Chapter 1251 Cooperation
A few days after the Empress's ceremony, the Emperor Retired and the Empress Dowager moved into the Prince of Qin's Palace. Ever since the Emperor Retired left the palace, Zhou Shuren had been on high alert.
Zhulan also received an invitation from the empress. In recent days, the new empress has been very busy. The emperor is busy with state affairs, while the empress is receiving female relatives.
This time it was not like a formal ceremony, the Queen invited everyone individually.
Zhulan was among the first group to be invited. When she entered the palace, Zhao was pregnant and about to give birth, so Li could not enter the palace, so Su Xuan still accompanied her into the palace.
Zhulan was also familiar with the Queen's bedroom. She had been there several times, but the people who saw her had changed. Even the palace maids who led the way were unfamiliar. As she looked along, none of them looked familiar.
Zhulan felt that it was the Empress Dowager who took all the palace maids away on her own initiative. After all, the Empress Dowager was a good mother-in-law.
When Zhulan arrived, the Queen Mother had already arrived. It was obvious that the Queen Mother valued her very much.
Zhulan greeted him, "Your Highness, I am Yang, your servant, and I have come to see the Empress."
Su Xuan also followed suit.
The Queen said with a friendly tone and a smile, "Please get up quickly."
After Zhulan stood up, the Queen allowed her to sit. Zhulan also noticed the Queen's complexion, which was very good. It made sense, as the Queen Mother moved out of the palace after she entered it. She was the most senior in the palace, and the other concubines were not of high status, so the Queen's complexion was naturally good.
The Queen said, "The former Japanese concubine met my sister-in-law and mentioned Madam. I have always known that Madam is the wise wife of Mr. Zhou. I admire your wisdom."
The Queen was not lying. When she got some of Yang's calculation drafts from the Emperor, she was filled with admiration. Few women could achieve Yang's level.
Zhu Lan said modestly, "Your Majesty, I am just doing my duty."
The queen smiled and said that Yang was really humble. If she were not a woman, she could have been an official with her talents.
Today's meeting was mainly for casual conversation, and the Queen was not in a hurry to make any move right away. She quickly gave the guests rewards and sent them away.
Zhulan glanced at the covered box and thought to herself, the Queen will have to meet many female relatives, and it will cost a lot of money to spend all this money!
Just as she was thinking about it, Zhulan saw the palace maid leading the way in front stop, and then she saw Concubine Liu and a concubine.
The palace maid greeted first, "Meet the Concubine Liu, meet Du Zhaoyi."
Zhulan looked at Du Zhaoyi in surprise. She didn't think it was a coincidence. The imperial palace was not small, and the concubines would not stroll to the point of leaving the palace.
Concubine Liu held Du Zhaoyi's hand and said with a smile, "My sister and I were just about to return to the palace. We didn't expect to run into Madam. Is Madam okay after not seeing her for so many days?"
Zhulan's mind was turning, and she replied, "Everything is fine with me, Madam Lao, you are thinking of me."
Concubine Liu said, "My sister and I will go ahead."
Zhulan watched Concubine Liu and Du Zhaoyi leave. After they left the palace and sat in their own carriage, Su Xuan spoke, "Mother, what does Concubine Liu mean today?"
Zhulan opened the box and took out the bracelet given by the Queen. "She showed me that she has a good relationship with Du Zhaoyi, which means that if they unite, they will also have two princes."
Su Xuan blinked her eyes, she thought she was quite smart. Apart from not liking to study, she also grew up in a world of intrigue and deception. But she was still no match for her mother. She thought it was a quite normal meeting, but her mother could see so much!
Su Xuan was very curious, "Mom, how did you know that?"
Zhulan had already changed her bracelet for the one given by the empress, and said with a smile, "First, Du Zhaoyi was very low-key when she was in the prince's residence, but today she took a walk with Concubine Liu without hesitation. Second, Concubine Liu was holding Du Zhaoyi's hand, which was a very intimate gesture. The two of them could not be close friends, they could only be partners in interests."
Su Xuan raised her thumb and said, "Mom, you are really amazing."
Zhulan raised her hand, "How is it, does it look good?"
Su Xuan looked at the jade bracelet. Her mother was originally fair-skinned, and she looked good with the emerald green bracelet. However, there was a gap between the bracelet and her wrist. Ahem, "It looked good."
Zhulan took it off. She seldom wore bracelets anymore, simply because she had gained weight, so her wrist was usually empty. She put it back and would divide it up after she died.
In the Ministry of Revenue, the new official Zhou Shuren has already started the first of three things he did after taking office, which is to make the division of labor more clear. In the past, drastic changes were not allowed, but now there is no room for improvement. Those who slack off and slack off will no longer have a place to survive.
I can no longer take advantage of the annual Ministry of Personnel assessment. If I want to get a good rating now, I have to work hard. If I don’t do a good job, Zhou Shuren won’t preach to me or scold me. After two years of low ratings, I just left.
Zhou Shuren was able to carry out such efficient reforms because he had been laying the groundwork for many years. Anyway, the Ministry of Revenue, which he controlled, was all about efficiency, so those who wanted to gain an advantage by relying on seniority should not come to the Ministry of Revenue.
Zhou Shuren was in a good mood, and then happily took out the tea set and tea leaves sent by his son-in-law. He is also busy now, but the responsibilities are different with different positions. He used to be the Shangshu's right-hand man and had to personally watch over everything, but now he is the boss!
The tea had just been brewed when the emperor arrived. Zhou Shuren felt as if a stone had fallen from his chest. Ah, he finally arrived.
Zhou Shuren stood up and said, "I have seen the Emperor."
The emperor, in his casual clothes, had already sat down in front of the tea table. He sniffed the scent and looked at the tea set. This set looked familiar. The prince had asked for it from him, but now it belonged to Zhou Shuren. He smiled with a fake smile, "Shuren has so many treasures."
Zhou Shuren was a little animal, and was very alert. He didn't try to fool the emperor by saying that it was a gift from his son-in-law. He said honestly, "I don't have any treasures. You don't know me. I have always liked Mr. Xiao's tea set, but it was a pity that Mr. Xiao didn't leave it for me. So I boasted and went to ask the King of Qin for it. I shamelessly asked for it."
The retired emperor snorted. If this was a gift from the Prince of Qin, he would not have been willing to say anything to the Prince of Qin. He had many ways to torture Zhou Shuren.
Zhou Shuren asked, "Why did the Emperor come to the Ministry of Revenue today?"
The Emperor, "I heard about the Ministry of Revenue's big move while I was in the Prince of Qin's Palace, so I came here to learn more."
Zhou Shuren, "...Didn't the Emperor have anticipated this day?"
His little action could not be hidden from the former emperor, who clearly condoned it.
The emperor nodded, "It is said that a new official should start with three things. I think you only need to start with one. What do you think?"
Zhou Shuren understood that the emperor was here on behalf of the emperor, and whispered, "Did someone come to the emperor to murmur?"
Emperor Taishang, "You should also think about the other five departments. Your steps are too big and the other five departments can't keep up. This is not good."
Zhou Shuren stroked his beard and said, "I understand."
He has been in the Ministry of Revenue, so naturally he wants to make it better, but the six ministries are actually a whole, so he really needs to take it slowly.