Chapter 131: Wei Xiaobao and the Pavilion of Fragrant Blossoms

Zhu Hao, aware of all this, understood that if he were to take action against Gao Yuan at this moment, it would not only fail to affect Gao Yuan in any meaningful way but would also invite criticism, painting him as petty and narrow-minded.

With this in mind, Zhu Hao chose not to make things difficult for Gao Yuan, though he did not grant him a friendly expression either. Instead, he slammed his teacup directly onto the table in front of Gao Yuan.

Following the sharp "crack" of the teacup hitting the table, Zhu Hao pointed at Gao Yuan’s nose and shouted, "Get out! Get out of my sight! I do not wish to see you again!"

Gao Yuan felt a sense of resentment, yet he knew it was his own lack of discretion in speech that had brought this upon him. Considering that Zhu Hao’s reaction could have been far worse, he swallowed his pride and, with a flushed face, stammered, "This subordinate takes his leave," before retreating from the imperial envoy’s residence.

Watching Gao Yuan’s retreating figure, Zhu Hao thought to himself, "A reckless brute. All brawn and no brain, arrogant and lacking foresight. He is nothing more than a pawn that has crossed the river; he is of no real use."

After Gao Yuan left, Zhu Hao contemplated that the two Provincial Administration Commissioners should be making an appearance soon. He wondered who would arrive first. To his surprise, however, the two arrived together. Upon hearing from a servant that they had come as a pair, Zhu Hao was so astonished that he rose from his chair and stood for a long moment before instructing the servant, "Show them in. I shall wait for them here."

Shortly after the order was given, Xiao Jingao and Li Shoujun entered the grand hall. Seeing Zhu Hao seated prominently, they bowed in unison: "Xiao Jingao, Left Provincial Administration Commissioner of Zhejiang, and Li Shoujun, Right Provincial Administration Commissioner of Zhejiang, pay our respects to Your Highness!"

Zhu Hao looked at the two commissioners with a puzzled expression and said, "Rise and speak. Since you have come together, is it also to interrogate me about whether I sent the Embroidered Uniform Guard to search the Cheng residence?"

After they stood, Li Shoujun spoke first: "Your Highness, you misunderstand. How could this subordinate dare to question you? We merely heard that there were rebels in Hangzhou and that the Embroidered Uniform Guard was searching for them. We were concerned for your safety, and that is why we came to visit. Please, do not take it the wrong way."

Once Li Shoujun finished, Xiao Jingao added, "Zhejiang is under our jurisdiction. The presence of rebels has caused this subordinate great anxiety, so I have come to seek your instructions, Your Highness."

Zhu Hao listened to their double entendres and their alternating attempts to probe him, sighing inwardly. It seemed that the greatest obstacles to his mission in Zhejiang were these two men. They were truly formidable opponents.

Zhu Hao thought this because, while Li Shoujun ostensibly expressed concern for his safety, he was actually using sensitive terms like "Embroidered Uniform Guard" and "rebels" to gauge Zhu Hao’s reaction. Xiao Jingao was even more audacious; under the guise of requesting instructions for his own perceived failures, he was effectively reminding Zhu Hao that Zhejiang was their territory—the subtext being a warning for him to tread carefully.

Though Zhu Hao understood their underlying meanings, they had not questioned him directly and remained humble in their demeanor, which made it impossible for him to treat them as he had treated Gao Yuan.

After observing them for a long moment, Zhu Hao replied, "You two worry too much. You have coordinated well, keeping Zhejiang in excellent order. Once I return to the capital, I shall certainly recommend you both to His Majesty."

Zhu Hao’s words were not without purpose. He signaled three things: first, that they were overthinking things and the Embroidered Uniform Guard’s actions had nothing to do with him; second, that he recognized they had managed Zhejiang with an iron grip; and third, that they should not act recklessly, as he had the backing of the Emperor.

This exchange of riddles left the two commissioners wary of Zhu Hao’s sharpness. They could hardly imagine that a boy who appeared to be only eleven or twelve years old could possess such capability.

After a brief period of probing, the conversation turned to idle chatter, with no further mention of important matters. All three were intelligent men; everyone knew exactly what had happened with the Embroidered Uniform Guard searching the Cheng residence. However, without concrete evidence to prove Zhu Hao had orchestrated it, the two would not be as foolish as Gao Yuan and attempt to force an admission from him.

Li Shoujun and Xiao Jingao had come to test the depth of Zhu Hao’s resolve and to showcase their own influence. Once Zhu Hao had made his backing clear, the probing ceased and gave way to pleasantries. After a while, they parted on seemingly amicable terms.

After they left, Zhu Hao watched their backs, thinking, "The mastermind behind the Zhejiang officialdom is among you. But who is it? Or are you both colluding to control the entire province?"

Zhu Hao did not know which of the two would prove to be his greatest adversary, but from this moment on, he resolved to keep a close watch on both of them.

Once they were gone, Zhu Hao summoned Wei Xiaobao, who had been busy building a local branch of the Central Intelligence Agency in the city for the past few days.

Zhu Hao called for him because the investigation into the Zhejiang imperial examination scandal had reached a stalemate. Having spent his days among the common folk, Zhu Hao hoped Wei Xiaobao might have some useful information to break the deadlock.

About an hour after the guards were dispatched, Wei Xiaobao arrived, dressed as a young servant. Looking at his attire, which made him look like a page from a wealthy household, Zhu Hao couldn't help but laugh. "Xiaobao, why are you dressed like this? Have you left my service to join some affluent household?"

Wei Xiaobao, realizing Zhu Hao was joking, chuckled and said, "Your Highness, I don't have that kind of luck! If I left you, I’d probably starve on the streets by tomorrow. I’m only dressed this way for the sake of the job!"

Zhu Hao understood that in order to approach others, Wei Xiaobao needed a disguise. Otherwise, a palace eunuch recruiting intelligence agents would easily be discovered by officials, making it impossible to establish a network.

With a smile, Zhu Hao asked, "You servant, you’re getting better at talking. How is the progress? Any gains?"

Wei Xiaobao immediately replied, "Reporting to Your Highness, I have recruited over three hundred intelligence agents in the past few days. They have all been registered. Please take a look."

As he spoke, Wei Xiaobao produced a thick ledger and handed it to Zhu Hao.

Zhu Hao opened the ledger and flipped through a few pages. It read:
Name: Tao Da, Identity: Cook at Qunfang Pavilion
Name: Cai Bunjun, Identity: Tailor at Qunfang Pavilion
Name: Xiao Si, Identity: Server at Qunfang Pavilion
Name: A-Fang, Identity: Greeter at Qunfang Pavilion
...

Zhu Hao read for a full ten pages, and every person’s identity was connected to this "Qunfang Pavilion." Zhu Hao frowned slightly and asked, "Why is everyone connected to this Qunfang Pavilion? What kind of place is it?"

Wei Xiaobao hesitated, looking embarrassed. "This, well, um..."

Zhu Hao, losing patience with his stuttering, snorted, "I asked you a question. Just answer it. What are you mumbling about?"

Seeing his master was annoyed, Wei Xiaobao quickly said, "Reporting to Your Highness, this Qunfang Pavilion is, well, it’s a place for... 'hums and hahs'!"

Zhu Hao frowned, unable to comprehend what a "hum and hah" place was, and demanded, "What do you mean 'hums and hahs'? What kind of place is it?"

Seeing that Zhu Hao was losing his temper, Wei Xiaobao explained, "Er, Your Highness, the Qunfang Pavilion is actually a brothel!"

Zhu Hao thought to himself, "A brothel? No wonder he was so hesitant. This Wei Xiaobao really has a natural affinity for such places!"

Zhu Hao chuckled, then lectured Wei Xiaobao, "You’ve learned to use flowery language, haven't you? Just call it a brothel. There’s nothing to hide. Besides, your description was wrong. Let me teach you: a brothel isn't a place for 'hums and hahs,' it should be described as a place of 'willows and blossoms' (an idiom for beauties). Your choice of words was incorrect!"

Wei Xiaobao gave a mischievous smile and looked at Zhu Hao with a hint of disdain, his expression clearly saying, "You don't understand!"

Zhu Hao, his mind entirely focused on the examination scandal, ignored Wei Xiaobao’s strange demeanor and asked, "Have you gathered any useful intelligence? The case has hit a dead end."

Wei Xiaobao turned serious and replied, "Your Highness, I have been busy recruiting. These people have not yet been trained, so no major intelligence has been gathered. However, if there is anything you wish to know, just tell me, and I guarantee I will get the job done!"

Zhu Hao, wanting to humble Wei Xiaobao and show him the vastness of the world, said, "I want to investigate every official in Zhejiang. Can you manage that?"

Zhu Hao was intentionally giving him an impossible task. There were hundreds of officials in the province; even with three hundred recruits, it would be impossible to investigate them all in a short time.

To Zhu Hao’s surprise, however, Wei Xiaobao smiled slightly and replied, "Your Highness, such a small matter—what difficulty could there be in that?"