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

Chapter 696

Although Hu Zongxian and Zhao Zhenji have not yet entered officialdom, everyone knows that once they do, they will rise to great heights.

Xu Jie was originally proud, considering himself to be one of the best among his peers. However, both Hu Zongxian and Zhao Zhenji were much younger than him, with Hu Zongxian being nearly ten years younger.

This gave Xu Jie, who was only twenty-six years old, a sense of frustration, as if the younger generation was surpassing the older generation. The key point was that he, the older generation, had not even accomplished anything yet and was still sitting in the Hanlin Academy.

Now, Xu Jie no longer dares to be as calm and composed as before when facing Zhou Chu, and he doesn't even dare to look Zhou Chu in the eye.

Before entering officialdom, Xu Jie thought that the commander of the Embroidered Uniform Guard was nothing special. After entering officialdom, Xu Jie realized that the gap between himself and Zhou Chu was even greater than the gap between ordinary people and him.

Upon returning to the capital, Emperor Jiajing and his officials showered Wen Zhengming with praise before dispersing.

Not long after Wen Zhengming entered officialdom, Zhou Chu arranged a three-courtyard house for him in the capital.

Zhou Chu knew very well that a three-courtyard house was the most suitable, as it was understated and suited Wen Zhengming's temperament. Moreover, giving away a larger house would be a burden for Wen Zhengming. Relationships between people are hard to define. If one person owes another too much, their relationship will not be very good.

On the contrary, the kind of relationship where you owe each other nothing is the most relaxed and comfortable.

So when Wen Zhengming received his salary and insisted on returning the money Zhou Chu had spent on the house, Zhou Chu did not refuse.

Nowadays, Wen Zhengming's three-courtyard residence is no longer as deserted as before. Boxes of imperial gifts are being carried in, and countless people are coming to deliver visiting cards, almost breaking down the threshold of the Wen residence.

Tang Bohu didn't even bother to send a visiting card, and went straight to the Wen residence. Seeing Wen Zhengming's smug look, he felt a pang of jealousy.

"You think you're destined to be a marquis?"

Tang Bohu said in a somewhat sarcastic tone.

It's no wonder Tang Bohu was like this; his life was truly full of twists and turns. Compared to him, Wen Zhengming, that old fellow, although he was constantly frustrated in the imperial examinations, had a smooth life.

If that were all, Tang Bohu wouldn't be jealous. Even if Wen Zhengming were recommended for officialdom, Tang Bohu would at most feel envious.

But now that his brother of many years had suddenly been granted a title, Tang Bohu felt very uncomfortable and jealous, so he spoke in a sarcastic tone.

"Thanks to Hengqi's planning, and Hu Ruzhen and Zhao Zhenji, I was just lucky."

Wen Zhengming looked at Tang Bohu and the Verdun racetrack.

Wen Zhengming's words only made Tang Bohu grit his teeth in anger.

"I don't know what kind of luck you had, you old bastard."

Tang Bohu was so angry his nose was crooked.

If it were anyone else, they would probably have already started mocking Tang Bohu by now, but Wen Zhengming was different. He knew all too well how bumpy Tang Bohu's life had been, so he never brought up Tang Bohu's past.

"If you want, it's not too late to enter officialdom now. The Ming Dynasty is expanding, and there will be plenty of opportunities to make contributions in the future."

Wen Zhengming said earnestly.

He genuinely hoped that his old friend could fulfill his dream.

Upon hearing this, Tang Bohu thought for a moment and then sighed.

"Forget it, my ambition has long been worn away. I might as well give this opportunity to Shuisheng. I'm too old. Hengqi said that Shuisheng is not only top-notch in painting, but also has extraordinary military talent. In this respect, he is somewhat similar to that girl Yun Jin."

Shuisheng was Xu Wei's childhood name. Tang Bohu had someone tell Xu Wei's fortune and found that he lacked the element of water in his destiny, so he gave him this childhood name.

Xu Wei is now eight years old. His talent in painting is top-notch, even surpassing that of Tang Bohu. His military talent is even more remarkable. Historically, Xu Wei was Hu Zongxian's advisor, and Hu Zongxian relied on his strategies to quell the Japanese pirates along the southeast coast.