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

Chapter 407

Chu Li knew everything Yun Jin did in Suzhou Prefecture. Chu Li was very clear that she would be satisfied as long as she could continue to work for Zhou Chu. Zhou Chu's abilities far surpassed hers, and no matter how hard she tried, it would be difficult for her to catch up with him.

On the contrary, Lu Yunjin has been chasing after Zhou Chu. If Chu Li and Yunjin were about the same level, she would still be confident in competing with Yunjin. But Chu Li knows very well that she is far inferior to Yunjin in terms of status, position, and ability.

Chu Li didn't even raise her head to look Yun Jin in the eye, lacking the courage to compete with her.

Chu Li was afraid of losing him, so for her, helping Zhou Chu was also a form of companionship. She was afraid that if she competed for it, she would eventually lose even the right to accompany Zhou Chu.

Chu Li wasn't unwilling to fight; she was a woman too, she was just afraid of losing.

After receiving the letter, Chu Li didn't even bother to take a carriage; instead, she rode a fast horse straight to Shaoxing.

Having been in business for so long, Chu Li had long since learned to ride a horse. In the beginning, she traveled around a lot and learned a lot in the process.

Suzhou Prefecture is about 300 li away from Shaoxing Prefecture. If you take a boat to Yuyao and then from Yuyao to Shaoxing, it is not as fast as riding a horse directly to Shaoxing.

When Chu Li arrived at Zhangjia Village, Zhu Xianrong and others were working in the fields. The labor of the past two days made many princes and princesses regret coming to Zhangjia Village and they returned directly to Shaoxing City and stayed at the Dong Mansion.

The arrival of these princes and princesses had the greatest impact on anyone, undoubtedly Dong Shu'er. She never imagined that the princes and princesses of those vassal kings would willingly come here to live such a hard life.

At the same time, Dong Shu'er also felt very embarrassed. After all, only Zhou Chu's people and the students of the academy knew about her affairs in Zhangjia Village. Now these princes and princesses also knew. Although she was not worthy of Zhu Xianrong and others' attention due to her status, Dong Shu'er still felt very embarrassed.

Fortunately, Chunlan and the others had already arrived at Zhangjia Village, so Zhou Chu no longer needed her to serve him. He let her return to the Dong Mansion with the princes and princesses who couldn't stand it.

Dong Shu'er felt as if she had been granted a pardon. Ever since she learned that Zhou Chu had no feelings for her, every moment in Zhangjia Village had been torture. Yet she dared not suggest leaving, since her father Dong Rui's career depended entirely on her.

Hearing that Zhou Chu had let her leave, Dong Shu'er finally breathed a sigh of relief. She didn't want to stay in Zhangjia Village for even a moment longer. Taking a bath here was a hassle. She missed her life in the Dong family mansion and wished she could fly back to the Dong family mansion instantly.

About half of the princes and princesses left, while the other half stayed. Among those who stayed, most were there to cultivate a good relationship with Zhou Chu. Of course, some had developed an interest in farm work and wanted to continue experiencing this kind of life.

After all, they had never experienced this kind of life in the prince's mansion. Every time they finished working, they would be covered in sweat and feel extremely hungry. The feeling that everything tasted delicious made them very intoxicated.

However, such people are a minority.

Zhu Xianrong was one of those who stayed. His goal was very clear: to get closer to Zhou Chu, the commander of the Embroidered Uniform Guard. Unlike those who left, he couldn't bear any hardship.

A year ago, he began to take over some of the Chu Prince's business. He was very familiar with everything about the Chu Prince's Mansion and was one of the most capable and ambitious princes.

After finishing his farm work, Zhu Xianrong wiped the sweat from his forehead, came to the edge of the field, and glanced at Yan Shifan, who was fighting crickets.

"Little fatso, you're always fighting crickets, have you finished your work yet?"

Yan Shifan glanced at Zhu Xianrong and continued the cricket fight.

"Nonsense, if you don't finish your work, you won't get any food. What do you say?"

In the past two days, Yan Shifan has figured out Zhu Xianrong's temperament and is no longer as reserved as when he first met him.

"Your hobby is somewhat similar to that of Emperor Xuanzong."

As Zhu Xianrong spoke, he bent down and approached the two crickets on the ground, but after looking at them for a long time, he couldn't figure out what they were.

"Is there any difference between these two crickets?"

Zhu Xianrong asked, somewhat puzzled.

"You can tell from this that you don't know anything. This one is called the Great General, he's incredibly powerful. He's fought over a dozen battles and hasn't lost a single one. The other one isn't so good."

Upon hearing this, Yan Shifan immediately became interested and showed off to Zhu Xianrong.

Upon hearing this, Zhu Xianrong looked at the two crickets again and slowly began to discern some clues.

"This general is quite capable; the other one is not up to the task."

Zhu Xianrong said as he looked at it.

As Zhu Xianrong was speaking, he looked up and saw a familiar figure at the entrance of the village. He was a little unsure and looked at him more closely.

"Why is Boss Li here?"

Zhu Xianrong asked, somewhat puzzled.