Chapter 585: Too High-profile
Zhou Shuren put down the fishing rod in his hand. He didn't think Wang Ju was a nosy person. Wang Ju was the one who knew how to mind his own business.
Wang Ju leaned back in her chair, "Master Zhou, it's not that I pay too much attention to you, because people always mention Master Shen in front of me, and they always hope that I can introduce Master Shen to you!"
He couldn't even hide in a hurry, so why would he move forward?
Zhou Shuren said, "Then next time someone mentions Master Shen in front of you, just refuse directly. I will not accept any apprentices."
Wang Ju's fishing rod moved, but it was too early to pull it up, and the fish slipped off the hook. Seeing that the bait was still there, he threw it back into the lake. "My lord, you think I didn't say it clearly. Unfortunately, I am me, and you are an adult. It would be more convincing if you personally refused."
Zhou Shuren stared at the fishing rod in the lake. He really didn't want to get involved. In fact, it would be a good opportunity to fish. He wanted to see how many people Shen Yang could get to help him. The fishing rod moved. Zhou Shuren waited patiently for a while before picking up the fishing rod. "Wow, this fish is not small."
Wang Ju was angry. He hadn't caught any fish so far. "Sir, the fish in your lake are very good."
Zhou Shuren said cheerfully, "I just got a bargain."
The fish in this lake were raised by the previous prefect, probably specifically for fishing. They raised a lot of edible carp and grass carp.
Wang Ju also knew what the second son of Lord Shen had done. Lord Zhou really got the upper hand!
The next afternoon, Zhou Shuren saw the Master Zhang that Wang Ju had mentioned, "Master Zhang, please take a seat."
Master Zhang smiled and said, "I wanted to visit you yesterday, but I knew you were on holiday and wanted to rest, so I had to wait until today to find time to come and see you."
Zhou Shuren smiled faintly, "Master Zhang, do you have something to ask me?"
Mr. Zhang was a very low-key person who loved calligraphy and painting. He was also a frequent visitor to the bookstore. Shen Yang estimated that he got to know Mr. Zhang in the bookstore.
Master Zhang laughed dryly, "It's nothing serious. I just wanted to ask you if you are willing to accept a disciple."
Zhou Shuren's smile deepened. Master Zhang knew Shen Yang's intention in his heart. He was a man who knew how to be low-key and kingly. He said, how could he like someone so easily? "Congratulations, Master, on getting your favorite calligraphy and painting."
Lord Zhang's expression did not change, "Thanks to Lord Zhou's blessing."
Zhou Shuren, "I have no intention of accepting a disciple. Not to mention a scholar, even if he passed the imperial examination, I would not accept him."
Lord Zhang did not stay any longer. He just came over to ask, "Thank you for your advice, sir. I will take my leave now."
Zhou Shuren thought Lord Zhang was interesting. He was an unknown man, but he could see through people very well. There were really no fools in the officialdom.
In the following two days, Zhou Shuren met four adults in total. Some of them he met in person, some he met in the government office and talked about Shen Yang, and some of them directly suggested that he should take in more disciples, which would be beneficial to his future.
Zhou Shuren silently wrote down the names of several adults in his little account book. He did not investigate, but kept them in his mind.
Three days later, Zhu Lan asked confidently, "Did anyone ask you to promote Shen Yang today?"
Zhou Shuren, "You used the word sales pitch very well."
Zhu Lan's mouth twitched, "Now the whole Jinzhou only knows Shen Xiucai, and no one knows about the students in the imperial academy. Shen Xiucai's reputation is very great!"
When Ran came to her house to chat, she told her that she wanted to find a potential scholar for her granddaughter and asked her about Scholar Shen!
Zhou Shuren paused, "Too high profile, too high profile."
It’s not normal to be too high-profile!
Zhulan patted her sleepy son and replied, "I guess he hit a wall with you and messed up his plan for a while."
Zhou Shuren rested his head on his hands, "No one mentioned Shen Yang today. I guess Shen Yang should leave Jinzhou."
Zhulan exhaled, "Let's go quickly."
On the second day, Zhou Shuren just arrived at the yamen and unexpectedly met Lord Zhang. It was really rare, and this lord seemed to be waiting for him?
Lord Zhang greeted him, "Good morning, Lord Zhou."
Zhou Shuren returned the greeting, "Good morning, Mr. Zhang."
As he spoke, Zhou Shuren took two quick steps, and Lord Zhang hurriedly followed. After a few more steps, Lord Zhang left. Zhou Shuren continued walking without stopping, but in his heart he was thinking about Lord Zhang's words, Shen Yang is leaving today!
Zhou Shuren pointed his fingertips at his palm, and Lord Zhang told him specifically, it's interesting, he thought he knew the entire Jinzhou government office very well, it seems he still doesn't understand it thoroughly!
In the capital city, in Zheng Palace, the prince looked at the memorial without changing his expression. The emperor looked at his son a few more times, but he remained calm. He couldn't help but recall the scene when the crown princess gave birth to a child. The prince at that time was like a young boy.
Eunuch Liu ran in quickly, "Great joy, congratulations to the emperor, the emperor has a granddaughter."
The prince was delighted. Concubine Ran liked spicy food, and there were many signs that she was a concubine, but she had not yet been born. He had been worried about her. Now that she was born, he thought, "It's great to have a daughter."
The Emperor was also very happy. The Crown Prince's daughter had a different meaning. No matter whether she was born to a concubine or the Crown Princess, she was precious. "Okay, okay."
The prince asked, "Is everything okay with the child?"
Eunuch Liu hurriedly said, "The imperial physician has examined it and everything is fine."
The Emperor asked, "Have you sent someone to inform the Empress?"
Eunuch Liu, "The lady-in-waiting from the Queen's bedroom was there at the time, and has since returned to the harem."
The emperor looked at the prince and said, "I will name the child."
The prince didn't feel uncomfortable at all. His father named him Rongyao. "Yes."
Eunuch Liu was also happy. These days, he had been acting one way in front of the emperor and the prince and another way when the prince was around. He was very scared. Now that the emperor was happy, he could finally relax.
The third prince also got the news and sneered, "I thought it was a son, but it turned out to be a daughter. If he had known it was a daughter, he wouldn't have cared. However, the stubborn Lord Ran must be disappointed!"
The second and fourth princes were not very happy. Only if Ran gave birth to a son could the Qi family be further differentiated. Now, all their efforts to secretly protect one or two were in vain, and in the end, a concubine was born!
The next day, Zhulan met Qi and said, "I thought you went to the capital yesterday."
Qi sighed, "I would like to go, but I can't enter the Prince's Mansion. Yanyan is only a concubine after all."
Moreover, there are many rules in the Prince's Mansion, and the Prince will not break the rules set by the Princess for the sake of his concubine. It was not easy for her to see the concubine last time. She understood from the concubine's words that the Prince could only say that he was nice to the concubine, but it was not because he loved her. Precisely because she knew this, she would not cause trouble for the concubine.
Zhulan said, "I haven't congratulated you yet, congratulations on the birth of your granddaughter."
Qi's smile was real. She felt a little disappointed when she knew that the concubine had given birth to a daughter. A son was the foundation of life. But her husband did not think so. Instead, he thought that it was better to have a concubine. It would not threaten anyone, and the concubine and the child would be safe. If it was a son, not only the concubine would be in danger, but the child would be even more dangerous.
(End of this chapter)