Chapter 550: I don’t know who is cheating whom

Zhou Shuren continued, "I have worked with Prince Yao for a long time. Prince Yao really deserves the title of the best young master in the capital. If I had a son like him, I would have enjoyed my old age early. It's a pity that my eldest and second sons are not capable of running the family."

The third prince almost laughed out loud. Lord Zhou really knows how to mend his own ways and still enjoy his old age. That’s a good thing to say!

The fourth prince smiled and said, "Look how happy the Marquis is. His face is red with excitement."

Yao Wenqi felt internally hurt. He shouldn't have sent the invitation to Zhou's house. Today he was really asking for trouble. He was one against four and his head was buzzing.

Yao Wenqi coughed and said, "It's winter now and I feel a little unwell. I..."

Zhou Shuren interrupted, "Mr. Hou loves to listen to operas and hunt, so his physique must be stronger than mine. Could it be that Mr. Hou's physique is not as good as mine?"

Yao Wenqi wanted to withdraw but couldn't say it. He narrowed his eyes and said, "I had a very pleasant chat with Mr. Zhou today."

Zhou Shuren held the tea and said, "It's really pleasant."

Inside the palace, someone beside the emperor was learning what everyone in the box said. The emperor was in a good mood, "It seems that our Lord Zhou can cooperate well with everyone."

Look, he likes what Zhou Shuren said very much.

The prince was very regretful. He wanted to see Lord Zhou having fun yesterday, but today he regretted not going to watch it in person. It must have been exciting, what a pity. He wanted to chat with Lord Zhou. He no longer felt a sense of accomplishment when he argued with his four younger brothers.

The emperor motioned the person who was learning to talk to go away, "Tomorrow you will tell the second brother to stop talking."

Prince, "Yes."

The emperor added: "When the gold and silver from the islands are transported back, they will not go to the Ministry of Revenue. Half of it will be invested in the navy, and the other half will be used for the troops stationed in the Northeast to provide subsidies and replace equipment. You select people to follow the silver to the Northeast."

The prince's blood was boiling. Did his father allow him to take charge of the military? He suppressed his excitement and said, "Yes."

The emperor was still satisfied with the prince's attitude. Although he was excited, he recovered quickly and then closed his eyes. The total amount of gold and silver on the island was more than 8 million taels, which was really a huge sum. He was still relieved. This large amount of silver was obtained in the past three years and finally returned to the court. He felt a little relieved. Fortunately, it was not too late and the silver had not been used yet.

However, the emperor felt uneasy as he had been planning to make some big move with the money he had saved for three years. But he was also relieved that now the money was gone and the soldiers raised on the island were all killed, so there was no major chaos and a hidden danger had disappeared.

The emperor stroked his chin. He felt that he wanted Zhou Shuren to come to Beijing, but it was a pity that he could only think about it. Zhou Shuren's promotion was very fast. Now he was at the fourth rank, and he could not be willful anymore. Fortunately, Zhou Shuren had made many achievements and his physique was not bad. The prince was still too young.

The prince paused and said, "Father, the Xu family in Jinzhou."

The emperor interrupted the prince and said, "I'll leave it to you."

The prince understood that this was for his use. He still liked the smart people in the Xu family. "Yes."

In Jinzhou City, Zhulan sent Xu Zhao away. Zhulan was very tired. Xuehan supported her mother and said, "Mom, the mistress of the Xu family has been here for too long."

Zhulan patted her daughter's hand and said, "It's not easy for the Xu family."

The longer they stayed, the more the relationship between the Zhou family and the Xu family became apparent. The Xu family was seeking temporary shelter. They brought gifts again today, but unlike yesterday's thank-you gift, today's gift was a shelter gift. The Xu family knew they could be retaliated against at any time, so they were waiting for someone from the capital.

Zhulan returned to the room, and Mrs. Song said, "Madam, look."

Zhulan took the box. It was hollow and contained several silver notes, five in total, each worth one thousand taels. Zhulan pursed her lips and said, "Send a few servants with good martial arts skills to stay at Xu's house for a few days, and send these silver notes back as well."

Mrs. Song: "Yes."

Xue Han didn't know much about the Xu family. She only knew that they had severed ties, but had been in contact again in the past two days. "Mom."

Zhulan, "It's okay, mother knows what's going on."

The gift is valuable enough, so there is no need for a banknote.

Mrs. Song came back soon, followed by Shen Xing, "My master asked me to take the emperor's gift back to the palace."

Zhulan saw the two boxes of gold and smiled. Oh, the money Zhou Shuren spent was returned. "You've worked hard, too. Go back and rest first."

Shen Xing said, "I have to hurry back to the capital."

The only person he was worried about was Miyan.

Zhulan looked at Shenxing and thought he must not have eaten yet. "Eat first and then leave."

Shen Xing, "Yes."

After Zhulan counted the gold, she found that one thousand taels of gold was equivalent to ten thousand taels of silver. It would be better to keep the gold.

Zhulan picked up the porcelain and heard Li's scream. She almost dropped the porcelain and put it away carefully. "Did a dog bite you? Your scream can be heard throughout the yard."

Li's hands were shaking, "Mom, mom, look."

Zhulan was silent, "Stop shaking."

Li swallowed her saliva and handed the banknotes to her mother, "Mother, these are five hundred-liang banknotes. I found them in the jewelry box that Qi gave me."

Minghui insisted on grabbing the jewelry to play with it, but she refused and fought for it, knocking the jewelry box over. Only then did she realize that the jewelry box was empty, except for the five hundred taels of silver.

Zhulan, "How did you find it?"

Li told the story, "This is what happened, mother, why did Qi give silver as compensation?"

Zhulan understood that Qi knew Li's character, so she didn't tell Li, but waited until the right time to tell her. Li would definitely be touched. She knew that Li's gift of silver was more intuitive, but unfortunately, she didn't expect an accident. "Qi hoped that you could be more touched and continue to associate with her in the future."

Li pursed her lips and said, "Mom, can you help me send the banknote back?"

Zhulan asked, "Why? This is not a small amount."

Li blinked her eyes and said, "This is a clear bribe to the Zhou family. We can't accept it."

Zhu Lan chuckled, "You think too much."

Li felt embarrassed. She didn't know much, but she didn't want to cause trouble for the family. "Mother, I still can't accept the money. Qi has already given me a gift. If I accept it, it means I am willing to continue the relationship. Forget about the banknote."

Zhulan was very happy. Li used to love money, but that was a matter of perspective. She was afraid of money when she didn't have it. Now that she has money, her status has changed, but she can still keep her original intention. Not bad, "I'll have someone return the money to you."

Li was delighted. "Ah, I have to go back. Minghui must have stolen my jewelry again."

Then he ran away.

Zhulan laughed. Li was very happy today. It was quite unexpected that Qi and Li could become friends.

In the capital city, in a private room of a restaurant, Zhou Shuren ate his food leisurely, calculating in his mind how much money he would have to spend. The food didn't cost much, but the wine and tea were not cheap, as they were thirty years old brews.

The Second Prince ate well. It was rare that he liked the Fourth Prince. It was also good to be able to make a killing from Lord Zhou. The wine was good. I didn't expect that this restaurant had such good wine.

The Third Prince raised his wine glass, "Fourth brother, drink."

The fourth prince smiled and asked, "Master Zhou is coming too?"

Zhou Shuren put down his chopsticks and said, "Okay, let's do it together."

Yao Zheyu's stomach ached from eating so much. Even though he kept silent, he was still being tested by the Second Prince. The Fourth Prince was sitting next to him. He gritted his teeth and said, "Waiter, give me another pot of hot wine."

After a pause, he said to Zhou Shuren, "Master Zhou, you won't be reluctant to part with it, will you?"

Zhou Shuren stroked his beard and said, "No, everyone, please order more. Do you want to take it away?"

The second prince chuckled, "Master Zhou is really generous."

Zhou Shuren sneered in his heart. He did want to treat everyone at first, but these people deliberately ripped him off. He was unhappy and didn't know who would pay the bill. "One pot of wine is not enough. I am so happy today. Waiter, bring us all the good wine in the store."

The second prince paused while holding the wine glass. This old fox should not be underestimated. He might be a trap. "Lord Zhou is very generous."

Zhou Shuren played with his wine glass, "Who made me rich? A thousand taels of gold is ten thousand taels of silver, plus antiques and calligraphy and paintings, it's a considerable fortune. How much do the princes earn in a year?"