Chapter 1293: Showing Off
Time flies, and summer is here in the blink of an eye. The temperature was very high at the beginning of this summer, but fortunately there was no drought and the rain was plenty.
With the arrival of summer, there were two Zhaoyi in the harem, two concubines of lower rank. The one with the highest status among them was Wang Zhaoyi, whose father was the Vice Minister of the Ministry of Revenue.
This also made her attract attention as soon as she entered the palace. With the entry of Zhaoyi into the palace, there were also some rumors that Lord Wang would be the next Minister of Revenue.
Zhulan seldom attends banquets anymore. The invitations sent to Zhou's house now all invite several members of the Zhao family, among whom Su Xuan is the most popular.
Su Xuan came back from the Wen family. Today is the birthday party of the eldest daughter-in-law of the Wen family.
Zhulan was teaching the children to study. When she saw Suxuan coming in, she signaled that the children could rest. After the children went out to play, she said, "You are back."
Su Xuan had already drunk some cool tea to cool off the heat in her body. "Well, it's so hot, I really don't want to move."
In summer, she prefers to cool off in an ice basin rather than attend banquets in sweltering weather.
Zhulan knew that if nothing happened, Suxuan would go back to the yard directly after she came back. "What's the matter?"
Su Xuan, "Today, someone kept telling me that Minister Wang is the emperor's confidant and may become the Minister of Finance in the future."
She smiled and said nothing, knowing that he was saying it deliberately in her ear, but she was still worried that it was true, so she felt a little upset.
Zhu Lan laughed, "Your father-in-law hopes the rumor is true."
Su Xuan, "Ah?"
Zhu Lan did not explain, "The rumor is false. If they really want to train the next Shangshu, it will definitely not be related to the palace."
What the emperor wants is a peaceful harem, so he will not let the women's families in the harem occupy important positions. The Minister of Revenue is not something that everyone can do. He must be loyal to the emperor and selfless.
Su Xuan blinked her eyes. She understood and smiled a little embarrassedly, "My daughter-in-law still has a short vision."
"You're fine now. That's enough. I thought it was something wrong. It's so hot this summer. Go back and change your clothes and rest."
Su Xuan's clothes were meant to be decent, so even if they were light, they were still uncomfortable.
Su Xuan really wanted to go back and take a shower, "Mom, I'll go back first."
"Um."
Zhulan waited until Suxuan left before calling Qingxue and the others in. She asked Qingxue, "How long has Changzhong been gone?"
Qingxue replied, "It's been an hour."
Zhulan muttered, "I don't understand boys' preferences. They don't even feel hot in such hot weather and still run to the horse farm."
Qingxue smiled, "Young masters Yang Qing like horses."
Zhulan nodded and signaled Qingxue to let people add ice. The weather is hot this year and the ice is being consumed quickly.
The grandchildren of the eldest brother and the second eldest brother have grown up, and there are three of them, especially the youngest. The oldest, Yang Qing, is fourteen, Yang Yu is eleven, and the third, Yang Shu, is eight years old this year.
As for the three children, Yang Qing will go to the navy next year, and arrangements have already been made. This time, Li Zhao is not needed, and Rongchuan personally takes Yang Qing to meet General Hou.
General Hou meant that I would join the navy on the 15th of next year, so I should be more familiar with the sea water now.
Yang Yu and Yang Shu are young, and they came to the capital to broaden their horizons.
At the capital's racecourse, the scorching summer heat cannot dampen the enthusiasm for horse racing; the hotter the weather, the more excited people become.
Changzhong has become a regular customer of the racecourse. Ever since he got the license plate from his father, he has liked this place.
Yang Qing was straightforward and had a particularly loud voice. "We won, we won."
Changzhong was used to Yang Qing. Compared with Yang Wen, Yang Qing was really a rough guy. However, Yang Qing had a sharp eye, especially when it came to horses. "You are really good. The horses you choose always win."
Yang Yu curled his lips, "Second brother didn't rely on luck, he relied on pure ability. When he was at home, he liked to go to the horse market and got to know several foreign horse traders very well. They taught him a lot of real skills."
Yang Shu nodded, "I also received a pony from my second brother. It was a good horse."
Yang Qing felt heartbroken when he heard this. Several of his younger brothers had teamed up to cheat him of all his money. It was not easy for him to save money. The biggest sum of it was given to him by his aunt when he came to the capital last time.
Changzhong exchanged the money he won. He really made a lot today. Changzhong waved his hands happily and said, "It's getting late. Let's go. I'll take you to eat roasted whole lamb."
Yang Shu twitched his lips, "Eating roasted whole lamb in this hot weather?"
Chang Zhong would never say that he was reluctant to spend money. The three people in front of him were all big eaters. He touched his wallet and felt that Yang Qing had suffered a lot today. He hardened his heart and said after a moment of silence, "Then let's go eat some famous Jiangnan dishes."
Yang Yu had some understanding of the temperament of this young elder. They didn't have much contact last time he came, but this time they had more contact and he was getting a little curious.
Changzhong is the shortest, but he walks in front and attracts a lot of attention.
When they arrived at the restaurant and asked for a private room, Changzhong regretted his decision. How should I put it? The food in this restaurant was delicious and the presentation was very exquisite. The only downside was that the portions were small.
At the Ministry of Revenue, Zhou Shuren stopped Lord Wang who was about to leave and said, "I will take a rest in the next few days. You and Qiu Yan should take care of it."
As he spoke, Zhou Shuren pressed his head. He had caught a cold from the heat and his head was aching.
Since the rumor appeared, Lord Wang has been as cautious as possible in the Ministry of Revenue and tried not to talk much with the officials below, for fear that Lord Zhou would think too much. When he suddenly heard this, he was frightened and thought that Lord Zhou was testing him.
After a closer look, I felt relieved. "Sir, are you feeling unwell?"
Zhou Shuren nodded, "I have asked the imperial physician to come over."
As he spoke, the imperial physician came. Lord Wang did not leave. It turned out that Zhou Shuren was really sick and needed to rest for a few days.
Zhou Shuren smiled and sent the imperial physician away, then wrote a note for leave and said he would just send it off later. There was nothing else to arrange, as the Ministry of Revenue had a complete system, and he would just need Qiu Yan and Lord Wang for a few days when he was away.
The emperor in the palace also heard the news. He did not go crazy and squeeze a patient. Instead, he paid attention to the leave. "Recently, many ministers have asked for leave."
Eunuch Zhang replied, "Yes, several elderly people have called in sick, and several have suffered from heat stroke."
The emperor could feel the heat this year through the glass. "Can I have ice?"
Eunuch Zhang said, "We use more ice this year, so we need to save some."
The retired emperor has few concubines in his harem, so more ice was stored last year, but it was still too little. In addition, some princes are young, and there are several new concubines, so the ice in the harem is quite tight.
The emperor nodded and said, "Go and tell the queen to reduce the amount of ice used in the harem starting today."
Eunuch Zhang took the order and went out. If he was not going to see the Empress, he really didn't want to go in person. As he walked, he said, "It's really hot this year."
Zhou Shuren suddenly returned home. Zhulan could tell at a glance that her husband was not feeling well. She quickly signaled the maid to twist the towel and help him change his clothes while asking, "Have you seen the imperial physician?"
"I've already asked the imperial physician to examine me and prescribe medicine. Let's boil the medicine first."
"good."
Zhou Shuren changed his clothes and wiped his face with a handkerchief, feeling much better. But after taking the medicine, he felt a little drowsy.
It was also a coincidence that the letter from the retired emperor arrived, along with the special products. Zhou Shuren looked at the letter and gritted his teeth, "You are so stinking."