Chapter 1741 No Surprise

The prince was more energetic when attending the morning court now that he had a legitimate eldest son, and the emperor was smiling every day. The royal family and the Shangguan family were happy, but the aristocratic families who were plotting something were very upset.

I can't show it yet, so I congratulate the prince with a fake smile.

Zhou Shuren had seen the fake smile for several days in a row, which made him break out in cold sweats. Old Master Shangguan couldn't stand it anymore and asked for leave.

Of course, everyone was still guessing about the mystery of Xisan, but unfortunately, they couldn't find out the answer. Marquis Zhou didn't get any closer to the prince, and the less they could find out, the more they thought about it, as if there was some huge secret.

Zhou Shuren pushed away the probing person and said to Lord Wei, "Aren't you asking for trouble?"

Lord Wei was horrified. After two days of listening to Marquis Zhou's scolding, his eyes were finally opened. He laughed dryly and said, "I won't give up until I find out the answer."

Zhou Shuren moved his gloved hands. "Do you want to know?"

Lord Wei shook his head, "No, I don't want to."

Zhou Shuren laughed out loud. His son's father-in-law was a little timid. "It's almost the end of the year again. This is the last salary payment of the year."

Lord Wei exhaled slightly, and when he talked about salary, his tone was filled with joy, "I wonder if there will be any rewards at the end of this year."

After raiding so many officials’ homes, we should be able to have a good New Year this year!

Zhou Shuren thought, "Probably."

Lord Wei smiled. Even though he had a lot of money, it was good to have more rewards. "Lord Wang hasn't come to court for two days."

Zhou Shuren hummed. His old man's health could no longer hold on, but he continued to endure and try to survive the New Year.

In the afternoon, at Zhou Hou Mansion, Minghui came back from outside the city, his cloak was covered with snow. Zhulan frowned, "Why don't you shake off the snow before coming in?"

Minghui handed the cloak to the servant and said, "Sun'er has good news. I forgot to shake off the snow."

Zhulan snorted. Minghui had been sluggish in going to the academy. This was only the third time this winter. She heard that Shao Ting's attitude towards Minghui had returned to normal. "What's the good news?"

Minghui rubbed his hands and warmed them by the fire, "Miss Jiang is getting engaged."

Zhulan: "Oh."

Minghui saw that his grandmother was not surprised, "You knew?"

Zhu Lan put down the book in her hand, "There is nothing in the whole academy that I don't know. Miss Jiang and Shao Ting are close, so Shao Xun and Miss Jiang are not surprised."

Minghui, "Sun'er is so excited that he wants to tell you!"

Zhulan also knew about Shao Ting's connection. The two girls brainwashed the golden pair and persuaded many families to send their girls to the academy. Shao Ting admired Miss Jiang, which led to the follow-up. Shao Xun did not dislike Miss Jiang because of her appearance, but respected her. She thought Minghui had a good eye for people.

Minghui said: "Sun'er thinks Miss Jiang will tell you in a few days."

Zhulan also thought so. After all, he was someone taken care of by the Marquis's Mansion, and she also had to help act as a matchmaker for the engagement.

Minghui didn't know Miss Jiang's family background, "I guess they will get engaged first, and then talk about marriage after she passes the exam next year."

"Not enough for you to worry about."

Minghui asked, "Grandma, will you add makeup to Miss Jiang?"

"The emperor has handed her over to our Marquis' Mansion. I will prepare makeup for her when she gets married."

Minghui peeled an orange and said, "The Shao family has no wealth."

Zhu Lan waved her hand, "Okay, don't bother me, you go back and rest too."

Minghui swallowed the orange and said, "Grandma, I'm leaving now."

Just as Minghui left, Li came in, holding the gift list of previous years, "Mom, this year we have my younger brother's in-laws, I don't know how to write the gift list."

The youngest son of her parents-in-law was also very important. She looked through a lot of gift lists and scratched her hair several times, but still couldn't make a decision. Finally, she could only ask her mother-in-law.

Zhu Lan pondered for a while, "Compared to the Ran family and other relatives, it is 20% more."

Changzhong is the uncle of Mingyun and the others, so an extra 20% is enough.

Li was confident: "My daughter-in-law will go back and draw up the list now."

Zhulan looked at the thick list of New Year gifts, which was just the important gift list. "Thank you for your hard work recently."

Li smiled and said, "Liu Jia helps my daughter-in-law."

She would also give instructions to her daughter-in-law. The Rong'an Marquis's Mansion received quite a few New Year gifts, and her daughter-in-law was in a state of panic.

Zhu Lan said, "Take Liu Jia with you when you go out, and talk to her about the taboos of being a female relative when you have nothing to do."

Women really hold grudges. If you offend them unintentionally, they will set traps for you next time. It is better to avoid it if possible.

Especially the women in the ancient harem, many of them had mental illnesses as a result of the house fighting. They either had a strong desire for control or they were the ones who had the final say, etc.!

Li, "There have been a lot of banquets recently."

"The Crown Prince has given birth to a legitimate son, and the royal family is in a good mood and wants to relax."

Ever since the death of the retired emperor, the court has been reorganized by the emperor. There have been fewer banquets, and those that have been held are not grand. Now that the royal family is in good times, the capital is hosting many banquets.

Li thought of what she had heard, "I heard that the prince wanted to take a concubine."

Zhulan: "It's unbelievable."

Li smiled and said, "So my daughter-in-law just listened but didn't take it seriously."

The Crown Princess has a legitimate eldest son, and the Crown Prince is not crazy. These rumors can only be attributed to some people being too impatient.

In a blink of an eye, the Wei family sent back New Year gifts. The Zhou Hou Mansion sent New Year gifts early, so there couldn't be too much communication. If they didn't send them early, they would definitely be in a mess in the end.

Zhulan took the gift list and looked at the Wei family's return gift. Well, it was the same as the Zhou family's return gift, just with a different emphasis.

Zhulan asked, "Is Changzhong at home?"

Qingxue replied, "The young master went out early in the morning."

Zhulan put down the gift list and said, "Pick out the ones that Changzhong can use and send them to his yard."

Qingxue: "Yes."

Li asked, "Mom, I'm not going to date Miss Wei, am I?"

Zhulan: "I think so."

Next year, Changzhong will leave Beijing to go back to his hometown to take the examination for the scholar. He will be gone for a long time and the young man is reluctant to let him go.

In a foreign shop, Changzhong accompanied his fiancée to choose things. He stood and looked for a while, "Why did you choose only things for men?"

Wei Xinyi asked, "Do you like it?"

Chang Zhongzhen had no shortage of these things. He had received many things from foreigners, which were more exquisite than those in the shop. However, "I like everything you chose."

Wei Xinyi said sweetly, "Take them all with you when you leave."

Chang Zhong silently calculated the price, and estimated that his fiancée's wallet would be exhausted, "Okay."

Wei Xinyi felt sad when she had to pay the bill. She used the money she had saved with great difficulty and paid with a normal expression.

Changzhong already knows his fiancée very well. Look at the hand that is pinching her purse, it must be painful!

Wei Xinyi took a deep breath, and she could continue, "Move everything to your car."

"Very generous."

Wei Xinyi burst out laughing, "Let's go and choose a pen."

Changzhong glanced sideways, "Still buying?"

"Um."

Changzhong wanted to say that he had too many famous pens, and his father had even more in his warehouse, so he had never bought a pen himself. He looked at his fiancée's sparkling eyes and smiled, "I'll listen to you."

After buying pens, the two went to a bookstore again. This time, Changzhong paid for Wei Xinyi's travel notes.

Zhou Shuren took two hours to visit Old Man Wang. He was in a bad mood after leaving Wang's house and wanted to walk around the street to see the fireworks. As a result, he met his youngest son and future daughter-in-law. The two of them didn't even sit in the carriage, but talked and laughed all the way.

Zhou Shuren was patted on the shoulder. There weren't many people in Beijing who could pat him on the shoulder. He turned around and looked at Li Zhao. "You."

Li Zhao was wearing casual clothes. "Why are you holding your stomach? Are you feeling uncomfortable somewhere?"

Zhou Shuren, "I'm in a hurry."

Li Zhao, "Hmm?"

(End of this chapter)