Chapter 98

Xu Hao's shops were all two-story buildings along the street, with small courtyards inside. The layout was a square with two main rooms and two western side rooms, suitable for long-term residence. If more space was needed, another floor could be added. The eastern part of the courtyard was left for building a warehouse, and the market price had risen to between 8,000 and 10,000 taels of silver.

If it were an ordinary residential house, such a large courtyard could sell for 3,000 to 5,000 taels. Of course, this was the housing price in the capital, the most expensive in the world.

Zhu Di would not be stingy when it came to rewarding. He offered far more than the market price, both as a reward and as an initial investment. Besides enhancing Xu Hao's loyalty, he would certainly have some future demands. After all, one cannot refuse a generous benefactor!

Moreover, there is no such thing as unconditional love. Xu Hao secretly speculated on Zhu Di's intentions, eventually concluding that after the first-class enfeoffment ceremony for Zhu Gaozhi and his brother, they might return to their fiefs.

The princes and their heirs could not stay in the capital for long. Two years of study was already too long, and they had to return to their fiefs to assist their fathers in governance. This way, the princes could leave their fiefs to visit the capital for filial duties or official business. Zhu Gaohui could stay, but he disliked the constraints of the capital.

What did Zhu Di lack? With both his sons gone, he lacked intelligence from various aspects of the capital.

Xu Hao's social circle was no longer trivial. He had good relations with all the princely households, knew every royal grandson, and could enter the Crown Prince's residence at any time. Entering the palace was not difficult either, as many eunuchs were familiar with him and greeted him with smiles.

These eunuchs were all fed by Zhu Di's silver, and Xu Hao, being surnamed Xu, had access to the Mu family and the Dingyuan Marquis Wang family. Additionally, he had connections with Li Jinglong, the leader of the Ming Dynasty's Crown Prince faction.

Li Jinglong had been hiding in his hometown for half a year, only recently returning to the capital. Faced with the deaths of his former comrades, he was deeply saddened and drank for three days with the remaining brothers like Xu Jingchang. On the last day, Xu Hao visited, and a drunk Li Jinglong cried and insisted that Xu Hao call him "big brother." Xu Hao had no choice but to comply.

The next day, Li Jinglong was summoned by Zhu Yuanzhang, along with Xu Hui Zu and Mu Sheng, among others. Afterward, Li Jinglong was completely transformed. According to the eunuch Ma Gonggong, Li Jinglong was radiant and walked with a breeze, indicating that he was about to be heavily favored.

Xu Hao immediately relayed this information to the north, hinting that some meritorious officials might face difficult times, or else the emperor would not have personally summoned young generals.

Subsequently, the incident involving 100,000 taels of treasure notes occurred, showing that Zhu Di was beginning to value the information and analysis provided by Xu Hao. One must first demonstrate their value to earn a generous bonus from their boss, a lesson Xu Hao had learned from years of experience.

Indeed, Zhu Yuanzhang soon mentioned in court the neglect of martial arts by the sons of meritorious officials, ordering the young men to practice diligently and study military books. The Duhu Fu would conduct regular exams and keep records, and those who failed would not be allowed to inherit their fathers' titles and positions.

Li Jinglong's home was soon filled with guests. Appointed by the emperor to oversee this matter, Li Jinglong gained many followers and trained soldiers daily on his estate.

"Someone is about to be in trouble. Who will be next?"

In his study, Xu Hao muttered to himself by the candlelight. Every night, he would summarize and analyze all the information he had gathered, hoping to recall more useful details to send to the Beiping Yan王府.

The bamboo curtain was lifted, and Qingwen entered, carrying a bowl of plum soup.

Xu Hao asked, "Why aren't you gambling? What happened?"

Qingwen angrily placed the bowl on the table and said, "Someone must have gossiped, and the lady found out. She ordered the maids to search every room for gambling tools and said that whoever is found will be expelled immediately."

Xu Hao picked up a book casually and said, "It's your own fault for playing too much. You stayed up all night until dawn, being too reckless. This day was bound to come, so who can you blame?"

Qingwen stomped her foot and quickly said, "Oh, how can you be so foolish? The young ladies are not at home. If someone takes the opportunity to involve them, how will it end?"

Xu Hao was taken aback and frowned, "What do you mean?"

Qingwen explained, "This is a large estate with many servants. Not only might someone hide gambling tools, but other improper items could also be hidden. If these are found, it could be disastrous. Someone might take the risk of hiding those items in the young ladies' rooms and then pressure the maids. With the young ladies away, the maids will want to assert their authority. Without the young ladies to restrain them, they will likely start by searching the young ladies' rooms. If something is found, it will be a severe embarrassment to the lady, and the investigation will have to stop."

Xu Hao's face changed, and he said, "How do you know this? Speak!"

Qingwen could not withstand Xu Hao's gaze and lowered her head, "I overheard Second Young Lady's wet nurse instructing the little maid Si'er near the rockery."

"Let's go." Xu Hao immediately headed for the door, and Qingwen quickly followed.

In the outskirts of the capital, at the Mu family's villa.

Mu Ang had performed well in his first battle, delighting Lady Mu. Tonight, she personally hosted a banquet to thank his teacher, Jiang Song. As Jiang Song was a distant relative of the old lady, he was considered an elder, so the Xu family's young ladies all came out to meet him.

Jiang Song was overjoyed. Lady Mu was generous, rewarding him with 50 taels of silver and promising more if he passed the child examination.

After a few cups of wine, the excited Jiang Song, fearing he might lose his composure, quickly ate some fresh vegetables. Before he finished, he saw Xu Qinglian and the other girls come out to greet him, and he hurriedly swallowed the food with tea.

Jiang Song recognized all the girls as his own, and one was from the Xiao family. He had seen them during the holidays when visiting the old lady, but they had grown up in recent years.

Jiang Song immediately put on an air of authority, showing his seniority to Lady Mu and his importance in the Xu family. He sat still as the younger generation came to pay their respects, nodding with a smile.

As Xu Qinglian and the others passed by, Jiang Song caught a whiff of their delicate fragrance, feeling a pang of desire. He thought to himself, "Girls really do change a lot as they grow up, becoming more and more beautiful, like fresh flowers. Their skin is so tender, it seems you could squeeze water out of it."

Suddenly, he caught a glimpse of a beautiful figure behind the screen, and for a moment, he was completely entranced. He pointed at the screen, "Who is that?"

Lady Mu turned and smiled, "That is the eldest daughter."

"Ah." Jiang Song, as if waking from a dream, reluctantly withdrew his gaze, feeling deeply disappointed. He sighed, "No wonder she is a princess of the Mu family. She is even more beautiful than described, a thousand times more. What a pity! If she were a maid, I would beg on my knees, no matter what it took, to have her. Alas! There is no hope in this life."

He finally understood why Xu Hao had stayed in the Xu family for a whole year. If it were me, I would be content for a lifetime.

Jiang Song, envious and longing, silently mused. After meeting Xu Qinglian and the others, they returned, and Mu Ningsnow also left with them.

Jiang Song sat for another half an hour, lost in thought. Lady Mu, feeling it was time, got up to see him off.

Mu Ang accompanied the dazed Jiang Song back to his residence. The young ladies, meanwhile, chatted and strolled to the garden. Lady Mu, having played too much mahjong recently, was tired and returned to her room to rest.

The sweet fragrance of osmanthus filled the August night. Under the clear moonlight, the young ladies admired the various blooming flowers in the garden, passed through a rockery, crossed a winding bridge, and stopped to feed the koi fish. They then walked along a long corridor to an octagonal pavilion.

Mu Qingfeng, who had been waiting on the second floor, waved to them from the window. Hongye shook her head, "Not tonight. I want to sleep early."

Xu Qinglian, helpless, led her sisters Xu Cuizhi and Xu Cuiliu upstairs. Mu Ningsnow sat with Hongye, and a maid brought them two bowls of iced plum soup.

Hongye suddenly said, "Sister, I want to ask you something."

Mu Ningsnow stopped fanning herself and smiled, "Go ahead, I'm all ears."

Hongye giggled and whispered, "I want to ask you, do you really like my brother?"

Mu Ningsnow's face turned red, and after a moment, she said, "Only you, I would never answer anyone else, and you must promise not to tell anyone, especially your brother."

"Okay. I swear." Hongye raised her left hand, looking serious.

Mu Ningsnow thought for a moment and slowly shook her head, "Not exactly, but I do have some feelings for him. How to explain it..."

Mu Ningsnow smiled bitterly, recalling the past, "To be honest, many relatives and friends came to propose marriage, and later, even many ministers. This is what people call following the crowd.

It was because of the sons of the meritorious officials. I met them when we were young, but it was just a meeting. Who knew they would all become obsessed, vowing to marry me when they grew up. Perhaps it was because of my appearance, or perhaps it was a competition among boys, or perhaps for other reasons. In any case, it made me very uncomfortable and troubled. I went to the emperor and the late Empress Ma to request the right to decide my own future, rejecting all proposals to avoid endless纠缠."

"But, what about you and my brother?" Hongye found it hard to believe, her eyes wide, looking at Mu Ningsnow as if she were a legend.

"He!" Mu Ningsnow could not help but smile, "He used the most clumsy method at the right time, but it left a deep impression.

"I don't understand," Hongye said softly.