Chapter 412: Not Easy and Lada

Zhu Lan laughed enough and asked, "What did Shi Qing do here? He first took advantage of my curiosity, then wrote to me saying he wanted to visit me. I thought it was not easy to refuse."

Zhou Shuren told Zhulan what he knew. Zhulan frowned and said, "There are many people in the capital who can be Shi Qing's master. Why did the emperor let Shi Qing worship you as his master?"

Zhu Lan reacted after she finished speaking, "Look, I asked a stupid question. Given Shi Qing's identity and what he did, no one is willing to accept him as a disciple. Moreover, the emperor wants to train him but doesn't want anyone to know that he is training Shi Qing, so Shi Qing's master cannot be found in the capital. The emperor recognizes your ability and scheming, and you are not in the capital."

Zhou Shuren continued Zhulan's words, "Most importantly, Shi Qing and I are from the same Pingzhou City. Shi Qing knows us. When I was in the capital, Shi Qing sent me a gift after I won the second place. The emperor knows this, so it is more legitimate for Shi Qing to come and worship me as his master."

Zhu Lan narrowed her eyes, "The Emperor casts a wide net. He gave Shi Qing a difficult task and put pressure on Wu Ming. He wants to choose one of the two swords, and the Emperor values ​​Shi Qing more."

Zhou Shuren said quietly, "Shi Qing is from a merchant family, and he has done business with the emperor. And given the emperor's personality, he must have put Shi Qing through a lot in the past few years. The only person Shi Qing can rely on is the emperor, and the emperor really values ​​Shi Qing more."

If it were him, he would also be more optimistic about Shi Qing. Shi Qing has no brothers, and his father probably hates Shi Qing to death. Shi Qing is alone and has no weaknesses. Such a person is cruel enough, and once he is well trained, he can be a knife that kills people.

But Zhou Shuren was unhappy. He didn't want to have anything to do with Shi Qing at all. It was obvious that Shi Qing's ending was not a good one, and he helped Wu Ming. It was very likely that Shi Qing would end up with the same fate as Wu Ming. If the emperor had mercy on Shi Qing, he might leave a successor for Shi Qing.

But Shi Qing violated a taboo. The emperor never trusted Shi Qing from the beginning to the end. He just kept polishing Shi Qing. What will happen to Shi Qing in the end depends on himself.

Zhu Lan looked at Zhou Shuren and said, "What are you thinking about? You look unhappy."

Zhou Shuren told Zhulan what he was thinking, "I'd better write another letter to Wu Ming and tell him about Shi Qing. Wu Ming will see things more clearly. The emperor won't pay attention to Wu Ming if he doesn't value Shi Qing. No one would give up the sword in his hand, especially our emperor who is eager to seize power."

Zhulan opened her mouth. She had no good feelings towards Shi Qing, but she also had no prejudice against him. Everyone had a different position and background, so their behaviors were naturally different. Shi Qing was a bastard, so if he didn't plot, he would die. He plotted against Wang Ru because it was his survival instinct.

But now that she is related to them, Zhu Lan sighed, "I never thought that after all these twists and turns, Shi Qing would be related to us. It's really magical."

Zhou Shuren also found it magical. "So this is the real world, not words. Everyone's fate has deviated, and the subsequent development is unpredictable. I have a headache now and want to curse. The emperor did give Shi Qing a difficult problem, but he was also testing me."

Zhu Lan figured out the whole thing in an instant. "Your reputation in the local area is too high, so I'm using this as a test. If you simply reject Shi Qing, the emperor will think you're crazy. If you accept it directly, the emperor will think you're too cunning and he can't figure you out, so he'll be jealous of you."

Zhou Shuren kissed Zhulan and said, "My wife is smart."

Zhu Lan felt that Zhou Shuren's position was too difficult. "Not only do you have to accept Shi Qing, but you also have to be careful about what you do."

Zhou Shuren sighed, "That's why I have a headache. Also, the emperor is not young anymore. Most of the power in the court is in the hands of the princes' maternal families. It's inevitable that the emperor will be suspicious."

Zhulan knew that Zhou Shuren had a high reputation and Lizhou City was now like a piece of fat meat. The tax revenue of Lizhou City was divided into several parts and no longer relied solely on the taxes of the people and some merchants. This year, not only was there an ice cellar, but also a trading area was demarcated. The income from these two parts alone was very high.

In ancient times, ice was valuable and hard to come by in the summer, so the rent for it was high.

Why did Zhou Shuren start digging ice cellars after the beginning of the year? Wasn't it because he wanted to put the ice back into the ice cellars before it all melted? Although each ice cellar was not full of ice, the function of refrigeration was the same.

All these rents were paid into the government office. Taking into account that the common people had some money in their hands and the tax revenue increased, although Lizhou City was not as good as some cities in the south of the Yangtze River, it could be ranked among the top cities.

Zhu Lan leaned against Zhou Shuren, saying, "I'm not saying this, but the maternal relatives of the princes are really making too many moves and are restless."

Zhou Shuren didn't tell Zhulan because he was afraid that she would worry. He had already contacted several people from the prince's mother's family. He, the emperor's confidant in public, all wanted to win him over. Fortunately, he made a magical move. These people were afraid that he would not play by the rules, so they kept trying to win him over.

Zhou Shuren thought quietly that this was the last peaceful time in Lizhou City. Once he left Lizhou City, his future life would surely be wonderful.

Zhou Shuren looked up and saw Zhulan sleeping in his arms. Zhou Shuren frowned, as Zhulan had been going to bed early recently.

Today's third chapter and tomorrow's first chapter will be updated together. It's almost 1 a.m., it's too late. I'll read it tomorrow morning~

(End of this chapter)