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

Chapter 706

"Your subordinate has not yet shown you any respect, sir, how could I dare to ask you to..."

Wang Zhi choked up as he spoke.

"Why are you crying after just a few words? You're acting like a woman. Your family has no shortage of money. They're happy to see you after all these years. These things are just sitting in the storeroom anyway, so I might as well give you some."

Seeing that Wang Zhi was about to cry, Yun Jin said with some disgust.

Why are the soldiers I trained so effeminate?

Yun Jin's words still carried weight. Wang Zhi instantly recalled the fear of being dominated by Yun Jin back then, and hurriedly composed himself, saying nothing more.

"Stay for a meal later. You probably can't find anything good in Japan. Try the cooking of my chef."

Zhou Chu looked at Wang Zhi and smiled.

"Your subordinate will obey without further ado."

Despite spending so many years in Japan, Wang Zhi did make some progress. He often asked Lin Zhi and Qi Liang to bring him books from the Ming Dynasty and to teach him to read and write. Through self-study, he read quite a few books.

Although his knowledge was far inferior to that of an ordinary scholar, his speech was no longer as crude as before.

Soon, Zhou Chu summoned a servant.

"Go to Princess Renhe's residence and ask Qi Liang to come over."

Zhou Chu said.

"Yes, sir."

Zhou Chu summoned Qi Liang for two reasons: first, to keep him company while he drank; and second, since both Qi Liang and Wang Zhi had previously lived in Japan but were now in Beijing, they naturally wanted to meet.

Soon, Qi Liang arrived in front of Zhou Chu and the others.

"Your subordinate greets you, sir, and General Lu."

Upon arriving at the main hall, Qi Liang first saw Zhou Chu and Yun Jin, and hurriedly bowed.

"No need for formalities, look who this is."

Zhou Chu pointed to Wang Zhi standing to the side and said.

Qi Liang then noticed Wang Zhi standing to the side and was immediately overjoyed.

"General Wang, when did you return to the capital?"

Wang Zhi offered another explanation, explaining that the two had always been on good terms, and were naturally overjoyed to meet in the capital, with endless things to talk about.

"You two keep chatting, we'll have a good drink together later."

Zhou Chu got up and left, and Yun Jin followed him.

Wang Zhi was quite reserved with the two of them around, so it would be better to let Qi Liang and the other two catch up properly.

"General Wang, I haven't congratulated you yet."

After Zhou Chu and the other man left, Qi Liang looked at Wang Zhi and said.

"Congratulations to me? Congratulations on what?"

Wang Zhi looked completely bewildered.

"You don't know yet, do you? His Majesty established the Zhenwu Hall and included the meritorious officials of our Great Ming Dynasty in it. Lord Zhou is ranked first, General Lu and Lin Zhixin are also among them, and you are also among them, and you are ranked very high, tenth. The Minister of War, the Minister of Personnel, and many other high-ranking officials in the court are ranked after you."

Qi Liang said.

Hearing this, Wang Zhi was even more confused. The Zhenwu Hall had only been open for a few days, and he had just returned from Japan, so naturally he didn't know about it. Neither Jiajing nor Zhou Chu had mentioned this matter. Jiajing didn't say anything because he wanted to give Wang Zhi a surprise, while Zhou Chu didn't say anything because he felt that this kind of ranking was nothing special and that the rankings below were all inflated.

"Lord Qi, please tell me about the Zhenwu Hall."

Wang Zhi's breathing suddenly became somewhat rapid.

Upon hearing this, Qi Liang immediately explained the function and origin of the Zhenwu Hall to him. Wang Zhi became more and more excited as he listened. He never thought that he would one day reach such heights as the tenth meritorious official of the Ming Dynasty.

Wang Zhi felt a little dizzy, as if everything was not real.

"General Wang, you are really lucky. And my cousin, Lin Zhixin, both of you are now generals and generals, and both ranked in the top ten of the Zhenwu Hall, because you followed Lord Zhou from the beginning."

Qi Liang said with some annoyance.

Qi Liang believed that his abilities were no less than those of his cousin Lin Lu, but that's how opportunities are; a little earlier or later can make a big difference.

Although Qi Liang's status and position are not low now, and are even much higher than before, people are afraid of comparison. With his cousin Lin Lu as a comparison, Qi Liang is always envious. He envies his cousin for following him when Lord Zhou was demoted to Suzhou.

Wang Zhi naturally noticed the envy in Qi Liang's tone.

"Lord Qi will definitely enter the Zhenwu Hall in the future. As long as he follows Lord Zhou, he will have plenty of opportunities to make contributions."

Wang Zhi comforted him.

Qi Liang nodded upon hearing this.

"That's true. As long as we follow Lord Zhou, how can we not have the opportunity to make a name for ourselves?"

"Let's not talk about that. The chefs at Lord Zhou's residence are the best in the capital. Have you heard of Zuixianlou? That's owned by Lord Zhou. Even the chefs at Zuixianlou might not be as good as those at Lord Zhou's residence. We're in for a treat. After all these years in Japan, General Wang must be getting tired of food."

Qi Liang changed the subject.

When the topic of food came up, Wang Zhi immediately perked up. Over the years in Japan, Lin Zhi and Qi Liang had constantly told him about the best food in Beijing, especially the dishes at Zuixianlou, which were absolutely amazing. He had always thought that one day when he came to Beijing, he would definitely go to Zuixianlou to try it.

Hearing Qi Liang say these words now, I couldn't help but salivate.

"The Drunken Immortal Pavilion is actually run by an adult?"

Wang Zhi said, somewhat incredulously.

Wang Zhi had heard Lin Zhi and Qi Liang mention Zuixianlou countless times, but he just couldn't connect Zuixianlou with Lord Zhou no matter what.

After all, in Wang Zhi's eyes, Lord Zhou was a man of great talent and ambition.

"Didn't Lin Lao Er tell you that?"

Qi Liang said with some surprise.

"No, you've only ever told me how delicious the food at Zuixianlou is. How would I know that Zuixianlou is owned by adults?"

Wang Zhi looked completely bewildered.

"Before becoming an official, you were a merchant. But that's not quite right. Your life story is quite legendary. You should buy a book about you and read it carefully. It can't be explained in a sentence or two."

Qi Liang didn't know where to begin, so he simply stopped talking.