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

Chapter 343

Many things cannot be said openly. Even if Jiajing valued Zhou Chu highly, the relationship between the emperor and his subject had to be maintained, so he could not be unrestrained.

At this time, Zhou Chu, along with Shen Lian, a group of Jinyiwei officers who were secretly protecting him, Chunlan, and others, arrived at the Tianjin dock from Datong, and then took a boat south of the Yangtze River, all the way to Suzhou Prefecture.

Unlike right after the New Year, Suzhou Prefecture in March is now experiencing a climate where the weather fluctuates between hot and cold, making it difficult to choose what to wear.

It's sometimes cold and sometimes hot; when it's cold, it's very cold, and when it's hot, it makes you sweat profusely.

Zhou Chu's arrival in Suzhou Prefecture did not alert any officials, not even Yan Song. Zhou Chu's destination was Yuyao, and he was passing through Suzhou Prefecture on the way, so he naturally wanted to visit his teacher Tang Bohu.

"Just a few days ago, Zhengming wrote to me mentioning you, saying that you made great contributions in Datong. How come you've come to Suzhou in the blink of an eye?"

Tang Bohu was overjoyed to see Zhou Chu.

"The matter of Datong is settled. Others will naturally take over the remaining tasks. If I continue to fight in Datong and make further contributions, I fear that my achievements will overshadow my master. Therefore, I should stay away from Datong."

Zhou Chu took a sip of wine and said.

Tang Bohu nodded upon hearing this.

"Indeed, you are far superior to me in terms of official conduct. You resolved the perilous situation in the capital before the new year. You should indeed stay away from the court for a while."

In his pursuit of officialdom, Tang Bohu knew very well that he could not offer Zhou Chu any advice. Zhou Chu's vision and perspective far surpassed that of his teacher.

"I originally planned to wait until it got warmer before going to the capital to find you and Zhengming, but I didn't expect you to come to Suzhou instead."

Tang Bohu chuckled self-deprecatingly.

"The reason I came here is to invite you to come out of retirement."

Zhou Chu smiled.

"Oh? Is there any way for an old man like me to come out of retirement?"

Upon hearing this, Tang Bohu immediately became interested.

“Previously, a student asked Mr. Yangming to establish an academy in his hometown of Yuyao. This academy is different from other academies. I plan to divide it into many subjects, such as painting, physics, calligraphy, water conservancy, geography, Confucianism, etc. The student wants to invite a teacher to teach painting and calligraphy.”

Zhou Chu said.

Zhou Chu knew very well that as long as Tang Bohu had something to do and kept busy, he could live for many more years. The worst thing was that he would be idle, stay at home all the time, and drink every day. No matter how much health care he took, problems would arise.

A man's career is his youth.

Upon hearing this, Tang Bohu immediately became interested.

"Your academy is quite interesting. I wouldn't mind accompanying you there sometime."

After saying this, Tang Bohu picked up his wine cup and drank it all in one gulp.

Hearing this, Yunniang was also very happy. She knew Tang Bohu best. Others might not know, but she knew that Tang Bohu seemed to be doing very well these past two years, lacking nothing, and had Zhou Chu as his prized student.

But in truth, Tang Bohu was lonely, especially seeing Wen Zhengming, who was the same age as him, still taking the imperial examinations. Tang Bohu felt increasingly isolated, left alone in Suzhou.

Unfortunately, Tang Bohu had a deep hatred for the imperial examination system because of the cheating scandal in the past, and he no longer wanted to take the exam. For a while, he couldn't find anything to do, so he could only stay at home drinking and having fun all day.

Yunniang was initially worried that his health might not hold up for more than a few years if things continued this way, but she never expected Zhou Chu to find him such a job.

It doesn't matter what she does, as long as it can revitalize Tang Bohu and give him something to look forward to, that's enough for Yunniang.

After a hearty meal, Zhou Chu took Shen Lian to the main street of Suzhou Prefecture. Seeing that Suzhou Prefecture was more vibrant than before, and that the people's faces were full of energy, Zhou Chu felt a great sense of accomplishment.

"Even dogs wouldn't eat this stuff, and you dare to serve it to me?"

As Zhou Chu passed by a restaurant, he heard a boy's eccentric voice coming from inside, and even heard the sound of a porcelain bowl smashing on the ground.

Zhou Chu looked into the restaurant and saw a boy of about eight or nine years old, who was fat and seemed to be blind in one eye, arguing rudely at the restaurant manager.

The restaurant owner and the waiter stood to the side with their heads down, seemingly not daring to disobey the young man.

"Yan Shifan?"

Zhou Chu looked at the boy in front of him, somewhat uncertainly.

Upon hearing this, the boy turned to look at Zhou Chu.

"Who are you to dare address me by my name?"