Hao Zhuang and Shi Houde were also stunned, looking at Zhang Fang in astonishment.
A convict in exile adopting a beggar child on the way, and bringing the child to survive at the border—such a thing was unheard of! It sounded utterly absurd!
“Young Master Zhang, isn’t this inappropriate?” Shi Houde persuaded Zhang Fang to abandon this idea. Taking care of a child is a troublesome matter, and Zhang Fang was only a few years older than these children. On second thought, did Zhang Fang need playmates? Was that the reason he wanted to take these children to the border?
Even though Zhang Fang was wearing coarse clothing, he exuded a noble aura, unmistakably coming from an extraordinary background. Despite wearing shackles on his hands, the officials treated him courteously, addressing him as “Young Master.” All these observations made Mao Aniu dare not underestimate him. For a moment, he was shocked by Zhang Fang’s words and slowly spoke up, “Do you want to make us your slaves?”
Zhang Fang shook his head, “No, I want to hire you to work for me. From now on, I will be your employer.”
Though the Prime Minister did not provide Zhang Fang with money in his luggage, he left behind a jade token that, along with a handwritten letter from the Prime Minister, would allow him to withdraw money from financial houses everywhere. Therefore, despite his exile, Zhang Fang was not short of money, and taking care of a few people was no problem at all.
Such good fortune!
Several children were moved, looking eagerly at Mao Aniu. Mao Aniu was their recognized older brother; they only listened to him.
Mao Aniu furrowed his brows and warily observed Zhang Fang, asking curiously, “Are you a criminal?”
Zhang Fang nodded, speaking candidly, “Yes, I am being exiled to the border to engage in hard labor.”
This was the first time Mao Aniu encountered such a bizarre situation and wasn’t sure whether to trust Zhang Fang. He hesitated and asked, “If we go with you to the border, will you really pay to take care of us?”
“My father is the current Prime Minister; I am not joking,” Zhang Fang did not shy away from revealing his identity when it was appropriate.
Finally learning Zhang Fang’s identity, Lin Zheng stood up excitedly, wanting to rush over and curry favor with Zhang Fang immediately. However, he was stopped by the officials from Mozhou, who kicked him and scolded, “Behave yourself!”
Kicked to the ground, Lin Zheng clutched his knee in pain, anger flashing in his eyes. Gritting his teeth, he had no choice but to endure the humiliation.
After learning Zhang Fang’s identity, Lin Yueren’s eyes became even brighter. Although she didn’t understand why the son of the Prime Minister had ended up exiled to the border, as long as his father still held a position as Prime Minister, it meant there was a great chance for Zhang Fang to be pardoned and return to the capital! She needed to win over this Young Master Zhang to turn her fate around!
“Y-Your father is the Prime Minister? Then why did you become a criminal?”
This was beyond Mao Aniu’s comprehension; he looked at Zhang Fang with a strange expression. In his understanding, as long as a family had power and influence, those wealthy young masters, no matter how much mischief they caused, would never face punishment because their families would use their power to shield them. Yet, Zhang Fang, with a Prime Minister as a father, could still be exiled—it sounded like a fairy tale. Was there really someone so ruthless that they would rather let their son be exiled than cover for him?
Zhang Fang sighed and explained, “Because I accidentally killed the Queen’s nephew while drunk.”
Mao Aniu was rendered speechless.
Lin Zheng also was taken aback, forgetting to get up from the ground.
In this situation, one being the son of a Prime Minister and the other being the Queen’s nephew, both represented the children of privilege, standing on equal ground. It made sense why Zhang Fang could have a Prime Minister for a father and still be exiled. If Zhang Fang had killed someone without power, he would never have faced exile. Yet, ironically, he had killed the Queen’s nephew, the legitimate son of the uncle of the throne.
After a brief silence, Mao Aniu opened his mouth to quietly ask, “If you go into exile now, will you be able to return home later?”
This question struck right at the heart of Lin Zheng! He stared directly at Zhang Fang, eagerly awaiting his answer.
Zhang Fang knew everyone in the temple was paying attention to him and did not hide his true thoughts: “When I left, I promised my father that I would work hard, even as a criminal. I will strive for redemption, going back to the capital with dignity!”
Lin Zheng felt extremely disappointed! He thought Zhang Fang was really off his rocker! He had been exiled to the border to do hard labor and seemed not to consider relying on his Prime Minister father to fetch him back to the capital, naïvely thinking he could rely on his own efforts for redemption! Wasn’t that a dream? Throughout history, how many people exiled for punishment managed to make a comeback? Even if one could survive the journey to the place of forced labor, could they bear the exhausting toil day after day? Eventually, they would collapse and fall ill, and upon death, they wouldn’t even have a straw mat for burial, and would be dumped into a common grave!
Nevertheless, Mao Aniu was influenced by Zhang Fang’s ambition, feeling that this young master was someone of substance. Perhaps by sticking with him, they might really be able to rise above their current plight in the future? Regardless of whether they succeeded or not, at least this group of children would not starve!
“We haven’t grown up yet, and our strength is small. If we don’t do well, will you hit us?” This was Mao Aniu’s concern. He himself wasn’t afraid of being beaten, but he feared for his friends. Even though they often went hungry, they didn’t wish to sell themselves into servitude. They were afraid that once they became servants, they would lose their freedom, and their lives would be controlled by others.
Zhang Fang smiled and promised them, “I won’t hit you. If you don’t do well, I will only criticize you. If you betray me in the future, I will only be disappointed in you and let you go.”
Several children were tempted; they swallowed hard, their gazes flickering between Zhang Fang’s face and the pastries.
Mao Aniu turned around and pulled his friends outside to discuss.
Hao Zhuang speculated and asked, “Young Master Zhang, you want to take these children as slaves, don’t you want them to serve you?”
It sounded a bit strange. Prime Minister Zhang cared so much for his son; he should have sent someone to accompany Zhang Fang during the exile to take care of him. Yet, Prime Minister Zhang had not done this. Instead, it was Zhang Fang himself who gathered these beggar children as slaves, making them at his disposal. This showed he was quite good at planning for himself. But why would such a clever person kill Dou Changkang? Wasn’t that self-destructive? Although Hao Zhuang and Shi Houde had not spent much time with Zhang Fang, they could sense that he was not a foolish person.