Taichang Ming Dynasty

Chapter 141: Lord Taishan's Order

Boom!Boom!Boom!
Fucaifang, near the base of the inner city's west wall. Someone knocked on the main door of Lu's residence.

"Ajiu. Go and take a look." Except for herself, no one remembered what Ajiu's original name was.

"Okay, Master." Although the Lu family only had Ajiu, a maid who married from the Hai family, and there were no dishes on the table, she still had to serve on the side while the couple ate.

Ajiu ran to the door, unbolted it, and gently pushed it open a small crack.

Unexpectedly, a familiar figure stood at the door. "Master?" Ah Jiu hurriedly pushed open both doors.

"Master! Master is here." Ah Jiu shouted towards the kitchen and dining hall not far away, without realizing that there was anything wrong with his words.

"What are you yelling about? Which master is here?" Lu Wenzhao put down his bowl and chopsticks, pushed open the door and left the kitchen. Hai Rou also put down her bowl and chopsticks, but she had no intention of following him to meet the guests. She was just waiting for her husband to return.

There was only a tree planted by the original owner between the kitchen door and the main entrance of the Lu residence, so Lu Wenzhao saw the person coming as soon as he pushed open the kitchen door.

"Master Taishan?!" Lu Wenzhao was very surprised because his father-in-law Hai Zhentao had never been to the Lu residence in Fucaifang. During the holidays, he was the one who took the initiative to bring his wife to visit Hai Zhentao in Dashiyongfang.

Lu Wenzhao took a few quick steps and came to Hai Zhentao, respectfully performing the ceremony of a younger generation: "Son-in-law Lu Wenzhao pays homage to father-in-law Taishan."

"We're all family, why are we being so distant?" Hai Zhentao feigned anger and then asked softly, "Where's Hai Rou?"

"Hailey is here"

"Ah! Dad!" Before Lu Wenzhao could finish his words, Hai Rou came out of the kitchen. She heard her husband's exclamation and knew that the visitor was her father, so she ran out in a hurry.

"You're here!" There was obvious surprise in Hai Rou's eyes.

"You're already married, but you're still like a child." Hai Zhentao had a stern face, but his eyes were full of tenderness.

"Is Mom okay?" Hai Rou asked.

"Very good. She is busy all day long. It is obviously she who is nagging and she thinks I am troublesome. So, I come to you to avoid trouble." When speaking, Hai Zhentao's main sight was focused on Hai Rou, but he diverted a lot of attention to the corner of his eye to observe Lu Wenzhao who was standing beside him.

Lu Wenzhao didn't say a word, just listened quietly to the father and daughter chatting about family matters.

He actually had trouble interacting with Hai Zhentao, as this stern and rigid man was not only his father-in-law, Taishan, but also his superior who had promoted him. Without this marriage, it's arguable that he wouldn't have been able to inherit his father's hereditary position and become a full-fledged centurion at his age. So, while Lu Wenzhao didn't marry into the family, he felt just as comfortable around Hai Zhentao.

Although Hai Zhentao had been chatting with his daughter, he had not forgotten the purpose of his visit. Seeing that Lu Wenzhao had been standing there like a piece of wood, Hai Zhentao had to take the initiative to say, "It's freezing cold, why don't you invite me in to sit down?"

"Lord Taishan, please!" Lu Wenzhao originally planned to wait for the two to finish their conversation before inviting Hai Zhentao into the house for tea.

"Didn't you come out of this room?" Hai Zhentao pointed to the kitchen of Lu's house and asked in confusion.

"., this is the kitchen. Hai Rou and I are having dinner in there." Lu Wenzhao said awkwardly.

"Eating in the kitchen?" Hai Zhentao didn't show any expression.

"It's cold now, and it's bound to get through the snow when carrying it from the kitchen to the dining room." Hai Rou said considerately, "So I thought it would be better to make it now."

"Just ask the carpenter to build a furnace cart. It won't cost much." Hai Zhentao looked at Lu Wenzhao with some dissatisfaction.

"The yard is so small, why do we need a furnace cart?" Hai Rou walked quickly to the guest room and opened the door.

"Lord Taishan, please come in!" Lu Wenzhao waved his hand and said.

The so-called guest room was just a bedroom with a screen separating the table and the earthen kang.

Hai Rou was present, and Hai Zhentao also expressed his intention to come here to find his daughter. Lu Wenzhao just treated it as a family gathering where a father came to see his daughter.

He kept talking about official business, because it made the family gathering look like a work report. But apart from official business, Lu Wenzhao could no longer find a suitable topic to talk to Hai Zhentao about. He stood there again, motionless and silent, and except for standing and sitting, he was no different from before.

"The office hasn't even been dismissed yet, and you're already having dinner?" Hai Zhentao looked at Lu Wenzhao and asked.

"In reply to Master Taishan," Lu Wenzhao said, the feeling of reporting work coming out as soon as he opened his mouth. "This is because..."

"My dear son-in-law, do you still treat me as an outsider?" Hai Zhentao raised his eyebrows and interrupted Lu Wenzhao.

"I dare not." Lu Wenzhao hurriedly shook his head.

"Then talk nicely. Don't talk about whether you will reply or not, or whether there is a reason or not. This is not the government office." Hai Zhentao waved at Ajiu. "Ajiu."

"Master." Ajiu came over.

"Go make me a cup of hot tea." Hai Zhentao spoke in the tone of a master talking to a servant, which exactly corresponds to the meaning of "not treating yourself as an outsider".

"Okay, master." Jiu didn't understand these roundabout hints and just instinctively followed his master's orders.

After Ajiu left, Hai Zhentao raised his head slightly towards Lu Wenzhao, indicating that he should continue with the previous topic.

"Taishan, it's like this." Lu Wenzhao forced a smile and tried to adjust his words. "Didn't my son-in-law take a job at this government office a while ago?"

"It's a job of house arrest." Hai Zhentao nodded.

"Yes, that's the errand. As you know, this kind of errand has to be supervised twelve hours a day. Twelve hours a day, so we have to take turns."

"So that's how it is. It's time for the night shift?" Hai Zhentao asked.

"Yes." Lu Wenzhao nodded.

"As for a job like house arrest, if you do it well, you will get no credit, but if you do it wrong, you will be in trouble. It is also easy to get mixed up in day and night and have no time to return home." Hai Zhentao said slowly in an alluring tone.

However, Lu Wenzhao didn't lure him up, but Hai Rou took advantage of the situation and said, "Dad, why don't you give him a new one?"

"." Lu Wenzhao came back to his senses and suddenly realized something. His eyes twitched slightly and he said nothing.

Hai Zhentao was a little disappointed that Lu Wenzhao hadn't asked for the job. But Hai Rou's suggestion was enough for him to continue: "I just happen to have a good job. Would you be willing to take it, son-in-law?"

"The work in my hands was assigned to me personally by the head of the guards." Lu Wenzhao declined politely with sufficient reasons.

"No matter who assigned you this, it's just house arrest," Hai Zhentao said with a slight smile. "You can do it part-time. You have over a hundred men under you, so are you worried about not being able to keep an eye on two women?"

"Yes. It's a part-time job." Hai Rou knew her husband was cautious but also very utilitarian. "Let Lord Lu or Lord Shen take care of that job."

"Here..." Lu Wenzhao didn't even want to ask what the errand was about. The fact that Hai Zhentao had come to him on his own initiative was strange in itself. And after so long as a member of the Imperial Guard, he'd learned one thing: good jobs cost money. "Master Taishan, I'm short of money. I simply don't have the resources to bribe anyone," Lu Wenzhao continued, using what he considered to be reasonable excuses to decline.

Because my father-in-law has to take care of things himself, so even if you ask him for a favor, you still have to pay him.

"No problem." Hai Zhentao, seemingly oblivious to the hidden meaning, pulled a hard-cover document from his pocket and handed it to Lu Wenzhao. "This job wasn't begged for, it's free, and there's no need for bribes." Lu Wenzhao opened the document and discovered it wasn't a detailed explanation, but a formal order, signed and sealed: [Format: Beginning:] This order is hereby issued to Lu Wenzhao, the Hundred Householder of the Eastern Office, to rigorously investigate the criminal officer Sun Ruyou.

Unlike the "transfer" from the Experience Department to the East Department, the "order" does not require the seal of the person receiving the order to agree.

Lu Wenzhao understood. His father-in-law, Taishan, hadn't come to see his daughter, and this wasn't some family gathering between father and daughter. Hai Zhentao had come on an errand.

"Lord Taishan, you really take good care of your son-in-law." Lu Wenzhao smiled as wide as he could.

At this time, Ajiu came in with three cups of tea.

"Of course not!" Hai Rou straightened her back, a little proud. "Dad is the best." Hai Rou took a cup of tea from the tea tray and placed it in front of her father attentively.

"Of course, we're family." A faint sense of guilt welled up in Hai Zhentao's heart. So he added, "This job isn't easy, but if you can pull it off, it's a chance to move up. You've reached the end of the road, kid."

Lu Wenzhao was stunned. For a moment, suspicion, doubt, and gratitude all surged in his heart. There was a long silence, until Hai Rou placed another cup of tea in front of him. Lu Wenzhao finally said, "Thank you, Taishan. I'm grateful."

"Then I'll be leaving." Hai Zhentao opened the lid of the cup, took a sip, and stood up to say goodbye.

"Dad, I'll take you there." Hai Rou stood up.

"No need. It's just a few steps away." Hai Zhentao waved his hand to stop Hai Rou, then strode out of Lu's house and returned to the carriage in the east office.

"What's wrong, husband? Is there any problem?" After Hai Zhentao left, Hai Rou noticed that her husband, who was always very cautious in front of his father, was still sitting on the wooden stool, staring blankly at the document in front of him.

"No problem. I have to thank you." Lu Wenzhao came back to his senses, put down the documents, walked to Hai Rou, and gently hugged her.

Hai Rou gently hugged her husband back. Unbeknownst to her, the smile on Lu Wenzhao's face vanished the very moment he embraced her. Even if he hadn't considered participating, he knew there were no Donglin Party members in the East Office's prison.

------

As dusk passed and the sun set, the emperor finished his day's work.

"Master, are we still flipping the cards today?" Wang An rubbed his nose, his face full of fatigue.

"No more searching. Let's go to the palace." Zhu Changluo waved his hand. "Let's go." Zhu Changluo was about to speak when he heard a report from outside: "The eldest prince Zhu Youxiao wants to see you."

"Who is that blind servant outside?" Zhu Changluo's face darkened. "Do I need to inform you that my son is coming to see me?"

"I'll tell him to get out right now." Wang An said hurriedly.

"Father!" Zhu Youxiao heard his father's voice and hurriedly pushed the door open to enter the hall, explaining, "Father, it was your son who asked him to inform you."

"Didn't I tell you that as long as the door is not closed, you can come and go as you please in the South Study." Zhu Changluo's expression eased a little.

"Your Majesty, I have a favor to ask of you." Zhu Youxiao lifted his robe and knelt.

"Why are you so serious? Just tell me." Zhu Changluo motioned Zhu Youxiao to stand up.

"Your son requests that Your Majesty not allow Master Sun to join the cabinet." Zhu Youxiao not only did not stand up, but kowtowed to his father.

"Why?" Zhu Changluo asked.

"I would like to ask your Majesty for permission to let Master Sun go to Tianjin with me. I have only been in elementary school for a short time, and my knowledge of both the sages and the governance of the country is very shallow. If I rashly take up the post of governor, I will inevitably make mistakes. It will be a small matter for me to return empty-handed, but it will be a big matter for me to disappoint your Majesty. Master Sun is talented, his words are to the point, and he is quite far-sighted. If I can get Master Sun's assistance, I will be able to thrive and live up to your trust." Zhu Youxiao spent the entire afternoon writing this paragraph and hardly even listened to Xu Guangqi's class.

"No wonder." Zhu Changluo finally understood why Sun Chengzong refused to join the cabinet. "The second place candidate becomes a staff member for the prefect. That's quite a concession," Zhu Changluo quipped.

"Does the emperor agree?" Zhu Youxiao raised his head and asked with a smile.

"What do you want to exchange for it?" Zhu Changluo asked back.

"Change?"

"Of course." Zhu Changluo smiled and said, "How about this, Tianjin Port City provides policies but not money. As long as you agree to this condition, I will give you Master Sun."

"Or the palace can allocate one million taels to you. Master Sun should still join the cabinet and teach." Zhu Changluo held up two fingers and said, "Choose one of the two. You choose."

"Your son wants Master Sun." Zhu Youxiao said without any hesitation.

"Wow! You agreed so quickly." Zhu Changluo nodded appreciatively. "That's it, then."

"Your son thanks the emperor for his grace." Zhu Youxiao kowtowed again.

Zhu Changluo laughed and said, "Get out of here! The Southern Study is about to be dismissed."

"Your Majesty, I have something to ask of you." Zhu Youxiao stood up and bowed.

"The one outside?"

"Yes. I beg you to forgive him." Zhu Youxiao nodded.

"Don't cause trouble for the servants in the future."

"I will remember this." Zhu Youxiao nodded obediently. "I will take my leave."

"Get up. Everything is fine." Zhu Youxiao closed the door and said to the eunuch.

"I would like to apologize to the emperor," said the eunuch.

"Oh. Forget it." Zhu Youxiao shook his head.

Zhu Changluo stepped out of the palace and found the eunuch with the common name still kneeling at the door. "Get up."

"The slave is guilty."

"I pardon you." Zhu Changluo walked over the eunuch. "Wang An, leave him here to do his job."

"Yes." Wang An agreed.

"I bow to thank my master for his grace." The eunuch kowtowed three times towards the emperor's back.

"You scared this servant." After they walked away, Zhu Changluo instructed Wang An again. "Reward him with some silver."

"Yes." Wang An agreed and asked, "Master, which palace are we going to today?"

"Let's go to the West Warm Pavilion in the Qianqing Palace."

(End of this chapter)