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

Chapter 498

"grown ups."

Lin Zhi approached Zhou Chu and said respectfully.

By this time, Lin Zhi had long since lost his youthful naiveté. Although he still had some of the spoiled brat's mannerisms, it was only when he was in the capital or in Japan. Once there was serious business to attend to, Lin Zhi could quickly get into the zone.

After all, he was able to stay in the Xuanwu Army for so long not because of his status as the son of a princess. In the Xuanwu Army, if Lin Zhi himself was too weak, no one would respect him, and no one would treat him differently because of his status.

Both the Xuanwu Army and the Tiger Army have always been extremely ruthless troops. Of course, Zhou Chu and Yun Jin brought them not only high-intensity training, but also plenty of military merits and pay.

The military pay for these two units has been pre-deposited by Zhou Chu for who knows how many years to come.

"Okay, you know how to bow now."

Zhou Chu looked at Lin Zhi, whom he hadn't seen for over a year, and teased him.

Upon hearing this, Lin Zhi scratched his head somewhat embarrassedly.

"I've heard you've caused quite a bit of trouble in Japan, sleeping in the Daimyo Prefecture every day?"

Zhou Chu continued to tease.

"My lord, I have indeed been somewhat dissolute. I hope you will forgive me."

Lin Zhi hurriedly bowed and greeted him.

"Well, it's not a big deal anyway. It took you so long to get back to the capital, which is beyond my expectations. It seems you have indeed matured a lot."

As Zhou Chu spoke, he glanced at the gifts Lin Zhi had brought on the table. Zhou Chu knew without a doubt that these were prepared for him by Princess Deqing; this kid had no idea about such things.

"My lord, I have another matter to discuss with you on my return to the capital. I hope you will grant my request."

Lin Zhi bowed solemnly.

"What's the matter? Tell me."

Zhou Chu said with great interest.

"I would like to propose marriage to Miss Xiaodao."

Lin Zhi thought for a long time before speaking.

Zhou Chu was taken aback when he heard this, not expecting that the kid had such thoughts, but Zhou Chu did not agree immediately.

"I'll ask Xiaodao for her opinion on this later. If she agrees, I have no objection. But don't have too high expectations. You know Xiaodao's personality. She's never followed any rules since she was little and is used to being wild. The rules in your princess's mansion are too strict, and she might not be willing to accept them."

Zhou Chu said slowly.

Lin Zhi's eyes dimmed upon hearing this. He had considered this problem, but he couldn't come up with a good solution. It was impossible for him to abandon the princess's residence for Xiao Dao. His mother had never done anything to wrong him.

"Please ask him for my help, sir."

Lin Zhi said, still somewhat unwilling to give up.

Zhou Chu nodded upon hearing this.

"You wait here, I'll go ask for you."

As Zhou Chu spoke, he got up and left the study, going to the courtyard next door. This time, Zhou Chu could clearly smell that the medicinal smell in the courtyard had faded considerably, which meant that the old beggar's health had improved a lot.

"Little Knife, the young master is here."

The old beggar's ears were incredibly sharp. Zhou Chu hadn't tried to hide his presence when he came in, so the sound of his footsteps couldn't escape the old beggar's ears. Before Zhou Chu even entered the room, the old beggar shouted loudly towards the door.

The old beggar had maids serving him in his house, so Xiao Dao didn't have to guard him all the time. Most of the time, he was in the backyard, lost in thought.

Upon hearing this, Xiao Dao hurriedly climbed over the courtyard wall and came to the front yard, standing in front of Zhou Chu.

"Old Jin's hearing is still so sharp; it seems his health has almost fully recovered."

Zhou Chu entered the old beggar's house and smiled.

"Thanks to the young master for buying medicine for this old man without regard to cost, otherwise I probably wouldn't have made it through last winter."

The old beggar's complexion had improved considerably. Although he still couldn't get out of bed, he looked like he wouldn't be far from it.

"The second young master of the princess's residence has returned. He came to see me and mentioned something to me."

After saying this, Zhou Chu looked at Xiao Dao beside him.

Who was the old beggar? With just a glance from Zhou Chu, he instantly understood what Zhou Chu meant by what he hadn't said.

"Young Master Lin proposed to Xiao Dao?"

The old beggar asked.

Zhou Chu nodded.

Xiao Dao, standing to the side, was somewhat bewildered by this sudden information, because she had never taken Lin Zhi seriously before. She had barely even met him a few times. Why would the second young master of the princess's mansion suddenly propose marriage to her?

"What do you think?"

The old beggar looked at the knife and asked.

Xiaodao shook his head.

"I don't know, I'd almost forgotten about this Second Young Master Lin. What's going on here?"

Xiao Dao said with some distress.

"You will eventually get married, but you need to think carefully about who you marry. The Princess's Mansion is one of the most strictly regulated places in the world, apart from the Imperial Palace. You have never been well-behaved since you were a child. If you marry into the Princess's Mansion, you will probably be unhappy in every way. By then, it will be too late to regret it."

The old beggar looked at Xiao Dao and said earnestly.

The old beggar shared the same view as Zhou Chu.

The saying goes that a good match is not just about social status or family background, but also about the upbringing that matches one's social standing. When two people from similar backgrounds marry, the woman will feel right at home and won't feel bound by rules, because she has been learning these rules since childhood and is already used to them.

Even though Yang Ran and Lu Wei seem to come from very different backgrounds, Yang Ran comes from a scholarly family and her upbringing is impeccable. Moreover, she has a member of the Lu family, Yang Shi, to back her up, so she naturally won't be mistreated.

People take different approaches. They might be attracted to each other by hormones, but getting married is never that simple.

Moreover, Xiao Dao currently has no feelings for Lin Zhi at all.

Upon hearing this, Xiao Dao imagined what was happening and then quickly shook his head.

"No, no, I don't want to marry into the princess's household. Why should I get married? I can just be a maid for the young master, can't I?"

Xiao Dao thought for a moment. If she became Zhou Chu's maid, it seemed she wouldn't have to get married. Maids in wealthy families could leave the mansion to get married when they reached a certain age, or they could stay in the mansion and become nannies when they got older.

"What nonsense are you talking about? You just haven't met someone you like yet."

Zhou Chu rolled his eyes at Xiao Dao.

“I’m not talking nonsense. What’s the point of those men? I grew up surrounded by men and I treat them all like brothers. The thought of marrying a man and having to be a wife and mother is just unbearable.”

Xiao Dao muttered.

"Alright, he's still waiting at my house. I'll go and give him my reply first."

Zhou Chu waved his hand, too lazy to listen to Xiao Dao's words.

"Is there something wrong with what I said?"

Xiao Dao looked at the old beggar with a puzzled expression.

"Young Master just doesn't want you to lower your status. You are a young lady from a wealthy family. If you want, Young Master can help you restore your family's status, and you will still be a young lady from a wealthy family."

The old beggar sighed.

"What's the use? I'm the only one left in my family. If I get married, won't I be left with nothing? I've read stories about women who are left with nothing, and they rarely have a good ending."

Xiao Dao said with a disdainful look.

Upon hearing this, the old beggar was at a loss for words. He knew all too well that this path might not be a good one for Xiao Dao either.

Zhou Chu returned to his residence and went to his study, where he saw Lin Zhi, who had been waiting for him.

"My lord, how is it?"

Lin Zhi said with anticipation.

Zhou Chu shook his head.

Seeing Zhou Chu's appearance, Lin Zhi's eyes grew even dimmer.