Ming Dynasty: At the beginning, the house was ransacked and the ancestral temple was burned down.

Chapter 21 A chance encounter!

That night.

Just like the previous two days, the Zhang family all gathered in the backyard lobby where the coffins were placed, clinging to each other to keep warm throughout the night.

The door panel of the backyard lobby had been kicked to pieces by the Jinyi guards during the search of the house, and the draft was blowing through the hall. Fortunately, Jiangling in May was not too cold, and it would not freeze to death.

At this time, except for Zhang Jianxiu and Zhang Jingxiu, all the other Zhang family members seemed to have fallen asleep due to hunger.

"You're the only one who's not asleep yet. Go to sleep quickly." The fourth child, Zhang Jianxiu, patted his younger brother Zhang Jingxiu slightly stiffly, trying to coax his younger brother to sleep.

"The ancestral hall is better. It's warm and doesn't have drafts. Unfortunately, it's been burned beyond recognition. Even though it's dark everywhere, the ground is still full of water." Zhang Jingxiu sighed and complained.

"I don't know which bastard set the fire!" Zhang Jianxiu was so irritable that when he thought of the fire in the ancestral hall, he couldn't help but clenched his fists and gritted his teeth: "If you let me know who it is, I will peel off his skin." You can’t come down!”

Hearing these cruel words from his fourth brother, the 'arsonist' Zhang Jingxiu shrank his neck silently and subconsciously leaned towards his eldest nephew Zhang Chonghui who was already asleep in order to seek safety and protection.

"What time is it now?" Zhang Chonghui asked suddenly. He was not actually asleep, but just closing his eyes to rest.

"It's almost the third watch." Seeing that his eldest nephew woke up so quickly, Zhang Jianxiu thought that the child was too frightened to sleep peacefully, so he hurriedly comforted:

"Chonghui, my fourth uncle will keep watch tonight, so you can sleep peacefully. I'm here, so don't be afraid."

"It's the third update so soon." Zhang Chonghui sat up straight, yawned, and stretched again.

Since it’s almost the third update, it’s time to wake up.

"Fourth uncle, I'm so hungry. I'm too hungry to sleep." Zhang Chonghui turned to Zhang Jianxiu and said.

Zhang Jianxiu was also hungry, so he could only comfort him: "Go to sleep. You won't be hungry when you sleep."

"No." Zhang Chonghui disagreed, and even changed from his normal state and said unreasonably: "Fourth uncle, I'm so hungry that I really can't sleep. Go find me some food."

"I..." Zhang Jianxiu was also extremely helpless. Now his family was impoverished, and the door was surrounded by officers and soldiers. He couldn't even get out. Where could he find food?

"Hurry up, I'm starving to death." Zhang Chonghui urged again.

Zhang Jianxiu was in a dilemma. When he was in trouble, his nephew Zhang Chonghui came up with a solution.

"Fourth uncle, isn't that Jin Yiwei named Luo your former subordinate? You go to him to ask for some food. I think he should..."

"no!"

Before Zhang Chonghui could finish his words, he was directly and decisively rejected by Zhang Jianxiu.

As the most arrogant son of Zhang Juzheng, Zhang Jianxiu is extremely conceited and arrogant at heart.

The current poor situation has already hit him hard. If he is asked to ask for food from his former subordinates, what is the difference between this and begging?
  All in all, Zhang Jianxiu couldn't bend this waist at all!

However, in the face of reality, a penny can stump a heroic man, and two buckets of rice can also break a hero's waist.

In the end, Zhang Jianxiu had no choice but to lose face and grit his teeth to beg his former subordinate Luo Sigong.

The main reason why Zhang Jianxiu abandoned the face that he valued so much was because he failed to withstand Zhang Chonghui's family card attack.

In order to "eat", his eldest nephew actually moved out his father Zhang Jingxiu and his grandfather Zhang Juzheng who had been dead for two years in the coffin.

"Fourth uncle, do you think my father would be very sad if he knew that his only flesh and blood was so hungry that he couldn't sleep?"

"Fourth uncle, I just dreamed of my grandfather. He felt sorry for me when he saw me hungry. He said he wanted to take me to his place and live a good life with him."

The tragic death of his eldest brother had already made Zhang Jianxiu extremely sad, and Zhang Chonghui's next words frightened Zhang Jianxiu even more.

Looking at Zhang Chonghui's helpless and weak look, Zhang Jianxiu couldn't help but start to get scared. If his old father Zhang Juzheng really wanted to 'take away' his eldest nephew, how would he explain it to his dead eldest brother? In the end, Zhang Jianxiu could only sigh helplessly and stood up to find his former subordinate Luo Sigong.

While leaving, Zhang Jianxiu was a little strange. Why did his always 'steady' nephew suddenly become so unreasonable and troublesome?
  After thinking about it again, I no longer find it strange.

After all, the eldest nephew is only a six-year-old child. No matter how big a brat he is, he can't resist the nature of a child.

Zhang Jianxiu left, and Zhang Chonghui was also preparing to start tonight's 'mission'.

The reason why he was so 'unreasonable' was because he had no choice but to do so. After all, the 'agreed' time was coming soon, and he had to quickly send away Zhang Jianxiu, the only 'strong man', otherwise it would be difficult for him to operate later.

"Nephew, what are you going to do?" Uncle Sixth Uncle Zhang Jingxiu called to Zhang Chonghui who was about to leave.

"I'm going to find my fourth uncle." Zhang Chonghui compiled, "I'm afraid he'll steal your share, so I'll watch him for you."

"I'll go too." Zhang Jingxiu said and got up: "I'm afraid you two will steal my share."

"No!" Zhang Chonghui pushed Zhang Jingxiu back and said seriously: "The fourth uncle is not here, and the second uncle, third uncle, and fifth uncle are not in good condition, so now you are the head of our Zhang family. You have to be here Protect the whole family and don’t leave without permission, do you understand?”

"Head of the family?" Zhang Jingxiu didn't realize how serious he was, and suddenly felt the burden on his shoulders sinking. He sat back silently, clenched his fists and said seriously: "I understand! I want to protect them here!"

Zhang Chonghui gave Zhang Jingxiu an affirmative look, and finally gave Zhang Jingxiu a strong shot of chicken blood with words: "Uncle Six, you are such a man!"

Zhang Jingxiu's face glowed red, and he waved his hands deeply and said: "Ahem, I am an elder, this is what I should do."

……

Middle Court.

Ren Yangxin didn't expect that it was almost midnight and Luo Sigong hadn't slept yet.

The two of them met by chance on a secluded path leading from the middle courtyard to the backyard.

"Master Ren, why are you here so late? Don't you live in an inn?"

Luo Sigong actually didn't expect to meet Ren Yangxin at this hour. The reason why he was here was because he was just reminiscing with an 'old friend'.

Before even a few words had been exchanged, Luo Sigong discovered that Ren Yangxin was sneaking around nearby with a lantern. Due to an occupational illness, he had to ask his old friend to wait for a while while he asked about the situation first.

"Ahem, it turns out it's Mr. Luo." Ren Yangxin pretended to be calm and replied, "I accidentally lost something in the backyard of this house today. It's really an important item. I was so anxious that I came to look for it all night."

"Important items? How important? Are you looking for them all night long? Also, why don't you bring anyone with you?" Luo Sigong asked a series of questions directly.

Ren Yangxin immediately turned cold: "Master Luo, I'm not a prisoner. You shouldn't be interrogating me like this, right?"

Luo Sigong realized that he had gone too far, and said with a superficial smile: "Isn't this a special time? I was so offended just now in a hurry, I hope Sir Ren will not take offense."

In order to make herself look more 'confident', Ren Yangxin still had a cold face and looked offended as she replied:

"How can I, a little seventh-grade censor, dare to offend you, a dignified fourth-grade official? I am just anxious to find the peace charm that my old mother embroidered for me at home. If Mr. Luo doesn't stop me, I will already Thank God.”

Luo Sigong's smile froze. He knew that Ren Yangxin was laughing at him because his status as a fourth-grade general was not as high as that of his opponent, a seventh-grade censor.

Although he felt unhappy, Luo Sigong was not Zhang Cheng. He would not break up with Ren Yangxin. He just said meaningfully:
  "Master Ren is really filial. Since you are so anxious to find the peace charm your mother embroidered for you, then go look for it as soon as possible. If you really can't find it, I can send someone to help you find it."

"Thank you, no need!" Ren Yangxin refused arrogantly, and then strode towards the backyard.

Ren Yangxin's words and actions seemed to show that he was aboveboard, but his confident back made Luo Sigong, who had an occupational disease, look suspicious in his eyes.

　I beg you to read it, and I beg you for all kinds of data!

　　
  　
  (End of this chapter)