Ding Jiu and other Qianniuwei were all on guard outside.

Then, Wei Changjin led the way, and the prince and they walked in.

In the small courtyard, it seems poor and simple, and there is almost no special decoration and decoration.

Some of the things that should be there are also used in ordinary families, and they are all old.

In a word, they are all very ordinary old goods.

There are not many servants in the house, let alone any doormen, heavily armed government soldiers, etc.

The prince walked in for a long time, and only then did an old man in his fifties, who looked like a housekeeper in the house, slowly come over.

The housekeeper saw that although the prince was dressed in ordinary clothes, his bearing was extraordinary and magnificent.

There is not only a maid master by his side, but also a guard with a knife who is five big and three thick.

Therefore, the old housekeeper didn't dare to slack off, and politely stepped forward and asked, "This son, is there something wrong with the Shi Mansion?" ”

"May I ask the old man, this is Lord Shi's mansion?"

No matter how you look at it, the prince doesn't look like the mansion of a second-class master, and it's always a little unbelievable.

Hearing this, the housekeeper's expression changed, and he nodded:

"If Childe asks about the Mansion of Lord Shi Shenyi of the Household Department, this is it, but now my lord has suffered, and his home has been copied twice in a row, and no one has received him in a mess, so Childe should please go back."

The prince was stunned and didn't speak, and Wei Changjin next to him was finally clever, he stepped forward and arched his hand:

"Old housekeeper, my son-in-law and your master have known each other for many years, and I have come in to see if I pass by here, I don't mean anything else."

The old butler sighed when he heard this, and said with a wry smile:

"My mansion looks so dilapidated, a few people have also seen it, what else is there to see, please go back."

But the prince ignored it and asked stubbornly:

"Shi Daren is a second-class official, or a household scholar who can't be looked up to by thousands of people, why don't you live in the west of the city, but live in a corner of the east of the city, and this mansion is still so old?"

When the old butler heard this, he said:

"Chengxi? That's a rich and powerful family to live in, my lord has been an official for many years, and he is also in charge of money for the emperor, but the two sleeves are clean and never greedy for half of the Mo family, so naturally there is no money to buy a mansion in the west of the city. ”

"It's the current mansion, it's still the old mansion handed down from the ancestors, and then the lord repaired and renovated it, so it looks like it."

"Now I have searched my house twice, turned over boxes and cabinets, and dug the ground and smashed the wall, which is even more dilapidated."

When the prince heard this, his eyebrows tightened, and he understood a lot more in his heart.

Seeing Yuan Zhi frowning and pondering, the old housekeeper seemed to have seized an opportunity, so he vomited, "Now in this world, corrupt officials are in charge of making windfalls, and good officials like my lord are still busy during the New Year's holidays, and they can't even take care of hot meals." ”

"It's said that it's to promote the prince's new deal, it should be said that there is no credit and hard work, but now he is still in prison, and he has copied his home penniless, which... Alas... You shouldn't be a clean official. ”

This slapped the prince's face.

In the past year, the busiest and hardest work is the household department, and the household department is of course the first to bear the brunt.

Disaster relief, open source and reduce expenditure, weights and measures, minting new coins and opening banks, etc.

But the result?

It's really like the old housekeeper said, there should always be hard work without merit, but the result is a raid and imprisonment.

No one can figure it out, and they are so wronged that they panic.

Once this kind of sentiment spreads in the DPRK and China, the negative impact will be extremely great, and the consequences will be unimaginable.

Seeing that the prince's face was pale and his expression was painful and embarrassed, Wei Changjin immediately scolded the old housekeeper:

"What do you know as a subordinate? According to what you say, is it wrong for your lord to help the prince promote the new policy and swear to be a clean official? ”

Hearing this, the old butler raised his head sharply and said indignantly:

"That's wrong, can't you see? Those corrupt officials are fat one by one, buying properties in the capital and other places, with groups of wives and concubines, and thousands of domestic servants. ”

"Even if he is dismissed from office once the incident happens, he can still be a rich man, and if he mixes the worst, his descendants will always be able to worry about food and clothing for a lifetime."

"But look, what's left of my lord? Now I'm going to be reduced to eating the last meal and not having the next meal..."

“… This... is the end of being a clean official! ”

A second-class leader of the East Palace Zhan Mansion was actually dumbfounded by an old housekeeper.

At this moment, a young man, about twenty years old, dressed in simple clothes, came out of the inner courtyard.

He heard a loud noise in the outer courtyard, so he came out to take a look, but saw a few strangers arguing with the housekeeper, so he frowned and asked:

"Uncle Liu, who are these people?"

The old butler bowed slightly and replied:

"Back to the nephew and young master, this young man said that it was an old acquaintance of the master, and he came in to have a look when he passed by here."

The nephew was stunned for a moment, then bowed and said:

"This son-in-law is really sorry, something has just happened in the house, which makes the son-in-law smile."

"You're Lord Shi's nephew, right, the nephew who came to Beijing from his hometown a few months ago?"

Hearing that the old housekeeper called him a nephew, the prince immediately remembered that a few months ago in the West Study, he personally opened a back door for Shi Shenyi, and asked the officials to increase the number of places to participate in the palace examination in the first half of the year.

It seems that the palace test is just a few days away.

The nephew and young master looked stunned when he heard this, and felt quite uneasy, but now he couldn't care about it so much, he nodded and said, "Enter the building in Xia Shi." ”

"Young nephew, my son wants to go in and meet Master Shi's family to see if he can help."

The prince's kind and ordinary request made Shi Jinlou's brows furrow.

Scholars and doctors have a backbone and face, and they are most afraid of being laughed at by outsiders.

Besides, the family of a dignified second-class member actually has to rely on outsiders to give him help, how can he save face?

But now my uncle is in prison in the Criminal Department, and his grievances are waiting for appeal, and it costs money; There are also dozens of people in the house, large and small, who need to eat.

Now the house is surrounded by four walls, and a grain of grain has been stolen by the tiger and wolf-like servants, and he scolded and said that he was unlucky and met a poor ghost.

At this time, it is difficult to die a hero for a penny.

Shi Jinlou saw that Yuan Zhi's bearing was extraordinary, and the posture of the three male and female entourages could be seen that they were not ordinary characters.

When he met an old friend who raided his house and went to prison, instead of walking away, he asked to see his old friend's family.

It's a bit unconscionable, but it seems righteous.

Now, Shi Jinlou can't take care of the face of the sergeant's family.

"Childe, please."

Leaning sideways and raising his hand, Shi Jinlou invited the prince and others into the inner courtyard.

The inner courtyard was in shambles, much of the ground had been excavated, and the walls were smashed to a crumbling state, as if they had been subjected to robbers.

In a slightly intact side hall, three women with pale faces and swollen eyes were wiping tears from their eyes.

Wei Changjin quietly leaned into the prince's ear and said:

"These three women should be the wives and concubines of Master Shi, the older one in the middle is the main wife, and the other two are partial houses."