Wu Sangui Villa, Shanhaiguan, Zishi.
At this moment, the five-entry courtyard was shrouded in darkness.
The crowds and grandeur during the day were all gone, with only a few occasional low shouts and the white light of the blade flashing from time to time, showing the majesty and uneasiness of this place.
At this time, a rush of footsteps broke the silence.
Then a flickering light lit up in the study in the southeast corner, and Zu Zerun's complaining voice was vaguely heard: "Steward Wang, what on earth is going on? You have to wake me up in the middle of the night?"
It turns out that Zu Zerun has been living on tenterhooks these past few days because he is worried about Zu Dashou's safety and is afraid that his plan will go wrong.
In addition, he experienced a big battle during the day and was later intimidated by Zhu Yuanzhang, so he was already exhausted.
So after he managed to deal with the Chen Yuanyuan matter, he couldn't bear it anymore.
Unexpectedly, when he was sleeping soundly, he was suddenly awakened by the housekeeper Wang Shengde and dragged him to the study.
If Wang Shengde hadn't been the old man next to Zu Dashou, and had been lurking in Shanhaiguan to take care of the family's affairs, and had made suggestions for him when he sneaked into Shanhaiguan several times before, he would have cursed loudly.
Wang Shengde didn't seem to see Zu Zerun's dissatisfaction. He first looked out cautiously, then closed the study door tightly, and then whispered: "Young Master, it's not good, Wu Tao was caught by the Jin Yiwei." !」
"Catch and catch..."
Wu Zerun responded instinctively, but before he finished speaking, he immediately woke up and said with a surprised look on his face: "What did you say, Wu Tao was captured by the Jin Yiwei?"
Wang Shengde nodded and said, "Yes, and I heard that he was captured by His Majesty's bodyguard Zhang Dabiao himself."
"Zhang Dabiao?"
Zu Zerun was completely frightened and said anxiously: "When did it happen? Do you know why Zhang Dabiao wanted to arrest Wu Tao?"
Wang Shengde said: "It should be almost two hours ago. I haven't found out what happened specifically yet, but I heard that Wu Tao was caught near Wang Fuzhi's residence."
Zu Zerun frowned and said, "Why did he go to Wang Fu's mansion so well? Could it be that he..."
As he spoke, he asked with some dissatisfaction: "Why did it take so long before we got the news about this incident?"
"Did those bitches go to prostitutes again to enjoy themselves? I have said this many times..."
"Young Master, this is not the time to hold people accountable. And if Wu Liu hadn't accidentally learned about this there, we still don't know what happened!"
"For the current plan, we still need to find out as soon as possible why Wu Tao went to Wang Fuzhi's mansion and what he recruited. Otherwise, I worry that not only will all the previous plans be in vain, but you may also be implicated!"
After Wang Shengde interrupted Zu Zerun's words, he looked worried again.
Zu Zerun said helplessly: "Where can I go to find out?"
"You also know that since my father defected to the Jurchens, the power of Anyu camp has been controlled by Wu Sangui. You have been in Shanhaiguan for many years and you still have no connections. What can I do for a while?"
After Wang Shengde heard this, he was silent for a while and whispered: "I saw Wang Euzhi treating you well before, and Wu Tao was arrested near his residence. This matter may implicate him. Do you think you can find him?" Want to find out some information?"
Zu Zerun nodded and was about to get up, but stopped again and said with some hesitation: "It's getting late now, I'm afraid it's not appropriate to go at this moment!"
Wang Shengde said angrily: "Young Master, what time is it now and you still worry about this?"
"If Wu Tao really betrayed you, then he might have gone to Mr. Wang's place on purpose and was caught. If you go now, you can explain clearly."
"You must know that when you admitted on the city wall that Wu Sangui surrendered to the Jurchens, he may have been a little suspicious of you. If there is another rift due to this matter, then the rescue of the master may not be possible!"
Seeing Wang Shengde's change of expression, Zu Zerun said with an unhappy expression, "Can you blame me for this?"
"Wu Sangui has obviously surrendered, but you still insist on saying that he only
He was captured alive. At that time, Chongzhen...I couldn't react for a moment, so I said it wrong. And didn't we hand over Chen Yuanyuan and others to show our kindness to him? "
When Wang Shengde saw Zu Zerun angry, he didn't care.
Because he knew that the other party was impatient by nature and would be the most aggrieved, so he did not have any bad intentions, so he did not persuade him. He just shook his head helplessly and said, "Young Master, even though I don't know about this, I can still guess." To what point?"
"You must know that although I have my heart towards the Ming Dynasty, I have betrayed it twice. Now, although I have my heart to join the Ming Dynasty, I have been captured again. If Chongzhen learns that Wu Sangui has also defected to the Jurchens, he will not send troops due to his suspicious character."
"Furthermore, you also said that when I was ordered to persuade Wu Sangui, he also wanted to return to the world. Otherwise, he would not have told me about the property, let alone risked writing a letter to Chen Yuanyuan."
"Since he did not sincerely surrender, and the Zu and Wu families are in-laws, they should help each other. Besides, the Zu family has been away from the Ming Dynasty for many days, and its strength is not as good as before."
"But Wu Sangui is in the spotlight. If we can get out of trouble together and support each other, there will be no need to worry about not being able to regain our former glory."
Zu Zerun also knew that what Wang Shengde said was reasonable, but he still said loudly: "If you don't mean it, then how could he take the initiative to ask for help and lead an army to attack Shanhai..."
"My little ancestor, please keep your voice down!"
Wang Shengde didn't wait for Zu Zerun to finish his words, so he interrupted him. Then he looked out of the window. When he saw that there was no movement, he whispered: "Young Master, this matter cannot be publicized!"
"Not to mention that this may be a test move by Wu Sangui or a way to escape. Even if it is true, this means..."
"Bang bang bang!"
At this time, a knock on the door came from the front, which seemed particularly harsh in the silent night.
When Zu and Wang heard the sound, they were both shocked.
Soon afterwards, a soldier hurried in to report that Wang Fuzhi was outside seeking an audience.
Zu Zerun heard the news and was about to go out to greet him, but was grabbed by Wang Shengde.
After Wang Shengde asked the soldier to invite Wang Euzhi to the hall for tea, he said to Zu Zerun, "Young Master, Wang Euzhi must have something important to come here at this time."
"If it is Chen Yuanyuan's matter, he will definitely not come to visit at this time. It is most likely related to Wu Tao's matter. We might as well dry him out first and take some initiative!"
Zu Zerun was a generous man and disliked such intrigues the most. He couldn't help frowning and said: "He came to me in such a hurry, maybe it has something to do with me, so how can I leave him alone!"
"Furthermore, if this matter is really related to him, it may have a greater relationship with us, so we can't delay it. Besides, he has already arrived at the house, so what reason can I give to shirk it?"
Wang Shengde nodded and said: "It's really hard for us to neglect him. So, young master, I will take the excuse of you to sleep and explore his background first!"
"You observe in the dark, and come out after I give you a signal!"
Although Zu Zerun didn't like such pretentiousness, he knew that Wang Shengde was loyal and would never harm him and his family, so he agreed.
Wang Shengde gave a few more instructions and hurriedly walked towards the hall.
When he came to the hall, he couldn't help but be surprised when he saw Wang Fuzhi sipping tea with a leisurely expression.
However, he was also a wealthy man and did not show it. Instead, he apologized repeatedly and ordered people to invite Zu Zerun.
Unexpectedly, Wang Fuzhi stopped him and said that he came unexpectedly and would come to visit another day.
Wang Shengde thought Wang Euzhi was bluffing, so he pretended to persuade him to stay. Unexpectedly, Wang Euzhi said a few words and walked straight out.
When Wang Fuzhi walked out of the door, he realized that the other party was really leaving, and he couldn't help but secretly regret it, blaming himself for self-defeating.
