Prince Pu was addicted to alcohol, so it was not too difficult to get him drunk.
Zhang Shixun raised his glass frequently and clinked glasses with him. Later, he even had a round of fist fights with him and defeated him in just one meal.
Prince Pu's son called servants and carried the drunk Prince Pu to the sedan chair in front of the restaurant.
Before leaving, Zhang Shixun pulled him aside and whispered, "Keep a good eye on His Highness Prince Pu. It's best not to let him go out again, otherwise he will bring disaster to your family."
Prince Pu's son was startled and asked hurriedly, "Why did Master Zhang say that?"
"Do you know what he said to me today?"
"What did you say?"
"He said that Taizong's throne was not obtained legitimately, and as a descendant of Taizu, he must retake the throne."
"Master Zhang, did he say this himself?"
"Of course he said it himself. Not only that, he also wants to..." Zhang Shixun paused here, looked around mysteriously, and when he saw that there was no one around, he lowered his voice even more. "The most terrifying thing is that he actually wants to assassinate the current emperor."
Prince Pu's son's legs went limp and he sat down on the ground.
Seeing how cowardly he was, Zhang Shixun quickly helped him up. "Luckily, he met me today. If he had met someone else, he might have gone to Gaomi, the Imperial City Division, in no time."
Prince Pu's son grabbed his hand and begged, "Master Zhang, please keep this a secret for your father."
"Yeah! Don't worry, I won't say anything nonsense."
Seeing that he was so scared that his face turned pale, Zhang Shixun tried to comfort him with a few words before sending them away.
Not long after returning to the third floor, the steward of Prince Pu's family came with a heavy package.
"Master Zhang, this is a gift from my princess to thank you for taking care of His Highness."
Zhang Shixun didn't ask what was inside the package. He took it and said, "Thank you, Princess, for your generous gift. Go back and tell her that His Royal Highness Prince Pu's brain disease is very serious. We must find a good doctor to treat him... Oh! Don't ask the imperial physician in the palace, remember!"
The steward bowed repeatedly and agreed, "Thank you, Master Zhang. I will tell her what you said when I return."
After he left, Zhang Shixun opened the package and saw that it was full of golden ingots.
He gave the gold to Zheng Rongrong for safekeeping and instructed her, "Rongrong, take inventory of the restaurant's accounts. We'll close it in three days. You and Mei Lan, Qiu Ju, and the others will go to Zhang Xiaozhuang."
Zheng Rongrong was stunned. "Sir, although our restaurant business isn't very good, it's pretty good compared to other restaurants. We make a profit every day. Why are we closing it?"
"The Jin soldiers are coming again, and they are coming with great force. For safety's sake, we should hide for a while."
Although Zheng Rongrong still had many questions, seeing that Zhang Shixun was unwilling to talk more, she said, "I will follow your instructions. I will let Xiaomei and the others take inventory tonight."
Zhang Shixun returned to his house in Jinqian Lane, feeling a little uneasy.
Although Prince Pu was crazy, it was probably true that he sent people to monitor him.
If the news that Shi Qian was his accomplice spread to other people, even if the madman's words were not credible, it would touch the emperor's sensitive nerves.
We have to be on guard.
Zhang Shixun contacted Wang Dong and told him everything that happened today.
Wang Dong didn't care. "Since Prince Pu is a lunatic, his words will be questioned. Even if the court believes him, they won't have time to deal with us because the two armies of Jin have already headed straight for Bian Jing. Time is running out for them."
"Where are the Jin soldiers now?"
"After Nianhan's Western Army captured Taiyuan, they rested for a few days before setting out from Taiyuan on the 18th. They successively captured Weishengjun and Longdefu (now Changzhi, Shanxi). Their vanguard was almost at Mengjin. Once there, they would be separated from Kaifeng by the Yellow River."
"Where's Wulibu?"
"Wulibu's Eastern Route Army set out from Zhending and successively captured Daming County, Deqing Army, and Kaide Prefecture. It wasn't too far from Kaifeng."
"Just tell me, how long will it take them to capture Kaifeng?"
"It's hard to say, maybe half a month."
Zhang Shixun pondered for a moment and said, "I've already told Zheng Rongrong to close the restaurant in three days and have them retreat to Zhang Xiaozhuang. In addition, I'm also planning to have Li Shishi, Ding Dusai, and her crew all retreat there."
"Well! It's better to withdraw here as soon as possible. You should come back with us. There's no point in staying in the city any longer."
"No rush. It won't be too late to turn back after the Jin soldiers cross the river."
"No!" Wang Dong became anxious when he heard this. "A gentleman does not stand under a wall. To be on the safe side, you must come with them."
"There are still many things to deal with in the city. I..."
"What the hell! It doesn't matter if all those pots and pans in the city are smashed. Besides, there's nothing in them."
Zhang Shixun explained: "I'm not dealing with anything, but I want to say hello to some people and explain some things."
Wang Dong said impatiently, "What's there to explain? Among the people you know, except for Han Shizhong and Yue Fei, the others are of no use. Let them fend for themselves."
"Damn it!" Zhang Shixun was annoyed when he heard it. "I'm not as heartless as you. If you don't explain before you leave, I won't be able to get over it."
"Three days, I'll only give you three days."
"Three days is too short."
"Then hurry up. We must return to Zhang Xiaozhuang in three days... Shixun, I usually don't argue with you about anything you say, but this time is different. You must listen to me."
“Why…”
"Pharmacist Guo is serious about dealing with us this time. Shouldn't we be preparing in advance? There are so many things to deal with in these villages, and I can't handle it all by myself."
Zhang Shixun thought about it and felt that what Wang Dong said was true. They really needed to make good preparations over there.
"Okay, I'll listen to you this time and go back in three days."
After hanging up the phone, Zhang Shixun went to find Li Shishi immediately.
The two lived on the same street and were just around the corner from each other.
Seeing Zhang Shixun, Li Shishi asked with a smile, "Why did you think of coming to see me today?"
"Get ready and follow me to Zhang Xiaozhuang in three days."
"Ah! So urgent?"
Zhang Shixun nodded and said seriously, "The Jin soldiers are coming soon. This siege is likely to be disastrous. We absolutely cannot stay in the city."
Upon hearing this, Li Shishi readily agreed, "Sir, your words are like imperial decrees to me. I will do whatever you tell me to do."
Seeing her beautiful face, Zhang Shixun couldn't help but reach out and gently touch her delicate cheek.
"Sir!" Li Shishi glared at him, "The servants are watching us."
Zhang Shixun looked behind her and saw the two maids watching them intently.
"I'll go tell Saisai that you should pack up your belongings now and spend all the money you have. Don't keep a single cent."
After Zhang Shixun finished speaking, he turned and left.
After hearing the last sentence, a cloud of gloom suddenly appeared in Li Shishi's heart...
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