Chapter 4 Mr. Huang's Troubles

After Huang Zicheng came back, he sat on a rattan chair in the government office. He had a tuft of goatee under his gaunt face. He played with his goatee and glanced out the window, as if he was listening to the birds singing in the trees or thinking about something.

He looked calm, after all, he was nearly 50 years old. After so many years of studying in the imperial examinations and officialdom, Huang Zicheng had reached a height that most people could hardly reach, but the process had consumed too much time.

At this moment, he suddenly turned around and looked at the beautiful concubines, delicacies from land and sea, and silks and satins in his home, and they no longer had much interest in him... However, when he thought of the gratitude and respect of his wives, concubines, and children, and the fawning of his relatives and friends, Huang Zicheng's calm face gradually became more lively.

The scene at home before emerged in Huang Zicheng's mind: his wife looked up at him eagerly, and he said, "I know what to do," and his wife showed an expression of trust and satisfaction.

Trivial scenes flashed through his mind, but Huang Zicheng was no longer calm. Instead, he showed some hesitation and frowned slightly.

Huang Zicheng even stood up from the rattan chair and paced back and forth in the room.

At this moment, a sharp voice came from the door, "We have found Master Huang. The Emperor is at Fengtian Gate. He just saw the memorial submitted by Master Huang and sent me to find you. Please go to the Emperor and meet him!"

Huang Zicheng heard this and said, "I will come to see you now." He then clasped his fists towards the official and said, "Thank you, eunuch."

"Oh, I dare not, I dare not." A smile appeared on the eunuch's face.

Huang Zicheng asked calmly, "Who are the people around His Majesty?"

The eunuch immediately replied, "Minister Qi (Qi Tai) of the Ministry of War and the Prince Consort Wang (Wang Ning) are both here."

"No more?" Huang Zicheng said.

"No more." The eunuch nodded.

Huang Zicheng came out of the government office and quickly went to the imperial road. His thoughts were interrupted by the eunuch. Seeing that he was about to meet the emperor, Huang Zicheng couldn't go to see the emperor without a clear mind.

I can only sort out the ideas as quickly as possible while walking!

Huang Zicheng didn't care at all that the Xu family's ambassador of the Music Bureau had died. What he cared about was whether he could maintain his face in front of his relatives.

It is impossible for the second son of Prince of Yan to pay with his life for killing a ninth-rank official, not to mention that at this time of weakening the power of the princes, Prince of Yan was commanding a hundred thousand troops!

Should he give the prince a lighter sentence and advise the emperor to reprimand and punish the prince himself? Huang Zicheng also had another choice: if the prince broke the law, he would punish the people around him.

If the blame was placed on Zhu Gaoxu himself, Huang Zicheng would only be punished, and he would appear powerless in front of his relatives and friends; if the blame was placed on someone else, he could pay with his life! In comparison, the latter would feel relieved when his head rolled over, and it would be easier to explain.

...At the turn of spring and summer, the days gradually get longer. The You hour is approaching, the sun has not yet set, the city walls are still bustling, but the city gates will be closed on time.

By this time, the crowd in the Prince's Mansion had almost dispersed. Wang Gui came back to report to Zhu Gaoxu that he had bought the horses as ordered. Since there were no horses in the mansion that could be ridden, they would have to be purchased on the spot when needed.

Zhu Gaoxu was sitting loosely on the same armchair. After hearing the report, he responded casually, "I know."

Wang Gui bowed and stood by. Zhu Gaoxu thought for a while and said, "This matter is complicated and involves a lot. The city gates are about to close today, and it is too late to leave the city. You should pack up and return to Beiping early tomorrow morning."

Wang Gui asked carefully, "Will Your Majesty be in trouble?"

"I have my own plans," said Zhu Gaoxu.

Seeing this, Wang Gui took a step forward, as if he wanted to leave. Zhu Gaoxu raised his hand and said thoughtfully , "Du Qianrui..."

"Please give me your instructions, Your Majesty." Wang Gui said hurriedly.

Unexpectedly, Zhu Gaoxu remained silent for a long time.

The singing girl in Fuleyuan was a cover for Zhu Gaoxu to meet his good friend. She was someone he had just met. Everything she said was just one-sided. Moreover, Zhu Gaoxu was really unfamiliar with the capital and could not be completely sure of the woman's background.

It’s not that Zhu Gaoxu didn’t want to help her to the end, but when people are in an unfamiliar environment, they always have to be more cautious.

At this time, Zhu Gaoxu raised his head and said, "Go out and ask Du Qianrui to bring in a cup of tea."

"Yes, I'll take my leave now." Wang Gui said.

After a long while, Mrs. Du came in with a cup of brewed tea. She quietly looked at Zhu Gaoxu's face and carefully placed the cup on the table, fearing that she would make any noise.

Seeing this, Zhu Gaoxu casually said, "Even if Miss Du knew my identity, there is no need to do this."

Unexpectedly, Du Qianrui quickly took over the conversation, her voice light and clear, "I respect the character of the prince."

Zhu Gaoxu looked at her with a slight smile on his face, without commenting.

Zhu Gaoxu's willingness to pay attention to her seemed to encourage Du Qianrui. Seeing Zhu Gaoxu's interest, she continued, "When we met at Fuleyuan, I saw many young dandies who did whatever they wanted and went home to find their parents when they got into trouble. At that time, I didn't know the prince, but I thought he was the same as those people. Who knew that the prince was so brave and resourceful at such a young age, and full of righteousness."

Although it was also flattery, Du Qianrui was quite clever. Perhaps in her opinion, a person who was born as a king did not like others to flatter his status.

However, when it came to praising Haoran for his righteousness, Zhu Gaoxu felt that it was a bit far-fetched. In his previous life, he himself was often treated unfairly. How could he have any obsession with distinguishing between good and evil?

At this time, the light was gradually dimming, and as soon as the sun set, it would get dark quickly.

Zhu Gaoxu asked calmly, "Miss Du speaks Mandarin, but you are not from Zhili, right?"

Du Qianrui replied, "I am from Raozhou Prefecture in Jiangxi."

Zhu Gaoxu wanted to ask her about a more specific place, but when he thought about it, he had no one in Nanjing and even Wang Gui was going to run away, so it was useless to ask now.

He pondered for a moment, and then heard Du Qianrui mutter, "I have been away from home for so many years. Now when I mention my hometown, I always think of that little dogwood..."

"Cornus officinalis?" Zhu Gaoxu asked, "Is it the short tree with many small red fruits?"

"Yes." Du Qianrui's face showed a slight surprise, as if royal aristocrats should know nothing.

But now Zhu Gaoxu knows a lot about these things. Not to mention the common dogwood, he also knows a lot of rare plants. In his previous life, he liked to grow all kinds of flowers and plants.

The two chatted for a while, the light outside became dimmer, and everything was hazy. Perhaps when the vision is blurred, it can stimulate imagination. The small dogwood made Zhu Gaoxu recall many old things. Following that time, he remembered that this ornamental plant seemed to be planted in the yard of his hometown in his previous life.

He felt a little relaxed, but also felt a sense of regret for the passage of time.

Du Qianrui whispered again, "When I was at home, I would sit by the window all day long to learn needlework during the slack season. I was hoping to have a house with bigger windows. It would not be so stuffy and my eyes would not be so tired."

After saying that, she glanced at Zhu Gaoxu and saw that he was very interested and seemed to want to listen to her, so she smiled bitterly and said, "I have grown up to be ten years old, and the farthest place I have been to is the stream at the head of the village. When the weather was hot, I harvested rice and my face, neck and arms were cut by the tips of the leaves. It was itchy and painful. The fine dust in the rice got all over my body, which was sticky in the sweat and was very uncomfortable, as if there were many lice in my clothes... At that time, I was hoping that someone would come and take me away and escape from the village, even if it was a peddler..."

As he spoke, she was immersed in the past. "I dare not say it out loud, otherwise people will think that I am lazy and only care about trivial matters. The prince will also think so, right?"

Zhu Gaoxu shook his head, "People's opinions will change depending on their status and situation. People like me don't care about those things. But your thoughts at that time were indeed a bit immature, and I'm afraid the peddler can't help you."

Du Qianrui boldly raised her head, looked at him and said, "What I want to say is that the prince is not a peddler, but he took me away."

Zhu Gaoxu couldn't help but look at her for a long time. At this time, Du Qianrui also boldly raised her head and looked at him with a complicated expression. Suddenly, their eyes met briefly, and only for a moment, her eyes flickered and immediately moved away. Her subtle eyes, like that elusive emotion, mustered up courage, but also contradictory and mixed with inferiority...

Zhu Gaoxu was inexplicably moved for a moment. Although there are differences between men and women, and between ancient and modern times, has he not experienced those days of weakness and helplessness?

He took a deep breath and calmed down to judge. There were too many details in Du Qianrui's words, which didn't seem fake; not to mention the delicate emotions and motives. If this was also acting, then she could be called a movie queen.

After a short silence, Zhu Gaoxu pretended to be calm and said, "Miss Du, I'm not a peddler, so I'm afraid I can't take you away."

Du Qianrui's face was immediately filled with disappointment and fear. She was obviously quite smart and knew very well that a murder case involving an imperial official would not end well.

Zhu Gaoxu continued calmly, "Because our brothers cannot leave the capital yet, you can only go with Wang Gui. We are leaving tomorrow morning. Does Miss Du feel it is too hasty?"

Du Qianrui was stunned there, and after a while she came back to her senses and said hurriedly, "I don't feel it's hasty. I offended the powerful and someone died. I feel that I can't get away with it. I'm afraid I can't let it go. I just didn't expect the prince to make arrangements for me. I really don't know how to repay him."

Zhu Gaoxu waved his hand, "No need. Since I have done this, I will do it to the end. Otherwise, why would I care in the first place?"

Du Qianrui raised her eyes slightly, glanced at Zhu Gaoxu quickly, and asked, "Is the prince okay?"

Zhu Gaoxu felt a little worried, but he immediately smiled and said, "I am the grandson of Taizu. If I kill a lowly official, you won't ask me to pay with my life, right?"

"That's good, that's good." Du Qianrui nodded.

Zhu Gaoxu waved his hand gently.

Du Qianrui bowed and said, "I'll take my leave."

Zhu Gaoxu was still sitting motionless on the armchair. The light in the room had dimmed and he seemed to be sitting in the shadows.