In a classroom across the college, Jingxiu, Sizheng and their younger brother were reviewing their lessons against the clock.
Their father was away on a business trip these days, so they slacked off on their studies. Yesterday, when their father came back, he was tired and irritable, so he didn't immediately test their homework, so they escaped. But today, they will definitely not be able to escape...
Zhang Xiaojing was also reading in the study, but she was reading the manuscript of "History of Sailing" written by Zhao Hao... Of course, it was written by Ma Xianglan. This was one of the textbooks that Mr. Zhao gave to the Navigation College, and it has not yet been published.
Ever since she went out to sea for the first time, she had become fascinated by the feeling of sailing on the boundless ocean, and she took the initiative to take on the work of proofreading and copying.
Normally, Secretary Ma would not give up her position. But on New Year's Eve last year, the two reached a tacit understanding, and Ma Xianglan said that she was too busy and assigned this meaningful task to Xiao Zhuzi.
But today, it seemed that the storm on the sea had also swept into her heart, making Xiao Zhuzi unable to calm down. She tried several times to find a reason to show up in the garden, but You Qi was guarding the Chuihua Gate, and no one could get close.
At this time, the father's hearty laughter came from the garden.
"Father hasn't laughed so happily in a long time." Zhang Jingxiu felt very happy.
"Our lives can finally be better." Sixiu breathed a sigh of relief. His father had a gloomy face all day long, which was too scary.
"Who is father chatting with? He looks so happy?" Mao Xiu asked in a low voice.
"Mr. Zhao is here. I heard it from Uncle You Qi." Jian Xiu said in a baby voice.
"Are you here to see Xiaojing?" A group of stupid brothers immediately started to make a noise.
Zhang Xiaojing blushed with shame, but she couldn't help but feel a little bit of anticipation. She thought that after the conversation, Brother Zhao would definitely come over. All of them are his students...
Unfortunately, Zhang Juzheng did not allow Zhao Hao to meet them in the end.
He just said that business was more important now and that teaching science could be put aside for the time being. After discussing the matter, he sent him away, which disappointed Xiao Zhuzi and the brothers who were waiting to watch the fun...
~~
Xiao Zhuzi put away her books with a sense of loss and left the classroom. If she was just studying, the environment of her own boudoir would be much better.
Unexpectedly, just after passing the Taihu stone, he saw Ma Xianglan coming in gracefully, led by the maid from her father's room.
"Why is Sister Ma here?" Zhang Xiaojing's mood immediately improved and she walked towards her with brisk steps.
"The master sent me here to deliver these manuscripts to Miss Zhang." Secretary Ma handed the book bag in his arms to Zhang Xiaojing with both hands. "I'm sorry to bother Miss Zhang this time."
Zhang Xiaojing showed a beautiful smile, stretched out her hands, and solemnly took the book bag. "Please rest assured, Mr. Zhao, I will not fail in my mission."
"Thank you very much, Miss Zhang." Secretary Ma bowed and said softly, "By the way, we are going on a long journey tomorrow."
"Ah?" Zhang Xiaojing was slightly shaken when she heard that, but she immediately steadied herself in front of her father's eyes and ears. She said reluctantly, "I wonder when I can see Sister Ma again?"
"Maybe I'll be back in Beijing in two months." Ma Xianglan replied, "Don't worry, I'll write to you often."
"Yes, we are pen pals." Zhang Xiaojing nodded with satisfaction and invited him warmly, "Come over to my place and sit down."
"The young master is still waiting for me at the door." Secretary Ma shook his head slightly and gave Zhang Xiaojing a meaningful smile.
"Then Sister Ma, take care on your journey, and take good care of Mr. Zhao. I'll be waiting for you to come back." Zhang Xiaojing felt sweet in her heart, knowing that it was Zhao Hao who asked her to come.
"I will definitely bring it there." Ma Xianglan smiled and nodded, then said goodbye and left.
After seeing off Sister Ma, Zhang Xiaojing returned to her boudoir with her book bag, took out several books that were waiting to be copied, and found a piece of paper among the pages. There was a farewell poem written on it. Although it was written in Sister Ma's handwriting, it was undoubtedly from Master Zhao.
'The sun sets with the sorrow of parting, the whip points east to the horizon. The fallen petals are not heartless, they turn into spring mud to protect the flowers.'
"Fallen petals are not heartless, they turn into spring mud to protect the flowers..." Miss Zhang was stunned as she chanted this line over and over again.
My goodness, is this affectionate or heartless?
~~
“A-choo!”
In the carriage, Zhao Hao sneezed. Seeing Sister Ma getting on the carriage, he picked up the handkerchief on the table and wiped his nose. He asked, "Have you delivered the book?"
"Yes, I've sent it." Secretary Ma nodded obediently.
"Is it appropriate to keep bothering him like this?" Zhao Hao said unsurely, "I think Mr. Zhang doesn't want me to get too close to his daughter."
"Then did the young master write poems for Miss Zhang?" Ma Xianglan asked with a smile.
"That poem can be understood from two perspectives." Young Master Zhao said seriously, "If Miss Zhang decides to obey her father's orders and stop having wild thoughts, I will naturally be the petal that falls into the mud."
"If Miss Zhang is really like what you said, then..." His old face turned red and he paused, "Of course it can also be understood as 'not heartless'."
Ma Xianglan was so amused by the young man's silly look that she giggled with her hands covering her mouth.
"You are the one who caused all this trouble." Zhao Hao glared at her angrily and stretched out his hand to tickle her. "Let's see if you dare to mess around with me again in the future!"
"I won't dare to do it again. I won't dare to do it again." Ma Xianglan was very ticklish, so she quickly begged for mercy in a soft voice: "I think that as your secretary, I should always consider you. I can't pretend not to see Miss Zhang's feelings for you. Besides, the young county lady also acquiesced..."
As she spoke, tears welled up in her eyes and she said in a tender voice, "Sir, you will definitely thank me in the future."
"You really care about me, so please stop here." Zhao Hao's heart trembled, and he felt that he had grown up a lot. He couldn't help but smile bitterly and said, "Each of them is a troublemaker. They will definitely burn down my house in the future!"
"Yes, I won't dare to do it again." Ma Xianglan thought to herself, if she couldn't make up the Five Hegemons of the Spring and Autumn Period, the Romance of the Three Kingdoms would be good too.
"Oh, Old Zhang is such a fool. I won't eat his daughter." Young Master Zhao sighed helplessly and couldn't help but worry secretly. I didn't know how to pass this hurdle of idol.
~~
After coming out of Dashamao Hutong, Zhao Hao arrived at Shiwangfu Street and said goodbye to the eldest princess and Li Mingyue.
Knowing that he had to go out to do some important business, the young county lady did not insist on going with him. She just told him to be careful on the road, take good care of himself, and go early and come back early.
Zhao Hao naturally agreed and stayed in Liuyuexuan for another night... Don't get me wrong, the young county lady's embroidery building had been repaired and moved back long ago.
However, that night, the two talked until the middle of the night and fell asleep in a bed in a daze.
Don't get me wrong, I sleep with my clothes on.
The result was that the next morning, Zhao Hao fled from the Princess's mansion amidst the Princess' mother-in-law-like gaze and the young Lord's murderous look.
In the afternoon, he and Zhao Liben set out on their journey south.
The most convenient route from Beijing to Xinzheng is to take the Grand Canal all the way to Jining, and then change to land and travel 600 miles southwest. The whole journey takes about half a month.
But Zhao Hao and the Caoyun Group were already at loggerheads, so how could they dare to take the Grand Canal? Although Emperor Longqing specially sent a team of Jinyiwei to accompany him for protection, the other party did not dare to assassinate him openly.
But as long as he incited a few thousand canal soldiers to surround their fleet, Zhao Hao's guards would be helpless and could only be bullied.
Given the cowardly nature of the Zhao family's ancestors and grandchildren, they would naturally not dare to take risks, so they just obediently took the dry road instead.
A group of several hundred people rode on horses and in carriages and marched out of Beijing from You'an Gate. After walking twenty miles, Shao Daxia arrived with a group of people waiting by the official road as promised.
The two teams merged into one, and their momentum became even greater.
Seeing this group of people dressed in fine clothes and riding horses, fully equipped with swords and guns, with someone in the lead holding a yellow flag to lead the way, all the merchants and civilians along the way stepped aside to avoid them. Only after they had gone far away did they dare to discuss curiously, what was this team of imperial envoys going to do?
Most people guessed that it was to collect beauties for the emperor. It was said that 300 beauties were selected in Beijing last month. Could it be that the lustful Emperor Longqing still felt that it was not enough and wanted to search outside Beijing?
Thanks to the censors, the Emperor Longqing's illness was a well-known secret...
~~
The road from the capital to Zhengzhou was smooth and the official road was in good condition. Not only was it relatively flat, but there were also several complete tracks that could accommodate carriages traveling north and south.
The four-wheeled carriage that Zhao Hao and his party were riding in was equipped with solid tires made of Eucommia gum and a complete shock-absorbing system, so it ran very smoothly on the rutted tracks.
And although it is already May, perhaps due to the influence of the Little Glacier, the weather is not too hot as long as you avoid noon.
However, considering the old man's health, Zhao Hao was only allowed to walk 40 miles in the morning and afternoon each day, and rest when he reached a certain distance.
Beizhi and Henan were already densely populated. On the official roads, official posthouses and private inns and taverns appeared one after another. The guards who led the advance could easily arrange accommodation and meals for the young master and grandson in advance, so that at least they could have hot soup and hot rice for every meal and sleep soundly at night.
With so much money spent on the journey, Zhao Liben naturally didn't feel tired at all. Instead, he felt like he was on a trip. Whenever he came to a place of interest, he would stop and visit it with Ye, sometimes even going a detour to visit it.
Although Zhao Hao was anxious, he couldn't rush him. After all, he was the one who had dragged the old man to apologize. Shouldn't he be allowed to relieve the pressure on his own?
Shao Daxia was really impatient, so he discussed with Zhao Hao that he would go ahead and have a good talk with Gao Gong. This way, when he and his father arrived at Gaojiazhuang, they would have a better idea of what to do. It also allowed Gao Gong to be mentally prepared.
Zhao Hao naturally agreed, and Shao Xia took his son-in-law and galloped away, leaving him to accompany the old man and travel slowly.
Then he calmed down and took this as a rare opportunity for investigation, carefully observing the customs of the people along the way.
This place is completely different from Jiangnan and Beijing.
Especially the people living in the fiefdoms of the princes, they were all unkempt, ragged, skinny, and almost like beggars.
What hurt him the most was that there was no light in their eyes, only endless numbness. That was caused by the torture of cruel life, and it was a state where there was no hope at all...
This made him feel that the cunning and resentment in the eyes of the people of Wuzhong were so precious.
ps. This chapter was overhauled before posting, so I’m posting it now, sorry…