So, who exactly was persistently searching for him? From the current situation, the other party didn't seem to have any murderous intent toward him.
The more Zhu Ci thought about it, the more confused he became; he had originally intended to leave a few traces behind at Xialiang before departing.
He could use the name Zhu Xinghuo again in other places when the time came; looking at it now, the identity the Empress had prepared for him was actually the most useful.
He could use the State Preceptor's status to suppress others, he had the identity of a Scholar to protect him. Although Zhu Xinghuo was a name he was more familiar with, that identity belonged to nothing more than an ordinary wealthy household.
In this era, where the social hierarchy placed farmers, laborers, artisans above merchants, there were indeed many inconveniences.
Forget it, I'll just treat Zhu Xinghuo's identity as a backup plan. If Xialiang really is unsafe, then I'll deal with that later.
Zhu Ci began to calculate after returning to his rented small courtyard; the opponent's status must be no lower than that of a Prefect, if not higher.
Two eunuchs, eunuchs without any real power certainly couldn't command a Prefect.
Unfortunately, no matter how much he analyzed it, he couldn't figure anything out, leaving him momentarily caught between a rock and a hard place.
Zhu Ci pondered for a long while before finally deciding to stay in Jiading to observe the situation; if things didn't work out, he would just flee.
Since the other party was searching for him so sneakily, it was clear they didn't want the matter to be exposed, which meant there was still room for maneuver.
Having thought of this, Zhu Ci simply stopped wondering who the person behind the scenes actually was, instead bought a pile of brushes, ink, paper, inkstones before beginning to.. draw maps!
The maps and firearm diagrams he had seen before were all in his head; he feared that if he didn't draw them out immediately, he might forget them after some time.
No matter how smart a person is, they will gradually forget knowledge they do not frequently use, unless they are among those with extraordinary talent.
Blueprints for firearms were easy enough to replicate, but maps were more troublesome, as Zhu Ci wanted to add all the places he had visited on his journey, which would be a massive undertaking.
This place was indeed quite remote, but, what if? What if one day he actually needs it, only to find he has already forgotten the paths he once traveled? Wouldn't that be a source of endless regret?
Zhu Ci stayed tucked away at home, going outside from time to time to see if there was any new news.
However, since then, no one had come to this small town looking for the young master. After half a month had passed like this, Zhu Ci finally felt somewhat relieved; his identity must not have been exposed.
On the day Zhu Ci finished drawing the maps completely, the festive atmosphere of the New Year had already grown quite strong in the small town.
Zhu Ci was also planning to buy some New Year goods; although he was all alone, he still wanted to have the proper sense of ritual.
As a result, on the day he intended to head out, he was woken up by the cold just as dawn was breaking.
He pushed open the window in a daze, the damp, cold wind instantly cleared his head quite a bit. When he saw the vast expanse of white outside, he froze in place.
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Author's Note: Zhu Ci: I'm in the South, right? Why is it snowing? A kitty playing in the snow. jpg
This chapter still includes a New Year's Red Envelope~ The next update will be tomorrow morning at six o'clock~
Chapter 27
For a brief moment, Zhu Ci even suspected that he had traveled through time again, but after turning to look at the furnishings in the room, he confirmed that he was indeed in the rented courtyard.
But wasn't he in Jiading?
Isn't he in the south?
Why is there such heavy snow?
Not only was there a thick layer of snow on the ground, but the snowflakes were still falling incessantly, though they were slightly smaller than the snow in the Northeast.
A gust of cold wind blew in, Zhu Ci immediately closed the window. However, the insulation in this house was poor; the room was both damp and cold, so it was useless even if he brought out all his warm clothing. In fact, those clothes were ice-cold to the touch at this very moment, feeling slightly damp as if they hadn't even dried yet.
Zhu Ci knew very well that this place was quite damp in winter, so he wasn't surprised that his clothes had become like this, but he hadn't expected that it would actually snow.
The top priority was to quickly buy some things for warmth, anything like firewood or coal would do.
Sigh, he hadn't expected the temperature to drop this much overnight, especially since he had just arrived here without any preparations.
However, when he went out after dawn, he found many people on the street greeting each other while sweeping snow, all discussing this snowfall and hesitating over whether or not to buy coal.
Those who wanted to buy coal were worried that the cold would persist, while those who did not want to buy it felt that the weather might warm up in a couple of days.
After all, the south is not as cold in winter as the north; the cold in the south only lasts for a short time, if they buy coal and the weather happens to warm up, it would be a waste.
Zhu Ci knew from their discussion that he wasn't the only one caught off guard by this snowfall; others were in the same boat.
Zhu Ci thought for a moment and went straight to the eatery. Half a month had been enough time for him to become well-acquainted with the people there; from the shopkeeper to the waiter, their first reaction upon seeing him was, "Young Master Xi has arrived. The usual?"
Zhu Ci gave a response, the waiter immediately brought out a bowl of porridge and several small dishes.
Zhu Ci looked at the steaming bowl of porridge and felt that even if he were offered a thousand pieces of gold for it now, he wouldn't trade it. The warmth and sense of happiness brought by a mouthful of porridge in the dead of winter were difficult to describe with words.
Zhu Ci ate while chatting with the waiter, "Waiter, is there anyone nearby selling coal?"
The waiter immediately came over and asked, "Does the Young Master want to buy coal? Won't you wait a couple more days?"
Zhu Ci said with an indifferent expression, "There's no need to wait. No matter how warm it gets, it won't make much of a difference anyway. If I were at home, the floor heating would have been lit long ago."
It wasn't an exaggeration on his part; by the time he went to pick up Zhu Ci, the palace was already making preparations to light the floor heating.
After hearing this, the waiter glanced at the shopkeeper. While the shopkeeper was busy using an abacus, he clicked his tongue in amazement. A floor heating system? That was truly something only wealthy families possessed.
Only one or two households in this small town can afford a heating stove; for everyone else, being able to light a simple stove in winter is already quite good.
However, they weren't particularly surprised. When Zhu Ci had clashed with Baopiqi and the others that day, everyone in the shop had heard it clearly. They knew this young master had returned to his hometown to pay respects to his ancestors, that his grandfather was an Earl. Such a great figure was not someone they would normally encounter.
These days, the biggest gossip in the small town was that the Earl's grandson was staying here.
However, gossip was gossip; no one dared to disturb him, for they were afraid that if he grew angry, they would only end up making a mess of things.
The waiter felt that this young master was very amiable, so he said, "There are no coal sellers in the county; people have to send someone to Suzhou to order it."
After all, no one used coal as a fuel source in their daily lives; it was far too wasteful.
Zhu Ci..
He also hadn't expected that even buying coal would be this difficult; if all else failed, he would likely have to burn firewood for warmth.
After finishing breakfast, Zhu Ci simply asked the waiter to find a firewood seller to deliver a bundle of wood to him.
The small courtyard he rented indeed didn't even have firewood; after all, he really didn't know how to cook using this kind of wood-burning stove.
It was true that he had been an undercover agent, but he hadn't gone to the countryside to experience life, so he hadn't unlocked those skills yet.
However, before anyone could deliver firewood to the door, some uninvited guests arrived.
"And who might you be.." Zhu Ci opened the door to see several men dressed as servants standing at the entrance.
The servant leading them cupped his hands and said, "Greetings, Young Master. This lowly one has come on the orders of the Family Head to deliver emergency coal to the Young Master."
Zhu Ci raised an eyebrow and asked, "Who is your master?"
The manservant bowed slightly and replied, "My master is the Magistrate of Jiading."
The Magistrate of Jiading, no wonder.
The other party must have investigated his identity long ago. Zhu Ci had previously wondered why no one had come to disturb him despite his identity being exposed; it turns out they were simply waiting for the right opportunity.
The other party must have been observing him for a long time, simply waiting for the moment he had a need to present a gift; this was far more useful than blindly bringing people and offering gold and silver treasures.
Zhu Ci glanced at the caravan behind the manservant, stepped aside, said, "Come in."
He pointed to a spot and ordered them to unload the coal there.
The coal on the carriage had originally been covered with oilcloth. When it was lifted, he couldn't help but pause upon seeing the chunks of raw coal and asked, "Is this the kind of coal that is used for burning here now?"
“Yes.” The servant asked cautiously, “May I ask if the Young Master finds it unsuitable?”
Zhu Ci immediately waved his hand and said, "It's nothing, I just feel it's a bit different from what we burn at home, though it certainly looks like high-quality coal. The Magistrate has gone to great lengths."
Seeing his gentle attitude, the servant breathed a sigh of relief and complimented him, "The Young Master is at the feet of the Son of Heaven; rural areas naturally cannot compare."
Zhu Ci smiled but said nothing; how could he know what kind of coal was burned in the palace?
Oh, that's not right. There should be two kinds in the palace; the floor heating uses coal, besides the floor heating, there are also charcoal braziers for warmth.
While unloading the coal, Zhu Ci also noticed that the servant had sent someone out for a trip, who returned with a coal brazier; he must have realized that there were no heating facilities here.
After the coal was unloaded, the servant left with his men, but before departing, he left behind an invitation, saying that the Magistrate of Jiading wished to host a welcome banquet for the Young Master.
Having accepted the coal, Zhu Ci naturally had to attend the appointment.
The banquet was held at the Magistrate of Jiading's residence, Zhu Ci had come with the mindset of attending nothing more than a useless social gathering.
The Magistrate of Jiading certainly had his own reasons for trying to curry favor with him, but Zhu Ci would never give him any response.
However, during the banquet, he unexpectedly encountered two people he hadn't expected to see: Fu Chunsheng and Fu Qiulu.
One of them followed the Magistrate of Jiading, while the other served at the banquet.
When he saw Zhu Ci, Fu Chunsheng was extremely startled. "Your.. You.. Why are you here?"
Zhu Ci was also surprised; this truly was.. what a small world.
After his surprise, he became wary.
Back then, he had given his deed of sale to those two siblings and provided them with plenty of travel funds; how did they end up wandering here, serving as slaves for the Magistrate of Jiading's household?
He wouldn't believe for a second that there wasn't something fishy going on here.
Fu Chunsheng and Fu Qiulu looked at Zhu Ci, their faces covered in tears, sobbing so hard they could barely speak.
The Magistrate of Jiading was somewhat surprised. "Does the Young Master know these two?"
Zhu Ci sat down and said, "They once served by my side. After learning of their origins, I took pity on their difficult fates and released them to live as commoners, but I do not know how they ended up here with the Magistrate?"
The Magistrate of Jiading felt a surge of joy in his heart and immediately explained, "I encountered these two on the road. They were injured at the time, my wife could not bear to see them suffer, so she rescued them. Since then, they have stayed in the manor."
Zhu Ci looked at Fu Chunsheng and Fu Qiulu and asked, "What happened? How did you get injured? Weren't you given money? Why haven't you sought medical treatment?"
Fu Chunsheng wiped away his tears and sobbed, "Shortly after the two of us left the inn, we were ambushed by bandits. Those bandits robbed us of everything we had, including the three hundred taels in silver notes that the Young Master gave us. They even tried to kidnap us to sell us, but my sister and I fought desperately to escape. We were fortunate enough to encounter the Magistrate, which is how we managed to save our lives."
The Magistrate of Jiading, listening from the side, couldn't help but click his tongue in surprise. Even as a local official, his annual salary didn't even amount to three hundred taels of silver; this person before him could produce three hundred taels with ease, proving he was indeed from a wealthy and noble background.
Zhu Ci listened and said with a look of pity, "You two are young and weak; it was my oversight."
The Magistrate of Jiading saw at a glance that these two and this young master were likely not merely master and servants. His thoughts shifted as he immediately said, "It is also their good fortune to have encountered their former master here by chance. It just so happens that my wife is very fond of them both and has long wished to adopt them as her godchildren. Why not act as a witness, young master?"
Upon hearing this, Zhu Ci immediately understood the Magistrate of Jiading's intentions; such matters were far from uncommon.
If someone wanted to present a person to the higher-ups to secure a more stable connection, they would either send their own children or take in an adopted son or daughter.
The only difference was that while the higher-ups might refuse random gifts, Fu Chunsheng and Fu Qiulu had a prior connection with Zhu Ci, making it easy to send them back.