eldest son of Ming dynasty

Chapter 902 Dereliction of Duty
When coming out of the restaurant, Zhu Houzhao lowered his head slightly and only saw a few men going upstairs.

All the guests in the hall automatically made way for them, as they were all wearing the uniform of the Marquis's mansion.

Many people pointed fingers,
"That talkative fellow has learned so many great principles, but he has not learned that the mouth can bring disaster."

"I guess it's bad luck."

"Don't talk nonsense, or you'll get into trouble."

……

The righteous scholar upstairs actually looked for Zhu Houzhao. He didn't expect that when he came over to say hello, the other party ignored him and ran away when he saw that something had happened.

This made him secretly think that he had made a mistake.
I thought he was a like-minded person, but I didn't expect him to be so timid and cowardly, without any manliness at all.

As for the waiter, he also slid on the ground and said, "Sure enough, someone is here to take you away!"

When he arrived outside the restaurant, Zhu Houzhao looked up again.

Seeing this, You Zhi said, "Master, don't worry. Wang knows his limits. Even if he makes a fuss for a while, nothing serious will happen."

"Wang boy." Zhu Houzhao sneered, "You better keep your voice down. I am the boss here. If someone wants to punish you, I can't beat him."

"Master, you are joking. With you here, calling him a kid is a compliment to him."

"All right." Zhu Houzhao put his hands behind his back, stepped forward, and said, "I won't go to Changle Terrace. It's really a terrible place. You arrange a place close to him so that I can sit for a while. Then go and call Wang Xiaozi secretly. Don't alarm others. Who knows, he may be useful tonight."

"But Master, you can't be without someone by your side."

"It's okay, just go and come back soon, I'm just sitting down to have a couple of drinks."

Behind the master and servant,
There were some discordant and noisy sounds coming from the Wenwei Restaurant.

The scholar just now shouted: "Do you dare to beat someone up in public?! This is a city that never sleeps!"

I couldn't hear what the other party said in reply.
But in the end, I still heard that person shouting: "Disrespectful! Vulgar! You are bringing shame to Marquis Pinghai!"

Judging from these sounds, Zhu Houzhao probably did make two moves.
But those people came down again soon, so they didn't beat us too hard.

The rules of the city that never sleeps still have some effect.

However, if you offend the powerful in the capital like this, you will definitely not have a good ending. It’s okay if you are in the city that never sleeps, but you have to go out eventually. Who will protect you when you go out?
The people can never defeat the officials.

This is also the reason why many people are afraid.

So it seems that his nephew is indeed a bit domineering.

He also followed the flow of people to the vicinity of Changle Terrace,
Then I saw the young masters of the Mei and Xu families walk in.

At the entrance of Changle Terrace, lanterns are hung high, making it as bright as day, and there are many singing and dancing birds and smiling faces. It is really a good place to "discard the coarse and retain the fine".

"Go to the other side."

"Yes."

The closer you get to here, the more mysterious the descriptions of the courtesan become.

Just walking on the street, you can hear people talking about how beautiful Lin Qingyun is. She is like Xi Shi and Diao Chan in the world.

Zhu Houzhao waited for You Zhi for a while.

He came back soon after finishing his work, and brought with him Wang Teng, who was not actually the supervisor of the East Factory.

The Supervisor of the Eastern Depot was usually the second-in-command of the Imperial Household Department or the eunuch in charge of the Imperial Stables. It was a position of great power.

The current Supervisor of the East Factory is the eunuch Zhang Yong who holds the seal of the Imperial Stables.

Wang Teng was just a thousand-householder under the factory supervisor, in charge of managing the City That Never Sleeps, and one of the three thousand-householders.

Given his position, he could indeed see the emperor if something happened, but that required the emperor to remember him, and he couldn't just go past Zhang Yong and take the initiative to ask for a meeting.

But making the emperor remember you is a matter of luck. If it is destined to happen, it will happen. If it is not destined to happen, it will not happen.

Most of Wang Teng’s life was the latter, which is also the life of most people. It is not easy to see the emperor.

Today was a unprecedented day, and he was extremely nervous. After entering the private room, he didn't dare to look up and just kept on kowtowing.

Zhu Houzhao didn't rush to wake him up. He took a sip of tea and asked, "Who founded this Changle Terrace?"

"Your Majesty, the owner of Changle Terrace is a man named Bai Zhihui."

"never heard of that."

Wang Teng immediately understood what he meant. "This man is from Shaanxi. His family was originally a merchant, so he is very good at business dealings. However, he did not come to the capital at first, but went to Zhejiang to work as a long-term worker for others and engage in maritime trade. In the 15th year of Zhengde, he came to the capital to make a living.

He started out with a small wine shop. He was good at dancing, exquisite, and good at making friends with the rich and powerful. He soon became famous in the capital. Three years later, he opened Changletai, relying on various means such as courtesans to attract people's attention, and gradually expanded. This is what we have today. "

You Zhi stepped forward and said, "Wang Teng, don't evade the truth when answering His Majesty's questions, or you'll be in trouble! A businessman can do the flesh trade in the most prosperous area of ​​the capital. Are you going to tell His Majesty that he is just good at business?"

Zhu Houzhao blew on the cup of hot tea and said nothing.

Wang Teng was shocked. "Your Majesty, please forgive me. In addition to his business talent, this man does have some means. He mainly relies on Mr. Mei's relationship. Not Mr. Mei, but Mr. Mei."

"Mei Huaigu?"

"That's right. Master Mei is the son of Marquis Pinghai and the uncle of the First and Second Princes. Ordinary people would not dare to offend him."

Zhu Houzhao's expression was calm. He had guessed that this would happen.

"Up and down?"

"Yes."

"Didn't I take care of you?"

Wang Teng was terrified and immediately lowered his head even lower, "Your Majesty, please spare my life! Your Majesty, please spare my life!"

"Speak softly. The emperor is here, you must not tell a single lie."

"Yes! I know I was wrong!"

Zhu Houzhao understood, and he immediately asked: "What kind of person is he in private? Does he abide by the rules when doing business?"

Wang Teng didn’t understand, “Follow… follow the rules?”

"Is there anyone forcing women into prostitution, or is there anyone who is a traitor to their fellow criminals? Is there anyone who is doing anything illegal? Or is there anyone who is deliberately using Changle Terrace as a place for officials to meet in private in order to win over officials in the court for the sake of their own connections and status? For example, where do the girls in there come from?"

This guy doesn't seem to know how to answer.

I was stunned for a moment.

But he remembered what You Zhi had said to him when he came. Only by telling the truth when serving this master could everything be safe. If he failed to fool people with even one word, it would be a big problem.

Especially since they are from the East Factory.

The Jinyiwei was still being reorganized a while ago, but they arrested quite a few people.

"Your Majesty, I don't know how to answer. As for whether women of good character are forced into prostitution... women are forced into prostitution."

Zhu Houzhao looked displeased, "What do you mean you don't know how to answer? You are the same as me in the preface?! Don't you know whether he is doing things right or not, and whether he has violated the law? Then what kind of leader are you, or are you trying to fool me?!"

"I dare not!" Wang Teng thought for a moment, "Overall, this person still abides by the rules, but he is not as clean as jade. As far as I know, he has close relations with officials in the court. Moreover, in his position, there are many people who are jealous, so it is inevitable that he has been involved in some things."

"Since you know he has some problems and you are the head of the City That Never Sleeps, you shouldn't be indifferent." Zhu Houzhao looked at the bright and beautiful scene on the other side and could imagine the darkness on the other side. Moreover, they would protect each other. He said it was one point, but in fact it was at least five points. "Wang Teng, you have failed in your duty."

(End of this chapter)