Chapter 1351 Candidates

Mingrui didn't look up, "Uncle, I'm almost well now."

Changzhong took Mingrui's book and rolled his eyes. "There's no need to rush these few days. Come, let's talk about how we feel after getting engaged."

Mingrui blushed, but still didn't forget to grab the book, "What kind of feeling can I have when I'm engaged?"

Changzhong is not as big as Mingrui, so naturally he cannot compete with Mingrui. Changzhong wanted to divert his nephew's attention, but it was useless. "Don't push yourself too much. You are working too hard."

Mingrui pulled the small blanket covering his legs, "I'm working hard now so that I can be more successful in the future. Uncle, you don't know that my father has to study until very late every day. Compared with my father, I don't work that hard."

After hearing this, Changzhong stopped disturbing Mingrui and curled himself up in the quilt, not moving for a long time. Mingrui thought that his uncle had fallen asleep, but then he saw his uncle reach out and touch a book, then sit up again and read the book carefully.

Mingrui opened his mouth but swallowed the words that were about to come out of his mouth. The two of them looked at the book quietly.

Zhou Shuren stood outside the window, looking at his younger son and Mingrui from inside the window, and stood there for a while before leaving.

In the main courtyard, Zhu Lan was puzzled, "You came back early today, aren't you here to see the two children? Why did you come back so soon?"

Zhou Shuren sat down and took off his shoes. "They were reading, so I didn't go in to disturb them."

Zhu Lan asked doubtfully, "This is not like you!"

Zhou Shuren changed his shoes and said, "Mingrui works very hard, and Changzhong also works hard with him. It's good for these two children to be together."

"I just think Mingrui works too hard."

"Mingrui is the one who knows what he wants best among all the children. He knows that if he wants to get something, he has to work twice as hard. That's good."

He has many grandchildren, and he pays more attention to Mingyun among them. He pays relatively less attention to Mingrui. The most he knows about him is that the child is very hardworking.

Zhulan, "Mingrui is the eldest son of the second wife. He is thoughtful and meticulous, and he loves his father dearly."

Zhou Shuren hummed, "Next year the prince will travel on behalf of the emperor."

Zhulan was alert, "Traveling?"

Zhou Shuren nodded, "Well, now that the main roads have been repaired, the prince will inspect them on behalf of the emperor."

Zhulan was surprised, "Didn't the Emperor Retired inspect this?"

Zhou Shuren explained: "This time it's not just an inspection tour, the Emperor also wants to take this opportunity to let the Crown Prince visit the states in person and learn how to be a crown prince who serves the people."

Zhulan sighed, "The Emperor's education is really good."

A monarch who is high above and does not understand the people's livelihood will always be far away from the people, and what you hear will never be as good as what you see with your own eyes.

Zhou Shuren nodded, "Not bad indeed."

The emperor himself has ambitions to expand territory, and the next generation of emperors needs the ability to govern. Now the emperor is training the prince on how to better govern the country, starting with understanding the country's people.

Zhu Lan asked, "You suddenly brought this up to me, so it shouldn't just be a news sharing."

Zhou Shuren hummed, "The emperor told me in advance that he hoped that when the prince asked me for advice, he would like me to talk more about people's livelihood. At the same time, the prince will bring some people with him on this trip."

Zhulan narrowed her eyes, "The emperor gave our family a place?"

Zhou Shuren nodded, "Yes, the emperor not only wants the prince to understand the people, but also hopes that the children of the major families who will serve in the court in the future will understand, so many families in the capital have quotas."

Zhulan understood, "You had originally decided who to let go, but now you're hesitant."

Zhou Shuren nodded, "Mingyun has already entered the Imperial Academy, Mingteng will not follow the prince, so I am thinking of Changzhong, and Mingrui made me ignore it."

Zhulan understood, "This time, the noble families must have chosen teenagers who are fifteen or sixteen years old. Changzhong is young, so let Mingrui go. Mingrui has the least resources among his grandsons."

The eldest wife has Mingyun and Mingteng, so it is impossible for her to favor Minghui. The third wife, Mingling, is still young, and the fourth wife, Mingjia, is not very old either.

Mingyun entered the Hanlin Academy, and Mingteng could not follow the prince. According to the order of seniority, Mingrui should be the next in line.

Zhou Shuren, "Yeah."

When Zhulan and her husband were talking, no one was allowed to stay in the room. It was a custom that as soon as the conversation started, the servants in the room would go out, and no one would know what the couple was talking about.

Zhou Shuren was the first one to hear the news from the emperor, and soon after that other people got the news and began to prepare privately.

The temperature is getting colder and colder, but there is still no snow. The cold wind keeps blowing, and people are worried about next year's harvest.

Boss Zhou not only manages the land of the eldest house, but also the land of the entire mansion. He is worried about the harvest next year, and blisters appear on his lips. "Mom, next year won't be a drought year, will it?"

Li pouted a few times and said, "Good things work, bad things don't. If you can't speak, don't speak."

It's so scary. It's also a drought year. Is a drought year easy to survive?

Boss Zhou slapped his lips and said, "Good ones work, but bad ones don't."

Zhulan has been in ancient times for many years and has never seen such a winter scene. "Who knows, it might snow in a few days. Who can say for sure?"

Li said, "If mother says it will snow, it will definitely snow."

Zhulan, "......"

She was just saying it in a positive way, if only she could say what she meant.

Boss Zhou was not happy. Instead, he was worried that there would be no snow in the winter and if it really snowed, it might cause a snowstorm.

Zhulan was particularly nostalgic for the modern weather forecast at this time. Listening to the howling wind outside, Zhulan lost her energy and said, "You all should go back too."

At the Ministry of Revenue, Zhou Shuren was also afraid of extreme weather, so he confirmed again and again that there was no problem with the prepared supplies, and only then did he feel relieved.

The newly appointed Minister Liu is naturally capable, and is even more flawless in his interpersonal dealings than Lord Wang.

Minister Liu asked, "Your Excellency frowned. Are you still worried about the weather?"

Zhou Shuren, "Yeah."

Minister Liu said, "The court has been well prepared over the years and has some experience in dealing with extreme weather. Your Excellency can relax a little."

Zhou Shuren asked, "How has your job been going lately?"

"The division of responsibilities is clear, and I have adapted to it and am handling it fairly smoothly."

Zhou Shuren nodded, "That's good. If you have any questions, go ask Qiu Yan. There is nothing in the Ministry of Revenue that he can't handle."

Minister Liu: "Yes."

At the Zhou family, Zhulan was in high spirits when she saw her granddaughter Linxi. "Why did you bring Linxi back on such a windy day?"

Xue Han pointed at the basket that was carried in, "The fruits we bought have arrived. I'm sending some to you and Dad. Linxi hasn't seen her grandmother for a long time. This girl insisted on coming over, so I had no choice but to bring her here."

Linxi, "Grandma, you don't miss me!"

Zhulan smiled and said, "Yes, grandma misses Linxi."

Linxi grew up being pampered. She was the only one who dared to sit in the arms of the retired emperor to eat. Even though she was pampered by so many people, the child was not spoiled at all. This showed how good-tempered the little girl was.

Xue Han watched the daughter chatting with her mother. When the daughter said she was going to look for her cousins, Xue Han said, "Mother, I'm going to leave Beijing with Rongchuan next year."

Zhulan nodded, "Well, you told me, what's wrong?"