Chapter 1370 Who has it easy?
During Zhou Shuren's absence, the Ministry of Revenue continued to operate as usual, but something seemed to be missing. It was not until Zhou Shuren came back that people realized that he was the backbone of the Ministry.
Qiu Yan did not flatter him, but said in a matter-of-fact manner: "Since your return, the spirit of the entire Ministry of Revenue has changed."
Zhou Shuren joked, "When I'm not around, they can still be lazy, but when I come back, they have to show me how good they are."
Qiu Yan laughed, "Then they will be happy to see you back."
After the joke, it was time to report. Only after the report was over did Qiu Yan sit down and drink tea.
Qiu Yan whispered, "When you came back, you also knew that the grassland tribes came to Beijing to ask for food and grass, right?"
"I already know."
Qiu Yan continued, "In recent years, many people from the grassland tribes have come to the capital. In their eyes, we have more than enough!"
"They are also eyeing our treasury."
Qiu Yan glanced at Zhou Shuren. Was this just a casual remark? It probably wasn't what he meant. He said tentatively, "I don't think you'd be that brave. We are a rich and powerful country."
He also knows how much money is invested in the army every year. In the past few years, the weapons that need to be replaced have been gradually replaced, and the combat effectiveness is not comparable to before.
Zhou Shuren drank his tea without answering. The smart person was Qiu Yan, "You are right."
Qiu Yan breathed a sigh of relief. The master really responded to his words. He then complained, "If you count the dynasties, these tribes are invincible. They will come back again after a while."
The harsh environment has also made the people more tough. The more Qiu Yan thought about it, the tighter his frown became.
In the Imperial Palace, in the Queen's bedroom, the Queen was in a good mood because the Crown Prince had returned. Yesterday, there were only four of them in the family, and the Queen's smile never changed when facing the concubines in the harem.
Concubine Liu was extremely jealous. Only the crown prince was traveling this time, and it was also an opportunity if the crown prince was not in the palace. However, the emperor would not meet any of the princes alone. He would meet them all together. Whenever they met, they would either be tested or taught, and there was no chance for them to cultivate feelings.
Concubine Liu held the handkerchief tightly and said, "I heard that the Crown Prince is very popular among the people in Zhangzhou. I would like to congratulate you."
"I don't even know this news, but Concubine Liu knows it so clearly."
After saying this, the Queen slammed the table and asked, "Does Concubine Liu have any bad intentions by asking about the Crown Prince's whereabouts?"
Concubine Liu was dumbfounded. No, didn’t the prince know everything in Zhangzhou?
Concubine Liu gritted her teeth and knelt down, "I dare not."
The Queen was too lazy to look at the kneeling Concubine Liu, "Go back and reflect on your mistakes until the New Year."
Concubine Liu took a deep breath and said, "Thank you, Madam."
The queen glanced at the other concubines with sarcasm in her eyes, the princes were all grown up, and the princes in the harem who were not favored by the emperor could only rely on their mothers. If their mothers were not favored in the harem, the princes would not have an easy life. She was the queen and would never make a fuss about it. She did what the queen should do, but she could not control the thoughts of the palace maids and eunuchs in the palace.
When the crown prince was not in the palace, the previously quiet ones became more and more active. As a result, the emperor always cared about the crown prince, and the second son had to take a back seat.
The empress thought of her younger son. The emperor treated her younger son differently from his father to the Prince of Qin. Her father truly loved her younger son to the core, but the emperor could not. If the Prince of Qin had also grown up in the palace, he would probably be like her younger son.
As the New Year's Eve was approaching, the Zhou family had basically completed all the gifts they should have given. Zhulan felt relieved because Shuren had returned. She was full of energy in everything she did, and she even had the energy to check the gift list for preparation.
Zhulan looked at the thick books on the table and said, "We have a lot of books stored at home. It's really inconvenient."
Paper is prone to insects, so it is necessary to take good care of it every year and make a backup copy to prevent the original from being damaged and unable to be verified. It is very troublesome to store it.
Mrs. Li got a headache when she saw the brochure. She was the one who arranged the New Year gift this year. Originally, her daughter-in-law could help her, but her daughter-in-law was pregnant and had a big belly, so she couldn't bear to do it herself.
Mrs. Li, "Mother, this year there are more gifts from the Lin family. The gifts from the Lin family are very generous."
Zhulan laughed, "This year Yulu is marrying into the Wang family, and the gifts from the Wang family are more generous than in previous years."
"The Wang family doesn't count. They've been doing it before."
Zhulan took out the Lin family's gift list and said, "This shows that the Lin family attaches great importance to this marriage."
Li smiled and said, "My second sister-in-law must be very happy to see you. I heard from her that she has already prepared a New Year gift for Miss Lin."
“That must be a big deal.”
In the past, the second wife had no money and no confidence, and she was not so lavish in spending money. Now that she has confidence and a richer family background, the second wife and her husband are both good at spending money.
Li rubbed her shoulders and said, "Ming Teng personally went to deliver the New Year gift to the Liu family."
"Of course, we'll get married next year."
Li whispered, "Ming Teng, don't worry. I know my son. That boy is very interested in Liu Jia."
Zhulan closed the booklet and said, "This is a good tradition in our family."
Family tradition is very important. The environment in which one grows up has a great influence on a person. The Zhou family has a good family tradition. How many girls want to marry into the Zhou family now!
Li added the last few lists to her book, "Mom, I still feel unreal. I had a few dreams where I dreamed that we were still living in Zhoujia Village. I woke up in shock when I saw my vulgar self."
Zhulan paused with her pen in hand, "Do you still dream about it now?"
"No, maybe I'm just feeling uneasy, so I'm reminiscing about my past life."
Zhulan wondered what Li dreamed about. It turned out that he was feeling uneasy. Unease can stimulate one's memory, so it is normal for it to manifest in dreams.
At the Wang family, Yu Lu's belly wasn't that big yet, and she was accompanying her grandmother to look at the gift list for the New Year. Tao Shile taught Yu Lu, pointing out one by one whether the relationship with the family was close.
Although Yu Lu was pregnant and didn't want to be tired, she still forced herself to listen carefully. The Wang family had a lot of connections, so it was a good opportunity for her to learn more about the New Year gifts and remember them to avoid making mistakes in the future.
Tao enjoyed her talk. She felt lonely after her youngest son entered school. Now she has her grandson and daughter-in-law to chat with, and she is very happy.
When her son got married, she was not yet in charge of the household and she had no chance to teach her daughter-in-law. But now it is different. Yu Lu is a good student and has experience as a housekeeper in her parents' home. She knows the gifts on the gift list very well and can tell at a glance which gifts look good and which gifts are sincere.
Tao was more willing to teach, and she never stopped talking once she started. If her great-grandson was not important, she would have wanted to continue, "You must be tired."
Yu Lu was a little tired, but it was okay. "It was okay."
Tao, "Lean back and take a rest for a while."
Yu Lu was not sympathetic. She was not the kind of person who would treat herself unfairly. "Thank you, grandma."
"It's my fault for talking too much today."
"Grandma, don't say that. I was a little confused today because I just wanted to remember more."
Tao thought to herself, Zhulan is really good at teaching her granddaughter, and these words are pleasing to the ears. She looked at Yu Lu's belly again, and her eyes became even more loving.
Yu Lu rested for a while before slowly walking towards her own yard. Yu Lu looked at the snow on the branches, then looked up at the sky. It is really not easy to be a woman in a wealthy family. Then she smiled again. Who has it easy? It is easy at home, but you still have to remember complicated relationships.
When Wang Wei came to pick up his wife, he saw her smiling at the tree. Seeing that she was in good spirits, he breathed a sigh of relief and asked, "What are you laughing at?"