Mu Chun's footsteps gradually faded away until there was no sound at all, and only the chirping of cicadas could be heard outside.
A voice came from the bookcase: "Miss, please unlock the door and let me out."
Hu Shanwei opened the cabinet, and Xu Zengshou came out of the cabinet. He was sweating profusely. He saw some iced mung bean soup in the warehouse, so he shamelessly asked for it, "Miss, I'm hot and thirsty, can I borrow a bowl of mung bean soup?"
Hu Shanwei didn't know who this Xu Zengshou was. Judging from his words and actions, he seemed even more out of touch than Mu Chun, the devil.
Chen Ermei was generous and said, "You drink it."
Xu Zengshou was like Wu Song who was about to go to Jingyang Ridge to fight a tiger. He poured himself a drink, and the pot of mung bean soup was empty, full of heroic spirit.
But he took out his purse, wanting to give something as a reward to express his gratitude, but after digging for a long time, he could only find a few copper coins, which were really not worth the effort.
This is embarrassing.
Hu Shanwei was still thinking about the three princes hiding behind the pile of books. They must be suffering from heat stroke at this moment. He said hurriedly, "It's a small matter. You don't have to be polite, Master Xu."
Xu Zengshou put away his money bag, but said, "How can I do that?"
Hu Shanwei reminded him, "Mr. Xu, hurry up and leave. If Mu Chun can't find you and comes back to look for you, you won't be able to leave."
"That's right." Xu Zengshou patted his sweaty forehead and said, "Goodbye, young ladies."
Xu Zengshou came and went like the wind. The three princes emerged from the pile of books, their black scarves on their heads soaked with sweat, and the sweat stains seeped out of their four-clawed dragon robes, looking in a miserable state.
The mung bean soup was gone, but there was tea. Chen Ermei poured tea for the princes, feeling a little embarrassed because there were only her and Hu Shanwei here, so there were only two teacups.
Two teacups, three princes, how to divide them
The youngest Prince An said, "This cup is for the fourth brother. The thirteenth brother and I can just use one cup."
Chen Ermei did as she was told. The three princes drank the entire teapot. The oldest and closest prince, Prince Yan, gave Hu Shanwei and Chen Ermei each a lotus seed-sized Dongzhu. The Dongzhu was a tribute from the Goryeo Kingdom, and the huge pearl emitted a pale yellow glow.
King Yan warned: "Don't tell anyone about what happened today."
It was their first close encounter with the three distinguished princes of the royal family. Hu Shanwei and Chen Ermei didn't dare to say a word and just nodded in agreement.
Hu Shanwei thought, even if we tell others, no one will believe that a dignified prince was forced to hide in a warehouse in his own palace by an outsider with no official position, and there were three of them hiding at once!
Prince An looked at the sky and said, "Fourth brother, it's getting late. Thirteenth brother and I will take you out of the palace."
According to palace rules, when a prince reaches the age of fifteen or sixteen, he must move to the Prince's Mansion outside the palace and marry a princess. The Prince of Dai and the Prince of An were still young and still lived in the palace.
The fourth prince, Prince of Yan, Zhu Di, left the palace at the age of 16 and moved to the Prince of Yan's Mansion to marry the eldest daughter of Xu Da, the founding general and Duke of Wei. At that time, the Princess of Yan was only 14 years old. Xu Zengshou was the younger brother of the Princess of Yan and the legitimate brother-in-law of the Prince of Yan.
I don’t know what kind of grudge there is between my brother-in-law and my brother-in-law, but King Yan actually hid in the warehouse.
Prince of Yan Zhu Di asked Hu Shanwei, "Which direction did Xu Zengshou go just now?"
Hu Shanwei pointed to the west and said, "It went west."
The King of Yan said to his two younger brothers, "Let's go to Donghua Gate."
The three princes had just left the warehouse when Mu Chun stopped Xu Zengshou on West Chang Street. "Xu Erlang, you owe me money, and you still want to hide?"
Xu Zengshou was as surprised as if he had seen a ghost for a hundred days, "How did you find me?"
What happened? Clearly, that young lady sent him away!
Hu Shanwei couldn't be exposed, so Mu Chun laughed and said, "I asked the patrolling Jinyiwei and they took a shortcut from the east."
Xu Zengshou threw the purse to him and said, "I don't have any money. It wasn't easy for me to follow my father into the palace to borrow money from my brother-in-law and two brothers-in-law to pay off my debts, but I lost them on the way. I didn't borrow any money, so I can't pay you back."
Duke of Wei Xu Da had three daughters, all of whom were princesses. The eldest daughter married Prince of Yan Zhu Di, and the second and third daughters were arranged by Emperor Hongwu to marry the 13th Prince of Dai Zhu Gui and the 22nd Prince of An Zhu Ying.
The latter two were still young and had not yet married. However, the imperial decree for the marriage had been issued, and Xu Zengshou could be said to be the brother-in-law of the three princes.
Xu Zengshou leaned over and whispered, "You are in the Jinyiwei, and you have many informants. Why don't you show me a clear way and tell me where the Prince of Yan, the Prince of Dai, and the Prince of An are? I will stop them and borrow money, and I will pay you back immediately."
Mu Chun pushed Xu Zengshou away and said, "I am now a gatekeeper in the palace. I have offended three princes in one go. How can I continue to stay in the palace in the future? No, no, no."
Seeing that there was no hope of paying back the money, Xu Zengshou wanted to deny it and said, "If I hadn't drunk too much that day and had a slow reaction, I might not have lost the money to you in gambling."
Mu Chun took out a piece of paper and shook it. "If you lose, you lose. Sign and seal it as proof."
Xu Zengshou snatched it away, stuffed it into his mouth, and actually swallowed it whole!
I have never seen such a shameless person!
How could Xu Da, Duke of Wei, a hero of his time, give birth to such a scoundrel
Mu Chun laughed loudly. "How can I dare to take out the real IOU to deal with a scoundrel like you? What you just swallowed was the toilet paper I used to go to the toilet."
Xu Zengshou pinched his neck and vomited a lot. The iced mung bean soup he had just drunk wasted.
After vomiting, Xu Zengshou leaned weakly against the tall wall of West Chang Street, "My father has cut my monthly salary. My elder brother-in-law and two younger brothers-in-law all hide when they see me. I really have no other choice. I have all kinds of antiques in my study. You can pick a few to pay off the debt."
Xu Zengshou, the youngest son of Xu Da, Duke of Wei, had three major hobbies: supporting opera troupes, buying antiques, and gambling, all of which required spending money.
Duke of Wei Xu Da issued a death order that no one was allowed to lend money to Xu Zengshou.
Xu Zengshou was his brother-in-law, so it was hard to offend him. But Xu Da was his father-in-law, so it was even harder to offend him. Therefore, the King of Yan, the King of Dai, and the King of An all avoided Xu Zengshou.
There is always a mountain higher than the other. There are so many weird people in the Ming Dynasty. If Mu Chun is the devil, then Xu Zengshou is the ancestor of the prodigal family!
Mu Chun refused to take it. "You are a famous sucker in the Beijing antique world. Ten out of ten pieces are fake. I don't want them."
Xu Zengshou said angrily: "Nonsense, it's obvious that you have no vision."
Mu Chun said: "If you don't pay me back, I will take the IOU to find Princess Yan. It is only natural that a brother should pay his debts."
Hearing the name of Princess Yan, Xu Zengshou was so frightened that his legs went limp, and he immediately fell to the ground leaning against the wall, "No, my father was merciful when he taught me a lesson. But my elder sister beat me, and she was really ruthless, beating me to death."
The Princess of Yan was a true daughter of a general, known for her hot temper. She was well-known and prestigious both in her natal family and in the royal family.
Sure enough, the title of Princess of Yan was more effective than Xu Da, Duke of Wei. Seeing that the time had come, Mu Chun told him his real purpose, "Actually, there is a way. You don't have to pay back the money, and I will tear up the IOU."
Xu Zengshou was like seeing a life-saving straw, "What's the solution?"
Mu Chun said: "Your father was the Grand Marshal of the Second Northern Expedition. All the troops obeyed your father's orders. I need you to help find a soldier who participated in the Second Northern Expedition."
Xu Zengshou patted his chest and said, "No problem. Who should I look for? I'll find him for you even if I have to dig three feet deep."
"A dead man." Mu Chun said, "His name is Wang Ning. He was a hereditary centurion of the Jinwu Army in the capital. He died in the battlefield during the Second Northern Expedition. When he came back, there was a jar of ashes. I want to know what happened to Wang Ning from the battle to his death, who he came into contact with, and who cremated his body. The more detailed the better."
"I'll give you one month to do it. If you still can't figure it out after one month, I'll give the IOU to Princess Yan."
Xu Zengshou agreed without hesitation, saying that everything would be fine as long as they didn't talk about money.
Mu Chun sent Xu Zengshou out of the palace just in time for the closing of the palace gates. Mu Chun had to go on patrol tonight, so he made up an excuse and went to hide.
The lights in Tibet are bright, and the four-story building is particularly eye-catching in the dark. The ten female officials will be busy all night long.
By the lake, Mu Chun told Hu Shanwei about the trap he set to use Xu Zengshou to find her dead fiancé. Only then did Hu Shanwei realize the source of the trouble in the afternoon. It turned out that Mu Chun had not given up.
Hu Shanwei was a little worried about Mu Chun. "The disturbance this afternoon must have been seen by Lord Mao. What if he targets you?"
Mu Chun smiled and said, "He guards the Jinyiwei like an iron barrel and is on guard against me everywhere. I have always felt like an outsider and have long wanted to quit. It would be better if he fired me. Besides, Xu Zengshou has three princes as his backers. He can investigate directly in the army, and Mao Xiang dare not stop him."
The lights in the Zang were on until dawn. Twenty female officials worked in two shifts, day and night. When they had time to rest, Hu Shanwei was in charge of managing the Zang. There was no one to replace her, so she simply made a bed on the floor and lived in it. She went to bed after three o'clock every night and got up before dawn.
She was just 20 years old, so her body could still hold on. Jiang Quan, who was 39, was no match for these female officers in their prime. She had worked two consecutive night shifts, and her legs and feet felt a little weak. Once, she almost fell off the ladder.
Fan Gong was urging them to work, and no one dared to ask for leave. When Jiang Quan couldn't bear it any longer, he splashed ice water on his face to cheer himself up.
On the third night, at the second watch, Concubine Hu from the Yanxi Palace came to the Tibetan temple. The female officials hurriedly put down the books they were reading and went outside to greet her.
This was the first time Hu Shanwei saw Concubine Hu. She was truly a beauty, her skin was not as bright as the moonlight, her figure was as graceful as a willow in the breeze, and from behind, one could not tell that she was pregnant.
Concubine Hu waved her sleeves and said, "No need to be polite."
After saying that, he walked up to Jiang Quan and said, "Ms. Jiang, please follow me back to Yanxi Palace."
Jiang Quan didn't dare, "Your Majesty, Lord Fan wants me to repair the book."
Concubine Hu grabbed Jiang Quan's hand and said, "I haven't been able to sleep well these past two days without listening to Ms. Jiang's stories before going to bed."
Jiang Quan said: "There are only seven days left, then I will go to the Yanxi Palace to visit the Imperial Concubine."
"Just let Palace Master Fan find someone to replace you. You are already old, and you are still staying up late like those young girls. Even if Palace Master Fan doesn't feel sorry for you, I do." Concubine Hu grabbed Jiang Quan's hand and forced her to go to the Yanxi Palace.
Jiang Quan was concerned about Concubine Hu's belly and did not dare to struggle too much. However, if she really followed Concubine Hu and abandoned her job, Palace Master Fan would definitely punish her according to palace rules!
Seeing that Jiang Quan was about to be dragged away, Hu Shanwei stood up and said, "Your Highness, this is a hidden place. We are here to compile a book in accordance with the order of the Empress. Please don't force Ms. Jiang."
Concubine Hu let go of Jiang Quan's hand and walked up to Hu Shanwei. "Who are you? How come I haven't heard of someone like you in the Sixth Bureau and the First Department? How dare you stop me?"
Hu Shanwei said: "I am Hu Shanwei, a humble official, and I am not from the Six Bureaus or One Department."
Concubine Hu gently waved her silk fan, "So you are the Hu Shanwei who was not wanted by any of the six bureaus or one department."