Chapter 1665 Deed

In the afternoon, Zhulan wanted to lie down for a while, so Changzhong left the main courtyard to look for his niece Yuwen. The maid indicated that his niece was in the study. Changzhong was surprised and asked, "You are actually painting?"

Yuwen put away her brush and asked, "Why can't I draw?"

"I haven't seen you come to the study many times."

Yu Wen washed her hands and motioned for the maid to wash her brush. "What does my uncle want to see my niece for?"

Changzhong put down the post in his hand and said, "Take a look."

Yu Wen picked it up in confusion, then put it down and said, "Zhuo Guyu not only plotted against Gu Sheng's reputation, but also wanted to ruin Gu Sheng's marriage."

Not everyone could accept Gu Sheng selling paintings. If they really appreciated Gu Sheng's paintings, Gu Sheng would become completely famous in the capital.

Changzhong: “I think it’s pretty good.”

Yu Wen was stunned for a moment, then laughed, "I guess Gu Sheng doesn't care."

Chang Zhong thought that if Gu Sheng cared about it, he would not sell the paintings. Gu Sheng was a very practical person. "I heard that Gu Sheng bought another shop?"

Yuwen: "Where did you hear this from, little uncle?"

The uncle hasn't seen Gu Sheng for a long time, and she hasn't been watched by anyone for a long time.

Changzhong smiled and said, "He bought the shop through the future prince consort."

Wu Shiheng was a very popular person in the capital, and as he was the future prince consort, he had some face everywhere. Shops in the capital were not easy to buy, and Gu Sheng did not have such connections, so it was the future prince consort who helped.

Yu Wen, "It's only been a short time. Master Gu is very good at saving the family fortune."

"Yes, he is a man who lives his life."

At the gate of Hanlin Academy, Gu Sheng hated Zhuo Guyu the most. Every time he looked for him to talk, it was at the gate of Hanlin Academy, because there were the most people there.

Zhuo Guyu smiled, "I'm waiting for Master Gu."

Gu Sheng smiled, "I will definitely be there on time."

Changzhi heard someone laugh and turned around to see two Shujishi who were laughing secretly. When they noticed that he was no longer laughing, he looked at Zhuoguyu and said, "I will be there on time."

Gu Sheng was worried. He knew that Lord Zhou didn't care about him selling paintings, and he was not sure whether Lord Zhou cared about his paintings being appreciated. When Lord Zhou nodded to him, Gu Sheng loosened his clenched hands, and his palms were already sweaty.

Zhuo Guyu smiled at Gu Sheng, turned around and left without a smile on his face. He didn't understand why Gu Sheng caught the emperor's eye.

The New Year is approaching and there are no important events in the court. The emperor has asked Gu Sheng to enter the palace to study many times, but he has never been invited. He cannot be suppressed by Gu Sheng.

Gu Sheng waits for his brother to pick him up. Lately, his eldest brother has always been the one to pick him up.

Seeing his brother’s expressionless face, Gu Yan asked, “But what happened?”

Gu Sheng told him about Zhuo Guyu's invitation, and Gu Yan turned his head to look at his brother, "You have saved a lot of money in the past six months. Don't sell your paintings when people come to ask for paintings in the future."

Gu Sheng, "The emperor knows that someone asked me to paint for him."

Gu Yan was stunned, "Huh?"

The emperor actually knew about this?

Gu Sheng recalled that day, he knelt down to plead guilty, but the emperor was not angry. He smiled and asked him to get up, and said that he would live his life. He left the palace in a daze, and when the cold wind blew again and again, he felt at ease. At least he was not afraid of being brought up to talk about it in the future.

He really didn't care that Zhuo Guyu appreciated his paintings, and he was unhappy about being tricked.

At the entrance of the Ministry of Revenue, Zhou Shuren saw the fat face on the window of the Wang family's carriage. He twitched his beard and walked forward. "Why did you come to the Ministry of Revenue instead of going home after leaving the government office?"

Wang Ju, "Come up, I'll take you home."

Zhou Shuren: "It has always been my son or grandson who took me home."

Wang Ju, "."

Zhou Shuren laughed and got on the carriage. Wang Ju glared at Zhou Shuren, "You are so old, and you still take advantage of me."

Zhou Shuren snorted, "No matter how old I am, I can still take advantage of you."

Wang Ju snorted, "I came to see you for serious matters."

"I knew I wouldn't be sent home for no reason."

Wang Ju took out a book from the compartment of the carriage, "This Mr. Feng Qing must be my sister-in-law!"

Zhou Shuren warmed himself up by drinking tea. "You guessed it and you're still asking me?"

Wang Ju held the book in her hand. "There's more than one. Where are the others?"

Zhou Shuren drank his tea slowly and said, "Just wait."

Wang Ju put the book back. He was calculating in his mind. He would not wait. Anyway, his grandson's wife was here. "I'm sure many people are guessing who Mr. Feng Qing is?"

Zhou Shuren sneered, "There are many smart people in Beijing."

Several princes have been learning these books since they were young. A person's secret is a secret. It is not a secret if many people know it. However, even if they know it, they will not make it public, and no one will ask him for the answer. To put it bluntly, they don't want to be outdone by women, so they are unwilling to talk about it.

The more the emperor promoted it, the more they would keep silent about it.

Wang Ju touched the book and said, "What a pity for my sister-in-law."

Zhou Shuren rolled his eyes, "Does the Wang family need to use this book?"

Wang Ju, "Of course I have to learn it. I have heard that it will be sold in the bookstore in seven days."

Zhou Shuren touched the contract in his arms and felt better.

Wang Ju asked, "Will there be any changes to the imperial examinations in the future?"

Zhou Shuren asked, "Is it bad to change?"

Wang Ju was silent, then said quietly: "You said that only with change can there be innovation, so change is right, right?"

It's just that after inheriting it for so long, he's a little uncomfortable with it.

Zhou Shuren smiled, "Only with change can there be a better future."

It's not bad to stick to the old ways, but progress requires change.

Arriving at the gate of Zhou Hou's mansion, Wang Ju looked at Zhou Shuren who got off the carriage and said, "I've already sent you home, why don't you treat me to a meal?"

Zhou Shuren waved without looking back, "No, goodbye."

Wang Ju watched Zhou Shuren enter the mansion in silence, then looked at the book at hand. Yang was really surprising. Then she sighed, how could someone who could manage several estates so well be a simple person? Many people who knew the inside story couldn't sleep.

In the main courtyard, Zhulan finished reading the contract and looked up when she heard footsteps. Shuren had already changed his clothes and came out. "Give me two hundred taels every year? Did I read it right? Every year?"

Zhou Shuren: "Yes, every year."

Zhulan pointed to the indenture, which read, "As long as the Zhou family's descendants are alive, they will receive two hundred taels every year."

If the Zhou family met with a disaster in the future, with this deed, the royal family would recognize it as long as the dynasty did not change. Two hundred taels a year could support a scholar and live a rich life.

Moreover, isn't this a disguised guarantee? As long as the Zhou family doesn't rebel or destroy themselves, their descendants will have a way out. This is a guarantee left for their descendants.

Zhou Shuren felt relieved because of the deed. "This is what I bargained with the emperor. The emperor wants to give you some money."

He was a fool to do this kind of trading. These books were painstakingly compiled by his daughter-in-law. Human memory is limited and one cannot remember everything he sees. Many of the topics in the books were compiled by his daughter-in-law, who also researched various books. There are many books on his daughter-in-law's bookshelf, all of which are the result of her hard work.

Zhulan put the contract away carefully and said, "I'll ask the kitchen to make a few more dishes of your favorites. You are a hero today. Let's eat later."

Zhou Shuren smiled as he watched his wife take out the box. Seeing her in deep thought, he asked, "What's wrong?"

(End of this chapter)