Wang Laowu hurriedly said: "It's not hard, not hard. Only by following adults can you have a future. Otherwise, you will just eat and drink for free all your life. When will I be able to make a name for myself?" After saying that, Wang Laowu stared at Qiu Yizi with his eyes wide open.
Wang Laowu was a poor peasant. Qiu Yizhi accepted him as his disciple because he was honest, quick and efficient. But Wang Laowu was a good person except that he was a chatterbox. Although he could be very detailed when delivering orders, he was too talkative at other times.
However, he did not expect that Wang Laoba, who had been staying in Beijing for these days, could speak so concisely and to the point, not a word more or less.
Qiu Yizhi felt strange and asked, "Old Five, did you come up with these words yourself? Or did someone teach you?"
Wang Laowu hurriedly replied: "I dare not lie. These words were taught to me by His Royal Highness the Third Prince." Not a single word was more or less, and not a single word was correct.
Qiu Yizhi thought to himself: My third brother is indeed the one favored by the emperor. In just a few months, he has trained a bachelor to change his character. This kind of ability is not something that ordinary people have...
As he was sighing with emotion, he suddenly changed his mind: Since the eldest brother Zheng Xin could arrange Xu Rong to be his spy, why couldn't the third brother Zheng Miao let a brainwashed Wang Laowu spy on him? Moreover, this Wang Laowu was a confidant he had promoted himself. Letting him be his spy was much smarter than sending Xu Rong out of nowhere.
This terrifying and dangerous thought made Qiu Yi's heart palpitate. Her rich emotions seemed to tell her that her third brother was a loyal person and had grown up with her, so there was no need to embarrass her. However, her reason clearly told her that if I were the third prince Zheng Miao, I might have left an extra spy to keep an eye on this restless brother...
Qiu Yizi's originally smart and clear brain had been turned into a mess, and her face was even more gloomy.
Wang Laowu had also been through life and death with Qiu Yizhi several times, and had never seen him like this before. He asked with concern, "Sir, you look very bad, are you feeling unwell?"
"No, I'm physically fine, but I'm upset..." Qiu Yizi blurted out.
"Confused? Why are you confused?" Wang Laowu asked.
Qiu Yizi had something on her mind, so the more she listened to Wang Laowu speak, the more she felt that there was something else going on in his words, as if there was another meaning.
Fortunately, Qiu Yizi reacted very quickly. Without trying to figure out whether Wang Laowu had really secretly surrendered to Zheng Miao, he immediately changed the subject and said with a forced smile, "Laowu, you look like a completely different person now. The water from my third brother's family is so nourishing, so why don't you just become his disciple? He's a prince, much better than a small county magistrate of the seventh rank like me."
Upon hearing this, Wang Laowu actually showed a hint of joy on his face: "This... Although the lord is thinking about me, I am not a heartless person. I will just stay by your side and make some contributions first. As for the matter of switching to the Third Prince... we can talk about it later..."
When Qiu Yizi spoke just now, her eyes were fixed on Wang Laowu's face. Every change of emotion on his face was seen clearly by Qiu Yizi.
It was the fleeting joy on Wang Laowu's face that made Qiu Yizi feel somewhat relieved - if Wang Laowu had secretly surrendered to Zheng Miao, he would have denied it, and what Wang Laowu said was very ambiguous, which was exactly what he really thought in his heart - after all, a few words can be taught, but the cunning experience behind the gestures cannot be accumulated in a moment.
So Qiu Yizi deliberately tried to test him: "Okay, I don't have the final say on this matter, and neither do you. But seeing how you are so negligent, even if I don't want to keep you, I'm afraid my third brother won't be willing to support an idle person like you..."
Wang Laowu was a little anxious after hearing this, and hurriedly explained: "What are you talking about, sir? I followed your military order earlier and rushed to Luoyang to report the news. At that time, the situation was already very chaotic. I went through a lot of hardships and spent money to take the ferry to Jiangbei. I spent a lot of effort to enter the capital, but I couldn't get in when I found the prime minister's residence. I wanted to force my way in, but the guards of the prime minister's residence were not easy to deal with. I was beaten by them several times but couldn't even step into the iron gate of the prime minister's residence. Later, I saw the eight-man sedan chair of Prime Minister Zhongli coming out, and I risked my life to block the sedan chair, so I met the prime minister. The prime minister is a good man. After reading the letter, he arranged for me to stay. , I was well fed and well cared for. But I, Wang Laowu, could not sit still, and wanted to ask the Prime Minister to let me go back, but the Prime Minister was so busy that he could not even find time to listen to me. Two or three months passed before I saw Prime Minister Zhongli again. At that time, Jiangnan was in chaos, and there was no news from the adults. I could not go back to Jiangnan at all! The Prime Minister was busy with many things, and there were countless people coming in and out of the Prime Minister's Mansion every day. The Prime Minister was afraid that I would be careless and bump into some adults, so he sent me to live with the Third Prince first. The Third Prince treated me better than the Prime Minister. He gave me good food and drink every day, and rewarded me with silver for spending, five hundred taels at a time... I have never been so rich in my life. I felt uncomfortable after spending two days here. I wanted to help the Third Prince run errands and do some work. But the Third Prince is also a busy man. He sends people to ask about my well-being every day, but I never see him... I had no choice but to stay here. Later, during the Chinese New Year, I met the Third Prince again and wanted to ask him for a job. But the Prince said that I had already done a great deed by coming to the capital to report the news, and I should just play and enjoy myself in the capital... Since the Third Prince said so, I am just an ordinary citizen, so I can't just ask for a job, right? But the Third Prince is as clear as a mirror in his mind, and he often takes me to meet the adults in various yamen and let me learn to speak Mandarin... And so I kept talking. I heard that you, my lord, have also arrived in the capital, so I followed the Third Prince into the palace..."
Wang Laowu became anxious because of Qiu Yizi's questions, and finally forgot what he had learned in the officialdom these days. His chatterbox habit came back, and he talked a long paragraph.
Qiu Yizi finally understood the general idea from Wang Laowu's confusing words, and knew that the twists and turns in the process were not something that Wang Laowu, who had a not-so-good brain, could make up - even if you teach him, he might not be able to learn it.
Therefore, Qiu Yizi's heart finally settled down, and she smiled and said, "You are right. You should do whatever my third brother tells you to do. He will never harm you. Look, he brought you in today just to see me, right? It's a rare opportunity to enter the palace, so you can see the world, right?"
Wang Laowu smiled and said, "That's not true! When I was in the countryside, I thought the royal family worked in the royal fields every day and didn't have to do anything... They ate rice porridge on golden plates, drank tea water from golden cups, and even the toilet paper they used after pooping was made of gold thread..."
Wang Laowu suddenly felt that he was speaking vulgarly, and quickly covered his mouth, smacked his lips twice and continued: "But later I found out that the celadon bowls and crystal cups they used were much more expensive than gold and silver... It's not that I have nothing to do all day. The Third Prince has endless articles to write, endless words to read, and endless people to meet every day... My lord, if you hadn't pulled me out of the country fields, when would I, Wang Laowu, have seen such a world? At most, I could only listen to books and watch plays..."
Qiu Yizhi nodded as he listened, and said, "The distinction between the government and the public is clear. Ordinary people may not know what the government does, let alone the royal family. You, Wang Laowu, are thoughtful. It is not easy to have such insight these days. Very good! You have this kind of heart, and it will certainly be useful in the future."
Wang Laowu suddenly blushed: "My Lord, don't you know what kind of person I am? These days, the world is not peaceful, I know that. When the world is peaceful, I will use the money I have saved in the past few years to buy a few acres of land in the countryside, find a wife and live a peaceful life..."
Qiu Yizi felt that although his words did not sound ambitious, they were a safe and secure way out - if everyone thought like this, then there would be no evil or bad people in the world. Even if there were, they could not do big bad things or cause much trouble.
Thinking of this, Qiu Yizhi sighed: "I feel relieved that you can say these few words..."
Halfway through her words, Qiu Yizi suddenly remembered that Yang Ying'er seemed to have some interest in Wang Laowu, and wanted to tell Wang Laowu, but she remembered that the imperial palace was a forbidden place and was not the place to talk, so she changed her words and said, "Your wish is not big, and I and the Third Prince can help you realize it with just a word. Well, didn't my third brother ask you to come in and buy things for me? I came to Beijing in a hurry, and many things are not ready. I'll make a list first, and you can get everything ready, and then listen to my third brother's instructions and send it to the palace."
As he spoke, Qiu Yizi moved to the table, tore off a piece of rice paper, asked Wang Laowu to grind the ink, then licked the pen and wrote on the paper.
Qiu Yizi has always been frugal. He only wrote a few lines on the rice paper to list the clothes, daily necessities and other things and could not write any more. He also listed a few books that he wanted to read before but did not have the time, and asked Wang Laowu to keep them.
He changed his mind and felt that he should say a few words to Lin Shuhan, Zhao Chengxiao and the others, so he took out another piece of paper and wanted to write down a few words to entrust them.
However, he changed his mind and thought: Lin Shuhan is a resourceful man, and Zhao Chengxiao is a very reliable leader. If he repeatedly gave instructions on every detail, it would be a bit redundant.
So Qiu Yizhi only wrote a few words, asking them to pay attention to restraining their soldiers in the capital, and to seek help from the Third Prince Zheng Miao and Prime Minister Zhong Likuang if they encounter difficulties...
At this moment, there were a few more knocks on the door. Qiu Yizhi looked in the direction of the sound and saw that the Third Prince Zheng Miao had pushed the door open and walked in. He took two quick steps, then closed the door and walked in front of Qiu Yizhi. Just as he was about to speak, he saw Wang Laowu was still in the room, so he said to him, "Laowu, I have something to tell your master, please step aside for a moment."
Seeing Zheng Miao's serious tone, Qiu Yizhi also agreed, "Old Five, you just stay outside the door and don't eavesdrop. Do you understand?"
Wang Laowu nodded, opened the door and went out, then closed the door again.
Zheng Miao then whispered to Qiu Yizhi: "My dear brother, you already know, right? The emperor wants to lead the army in person."
Qiu Yizi knew about this matter last night. He thought that since Zheng Miao had brought it up in front of him, he must have known about it, so there was no need to hide it. He said, "I know. When I escorted Prince Lingnan to the palace yesterday, the emperor mentioned this matter. Master Zhongli and Prince Heluo were also present."