My classmate Zhu Houzhao

Chapter 14 Lord Zhang's Official Seal

Fang Heng carefully put away the letter written by Jiang Bin before getting up and leaving the Northern Garrison.

"Thank you for your trouble, sir. This is just a small token of my appreciation. Please have some tea with me."

When Fang Heng arrived at the entrance of the Northern Garrison Command, he looked at the two Imperial Guards on duty, took out two pieces of silver, and handed one to each of them discreetly.

This is the Northern Garrison Command. Every member of the Imperial Guards in the Northern Garrison Command is not someone that ordinary people can come into contact with. If you want to give a gift to the Imperial Guards of the Northern Garrison Command, you have to be careful about your connections and methods. If this piece of silver is given by an ordinary person, these two Imperial Guards will not even glance at it and will only sternly drive him away.

It's not that they don't love money, but they are particular about how they receive it. They will only accept money if everything goes smoothly and it won't jeopardize their future.

But Fang Heng was clearly different. The Imperial Guard who brought Fang Heng into the Northern Garrison had just witnessed it firsthand; the young man before him seemed to be highly regarded by Lord Jiang.

You must know that Lord Jiang is a centurion of the Northern Garrison Command. There are countless ranks between a centurion and ordinary Jinyiwei guards like them. Centurion, General, Junior Flag Officer. Although the Jinyiwei system does not require seniority for promotion like the official system, every Jinyiwei guard who wants to be promoted has to risk their life. In addition, they also have to scheme against their colleagues.

Lord Jiang is no ordinary centurion. He is currently the Crown Prince's favorite. After the Crown Prince ascends the throne, Lord Jiang may rise to great heights. Therefore, even ordinary probationary commanders or commanders in the Northern Garrison are very polite to Lord Jiang.

For such a highly regarded junior to now be giving them benefits is an immense honor, and they naturally have to accept it, even feeling somewhat flattered.

"It was just a small favor, there's no need to accept any benefits. If Lord Jiang finds out, he'll give us a hard time!"

The Imperial Guard who led Fang Heng inside hurriedly said.

"That's right, young master, you've just arrived in the capital. If you need anything from us in the future, please feel free to let us know."

Another member of the Imperial Guard, who was also very perceptive, quickly spoke up.

"Please accept this, Uncle Jiang won't blame you. He knows my temperament. I'm new to the capital, and I might have to bother you often in the future."

As Fang Heng spoke, he insisted on stuffing two pieces of silver into their hands.

Upon hearing Fang Heng's words, the two Imperial Guards beamed with joy. They hadn't expected the young man before them to be so shrewd and worldly-wise; no wonder Lord Jiang valued him so highly.

Since Fang Heng had already said all that, if they didn't accept the money, it would be tantamount to refusing the young man in front of them, so they put the silver away.

Normally, they wouldn't even look at this amount of silver. It's not that they think the silver is too little; in fact, even a piece of broken silver would be worth about a hundred copper coins. But if they were to collect money, it would be far more than a hundred copper coins.

But since the money was given by Fang Heng, that's a different story.

"Young master has given us face, so we will naturally accept it. Lord Jiang just instructed me to take good care of you in the future. If you need anything in the future, please feel free to give the order. I am Wang Xiao."

"I am Zhao Jue. Young master, please give me any instructions in the future."

Another member of the Imperial Guard, seeing his colleague so flattering the young man before him, was somewhat puzzled but understood that the young man was probably no ordinary person, and hurriedly echoed his sentiments.

"Young man Fang Heng."

Fang Heng clasped his hands in a fist salute.

After Fang Heng left, Zhao Jue looked at his colleague with some confusion.

"This young man is indeed extraordinary, but does he deserve such a humble attitude from us?"

"You don't understand. Just now, Lord Jiang specifically called me over and instructed me that if Young Master Fang needs anything in the future, we should do our best to help him. Lord Jiang's tone was extremely solemn when he said this."

Wang Xiao, however, was no longer playful and said with a serious expression.

Upon hearing this, Zhao Jue's heart skipped a beat. He knew the officials of the Northern Garrison to some extent. This Lord Jiang was able to rise to the rank of centurion at such a young age, which meant he was undoubtedly capable. Most importantly, Lord Jiang always handled official business strictly and had never been seen using his position to do anything for himself.

Now that Lord Fang is making such a serious arrangement, the young man's identity is probably more than just Lord Jiang's nephew.

Only then did Zhao Jue belatedly realize that the young man had probably really given him a huge slap in the face.

Logically speaking, even without Lord Jiang's instructions, given the young man's status, they wouldn't have any reason to refuse if he asked them for a favor. At most, they were a little annoyed that Fang Heng had asked them so many times and they always came empty-handed.

But this young man, after receiving special instructions from Lord Jiang, was still so polite to them and even gave them benefits. The young man's style of doing things was so shrewd that even they, as members of the Northern Garrison's Imperial Guards, could not find a single fault with him. They even felt that if they did not go to great lengths to help this young man in the future, they would be letting down the young man's behavior just now.

"Thank you for the pointers."

Zhao Jue now fully understood that there were no fools among those who could serve in the Northern Garrison.

In fact, both Wang Xiao and Zhao Jue had many things they kept to themselves. They knew very well that Lord Jiang was currently serving the Crown Prince and was the Crown Prince's most favored person. The fact that Lord Jiang treated this young man so seriously meant that there might be some connection between the young man and the Crown Prince.

They could only think these words in their hearts; they absolutely could not say them aloud. Everything concerning His Highness the Crown Prince was confidential. If they were to ruin His Highness's plans by gossiping, they wouldn't have enough lives to spare.

On the other side, Fang Heng, holding the letter written by Jiang Bin, quickly returned to the clothing store. As soon as he arrived at the entrance, he saw the Zhang family's gatekeeper sitting inside the store, which had its door half open.

"Greetings, sir."

Fang Heng hurriedly stepped forward to greet him.

When the gatekeeper saw Fang Heng, he put down his teacup, took out a card, and handed it to Fang Heng.

"This is my master's reply to the young master. My master specifically instructed me to personally deliver it to the young master."

Upon hearing this, Fang Heng accepted the post but did not open it immediately. The fact that Lord Zhang was replying at this time already demonstrated his meaning and attitude.

Among scholars, especially officials serving in the imperial court, most officials receive many visiting cards every day. As for whether to reply, when to reply, and how to reply, there are all sorts of rules to follow.

Generally, if I don't want to respond to a visiting card, I won't reply at all. If I do want to respond but my attitude towards it is so-so, I will usually wait a few days before replying. If it is something I really like, I will wait until the next day to reply to the visiting card.

After all, scholars should maintain a certain level of reserve.

However, if a visiting card is sent in the morning and a reply is sent in the afternoon, it means that the other party does not regard you as an outsider at all, or even treats you as their own nephew or niece. That is why they replied so quickly and even specifically instructed the gatekeeper to personally deliver the reply to you.

This touched Fang Heng's heart. After all, his grandfather had been exiled for many years, and most people would have avoided him like the plague. But this Lord Zhang did not shy away from such things and treated him so well.

"Please wait a moment, sir. I'll be right back."

As Fang Heng spoke, he went to the backyard, carrying some extra sweets he had made that morning. These were the extra sweets he had prepared to give to Zhang Lun as a gift.

For someone like Zhang Lun, giving money is vulgar and unnecessary. If he were to give money, this Lord Zhang would only look down on him and think that he was being insulted.

But sending homemade desserts is different; it's a token of the younger generation's affection. If he likes them and enjoys them in the future, Fang Heng can make them for him often.

This can subtly bring the two people closer together.

Soon, Fang Heng returned to the clothing store carrying several bags of sweets and handed them to the Zhang family's gatekeeper.

"Old man, these are all sweets I made myself. They are a small token of my appreciation. Please take them to Lord Zhang so he can try them. If he likes them, I will make more in the future. This package is for you, old man."

Fang Heng said, picking out one of the bags separately.

The gatekeeper of the Zhang residence was stunned when he saw the bags of sweets in front of him, not expecting that there were even some for himself.

After a long while, he came to his senses and stared at Fang Heng as if he were looking at his own nephew.

"Good child, Master really likes sweets. I didn't expect you to be so thoughtful, even including mine."

As he spoke, he stood up, carrying several bags of sweets.

"Besides his love for sweets, the master also enjoys playing chess and fishing in his spare time. Young master, you can keep that in mind. There's no need to bring any special items with you, otherwise the master will think you're up to no good."

The gatekeeper of the Zhang residence looked at Fang Heng and couldn't help but offer a few words of advice.

"Thank you for your advice, sir."

Fang Heng bowed and said.

"It's not me helping you, it's you helping yourself. You're a good kid, and you have a bright future ahead of you."

After saying this, the doorman left immediately.

After the man left, Fang Heng closed the half-open door and then opened Zhang Lun's reply. He read it carefully and found that Zhang Lun asked Fang Heng to go to Zhang's residence early the next morning. There was no morning court session the next day, and Zhang Lun was also on leave. In his words, Zhang Lun completely treated Fang Heng as his own junior.

Just as Fang Heng was hesitating whether to go to Shuntian Prefecture to see the Prefect of Shuntian Prefecture today, there was a knock on the door of the clothing store.

Go open the door.

Fang Heng put the invitation away and glanced at Wang Xiaoer, who was waiting beside him.

Upon hearing this, Wang Xiaoer hurriedly opened the door.

As soon as the door opened, Fang Heng saw a man with a face full of scars, followed by a man with a somewhat sleazy appearance.

"You sent Scarface to deliver a message, so why did you lock the door yourself? Scared?"

The man entered from the outside. Due to the dim lighting inside the shop, he couldn't see Fang Heng clearly and immediately started shouting.

When his eyes adjusted to the light in the shop and he could clearly see Fang Heng sitting there, he almost burst out laughing.

"I thought the owner of this Shen family shop was some kind of big shot with three heads and six arms. Turns out he's just a wet-headed kid. You dare to challenge me?"

After seeing Fang Heng's appearance clearly, the man became even more arrogant, clearly intending to intimidate the young man in front of him.

The man behind him, however, looked away when he saw Fang Heng.

"Boss, this is the owner of Feng's shop, and this is Manager Chen."

Wang Xiaoer, standing to the side, was clearly intimidated by the man's imposing presence, and his tone of voice became much lower.

"You're Chen Si?"

Fang Heng ignored the man in front of him and instead looked at Chen Si behind him.

Upon hearing this, Chen Si realized he couldn't avoid it. Fortunately, the other party was just a child, and as long as he spoke firmly enough, he should be able to control him.

"That's right, it is I. Young master, please don't blame me for changing my allegiance. After the Shen family fell, I guarded this shop for them for three whole years. During those three years, the owner disappeared without a trace, so I had no choice but to find another job."

As Chen Si spoke, he felt more and more justified, and as he spoke, he straightened his back a bit.

"What a fine excuse for seeking better opportunities! How high-sounding it sounds."

Upon hearing this, Fang Heng couldn't help but clap his hands.

This made Chen Si lose face instantly.

"What do you mean by this, young master? Do you expect me to grow old and die at the Shen family's shop?"

"You, Chen Si, are just taking advantage of my youth, thinking I don't know your past. Back then, you were struggling to survive, and it was my grandfather who took you in. This shop could have been managed by someone else. Your abilities are average; you weren't even capable of managing the shop at first. But my grandfather didn't say anything. To give you food to eat, to allow you to support your family, he made you the manager, wasn't he?"

Fang Heng's voice grew louder and louder as he spoke, until finally it was almost a shout.

The four words, "yes" and "no," made Chen Si tremble with fear, because the young man in front of him had laid bare the most shameful side of his past.

"So what? Old Chen has been working for the Shen family for many years, hasn't he?"

Seeing that Chen Si remained silent, the man with the muscular face hurriedly spoke.

"Working your life away? That sounds nice, but let's leave all that aside for now. I don't care if you're looking for a better job or not. After all, my shop doesn't need another manager like you. But I know my shop well. It's been profitable for the past three years. Although the profits aren't as high as before, it's not in this state yet. Chen Si, you're a heartless bastard. Before you leave, you even want to empty the shop and help your rival bully me, your former boss."

Fang Heng sneered.

Although Fang Heng hadn't been to the capital for the past three years, he often had Gou Dan's father come to check on the shop, so he had a general idea of ​​what was going on there.

"Me! Me!"

Chen Si hadn't expected the boy in front of him to be so sharp-tongued, leaving him speechless and unable to utter a coherent sentence.

He wasn't a shameless person to begin with, and he didn't want to come this time, but his employer forced him to come.

"Stop with the nonsense. I've got my eye on your shop. Given its condition, it's bound to go bankrupt sooner or later. Why don't you sell it to me? I can give you a fair price."

Seeing Chen Si retreating step by step, the owner of Feng's shop slammed his fist on the table and said.