Chapter 557: Take Refuge

Zhou Shuren recalled Mr. Deng. When he came to the capital to buy a house, Mr. Deng helped him a lot. He was Zhao Bo's friend. Yes, he remembered that Mr. Deng had a brother-in-law who was the Minister of the Ministry of Revenue, right or left. Their house was searched not long ago and the minister was beheaded. It seemed that his family was banished to their ancestral land and were not allowed to take the imperial examinations for three generations.

When Jianyan brought people in, Zhou Shuren almost didn't recognize Mr. Deng. In the past, Mr. Deng was well-dressed and looked like a young man with a fan in his hand. Now he was wearing coarse cloth clothes and the hairpin on his head was replaced with a wooden one. He looked much older.

Therefore, Zhou Shuren understood that the one whose property was confiscated was Deng Xiucai's brother-in-law. Yes, Deng Xiucai was able to get his brother-in-law some face in the capital because of his network of connections. So there was a problem with Deng Xiucai's brother-in-law from the beginning to the end.

Mr. Deng twirled his sleeves with his fingers. The temperature in the room was warm, and the temperature numb his fingertips and made them itch. There was some uneasiness in his eyes. "Sir."

Zhou Shuren retracted his gaze. It is better to rely on yourself than on others. If your backer falls, no matter how glorious you were before, you will be miserable now. "Mr. Deng, we are old acquaintances. Please sit down."

Seeing that it was not a polite remark, Mr. Deng carefully sat down and said, "Thank you, sir."

Zhou Shuren didn't ask how he got so down and out. He could guess that Deng Xiucai's family was not peaceful at first. Without a strong backer, the family naturally fell apart. "Have some tea."

Mr. Deng took a sip of tea. It had been a long time since he had drunk such good tea. Thinking about his current home, there were only him and his son left. His parents had passed away, his wife had divorced him and even took their daughter away. But she made sure that his daughter grew up well, so she left the young son to him.

Zhou Shuren's eyes fell on Deng Xiucai's feet, which were only a pair of cloth shoes. He sighed. Deng Xiucai had made a lot of money, but without a backer, that would be a disaster. "Why don't you leave?"

Mr. Deng tightly grasped the teacup. Why didn't he leave? Because he was unwilling to leave. "What's the use of going back? I don't know when I can get out of my hometown."

He was reluctant to leave because he knew that once he left the capital, it would be difficult to return.

Zhou Shuren saw the unwillingness in Deng Xiucai's eyes, "Have you been waiting for me?"

He couldn't think of anyone else who could be the hope in Deng Xiucai's heart.

Mr. Deng's heart was lifted and he was nervous. He was indeed gambling. Although he had been bullied and barely survived starvation, he had a foundation and could still find out the news. Mr. Zhou, the more he inquired, the more hope he had. "Yes."

Zhou Shuren recognized Deng Xiucai's ability. He was a man of many talents. "Are you here to seek refuge?"

Frankly speaking, under the premise of inequality, there is no need to beat around the bush.

Deng Xiucai slowed down his breathing and calmed himself down. He needed to calm down. "Yes, I am willing to die for you, sir."

Zhou Shuren climbed up the ladder, recruited many people, and experienced many people. There were not many people he could remember deeply, but there was one in front of him. Now that he had experienced downfall, his mind was more resolute. "Then prove to me your ability."

Deng Xiucai's eyes were filled with ecstasy. He had not expected it to be so smooth, so smooth that he could not believe it. "Sir, don't you want to check it?"

Zhou Shuren smiled, "I mean to prove it to me. If there is a probation period, those who pass the test will stay, and those who fail will leave."

Deng Xiucai laughed at himself. How could he trust someone who had climbed to the position of Jinzhou prefect in just a few years? However, he really didn't rely on anyone. His eyes were firm, "I will prove it."

Zhou Shuren hummed and reached out to touch his purse, but then his hand froze. He had spent almost all the money in his purse, and it seemed that there was only a few taels left. If he had known earlier, he would have left some. He had to give him money. From the way Deng Xiucai was dressed, he knew that his situation was difficult. "Have some snacks and sit for a while."

Mr. Deng was already hungry, but he didn't dare to move. "Yes."

After the adults left, Mr. Deng felt extremely complicated. He didn't take it seriously when they first met, but now Zhou Shuren became the runner-up. Now he needs to look up to him. He silently picked up the pastries. He hadn't eaten for a long time. His stomach was growling. He laughed softly, so he climbed up!

Zhou Shuren called over Jinyan and Shenxing and asked, "How much silver do you have now?"

Jianyan was stunned for a moment, "More than one thousand taels."

Shen Xing blinked his eyes. What was the master going to do? His eyes wandered. When he was not with the master, he often sold antiques to save money. "Five, five thousand taels."

Zhou Shuren was silent. Did he ask something extraordinary? These two people really have a lot of money, and Shen Xing is the one who hides it the most!

Shen Xing realized that he was exposed and became nervous, so did he and Jian Yan do something stupid?

Zhou Shuren coughed and said, "Lend me a hundred taels of silver first."

Jinyan Shenxing was silent, and Zhou Shuren was very upset. "So, you didn't bring any money?"

Jianyan laughed dryly, "Sir, why would we need to bring money with us when we go out with you?"

In the past, you didn’t have to spend your own money.

Shen Xing felt around in his purse and shook out less than an ounce of silver. "That's all."

Zhou Shuren was so depressed that he wanted to vomit blood. Why didn't he notice that these two people were also stealing before? Staring at the silver coins worth less than one tael, Zhou Shuren gritted his teeth and said, "Aren't you afraid of running out of money if you go out without silver?"

Jianyan looked up at the sky and said, "Well, sir, there are still many robbers. It's better to be lucky if you can get out."

Shen Xing answered, "Besides, the government has an arrest warrant, and even if I'm running out of money, I'll still take one or two jobs."

Zhou Shuren, "......."

So just don’t spend a penny of your own money.

Zhou Shuren gritted his teeth. To put it bluntly, he still needed to borrow money. It was a rip-off. He didn't know many people in the capital. He looked around but couldn't get any money. In the end, it was Lord Wang who saved his life. "Zhenyan, cough, go to Lord Wang's house and tell him that you want to borrow 100 taels of silver."

He said swiftly, "Yes."

Zhou Shuren returned to the living room feeling quite embarrassed. Who would have thought that he had no money in his wallet? Seeing Deng Xiucai looking at him, he asked, "Who else is at home now?"

Mr. Deng ate a few snacks and was no longer hungry. He was confident enough to say, "I have a son who lives with me. He is six years old."

Zhou Shuren frowned, "Where do you live?"

Deng Xiucai lowered his head and said, "I rented a room in the civilian area of ​​​​the north city."

"The child is home alone."

Mr. Deng pursed his lips. He was really not a good father. He couldn't even cook, and he needed a six-year-old child to take care of him. "Yes."

Zhou Shuren pointed at the table and said, "Bring the child here. The child will follow me back to Jinzhou tomorrow."

Scholar Deng knew in his heart that Lord Zhou was not merciful, but strangled the child because he still did not trust him. However, his son would definitely be well taken care of in the Zhou Mansion. "Yes."

Zhou Shuren called Shenxing over and asked him to follow Deng Xiucai to pick up the child.

At the Zhou Mansion in Jinzhou, the doctor had already left. Zhulan looked at Su Xuan who was still in a daze. Hmm, she was not pregnant. She really had screwed herself!

(End of this chapter)