Chapter 1591: Method

Zhou Shuren returned home with his granddaughter. After changing his clothes, he went to the front yard to meet Jiang Du and Mu Fan. The two were reading in the study with Ming Rui and others. The Zhou family's collection of books was already very rich, with many rare copies. Mu Fan and Jiang Du did not dare to slack off and seized the time to read.

It's rare that he comes back so early, so I'd like to give him some pointers.

Changzhong hugged his father's arm and asked, "Dad, why did you come back so early today?"

Zhou Shuren groaned, "You little brat, don't you know how heavy you are? Don't press on me."

Changzhong chuckled but still didn't let go of his hand.

Zhou Shuren said in a doting tone, "Today I accompanied the Emperor to the teahouse, and met Yudie and a few others there, and we returned together."

Chang Zhong realized, "Because of a few wonderful debates?"

"Well, the quality of this year's presentation was very high."

I didn’t encounter anything exciting today, but there have been several exciting debates in just a few days, which has proved how fierce the competition for the rankings is this year.

Jiang Du was nervous when he heard this, "Grandpa, I..."

Zhou Shuren stroked his beard, motioned for everyone to sit down, and then said, "The teahouses in the capital will be busy before the New Year. You can go to the teahouses and have a look. It will be like knowing yourself and the enemy. You will have a general idea in your mind and study well."

Jiang Du and Mu Fan, "Yes."

Zhou Shuren smiled and said, "Don't be nervous, you two. Our family has participated in many imperial examinations and has a lot of experience. It's a pity that Mingyun is in the grassland. However, your fourth uncle is at home, so let him teach you in the evening."

Jiang Du and Mu Fan were excited. Their fourth uncle was the best at studying and had been in the Hanlin Academy for many years, so they felt more confident with his presence.

Zhou Shuren pointed to the bookshelf again, "There are exam questions from each year on it. You can try it out. If you don't understand, just ask. There are so many people in the family!"

Jiang Du and Mu Fan stood up, "I'm sorry to have worried Grandpa."

Zhou Shuren, like all elders in the world, hopes that the younger generation will succeed. He took the book they were reading and said, "If you have any questions, feel free to ask me while I have time today."

This opportunity is so rare, mainly because he is very busy.

The next day, Zhulan was waiting for Qi at home. Qi came over to say hello first, then went to see Ran Wan and the two children, and came back after half an hour.

Zhulan had already pasted a small painting with petals, and Qi liked it. "You have this skill?"

"I have nothing to do, so I'll find something to do for myself. Sit down."

Qi sat down, and said with envy, "You are living a comfortable life."

Yang's daughter-in-law is filial and has no worries at home. Unlike her, she has been worrying too much in recent years and has aged quickly. All she thinks about every day is household affairs and has no leisure time at all.

Zhulan, "You can live comfortably. I'm not saying that you shouldn't take back the housekeeper's rights."

Qi was also upset. "Ever since the fight between my eldest daughter-in-law and my grandson's daughter-in-law, the backyard has been in a mess. I want to give up too."

Zhulan pushed a cup of heat-reducing tea to Qi, "It's for cooling down the heat, to cool down the heat."

Qi, "......"

She was indeed very hot-tempered, and her temper was getting worse and worse. Chanting the Buddha's name and meditating were of no use.

Qi drank her tea and winked at Zhulan, who signaled the maids to go downstairs. "What's the matter?"

Qi said quietly, "Haven't you heard the rumors in the capital?"

Zhu Lan's heart moved, "The choice of the prince's concubine?"

"You know it."

"I'm not deaf, so how could I not know? From your expression, does the Qi family have any idea?"

The more Zhulan thought about it, the more this seemed possible. The Qi family had been in decline for so many years, and with Concubine Ran still around, and the King of Chu had taken good care of them privately, they had been doing pretty well in the past few years.

Qi shook her head, "The Qi family is scared, how dare they have any intentions? It's enough to be thrown into the dust once, and they won't be so lucky next time."

If the King of Chu had not been in good health, there would have been no chance for the Qi family to be united.

Zhulan, "So what do you want to say?"

"Your fifth daughter. What I've heard the most recently is that the fifth daughter has been chosen."

The tea in Zhulan's mouth spurted out, "Huh?"

Qi twitched his lips, "Is the reaction so big?"

"You're frightened, right? It's not like the Queen saw me alone last time and spread the news."

Qi nodded, "Yes."

Zhulan spread her hands and said, "It's unfair. Last time, the Queen said that my Yuwen had chosen a husband, and the Queen wanted to arrange a marriage for her!"

Qi believed what Yang said. If the girl from Zhou family wanted to marry into the royal family, she could compete for the position of Crown Princess. She didn't compete for it at the beginning, and now she would not even consider the position of Concubine, because a Concubine is also a concubine.

Zhulan was speechless, "Why are there so many blind people?"

Qi, "......"

If that were the case, there would be too many blind people.

Zhu Lan spun the cup, "Someone is trying to instigate this and test our mansion. If it's fake, it's just to make us hate our mansion!"

The Ran family and the Zhou family were originally relatives by marriage, and Ran Wan was very ambitious, with a daughter and a son. Qi spoke casually, "Who let the girl from the Marquis' Mansion block the way?"

Zhulan sighed, "Isn't our mansion's performance obvious enough? My son-in-law doesn't even have a concubine."

Qi said quietly, "Your daughter is being envied by the young lady in the capital."

Zhulan had no way to refute it; her granddaughter was indeed hated.

Zhulan waited for Qi to leave, then called Suxuan over, "Did you hear it?"

Su Xuan, "I haven't been out lately, so I haven't heard about it."

"It's impossible for the royal family to explain it in person. If they discuss it for too long, it will be bad for Yuwen's reputation."

If the royal family's explanation seems to be that they look down on Yu Wen, it would be a bit of an embarrassment to the Marquis' Mansion. This kind of calculation is indeed malicious.

Su Xuan was also angry. She clearly didn't have such an idea. It was really frustrating.

Zhulan looked at Su Xuan, her mind moved, and she decided to wait for Shuren to come back and talk to him.

At night, Zhulan told the rumor, "This is not good for Yuwen's reputation."

Zhou Shuren knows his daughter-in-law very well. He knew she had a solution as soon as he heard it. "Do you have any solution?"

Zhulan, "The Queen has already expressed her position, and it is not appropriate for the royal family to explain it in person. It is also not good for Yuwen to get engaged suddenly. Not only will it be unfair to her granddaughter, but it will also make it seem as if the Marquis's Mansion despises the Crown Prince."

Zhou Shuren, "Tell me your method."

Zhulan leaned close to Shuren's ear, and the more she spoke, the brighter Shuren's eyes became. "You can talk to Suxuan."

Zhulan curled her lips and said, "Yeah."

The next day, Zhulan told Suxuan about her idea. After hearing it, Suxuan's eyes widened and she thought about it carefully. The more she thought about it, the brighter her eyes became. "Mom, I'll go get ready first."

"Um."

Days passed one by one, and there were several snowfalls. Every snowfall made people frown, for fear of a snowstorm. Every time the snow stopped, they would recite a few Buddhist verses.

In this atmosphere, the emperor frowned, looked up at the sky from time to time, and sighed: "There is a shortage of cotton and food."

Zhou Shuren remained calm because he knew that this kind of time would last for a long time until the Little Ice Age ended. The only thing that depressed him was that it was difficult for him to leave the Ministry of Revenue because the Emperor trusted him too much, well, trusted his abilities.

The emperor added: "The soldiers on the border have suffered."

Zhou Shuren sighed in his heart. He really had no other choice but to "make more jelly sore cream."

Seeing the emperor frowning, Zhou Shuren said, "It would be nice if there was a lot of cotton."

The emperor looked at Zhou Shuren in confusion, "What is your purpose?"

Zhou Shuren, "......"

What about the mystery between the monarch and his subjects?

Light Pen