Chapter 66: Upholding the Master's Reputation (Second Update)

A group of children in the courtyard watched as Zhu Hao was led away by Yuan Zonggao.

Zhu Si’s face was filled with guilt, as he believed he was the one who had gotten Zhu Hao into trouble. From his perspective, it was because he and his elder sister had been playing cuju, and Yuan Zonggao, finding it awkward to scold the two young masters of the estate, had simply called Zhu Hao out to give him a severe reprimand.

"Stop looking and keep playing cuju... Ah Bing, come over here, hold the fort for a while first, and we'll swap you out once Zhu Hao comes back!"

Zhu San was entirely carefree, intent only on wild play.

On the other side.

Yuan Zonggao led Zhu Hao out of the courtyard. Without walking far, he stopped, turned around, and looked Zhu Hao up and down.

The old fox’s gaze was sharp, as though he intended to see right through a person, but Zhu Hao’s mental fortitude was no laughing matter; how could he possibly suffer from stage fright at a time like this?

"Chief Steward Yuan..."

Lu Song thought Yuan Zonggao might be about to scold Zhu Hao, so he wanted to step over and explain that the children had agreed to play together and it wasn't Zhu Hao who had initiated it.

Yuan Zonggao raised a hand to cut Lu Song off, and without dismissing him, spoke openly without avoidance.

"Zhu Hao," Yuan Zonggao said, "earlier I overheard your teaching session from outside the door. Who taught you all of that? Didn't you say you had no formal master?"

This was not the first time Yuan Zonggao had inquired about Zhu Hao’s lineage of instruction.

Even Lu Song could not help casting a glance over, clearly wishing to know more of the secrets Zhu Hao harbored.

Zhu Hao replied, "I truly have no formal master. Because of the obstruction of my paternal second uncle and others, even though my mother searched far and wide within the city for a tutor to initiate my studies, she was unable to find one. As for learning characters, my mother began teaching me two years ago."

Yuan Zonggao wore a look of surprise. "You mean your learning was taught to you by your mother?"

Zhu Hao shook his head and said, "Not quite. Mother only taught me to read characters, bought me the Four Books and Five Classics, and had me memorize them on my own. Whenever I encountered a character I didn't recognize, besides Mother teaching me, I would also ask literate people around me."

"I see."

Yuan Zonggao nodded, still feeling that Zhu Hao possessed many secrets.

"It wasn't until later..."

Zhu Hao continued, "Perhaps a little over a month ago, Mother met an old gentleman in the alley behind our house who had not yet recovered from a heavy hangover. She kindly had someone look after him, and after he sobered up and was questioned, it turned out he was a traveler from elsewhere on his way to Jiangxi, passing through Anlu. Because he was drunk and didn't know the way back to the inn, he had slept by the roadside for the night."

Hearing this, Yuan Zonggao immediately perked up and asked, "And then?"

Beside them, Lu Song couldn't help giving Yuan Zonggao a sidelong glance.

You actually believe such a preposterous story?

And you want to keep listening to this kid's nonsense?

"Because Mother couldn't find a tutor for me in the city, she invited him—that is, Mr. Lu. He was the one who said his surname was Lu. She invited him to tutor me in my beginnings, but Mr. Lu said he was passing through Anlu and couldn't stay long. After testing my learning, he agreed to be my teacher for a few days, and then went on to Jiangxi."

Much of what Zhu Hao said now had already been roughly stated when he had met the Prince of Xing.

It was just that neither Zhu Youyuan nor Yuan Zonggao had taken it too much to heart back then. But this time, after Zhu Hao spoke, the effect was vastly different from before.

Yuan Zonggao nodded, his brows furrowed in deep thought.

If it truly was Tang Yin passing through the locality on his way to Jiangxi, and after a heavy hangover he wished to avoid revealing his true identity so as not to ruin his reputation, that was entirely plausible.

Once he discovered Zhu Hao's potential in scholarship, Tang Yin developing a fondness for talent and taking him on as a disciple would be even more natural and logical.

Yuan Zonggao asked, "Then everything you lectured on earlier was taught to you by that Mr. Lu?"

Zhu Hao nodded. "Yes. Although Mr. Lu didn't spend much time tutoring me, I made the most of every opportunity to consult with him. For reasons I don't know, I could understand everything he explained almost immediately, so I memorized it. Over these past few days, Mr. Sui hasn't come to give lessons, and while I originally intended to review on my own, I worried that Jing Hong and Zhu San would fall behind in their coursework, so I simply taught everything Mr. Lu had taught to them as well."

Hearing this, everything confirmed what Yuan Zonggao had imagined in his heart—it really had been taught by Tang Yin.

Zhu Hao thought to himself: *As for that fellow who calls himself Mr. Lu, I know that is not your original surname, and I also know you are very likely Tang Yin. I even know that right now you are impoverished with no bright future and cannot bring me any benefits, but I simply want to find a scapegoat to back up a talent that does not belong to my age and qualifications, so this can be considered indirectly making a name for you.*

*Strictly speaking, you ought to thank me!*

"Then about entering the Prince's Estate...?" Yuan Zonggao continued to ask.

Zhu Hao replied, "Mr. Lu was going to Jiangxi, and I told him that if he left, I would likely be taken back to the Zhu clan by my grandmother and lose all chance of studying. He then told me I could enter the Prince's Estate as a companion in study... As long as I could enter the Prince's Estate, I believed my paternal family would no longer dare to obstruct my studies, and in the future, I could grow alongside the young princes, perhaps even achieving some measure of official renown."

"Before parting, Mr. Lu told me that I must, like my late father, hold loyalty and righteousness in my heart, study diligently in the Prince's Estate, and in the future support the state and repay the Great Ming."

Hearing this, a trace of admiration involuntarily welled up in Yuan Zonggao's heart.

Previously, when Zhu Hao had spoken those awe-inspiring words of great righteousness before the Prince of Xing, he and Zhu Youyuan had been deeply moved, but also astonished as to why a child could possess such a state of mind. Now he understood: apart from the profound impact of a father who had heroically died for his country, there was also the tireless painstaking effort of the child's mother in guiding him toward success, as well as the personal example and verbal instruction of that "initiating mentor," Tang Yin.

In such an environment, cultivating a young Zhu Hao who possessed loyalty and righteousness at such a tender age was entirely reasonable and logical.

"Very well, Zhu Hao."

Having learned the answer he had set his heart on, Yuan Zonggao nodded with an approving look and said, "You may go back and play with them first. Do not let down Mr. Lu's earnest teachings; study diligently in the Prince's Estate in the future, and wholeheartedly assist the young prince."

In his excitement, he even blurted out words about studying hard to assist the prince in the future.

Yet Yuan Zonggao had no intention of taking it back, merely observing Zhu Hao with a scrutinizing gaze.

Zhu Hao said, "But when I go back, my paternal family will inevitably ask about what I've learned inside the Prince's Estate. What should I say?"

Yuan Zonggao smiled. "Later on, I will tell you what to say... It's not asking you to lie, but you must have a sense of measure regarding what should be said and what should not. What do you think?"

"Mn." Zhu Hao nodded heavily.

"Good, that's settled then." As Yuan Zonggao prepared to leave, he called out to Lu Song, "Guard Officer Lu, you've worked hard today. Come along with me to the inner courtyard."

......

Yuan Zonggao left, taking Lu Song and the two guards stationed outside with him.

The implication was clear: you, Zhu Hao, have already won my trust and no longer need to be watched like a thief; whether you can gain even more trust depends entirely on your future performance.

Zhu Hao returned to the courtyard.

At this moment, Jing Hong had just scored a goal and was cheering joyfully with Zhu Si.

With Zhu Hao absent, Zhu San—a mere girl paired with a "ball boy"—had seen her side completely crushed. The score had gone from six to one to six to ten, conceding nine goals in a row.

Jing Hong and Zhu Si had actually only met today, but because they were teammates in a match and experienced a comeback victory, their bond had deepened considerably.

"Ah Bing, I told you to guard the back, why did you run forward?" Zhu San angrily chided Lu Bing.

Lu Bing’s face turned beet red, and his gaze drifted back toward the entrance, though unfortunately, his father was no longer standing there to back him up.

Zhu Hao announced, "I'm back."

Seeing Zhu Hao return, Zhu San immediately beamed with joy. "Great, with Zhu Hao back, we're bound to win!"

"Third Brother, the match is over, we won, no more playing!"

Zhu Si was no fool either, promptly calling a halt to the game.

Knowing how formidable Zhu Hao was, stepping onto the field now would just mean getting crushed. His purpose in playing cuju wasn't to let them have fun while he made himself miserable; now that he had already had his fun, he wasn't playing anymore!

Zhu San was so angry she almost jumped up. "No way, we haven't decided the winner yet."

Zhu Hao put on a stern face and said, "Just now, Mr. Yuan told us to study diligently and not indulge in play. Recess is over; let's go back inside to continue our studies, and we can play together again at noon."

"Okay!" Zhu Si was the first to agree.

Zhu San pouted, less than satisfied with Zhu Hao's decision, but thinking that this might well be Yuan Zonggao's intention, she dropped the argument. The children trooped back into the study hall, where "Teacher Zhu" resumed the lecture.

......

The Prince's Estate Study.

Yuan Zonggao faithfully reported everything he had heard from Zhu Hao to Zhu Youyuan.

In conclusion, he offered this appraisal: "Tang Yin achieved fame early in life, and can be called a master of both poetry and painting. I previously thought his literary talent was merely mediocre and that worldly rumors were vastly exaggerated, but now it seems not only is his talent extraordinary, his vision is also exceptionally keen, and even his grasp of the current political situation is beyond the reach of ordinary men."

Zhu Youyuan asked, "Is Chief Steward Yuan referring to the matter of him letting Zhu Hao enter the Prince's Estate?"

"Mn."

Yuan Zonggao nodded. "Before going to Jiangxi, he made a special detour to pass through Anlu and even met with the Prince's Estate tutor; his purpose is self-evident. With his discernment, he must have considered what would happen if the current Emperor were to remain without an heir..."

Some things did not need to be spoken of in too much detail; one had to guard against walls having ears.

If those words were truly allowed to leak out, the imperial court's methods toward the Prince of Xing's Estate would no longer be merely sending people to keep watch; they might instead move directly to frame them with a charge of treason.

Yet even without Yuan Zonggao spelling it out in detail, Zhu Youyuan understood precisely what was meant. In fact, the two of them had discussed this topic more than once over the past few years.

Zhu Youyuan asked, "Then why did he go to Jiangxi after all?"

A contemplative look crossed Yuan Zonggao's face. "Previously, I couldn't quite figure it out either, but upon careful reflection, it makes sense. He went to Nanchang—on the surface, it looked like he was throwing in his lot with the Prince of Ning, but how could he not know that the Prince of Ning harbored rebellious ambitions? Perhaps he wished to investigate the situation firsthand... More importantly, even if he wanted to enter the Prince's Estate, he had no opportunity to do so."

That single sentence struck at the heart of reality.

The Prince of Xing's Estate had kept an extremely low profile over the past few years. Aside from recruiting local tutors for Zhu Houcong, they almost never interacted with the gentry or officials of Anlu.

Tang Yin himself remained an "offending official" of the court and lacked the qualifications to continue taking the metropolitan examinations. With such a "criminal record," even if he were to recommend himself, the Prince's Estate would never pay him any heed.

But now, with a disciple like Zhu Hao serving as a companion in study within the Prince's Estate—and displaying the demeanor of a high-class mentor's pupil—the situation was vastly different.

Zhu Youyuan voiced the very thought Yuan Zonggao had been holding back: "If the opportunity presents itself, having him come to the Prince's Estate to tutor the heir apparent would certainly not be a bad choice."

Even Yuan Zonggao nodded in agreement with Zhu Youyuan's sentiment.

Having witnessed Zhu Hao's talent and learning, both men had conceived the desire to recruit Tang Yin.