Even though his injuries were not concealed, after leaving Qianqing Gate, Zhu Tingfang still solemnly warned Zhu Ying and Zhang Shou not to tell the lady. However, Zhu Ying snorted and directly rejected his eldest brother's request, which he thought was very reasonable.
"Mom has already seen through it, how are you going to hide it? Do you think Grandmother can be fooled so easily?"
Zhu Ying looked gloomy and didn't even look at her elder brother, nor did she look at Zhang Shou who had just used her as a cover for her elder brother in front of others. She muttered in a low voice, "If you dare to do it, don't be afraid of being scolded! Besides, there is no wall that is impenetrable. You can control the mouths of everyone around you, but can you control the mouths of those northern barbarians? Maybe they would like to make your humiliation known to everyone!"
Liu Feng, the steward of the Palace of Heavenly Purity, who knew everything, personally escorted them out of the palace. Even for a family like the Duke of Zhao's Mansion, where the emperor was always close, this kind of special treatment was not common. In addition, Liu Feng had a look on his face that said "stay away from strangers", so others naturally stayed away from him. Therefore, he ensured that no outsiders could hear what the last three said, but he also heard every word.
At this moment, he only heard the eldest son of the Duke of Zhao, whose body was covered with so many scars that even his scalp was numb, speak. Zhu Tingfang's words were simple, but as soon as he heard the voice and understood the meaning, he couldn't help but shudder.
"We killed all the bandits in the firearms camp, leaving no one alive."
Zhu Tingfang paused, then sighed and said, "When we were there, we were all unkempt and often got beaten. Who could remember who got beaten? Later, I was chosen to make firearms, so I didn't suffer that much. As for those knife wounds, some were from the first battle, and some were from the final battle to wipe out the firearms battalion."
"Besides, who was more humiliated, me who was whipped and humiliated by the Northern Tartars, or me who led people to sneak in and then directly wiped out the firearms camp with the help of internal and external forces? Of course, they may still have the blueprints of how to make firearms, and there may still be some craftsmen, but it will take time to start over. The most important thing is that the saltpeter smuggling route can no longer be protected!"
After taking a look at Zhang Shou, Zhu Tingfang smiled and said, "I don't want people to know that I'm injured because I don't want to worry my grandmother and mother, nor do I want you to worry. I don't want some people with ulterior motives to think that I'm injured, so that the Zhu family can take advantage of them. However, I definitely don't shy away from my previous experience of being defeated and captured, Yingying, do you understand?"
Seeing Zhu Ying biting his red lips again and keeping silent, Zhang Shou felt that he had further understood the characteristics of Zhu Ying, the elder brother. There was no doubt that he was a proud and conceited person, but also strong and tenacious, so he would not allow himself to show the slightest weakness in front of others. This was very tiring, but as the eldest son and elder brother, such responsibility was very valuable.
"Humph!" Zhu Ying finally snorted, thinking it was a response to Zhu Tingfang's teaching. When she left Donghua Gate, she saw Liu Feng waving his hand, and then a sedan chair came slowly over.
"The Emperor said that it's cold and windy, Miss, don't ride a horse, take a sedan chair instead." Liu Feng's voice was neither loud nor soft, but loud enough for everyone around to hear. "Dr. Zhang, you're not as strong as Mr. Zhu, so you should take a sedan chair with Miss. After all, it takes a long time to go from Donghua Gate to Xicheng, so you can have some tea and chat along the way."