Chapter 35: Unplanned Success

Outside the city, the Zhu family manor.

Old Madam Zhu was anxiously awaiting news from within the city walls. For most families in Anlu, the selection for the Prince’s study companions was a pleasant prospect if successful, but hardly a catastrophe if it failed; after all, one could study anywhere. To the Zhu family, however, this was the pivotal battle that would determine if they could rise to prominence once more.

As sunset approached, Zhu Wanjian hurried back and rushed into the rear hall to report: "Mother, things have not gone very well."

Old Madam Zhu’s heart sank. "Has the result of the selection been announced?"

"I don't know if the final results are out, but none of the five children we sent made it to the final round. They were all dismissed early!" Zhu Wanjian’s face wore a look of schadenfreude, as if he were waiting to watch a farce that had nothing to do with him.

Old Madam Zhu’s expression darkened instantly. "We sent so many children, even the bright ones from our tenant farmers, and yet..."

Zhu Wanjian continued, "I heard that the son of the new magistrate, and some kid named Zhu Hao... performed exceptionally well in the first two rounds, advancing easily without a hitch. That’s all I know for now. By the way, Mother, that boy named Zhu Hao... he wouldn't happen to be that brat from the third branch, would he?"

"Zhu Hao?" Old Madam Zhu’s face looked even worse.

At that moment, Steward Liu entered and said respectfully, "Old Madam, Master Lin of the Embroidered Uniform Guard is here to pay a visit."

Old Madam Zhu knew that Master Lin’s arrival was ill-omened; he was likely coming to gloat over the Zhu family’s failure in the selection. She did not want to see him, but she had no choice. As a special envoy sent by the imperial court to investigate the inner workings of the Prince of Xing’s estate, and having previously claimed that he had re-established contact with secret agents lurking within the estate, his sources of information were far superior to the Zhu family's.

"I will see him now. None of you are to disturb us. Also, prepare two hundred taels of silver..."

In Old Madam Zhu’s view, since the family’s efforts to place a child as a study companion had failed, they had to seek compensation elsewhere. If she could sate Master Lin with silver and utilize his intelligence network for the Zhu family’s benefit, it might be worth a try.

...

Old Madam Zhu met with Master Lin. His expression was not as dark as she had imagined; rather, it carried a hint of admiration and flattery. He immediately cupped his hands in greeting: "First, let me offer my congratulations to you, Old Madam Zhu."

Old Madam Zhu frowned. "What is there to congratulate me for?"

"Oh!?" Master Lin’s brow furrowed, appearing somewhat puzzled. His eyes rolled as if he had realized something, and he smiled. "The final results have not been officially announced, but we have learned from our mole that among the two selected, besides the son of the Magistrate of Changshou, the other is none other than young Master Zhu Hao from your family's third branch..."

"Isn't it a cause for celebration that the Zhu family could send one of its own into the Prince of Xing’s estate purely through their own merit in such a fair and impartial selection?"

Master Lin’s words revealed two important pieces of information. The most significant was that the boy named "Zhu Hao" was indeed her own grandson, the legitimate grandson of the third branch. Furthermore, it showed that Master Lin was "all-knowing"—even before the Prince’s estate had made the results public, he had already obtained the news. Was this not a way to show off his power? *Even if you Zhu family members manage to get a child in, how much important information can he possibly pass out? You are no match for me; with a simple contact, I can get whatever I want!*

Old Madam Zhu’s expression remained as calm as water. She was not moved by the news of Zhu Hao’s selection and asked coolly, "With so many children participating, only two were chosen?"

"Yes, just two. The news is absolutely accurate," Master Lin said. "It is precisely because so many participated that I say you are a woman of great foresight, Old Madam... I heard that the third branch of your family has always had a strained relationship with you. In this way, even if a child from the third branch is selected, it has little to do with the main Zhu family, and the people in the Prince’s estate will not be overly suspicious... Otherwise, why would I say you have such long-term vision?"

Old Madam Zhu sneered inwardly. She had been completely in the dark, yet Master Lin was calling her "a woman of great foresight." If he was pretending to be ignorant, this comment was like pointing at a bald man and cursing a monk—an excuse to stir up trouble. However, judging by his reaction, he clearly did not know the truth of the matter; otherwise, he would not have come to congratulate her. Perhaps Master Lin felt the Zhu family was now of use again, which was why he was so amiable.

If that was the case... then the silver she had prepared to bribe him was no longer needed. Why should she give gifts to someone who was merely utilizing her, just as she was utilizing him?

"Old Madam, let’s be serious. Your grandson’s selection seems like a good thing, but not necessarily. The Prince’s estate will not be without defenses against the Zhu family. I am afraid that after he enters the estate... he might suffer the same fate as those previous moles." Master Lin expressed his concern.

Old Madam Zhu asked, "Are you saying someone will target my family’s child?"

Master Lin sighed, "When it comes to the succession of the throne, even adults can disappear from the world without a trace, let alone a child who has yet to see the ways of the world. For this boy to enter the Prince’s estate is extremely dangerous... You should plan early, Old Madam. If there is anything you need from me, just speak."

When these words first reached Old Madam Zhu’s ears, they sounded like a warning, but as he continued, she realized it was a thinly veiled threat. *Do not think that just because you have a child in the Prince’s estate, you can get the upper hand over me. Without support inside, that child is like a headless fly. Whether he succeeds is one thing, but whether he survives is another.*

"May I ask, Master Lin, if my child enters the Prince’s estate, is it possible for him to establish contact with the secret agent planted there by the Embroidered Uniform Guard to discuss a strategy?" Old Madam Zhu immediately adopted a negotiating stance. Since this was mutual exploitation, both sides had to show sincerity. If you want to keep secrets, that is not a cooperative attitude.

To her surprise, Master Lin just smiled. "If necessary, it is possible. But this person’s identity is extremely special. Re-establishing contact with him... is exceptionally difficult. He is very worried about his cover being blown... To be honest, I had to use a few small tricks to force him into compliance."

"Threats and inducements?" Old Madam Zhu roughly understood.

"Something like that." Master Lin did not hide it. "Precisely because of this, I cannot tell you his true identity. The fewer people who know, the less likely his cover will be blown. Currently, I am the only one who knows his background, not even my superiors... Once your grandson enters the Prince’s estate, in an emergency, I will arrange for this person to intervene secretly. Otherwise... it is best not to see each other if possible!"

Old Madam Zhu understood that Master Lin did not want to expose his trump card. She could have pushed harder, but then she thought: the child from the third branch had been selected, yet she knew nothing about it—how was she supposed to handle that? Could that child really be her trump card? If you have no cards, what can you use to trade with others?

"Master Lin, after my child enters the Prince’s estate, I hope you will offer him some support. We shall discuss this further later. I have matters to attend to, so I will not see you out!"

...

Old Madam Zhu had the servants see Master Lin out without giving him a single tael of silver. In her view, handling Zhu Hao was more important than anything else right now.

Zhu Hao had already returned home by this time, but it was not until the sun dipped behind the mountains that Mother Zhu returned. She had been meeting with a representative sent by Su Xigui to bring back the money earned from selling the snowflake salt. Uncle Zhong and the others followed behind, carefully guarding three large black bundles.

Mother Zhu instructed Uncle Zhong to place the bundles on the counter and then personally opened the drawer to give each of them two hundred copper coins. Uncle Zhong and the others took their leave tactfully.

After Mother Zhu and Aunt Li saw them off and checked the surroundings, they returned to the shop, secured the door panels, and let out a long sigh of relief. They walked to the counter and opened the bundles, revealing piles of white silver—fifteen ten-tael ingots.

The long-standing financial shortage of their small courtyard had been easily resolved.

"Mistress, why is there so much money?" Aunt Li’s eyes were wide; she had never seen so much money in her life.

Mother Zhu looked at Zhu Hao, her eyes filled with smiles. "It is all thanks to Little Hao. We took advantage of the good weather to dry more salt, and Boss Su was very satisfied with the quality. It is said that he has already sent the first batch to Jinling for sale, and it went very smoothly, so he added an extra copper coin per catty of salt this time."

Mother Zhu was overjoyed.

Zhu Hao, however, sensed a problem. "Mother, why would he add money for no reason? 'He who offers a gift for nothing is either a villain or a thief.' I could tell early on that this man named Su is no good."

Mother Zhu and Aunt Li exchanged glances. *You were the one who insisted on doing business with Su Xigui, and now that the business is finally picking up, you say he is no good?*

"Mother, I went to the selection for the Prince’s study companions today," Zhu Hao added.

Mother Zhu nodded. She had not held much hope for this. So many children had gone to the selection, and it was said that one needed at least two years of study to even have a chance. Zhu Hao hadn't even finished his basic alphabet and had only spent a few days with Teacher Lu before running off to the selection—how could he possibly be chosen?

"It doesn't matter if you weren't selected. I have money now, and I will hire the best teacher for you. As for returning to the Zhu family... at worst, I’ll give your grandmother more silver... I will beg her to let you go..." Mother Zhu had her own plans.

Zhu Hao smiled and said, "Mother, what I actually wanted to say is that I did quite well. If nothing goes wrong, I should be selected."

"Ah!?" Mother Zhu was stunned.

Her son hadn't even finished his basic education. The knowledge he possessed was mostly just the few characters she had taught him. Could he really pass the assessment with that?

Just then, there was a knock on the door. "Is this the residence of the young master of the Zhu family?"

Mother Zhu quickly hid the silver, smoothed her clothes, and went to open the door, with Zhu Hao following closely behind. As a door panel was removed, Zhu Hao saw Jiang Lun standing at the door with an attendant.

Jiang Lun was slightly taken aback when he saw Mother Zhu, then he spotted Zhu Hao, nodded in greeting, and helped remove the other door panel.

"And who might you be, sir?" Mother Zhu asked, looking confused.

Jiang Lun said, "I am from the Prince’s estate, here specifically to inform the young master of the Zhu family—the young lad behind you—that he has been selected as a study companion for the Prince’s estate. The day after tomorrow, early in the morning, pack your things and come to the estate to serve as a companion to the Heir Apparent. From then on, you will live and eat at the estate, and you will receive a monthly allowance of one hundred copper coins."

Mother Zhu became nervous instantly. "Enter the Prince’s estate? This... this..."

Jiang Lun smiled. "This must be the widow of General Zhongyi, the young master’s mother? Do not worry, Madam. As a study companion in the Prince’s estate, he will have one day every ten days to visit his family, and he can reunite with them during holidays. He will eat and sleep well in the estate and study alongside the Heir Apparent. His future is bright! I won't disturb you further; I still need to inform two other families... Farewell!"

Zhu Hao chased after him and asked, "Master Jiang, may I ask who else was selected?"

Jiang Lun said, "The son of the Magistrate and the son of Deputy Commander Lu."

Jiang Lun was an honest man, revealing all the selections without any concealment. This clearly showed he held Zhu Hao in high regard, coming to notify him first before going to the Jie and Lu families. But Zhu Hao thought to himself, *Was it really necessary to notify the Lu family? He could have just told Lu Song to bring his son to the estate. Wasn't Jiang Lun’s trip a bit redundant?*