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

Chapter 534

Zhu Zhiyang looked at his son with a face full of disappointment.

Upon hearing this, Zhu Qiyuan immediately understood something and broke out in a cold sweat.

"It would be better if we didn't take action against Zhou Chu. But if we did, it would be a slap in the face to the Emperor. The Emperor might have shown leniency because I am the Prince of Jin. But if we do, and Zhou Chu dies, what will happen then? Will that be the end of it? Not only will it not be, but it will probably also provoke His Majesty's wrath. At that point, you and I will truly have no way out."

Zhu Zhiyang rarely spoke to his son like this. In the past, he didn't even talk to his son, only indulging in pleasure. Now, perhaps feeling that his good days were over, he seemed to be pinning his hopes on Zhu Qiyuan and unusually spoke more.

"Your Majesty understands. Your Majesty will immediately send men to stop those merchants and rescue Zhou Chu."

Zhu Qiyuan bowed and said.

Zhu Zhiyang nodded upon hearing this.

"Actually, Zhou Chu, as the commander of the Embroidered Uniform Guard, was able to annihilate tens of thousands of Mongol cavalry in Datong. He is no easy opponent. These people dare to assassinate Zhou Chu. They are simply ignorant. However, we should still make the necessary gestures and send someone to rescue Zhou Chu. We must do it perfectly."

Zhu Zhiyang sighed.

Now that things have come to this, Zhu Zhiyang blames no one but himself for betting on the wrong horse and choosing the wrong side. But there's nothing he can do. Over the years, the Jin Prince's Mansion and the merchants of Taiyuan have had too deep and complicated relationships, and Zhu Zhiyang has long been accustomed to a life of pleasure and extravagance.

It's easy to go from extravagance to frugality, but difficult to go from frugality to extravagance. Zhu Zhiyang couldn't make up his mind to give up his previous life, and with the instigation of those merchants, he had no choice but to go down this dark path.

Often, when faced with choices, people encounter complex situations. The saying "one is caught in the web of life and has no choice but to follow the crowd" profoundly illustrates Zhu Zhiyang's predicament.

However, things have already come to this point, and Zhu Zhiyang is not foolish enough to let the entire Prince Jin's mansion be buried with him. If this matter is handled properly, he may not die. At most, he will be demoted to a commoner. After all, there is a precedent of the previous Prince Dai, and the royal family also has to save face.

Zhu Zhiyang was aware of this, and not only was he aware of it, but the other princely mansions were also aware of it. Even if they did such things, the court would deal with them leniently for the sake of its own face and the face of the princely mansions in various places.

As soon as Zhou Chu, Shen Lian, and Da Zhu entered Taiyuan, they were targeted by countless people.

After several days of travel and eating dry rations every day, the three of them were eager for a good meal. After entering Taiyuan, they found a restaurant and went inside.

"Gentlemen, what would you like to eat?"

The waiter in the restaurant came up to the group and said solicitously.

"Give me three bowls of mutton soup with bread, and two roasted lamb legs, with plenty of spices. I won't shortchange you."

Zhou Chu said.

"Alright, everyone, please wait a moment."

Upon hearing this, the waiter's eyes lit up. From Zhou Chu's words, he knew that the three people in front of him were rare big spenders.

Roasted lamb leg in Taiyuan is naturally much more expensive than regular noodles, but spices are more expensive than lamb leg. Roasted lamb leg usually doesn't have many spices; it's basically just salt.

During the Yongle reign, spices became increasingly cheaper as Zheng He continued his voyages to the Western Ocean. However, after the Yongle reign, the voyages were discontinued, and naturally, the supply of spices among the common people decreased, leading to a surge in their price.

Of course, people from Jiangnan used to smuggle spices from Southeast Asia to the Ming Dynasty for sale, but they always controlled the quantity and price of these smuggled spices.

The spices used for these two roasted lamb legs alone cost more than the lamb legs themselves.

Even a single roasted lamb leg would be too much for three people to finish, but Zhou Chu, Shen Lian, and Da Zhu were all martial arts practitioners with enormous appetites, so even two roasted lamb legs might not be enough for them.