The disgraced official I took care of was actually Zhu Houcong's childhood friend.

But that's history, and that's normal; not all records are necessarily true.

Moreover, Zhou Chu himself was unsure whether his world was the history he knew or a parallel world.

Many pieces of information need to be verified from multiple sources. We cannot rely solely on historical memories to make decisions, or we will suffer serious consequences.

Regardless of the circumstances, Zhou Chu knew very well that Xia Yan was definitely a ruthless person, a thoroughly ruthless person.

This was a ruthless man who, after becoming the Grand Secretary, dared to plot to burn Zhu Houcong down on multiple occasions, not just once or twice, but many times.

Zhu Houcong burned everything he went with him.

If it weren't for Lu Bing, Zhu Houcong would have died countless times.

Even the later Renyin Palace Coup had his shadow behind it.

It's no wonder that Zhu Houcong's personality changed drastically later. Anyone else who went through what he went through would have gone crazy.

In the end, Xia Yan was thoroughly dealt with by Zhu Houcong. He was carried to the execution ground like a pig and beheaded at the waist.

It is clear that Zhu Houcong hated him to the core.

Although Yan Song is now following his connections, Yan Song and he are ultimately two different people and are destined not to be on the same path.

However, just in case, Zhou Chu still needs to cut off Yan Song's escape route in the future, making him a complete member of the emperor's faction.

Not long after Lu Song left, Lu Bing came again.

“My mother has prepared a generous gift and would like to ask you, Hengqi, to make an introduction. Princess Deqing saved our Lu family, and we should repay her handsomely, both out of courtesy and reason.”

Upon hearing this, Zhou Chu felt like he had finally found a pillow when he was sleepy.

He was just looking for an excuse to visit the princess's residence, hoping to finalize the business partnership with Princess Deqing.

Now we have a reason.

Just then, Tang Bohu walked in humming a little tune. He had taken on the job of teaching Lin Zhi, so naturally he had to come to Zhou Chu's house every day to give Lin Zhi lessons.

When Zhou Chu saw Tang Bohu, his eyes lit up immediately.

Now that everyone is in place, what are we waiting for?

"Brother, go and tell Aunt that we will depart for the Princess's residence in fifteen minutes."

Zhou Chu looked at Lu Bingdao.

Upon hearing this, Lu Bing stopped and bowed to Tang Bohu before turning and leaving.

Tang Bohu felt uneasy under Zhou Chu's gaze; he had a feeling that the kid was up to no good.

"What are you trying to do, kid?"

"Of course, I want the teacher to go to the princess's residence with me and catch up with the princess."

Zhou Chu chuckled.

Zhou Chu then told Tang Bohu about Yang's desire to go to the princess's residence to express her gratitude, and about his own desire to partner with the princess in business.

Upon hearing this, Tang Bohu put his hands behind his back, turned around, and looked as if he were sacrificing himself for Zhou Chu.

"Since you've put it that way, what can I do for you and Madam Lu's sake?"

Seeing his demeanor, Zhou Chu couldn't help but roll his eyes, thinking to himself, "You're probably secretly happy about it. I've already come up with this excuse for you, so be happy about it."

The master and apprentice each had their own thoughts, but neither of them spoke them aloud.

Zhou Chu never intended to hide his idea of ​​partnering with the Princess's residence from Tang Bohu. Tang Bohu was his teacher, and after spending the past few years together, they could be considered family.

Moreover, when they arrive at the Princess's residence later, the only one who will likely have the opportunity to spend time with Princess Deqing will probably be the old man.

It was most appropriate for him to bring this up.

After finalizing the decision, Zhou Chu asked Chunlan to go to the backyard and call Lin Zhi and his sister over.

Although Lin Zhi was crying and howling when Lin Yao beat him, it wasn't serious, and you couldn't even tell from the surface that he had been beaten.

On one hand, Lin Zhi deliberately made such an exaggerated noise in an attempt to lure Zhou Chu over so that he wouldn't get beaten up.

On the other hand, Lin Yao had hit Lin Zhi countless times, so she was naturally very careful with her strength; it was just playful fighting between siblings.

Soon, all the people who were going to the princess's residence had arrived.

Tang Bohu, Zhou Chu, and Lin Zhi led the way on horseback, followed by two carriages. One carriage carried Yang Shi and Lin Yao, while the other was used to carry the gifts of gratitude.