I'm watching the gate in the jail

Inside the Wenhua Hall of the Forbidden City

Zhu Youtang, who was seven years old this year, stood stiffly below his head, his short little fingers were unconsciously entangled in his sleeves, and looked timidly at his solemn father.

"I just want to test your homework, not eat you, what do you mean by your acting?"

Zhu Jianshen put down the "Analects of Confucius" in his hand, and looked helplessly at his son who was almost crying.

"You are a dignified prince, can't you be more generous?"

Zhu Youtang hastily lowered his head, the toes of his bright yellow boots were tense, and he was in a state of extreme panic visible to the naked eye.

"Your Majesty, the two gentlemen have already said that His Royal Highness is gifted and intelligent, and has a photographic memory. It's just that he is shy and introverted. Don't blame him, Your Majesty."

Seeing that the situation was not good, Wynn hurried forward to make a rescue.

At present, Zhu Jianshen has invited two great Confucian scholars as the lecturers of the Eastern Palace for Zhu Youtang. One is Li Dongyang, who is "highly talented and unique", and the other is Cheng Minzheng, who is "very knowledgeable and the best for a while". Great Confucianism.In terms of teaching students, they also teach students in accordance with their aptitude, not the stuffy and sour stuff.

Zhu Jianshen also asked the two teachers about the prince's studies before.

Both praised Zhu Youtang for being sensitive and studious, with a humble attitude.Even the brushes, ink and books that go to and from school every day are sorted out by themselves, without the hands of eunuchs.Even if he is sick, he insists on completing his homework, so he is a very good student.

In fact, Zhu Jianshen also knew in his heart that his son didn't see his father until he was six years old, and was raised in a place like An Le Tang before. Except for Ji Shi, Zhang Min and Wu Feihou, he had never met anyone, so he should not be close to him.

Moreover, his shy and sensitive appearance is clearly the same as when he was young.

When I was his age, he and Chief Minister Wan were placed under house arrest in the East Palace, unable to see their father, and they were always worried that their crown prince might be abolished at any time, and they might even die at any time.

What's the difference between that fearful look and the third prince who is standing below now.

He knows it in his heart, but when he thinks of his two older brothers, the gap becomes obvious after such a comparison.

A Ji was raised in Zhaode Palace for half of his time, and he was very close to him, not to mention it for now.

Even that child, Alan, who was raised outside the palace, would never want to hang on to himself and Master Wan when he returned to the palace, saying "aunt-in-law" and "aunt-in-law"...

And to say smart, Alan is much smarter than him.

"Go down and study hard."

Zhu Jianshen decided to let them go, as long as their left and right eyes are out of sight and their hearts are out of mind.

After hearing this, Zhu Youtang felt as if he had been pardoned, knelt down and kowtowed, and went out of the hall with the servant in charge of taking care of him "Ceng Ceng Ceng".

Although she will go back to Zhaode Palace to see Concubine Wan Gui after school, compared to being taught by her father, Wan Niangniang is not so scary...even a little kind.

"Wynn, companion...Although I consider myself a good emperor, in front of these children, I can't be considered a good father."

Zhu Jian sighed wearily.

Maybe Uncle Xiaolang, that bastard, knows how to take care of children better than him.

"Did Ah Zhi go out of the palace again today to investigate the case? How far has the case been investigated?"

Zhu Jianshen pressed his sore temple, "A Lan is with Uncle Lang, so there shouldn't be any serious problems."

"Your Majesty... Dongchang Shangming came to report, and Master Wan and the others have been investigating the case all the way, and they actually found it in the Imperial College."

"Guozijian?"

Zhu Jianshen would never have thought that the case of Heihao would be related to the First Academy, so he was really surprised.

Eunuch Wynn summoned up his courage and said, "Besides, I heard that the eldest son of the emperor..."

a quarter of an hour later

"How does that bastard, Uncle Lang, teach children! It's so plausible!"

Zhu Jian patted the table heavily with a deep breath, shaking the folded papers piled up on it and almost toppled over.

My Guozijian!

The Guozijian, which gathers the world's outstanding talents and exquisite beauty, is going to be harmed by their "father and son"?

The imperial soldiers standing outside the Wenhua Hall on guard patrol looked at each other in fear when they heard the roar coming from inside.

Master Wan of Jinyiwei, what good deed did he do again?

"Today's food is so delicious."

In the dining hall of the Imperial College, a group of students who were working hard to cook their meals could not help but express such admiration.

"Although it is said that a gentleman should not indulge in fine clothes and fine food. But the sage also said, 'Never tire of food, never tire of fine meat'. The dishes in the canteen today are the most delicious I have eaten in the years since I entered the Imperial College."

"It's better than what the chef in my family makes."

"No, no, it's better than what Jingli Restaurant makes."

"I decided to serve another bowl of rice."

"Me too!"

When Master Tang, Ji Siye, and a group of teaching assistants finished checking the household registrations of some handymen and supervisors in the Imperial College, and turned back, they saw a crowd of people in the dining hall, and the scene of students' voices.

"What's going on? Don't you know 'Don't talk when you eat, don't talk when you sleep'? What are you doing all this noise?"

Assistant Professor Mao had been busy for a long time, and he was very angry. Seeing this group of students eating and eating in a mess, he was even more angry. He took out his ruler and prepared to "kill chickens and monkeys" to catch two current students. Let them have a long memory.

"Old Li, what's the matter? Didn't you say that all the servants have gone to verify their identities? Why, I think the meal is still open as usual. This dining hall is more lively than usual?"

Master Tang stared at Lao Li standing beside him with sharp eyes.

"Responsible to Master Registrar. There happened to be two new arrivals today, one is a cook and the other is a handyman. Because these two are newcomers, and their identities are also reliable. I was thinking about not delaying the adults and the students. Let them have lunch in the kitchen, let them work first in the kitchen."

"Hmm... The one who just came here today is probably not what the kid was looking for... Cough. Have you verified the identities of these two people? Don't let some messy people in."

Master Tang said with lingering fear.

If you say you don't know if you don't check, you will be shocked if you check.

In the morning, I really found out a lot of trivial things inside the Guozijian.

There was really a person who pretended to be someone else's name and came in as a handyman.The reason why he sneaked into the Imperial College was to avoid gambling debts, because ordinary people couldn't get in here, so debt collectors had nothing to do with him.He used to work for years and years, and even took the initiative to stay on duty during the holidays and holidays. His attitude of forgetting to sleep and eat is still a good story in the Imperial College. The reason is that he will be called to pay usury debts when he goes out...

There is also a study room responsible for purchasing pens, inks and paper for students, which actually received kickbacks from several pens and ink shops in Beijing.The daily consumption of writing and ink in the Guozijian is huge. Relying on the support of these merchants, his life is more nourishing than that of the fifth-rank doctor in the prison, and he even bought a house.

There are countless other bits and pieces. If it wasn't for their surprise inspection today, they don't know how long they will be hidden.

This is the Guozijian, a place where talents are cultivated for the country, and there are so many thieves there, how can it not be frightening.

"Don't worry, my lord, the identities of these two people are fine. The cook used to be from the dining hall of Jinyiwei, and Jinyiwei employs more people than us...well, he is much more cautious. The other handyman is a guarantor from my hometown, Beizhili People are also reliable."

Old Li said respectfully.

"Jinyiwei Dining Hall?"

When Ji Siye heard this, his eyes lit up, "How did the chief secretary of Jin Yiwei come back to our Imperial College?"

This Ji Siye is an elderly foodie. He has long heard that since the canteen of Beizhen Fusi was trained by the imperial concubine's younger brother and now the commander of Jin Yiwei, Mr. Wanda Wan, the quality of the food is not good. It is well-known in all major yamen in Beijing.

In particular, their breakfast is simply delicious in the capital.

Ji Siye lived in Liulichang in the south of the city, and every day he was on duty, he passed by the gate of Jinyiwei Yamen, and was seduced by the smell of their steamed stuffed buns and fried dough sticks every day, making him lose his mind.

To be honest, Ji Siye has wanted to try it for a long time, but because of the face of the civil servants, he still dare not set foot in Beizhen Fusi...

Who knew there was such a good thing as a cook from the heavenly royal guard?

"Master Si Ye, it's delicious, it's really delicious."

Guan Zhidao and his disciples, who had finished their meal and came out of the dining hall wiping their mouths, walked up to them and made a bow.

"Lao Li, well done, the chef hired this time is amazing, and the craftsmanship is great! Especially the stir-fried mutton slices, tender and smooth. The stewed shepherd's purse tofu soup is also good. I ate three bowls today Meal. I feel that teaching the whole afternoon class today is no problem. Keep up the good work, keep up the good work."

Patting the fearful old Li on the shoulder, Guan Zhidao patted his plump belly, and walked away gracefully.

Ji Siye glanced at Mr. Tang who was standing on the right, and then at Lao Li who was following behind.

Important decisions are made.

"Investigate the case slowly, it's important to eat first!"

"Take your time, there are a lot of dishes, if you don't have enough dishes, come again."

In the dining hall, wearing bibs, Yang Xiuxian and Wanda used large iron spoons to fill the bowls of teachers and students, while secretly observing the hands that handed over the rice bowls.

"Bao Siwu, I want to stir-fry the mutton."

"Okay."

Wanda quickly put a large piece of meat into the bowl of the newcomer.

He didn't have the hand-shaking problem of the general canteen chief steward, and he put in as much meat as he dug out with the spoon, which made the students who were eating rice very happy.

After a while, Ji Siye, who was holding a job bowl, came to Wanda, startled him, and subconsciously touched his face that had been put on makeup.

You must know that he had met these civil servants several times during the Great Court Meeting, if he recognized him, wouldn't he have lost all his previous efforts.

"Bao Siwu, right? Bring me some mutton, and the stewed radish. Oh, they said that tofu soup is also delicious, so bring some too."

Ji Siye ordered dishes with great interest.

"Cough, Master Si Ye..."

Wanda lowered her voice and arched her back, "Aren't you and the adults eating from small stoves? This is where the students and teachers eat."

Not long after he arrived, that old Li told him about the rules of the Guozijian dining hall.

Siye and Jijiu are both senior members of the fourth grade, and meals are separated from other teachers and students, and Lao Li will open a small stove to serve him, and it is none of his business.

He didn't want to offend Lao Li on the first day of being an undercover agent, and be kicked out because he "died before leaving the school".

"Hey, let me try your handicraft first, don't panic."

Ji Siye looked at the mutton piled up in the bowl and the stewed rotten radish with a smile on his face. He took the dinner plate and didn't go back to his room. He just sat among a group of teachers and students, and started eating happily.

Seeing Si Ye like this, the others did not refuse, and joined the queue for eating one after another.

Wanda looked at Lao Li's sad eyes, smiled guiltyly, and continued to serve everyone.

In the team that followed Si Ye, a man in his fifties stopped in front of Wanda.

Seeing the powdery luster slightly reflected from the sleeve cuff of his right hand holding the dinner plate, Wanda was taken aback.

"what happened?"

The man looked up suspiciously.

"It's okay, the steamed buns you want."

Wanda hurriedly looked away, turned around and took out a steamed bun from the drawer.

When he put the steamed buns on the plate, he deliberately shook his hands and placed them on the outside of the porcelain plate. Seeing that the steamed buns were about to fall, the man hurriedly straightened them up with his left hand.

This time Wanda saw clearly that the man's two sleeves and even the front of his chest were dipped in transparent powder.

Although very subtle, it is extremely difficult to distinguish with the naked eye.It is now noon, and the summer sun is reflected on the powder through the window, and the tiny reflections can still be seen.

Could it be the "thing" they negotiated?

Wanda frowned.

Ji Siye Tang and his party ate a meal, and they were very satisfied, and they finally got a little reward after a busy morning.

Wanda, who was washing dishes by the kitchen sink, was called out by Lao Li with a complicated expression, saying that Si Ye and the others had something to ask him.

This person is worthy of being a cook from Jinyiwei, and his skills are really good.But it can't be so good as to grab one's own job, right?

Lao Li looked at Wanda who was wiping his hands on the bib, feeling a little upset.

"Brother Li, don't worry, the younger brother was recruited by you. How to say later, the younger brother has a sense of propriety."

Wanda can read people's faces, and hurried forward to explain, and said a lot of good things, so that Lao Li was relieved.He has repeatedly assured that not only does he not have the ambition to "seize power", but he will become his pawn in the future for his drive.

Wanda came outside the dining hall. It was time for lectures. The students and teachers who had classes had already gone back to class. There were not many people left in the dining hall that was still full of people just now.

Ji Siye was sitting where he had eaten just now, but the plate in front of him had been replaced with green tea, and he was chatting leisurely with Master Tang.

"Bao Siwu, your craftsmanship is really good!"

Wanda and Yang Xiuxian used the pseudonyms of Bao Da and Yang Shuang respectively in this "undercover Guozijian" operation.

Seeing Wanda approaching with a flattering face, Ji Siye said straight to the point, "From now on, I will decide to 'have fun with the people' and come out every day at noon to have a big pot meal with everyone."

"Thank you for the compliment, master, the villain is terrified."

Wanda rubbed her hands together, acting like a dog.

"In fact, besides cooking, the villain is also good at cooking. He is also an expert in dim sum and steamed bun soup. For example, it is still quite hot in the afternoon, and the Fusi Yamen in Beizhen will serve iced lily and mung bean soup in the afternoon, as well as various almonds. Tea, sherbet, these little people can make it."

"Okay, okay! That makes sense."

Ji Siye couldn't help but nodded, "In this hot day, reading makes me feel dizzy, and drinking something cool can refresh me. Don't wait any longer, go get it later. Lao Li, the ingredients are all ready-made, right? "

"Yes, mung beans, lilies, everything."

Lao Li hurriedly answered, "But..."

"But what?"

"No ice cubes readily available."

There are also shops selling ice cubes in Beijing, but they need to be booked in advance, and ice trucks will deliver them door-to-door in the morning.I want ice out of the blue now, where is it ready-made.

"Hey, what is this? Chen Zhanggu."

Ji Siye turned to the man sitting behind and asked, "Aren't you the best at Gewu? Is there any way?"

Wanda bowed his waist, watching the man in the green scholar's uniform walk over from the corner of his eye, and cupped his hands at Ji Siye.

"If you go back to Siye, it's not difficult to make ice, you can use saltpeter to make ice through water."

The person who answered was none other than the man with the transparent powder on his sleeve just now.

Wanda's eyes moved.

"And some time ago, I just led the students to make nitrate by local method, and made a lot of finished products."

The students of Guozijian are not as simple as just learning the Four Books and Five Classics. The so-called six arts of a gentleman are involved in "ritual, music, archery, imperialism, calligraphy, and mathematics". knowledge.

This Chen Zhanggu is a teacher who teaches mathematics and objects.

"That's great, let's get it done. I'll be waiting for you."

Ji Siye put his palms together and smiled.

"Nitre...it really is what we thought."

Under the imperial seat of Fengtian Temple, Wang Zhi lay on the ground, touched the green bricks on the ground, and sniffed them vigorously.

He got up, walked to each candlestick, and the edge of the aromatherapy burner, and repeated what he had just done.Then he clapped his hands and got up.

"No one has come to clean Fengtian Temple today, right?"

He turned around and asked the servant in charge of the hall.

"Yes, after something strange happened yesterday. Eunuch Shang ordered that no one is allowed to come in, and the servants are not allowed to clean up. This morning, I will attend the ceremony in the Hall of Supreme Harmony."

The waiter replied.

"Eunuch Shang? Shang Ming?"

Wang Zhi narrowed his eyes.

Shang Ming, the supervisor of rituals, is about 40 years old this year.In the past few years in the East Factory, she had been quiet, and she was not as good as Liang Fang who was tortured ten years ago.But during this period of time, Wynn valued him very much and always brought him by his side to do things.

It is said that because Wynn wants His Majesty more and more things, and he is also serving as the palm seal and the admiral of the East Factory, he is afraid that he will not be able to do it. He is looking for a suitable candidate during this period, so the East Factory is very lively during this period.

Tan Chang, who was on an equal footing with Wynn, had no ambition to be here, otherwise he would have become the admiral of the East Factory more than ten years ago.

There are many people who want to compete for this position, and Shang Ming has become one of the popular candidates for the next admiral.

He jumped out at this time and intervened in this case, probably because he wanted to show off his skills and be appreciated by Wynn and His Majesty the Emperor.

"Humph……"

Wang Zhi has never done things for the sake of fame and fortune. He only wants to serve Zhu Jianshen and Wan Zhen'er. He looks down on this kind of people who are devoted to fame and fortune, but he will not say anything bad. After all, everyone has their own ambitions.

He put the fingertips that had touched the tiles under his nose and sniffed.

Sure enough, it was the smell of saltpeter...

Wang directly scanned the corner of the wall, because no one cleaned it yesterday, and there were still white watermarks after the water stains dried up in a few inconspicuous places in the corner.

"Eunuch Wang, do you need to call all the people who served in the palace that day for questioning? They are all waiting outside."

Seeing Wang Zhi's young and mature expression, the servant was shocked for a moment, and hurriedly lowered his head and asked.

"Not urgent."

Wang Zhi took out a piece of silk from his pocket and wiped his fingertips, "It's just the same as before, no need to stare at it."

With that said, Wang Zhi walked out of Fengtian Hall.

He stood on the Danbi in front of the hall, looked at the northeast corner of the imperial city, and then led people to the direction of the Inner Dyeing and Weaving Bureau.

Wearing a small Confucian uniform, Wan Lan took Master Tang's hand and came to a row of houses that looked like squatter houses.

"Grandpa, where is this?"

Wan Lan opened her eyes obediently, and asked innocently, "Is my father in there?"

"Alan, there is no rush to find your father. Grandpa and uncles will find your father as soon as possible."

Director Tang kindly squatted down and touched Wan Lan's head.

"During this period of time, you should live here first. I think you have also studied, so you might as well study with the students in the prison. Wait for news from your father while studying, what do you think?"

Today they have checked the handymen and cooks in the prison, and they still need to do some finishing work.

Starting tomorrow, we will attack the students.After all, the students come from all over the country. Compared with the teachers who have stayed in the capital all year round, they are more disgusted with "committing crimes".

Even if the students from outside the region are excluded, there are hundreds of people in the entire Imperial College of the Imperial College who can be the father of this child. It is really a huge project, and it cannot be completed in a day or two.

The child said that shortly after he and his mother came to the capital to look for relatives with their servants, his family got separated at the temple fair.He didn't have the slightest impression of where the inn was. He only remembered that his mother said that his father was in the Imperial College.So he asked people all the way, thinking that he could find his parents when he came to the Imperial College.

No matter how much, I only know that his mother's surname is Zhu, and his native place is Shandong.The Zhu family is a middle-class family, with fields and land, and servants to take care of them, so there are no more clues.

Director Tang felt a little overwhelmed.

"live here?"

Wan Lan pointed to the door, and then to herself, "Does Alan live alone?"

"of course not……"

Before Master Tang finished speaking, he saw the door was opened from the inside.

"Master Tang, the room has been tidied up."

Wanda and Yang Xiuxian stood at the door, they lowered their heads, watching Wan Lan's light amber eyes stare like little bells for an instant.

"This child is 'Alan' who wants to live with us."

Wanda brought the dumbfounded Wan Lan to him in a familiar way, rubbed his doughy cheeks "kindly", and squeezed him into a pout.

"What a beautiful child. I heard you can recite books? Are you still literate?"

Wanda said with a half-smile.

Hehe, brat, you were right just now—"Daddy is inside"—that's right.

"Master Tang, don't worry, leave this child to us to take care of."

Wanda straightened up and smiled at Mr. Tang, "I have a son who is about the same age as him in my hometown. But he is not as good as 'Master Alan'. He is not sensible at all. He won't call Fangjiewa for three days. Alan So good, he must be easy to take care of. We will take good care of him."

"Yeah yeah."

Yang Xiuxian, who had a mustache on his lips, held Wan Lan in front of him, and looked at the child's mournful expression with amused expression.

"That's how it is. I'll pack it up later, remember to prepare dinner. The mung bean soup this afternoon is great, and everyone is full of praise. Let's make good use of dinner too! Oh, and tomorrow's breakfast, remember how much Do some tricks."

Although Master Tang is not a full-fledged gourmet like Ji Siye, he is happy to hear that the food level has suddenly been improved.

While drinking mung bean soup in the afternoon, he heard that neither of them had a place to live in Beijing. Thinking of Alan who didn't know what to do with him, he went along with the flow and allocated an empty hut for their family.

Such a capable cook can settle down, and the child Alan will be taken care of, so that he will not run around, which kills two birds with one stone.

"I'm here as a cook. First, I'm here to investigate the case. Second, I can watch over you brat, lest you really burn down the Imperial College."

After closing the door, Wanda turned around and let Wan Lan kneel on the ground to reflect.

He sat on the kang by himself, took the tea handed by Yang Xiuxian, and took a sip happily.

"It's called 'kill two birds with one stone.' Get it?"

"Um……"

Wan Lan, who was fined not to eat dinner because she ate too many snacks, grunted twice and nodded reluctantly.