Bastard's Counterattack [Rebirth]

How is he?

Rong Youtang froze in place, his right hand still kept lifting the curtain.His impression of the Eighth Prince was second only to Zhao Zewu and Zhao Yilin, and he was ranked among the top three dislikes. He was very disgusted, so he subconsciously frowned.

"What?" Zhao Zening raised his eyebrows mockingly, the corners of his thinned lips curled up slightly, and he smiled wickedly, and said lazily, "I haven't seen you for a few days, so you don't recognize anyone? Huh?"

Rong Youtang came back to his senses, his heart suddenly rose to vigilance, and he saluted with a serious look: "Cao Min sees His Highness the Eighth Highness."

"Why don't you call yourself a villain?" Zhao Zening raised his foot, with a leisurely posture, and crushed the osmanthus cake that fell to the ground with the toe of his boot.

Rong Youtang frowned and thought, being very cautious, he really couldn't relax when he met some princes and daughters surnamed Zhao.

"It's amazing, I mistakenly thought you were a little eunuch before." Zhao Zening stepped on the sweet-scented osmanthus cake and mixed it with the dust on the ground, the corners of his mouth tightened instantly, and he sneered, "Third brother can really hurt people: come on The palace took you, the bandits took you, and sent you to the Imperial College, and now even the construction of the barracks has not forgotten to send you an errand!"

Rong Youtang had to kneel all the time before the prince yelled. This is a class difference determined at birth.

"His Royal Highness, please calm down." Rong Youtang lowered his eyebrows and looked down, not sure what the other person meant, and carefully said: "His Royal Highness Prince Qing has a kind heart, that's why he has repeatedly—"

"Sophistry!" Zhao Zening sipped lowly, with no smile on his face, Shi Shiran stood up, with his left hand behind his back, his right hand hanging down, his thumb and index finger rubbing against each other habitually, and slowly circled around Rong Youtang who was kneeling on the ground.

The candlesticks were placed on the two corners of the table, elongating and shortening the figure of the Eighth Prince, rounding and flattening.

Rong Youtang held his breath, concentrated his attention, and wisely kept silent as much as possible, so as not to say too much and make too many mistakes.

"Hmph!" Zhao Zening stopped not far behind Rong Youtang, looked at his back critically and disgustedly, and said with a sneer: "That's all, why did you get close to the third brother? My Highness——"

At this time, the conversation between Zhao Zeyong and Guo Da came from outside the tent:

"...Let's sort it out tonight, and people from the Ministry of Industry will come to investigate tomorrow morning." Zhao Zeyong instructed.

"No problem, it's been calculated for a few days, and we can do it together tonight." Guo Da opened the curtain as he spoke, raised his eyes, and was stunned: Rong Youtang was kneeling neatly with his back to the door, sitting on the table. The big food box was dumped, and the cakes were scattered everywhere. The eighth prince squatted on the ground, picked them up, and said cheerfully: "Hey, it's just a few pieces of cakes. If you sprinkle them, just throw them away. I'm bluffing you! Hahaha, don't be fooled!" Kneel down, come and help clean up." He picked up a piece of walnut cake and muttered, "It's quite fragrant, what a pity." He said and put it back into the food box.

Guo Da held up the curtain with one hand, feeling a little strange, and didn't know what to say for a while.

"What's the matter?" Zhao Zeyong, who was blocked outside the door, asked, Guo Da stepped aside, Zhao Zeyong took a closer look, couldn't help frowning, and immediately walked in, asking: "What's going on?"

Zhao Zening quickly answered with a smile: "The palace asked Brother Rong to bring the cakes. We were just about to eat a few pieces, but we accidentally knocked over the food box and spilled the cakes." He pulled Rong Youtang's arm and secretly exerted force , dragged him up forcefully, and said with a smile: "It's just a few bites to eat, just ask the kitchen to do it again, and it's worth it for you, really."

Nonsense!Nonsense!

I didn't knock it down, I saw it scattered all over the floor when I came in... Huh?However, he did not say that I knocked it down.Rong Youtang wanted to explain, but when he thought about it carefully, he endured it silently—it was embarrassing to argue, but it seemed that I was serious and narrow-minded.

"It's okay, just sprinkle it." Zhao Zeyong made a final decision.He walked up to Rong Youtang's side, looked carefully at him, and the other party stood with lowered eyebrows, with a respectful expression - but that's the problem: he was only cautious when he first came to this king's side, and he relaxed a long time ago after getting familiar with him Naturally, he would never be so vigilant.

The atmosphere was indescribably stagnant.

Perhaps it was because of the addition of the eighth prince, Rong Youtang couldn't relax, and Guo Da couldn't just joke around.

"Tired and starving, right?" Guo Da smoothed things over and said with a smile, "Dinner will be delivered soon. But it's just a farmer's simple meal. I hope the Eighth Highness can use it."

Zhao Zening hurriedly said: "If you can eat, I can eat too! It is agreed to come to practice, but not to enjoy, how can you ask for delicacies, delicacies, wine and delicacies? Absolutely dare not."

"The Eighth Highness understands righteousness, and Guo is ashamed." Guo Da rarely greeted people in a serious manner.He is much older than Zhao Zening, and he has been in the Northwest for almost ten years. It can be said that the two basically have no intersection: the imperial wall is towering, the palace is deep and deep, and the deeds of Zhao Zening's brothers and sisters, Wang Zhaoyi's mother and son have been sung by the court ladies and eunuchs. 20 years, and many criticisms and defamations——

Coupled with the incident two years ago... Guo Da's impression of the Eighth Prince is really subtle.

"Don't pick it up, get up and wash your hands." Zhao Zeyong dissuaded in a low voice, called the guards, and ordered the kitchen to bring water and set meals.When he saw the back of Rong Youtang kneeling alone, he really felt dazzling.But I didn't find any specific problems. It's not good to hold on to a box of pastries, so I can only ask in private.

With quick hands and feet, Rong Youtang quickly put the dirty cakes into the food box, and said: "It will be ready soon, I have to put it away, so as not to accidentally step on the sole of my boot."

Seeing this, Guo Da also knelt down to help, he has never been arrogant.As a result, Zhao Zening, who had already stood up, had to squat down again, three people and six hands, and cleaned up the mess in a blink of an eye.

"Why did the housekeeper suddenly ask you to bring pastries? There's a whole box." Guo Da washed his hands and said casually, "It's hard for you to carry it on horseback."

When the matter became like this, Rong Youtang couldn't recite the set of veiled words appointed by the eldest princess at all, so he could only bite the bullet and say: "This time, I will take it another day."

The Eighth Prince stood beside him, and smiled meaningfully at Rong Youtang, feeling indescribably strange.

Yes, sick?Moody sickness?

Rong Youtang's heart trembled, and he decisively and quietly moved away.

After a while, the dinner table changed from three people talking and laughing to four people collectively "eating without talking".But Zhao Zening had just arrived here, he just thought this was normal, and it was unbelievable that Rong Youtang could eat at the same table, so he secretly thought about it.

After discussing for half an hour after the meal, the group rushed back to the city because they each had their own affairs piled up at home.

It was snowing again, and the flat, open countryside was unshakable, and the wind was bitterly cold.

Running around and working hard, very hard.But Rong Youtang is a person who lies down leisurely but is irritable and depressed. He spurs himself day and night, and there is always a masked man in black chasing him with a knife behind him, forcing him to move forward desperately, for fear of being chopped down when he stops.

So no matter how tired I was, I never said a word, just gritted my teeth and persisted.

The wind and snow are blowing, and the moment you step out of the tent, you can freeze people upright in an instant.

"Hey, where's your cloak?" Guo Da asked Rong Youtang by bouncing on the spot a few times, warming up and stretching.

"It's too hot to run this afternoon, so I put it at Lizheng's house." Rong Youtang just patted his forehead angrily, and a big warm fur cloak was wrapped around his back. Turn it over, revealing the white fox fur inside, draped it over Rong Youtang's body, and put the hat on smoothly.He only wore brocade robes, got on his horse neatly, and said: "Move faster, the city gate is about to be closed!" After speaking, he took the lead in riding his horse forward.

"Your Highness——" Rong Youtang was caught off guard, and watched King Qing ride his horse into the wind and snow, and hurriedly got on his horse to chase after him, but he didn't notice the dark and unpredictable eyes of Zhao Zening next to him: The third brother is so, so...so careful to turn over the cloak before giving it to him. , Are you afraid that the little rabbit will be criticized by others?

Hmph, why should he!I am the real brother!

After returning to the palace, Zhao Zeyong looked at Rong Youtang drinking hot soup, and asked gently: "What happened to that box of pastries?"

Did you talk about his younger siblings in front of your elder brother?If you talk about it, you have to involve the eldest princess, Mr. Guo and the eighth prince, and to see the heart of the eighth prince... the royal family is a mess!

After thinking about it, Rong Youtang avoided the important and ignored it, and replied vaguely: "That's, it's just spilled."

Zhao Zeyong pondered for a while, reached out and patted Rong Youtang's shoulder, and said in a low voice, "Understood."

Rong Youtang didn't ask too many questions, but buried himself in the soup.

-

When the first batch of hundreds of peasants flooded into the northern suburbs, the seven kitchens under the management of Rong Youtang had been waiting for a long time: oil, salt, sauce and vinegar, rice noodles and vegetables, firewood and charcoal fire, stove and well water...even the chimney was pulled out in advance once.

The cooks and husbands are all from the Fang family village, and Rong Youtang secretly approached Li Zheng's family to take care of them, and only picked those who were hardworking, kind, and kind.After turning on the fire and cooking, it works normally, and there is no trouble for the time being.

The villagers of the Fang family moved out one after another, and the intersections of all sizes began to be closed, because a large amount of wood and stone was gradually brought in.

Be orderly and methodical.

Everyone muttered in their hearts: As expected of King Qing!He responded to all calls in the northwest, and stayed in Beijing as a commander. He was also so majestic and powerful, and he insisted on strictly governing the invisible northern suburbs as a barracks.

At the same time, Rong Youtang ran out after school every day.Hong Lei also ran out, and later he got two identical bookcases: one at home and one at school, and went back and forth empty-handed, with ease.

Guirang hall is full of freshmen, mostly fifteen or sixteen, seventeen or eight, young people get together, and there are always various gatherings with various names.But Rong Youtang and Hong Lei have never been there once. In the eyes of their classmates, they are both mysterious.

And as the days went by, Gongsheng and Yinsheng became more and more distinct, they looked down on each other, and there were frictions and quarrels from time to time.It's not that the Imperial College doesn't care about it, but it can't manage it-the inherent contradictions of classes are difficult to mediate.

After school ended this afternoon, Rong Youtang and Hong Lei hurriedly packed up their things and prepared to leave. Hong Lei didn't need to bring a bookcase, and left in a hurry.

Classmates are generally not in a hurry. They prefer to stay in the Imperial College: wandering curiously, talking loudly, or going to the higher school to try their luck and make friends.

"... What are you proud of? It's just a descendant of the eunuch."

Rong Youtang suddenly heard the contemptuous comments behind him, he couldn't help but pause when he tidied up the desk, and then continued, thinking: Who are they talking about?

Immediately afterwards, came from behind:

"Not only after the eunuchs, but also the last stream of merchants."

"Isn't it?"

"Master also praised him for his good articles, which are transparent and spiritual. Hmph, but he smells like copper all over his body!"

"Looks like a woman, like a woman."

"Hey, do you think he is a woman disguised as a man? See, he never goes out with us to parties, and he goes home after school."

"But he and Hong Lei are having a good time. I heard that the two are family friends, maybe they have secretly exchanged a song—"

With a "bang", the back door of Gui Rang Hall was suddenly kicked open!

Hong Lei, who forgot to bring his nameplate and was unable to get out of the gate, happened to hear it, and was furious. He shouted with a livid face: "Fart! What are you talking about? Dare to arrange Lao Tzu and Yuko behind your back, and you have the guts to stand up and speak!"

As soon as Hong Lei heard it, he knew that the tribute students were deliberately crowding out Rong Youtang: there were not many students from eunuchs in the entire Imperial College, and he specifically named the family of merchants, and the only one in Guirangtang was Youzi.

"Leizi!" Rong Youtang had no intention and disdain to argue with the villain, he picked up the bookcase, picked up Hong Lei's nameplate, and smiled nonchalantly: "You forgot to bring the nameplate and you were blocked back, haha. Here! "Said with a light throw.

Hong Lei is growing up, he is tall and thin, with a dark complexion, and he is a small charcoal.He caught the nameplate with split hands, but turned around and threw it at the five or six Gongshengs, hitting the cheek of the last one who said "Dark Pass" accurately, scaring that person to "Aiyo", covering his face and dodging.

"Leizi!" Rong Youtang hurriedly put down the bookcase and went over.

"Yang Wenzhao, what did you just say? You are a dark thing, jealous of Yuko's appreciation from your master, right? You guys are really despicable and shameless. You bully Yuko with more, and you bully Yuko. Your face is really disgusting! Get hit!" Hong Lei He grabbed his collar and lifted him up, pushing him against the wall. He was young and energetic, and he raised his hand to hit him, but Rong Youtang grabbed his arm.

"Let go!" Hong Lei was so angry that even Rong Youtang yelled: "They just talked nonsense to smear you, why didn't they know to come out to find me?!"

"I——hey, you let go first, don't worry about gossip." Rong Youtang couldn't laugh or cry, he grabbed his arm and tried to drag him away, but Hong Lei was thin, but he was strong. .

Yang Wenzhao struggled desperately, and his fellow countrymen also assisted, but none of them dared to make a move.Hong Lei's guess was right, they were looking at Rong Youtang's order, and seeing that he was weak and quiet, they inferred that he would not dare to resist, so they deliberately raised their voices to discuss.

—absurd!After becoming an eunuch, with a few bad money at home, he also entered the Imperial College to study!Still stealing the limelight everywhere, the handsome little eunuch with a white face, looks like he owes a lesson...

At present, they all think that Rong Youtang got in with his family wealth.

"Hong Lei, you, what do you want to do? Let me go, you will be dismissed for beating someone in school!" Yang Wenzhao was grabbed by the collar and pressed against the wall, struggling to breathe. In terms of fighting, he was no opponent at all, and most importantly: his classmates They are all afraid of the many rough warriors of the Hong family's cousins.

"Putting him out is just what I want!" Without fear, Hong Lei yelled, "Going to class with a villain like you who suffers from pink eye every day is simply degrading my status!"

Rong Youtang suddenly poked the opponent's numb elbow, Hong Lei screamed "Ah!", and instinctively let go, Yang Wenzhao immediately backed away, and ran out of Guirang Hall with his fellow villagers in a hurry—the scholar was acting in a good mood, but they all It was selected by the local government, and I would never dare to be dismissed from the Imperial College for arguing and fighting, otherwise I would be ashamed to see my relatives and friends in my hometown.

"Don't run! Stop!" Hong Lei yelled to chase after him, but Rong Youtang stopped him, and persuaded him nicely: "Okay, okay, there are gossipers everywhere, can you take care of them? If you're too angry, forget it."

Hong Lei rolled his eyes, and took off the scholar's scarf irritably, fanning the wind to cool down in the winter.

"Fortunately, no one sees after school. If there is a commotion, it will be a waste of time." Rong Youtang picked up the other party's nameplate, stuffed it into his palm, and carried the bookcase, cheerfully urging: "Let's go, let's go!" Brother Hong, don't you have something important to do?"

The joking "Brother Hong" inexplicably extinguished the red-hot explosion.Young people's anger always comes quickly, but sometimes it dissipates quickly.

Hong Lei is a few months older than Rong Youtang.He snorted coldly, snatched Rong Youtang's bookcase and carried it on his shoulder, and said swaggeringly: "Let's go! Don't worry, with Brother Lei protecting you, they dare not bully you anymore. A bunch of gossips are annoying to death Already!"

But as soon as they stepped out of the gate of Guirang Hall, they suddenly saw Liu Fu, the master who taught Guozixue, standing with his hands behind his back, smiling.

"Hello, master." Rong Youtang had no time to think, subconsciously bowed his hands respectfully, and then quietly elbowed Hong Lei.

"Oh, oh! Hello, Mrs. Liu, why haven't you come home yet?" Hong Lei hurriedly put down the bookcase he was carrying on his shoulders and put it between his arms. After thinking about it, it was still inappropriate, and instead he carried it honestly.

"You didn't go home either?" Liu Fu asked with a smile.He is rare in the Guozijian who is kind and funny, unlike his colleagues who are rigid and orderly.

Rong Youtang observed the other party's demeanor and understood it in his heart, so he cupped his hands apologetically and said: "I just played around with my classmates for a while, and the students lost their demeanor, and I feel very ashamed."

Hong Lei was dumbfounded, and suddenly turned his head: Are you stupid?Was that called "frolicking" just now?

Liu Fu nodded in relief, and said earnestly: "Young people are very angry, so it is inevitable that they will lose their sense of propriety. But since ancient times, they have cultivated their moral character and family, and then they can do great things and serve the country. How about sweeping the world?"

In front of the master, the students only have to be obedient and listen to the instructions.

Liu Fu encouraged Rong Youtang and said: "Heroes have their own opinions, why bother to ask where they came from. Don't put your mind on fighting for unnecessary idleness."

"Yes." Rong Youtang bowed his head respectfully.

Liu Fu turned to ask Hong Lei, "Is your uncle's cough better? I've been busy guiding the new students these days, so I don't have time to visit. Alas, let me convey my greetings for you."

After this, Hong Lei, who wanted to criticize Yang Wenzhao and others, had no choice but to bow his head, and said in a low voice, "Returning to the teacher: the student just went to see it yesterday, and after the doctor's treatment, he is already better, and he will probably recover in a few days. The student will definitely Remember to convey your regards."

"That's very good. Don't forget to do your homework again tonight, and Lingtang will have a good age. Don't gossip, just ask yourself about your filial piety from time to time." After Liu Fu finished speaking, he walked to the library with his hands behind his back, leaving Hong Lei was stunned.

"Master, go slowly." Rong Youtang bowed and saw him off, secretly thinking in admiration: Master is Master!

Liu Fu instructed without turning his head: "Go home and review your books. You will be tested tomorrow morning."

"... Oh." Hong Leiyan stood there dumbfounded, and felt a headache when he saw Mrs. Liu Fu, but there was nothing he could do.

"Let's go." Rong Youtang lifted the bookcase to greet, and the two parted at the gate of the Imperial College, and said at the same time: "You—"

"you--"

Rong Youtang asked with a guilty conscience: "Do you want to go home and study?" I didn't promise my master just now because I couldn't do it.

Hong Lei thought for a while, then said awkwardly: "Should... right? Let me see."

"I'll... have a look too."

The two sides tacitly stopped asking questions, and let it go.

An hour later, heavy snow fell near the closed main intersection in the northern suburbs.

"Be careful! Hold on, hold on!" Rong Youtang yelled, busy with vigor, sweating from the heat, driving a team of seven or eight mule carts, which were fully loaded with radishes and Chinese cabbages, neatly stacked together.He and his deputy Fang Tong took people to another village to buy it, and rented a mule cart from Fangjia Village to transport it.

"Grandma, it's snowing suddenly and against the wind!" Fang Tong spat, his dark skin was covered with sweat, and together with Rong Youtang, he commanded the mule cart to move forward.

"Keep at it, everyone," Rong Youtang cheered loudly, "If we go a little further, we can ask the brothers guards patrolling the intersection to help!" His nose was red from the cold, and he was panting.

At this time, Hong Lei and a group of military generals appeared on horseback. They all had ambitions to join the army: Unfortunately, the imperial army has strict requirements, the Yuanshui camp is too shameful, and they disagree with going to the frontier fortress.King Qing is still the commander!

After school these few days, Hong Lei went to the northern suburbs to try his luck with his friends. Unfortunately, he never saw King Qing or other officials in charge. After the road was closed, he could only wander around the intersections, being ruthlessly driven away by sentries and patrol guards. , Repeatedly failed.

In fact, there are many people who hold the same idea as Hong Lei, such as Zhou Minghong and a group of civil servants' sons, who are also wandering in the cold at the intersection ahead.

The road was narrow, two groups of people collided, and the horse was always more flexible than the mule cart, so Hong Lei and his friends naturally backed away from the side of the road.

Depressed and bored, Hong Lei glanced at the mule convoy for a few moments, then suddenly opened his eyes wide in disbelief, raised his hand to rub, looked up again, and shouted, "Yuko?! What are you doing?"

When Rong Youtang heard this, he almost drove the mule cart into the ditch!

after a while

Hong Lei called his friends to get off their horses and helped them push the mule cart. After five or six young men joined in, they moved faster than 01:30.

"Get out of the way, you are not expected to do hard work!" Hong Lei pushed Rong Youtang aside in disgust, pushed the cart forcefully, and said angrily: "So you are working in Beiying, why didn't you tell me? "

Rong Youtang said confidently, "You didn't ask!"

"Hmph, if I knew you had a connection, I would have followed you. I was so tired that I ran several times for nothing." Hong Lei scolded with a smile.His friends took advantage of the situation and booed, knowing that the relationship is important: even if it's just a kitchen, it means that the other party knows at least one of the Beiying stewards.

It was impossible for Rong Youtang to tell the whole story, so he explained: "It's just a kitchen errand that I entrusted someone to earn a lot of money. What are you doing in Beiying?"

Hong Lei said confidently: "Join the army! My mother in the northwest won't let me go, so why not go to the Beiying head office?"

"I knew it." Rong Youtang sighed.

After walking not far, they bumped into Zhou Minghong and his party head-on again.Zhou Minghong's visits to Prince Qing's Mansion were always closed to him recently. He hated and was anxious, so he had to make two preparations and move around diligently to find vacancies.

"Master Rong?" Zhou Minghong called out in surprise.He believed that Rong Youtang was Prince Qing's pet servant, so he was extremely enthusiastic, and he couldn't help but help when he dismounted from his horse. Seeing this, his companions generously helped each other and talked side-by-side.

Rong Youtang declined in every possible way, but he couldn't hold back a group of people, the snow got stronger and he couldn't speak, so he had to do things first.

So, when Zhao Zeyong, who entered the palace to face the construction progress, rushed to the temporary main entrance of Beiying, he saw a dozen people surrounding Rong Youtang, talking and laughing.

Who are they?

Zhao Zeyong frowned in doubt, and rode his horse closer:

But there was a tall, thin and dark man with thick eyebrows and single eyelids, who suddenly hugged Rong Youtang affectionately, wrapped him in the elbow, bent his head to the side, and was about to touch his face with his hand.