Chapter 553: Leverage

Zhou Shuren motioned for Jiang Ming to sit down. "I came back temporarily. No one was home and there was no good tea. This is just some tea leaves I bought. Don't reject it if it's not good."

He is used to drinking tea. In modern times, he rarely drinks tea. He prefers to drink sweet fruit juice because of its sweet taste and slightly bitter tea flavor, which he has had enough of during the years when he grew up alone.

But when he came to the ancient times, he was not alone, he had a wife and a soul mate. He was no longer alone and began to enjoy the taste of tea. Now he has a son and a complete family. He also slowly learned to taste tea and taste a new life from tea leaves.

Jiang Ming paused with his teacup in his hand. Did no one come to remind him that he shouldn't come? He pulled the corner of his mouth. He was older than Zhou Shuren, but in just a few years, he was still standing still. Zhou Shuren went from an old scholar to the position of Jinzhou prefect.

The prefect of Jinzhou, according to the unspoken rule of the court, the prefect of Jinzhou must go to Beijing. This position is a stepping stone, just like the second son of the former prefect of Jinzhou, Anping Marquis, who is now a third-rank official.

Moreover, Zhou Shuren is the emperor's confidant, a trusted minister. Even the fourth-rank prince was polite to him. When he knew that Zhou Shuren had dinner with several princes yesterday, yes, including the arrogant Lord Yao, his heart was burning. When he knew he had met Lord Anping today, he couldn't help but go down.

Jiang Ming took a sip of the tea. It was indeed not a good tea, but it had a special flavor. He said meaningfully, "The expensiveness of tea is not in the price, but in where you can drink it. I think in the hearts of most people, this tea is good tea."

He was jealous, he thought his ability was no worse than Zhou Shuren's, but he had never been appreciated since coming to the capital, and he had to live a routine life, which was not what he wanted. He was tired of being ignored and looked at with indifference, and he regretted returning to the capital for many days.

Zhou Shuren looked at Jiang Ming indifferently. The capital city is really a place that can change people. Jiang Ming has more beauties in his backyard. Isn't he seeking the feeling of being admired? This will make Jiang Ming feel that he is the sky, instead of being ignored by others.

Zhou Shuren pressed his brows, and to put it bluntly, he still couldn't keep his heart, "But I don't think the tea here is good."

In order to protect his wife and son, he took every step carefully and really didn't think the tea in Zhou's house was that good.

Jiang Ming felt a lot more relaxed. He didn't come here to discuss anything. He knew in his heart that Zhou Shuren had a bottom line, so he just had to not cross it. Just staying a little longer would be enough. There were many people in Beijing who wanted to make friends with Zhou Shuren, but he didn't need too many. He just needed to borrow their strength. Hadn't Zhou Shuren done that before?

Jiang Ming poured himself another cup of tea. Didn’t Zhou Shuren also rely on his help at the beginning?

Zhou Shuren looked at Jiang Ming with amusement, he did not say anything, he was thinking quietly in his heart, the Jiang family had long been in decline, Jiang Ming was the only official in the entire Jiang family, all the family members were clinging to Jiang Ming and became a burden, Jiang Ming had grown ambitious, but he did not notice that, with no one in the court and no powerful family around, the reason why Jiang Ming could stay in his position so well was that he had been relying on his help.

Otherwise, officials without powerful families and networks, especially those of Jiang Ming’s age, should have been removed from office long ago.

Zhou Shuren felt regretful, he really liked Jiang Muchen, this kid was not bad, he had to withdraw him from the list of candidates for grandson-in-law, unless Zhou Shuren looked at Jiang Ming and told him not to cross his bottom line, once it was crossed, he would show no mercy to these relatives.

In Jinzhou Prefecture, Zhulan received news from Tao that the master had been found. Zhulan asked someone to tell Dong Yiyi and inform Dong Yiyi that they would go to Wang's house together tomorrow.

In the third room, Dong Yiyi was delighted when she heard the news, and said to her sister, "I really have to thank your mother-in-law."

Dong was hesitant to speak, and finally sighed, "Sister."

Dong Yiyi held her sister's hand and said, "I know what you are going to say. My dowry has indeed filled a lot of holes in the past few years, but I had a lot of dowry back then. Don't worry, I have enough money to support my husband."

Dong didn't believe it. Hiring a master was not cheap. The Zhou family hired several masters because they had a strong financial foundation. She had a mother-in-law who was good at spending money. She didn't know how much money was circulating in the family, but she could count the family assets. Farms, shops, fields, and houses, all of these were money.

Moreover, there was a father-in-law in the family who was trusted by the emperor. The rewards, gifts from officials, and gifts from merchants all accumulated into wealth.

As for the eldest sister, it was true that she took away most of the family fortune back then, and the elder sister did manage to accumulate some wealth, but the expenses in the capital were huge, and she was well aware of that, and there was also the burden of the Jiang family.

Dong Yiyi felt a little embarrassed when her sister looked at her. She had never said that her husband spent a lot of money on social events. "Don't you believe me?"

Dong smiled and said, "I believe it."

Dong Yiyi stood up and didn't want to stay with her sister anymore. She felt bad and would be jealous. "I'm going to go back and rest first. Don't get too tired."

Dong: "Yeah."

Dong Yiyi went out and stood in the yard. It was snowing again. She looked back at the house and was really envious. Her sister didn't have to be the head of the household because she had a good mother-in-law to support her. She just had to live a good life in her own little family. She also saw the account book sent by the Yang family, her sister's dowry income, and her brother-in-law's own business income. Her sister also planned to continue selling next year. She became more and more jealous the longer she stayed.

In Beijing, Zhou Shuren counted the time. It was already half an hour, an hour. He couldn't bear it anymore and had to sit down. He finally didn't have to work hard. He would never sit if he could lie down. He had been sitting for the whole morning. "I'm old and my legs and feet are not good. I can't sit down anymore."

Jiang Ming thought it was almost done, so he stood up and said, "You take a rest first, I'll go home first. By the way, Dong is disturbing you at your house."

Zhou Shuren was thinking that Mrs. Dong could not stay in the Zhou residence any longer, so he smiled and said, "Then I won't see you off."

In the past, he was weak, and there was no distinction between the scholar and the associate magistrate. But now, not only was he the elder, his official position was also higher than Jiang Ming's, so it was impossible for him to send him off.

Jiang Ming looked at Zhou Shuren silently. He knew in his heart that after today, Zhou Shuren and he would distance themselves from each other. However, the distance was not complete and the Zhou family could not let Chang Lian divorce his wife. Besides, he had taken care of Chang Lian and there was also the issue of Meng Ju.

Zhou Shuren didn't see Jiang Ming off. He was also walking around in the yard and looking up at the sky. There was a lot of snow this winter, but the snow wasn't heavy. It was just a drizzle and quite poetic.

At the Yao residence, Yao Zheyu was called back with a sullen face. He was very happy that Lord Zhou had taken his father with him yesterday and he really didn't want to come back.

It was a pity that when I entered the main hall, I didn't see my father, but his concubine. This concubine gave birth to a son and a daughter, and is now managing the marquis's mansion.