Chapter 244: Catching a Turtle in a Jar
"Zhang Pu."
"Grand Master Gu..." Elder Zhang stood obediently by the side, like a little chicken, not daring to even breathe. "What are your instructions?"
Ever since he last took charge of the Gu family's household affairs, he dreamed every night that Grand Tutor Gu was wearing a bloody armor and calling his name in the court. The nightmare lasted for more than a month.
I finally had a few days of peace, why is Grand Tutor Gu here again?
"Don't be nervous, I just came to see you." Old Master Gu raised his hand to take the cup he offered, lowered his head and took a sip of warm tea. "Zhang Pu, you have been in the court for many years and know everything about the capital. I believe you should also be aware of the relationship between my grandson and Miss Zhao."
Elder Zhang shuddered and quickly replied, "Yes."
Old Master Gu half-closed his eyes and spoke lazily, "Not long ago, I heard someone report that Zhao Hu's military token was stolen?"
In one sentence, the nature of the matter was determined.
"Grand Master, you must have heard wrong..." Elder Zhang hesitated for a moment, then lowered his voice and said, "The Sheng family discovered a group of scattered soldiers outside, and they are searching for military tokens on them—"
Old Master Gu lowered his lip, his expression intimidating without anger. "Zhang Pu, although I am old, I am not deaf or blind."
"...It was stolen." Elder Zhang was very tactful and responded repeatedly, "This humble official also believes that Minister Zhao's military token must have been stolen by a thief."
"Yes." Old Master Gu nodded in satisfaction and said quietly, "My grandson Suzhou and Miss Zhao have already been engaged. The Zhao family is my in-laws. I will protect this person."
"Now that the Grand Tutor has spoken, how can I make the decision?" Elder Zhang sighed softly, a hint of helplessness in his eyes. "If I'm not mistaken, Suzhou has already entered the side hall, right?"
Two sides of the story
Zhao Hu sat at the round table, tapping the table rhythmically with his fingertips, his face stern, a storm brewing in his eyes.
Manager Liu stood quietly beside him, accompanying him silently.
"Ze Mu, when do you think we can go home?" Zhao Hu took a deep breath, with a hint of fatigue between his brows.
The sound of "gurgling" was particularly obvious in the silent side hall.
Manager Liu slowly opened his eyes and his gaze fell on him.
Zhao Hu felt a little embarrassed and covered his stomach with his hands. His face became even uglier. "Even prisoners should be given rations, right? I haven't had a drop of water all day. Does Zhang Pu want to starve me to death?"
Hearing this, Manager Liu withdrew his gaze and slowly took out a palm-sized oil paper package from his sleeve. He opened it layer by layer to reveal the baked pancakes inside.
Maybe because I had been holding it in my arms, the pancake was still warm.
Zhao Hu's eyes lit up, and the next moment, he watched Manager Liu stuff the only dry food into his mouth.
"You... Ze Mu!" Zhao Hu was quite unhappy and protested quietly, "Can't we each take half?"
Manager Liu glanced at him calmly, his eyes filled with disdain, "The Patriarch is the most powerful and capable of doing anything. Does he still need a piece of my pancake?"
Zhao Hu scratched his head, "Why are you covered in thorns today?"
"Master Zhao!"
The door of the side hall was pushed open, and the two people inside looked up at the sound.
The strong wind blew the fallen leaves on the ground, swirling them around in the yard. The moonlight poured down, shining on the man's thin body.
"Suzhou?" Zhao Hu stood up quickly, but before he could speak, his vision went dark and he fell back onto the stool.
"I heard that Lord Zhao didn't eat a single grain of rice today, so I specially brought some food into the palace." Xie Suzhou handed over the food box in his hand. The snacks inside had long been broken into pieces by the eunuch guarding the gate. "If you want to bring it into the palace, this is the only way. It may not look good, but you should force yourself to eat some to avoid starving yourself."
Zhao Hu secretly glanced at the man beside him and praised Xie Suzhou without hesitation, "Suzhou really knows how to care for others and is thoughtful."
Manager Liu snorted coldly, slowly wiped the flour residue from the corner of his mouth, and said in a deep voice, "It's too early for the master to be happy."
Zhao Hu ignored his mocking look and put half of the dessert in his hand into his mouth.
There was a faint "川" (river-shaped wrinkle) between Xie Suzhou's eyebrows, and his eyes were filled with worry. "Master Zhao, what's going on with the military token? There are rumors outside that the Zhao family is secretly raising private soldiers and intending to rebel."
Zhao Hu swallowed the snack in his mouth and finally regained some spirit. "Don't worry, kid. This is all my plan."
Xie Suzhou's frown relaxed a little, and he asked in a low voice, "Strategy?"
"That's right." Zhao Hu wiped his mouth, the corners of his lips curled up slightly. "A while ago, the mansion dismissed a lot of servants. The family was short of manpower, so they wanted to hire new ones. After checking, they found that many of the dozens of new servants had dirty backgrounds. No matter what their goal is, they are all coming for the Zhao family."
"It's just a trick. I pretended to be dragged into the water by them. Whoever jumps around the most is the mastermind behind this. Now it seems that it is undoubtedly the Sheng family." Zhao Hu said lazily, his eyes full of playfulness. "The military token is more important than life to a soldier. How could they just throw it in the study?"
After he finished speaking, Zhao Hu took out the military token from his sleeve and placed it on the table.
Perhaps because it has been so long, you can vaguely see scratches on the surface of the military token, and even the word "soldier" is a little blurry.
"I carry this thing with me all year round, never leaving it. Zhang Pu knows this too." Zhao Hu sneered, a hint of playfulness on his face, his tail almost cocked up to the sky. "The Sheng family wanted to make some moves, but they didn't bother to find some smart people. Instead, they sent a bunch of idiots."
Manager Liu glanced at him sideways. Seeing how proud he was, he couldn't help but taunt him, "Laugh, laugh, what's so funny? Don't forget, the young lady is still in the dark!"
The laughter in the hall stopped abruptly.
Zhao Hu blinked slowly, raised his eyes in a daze, and met the gaze of Xie Suzhou opposite him.
Xie Suzhou couldn't help but frown, his eyes filled with displeasure, "Didn't Lord Zhao inform Ah Cheng before taking action?"
Zhao Hu's expression gradually froze, and his heart sank to the bottom.
Seeing him like this, Xie Suzhou was confused and said in a deep voice, "Master Zhao, please don't be impatient. Wait for the right moment to completely bring down the Sheng family. I'll take care of everything outside. I'll go find Ah Cheng later."
"Thank you very much, kid. I'll keep this military token with you first. Maybe it can be useful." Zhao Hu stood up hurriedly, a little at a loss. "When you see Ah Cheng, remember to say a few good words for me."
Xie Suzhou pursed his lips and smiled, his clothes fluttering, and he turned and walked out of the side hall.
Since Zhao Hu acts with moderation, I am of no use here.
Seeing the door of the side hall closed again, Zhao Hu breathed a sigh of relief. Just as his butt touched the stool, a basin of cold water was poured on his side.
"Master, don't be too happy too soon. The young lady acts according to her mood. Now that the Zhao family is temporarily sealed off, the master is locked up here without even a grain of rice to eat. After all, the young lady is only eighteen or nineteen years old. She is anxious and confused. To save her disappointing father, she might do anything."
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