Chapter 482: Don’t Be Deceived

The emperor's decree was issued, but it was not for the officials of Jinzhou Prefecture. Instead, the decree established two new departments, independent of Jinzhou. Zhou Shuren, as the prefect, had no right to interfere and was directly under the emperor.

Zhou Shuren drank tea and thought to himself, the emperor is really fast, and the tea today is really good.

All the officials in Jinzhou, big and small, are well aware that the emperor's decree must be related to the memorial submitted by Lord Zhou. The decree has little impact on the officials in Jinzhou City, but has a greater impact on the Maritime Affairs and Supervision Departments.

In the past, the two departments were very powerful. Even officials in the capital city tried to curry favor with them. Many noble families would put their names down to do business with them. The profits from maritime trade were huge, and everyone wanted to get a piece of the pie. Lord Min and Lord Ran from the two departments became the objects of everyone's flattery.

Now that taxes are a choke point and the division of power is a hindrance, the two companies are having a hard time.

No one cares how anxious Lord Min and Lord Ran are. After this incident, all the officials in Jinzhou, big and small, decided not to mess with Lord Zhou in Jinzhou city. This man is really scary. Smiling at you to trick you is the least of his worries. If you get mad at him, he will use his ultimate move directly.

Anyone with a discerning eye can see clearly that with the establishment of the two new departments, the Maritime Affairs Department and the Supervision Department have become turtles in a jar. If the emperor is happy, he will keep you. If he is unhappy, sorry, confiscating your property is the least of your worries. In the past two years, the Min and Ran families have been really outrageous.

Zhou Shuren was very satisfied with everyone's fear of him. He didn't like to fight back without any pain or itch. He liked to cut at the root. After being suppressed for so many years, he could finally live more freely.

Lord Wang swallowed his saliva. Lord Bai had already run away, fearing that he would be noticed by Lord Zhou.

Lord Wang took a step forward, as he thought it would be better for him to slip away as well.

This time, Zhou Shuren used practical actions to tell everyone that he could not be bullied, that he had the emperor's trust, had solid achievements, and that his position was as solid as a mountain.

Of course, Lord Zhou also attracted a lot of hatred, but unfortunately he could only watch and did not dare to move easily. He could only hold it in.

At night, Zhou Shuren hummed a little tune and returned to the backyard. Zhulan held her son in her arms and asked, "You didn't even go to listen to the music. Who did you learn this from?"

Zhou Shuren took his son and smiled, "Lord Wang likes it. I heard him hum a few times today and thought it was quite interesting. It's not bad, isn't it?"

Zhulan: "It's OK."

Zhou Shuren teased his son and looked sideways at Zhulan, "Why do I feel like you've lost a lot of weight?"

Zhulan touched her face and said, "I've been busy these days."

Zhulan is still happy even though she has lost weight.

Zhou Shuren still prefers Zhulan to have some flesh on her. Too thin is not good. However, Zhulan would not listen to him. Zhou Shuren kissed his son and continued, "Today someone asked me to propose marriage to Shi Qing."

Zhulan put down the small clothes in her hand and asked, "Why are we looking for you?"

Zhou Shuren, "Shi Qing can come and go freely in the Zhou residence, and I taught him. This is no secret. It's not that Chang Zhi has no hope, so he has set his sights on Shi Qing."

Zhulan's mouth twitched, "What's your reply?"

"I'm not Shi Qing's father, so I don't worry about him. After teaching him this year, I don't have much to teach him anymore. Next year, he will have to rely on himself."

He was looking for a marriage partner for the sake of sharpening the knife for the emperor.

Zhulan thought of Wu Ning and sighed in her heart. Seeing Liu Ya coming in, Zhulan stood up and said, "Let's go eat."

Zhou Shuren kissed his son and said, "Okay."

At the Min Mansion, Lord Min was busy running around. Even after receiving news about the Second Prince, he was still uneasy. He had a bad feeling before, and now it was more real, like a thorn in his back.

Mrs. Liu didn't know much about the officialdom, she only knew to obey her husband. Seeing her husband panic, she felt uneasy, "Master, if it really doesn't work, send the third girl to the second prince's house."

Lord Min smashed the teacup, "Ridiculous, you think the Second Prince doesn't know that you are using the third girl to plot against the Zhou family, and you are even thinking of sending her to his mansion, what do you think the Second Prince's mansion is?"

He regretted it. He regretted that when the Second Prince proposed it, he had tasted the sweetness of maritime rights and his ambition had swelled. He wanted more, so he practiced Tai Chi with the Second Prince. Now Lord Min felt a chill on his back. If he had not still been sitting in his seat, the Second Prince might have given up on him.

Liu said, "What should I do? Should I take a concubine?"

Lord Min pressed his brows and said, "Okay, don't worry about it."

The atmosphere in the Ran Mansion was not very good either. However, Qi was the third prince's aunt, so the Ran Mansion was not very panicked.

The next day, Zhulan got the horoscopes of Changzhi and the county lord, a match made in heaven.

Xue was stunned when he received it. "This is the first time I have seen such a compatible horoscope."

Zhulan was in a good mood, thinking it was a good sign, and she thanked him sincerely, "Thank you, sister."

Xue, "You're so polite."

She was even more afraid to act arrogantly because of her age. Lord Zhou was really scary. Yesterday, the old man reminded her many times that she must be polite in the Zhou Mansion, and not to take it seriously just because Lord Zhou's wife called her sister.

Zhulan was really grateful to Xue. "I'll trouble you again in a few days."

“This is as it should be.”

At the Wang Mansion, the official media personally sent the matched horoscopes and said a bunch of flattering words, but they were not as good as the four words "a match made in heaven" that Tao saw. Tao was completely relieved, as she was afraid that the horoscopes were not a good match.

Su Xuan waited for the official media to leave, then carefully put away the paper with "Match Made in Heaven" written on it. She had been worried about the horoscope matching yesterday. She was afraid that her horoscope was too strong and that the Zhou family would dislike her. She was worried all night, but finally she was relieved.

Tao looked at Su Xuan's pale face and felt sad. "I can rest assured now. We will set the date for the engagement in a few days."

Su Xuan's eyes were red. "Well, thank you, auntie."

(End of this chapter)