The final selection is scheduled for June 25.

If all goes well, the results will be announced on the same day.

If Zhu Hao can be admitted to Xingwangfu as a companion, then no matter whether Zhu Niang can pay more than 40 or two shares of the family at the end of the month, Zhu Hao can get rid of the family control.

The day before the selection, on the twenty-fourth, Zhu Niang went back to the Zhu family, but Zhu Jiashi summoned her back, saying that she was discussing the internal affairs of the family, and her face was relatively good when she came back.

"Mother, grandmother didn't embarrass you, did she?"

Zhu Hao hurriedly pulled Zhu Niang to the table and sat down, inquiring while pouring tea.

Zhu Niang shook her head: "Your grandmother just summarized the family's income in the past two months, only our side has paid the most profits, and your grandmother asked us to make persistent efforts." ”

Zhu Niang was affirmed by the old lady and looked happy.

Zhu Hao said: "Mother, I think my grandmother wants to kill you, right?" ”

"What do you mean by killing?"

Aunt Li on the side didn't understand and asked.

Zhu Hao didn't explain, and asked rhetorically: "Has grandmother ever tested whether we can renew the money at the end of the month?" Or knock on the side and want to know how our business is this month? ”

"This ......"

Zhu Niang thought about it, and although she didn't want to admit it, she still nodded.

Zhu Hao smiled bitterly: "If it is not bad, if we can provide the money at the end of the month, the next step at home will be to take me under the knife and take me back, called reading, in fact, it is to take care of it and force my mother to comply." ”

Aunt Li felt that Zhu Hao's words were a bit extreme, and couldn't help but remind: "Young Master Hao, the Zhu family has always been the family, and you can't treat people so badly." ”

"Auntie, let's prepare for the worst in everything...... Mother, tomorrow I'm going to take the exam for the selection of companions in Xingwangfu, do you have any opinions? ”

Zhu Niang has been busy looking for her son's husband these days, and she has long forgotten about it, and after this reminder, her face immediately became solemn: "Xiaohao, even if you are lucky enough to pass the exam, your grandmother will not allow you to become a companion ......"

"Niang thinks about it, it's better to go back to the Zhu family, in the end, it is a blood relative, it won't be too difficult to think about it, but you can enter the palace...... In the high-walled compound, it is difficult for my mother to see you. ”

Zhu Hao said: "Mother, I am going to be a classmate of the little prince, study and grow up together, you say this, it seems to be going to prison." ”

Aunt Li also persuaded: "Young Master Hao, it is said that once you enter the Hou Gate, it is as deep as the sea, let alone the palace?" Don't go. ”

I don't know where I heard a few crooked poems, which seem to be unfathomable, but in fact they don't make sense, do you think I am going to marry into Xingwangfu, and Xiao Lang is a passerby from now on?

"Mother, aunt, I heard that the new Jingzhi County has sent his son to Xingwangfu to be selected, and tomorrow we will take the selection exam together...... I won't be too humiliated to go, will I? ”

Zhu Hao told the news he inquired about again.

Zhu Niang shook her head: "The son of the county master, how can he choose to read with him?" ”

"Why doesn't my mother believe it? This is not a secret, besides, I entered the palace as a companion, and I am not a subordinate, I don't need to sign a deed of sale, even if I have a bad life in the palace and want to leave the house, or my mother wants to take me out, will Xingwangfu still be unreasonable? ”

But no matter how Zhu Hao persuaded her, Zhu Niang just made up her mind not to let her son take the exam.

"Mother, anyway, I won't go back to Zhu's house...... I heard that my grandmother had taken me back and sent me directly to the family's workshop as an apprentice, where I would take care of the animals, lead the mules, and dump the manure. ”

Zhu Hao's words shocked Zhu Niang: "This ...... This...... No way? ”

Zhu Hao said: "You can't underestimate the ruthlessness of the Zhu family's attack on their own people...... If my grandmother was sincere, how could she report us to the government twice in a row? Didn't she know what it meant to enter the yamen for a lady? What could be more despicable than sending your own woman to a prison cell? ”

Originally, Zhu Niang didn't agree with anything, but after listening to Zhu Hao's words and recalling the past, her heart suddenly cooled most.

If you go into the cell by yourself, you can come out that night, but even so, if the matter spreads, how much damage will it do to your reputation? The women of this era went to the prison cell, and followed up on the ghost gate, and the Zhu family took the initiative to report to the yamen twice before and after, which was like being framed.

"What about you...... Will you be able to succeed tomorrow? Zhu Niang finally relented.

Zhu Hao nodded heavily: "It's man-made, I have Mr. Lu's teaching, it shouldn't be too bad...... Believe me, you will definitely be able to successfully enter the Xingwang Mansion. ”

Zhu Niang sighed lightly: "I'm afraid you won't be able to choose, and even if you do, your grandmother won't let you go...... Alas, prepare well. ”

……

……

After Zhu Niang and Aunt Li, it can be regarded as a huge improvement for Zhu Hao.

When he entered the Xingwang Mansion, he must first get the support of his relatives, as for the attitude of the Zhu family...... It wasn't on his radar.

On the twenty-fifth day, the weather was a little hot, Zhu Niang specially prepared a new silk dress for Zhu Hao, when the mother could not guarantee her son's study, she felt guilty, and she was not at all bad in terms of lineage, and she still had a tight hand, but she still let her son go to the election.

Zhu Niang and Aunt Li did not accompany them, so Yu San was left to accompany them.

The place of exam registration is located outside the east gate of Xingwangfu, not far from the flower and bird market.

Yu San was not qualified to enter the palace, so when he arrived at the ground, he handed over the cloth bag sewn by Zhu Niang to Zhu Hao, and then walked to the side and waited.

There was a lot of noise outside the east gate of the palace, Zhu Hao carefully observed, the children who came to apply for the election this time were dressed very well, but the accompanying parents were basically coarse linen, which showed that the family background could only be regarded as average, think about it, the real wealthy family disdains to send their children to Xingwangfu as companions.

Zhu Hao saw an acquaintance in the crowd, who was the new longevity magistrate Jing Zhongkuan who had a relationship before.

Jingzhi County wore a straight robe today, wearing a flat-topped scarf, looking gentle and elegant.

Xingwangfu sent subordinate officials to entertain, Zhu Hao glanced at it, this palace official was also dressed in straight clothes, and he couldn't see the rank, and Jiang Lun was nowhere to be seen.

Just after the hour, more than a dozen palace guards drove the parents who sent them to the side, and then let a group of children line up and enter the Xingwang Mansion in turn.

Soon a group of children came to the east gate under a big elm tree hugged by four or five people, the dense shade covered a large area, and there was a feeling of coolness under the scorching sun.

There was a swing hanging on the tree that was swaying horizontally on the side, and the breeze swayed slightly, and I don't know who it was prepared for.

There are more than 30 children participating in the selection, generally between the ages of six and ten, and some are only four or five years old, Zhu Hao pondered for a while, the condition for the selection is to memorize the two four books of "Analects" and "Mencius", what can these four or five-year-old bear children do? It's not good to talk about it, right?

"Wow!"

There was a child who had never experienced such a scene, and he actually cried in public.

It doesn't matter if this cry, the children are already very nervous, but now they are all restless, a child who is about the same age as Zhu Hao shouted: "Don't cry!" Cry again and kick you out! ”

Zhu Hao looked sideways.

Although this son is young, he has a resolute expression, his eyes are calm and sharp, flashing with a crystal that penetrates people's hearts, and his temperament is very different from ordinary children.

The frightened child was the youngest one, and when he heard this, he ran in the direction where the guards were gathered, and grabbed the captain of the Wangfu Honor Guard Division with a knife at his waist, crying and pointing to this side, as if he was complaining.

Zhu Hao's heart sank.

It turned out that the kid who was crying his nose was actually an internal candidate in the palace, needless to say, he was looking for an adult in the family to complain.

An eight- or nine-year-old child joked with a smile: "Hey, you're going to be unlucky, people have backers." ”

The one who said the cruel words just now rolled his eyes: "It's not necessarily who is unlucky." ”

While he was talking, the captain of the palace honor guard department really walked over with the child, I don't know if the child who was crying was his son or the child of his own family, and at the same time, Jing Zhongkuan walked over with the palace officials who entertained him.

"Lu Dianzhan, what's the matter?"

The royal officials questioned the captain of the Honor Guard Division directly.

Hearing this title, Zhu Hao's eyebrows were surprised.

Lu Dianzhan?

Could it be that this broad-faced, square-eared, handsome man with a bit of heroism is the famous Lu Song?

Lu Song once served as a warden in the Xingwang Mansion, and he had the merit of following the dragon, and the bear child who cried his nose and complained...... Is it Lu Bing?

Lu Bing Zhengde was born in the fifth year, Zhengde was four years old in the ninth year, and he was five years old, which is probably an important reason why there are four or five-year-old children who come to choose to study together.

Related!

Lu Dian said: "I heard that there are some small disputes between the students who should be selected here, so I came here to take a look." ”

The royal palace guard is a military attache of the sixth grade, but the Ming Dynasty has been reinforcing the military since the change of the civil fort, not to mention that the military attache of the sixth grade is just a royal palace war, even if it is the commander of the thousands of households and the guard, the magistrate of the seventh grade may have to kneel down and kowtow, and the class gap is almost insurmountable.

Jing Zhongkuan smiled and pointed to the child who was scaring people just now: "Zhang Fengzheng, this is a dog, I hope to take care of it." ”

Fengzheng is the chief eunuch of the palace.

Fengzheng, whose surname is Zhang, is naturally the future eunuch Zhang Zuo.

Zhu Hao suddenly felt that it was not easy to pass the selection.

All the people who come are related households, layer by layer.