Saying goodbye to the old emperor and coming out of the palace, He Shuai also went to visit Zhu Maolin alone. If you want to gain a foothold in the imperial court, you can't do it without the help of a few ministers in key positions.

And Zhu Maolin is the best candidate, young and promising, and his future in an important position is limitless.

When you come to a street in the capital that is heavily patrolled, this is the residence of the lords of the court. After some inquiry, He Shuai came to the door of Zhu's mansion.

It is not an ordinary person who can ride a horse to get here, so the family in front of the door saw that someone stopped in front of the door to watch, and directly greeted him and hugged his fist and asked, "Dare to ask, what are you doing here, this adult?" ”

"Excuse me, this is the mansion of Zhu Maolin, the waiter of the Ministry of Rites, Lord Zhu?" He Shuai jumped off the horse and asked.

"It's my lord's house." Jia Ding nodded back.

"Please go and report it, and say that the city lord of Piaofeng City is coming to visit." He Shuai said with a smile, this is still learned in costume dramas, although he is now at the same level as Zhu Maolin, he can't directly break into Zhu's mansion.

"Sir, wait a minute, I'll come when I go." The Zhu Mansion family members clenched their fists again and ran into the Zhu Mansion in a flash.

Within a moment, Zhu Maolin came out in casual clothes, and said, "Oh, why are you here, benefactor." ”

"When I came out of the Shengshang, I went directly to you, Brother Zhu, and wanted to ask for a cup of tea. Brother Zhu, you won't be unwelcome, right? He Shuai asked with a smile.

"Benefactor, it's a joke! Hurry inside please. Zhu Maolin was very happy to see He Shuai again, and said to the family just now, "You report that you have merit, and you can go to the account office to receive 100 taels of reward money in a while." ”

"Thank you, sir! Thank you, sir! The family hurriedly knelt on the ground and thanked him for his kindness.

When He Shuai followed Zhu Maolin into Zhu's mansion, he was still thinking to himself that Zhu Maolin's history records that he is upright, honest and upright, how can he be rewarded with as much as 100 taels for a trivial matter? Could it be that at this moment, Zhu Maolin has become a huge greedy person who loots the people's fat and ointment? So, is there any need to talk to him?

Later, I found out that this Zhu Maolin was really breezy with his sleeves, but he was too excited to see his benefactor.

As Zhu Maolin entered the inner hall, there were already two cups of tea brought by the maid.

"Benefactor, please be seated! My coarse tea and light rice are no better than the banquet in the palace, don't dislike it. Zhu Maolin said embarrassedly.

"How so!" He Shuai sat down and picked up a cup of tea, smelled and exuded a fragrance, and then took a sip, as the tea mouth was dry and spicy through his throat, he swallowed the tea in his mouth.

Zhu Maolin was even more embarrassed when he saw He Shuai's expression, and hurriedly got up and said apologetically: "Benefactor, this is Kuding tea from my hometown, and ordinary people are not used to drinking it for the first time." I'm going to send someone to the street to buy ......."

"No need, no need!" He Shuai wiped his mouth with his hand and said, "Kuding tea, it's not like I haven't drunk it, but it's the first time it's so unpleasant." ”

"In my hometown, only the poor people will buy this Kuding tea to drink it." Zhu Maolin took a sip of his teacup, and said with a natural expression, "After I won the top prize in high school, the fathers and villagers in my hometown asked someone to send a load of Kuding tea, just to let me not forget my roots and be a good and honest official." I drink it every day now, and I'm constantly reminding myself. ”

After listening to his story, He Shuai looked at the decoration of the inner hall, except for the ancient books and documents on the bookshelf in the distance, there was not even a single antique, and the huge room looked a little bleak and dull. It doesn't look like a four-rank family of the imperial court at all, but more like a scholar's study. Looking at this shabby look, I said in my heart that I took the task of 'down-and-out scholar' at that time, when will I get the reward.

"Hehe, except for this house, the housekeepers and maids in the house are rewarded by the saints. I'm no different from before the champion. Zhu Maolin said embarrassedly, "I am dissatisfied with my benefactor, and my monthly income is divided into daily expenses, and I have opened a school and a porridge shed to help poor students." ”

"Then you also rewarded that family member with 100 taels?" He Shuai's words blurted out, and they didn't go through the brain at all.

"Benefactor, don't you know, my monthly salary is 400 taels of gold, set aside 100 taels for daily expenses, and 300 taels to help readers." Zhu Maolin smiled dumbly when he said this, "I was very happy to see my benefactor just now, and I gave out all the money for this month's meal......

"Then what's the matter, you can use this money first." He Shuai took out a few silver tickets of 10,000 taels of gold from his backpack, slapped them on the table and said.

"How can this be!" Zhu Maolin hurriedly shook his head and refused, but his eyes were staring intently at the silver ticket on the table, thinking in his heart that if he had this money, he could help more poor people.

"If you want to take it, you will take it!" He Shuai picked up the silver ticket on the table and stuffed it directly into Zhu Maolin's hand, he is now the gold owner, not only enjoying the business taxes of Piaofeng City and Burning Snow City, but also the small grocery store is also impressive, and there is no shortage of money at all.

Zhu Maolin saw that he couldn't get rid of it, so he took the silver ticket and knelt on the ground and shouted: "Then I will bring the world's scholars to thank you, the great kindness of the benefactor." ”

"Hurry up, I have something to ask you today." He Shuai helped him up and smiled.

"Benefactor, if you ask, as long as I know, I will tell the truth." Zhu Maolin got up and said.

"Let me ask you, how powerful are Yang Shaolong and their Yang family? How much do you know? He Shuai narrowed his eyes and asked, thinking that this Zhu Maolin's two-sleeved breeze should not be a henchman of the Yang family.

After hearing Yang Shaolong's name, Zhu Maolin's face changed, he got up and closed the door of the inner hall, and then whispered: "Benefactor, why did you ask about the Yang family?" ”

"Don't be a benefactor, just call me Xiaohe a few years older than me." He Shuai has long been unaccustomed to hearing such a title.

Seeing his resolute attitude, Zhu Maolin had no choice but to change his tone and shout: "Then I will call you and my brother from now on!" ”

Seeing that He Shuai nodded, Zhu Maolin said again: "Speaking of this Yang family, I also talked about it when I listened to the chatter of several ministers of the Ministry of Rites.

The Yang family is quite powerful in the imperial court, and the boss Yang Shaolong must have seen it, and now he is the head of the inner palace, and his power is tilted towards the government and the opposition. The second eldest Yang Shaojun was once the general of Piaofeng City, and later heard that he was captured at the city lord's banquet. ”

"I'm the one who captured him!" He Shuai chuckled.

"The point is not here, Yang Shaojun escaped from prison, although the imperial court ostensibly sent troops to round up. But, so far, there has been no news from him! Zhu Maolin continued, "Yang Shaokun, the third elder of the Yang family, it is said that this person is the most insidious and cunning, and he has been mixed with the squire of the military department, and his power should not be underestimated. The only girl in the Yang family is the fourth child, and now she is a concubine, and she has climbed step by step from the palace maid to today's position. ”

"Old Five, no need to introduce him, I know that he turned out to be our adjutant in Piaofeng City." He Shuai said with a sneer.

"Brother He, the Yang family has been entrenched in the imperial court for many years, do you want to start a war with them?" Zhu Maolin asked cautiously, and he was extremely surprised as soon as the words came out, the Yang family was the master who stomped his feet and the entire capital was about to be shaken.

"If, I say yes, will you help me?" He Shuai turned his head and asked with a smile.

"Yes!" Zhu Maolin said without hesitation.

"Hmm!" He Shuai stood up satisfied, took out a pound of the master's secret tea from his backpack and said with a smile: "Don't keep drinking those bitter teas, it's not easy for your body!" Try this, drink good tea, and you can be a good official! Then he got up and took his leave.