Hmph! This kind of scumbag should let him try the torture methods of those old monsters in Yongxiang!" Zhang Dejun was still indignant.

Zhu Xiu took the opportunity and said: "To be honest, I think the Zhao family has a lot of secrets. This time, both Zhao Er and Han Ling deliberately approached people from AMTD Bureau, with obvious intentions to win over. I am worried that they have some conspiracy."

Zhang Dejun smiled and said: "It's easy to handle, Lord Hou wants to know, the next time the villain hangs around in the AMTD Bureau, he will go out of the palace to contact them in person."

"Oh? Do you have a way to pretend to be a member of the AMTD office?"

Zhang Dejun said: "The villain has been growing up in a deep palace since he was young. He knows some people in each palace and bureau. Although they are all miserable little eunuchs with little power in their hands, it is still relatively easy to get out of the palace."

"Great!" Zhu Xiu said with a smile, "If you find an opportunity to get close to Zhao Er, you must not only get to know him, but also gain his trust and maintain long-term contact with him!"

Zhang Dejun blinked: "What the Marquis means"

"I need you to lurk next to Zhao Er. If the Zhao family makes any move, I want to know immediately!"

Zhang Dejun was stunned and a little confused: "Is the Zhao family important to the Marquis?"

Zhu Xiu affirmed: "Very important!"

Zhang Dejun didn't think about it for too long, and nodded heavily: "The Marquis has something to do, and I will not give up even if I die!"

Judging from his expression, not only was he not timid and scared, but he also showed excitement and eagerness to try.

Zhu Xiu said seriously: "When you are approaching the Zhao family, you must protect yourself and remember that your own safety must be the top priority under any circumstances!"

Zhang Dejun was stunned again, lowered his head and sniffed, raised his head and grinned: "Don't worry, Mr. Hou, I know!"

He felt warm in his heart, no one had ever said such a thing to him.

What he considers to be life-saving means that he really needs to use his own life in exchange for everything his master needs.

"Master Hou has treated me so well, I will die for Master Hou at all costs!" Zhang Dejun silently made up his mind in his heart.

Growing up in the darkest environment of the palace, his mind is far more mature than his peers.

He knew that he was still young and Taiping Palace would not be the place where he would stay for the rest of his life.

When the Queen Mother passed away and Zhang Gui was old, he was helpless in the palace. The only one he could rely on was Zhu Xiu.

The youngest founding prince of the dynasty was a popular figure in front of the emperor.

Zhang Gui told him more than once that Zhu Xiu would be one of the most prominent figures in the Zhou Dynasty in the future.

Zhang Dejun kept these words in mind.

If he wants to rely on Zhu Xiu, he must show considerable value.

And this time, it's an opportunity.

Zhu Xiu looked at him and smiled: "Your real name is Wang. If you don't mind, I will give you another name, and you can use this name to get close to the Zhao family."

Zhang Dejun was overjoyed and kowtowed: "Thank you, little man, for giving me the name!"

Zhu Xiu helped him up: "Let's call him Jien, Wang Jien!"

Zhang Dejun's lips trembled, he muttered, and bowed again: "Wang Jien, thank you, Lord Marquis!"

Zhu Xiu patted his shoulder with a smile.

Zhao Er, Zhao Er, brother, you must accept this gift from me!
~~~
Another day later, news spread that Zhu Xiu was released from prison and returned home. Fu Zhaoxin was the first to come to express condolences and discuss wedding matters with him.

The Huaiyang Palace has also been very busy recently, organizing the weddings of the eldest lady and the second lady at the same time, especially the eldest lady Fu Jinzhan, which must be held according to the standards of a prince's wedding.

Li Chongjin and Chai Rong have also been very busy recently. One is busy taking care of the imperial army in front of the palace, and the other is busy getting married. They don't have time to visit the Hou Mansion in person, so they send their best confidants to come and say hello.

The people who came in on behalf of Li Chong were the two commanders of the imperial army, Liu Qingyi and Liu Shouzhong.

The two of them were very respectful when they saw Zhu Xiuna, and they didn't think there was anything wrong in bowing to a low-ranking military official from the ninth rank.

The person who came on behalf of Chai Rong was He Hui. Zhu Xiu served him tea and sent him away after being polite.

When Yedu raised troops, He Hui was expelled by Liu Ci at the Anguo Army in Xingzhou because Zhu Xiu revealed that he had accepted bribes from Li Ye in order to prevent Liu Ci, the governor of the Anguo Army, from raising troops to aid Guo Wei.

Unexpectedly, this guy was also a ruthless man. Seeing that Yedu's army was about to attack Kaifeng, he knew that Liu Han's country could not be saved, so he decisively used the heads of his old friend Liu Zhu and his family as a token of surrender to gain Chai Rong's trust.

Since then, he has been following Chai Rong, working diligently for several years, which actually made Chai Rong trust him more.

He Hui was a brave general. He assisted Chai Rong in commanding the army in Chanzhou, and he was also able to act on his own.

Zhu Xiu also found out that this guy was in Chanzhou and had merged with his other destined marriage, Fan Ai. Both guys were prestigious generals in the Chanzhou army.

Zhu Xiu felt a headache when he thought about what stupid things these two guys would do in the future. He considered whether to let Ma Qing organize the experts from the Zangfeng Battalion to carry out an assassination and get rid of the two scourges in advance.

However, firstly, these two men were not bad at martial arts, and secondly, they were both lieutenant generals of the Chanzhou Army and had the trust of Chai Rong. It was not easy to assassinate them.

If the news leaks out and causes Chai Rong to misunderstand, it will be a waste that outweighs the gain.

If you think about it, you can only give up, and look for an opportunity in the future to reveal the true colors of these two guys.

In two days' time it will be the auspicious wedding day. The Hou Mansion is decorated with lanterns and colorful decorations. Zhu Wu and Yang Qiaolian are busy taking care of everything.

The old mother is sick in bed, so the important event of marriage can only be presided over by the elder brother and sister-in-law.

Zhu Xiu was not idle either and was pulled by Yang Qiaolian to try on the wedding dress.

God knows how many times she went to clothing stores and tried on more than a dozen outfits but was still not satisfied.

Zhu Xiu was very tired, but seeing her sister-in-law busy and excited, she could only force a smile and try her best to cooperate.

Tired, Zhu Xiu could only dream about a beautiful married life.

The thought of living with two ladies, Fu Jinhuan and Shi Lingyan, made my heart feel hot.

The sparsely populated Dingyuan Hou Mansion is about to welcome its mistress
(End of this chapter)