Chapter 68: The Honest and Reliable Young Gentleman (Fourth Update)
Zhu Hao's game of Go was vastly superior to Jing Hong's, and even Jing Hong himself knew that the gap in their ranks was massive.
Although Jing Hong stubbornly refused to resign, a match with such a huge disparity in skill held little interest for Zhu Hao. After finishing one round, Zhu Hao yielded his seat, and Zhu San enthusiastically volunteered to play against Jing Hong.
The moment the game restarted, the balance of victory flipped instantly.
Jing Hong's skill was a cut above Zhu San's and Zhu Si's, yet their match was genuinely entertaining because Zhu San possessed a unique skill that no one else had—taking back his moves.
"No, I'm not playing here, I want to go there! Take your piece back!"
"This move doesn't count, you're not allowed to place it here... Let's rewind two moves..."
Jing Hong was utterly speechless.
He wondered inwardly whether all the children in the Prince's Manor were so unreasonable.
Did they not understand that once a move was played, it could not be taken back?
Yet he did not dwell on it too much, because even with Zhu San's frequent use of take-backs, Zhu San was still no match for him. The young boy finally regained a sliver of confidence, but when he caught sight of Zhu Hao peering out from the courtyard entrance, a shadow fell over Jing Hong's heart once again.
What was the use of merely being stronger than Zhu San and Zhu Si?
When would he ever be able to rival Zhu Hao?
...
...
In the western section of the Prince's Manor, there were three consecutive courtyards. Beside the study hall was an empty vacant courtyard originally reserved for visitors to the manor. However, it had remained unused for a long time, likely related to the Prince of Xing's low-profile demeanor in Anlu, where he almost never interacted with outsiders on ordinary days.
At that moment, the vacant courtyard was undergoing renovations, and various craftsmen were moving things in and out.
Zhu Hao observed carefully. Because Lu Song had previously mentioned that he and Jing Hong would move into this courtyard after it was tidied up, did this mean the remodeled courtyard next door would become their new living quarters?
"What are you looking at?"
Having finished his game and easily defeating Zhu San, Jing Hong walked over to the courtyard entrance and looked in the direction of Zhu Hao's gaze.
Zhu Hao did not answer.
Lingering behind, Zhu San said indignantly, "I'm not convinced. Zhu Hao, play a game with me."
Hearing this, both Jing Hong and the trailing Zhu Si looked at Zhu San with expressions resembling those reserved for a monster, as if saying: *If you want to match wits with Zhu Hao, you need to scale the first mountain before anything else.*
"Xiao Si, what are you looking at? If you have the guts, why don't you play Zhu Hao?" Zhu San felt that his younger brother's gaze was full of provocation and struck back tit-for-tat.
Zhu Si chuckled. He still possessed a shred of self-awareness; at least his older sister had learned to play Go, whereas his own skill... was such that simply recognizing the chessboard was an achievement. To go up against Jing Hong and Zhu Hao would be asking for humiliation.
Unable to find an opponent, Zhu San walked over dejectedly and, looking at the workers outside, remarked, "I heard the courtyard next door is being remodeled into a study... Father's reading room is getting too full, so they need to move some books over."
Jing Hong's eyes lit up as he asked, "Does that mean we'll be able to see the precious classics collected by the Prince's Manor in the future?"
A child with simple intentions believed whatever he was told, actually thinking this was a good thing. Zhu Hao, however, had completely different thoughts. The current political currents within the Prince's Manor were far too bizarre; from the dismissal of Sui Gongyan to the renovation of this so-called study, he hoped it wasn't all part of some elaborate conspiracy targeted at him.
...
...
Lu Bing was nowhere to be seen that afternoon.
Before the end of the school day, Zhu San grabbed Zhu Si and ran off, as if the manor had some celebratory event that day. Afterward, Zhu Hao and Jing Hong returned to their temporary living quarters in the West Outer Courtyard.
"How long have you been learning to play Go?"
Jing Hong was still brooding over his defeat to Zhu Hao.
Ignoring the question, Zhu Hao casually asked, "I'm going out to listen to storytelling tonight. Are you coming?"
"I am!"
Jing Hong agreed without a moment's thought, then immediately realized he had been too rash. Perhaps this was a deliberate test by Zhu Hao?
He hastily corrected himself, "I'll see. If I have nothing else to do, I'll go."
...
Zhu Hao glanced at him. *Such a young child, yet he says one thing and means another?*
*Must he imitate that faux-profound demeanor of adults? He's probably influenced by his father's personal teachings, but at his age, he can only manage a superficial imitation. Look at his father... now that's an old fox.*
Thinking of how Jing Zhongkuan had just arrived at his post in Anlu, before even reaching his official office, and had rushed directly to visit his and his mother's rice shop, Zhu Hao knew just how scheming that man was.
What kind of upright and honorable son could a father like that cultivate?
By dinnertime, the kitchen had added extra dishes.
Usually, if the two younger ones arrived slightly late in the afternoon, forget about good food and drink—there was basically nothing left. But today, contrary to routine, the food was abundant, and every dish contained meat.
Zhu Hao asked a guard who was eating with them and preparing to take the night shift, "Big Brother Guard, it's not the Mid-Autumn Festival yet. Is there some celebration in the manor?"
The guard replied, "A noble in the manor has some joyful news... Heh, why do you ask so many useless questions? Just eat your food."
Joyful news?
What kind of joy?
Pregnancy?
Or some unexpected windfall?
Did they take him for a fool? Ever since Zhu Houcong was born, he had only one full-blooded sister born in the sixth year of Zhengde, and from then until Zhu Youyuan's death, no other children were born!
Did this mean a child was born but didn't survive, or was it that his own arrival triggered a butterfly effect, giving Zhu Youyuan hope of holding a son once more?
The strong sense of conspiracy in Zhu Hao's heart began to spread once again.
...
...
That night, Zhu Hao and Jing Hong studied by candlelight as usual.
Yet Jing Hong's mind was long gone from his books; he was eager to go out and listen to storytelling. To him, sneaking out at night was both thrilling and fun. Such a sensation easily tempted a child with little self-control to crave it again and again, sinking into an obsession from which he could not extricate himself.
"When are we leaving?"
Jing Hong urged him several times.
Zhu Hao replied, "What's the rush? It's just the first watch of the night. Since the manor has joyful news, there's a high probability that guests will be visiting. If you go out and get caught, you might be driven out of the manor or reported to your family... Is that what you want?"
Jing Hong's hopes plummeted to rock bottom.
After a long while, Zhu Hao finally led Jing Hong out.
To their dismay, as they reached the entrance of the West Cross-Courtyard, they ran into Lu Song, who was patrolling the night.
"Commander Lu? What a coincidence."
Zhu Hao greeted Lu Song with a grin.
Lu Song told his subordinates to stay alert and continue their patrol, then walked over to the two youngsters and asked, "Where are you two going?"
Zhu Hao replied, "To leave the manor and listen to storytelling... Would Commander Lu care to join us?"
Though he said it, Zhu Hao was merely offering a polite, offhand invitation, not speaking from the heart.
Unexpectedly, Lu Song nodded. "I happen to be heading that way. I'll go with you."
Zhu Hao realized that Lu Song did not trust him and wanted to see what they were really up to after leaving the manor. But the problem was, if you wanted to track my movements, shouldn't you be following me in secret? Walking out with me so openly... well, even if I had a conspiracy, having you right beside me makes it rather inconvenient to act.
Lu Song arranged for guards to secure the gate, and then led Zhu Hao and Jing Hong out of the manor.
Jing Hong was filled with trepidation, terrified that Lu Song would report his nighttime escape to the people in the manor—especially Yuan Zonggao—and that the news would eventually reach his father's ears...
Leaving the manor and walking less than half a street away, they saw a bustling, crowded scene.
With the Mid-Autumn Festival approaching, autumn grain had been brought into storage in many places, and this was precisely the liveliest time for the townspeople. After a year of toil, they finally had some leisure time. Hearing that there was a lively storytelling venue on West Street offering free storytelling, how could they not rush over to join the fun?
Lu Song looked on coldly, unsurprised by the lively scene before him. Zhu Hao figured this fellow must have investigated the matter beforehand.
Wearing the official uniform of the Prince's Manor's Ceremonial Guard, Lu Song possessed an imposing aura wherever he went. The moment people saw him approaching, they consciously cleared a path. Eventually, the three of them arrived right in front of the storyteller's stage, where someone looked up, spotted Lu Song, and hurriedly offered their seat.
"There's no need!"
Lu Song did not accept the man's kindness; his purpose was not to listen to stories.
Seeing an official visiting the premises, the storyteller swallowed hard, stopped his narrative, and looked over with a trace of nervousness.
Lu Song waved a hand. "Continue!"
The storyteller relaxed his mind and resumed his tale.
Yu San was maintaining order in the venue and hurried over upon seeing the unusual situation. When he spotted Zhu Hao, his face first lit up with joy, but being a man skilled at reading expressions, he noticed the blade-wielding man in official attire beside Zhu Hao and instantly understood the situation.
"Official sir, are you here to listen to stories? Allow me to arrange the best seat for you... The tea money will be waived. Seeing that we are currently telling *The General Yue Fei*, would you care to move this way?"
Yu San's meaning was obvious.
Standing in the front row was both an eyesore and likely to make the audience nervous.
I'd better arrange a good spot for you to sit and enjoy.
"Brother San, this is Commander Lu of the Prince of Xing's Manor, not an outsider. You don't need to make special arrangements; just find us any place to sit will do."
Before Lu Song could respond, Zhu Hao spoke up and cleared the air.
Rather than letting Lu Song waste effort investigating the background of the people running this storytelling venue around the manor, it was better to state it outright: I know this person, our relationship is quite close, and I have no intention of hiding it... Are you satisfied now?
Upon hearing this, Yu San breathed a sigh of relief. So they weren't enemies, but friends.
Since they were Zhu Hao's friends, he would host them with even greater care.
With a martial general from the Prince's Manor keeping order here in the future, who would dare cause trouble?
This was a massive backing!
...
...
Once their seats were arranged,
Zhu Hao, Lu Song, and Jing Hong sat together, the table before them laden with dried fruits, pastries, and tea.
By then, order had been restored in the venue, and both the storyteller and the audience were once again immersed in the marvelous world of *The General Yue Fei*.
Lu Song looked around and frowned slightly. "You know this man?"
"Of course I know him. His name is Yu San, formerly of the Salt-Boat Gang, who used to work under Uncle Zhong. I met him when my mother was hiring helpers. You could say he's a long-term laborer for my family."
Zhu Hao picked up a melon seed and began cracking it.
"Your family's... laborer?"
Not only was Lu Song surprised, but Jing Hong beside him also looked over with curiosity.
Jing Hong thought to himself: *No wonder the manager of this storytelling venue was so polite to Zhu Hao last time. It turns out a servant was meeting his young master!*
Zhu Hao smiled and said, "Not only that, I even have a stake in this business. I found reading and sleeping in the manor too boring, so I took Mr. Lu... well, not you, Commander Lu. You heard my conversation with Senior Official Yuan the other day. It was my enlightenment tutor, Mr. Lu, who taught me these stories, and I had people tell them here. Who would have thought they'd be so popular? Now it's great—in the future, I can bring Jing Hong out to listen to stories so we don't feel like every night drags on like a year."
How honest; he spoke his mind without reservation.
Such candor caught Lu Song off guard.
"You..."
Lu Song wanted to say something, but found the words stuck in his throat, unable to come out.
Zhu Hao continued, "This venture is doing quite well. It won't make a fortune, but earning a bit of small cash is certain... Would Commander Lu care to take a stake as well? We can run it as partners, and you can occasionally drop by to show your face. I imagine no one would ever dare cause trouble here again... I wonder what Commander Lu thinks of this idea?"