Chapter 1042: Stingy Trust
At Zhou's house, Zhulan had breakfast and covered her mouth and nose with a handkerchief. The Zhang family's former mansion had been burning all night yesterday and was still burning. Thick smoke lingered over the capital. Although Zhou's house was far away, the smell was still there.
The butler came back from the street and said, "There are very few pedestrians in the capital today. There are only a few horse-drawn carriages rushing by."
Zhulan nodded to indicate that she understood. A big fire had made everyone in the capital city nervous. Seeing blood year after year had made everyone very scared, especially the ordinary people.
Zhulan said to Mrs. Song, "I'll go to Mr. Zhang's house to see the child later. Tell Yao Xin to close the door of the house for me."
Mrs. Song took note and said, "Yes."
Zhao said, "Mother, should I send a servant to tell Hu?"
"Let her know. She has no source of information and is so panicked now!"
Zhao nodded, and gave some instructions to the maid behind her. After the maid left, she said, "Mother, I'm going back first."
"Okay, go ahead."
Zhao left the house and turned her head to look in the direction of the smoke. She could not see the fire in the daytime, but she saw the true face of the survivors. The thick smoke made people feel heavy in their hearts. Zhao missed her husband and didn't know whether he was doing well.
At sea, Wu Ming had breakfast and sat on the deck enjoying the breeze. The sea and the sky seemed to be connected into one line. After looking at it for a long time, he lost all sense of beauty and only felt irritated. He didn't know how he could reach his destination.
Wu Ming knew who it was when he heard the footsteps, "Here they come."
Chang Lian pulled a chair over and sat down, looking at Wu Ming worriedly, "You eat too little. You only had a small bowl of white porridge in the morning. It's only been a short time, and you've lost weight."
Wu Ming also sat on the chair and looked at Chang Lian. Chang Lian was not thin at all and was able to eat and drink. "I am considered good. There are two others who are sick!"
Chang Lian understood, "It was the same when I first took a boat ride. Now I'm used to it. It's a little boring, but it's still quite interesting."
Wu Ming pressed his forehead, "Although I brought enough food and dried vegetables, I still can't get used to eating them at sea. Meat will get moldy when it's rainy and windy, even if it's dried meat. I can't eat fish all the time."
Chang Lian curled his lips and said, "We have already done our best to dock for supplies."
Wu Ming also knew, but in the past, when he was at home, he had the best food and things to eat. Now on the ship, it was not suitable for him to prepare mentally. "It will be fine when he comes back."
Zhang Jinghong came over, and Chang Lian saw him and said, "You have a good appetite."
Zhang Jinghong chuckled, "I didn't expect that I would be so easy to take care of. Didn't you say that human potential is unlimited? That's true for me."
In order to stay alive, he has been adapting and can live well even if he is not a prince.
Chang Lian was a little embarrassed, "It wasn't me who said that. It was my father who told me to unleash my potential."
Zhang Jinghong paused, "Master Zhou is admirable."
Chang Lian nodded. He thought that he would never be able to learn all his father's skills in his lifetime.
In the palace, Zhou Shuren was in a daze. The emperor did not talk about state affairs, but actually chatted with him about hobbies, as if they were friends. Zhou Shuren became more alert.
The emperor showed his painting, "This was painted when I was fifteen years old. Shuren, come and take a look."
Zhou Shuren walked in and was silent. The emperor's painting skills were really not that good. "Who did the emperor learn from?"
The emperor touched the painting and said, "I taught myself."
The emperor took out two more paintings and said, "These two were painted in the past few years. I don't paint very many paintings, and I have always kept them myself."
Zhou Shuren thought to himself, you still know that you are not talented in painting, how shameful! "Your Majesty, why are you showing this to me?"
The emperor put away the painting and said with a smile, "Because I am very happy today, very happy."
Zhou Shuren saw it and said, "I am happy for the emperor."
The Emperor felt very sad, as he had no friends at all. He had no friends when he was young, and even less when he played dumb. Later, he became an emperor, and an emperor did not need friends. He had never shared anything with anyone, but today, because he was happy, he wanted to be willful for once, and the person who thought of sharing with him was Zhou Shuren.
Zhou Shuren had been watching the emperor's struggles silently and discovered another side of the emperor. The emperor was quite secretive. Of course, the older he got, the more evil his tastes became.
Eunuch Liu stood in the distance, his eyes never leaving the emperor. Eunuch Liu's eyes turned red. The emperor never had the innocence of a child. He had grown old and willful, but a bit of innocence remained in him. He knew that after today, the emperor would be the same emperor as before, and today was the only time he was willful.
The emperor struggled for a while until he was tired and rubbed his waist, "I'm old and can't struggle any more."
Zhou Shuren thought for a moment and reached out to support him. "Your Majesty is not old, and your body is still very strong."
The emperor waved his hands, "I know my health is bad, but it's a pity for my ambitions. But it doesn't matter, the prince is very good, he will inherit my ambitions."
Zhou Shuren withdrew his hand and lowered his head, "I am terrified."
He was really terrified. Didn't you scare people enough today? Saying this so casually in front of him, aren't you telling him directly that the prince will succeed to the throne?
The emperor laughed and scolded, "You old man are too smart. I know you are capable and have a broad mind. Don't think I don't know if you are hiding something. Even if you are smart, your eyes can't deceive people."
It was only after careful observation that he discovered that Zhou Shuren was very good at hiding his thoughts. So what? Why did he like to ask Zhou Shuren to follow the meeting? Because he wanted to see Zhou Shuren's reaction. Even if Zhou Shuren didn't speak, he would still show some reaction at the critical moment.
He was very satisfied with Zhou Shuren's determination to make the country strong. It was also because of Zhou Shuren's belief that he felt less jealous of Zhou Shuren.
Zhou Shuren was trembling in his heart. He didn't have the heart to complain at all at this moment. The emperor was the emperor. He controlled a country and his subjects. If he really paid attention to one person, how could he be deceived by pretending? He just didn't know how much the emperor had discovered.
The emperor looked at Zhou Shuren, who was still calm, and smiled softly, "I hope you won't betray my trust. I am a stingy person. I have experienced too much since I was a child and I am unwilling to trust others. So I only give you one chance. Shuren, you must cherish it. I hate betrayal."
Zhou Shuren's heart was in ups and downs, but he calmed down and said, "I will always keep this in mind and will never let down the emperor's trust."
His words were sincere. He had never had any disobedient thoughts. He loved home very much. This was what he had always longed for. Although he had no parents, he was a good father. What he wanted to protect expanded from Zhulan and his son to everyone in the family. He felt respected by his son and admired by his grandson. He was the pillar of the Zhou family!
The emperor stared at Zhou Shuren intently, patted him on the shoulder, and said, "I am tired."
Zhou Shuren bowed with extra respect this time, "Yes, I'll take my leave."
The emperor was stunned for a moment, then his eyes curved, and a smile appeared in his calm eyes. "Hmm."
The prince waited for Zhou Shuren to leave before coming out of the compartment. "Father, are you happy?"