Chapter 1248 The Emperor

Eunuch Liu stood beside the retired emperor, feeling extremely uncomfortable, not for himself, but for the emperor. The end of a generation of emperors, even if not sad, made him feel even more uncomfortable.

The emperor saw it with his peripheral vision and laughed, "I am happy."

Of course there was disappointment, but more of it was happiness. This was the successor he had personally nurtured, and a new chapter would begin from today. His heart was now filled with anticipation.

He hoped that the country would become stronger and stronger in his son's hands, and hoped to see the prosperous times that belonged to his son.

The emperor stood on the high platform and saw far away. He looked up at the sky which seemed much closer. The sky was vast and boundless, just like his son's ambition. The emperor, no, it should be the emperor emeritus, the emperor emeritus laughed in a low voice.

At this time, the sound of firecrackers rang out in the capital city, and even in the palace, one could still vaguely hear them.

The Emperor stood with his hands behind his back and looked outside the palace. "Your Majesty is very popular among the people!"

Eunuch Liu, "The Emperor taught me well."

The emperor was very happy. "Well, by the way, you should leave the palace and retire tomorrow."

Eunuch Liu was sad, but he couldn't cry. Today was a happy day. "Yes."

Emperor Retired, "It is indeed time for you to enjoy a few more years of happiness."

Eunuch Liu knew that the emperor was going on a long journey and his health would not allow him to follow, so Eunuch Liu knelt down and kowtowed, wishing the emperor a long life.

In the harem, the Crown Princess was not yet the Empress. After hearing the female official say that the ceremony was over, she finally let go of the handkerchief in her hand. The handkerchief was already wet with sweat.

The Crown Princess stood up. This was her mother's former bedroom, and now it was hers. She was very familiar with this place, so familiar that she could walk through it with her eyes closed.

Now there is a phoenix robe belonging to her hanging in the bedroom. She reaches out to touch it and can't help but think of the jealous looks of Liu and others. Jealous, she is the only one who can enter the palace, and now it only belongs to her and the emperor.

At Zhou's residence, Zhulan and the eldest daughter sat together, and the sound of firecrackers could be heard outside.

Zhulan asked, "Are your parents-in-law ready?"

Xuemei nodded, "Yes, the luggage has been packed."

Zhulan was very surprised. "Why do they suddenly want to go back? When Jiang Sheng went back to worship his ancestors, didn't he talk to Boss Jiang about the old couple's future inheritance?"

Xuemei smiled, "My father-in-law recently dreamed of my grandfather, so he wanted to go back and repair the ancestral tomb himself. If it weren't for the crown prince's succession, my parents-in-law would have set off a few days ago."

After a pause, he continued, "And my parents-in-law also want to have other houses, all for their sons and grandsons. They have saved some money on their own over the years, and they probably want to give some to the other houses."

Xuemei didn't care about these things. After all, it was the money the old couple saved from farming. The old couple missed their hometown, and she and her husband understood.

Zhulan asked, "When will they come back?"

Xuemei said, "When Jiang Du goes back to take the exam, he will come back with us."

Zhulan nodded and said that the old couple of the Jiang family would only come to the capital when invited by the Zhou Mansion, and never visited at other times. Even though the Zhou family was becoming more and more influential in the capital, the old couple of the Jiang family still lived their own lives and would not seduce Xuemei to compete for anything.

Zhulan thought of this and looked at the lady-in-waiting who was making tea. This had a lot to do with the lady-in-waiting.

Speaking of which, among the several sons and daughters, even the eldest wife will have a title in the future.

Zhu Lan said, "Your father tested Jiang Du the day before yesterday and told me before he went to bed that Jiang Du has a solid foundation and a good character."

Xuemei was very happy to hear her father praise her son, "This kid didn't even tell me when he came back!"

Zhulan, "This child's personality is like yours."

In the past, Jiang Sheng was the grandson of the Zhou family. Because the Jiang family kept a low profile, no one paid much attention to him. But now more people are paying attention to him, and the child is not disturbed by external things. Zhou Shuren praised Jiang Du, but it was not her who deceived the eldest daughter.

In the afternoon, when Zhou Shuren came back, he was already exhausted. The skinny old man lay flat on the kang and didn't want to move at all. "I'm tired. I'm really tired today."

Zhulan pushed him and said, "Get up. Change your clothes before lying down. Your official uniform is dirty."

Zhou Shuren retorted, "It's not dirty at all. The entire floor of the palace has been cleaned."

Zhou Shuren got up, changed his clothes quickly, kicked off his shoes, and lay on the kang, turning his head to his wife, "Wife, help me untie it!"

Zhulan came over with a comb in her hand. "There will be a big meeting tomorrow."

Zhou Shuren, "Well, your husband will be promoted tomorrow, and your imperial edict will also arrive at your house tomorrow, so you should prepare it early."

Zhulan was surprised, "Together?"

Zhou Shuren closed his eyes, "Yes, it has been planned a long time ago. You know how busy the fourth brother has been these days."

Zhulan smiled and said, "Yes, Changzhi is in the Hanlin Academy."

Zhou Shuren was silent for a while and then said, "When we left the palace, I saw the emperor on the platform."

Zhulan paused, "The Emperor is already very powerful."

Zhou Shuren also admired this point. The previous dynasty was a turning point in history, and the founding emperor was also very powerful, but in the end, he still sat on the throne until his death, and only then did he give up power.

Zhulan had combed her husband's hair, but Zhou Shuren had already fallen asleep.

Zhulan carefully put down her husband's head. Her husband was getting older and older, and he got tired more and more easily.

The next morning, rewards were distributed, including rewards for contributions to the palace coup and some upgrades of titles. Most of the titles were transferred, and there were not many official promotions. Zhou Shuren probably had the biggest change, as he officially became the Minister of Revenue.

Zhou Shuren didn't feel anything, and the other ministers didn't react either.

Today's morning court was quite simple, with only rewards.

After the morning court session ended, the ministers had expressions of disappointment and joy on their faces, but Zhou Shuren became the focus.

The future Minister of Revenue has now officially become the Minister. As one of the six ministries, he is in charge of the country's money. This is really great power.

The Minister of Personnel smiled and said, "Congratulations, Minister Zhou."

The Minister of Justice had mixed feelings, but he still said, "Congratulations."

Li Zhao and Zhou Shuren have a good relationship. "You must prepare good wine for your banquet. It must be famous wine."

Zhou Shuren, "Don't worry, everyone will be satisfied."

The Minister of Works and the Minister of Rites also came over to congratulate him, especially the Minister of Works, whose tone was the most enthusiastic. It would have been necessary for him not to be enthusiastic, as the Ministry of Works had now become a big spender.

Mr. Wang said congratulations and left. He was old, and he hadn’t slowed down from the grand ceremony yesterday. He took two steps and saw that his son hadn’t left yet, so he pulled his son’s sleeve and said, “Let’s go.”

Wang Ju followed in her father's footsteps. When there were fewer people around, Wang Ju sighed, "When Zhou Shuren was the prefect, we were about the same. It's only been a few years, and he is several levels higher than my son."

Mr. Wang, "Zhou Shuren's career path cannot be replicated."

Zhou Shuren's current status is not only due to good luck, but also due to his own abilities and achievements along the way.

At the Zhou family, Zhulan was well prepared. After the person announcing the decree left, Zhulan received the custom-made imperial robe, and then found that the size of the robe was larger than when she measured it.

What makes Zhulan sad is that the bigger size actually fits her perfectly, but she, she has gained weight again!!