Chapter Ten: Brocade Guard

  "Madam... they quarreled fiercely at that time, the old master was so angry that he came out of the Fragrant Pavilion and also ordered people to clean up the study..."

  A young maid was now whispering and telling the truth about what had happened in the Fragrant Pavilion.

  Madam Lu had already woken up from her nap and got out of bed, and at this time her face was also radiant.

  It really works, and it's incredibly effective, just like a magical medicine.

  That concubine Ling'er relied on her favor to be arrogant, and had tied up the old master's heart. In the mansion, she pointed and ordered people around. Now that she has suffered a setback, the old master has unusually not spent the night in the Fragrant Pavilion for a long time. For Madame Lu, this was no different from a grand victory, and she felt very proud and relieved.

  Mrs. Lu smacked her lips and said, "Later, send a quilt to the old master, that's it, and also send some wine and dishes. In the past, when he was in a bad mood, he would always want to drink some wine." She paused for a moment, and a look of appreciation appeared on her face. Whether intentionally or unintentionally, Mr. Feng had indeed solved her most pressing problem at the moment, but this was just the beginning. Who knows, maybe she would have to rely on him again in the future. Mrs. Lu continued, "Tomorrow, send someone to ask if he is comfortable staying in the mansion, what he lacks, and let him speak freely... Alright, tomorrow morning, I will personally go there."

  ………

  The next day, in the Fragrant Pavilion, every move of the Lu family was reported here through Lu Zhong, the second manager of the Lu family.

  The still-angry Ling'er lightly bit her fragrant lips, her silver teeth clicking in response. Since entering the Lu household, when had she ever suffered such humiliation?

  At this time, Lu Zhong added fuel to the fire and said: "Second aunt, this surname Feng is really too strange. I have already sent someone to investigate in Songjiang, but there is no family with the surname Feng in Songjiang Prefecture that has been heard of. Not to mention a newly bankrupt family, even among the wealthy and noble families or ordinary rich households, none have ever been heard of. Second aunt, I suspect that this person is very likely to be a spy from the Yan Wang who infiltrated the mansion. Didn't General Qian say that Yan Wang has already deployed troops in Jiangbei? Our imperial army has surrounded them from all sides, and they will not be able to cross the river, which means certain death. The Yan army are northerners, unfamiliar with boats, and if they want to cross the river, they can only send spies to win over Director Lu. Yan Wang is at a dead end and must have placed all his hopes here. General Qian arranged for you to enter the Lu household months ago precisely for today. Therefore, this is the most critical moment, and the origin of this surname Feng is already suspicious. Moreover, seeing that Lady Lu personally went to see him today, yesterday's events were clearly orchestrated by that surname Feng behind the scenes. I have thought it over carefully and believe that this person must be a Yan army spy without a doubt. If we do not eliminate him quickly, when General Qian holds us accountable later, you and I will not be able to explain ourselves."

  Ling'er said coldly, "What you said isn't unreasonable. Originally, I suspected that Miss Biao, but now it seems unlikely to be her, she's too straightforward and doesn't seem like the type. On the other hand, this Wind surname person doesn't seem like a good person. You say we should eliminate him, how do we eliminate him?"

  Speaking of this, Ling'er clenched her teeth and coldly smiled: "During the Hongwu era, our Embroidered Uniform Guard was so glorious, but now? In the 20th year of Hongwu, the guard was disbanded, and we people became wandering ghosts. Luckily, Commander-in-Chief Qin protected us, allowing you and me to have food to eat and something to do. Now that we're investigating traitors, our Embroidered Uniform Guard still has to sneak around in Zhenjiang, doing things like thieves. If it were the past, how could we have fallen to this state?"

  "Exactly, this is our chance. Whether or not we can revive the Brocade Guard depends on this one opportunity. If we can make a contribution in foiling the Prince of Yan's rebellion and let the imperial court know our value, it won't be long before we recover the Northern Town Prefecture. However, we must be careful in our actions. If the palace and the imperial court find out that we have secretly planted informants in the Lu household, who knows what will happen? The higher-ups are also under pressure to make arrangements, and if outsiders find out, the imperial court will blame us, and I'm afraid everyone's heads will be at risk."

  Ling'er laughed even colder, full of disdain, saying: "You men do things in a way that's just like women. When the fire is burning your eyebrows, you're still talking about benevolence and morality. If benevolence and morality were really useful, how could the rebellion of Yan Wang still be causing trouble until now? Forget it, it's their business, we don't need to discuss it. Think of a way to deal with this Wind surname person, I don't want to see him in the mansion again."

  The two attendants nodded and one of them immediately added: "Should we report this to Commander Qianhu?"

  Ling'er said lightly: "As you wish, as long as you see the corpse, it's done." It seemed that killing a person was as easy as eating for Ling'er.

  …………

  The next morning, Hao Fenglou went to the attic as usual to teach.

  Miss Lu was still behind the screen, unwilling to reveal her true appearance. Hao Fenglou wished he could kick open the screen and take a look at his future wife, but unfortunately, Ying Chun was sitting in the corner as usual, making it impossible for him to make a move.

  Hao Feng Lou was a hypocrite, clearing his throat.

  Miss Lu said: "Yan'er has seen you before."

  Hao Feng Lou said, "Well, let's start class."

  Miss Lu said: "I just don't know what story Mr. will tell today."

  Hao Fenglou was so angry he wanted to stomp his feet. He's a teacher, not a storyteller, but... it seems like he really does have a tendency to become a storyteller, what a tragedy, this is the life of someone who doesn't have any real skills.

  Hao Feng Lou said lightly: "Telling you stories is to enlighten you, our lessons will still focus on the classics, otherwise it would be too unreasonable."

  Miss Lu nodded and said: "So, sir, are you going to lecture on the scriptures today?"

  "No." Hao Feng Lou said resolutely: "Today is still storytelling, continuing to enlighten you."

  Ying Chun, who was sitting beside him, couldn't help but laugh and cry at the same time. She had suspected that Hao Feng Lou was a good-for-nothing for a long time.

  Hao Feng Lou could only hate himself for being short of heroic spirit, but still had to put on the airs of a great Confucian scholar, saying: "Today's lesson is about the good things of the Ming Dynasty... uh, today I'll just lecture..."

  The stories of Hao Feng Lou are not few, and they have all been carefully selected by him. Most of them are about women who remain faithful to one man throughout their lives. Putting aside the moral implications, the stories themselves are quite interesting. Miss Lu listened with rapt attention as he told several in a row. Hao Feng Lou then said seriously: "The purpose of telling you these stories is to illustrate what it means to be virtuous. If a person has no virtue, how are they different from beasts? A man with virtue can bring order to the world and set an example for others; a woman with virtue can bring honor to her family for generations and be revered by other women in the household. As the saying goes, 'A minister does not serve two rulers, a woman does not serve two husbands.' A minister who serves two rulers is disloyal, a woman who serves two husbands is of low character. These are the words of sages, not just my idle chatter... And as it is said, 'One must obey one's parents and listen to the matchmaker's words...'

  Miss Lu said: "What if your parents' orders are changed?"

  Hao Feng Lou said seriously: "You must not speak lightly, can the orders of one's parents be changed at will? Can spilled water be gathered back?"

  Miss Lu was lost in thought and said, "Thank you for your advice, sir."

  Chun reminded him, "Mr. Feng, it's time, class is over."

  Hao Feng said, "There's no need to continue talking about this today. Miss Lu, take your time to think about what I've said and hope these stories can enlighten you. Another day..."

  Miss Lu couldn't help but ask: "Is it Mr. Feng who will be lecturing on the scriptures two days from now?"

  Hao Feng Lou's old face turned red, and he said lightly: "Don't worry, don't worry, sharpening the knife doesn't delay chopping firewood. The master still needs to continue enlightening you." He wiped away a cold sweat, almost fleeing in a hurry.

  Back in her own courtyard, Xiao Xiang smiled and looked at him. Before she even asked, Hao Feng Lou already knew what she wanted to say, and with a straight face said: "Don't be impatient, impatience can't eat hot tofu."

  Xiao Xiangxang pouted and said: "Is it because Miss Lu is hard to pursue?"

  Hao Feng Lou said lightly: "I'm casting a long line to catch big fish, I don't care about temporary gains and losses. You wouldn't understand even if I told you, this is called subtle influence."

  "Really?" Little Xiang nodded and smiled: "Just now, the two officials came, very polite, and even sent an invitation, saying they wanted to invite Master to a gathering. At that time, they also want to invite some people from the mansion to accompany them, please don't be stingy with your presence, Young Master."

  Hao Fenglou narrowed his eyes and took a look at the invitation. The words on the invitation were indeed very polite.

  Xiao Xiang said: "Is the young master going? The two managers said it was in Ruchun Alley, I heard that it's quite far..."

  "Go, of course we have to go." Hao Feng Lou's eyes gleamed with cunning as he put away the invitation, saying: "It's hard to refuse someone's kindness, and now that we're living under the Lus' roof, making a living off them, we should get along with everyone. It's good for you and me both."

  Xiao Xiang pouted: "This Ruchun Fang, just one look and it's not a clean place, young master, you've finally reformed, don't..."

  "Mmm..."

  Hao Fenglou should go downstairs, rested in the house for a few hours, seeing that it was not early, and then told her to stay at home, asked about the location of Ruchunfang, pinched the time, it seemed that leaving now was still on time, so he went out.

  It's almost half a watch before the hour of You, and Hao Feng Lou is worried about delaying his journey. He rents a donkey cart, but it's not easy to rent a horse carriage these days. The war in Jiangbei has already started, and Zhenjiang, as the gateway to Nanjing, is naturally the first line of defense against the rebels. Several months ago, the government had almost requisitioned all vehicles and boats. After much difficulty, he finally found a donkey cart for transporting goods, but the owner was not polite and directly asked for 50 coins. In the past, this price would have been absolutely outrageous. Hao Feng Lou is in a dilemma - 50 coins could be enough to find a place to drink some wine and eat some dishes. Would spending 50 big coins on drinking wine be considered foolish?

  However, he was a broad-minded person and didn't say much. After discussing the price, he scolded the driver severely before getting on the car.

  After he got on the carriage, he gently lifted the curtain and looked out. At this time, a horse-drawn carriage not far away also set off, following closely behind the donkey cart he was sitting in. A faint, enigmatic smile appeared on Hao Feng Lou's face.