Chapter 158: Wang Dazhi Delivers a Gift

Although Zhu Hao thought this way in his heart, in order to figure out the meaning contained in these two poems, he summoned his currently most capable civil official, Qin Hui. Handing the two poems to Qin Hui, he briefly narrated their origin and asked Qin Hui to interpret them for him.

After listening to Zhu Hao's narration, Qin Hui took the two poems in his hand and read them over and over again. Then, with a distressed expression, he knelt on the ground and said, "Forgive me, Your Highness. This student does not understand the meaning contained in these two poems either. However, judging from Your Highness's narration just now, these two poems should contain the contents of this Zhejiang Imperial Examination case. As for the specific details, this student cannot comprehend them for the moment. This student is incompetent and begs Your Highness for punishment!"

Although the fact that Qin Hui could not understand the two poems made Zhu Hao somewhat disappointed, he could not blame Qin Hui for this. After all, he himself had not figured out what these two prophetic poems actually meant. Therefore, Zhu Hao could only let out a slight sigh and said, "Very well, Qin Shun, if you cannot understand, then so be it! You may rise first!"

After Qin Hui also failed to comprehend the two poems, Zhu Hao temporarily abandoned his exploration of them. For nearly the next two months, Zhu Hao focused on handling the aftermath of his trip to Zhejiang.

First, Zhu Hao had people search the residences of Qian Qianyi, Gao Yuan, Xiao Jinhogao, and Li Shoujun to gather evidence. However, what disappointed Zhu Hao somewhat was that, aside from a large amount of gold, silver, and soft treasures confiscated from Qian Qianyi's residence, he gained virtually nothing from the other mansions. The occasional piece of calligraphy or painting by a renowned master had a completely legitimate origin and was not the proceeds of corruption or bribery.

This caused Zhu Hao to harbor secret suspicions in his heart: "It seems these officials in Zhejiang are generally honest and upright. But if they manipulated this Zhejiang provincial examination not for wealth, then what on earth were they doing?" This question lingered constantly in his mind, leaving him utterly baffled.

Although Zhu Hao was puzzled, he still revered honest people. Therefore, he only ordered the confiscation of Qian Qianyi's estate, with all illegal gains turned over to the state, the males exiled, and the females reduced to official courtesies. He did not punish the remaining families, and the matter was thus concluded.

The reason Zhu Hao made such a judgment and did not pursue the matter further was because, for him, he had already investigated the Zhejiang examination affair clearly and completed his mission. He could not be bothered to haggle over these trivial details and chose not to dwell on them any longer.

After completing the search for evidence, Zhu Hao submitted a memorial to the imperial court detailing the investigation of the Zhejiang examination case, while simultaneously requesting the court to dispatch officials to fill the vacant positions of the Zhejiang Administration Commissioner and Surveillance Commissioner.

Once the memorial was dispatched, Zhu Hao temporarily assumed the functions of both the Zhejiang Surveillance Commissioner and Administration Commissioner himself during this period. Waiting for the imperial court to send officials for the handover, he prepared to set off back to the capital.

Ever since the two previous commissioners died directly or indirectly because of Zhu Hao, and because the officials of Zhejiang of all ranks held a deep fear of him in both body and mind under his high-pressure coercion, they treated Zhu Hao's orders as absolute divine decrees. This transformation actually made the administrative efficiency of all the officials in Zhejiang soar quite a bit overnight. Consequently, during the period when Zhejiang lacked a Administration Commissioner and Surveillance Commissioner, the entire province not only experienced no chaos but was even more stable and peaceful than before.

However, during the time Zhu Hao governed Zhejiang, many officials of various ranks came to present him with gifts and try to curry favor. Seeing that the Central Intelligence Agency was developing rapidly and its required expenses were increasing day by day, Zhu Hao felt that the tax revenues from his own fiefdom were completely inadequate to sustain it. Therefore, he accepted all the tributes from these officials without turning anyone away. Of course, he kept a mental record of these officials and would determine their promotions or demotions accordingly.

Naturally, however, Zhu Hao would not indulge these officials of questionable character. Most of the positions to which Zhu Hao promoted or demoted them were impoverished and inactive government offices, leaving them with bitter grievances that they could not voice. From then on, fewer and fewer people came to offer gifts to Zhu Hao. Regarding this, Zhu Hao often let out a slight sigh and murmured to himself, "Had I known earlier, this Prince would not have made a move against you all yet!" Of course, this was merely a passing thought; if time could flow backward, Zhu Hao would still have done the same. He could not stand by and watch these officials continue to fleece the common people.

Therefore, Zhu Hao's sigh was simply because the payroll of the Intelligence Agency was currently tight. Although the tributes from these officials were by no means a small sum, to the bottomless pit of the Intelligence Agency, it still felt like a drop of water in a burning cart. Zhu Hao knew he urgently needed to solve the problem of the Intelligence Agency's source of revenue, but for the moment, he truly had no optimal solution. After all, he was merely a prince, and there were many things he could not do. Thus, whenever Zhu Hao thought about the expenses of the Intelligence Agency, he felt a splitting headache.

As Zhu Hao promoted some officials in name while demoting them in reality, sending all those gift-giving officials off to inactive offices, the previously bustling gates of the imperial envoy's temporary quarters suddenly grew much quieter. Yet on this particular day, another daring individual came to present a gift to Zhu Hao.

Zhu Hao, who was sitting in the study reading a book, heard that someone was offering a gift again and initially intended to follow past practice by accepting the gift and sending the gift-bearer away. However, when he heard the identity of the gift-bearer, he furrowed his brows and commanded, "Have him come to the study to see this Prince!"

The reason Zhu Hao made an exception to receive this gift-bearer was that this person was none other than Wang Dazhi, the Commander of the Zhejiang Rear Guard, who had rendered great service when the Zhejiang examination case was uncovered. Zhu Hao could not understand why Wang Dazhi could not escape worldly conventions either, but considering that Wang Dazhi had strongly supported him back then and rescued him from peril, Zhu Hao truly could not refuse Wang Dazhi's request for an audience. Consequently, he instructed that Wang Dazhi be brought to the study to see him.

Following Zhu Hao's order, a moment later, Wang Dazhi was led by an attendant into the study of the temporary quarters.

Upon entering the study, Wang Dazhi bowed deeply to Zhu Hao and said, "This subordinate, Wang Dazhi, Commander of the Hangzhou Rear Guard, pays respects to Your Highness, the Prince of Xin!"

Although Wang Dazhi's gift-giving behavior made Zhu Hao somewhat displeased, Zhu Hao still wore a smile on his face as he said, "Commander Wang, dispense with the formalities. Be seated!"

As Zhu Hao finished speaking, an attendant brought over a stool. After Wang Dazhi expressed his gratitude, he sat down. Once Wang Dazhi was seated, Zhu Hao began, "In the past few days, these officials of Zhejiang came in an endless stream, taking turns offering gifts to this Prince. Now that these people have finally stopped coming after much difficulty, you, Commander Wang, have come instead. You truly make this Prince look at you in a new light!"

Hearing the displeasure in Zhu Hao's words, Wang Dazhi wore an awkward expression and said, "Your Highness, please do not misunderstand. Although this subordinate's military salary is not low, I still have a family of old and young waiting to be fed, so this subordinate truly does not have extra money to offer gifts to Your Highness. However, to express my dutiful respect to Your Highness, this subordinate has brought two people who originally belonged to Your Highness. In a way, this subordinate is presenting Buddha with borrowed flowers!"

Hearing Wang Dazhi's words, curiosity arose in Zhu Hao's heart, and he asked with a puzzled expression, "Two people who originally belonged to this Prince? What kind of people?"

Noticing that Zhu Hao's interest had been piqued by his words, Wang Dazhi smiled mysteriously and played the suspense card, saying, "Your Highness, this subordinate has already brought them here, and they are waiting outside the door. If Your Highness allows them to enter, everything will be crystal clear!"

Zhu Hao's curiosity was fully aroused by Wang Dazhi. Therefore, after listening to Wang Dazhi, without much consideration, he said, "Let them enter!"

Hearing this, Wang Dazhi clapped his hands twice, and subsequently, two young maidens walked into the room. Both maidens were in the prime of their youth, possessing graceful postures and delicate features, their unworldly faces still carrying a trace of naive innocence yet tinged with a hint of seductive charm.

If one were to appreciate them closely, one maiden was like a plum blossom defying the snow, her striking beauty carrying a hint of heroic spirit, while the other was like a blooming autumn chrysanthemum, her gentle beauty carrying a touch of elegance.

Gazing at these two young beauties, each with her own distinct allure, Zhu Hao was momentarily stunned. It took him quite a while to snap out of it, and he turned to Wang Dazhi to inquire, "Commander Wang, these two young ladies are..."

Seeing Zhu Hao stare blankly at the two maidens, Wang Dazhi felt secretly pleased and said, "Your Highness, it is better to let them introduce themselves!" As he spoke, Wang Dazhi hurriedly winked at the two maidens.

Following Wang Dazhi's signal, the maiden resembling the snow-defying plum blossom took the initiative, curtsying gracefully to Zhu Hao and saying, "This humble maiden, Liu Rushi, pays respects to Your Highness!"

Once the maiden calling herself Liu Rushi finished speaking, the woman resembling the blooming autumn chrysanthemum also curtsied gracefully and said, "This humble maiden, Chen Yuanyuan, pays respects to Your Highness!"

Hearing this, Zhu Hao froze on the spot, thinking inwardly: "What the hell! Damn it, the Eight Beauties of Qinhuai, and two of them show up at once! Coming to Zhejiang this time, without even taking a principal wife, I first had Ziyan settle into the temporary quarters, and now Liu Rushi and Chen Yuanyuan, the most famous among the Eight Beauties of Qinhuai, have arrived. Is my peach blossom luck a bit too overwhelming? Isn't this forcing me to commit a sin?"

Zhu Hao remained dazed like that for quite a while until Wang Dazhi cautiously called out to him, finally allowing Zhu Hao to snap back to reality. He then said, "You two young maidens, dispense with the formalities." Turning his gaze with an unkind expression toward Wang Dazhi, he demanded, "Commander Wang, what is the meaning of this? What do you intend by bringing two women to this Prince's temporary quarters?"

Although Zhu Hao currently appeared displeased, he was actually blooming with joy inside. As a man well-versed in Ming history, no one could resist the charm of the Eight Beauties of Qinhuai, and Zhu Hao was no exception. Of course, he was now an imperial prince of high status, so he still had to put up a front.

Seeing Zhu Hao's unkind expression—never imagining that Zhu Hao was merely putting on an act—Wang Dazhi hurriedly knelt on the ground and explained, "Your Highness, please calm your anger and allow this subordinate to explain in detail. A few days ago, when this subordinate executed Your Highness's orders to search Qian Qianyi's residence, these two women were both in Qian Qianyi's mansion. Under normal circumstances, both of these women were scheduled to be reduced to official courtesies!"