Chapter 1097: Clever Enough

Prince Liang had no intention of investigating at all. There were too few clues and there was nothing to investigate. His father asked him to investigate just to get rid of him from the capital. He couldn't vent his anger, so he had a destination when he left the capital, which was Lord Zhou's hometown.

King Liang signaled the guards to take out the map and found a mark on the location of the coffin. Then his eyes froze, "It's actually near Pingzhou."

Guard: "Yes, at the border of the two states."

King Liang pointed at the map. Zhou Shuren's hometown was in Pingzhou. Squinting his eyes, it was really a coincidence.

In the teahouse in the capital, Zhou Shuren and the emperor entered the teahouse. They had just come back from outside. Because the purchased food had been brought back to the capital, and the remaining purchased food would arrive in succession, the emperor took Zhou Shuren out of the capital to visit the nearby villages.

Yes, it was a low-key visit. Who could have imagined that an emperor and the vice minister of the Ministry of Revenue would visit disguised as two old farmers. They had just left Beijing after the city gates were opened. It had been a whole morning since they returned to Beijing. They had drunk a little, so they wanted to have some snacks and drink some tea in the teahouse.

Zhou Shuren and the emperor did not look very good. They were wearing coarse clothes. Although their faces were clean, the weather was hot and even the old man was not in good spirits. As soon as the two entered the teahouse, they attracted attention. The reason was simple. The old man was obviously wearing coarse clothes, but he was followed by a lot of people, some of whom were carrying knives.

The shopkeeper looked at it carefully, then his eyes widened, "Mr. Zhou, Mr. Zhou."

His memory is excellent. Even though Lord Zhou didn't come many times, he still had a deep impression of him. Of course, Lord Zhou's image is also easy to remember.

The eunuch's voice was a little soft, "Boss, is there any vacant private room?"

The shopkeeper was dumbfounded. The eunuch in the palace? Then the one next to Lord Zhou? Stuttered? "Yes, yes, there are some upstairs."

Zhou Shuren and the emperor went upstairs, and the shopkeeper personally led the way.

As they passed by the half-open box, Zhou Shuren and his eldest grandson looked at each other. Mingyun was stunned for a moment, then he saw something terrible, the Emperor, and quickly stood up to greet him.

The emperor spoke up. "No need to arrange a private room. It's right here."

Mingyun stood aside with his younger brothers and sisters. Gu Liufeng had never met the emperor, but he had met Lord Zhou.

Zhou Shuren and the Emperor sat down. The shopkeeper was busy clearing the fruits on the table. He was stunned when he saw the fruits. These were not from the teahouse. Cold sweat broke out on his forehead. "The teahouse doesn't have these fruits. I'll go buy them."

Mingyun looked at his brother. Mingteng was also nervous. Mingyun said, "This is what we brought out. There are more in the carriage."

Planning to eat on the way back home.

Now there are only two fruits left on the table. Ugh, it doesn't look good.

The emperor smiled and said, "Bring up the good tea and snacks from your shop."

The shopkeeper exhaled, "Yes."

The shopkeeper went downstairs, followed by the eunuch and two guards, keeping a close eye on the snacks and tea.

The emperor motioned for the children to sit down, "Don't be shy, just sit down. As for the fruit, these two will be enough."

As he spoke, the emperor picked up one and then handed one to Zhou Shuren. These fruits had been eaten by the children, so he could rest assured.

The emperor was indeed craving for something sweet. He took a bite and it was sweet and juicy. "Well, not bad. Shu Ren's family has some good stuff."

Zhou Shuren smiled and said, "My second son brought it back."

The emperor knew what the envoys bought. Some of them exchanged for gold jewelry, some bought gems, and Zhou Changyi bought fruits and wood.

Zhou Shuren ate a fruit and felt like he was alive again. He looked at his eldest grandson and asked, "You guys came out to listen to the book?"

Mingyun was the most stable, probably because she had seen the emperor so many times that she was very natural. "I haven't been out with my sisters for a long time. It's my day off, so I came out for a walk."

The emperor had never seen Zhou Shuren's granddaughter before. His mind was on the fruit just now. Now that he saw her, he turned around and looked at Zhou Shuren again, "I found that the girls in your family are all good-looking."

At first, he was afraid that Zhou Shuren's daughter would follow Zhou Shuren.

Zhou Shuren rolled his eyes in his heart. That was too much. The meaning was too straightforward. "Fortunately, the children are not like me."

The emperor had originally visited the nearby villages and was relieved to know that every family was doing well. Now he smiled even more, "I don't mean anything else, Shuren, don't mind it."

Mingyun and his friends looked up to the sky, saying, "The emperor is bullying his grandfather!"

Zhou Shuren laughed and said, "I don't care."

The emperor smiled and said, "You sneered and said you didn't care. Don't worry, I don't care about appearance."

Zhou Shuren said quietly, "I was the runner-up that year."

The emperor laughed, "Shuren, be more confident, you are talented."

Zhou Shuren, "...Your Majesty, you will lose me!"

Ming Teng was stunned and could not help but tug at his elder brother's sleeve. He felt a little irritated today. The emperor, who was hailed as a wise ruler by the people and feared by the ministers, actually loved to bully his grandfather so much. Look how aggrieved his grandfather was.

However, although he looked quite excited, his grandpa was actually bullied. In his impression, his grandpa was the only one who bullied others!

Zhou Shuren felt Ming Teng's burning gaze and smiled, "You little bastard, just wait for me as your grandpa is making fun of you!"

Mingteng was scared and wanted to cry.

Yu Shuang and Yu Lu were a little dazed. They were sitting at the same table with the emperor!

The Emperor then turned his attention from Zhou Shuren to the other children, skipping the girls. All the girls in the Zhou family who could be engaged were already engaged. His eyes fell on the unfamiliar face, "Whose family is this?"

Zhou Shuren glanced at Gu Liufeng and said, "This is the marriage I arranged for my eldest grandson. Gu Liufeng passed the examination and became a scholar this year."

The emperor looked at Gu Liufeng a few more times. Zhou Shuren's eyes were sharp. He was so young that he passed the examination. He asked one more question, "Do you plan to take part in the provincial examination this year?"

Gu Liufeng's palms were full of sweat. He was not as calm as Zhou Mingyun. His voice was still trembling with nervousness. "Your Majesty, I am not going to take part in the provincial examination."

I wanted to give some explanation, but I couldn't find the words to say, so I could only reply dryly.

Zhou Shuren continued, "The child is still too young and needs to learn more solidly."

The emperor smiled and said, "Your fourth son has passed the examination for many years. I am waiting for the results of the provincial examination."

Zhou Shuren was also vulgar. He was happy that his child had made a name for himself in the emperor's heart. However, he could not say anything too much, otherwise he would be embarrassed. It was better to be humble. "I can't say for sure what the results will be. Examinations also require the right time, right place, and right people."

The emperor smiled, served tea and snacks, and said nothing more.

Mingyun started to make tea herself. The emperor looked at her a few more times. It must be said that the emperor felt that the children taught by Zhou Shuren were generous. The two girls were very calm.

The Gu family's private room received the news, but they didn't dare to go forward. The guards stood outside the semi-private room. Even though they were in casual clothes, their eyes were as sharp as knives.

The two young ladies of the Gu family regretted leaving. If they had known earlier, they would have shamelessly refused to leave. But they had to go because the two young masters of the Zhou family were engaged.

The young master of the Gu family had no regrets and was happy because Liu Feng was there. They knew their own worth and felt the importance of having a good in-law family.

At Zhou's house, Zhulan looked at Yang Wen, "Have you decided?"