Chapter 789: Gratitude

Zhou Shuren then remembered that he had not told his wife about the manor. "I have done a great deed today, and the emperor has rewarded me with a manor. The manor, which is 80 mu in the south of the capital, originally belonged to the prince. Before I left, I secretly asked the prince if there was a hot spring in the manor."

The prince finally suggested that he soak in hot springs more often to maintain his health, but he simply ignored it.

Zhulan was surprised, "Really?"

"It's true. It's truer than gold."

Zhulan was so happy that she couldn't help saying, "I'm telling you, I particularly like the two manors I saw today. I've been thinking about them for a long time. Now I have a manor. It originally belonged to the Crown Prince. This manor must be good."

Zhou Shuren looked at his wife's happy face and felt that it was worth it no matter how difficult it was. "This winter, let's go to the manor and live for a while."

Zhu Lan was about to nod, but stopped and asked, "Can you be fake?"

Zhou Shuren snorted, "Yes, I can."

In the palace, the prince and the crown prince had dinner, and the emperor played chess with the crown prince. The emperor asked, "Who do you think should be sent to Jianghuai?"

The prince narrowed his eyes and said, "Lord Zhou has a pair of eyes that can detect things, but I can't bear to part with them."

If he were to be implicated, he would cry. He was still waiting for Zhou Shuren to live a few more years, at least until he was registered and took control of the government.

The emperor also knew that Zhou Shuren was a suitable candidate, but he was more reluctant to let him go than the prince. He was old and needed capable help. Zhou Shuren rarely spoke, but every time he spoke, he solved a big problem.

It had only been a short time since he came to Beijing, and he had already solved the problem of money in the Ministry of Revenue, formulated a plan for purchasing grain, and then discovered the problem of salt tax.

Zhou Shuren has helped him so much. Otherwise, he would still be worrying about money and food instead of making plans with peace of mind like he is now. "Do you have anyone else in mind who is suitable?"

The prince put down the chess piece, and the emperor looked down and saw that he had lost a large piece. He squinted his eyes. Over the years, he had played chess with his son, and this boy had always been on the defensive. This was the first time he took the initiative to attack.

The prince smiled and said, "I think the fourth and fifth brothers are the most suitable."

The emperor smiled. He was worthy of being the most satisfied child he had ever taught. The fourth child had the same idea as him. Currently, he had no job, but now he had one. Although he knew that the salt tax was tricky, he would definitely work hard in order not to be outdone by the second and third children.

Moreover, the third brother's maternal grandfather, the Qi family, had already made its fortune in Jianghuai, which was the root of the Qi family. The fourth brother and the third brother were a perfect match. Among the sons, the fourth brother was the most ruthless.

As for Zhang Jinghong, only by releasing him from Beijing can the people in hiding contact him without scruples.

The emperor looked at his eldest son and sighed, "I am really old."

The prince was so frightened that he almost fell to his knees, but his father helped him up.

The emperor laughed loudly. He really didn't care about being old. He just wanted to clean up the court and hand it over to the prince. He was very tired these years. Only in the next two years could he relax a little. "Okay, after this game of chess, you can go back too!"

The prince carefully distinguished his father's tone. His father's tone was calm and he breathed a sigh of relief. It was good that his father was not trying to scare him.

The next day, in the morning, Zhulan got the deed of the manor, as well as the deed sent by the prince. Zhulan really wanted to go to the manor in southern Beijing to take a look, but finally she held back. For the sake of Zhou family's face, Zhulan did not go and sent Mrs. Song and Manager Wang to take over.

Now that they have an additional manor, the family wants to buy servants, so they call Li and say, "The agent will bring people over soon. You and the second son's family will select the servants together today."

Zhulan planned to send the old men from the Zhou mansion to manage several estates, and buy new maids and servants to fill the vacancies in the mansion.

Li had seen her mother-in-law buy servants several times, and she had always remembered what she had said. She had also been the housekeeper for a few days, and had gained a lot of experience, so she was still able to remain calm. "Mother, I'll go and inform my brother and sister-in-law now."

"Um."

At noon, the prince was in a good mood. He sat down to eat, only to find out, "Master Qiu is not here?"

Zhou Shuren's mouth twitched, "Master Qiu asked for leave today."

The prince knew a lot about Qiu Yan. This man was capable, otherwise he would not have climbed to the position of Vice Minister of the Ministry of Revenue. His advantage was that he was content with his position, but there was not much else that stood out about him, especially after Zhou Shuren arrived at the Ministry of Revenue.

He didn't know how to evaluate Qiu Yan, but it was okay as it was like this, the court needed people who could keep their distance.

The prince said, "I still remember that Lord Zhou recognized the number one scholar back then."

Zhou Shuren calmly put down the bowl and said, "Yes, I adopted him as my godson back then."

"I remember, his name seemed to be Wu Ming."

"yes."

The prince knew Wu Ming because of Zhou Shuren. Wu Ming really displeased his father in the past. He was promoted now because of his merits, but his father was more concerned about Zhou Shuren's face.

The prince smiled and said, "Anyone who can be recognized by Lord Zhou must be capable."

Zhou Shuren knew that even if you have the ability, you still need to be noticed by the higher-ups. There are too many officials in the country. Only if the prince and the emperor remember your name can you go more smoothly. He also went through this. He said, "I admire Wu Ming. I was not as good as him back then."

This is a fact. Wu Ming is a true genius and a real boss. He couldn't compare to him back then. But now, he has more experience and training than Wu Ming.

The prince could hear the seriousness in Zhou Shuren's tone. He was just looking for a topic to talk about, but now he was serious. The more he understood Zhou Shuren's ability, the more he wanted to explore it. Wu Ming was the top scholar at a young age, which showed that he had real ability. He needed to investigate this person carefully when he returned.

Zhou Shuren continued to eat. He said that this was enough. It would be bad to say too much. He thought to himself, how could he say that he has someone above him? Look, the prince and the prince can listen to his words.

Zhou Shuren was in a good mood. It would take some years for Wu Ming to climb up. By then, when he was old, Wu Ming would be on top. As for Chang Lian, he knew it well. Chang Lian learned from him in every way, so it was destined that Chang Lian could not reach the highest point, but Wu Ming could.

He was going to write a letter to Wu Ming when he got home. He had to tell her what happened today. This was a favor, a favor, and he didn't think it was too much.

At the Duke's Mansion, Yu drank the medicine soup, and Ning Zhixiang sat on the side, "I'm not saying anything bad about you, but don't think about it anymore."

Yu wiped her tears with a handkerchief, "How can I not think about it? In the future, my eldest brother will inherit the Duke's Mansion, and Zhang Rongchuan will inherit the Marquis' Mansion. We will be the only ones with nothing. We will have to rely on my eldest brother and Zhang Rongchuan to live in the future."

Ning Zhixiang felt depressed, "Don't worry, my parents will make arrangements for us."

Yu was upset. What she wanted was power. She was used to being superior. When her eldest brother inherited the Duke's Mansion, their family would move away. She didn't want to be looked down upon.

Ning Zhixiang stood up. He couldn't convince Yu and sighed. He decided to go out and teach his son more. His son was smarter than his eldest brother's child. He was the hope of their family.

He has thought it through. Rongchuan is the third place in the imperial examination, so he wants to adopt Rongchuan. He wants to ask his father and uncle for permission to let Rongchuan teach their son. He thinks his father and uncle will agree.

I went out to do some work this morning and came back as quickly as possible, so I was more than an hour late.

(End of this chapter)