Bringing the Railway to Daming

Chapter 135: Deng and Guanyin Slave, Zhu Chong Sad and Shameful [Part ]

The fourteenth of the first lunar month.

There is only one day left until the Lantern Festival.

But most of the people in Huaishu were busy as usual - there was not much farm work at this time of year, so most men did odd jobs in and outside the city, most women stayed at home weaving, and a few worked as helpers in wealthy families.

Just like a few days ago, Zhu Chong went to the dock to carry bags.

It’s not that he is so hardworking, but he needs the salary to live an easy life.

It had been over a month since he was demoted to a commoner by Old Zhu, but he still couldn't cook. However, thanks to his good health, he quickly adapted after overcoming the difficulties of the first few days of fighting against the bloating.

Now he relies on the money he earns from carrying bags to buy food every day. After saving for a few days, he can even buy a meal of wine and meat.

If you don't think about the extravagant life you lived when you were a prince, your life would be quite comfortable.

At the same time, he also felt a sense of pride, because he understood that the common people could have such a decent life because Zhu drove out the Tartars, established the Ming Dynasty, and treated the people well.

Although Zhu Chong was proud of Old Zhu, his resentment towards Old Zhu did not dissipate much. Instead, it became more intense and sticky as New Year's Eve passed and the Lantern Festival approached.

For this reason, he plans to give himself a day off tomorrow and use the wages he has saved in the past few days to buy some good wine and meat for a big meal.

After working until noon, Zhu Chong ate a bowl of noodles with臊子 (臊子面) and prepared to find a warehouse to lie down for half an hour before continuing to work in the afternoon. If he wanted to have a good meal tomorrow, he had to work harder.

Unexpectedly, just as he was about to leave, he was stopped by the manager.

The steward bent over and smiled apologetically at him, looking very much like the old servant who was the steward in his house.

"Second Master Zhu, someone from above has sent a message asking you to rest for a while and return home quickly—your family has arrived in the capital."

Have your family members arrived in the capital?
Zhu Chong was stunned for a moment before realizing that Deng and others had arrived.

Coming to his senses, he said with a cold face, "It's here, it's none of my business," and turned and left.

He said that, but when he thought of Deng's son, he couldn't help but move towards the imperial city.

As a result, he didn't go far before he was stopped by the guards who were monitoring him.

"Where is your Highness going?"

Zhu Chong glared, "Where I go is none of your business."

The guard said with a dull face, "Your Highness's family has been sent to the locust tree. Your Highness had better go back and check on them."

Zhu Chong was stunned for a moment, then he angrily said, "Deng and Shang Bing were sent to the locust tree right after they arrived? He didn't even let them stay in the palace to celebrate the Lantern Festival? How could he be so heartless?!"

None of the guards responded, and some even pretended not to hear.

Zhu Chong took a deep breath of the cold early spring air, calmed down a little, and then walked towards the locust tree.

When I returned to the thatched cottage in the locust tree, I found that there were indeed more guards in plain clothes around.

Zhu Chong paused and walked in.

As soon as I reached the courtyard, I heard Deng's sharp scolding from inside the house, "You bitch, why are you so slow in boiling water?"

"It'll be ready soon."

Another female voice came from the kitchen, a voice that was once familiar but now sounded quite strange.

Only then did Zhu Chong notice that smoke was coming out of the kitchen chimney.

"Can Guanyin slaves boil water?"

This thought suddenly popped up in Zhu Chong's mind, and he subconsciously went into the kitchen to see what was going on.

After entering, I saw a woman in cotton clothes sitting in front of the stove and boiling water.

The woman's bun was a little messy, with a piece of straw stuck to it, and her originally clean and thin face was also stained with some cigarette ash.

When he came in, the water in the pot was boiling and steam was rising. The woman quickly stood up and lifted the lid of the pot, revealing her entire face and meeting Zhu Chong's eyes.

It turns out to be a slave of Guanyin.

But Zhu Chong discovered that compared to Guanyin Nu who lived in seclusion in a detached courtyard of the Qin Palace in Xi'an before he returned to the capital, Guanyin Nu at this time was obviously plumper, not as thin as before, and her complexion was better.

"Mrs. Deng definitely didn't treat her. It was probably someone sent by that old man who did it."

Zhu Chong made a judgment subconsciously in his heart.

As for why the people who went to do the work wanted to regulate Guanyinnu's body, the reason is not difficult to guess - given Guanyinnu's physical condition when she was in the palace, if she was not regulated, she would most likely not be able to make the long journey to the capital and would die on the way.

While Zhu Chong was thinking about these things, Guanyinnu was stunned for a moment before recognizing him.

Then she bowed deeply and said, "I greet the king."

Guanyinnu was born into a noble family of the former Yuan Dynasty, but her etiquette education was better than Deng's, and it was difficult to find fault with her.

Zhu Chong came back to his senses after hearing this and frowned, saying, "I have been demoted to a commoner. Please stop calling me King. It makes me upset."

Guanyinnu nodded, opened the lid of the pot, took out a bowl, scalded it with boiling water and poured it out, then scooped out the water.

She thought about it, then took out two more bowls, scalded them with water and set them aside.

Then he picked up one of the bowls of water and walked out.

Zhu Chong made way and turned around with his eyes fixed on Guanyinnu. Just as he was about to remind Guanyinnu that he could use the coal stove to boil water in the future, he found that Deng had been standing under the eaves of the corridor, looking at him with a gloomy face.

Meeting Zhu Chong's gaze, Deng sneered and said, "I caused Shang Bing and I to be separated and end up in this shabby place. And yet, I came here to see this bitch first. How kind of me!"

Zhu Chong really likes Deng, but now he feels guilty towards her.

After hearing this, although he was unhappy in his heart, he still explained: "I was just worried that she wouldn't be able to light the fire and might damage things in the kitchen, so I went to check."

Guanyin Nu came under the eaves with a bowl in her hand and advised, "We just arrived. If you have anything to say, drink some water and rest for a while."

"Do you have the right to speak?!" Deng said and slapped Guanyinnu in the face.

Guanyinnu dropped the bowl with a low cry and stepped back.

Both women were wearing thick clothes and were not scalded by the hot water, but Guanyinnu was slow to retreat, and was hit in the face by half a slap from Deng, leaving several red fingerprints on her thin face.

"Bitch, you still dare to hide?"

Deng continued to curse and chased after him and slapped him again.

Guanyinnu raised her hand and grabbed Deng's wrist, but then seemed to realize something and let go, then retreated again. "You still dare to fight back? Wait till I teach you a lesson today! My father could beat you Yuan dogs to flee north, and I can beat you to submission!"

In this way, Deng continued to pursue, and Guanyin Nu sometimes fought back and sometimes retreated.

Two women actually staged a fight in this small farmyard!
The guards and personal soldiers who were monitoring and protecting outside were all dumbfounded. Only then did they realize that Zhu Chong's main wife and secondary wife both had good skills.

Think about it and it becomes clear.

Deng's father was the famous general of the founding of the Ming Dynasty, Duke Weiguo. It was normal for him to have practiced some martial arts since he was a child due to being influenced by the martial arts.

As for Guanyinnu, she is Wang Baobao's biological sister. Although she is a former Yuan noble, she was born in troubled times, so it is normal for her to have some skills.

After watching for a while, these people realized that Guanyin Nu's skills were even better than Deng's. Because of his concerns, he only fought back at the critical moment, and ended up being chased and beaten by Deng.

This was the first time Zhu Chong had seen his two women engage in a fight. He was stunned for a moment before shouting, "Stop fighting!"

Deng refused to listen and kept chasing Guanyinnu - the right to truce was obviously in Deng's hands, not Guanyinnu's.

Zhu Chong caught a glimpse of a person watching outside the courtyard, who seemed to be laughing. He was furious and stepped forward, grabbing Deng and shouting, "I told you to stop!"

Deng was stunned by Zhu Chong's grab and yell. She slowly turned her head to look at Zhu Chong and said in disbelief, "You yelled at me?"

Zhu Chong had inherited the Zhu family's deep affection for women. Seeing Deng's expression, he softened his tone and said, "There are so many people watching outside. Aren't you ashamed of chasing and beating her like this?"

Deng was furious, as if deeply hurt. "You think it's embarrassing, but you won't help me stop her and let me give her a good beating to vent my anger?!"

"Besides, what right do you have to feel ashamed now? You and the Deng family have already lost all their reputation because you were demoted to a commoner!"

Zhu Chong never expected that his deep affection would be met with Deng's unreasonable demands and sarcasm.

This made him very sad. He wanted to say something but didn't know how. Finally, he said, "Where's Shang Bing?"

Deng's rage seemed unquenchable, and hearing this was like adding fuel to the fire. She shouted frantically, "You still dare to ask Shang Bing? I thought you only had this bitch in your heart!"

Zhu Chong frowned and his voice turned cold. "Let me ask you, where is Shang Bing?"

Seeing that he was unhappy, Deng seemed to feel happy and sneered, "I won't tell you."

As she finished speaking, Guanyin Nu whispered, "Shang Bing was sent to the palace. They said he would be handed over to the Queen Mother."

When Zhu Chong learned that his son was with Empress Ma, he felt relieved.

Deng was furious as if her tail had been stepped on, and rushed towards Guanyinnu again.

"How dare you butt in, you bitch? Minding my business? Are you trying to steal my son?!"

Guanyinnu didn't fight with Deng, but just hid around Zhu Chong.

After being turned around a few times, Zhu Chong became annoyed again. He grabbed Deng again and shouted, "Stop making trouble!"

Just as Mrs. Deng was about to call out something, she heard a cough outside the courtyard gate.

Zhu Chong turned his head and saw that a group of people had appeared in the crowd. They were led by Zhu Biao, Zhu Ying, Zhu Zi, Zhu Tan, Zhu Chun and Zhu Bai, and their followers followed behind them.

Seeing the shocked and astonished faces of these brothers, Zhu Chong's face turned completely dark.

He dragged Deng into the main house, locked the door from the outside, pushed Guanyinnu into the kitchen, and then came to the courtyard gate.

He stared at Zhu Biao and said coldly, "What are you doing here again? It's not enough for you to watch me embarrass myself alone, but you brought a group of people with you?"

Zhu Biao smiled bitterly, "If I say that I came at an unfortunate time, would you believe me, second brother?"

"Do you think I should believe it?"

Zhu Biao sighed, knowing it was not the right time to talk to Zhu Chong today, so he said, "Tomorrow is the Lantern Festival. I heard that Guanyinnu and Deng had come to your place, and my mother was worried that you were running low on daily necessities, so she asked me to bring some over."

After saying this, he signaled his followers to move the things inside.

Zhu Chong didn't stop him - he didn't have any good stuff here, and if someone gave it to him, only a fool would refuse it.

But he took a few special glances and found that they were just some ordinary daily necessities. There was nothing good, and there was no cloth or silk that could be used directly as money.

This made him realize that his mother was actually in the same boat with that man.

After all the things were delivered, Zhu Biao said again: "It is really not appropriate to disturb my second brother today. I will come again another day. After all, Guanyinnu and Deng are married to you. Treat them well."

After saying that, he left with his brothers who were still in shock.

Zhu Ying was fine, but Zhu Tan and the other young princes only came to their senses after they had walked out of the locust tree. They immediately started discussing with each other.

"Is that crazy woman Deng or Guanyin slave?"

"I met him a few years ago. He was Deng."

"Oh my god, Mrs. Deng is like a shrew and a lunatic. How could my second brother dote on her?"

"Who knows? Maybe my second brother just likes this kind of woman?"

"By the way, my second brother has obviously lost weight and become darker since he first returned to Beijing last year."

"Who says he isn't? If I saw him on the street with this look on his face, I'd probably recognize him."

"···"

Zhu Biao listened to his brothers' discussion, but of course he would not tell them that Zhu Ying and Deng were like-minded, and he remained silent.

In this way, the group passed Chaoyang Gate and met another group when they were more than a hundred steps away from Donghua Gate.

The leader was riding on a huge horse that was completely black except for its four snow-white hooves. It was Liu Kuan.

Zhu Biao took the initiative to stop the team. After Liu Kuan and his group stopped and saluted, he asked curiously, "What are you doing in such a hurry, brother-in-law?"

It was still chilly in spring, and the wind from his trot just now made Liu Kuan's face look a little numb, but it still couldn't hide his happy expression.

Hearing this, he said, "Your Highness, the project team has received news that they will be conducting the first test run of a steam train near Lime Mountain."

Zhu Biao was stunned for a moment, then he exclaimed in delight: "The train has been built?!"

　Third update.

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(End of this chapter)