Chapter 1841 Apprenticeship
In Zhou Hou Mansion, Zhulan and Zhou Shuren were very happy. Their youngest son had become a father. The arrival of this child gave them a different feeling, and the old couple were particularly excited.
Zhulan held Xinyi's hand tightly and said, "Now that you have a child, you must be more careful."
Xinyi put her hand on her abdomen and said, "Mom, I've kept the doctor's instructions in mind."
"That's good. Just tell the kitchen what you want to eat."
"Um."
Changzhong came back and went straight to the main courtyard. Zhou Shuren said, "Now that you are a father, you need to be more stable."
Changzhong nodded repeatedly. He didn't feel it when he didn't have a child, but now that he has a child, he immediately feels different. "Dad, your son will be a good father like you."
The couple stayed in the main courtyard for dinner. Xinyi was lucky not to have morning sickness. . .
Zhulan and her husband spent the evening betting on the gender of their child. The only thing they were upset about was that if it was a boy, they couldn't decide on a name.
Changzhong had a child, and time seemed to speed up. Before Zhulan could figure out what was going on, this year's palace examination was over.
Mingrui and Mingjia were both on the second list of Jinshi, and their two grandsons-in-law Liu Yuanbo and Yu Yueyang were also on the second list. This year, there have been many happy events in the Zhou Hou Mansion. No, it should be said that there have been many happy events in the Zhou Hou Mansion in recent years.
Mingrui went to the department headed by Rong Enqing, Mingjia was sent out of Beijing, his two grandsons-in-law Liu Yuanbo were sent out, and Yu Yueyang became a Shujishi.
Two members of the Zhou clan also passed the exam, one was a second-place Jinshi and the other was a joint-rank Jinshi. The Jinshi was sent out of Beijing, while the joint-rank Jinshi stayed in Beijing waiting for an opportunity to take the exam.
Of the remaining grandchildren of the Zhou Marquis's mansion, Ming Jing is not interested in taking the imperial examinations, Ming Hui has his own plans, and Ming Ling and Ming Feng are still a few years younger.
The palace examination was over, and the emperor's eldest grandson's apprenticeship was on the agenda. Zhou Shuren was a little surprised at how grand the emperor's eldest grandson's apprenticeship was. Yes, it was grand.
The Crown Prince personally took the Emperor's eldest grandson to perform the apprenticeship ceremony. After Zhou Shuren accepted the apprenticeship ceremony, the Emperor chose a good day to formally have him become an apprentice in the palace.
Today is the day when the Crown Prince brings the eldest grandson of the Emperor to pay his respects to his teacher. The convoy sets out from the Crown Prince's Mansion, and the carriages are loaded with the respectful gifts.
The gate of Zhou Hou Mansion was wide open, and Zhou Shuren and his children came to greet them at the gate.
The prince's carriage stopped and Zhou Shuren stepped forward to greet him, "I have seen the prince."
Boss Zhou and several others followed to greet him. The entrance of Marquis Zhou’s mansion was quite spectacular.
Prince, "No need to be polite."
After the prince finished speaking, he carried his son toward the gate, while the guards and others behind him carried the gifts.
Zhou Shuren and the prince went first, and the Zhou brothers followed behind. The Zhou brothers were very excited, their father had kept the secret secret so strictly, they only knew that the emperor's eldest grandson was close to their father, and now they learned that they had a master-disciple relationship. No wonder the emperor allowed his eldest grandson to be close to his father.
Today, the eldest grandson of the emperor was standing in the middle of the hall, his voice still with a baby voice, "Today, I am sending you a gift to become a disciple. Please accept it, Lord Zhou."
He paused and then said, "I chose it myself."
Zhou Shuren looked at the opened box with a wooden face. The books sent by the emperor's eldest grandson were authentic this time. This kid did it!
But Zhou Shuren felt anxious. The more he took, the more he paid. He couldn't help but look at the prince.
The prince smiled back. No matter how much gift money was given for his son to become Zhou Shuren's disciple, he would not feel sad. This was Zhou Shuren, whom he had not been able to become his disciple. He would be so happy that he would wake up from laughing when his son became Zhou Shuren's disciple!
Zhou Shuren had no choice but to accept the gift. Today was not a formal apprenticeship. The prince sat for only a short while before leaving with the emperor's eldest grandson.
Zhou Shuren said to his eldest son, "Put the books in the study, and have someone take good care of them to prevent them from getting damp and infested with insects."
Boss Zhou thought that with so many rare original works, this gift to his teacher is priceless!
Zhou Shuren chatted with several of his sons for a while, and after they left, Zhou Shuren took out the token of apprenticeship he had prepared for his eldest grandson, and finally curled his lips. The most valuable things he had were the things of the retired emperor, and the jade pendant had already been given away and could not be given away again. Today's apprenticeship gift was so valuable, the token he prepared was too light.
Finally, he took out the jade slips given to him by the retired emperor. These were two jade slips given to him by the retired emperor, one for stabilizing the country and maintaining peace, and the other for a peaceful and prosperous era!
Zhou Shuren reached out and took the jade slip of the prosperous and peaceful times. Dingguo Anbang stayed in the marquis' mansion to save his life, but this piece could be given to the emperor's eldest grandson!
Zhulan watched from the side and said, "You are so willing to give it up!"
Zhou Shuren said, "I am willing to give it up. This is also what I expect from my eldest grandson."
Today, the news that the Crown Prince sent a gift of apprenticeship to the Zhou Hou Mansion spread throughout the capital. The Wen Family and the Shangguan Family had already noticed it but had not confirmed it. Today it was confirmed.
They were delighted when the news was confirmed, and the Emperor stated directly that the Crown Prince would succeed to the throne.
The formal apprenticeship took place in the imperial palace, and the emperor invited all the important ministers to witness it, and a banquet was also held in the palace.
When Zhou Shuren arrived, he felt a lot of glares, jealousy and surprise. Some were jealous of the royal family's favor towards Zhou Houfu, and some were surprised that Zhou Shuren would accept the emperor's eldest grandson as his apprentice!
Amidst all the gazes, Zhou Shuren sat in the center seat waiting to become his disciple. Today, the emperor's eldest grandson was wearing formal attire, and the scene became noisy as soon as he showed up.
After the cushion was put in place, the discussions became even louder. Changsun Weijun was still wearing formal clothes. Was he going to kneel?
Zhou Shuren couldn't sit still anymore. Was this too much of a concern for him?
The emperor came over and pushed Zhou Shuren to sit down again, "You deserve it."
He had not originally planned for his grandson to kneel down and pay homage to his teacher, but who would have thought that his father would appear in his dream on the third anniversary of his birth. He saw the development of the Zhang Dynasty without Zhou Shuren, and without Zhou Shuren's existence, the Ministry of Revenue could not come up with money, etc. He could not see a more distant future, and was trapped in government affairs with only empty ambitions.
The lives of the people did not improve much. The scenes were so real that he was so frightened that it took him several days to return to normal.
The Emperor felt that his father must have put in a lot of effort to be able to send messages through dreams. This was a warning to him. In the past, he could not empathize with his father when he had dreams, but he personally experienced it and deeply realized the importance of Zhou Shuren.
Therefore, today's master must be worshipped. With Zhou Shuren as his grandson's master, his fortune is completely connected with the royal family. If the old man did not want the girl from the Zhou family to marry into the royal family again, he would have wanted to marry his grandson to her.
The ministers who were watching were stunned, and it took them a long time to come back to their senses. However, the emperor's eldest grandson had already knelt down straight to worship his master, holding up a teacup in his chubby hands, "Master, have some tea."
Zhou Shuren took a deep breath, stretched out his hand to take the teacup, and drank the tea in the cup directly. Then he took out the jade slip from his arms, "This was specially made for me by the retired emperor when he was alive. There is also a seal of the retired emperor engraved on it. The jade slip is engraved with the words "peaceful and prosperous times". This is my teacher's expectation for you."
The eldest grandson of the emperor knew early on that everything related to the Grandfather was very important, so he stretched out his hands and took it solemnly, "I will definitely live up to the expectations of my master."
The emperor looked at the jade slip in a daze. This jade slip was carved by his father himself. He was a little dazed when he saw the jade slip again, and then he smiled again. He returned one of the two jade slips.
Old Master Wen's lips were tightly clenched as he looked at the jade slip. If Zhou Shuren hadn't said it, no one would have known that the retired emperor had given him such a good thing, something that could save his life with the retired emperor's seal.
Old Master Wen thought that the Wen family was not bad. Now he didn't understand why the emperor or even the retired emperor valued and treated Zhou Shuren so well!
Today's apprenticeship opened the eyes of the ministers who witnessed it. They were still talking about it when they took their seats, and looked at Zhou Shuren with hidden eyes. He was truly an enviable person.
Zhou Shuren was toasted, and Prince Qi and others also had complicated expressions in their eyes.
Zhou Shuren drank a little too much today. He was in a daze when he returned home from leaving the palace. Boss Zhou and a few others entered the palace together.
Zhulan motioned her sons to go back and rest while she took care of Shuren herself. The old man was really drunk and said cheerfully, "Zhulan, I want to live a few more years."
Zhu Lan responded, "Okay, I'll accompany you."
Zhou Shuren held his wife's hand, and his confused eyes became clear. "You must stay with me and don't leave first."
Zhu Lan said softly, "Okay."
After the apprenticeship was over, the emperor's eldest grandson officially began to study under Zhou Shuren. Zhou Shuren, who was still the Minister of Revenue, took his eldest grandson to the Ministry of Revenue.
Now that Zhou Shuren no longer had to do the work of the Ministry of Revenue himself, he was quite free. In the first class, Zhou Shuren taught the emperor's eldest grandson how to recognize prices, and then took him to the national treasury.
Here Zhou Shuren takes his eldest grandson to class, and the prince's selection of a concubine is officially announced.
At Zhou Hou Mansion, Yu Jiao is taking a day off today as she has an appointment with Shangguan Li.
As a result, Yujiao came back before noon. Zhulan was a little surprised to see this girl coming to the main courtyard. "Why did you come back so early?"
Yu Jiao, "Ah'li was sewing her wedding dress, I was bored so I came back."
Zhulan looked at her granddaughter, "Jealous?"
Yu Jiao shook her head, "I'm not jealous, I think things are good now."
What's the advantage of getting married early? It will be inconvenient to go out. It's better not to have an engagement.
Zhu Lan laughed, "You want to get engaged, but my family won't let you."
Yu Jiao suddenly said, "I heard from Ah Li that the prince is selecting a concubine, and I heard that the Qi family is interested in a concubine for the prince."
Zhu Lan was not surprised. "The prince stays away from the Wen family. The Qi family and the Wen family are related by marriage. The prince will not marry a girl from the Wen family, so he can only give her a girl from the Qi family."
The Qi family also has their own thoughts. They have probably long been unwilling to rely on the Wen family. The prince's selection of a concubine is an opportunity for the Qi family. I don't know if Master Wen has noticed it.
Yu Jiao rolled her eyes, "For the sake of the emperor's eldest grandson, I think the Qi family girl will lose the election."
Zhulan tapped her granddaughter's nose and said, "Smart."
Yu Jiao's eyebrows curved, "This is easy to guess, but some people are blinded by power and can't see clearly."
Zhu Lan said quietly, "If the Wen family helps the Qi family, it will wear away the emperor's last bit of tolerance for the Wen family."
Yu Jiao leaned against her grandmother and said, "She doesn't deserve any sympathy."
The Wen family is far worse than the Ning family. Look at how the Ning family is doing. The emperor trusts the Ning family so much.
Zhulan asked with a smile, "How are you doing in the academy recently?"
"It's good. There are some interesting girls in my class. I like them very much."
Zhulan said, "Recently, another young lady from an official family has applied to be a gentleman, but she hasn't been chosen yet. Tell me about it."
Yu Jiao teaches at the academy and works as a sidekick to her sister-in-law. "Yeah."
In the palace, the emperor had a sullen face. Old Master Wen knelt on the ground with a thump. The old master's knees were extremely painful. He couldn't remember how long it had been since he had knelt so hard. The pain made his mind clear. The person in front of him was the king, the emperor who controlled the entire Zhang Dynasty.
Old Master Wen's voice trembled, "This old minister is confused."
The emperor's face became even gloomier, and his voice was cold, "You are indeed old and confused. The crown prince is the emperor, he is the emperor and you are the subject. How dare you interfere in the crown prince's harem? Who gave you the courage?"
Master Wen said, "Your Majesty, I am confused. I am confused."
After the empress passed away, the emperor treated the Wen family very well and Sun Zishou was transferred to a good position. He could see clearly that the emperor had feelings for his daughter, especially the emperor's decision not to appoint a empress. He felt proud and less cautious.
The emperor put his hands behind his back and said, "Oh, if you are so confused, go home and take care of yourself, otherwise you will say anything when your mind is not clear."
Old Master Wen's heart skipped a beat. "I am still young, old minister."
"Um?"
Old Master Wen was filled with regret. He felt that he was not old yet and could continue to serve, but the emperor had made up his mind to let him retire. His voice was a little trembling, "Old, I am old. Please allow me to retire and return home."
The emperor's voice was still deep, "Yes."
Old Master Wen fell to the ground. For someone who values power, losing power is more cruel than killing him.
The emperor didn't want to see this old thing. It was really shameless. The emperor was still angry, "Heh, Qi family."
He let his grandson become his disciple first to warn his ministers. No one can threaten the eldest grandson's position. This time, the concubine will not be a woman with a high family background. The fact that the Qi family persuaded the Wen family to help shows that the Qi family has great ambitions and that the Qi family threatens the safety of the eldest grandson.
The emperor became more and more angry as he thought about it. "Okay, okay."
The prince thought that his father had not been so angry for a long time, and he was also very angry. He currently had only two children, a son and the other was still in the prince's wife's belly. The eldest son occupied his heart, and whoever plotted against the eldest son would die.
On the next morning, Lord Wen resigned on the spot, leaving the ministers somewhat bewildered. Everyone knew how much Lord Wen valued power.
Only Old Master Qi shrank his neck. He already knew what happened yesterday, and when he felt the emperor's gaze, his neck shrank again.
Zhou Shuren was not surprised. When he heard his wife talking about the Qi family yesterday, he guessed the result. Today, the emperor gave the Wen family the last face by allowing them to retire.
After the morning court session ended, Zhou Shuren had barely taken two steps when the Third Prince caught up with him, "Lord Zhou, I will go back to the Ministry of Revenue with you."
Zhou Shuren, "It turned out that His Highness personally took the money."
The third prince said, "I've been quite free lately."
Now that the renovation of the royal gardens is nearing completion, he doesn't need to be there to keep an eye on it, and he can't get involved in the Ministry of Works' work, so running errands is good enough for him.
Zhou Shuren suddenly asked, "When will the ending written by the Three Imperial Concubines be completed?"
The Third Prince coughed and said, "I'm also urging her to write the ending."
Zhou Shuren, "My wife likes the story of the Third Prince's Consort very much and waits for the end of the story at home every day."
The third prince didn't know whether to laugh or cry. Recently, too many people had urged him to end his life. He knew that the scripts written by his wife were popular before he got married. He had an intuitive feeling about it after they got married. Later, he felt that it was good this way. The lively life was especially full of fireworks.
The two of them talked as they walked, not noticing the Second Prince behind them.
The second prince was greatly shocked by the fact that the emperor's eldest grandson became his disciple. He used to be polite to others when he tried to win them over, but now he just avoids him!
The second prince stared at his third brother's sincere smile. He was a little dazed. Should he really give up?
Thinking of this, the second prince turned his head to look at the palace and looked towards the government hall. He didn't know how long he stared at it. Only when all the ministers around him left did the second prince retract his gaze!
(End of this chapter)