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

Chapter 223

Who told them to collude with the Jiangnan Chamber of Commerce to harbor bandits and cause trouble in the past? Now they can only say they are reaping what they sowed and have no way to complain.

After some time, Zhou Chu never encountered fire again, nor was he assassinated, and there was no one who wanted to poison him.

"It seems the adults were right; these people are indeed bullies who prey on the weak and fear the strong."

After several days without any unexpected incidents, Shen Lian was starting to feel a little out of sorts.

At this moment, Zhou Chu and his group were at the temporary headquarters of the Embroidered Uniform Guard in Huating County, Songjiang Prefecture.

Unlike the temporary offices of the Embroidered Uniform Guard in other prefectures and counties, Huating County seemed to handle affairs much faster than other prefectures and counties.

"grown ups."

Upon seeing Zhou Chu, the group of Imperial Guards hurriedly bowed.

Now, every Jinyiwei (Imperial Guard) in every prefecture in Jiangnan knows Zhou Chu. To prevent any misunderstandings, Zhou Chu had already sent portraits of himself, Shen Lian, and Lin Lu to the Jinyiwei offices in each prefecture.

Zhou Chu didn't want to have to go through the experience of pretending to be weak while actually being strong every time he went somewhere.

"How come you're handling this so quickly? Are you just trying to appease the people?"

Zhou Chu asked, somewhat puzzled.

“My lord, how could I dare? There happens to be a talented young man whom our commander knows in Huating County. He volunteered to handle these matters for us, and naturally he can do it much faster than us roughnecks.”

The leader of the centurions hurriedly explained.

"Oh? Who is it?"

Zhou Chu asked in confusion.

"This man's surname is Xu, given name is Jie, courtesy name is Zisheng, and he is a student of Magistrate Nie of Huating County."

The centurion dared not conceal the truth and answered honestly.

Zhou Chu was somewhat surprised to hear this. He hadn't expected it to be such a coincidence that he would run into Xu Jie so soon after arriving in Huating County.

As for Lord Nie of Huating County, he is none other than Nie Bao, Xu Jie's teacher. However, Nie Bao is not yet Wang Yangming's student. The true successor of Wang Yangming's philosophy will probably have to wait another two years until Wang Yangming establishes the academy before he becomes Wang Yangming's disciple.

Nie Bao is indeed a talented individual; perhaps he can teach at the academy in the future.

Unfortunately, Xu Jie was disliked by Zhou Chu.

This person is too good at disguising himself and too hypocritical. He is always meticulous in his actions, and even the officials of the Six Departments cannot find fault with him.

Once such a person grows up, they can easily become too powerful to control.

However, Zhou Chu also knew that Xu Jie's rapid rise to power was almost inevitable. At present, the Jiangnan Group was weak and isolated in the court, with only Xia Yan struggling to cope. It was imperative to cultivate a new representative.

Xu Jie was the perfect candidate. He was originally from Songjiang Prefecture, a native of Jiangnan, and had deep ties with the local gentry.

Xu Jie's intervention to help the Embroidered Uniform Guard handle these matters was likely a gesture to the court, paving the way for his future official career. After all, once in office, anything he had done could be considered a meritorious deed.

Zhou Chu believed that Xu Jie and the Jiangnan Group were not yet entangled at this time, but it was only a matter of time before the Jiangnan Group took notice of him.

Zhou Chu strolled into the temporary office of the Embroidered Uniform Guard and saw another Embroidered Uniform Guard commander sitting at the head of the table, with a distinguished and elegant young man standing beside him. The young man kept whispering suggestions to the commander, who nodded repeatedly, handling the grievances raised by the people below with ease.

Soon, the centurion sitting at the head of the table noticed Zhou Chu and his entourage. He was immediately shocked, hurriedly stood up, and bowed to Zhou Chu.

"Your subordinate greets you, sir. I was unaware of your presence and have failed to properly welcome you."

Xu Jie, who was standing nearby, was surprised to see that a Jinyiwei commander was so respectful to the young man in front of him. However, he quickly realized that the young man in front of him, who looked to be about the same age as himself, must be Zhou Chu, the Jinyiwei commander who had been making headlines all day.

Although Zhou Chu is not yet seventeen years old, his brows have long lost their childishness, and his words and actions exude a dignified air that is far beyond what ordinary people can match. Although Xu Jie is nineteen years old, he also thought that Zhou Chu was about the same age as him.

"Student Xu Jie greets Your Excellency."

Xu Jie hurriedly stepped forward to greet him.