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

Chapter 125

After leaving the house, Zhou Chu went straight to Tang Bohu's house.

Yunniang opened the door and was very happy to see Zhou Chu.

"The weighing equipment is here, come in quickly."

Yunniang knew that Zhou Chu's identity was different from before, but she didn't care about that. Otherwise, she wouldn't have followed Tang Bohu so devotedly.

Back then, there were many high-ranking officials and nobles who wanted to redeem her from her servitude, but she could only have eyes for Tang Bohu and no one else.

Zhou Chu followed Yunniang to the storeroom, put down the wine jar he was carrying, and then went straight to the main hall.

In the main hall, besides Tang Bohu, there was another person, Tang Bohu's good friend Wen Zhengming.

Although Wen Zhengming was the same age as Tang Bohu, he looked much younger than Tang Bohu, at least his hair was mostly black.

Wen Zhengming learned some time ago that Tang Bohu had appeared in the capital and caused quite a stir, so he set off from Jiangnan to visit his friend in the capital.

Although Wen Zhengming was exceptionally talented and held a pivotal position in the literary world of the Ming Dynasty, he never passed the imperial examinations and remained a mere scholar until he was nearly fifty years old.

Firstly, it was due to his personality; he had always disliked getting too close to the civil officials in Jiangnan and was unwilling to bow down, so his official career was destined to be unsuccessful.

In addition, the imperial examinations tested the eight-legged essay, which was quite good in the early Ming Dynasty, but by this time, the things that could be written became increasingly limited. To describe it perfectly, it was like performing a ritual in a snail shell.

Wen Zhengming came to the capital to relax and prepare for the provincial examination in Yingtian Prefecture next year.

Tang Bohu also took the opportunity to have Zhou Chu become Wen Zhengming's apprentice. At that time, Zhou Chu was just a merchant in their eyes, at most having a close relationship with the princess's mansion.

But Tang Bohu's relationship with the princess's residence was also quite special.

Neither of them expected that Zhou Chu's identity would undergo such a dramatic change in just a few days.

Seeing Zhou Chu arrive, Tang Bohu didn't care about his identity at all.

"Hengqi, you've given me a pleasant surprise, becoming the commander of the Embroidered Uniform Guard without saying a word."

Other scholars would likely look down on the Embroidered Uniform Guard, as it was infamous in the eyes of both scholars and officials.

But Tang Bohu didn't care about any of that. Putting aside his own unrestrained personality, his experiences over the years had made him see through the civil officials in the court.

On the contrary, Wen Zhengming seemed a little reserved at this moment. Although he was nominally Zhou Chu's teacher, he had only given Zhou Chu some pointers on calligraphy. Now that Zhou Chu had risen to prominence and was even rumored to be a living Yama, Wen Zhengming himself was not even a Juren (a successful candidate in the imperial examinations) and felt that he could not hold his head up in front of Zhou Chu.

"Teacher, why do you have to act like this? Since I have become your student, I will always be your disciple. As for calligraphy, I'm afraid I will never reach your level in this lifetime."

Zhou Chu flattered.

Wen Zhengming was extremely pleased to hear this. Anyone would feel like they were basking in a spring breeze and floating on air if they received such flattery from a high-ranking official. Even Wen Zhengming was no exception.

As Zhou Chu spoke, he took out the agarwood that Jiajing had bestowed upon him from his bosom.

"This is agarwood that His Majesty bestowed upon me. He said it was top-grade goods from Southeast Asia. I don't know much about it, and I don't need it. But my teacher is getting old, so I think it will help him sleep well."

As Zhou Chu spoke, he placed the incense box in front of Tang Bohu.

Zhou Chu had very deep feelings for Tang Bohu. When the Lu family first encountered trouble, the old man stayed with Zhou Chu. Although he didn't provide any substantial help, having such an old man by his side gave Zhou Chu confidence in everything he did.

It's likely that Tang Bohu was also aiming to cover for Zhou Chu back then.

Later, when Zhou Chu's Drunken Immortal Pavilion opened, the old man went so far as to reveal his identity to help him make a name for himself, and Zhou Chu remembered all of this.