Chapter 452: Marriage

Zhulan was having trouble getting up, so Zhou Shuren helped her sit up. "It's a letter from the Maritime Affairs Department."

Zhou Shuren pursed his lips unhappily, "You're already more than nine months old, don't they know?"

Zhulan smiled and said, "I know, so this is not an invitation post, it's a visiting post."

Zhou Shuren sneered, "The weasels' New Year greetings have no good intentions. They are anxious because they know the news in the capital."

The Right Vice Minister is not only the Emperor's spy, but he also hopes to use this incident to quickly sort out the tax affairs. According to his understanding, the Emperor does not want to make any moves on these people for the time being.

Zhulan was puzzled, "What's the news from the capital?"

Zhou Shuren, "The Right Assistant Minister's Household Was Confiscated."

Zhulan, "......."

Therefore, she won’t have to think about having peace in the future. Zhulan couldn’t help but touch her belly. Fortunately, she didn’t have to meet visitors during the confinement period, so she should be able to avoid it, right?

Zhou Shuren thought, "Why don't you refuse on the grounds that you're not feeling well?"

Zhulan, "I have already agreed, it is not good to regret now. Don't worry, we will just meet tomorrow and nothing will happen. It is a good opportunity for me to see what methods I can use."

Zhou Shuren said nothing. Zhulan wanted to meet him sooner or later. It would be difficult to refuse them the second time if they refused once. It would be better to meet them directly. "If you feel uncomfortable, please send me away."

"knew."

The food was served, and Zhou Shuren helped Zhulan to eat.

Now the Zhou family eats separately. Although the Zhou family did not hire any more servants, there were already some servants in the government office. Zhulan selected those with good cooking skills and sent them to the kitchen. Now that they can eat separately, the kitchen can also be busy.

If you don't have a room, the daily meal money is fixed. You can order what you want to eat according to the amount of money. If you exceed the amount, you have to pay more money yourself.

Zhou Shuren was most satisfied that they could finally eat at the same table with Zhulan.

After dinner, Mrs. Song came. This was her daily routine. Zhulan would ask the child, "How is the child today?"

Mrs. Song replied, "The young lady drank more milk today than yesterday, and her hands and feet have a little more strength."

Zhulan smiled, "That's good."

She didn't even let Zhou Shuren name the child. You could say she was superstitious, but she really hoped that the child could grow up safely.

Zhulan asked again, "Where is the second wife?"

Mrs. Song said without hiding anything, "Second Madam has come to her senses. Today, I didn't use many servants to take care of the young lady. Second Madam did it herself."

Zhulan breathed a sigh of relief. That was good. She was afraid that Mrs. Zhao would blame the child. "Go back. Come back in a few days."

Mrs. Song: "Yes."

When Zhulan asked Zhao, she thought of Fang. Fang had thought that the Zhou family would stay in Lizhou City for many years. Knowing that the Zhou family was leaving, Fang wanted to follow them. In the end, she gave up the idea because of Qian Keqi.

Qian Keqi studied well in the academy and liked the environment very much. The teachers there were also good. Fang only said a few words to Zhao before leaving on Sunday and did not dare to say anything in front of her.

The next morning, Zhou Shuren reminded Zhulan again before leaving, feeling worried.

Not long after Zhou Shuren left, Mrs. Liu, the wife of the Maritime Affairs Bureau official, arrived. Mrs. Liu did not come alone, but brought her two daughters with her.

After Liu sat down, she said, "I heard that my sister is 40 years old this year, but why doesn't she look like that to me?"

Zhulan smiled and asked, "How old do you think I am, Liu Shuren?"

Liu paused as she was holding the tea. She tried to get close to Yang on purpose, but Yang refused. She was not willing to get close to her. She came here fully prepared and knew Yang well. She knew Yang was not a pushover. Liu did not expect to get close to her with just one word. "I think my sister is only 35 years old. I can't compare with her. I am only four years older than her. No matter how well I take care of myself, I still don't look younger!"

Zhulan's skin has indeed improved a lot, and the wrinkles around her eyes have also decreased. They are all due to the weight gain from pregnancy. "Liu Shuren, you are joking. I think Shuren looks younger, about the same age as me!"

Liu laughed and said, "I like what you said, sister."

Zhulan thought to herself, she also knows how to flatter. She had flattered many people in the past. Zhulan looked at the hairpin on Liu's head shaking with laughter, and felt deeply moved. The Maritime Affairs Bureau's family is really rich. Not to mention the jewelry on Liu's head, the jade bracelet on her hand is a rare treasure. Look at the material of her clothes. She must have spent a lot of money in the past two years.

Zhulan looked at the two girls. They were both pretty, but their jewelry was eye-catching.

When Liu saw Yang looking at the two daughters, she was delighted and said with a smile, "Look at me, I forgot to introduce them. This is my third daughter, Min Ying, who is sixteen years old this year, and this is my youngest daughter, Min Yu, who is ten years old this year."

Zhulan also knew about the situation of the Haiwu family. It was all information collected by Zhou Shuren. She would recite it when she had nothing to do. When she thought about it, Zhulan couldn't help but twitching the corners of her mouth. There were really a lot of people in each family, with many concubines, illegitimate sons and daughters, and grandsons to carry. Zhulan had been carrying it for a long time.

The mistress of Lord Min's family is extraordinary. Mrs. Liu is a capable person. Unlike some mistresses who dislike illegitimate sons and daughters, she brings them all up by her side, and all the illegitimate daughters are registered under her name. Mrs. Liu did not register the illegitimate sons, but she did educate them with care.

Liu only had one concubine left, Min Yu. There were three daughters registered under her name, two of whom were married off, leaving one, Min Ying.

Zhulan suddenly knew what Liu came for. She was not here to gather information, but to propose marriage. She didn't think that Liu was going to marry her daughter to Changzhi. The Min family didn't take Changzhi seriously, and they might even marry her to the palace as a concubine. So it was the sixteen-year-old Min Ying.

Not to mention the family background issue, Zhulan doesn't want to be with Min Ying. It's obvious that he has been brainwashed since childhood.

Zhu Lan smiled and said, "The young lady of Liu Shu's family is indeed as famous as her reputation says."

Liu was happy. The girls she raised were all from wealthy families. She was not stupid. She only wanted to raise a girl as a dowry. She did not want to raise her in a wrong way. Instead, she carefully trained her so that she could marry into the Min family. "Does your sister like it too?"

Zhulan said in her heart that she didn't like to be thanked. She would rather Changzhi find a queen of flowers. She smiled and said, "Shuren, you are joking."

Liu's smile froze for a moment. A smart person would understand Yang's meaning in one sentence. She was just testing her, but Yang replied. Liu glanced at the two girls behind Yang. She knew that the daughters of the Zhou family were her son's losers, but it was a pity that they were engaged so early and had been engaged for many years. They were childhood sweethearts and had already developed feelings for each other. If she wanted to arrange a marriage again, she would not use her own son. She felt it was a pity in her heart.

As for the other girl, if she hadn't come to Zhou's house, she would have taken a look at her. She had a bad reputation and a poor family background.

Zhulan didn't like the way Liu looked at her daughter and Wu Ning like they were commodities. Liu was polite to her because of Zhou Shuren, but she was not polite to Wu Ning. She looked at him with critical and contemptuous eyes. Zhulan's face turned pale when she saw Wu Ning out of the corner of her eye.

Zhulan cried out, which frightened Xuehan. Xuehan hurriedly asked, "Mom, what's wrong with you?"

Zhulan touched her belly. She really wasn't pretending. She really wanted to get rid of Liu, but she didn't think of pretending with her belly. "I, I really want to have a baby."

I will resume three chapters tomorrow, around 3:30 pm tomorrow.

(End of this chapter)