Chapter 363: Showing off comes at a price

In Lizhou, Zhulan had finished writing the reply letter. She was not in a hurry to find a fast horse to send it back, but prepared some food and daily necessities to send back together.

The family has been buying a lot of things in the past month. Lizhou City is close to the border. Although there has just been a war, there are fewer foreign merchants along the entire border, but there are still some. Ahem, it's just that Lizhou City is too poor and no foreign merchants are willing to come.

Zhulan bought a lot of dried fruits and dates in Chuanzhou. She bought quite a lot. The fur was not in good condition this month, so she didn't sell it.

Zhulan asked Liuya to call Steward Ding and handed him the letter, "Pack up some dried fruits, dates and other food and ask the escort company to deliver it."

Steward Ding borrowed the letter and asked, "Madam, do you have anything else to tell me?"

Zhulan took the written list, her heart aching, a large sum of money, "Indeed, you have it, take two servants, Dongzhi and Xiaohan, to Chuanzhou to buy tea sets, bowls and dishes, and some flowers. Here is the list, buy according to what is written on it."

Steward Ding took it and took a look. He saw that there were quite a few things he had bought. "I'll send the letter and then take Dongzhi and Xiaohan with me and set off."

"Um."

Butler Ding left the yard with the letter. Although he had more work to do than before, he did not feel tired at all. Who could have thought that he would jump from being a butler of a magistrate's family to being a butler of a prefect's family? When the job was first sold, he was desperate, thinking that he would be sold to a merchant family and would have to be a lowly grandson in the future. Unexpectedly, there was a light at the end of the tunnel.

The guards who used to scold him now stopped talking and called him "Master Ding" when they saw him.

It's a pity that it's useless to try to please him. Thinking of the scene where the boss of the pawnbroker came to the door in person, it's no wonder that they have bad intentions. However, the master really cares about the mistress. He soon realized that the mistress's words are more effective than the master's!

In the capital, Zhou Shuren's memorial also reached the emperor's hands. The emperor had not only Zhou Shuren's memorial, but also more detailed reports from the spies.

The emperor lay on the small kang outside and looked at Zhou Shuren's folded paper first.

There was not a single word of nonsense in Zhou Shuren's foldout. He began by explaining how much money he had spent on the journey, how much grain and seeds he had purchased, and what he had done after arriving in Lizhou. He also wrote about everything from distributing the first batch of grain to building roads and digging ponds, and then about farming and distributing chickens and pigs. All were described very clearly. The most he wrote about was distributing apple trees and talking about the plan to build an apple town.

After reading the report, the emperor picked up the report from the spy, filtered out the flattery in the first few sentences and looked at the key points. The report was more detailed. It not only included what Zhou Shuren had done, but also included an account book, Zhou Shuren's itinerary, where he went and who he met. It was all very detailed.

The thick folds contain Zhou Shuren's information.

The emperor compared the two folds and threw them to the prince, "Look, our Lord Zhou not only stabilized Lizhou City, but also wanted to make Lizhou a wealthy state!"

He was really looking forward to it. Well, he could look forward to the future tax revenue of Lizhou City. He was glad that he had a good vision. Look, among so many people, he was optimistic about Zhou Shuren.

The prince finished browsing and saw the key point, "Father, was it the fruit tree that Lord Zhou's wife planted first?"

The emperor smiled and said, "Don't underestimate women. Our Lord Zhou's wife is good at making money. The three houses in Pinggang were bought by Lord Zhou's wife for 1,800 taels. Now the price has increased by more than four times. My son, I tell you, never underestimate any woman. I am afraid of your mother's ruthlessness."

The emperor was delighted when he thought that the house was now his. This was the first time that his gift of a house was rewarded with money!

Prince, "......."

Is this the same person as the queen mother he knew? His mother was clearly a virtuous, gentle and loving person!

The emperor looked like he didn't understand his son. When your mother was furious, I would sneak by the wall and say, "Okay, you can change the fold of Mr. Zhou's letter. You know how to change it, right?"

The prince nodded. He knew that his father hated memorials full of nonsense. He had told them several times to focus on the key points, but the result was more nonsense. His father was so angry that his teeth itched, and naturally he wanted the ministers to feel a sense of pain. Every time he read the memorials from the local officials, his father would add a lot of nonsense to them. According to his father's opinion, if the ministers didn't listen after he told them, then they would hurt each other. Anyway, his father was sitting and the ministers were standing to listen!

The prince thought to himself that he was also standing and listening, and he took the minister's words into consideration in his heart. He also thought about Lord Zhou's memorial, which was really pleasing to read. Not to mention that his father liked Lord Zhou, he also liked him very much.

In Lizhou City, Zhou Shuren returned home at daybreak for the first time, and dinner was not even ready.

Zhulan waited for Zhou Shuren to change into casual clothes and told him the contents of the letter. Zhou Shuren said "oh" to indicate that he understood, and that was all.

Zhulan knew this would happen. Seeing Zhou Shuren frowning, she asked, "Are you in trouble?"

Zhou Shuren pulled Zhulan to sit down, "It's not a difficult thing, but when I heard you mention Mingyun and Rongchuan, I remembered the academy. There are still scholars in Lizhou City, but now ordinary people have a hard time eating, where can they get money to study? It takes a few years for some farming families to recover, so the students are delayed."

If only a few people take the examination for the title of scholar or the title of judge next year, the whole Lizhou will become famous again.

Zhulan, "So you want to open a school?"

Zhou Shuren shook his head, "No, there is an official school in the prefecture, but there are only a few people in Lizhou City. I was thinking of asking the government to provide pens, ink and money to recruit some students who have good handwriting but have not passed the examination to copy books."

Zhulan thought Zhou Shuren was doing this not just for the students, "The books you want to copy are rare on the market, right?"

Zhou Shuren smiled. Zhulan knew him best. "Yes, let me tell you, our Tongzhi Chen is a very learned man. He has a lot of books at home. You see, the rarer the book, the more expensive it is. After copying it, you can ask someone to take it to the bookstores in various states to sell it. After deducting the cost of pens, ink, paper and labor, the remaining money can be used for students' studies, such as subsidizing pens, ink, paper, and yes, also for food, accommodation and transportation expenses when taking the exam. It's a win-win situation!"

Zhulan thought, Zhou Shuren has been thinking about it for a long time, "It's hard for you to think about Mr. Chen's collection of books in your busy schedule."

Zhou Shuren, "Who told him to brag about what he has read whenever he wants? You said you wanted to brag, so he did. He also liked to ask me if I had read it, as if he would feel better if he surpassed me in terms of education. I kept smiling for many days, and finally got the chance to trick him. What do you think of my idea?"

Zhulan, "........Okay, okay, how do you convince Mr. Chen to take out the book?"

(End of this chapter)