Chapter 854: Hands have their own ideas, and so do feet

In a blink of an eye, another seven days passed, and the Zhou family finally received the New Year gifts from the Yang family and Qian Keqi. This year's New Year gifts from the Yang family were heavier than in previous years. Along with the New Year gifts, there was also money from the orchard. This year's harvest was not good, there was too much rain, the taste of the fruit was poor, and the price was much lower than in previous years. However, it was still a good income.

Zhulan distributed all the skins sent by the Yang family to each family, and did not keep a single one for herself. The main reason was that at the beginning of winter, each family had donated skins out of filial piety, and there were also a few skins that could be donated with money, so the main courtyard already had enough.

Zhulan has sorted out some other New Year gifts and is waiting to give them out in the future.

After entering the capital this year, the expenses for the New Year gifts increased again, mainly due to the Ningguo Mansion.

Zhulan saw Zhou Shuren enter the house and said, "You came back earlier than usual today."

Zhou Shuren smiled, "I've calculated some things. The emperor means that there's no need to rush in winter, so I don't have to work overtime. Besides, I had a few words with the prince in the palace today."

"What did you talk about?"

Zhou Shuren drank hot tea to warm himself up, "Good news, the prince mentioned Wu Ming and the Ministry of Rites."

Zhu Lan raised her head from the list of New Year gifts she was preparing, "You mean, Wu Ming will go to Beijing and work for the Ministry of Rites after the New Year?"

Zhou Shuren held the teacup, his hands warmed up. "You know, the Ministry of Rites has always been in Feng Huai's hands. The prince found out about the problem, but he has just exposed the Ministry of Justice. It is not easy to touch the Ministry of Rites for a while, so he is thinking about Wu Ming."

Zhulan heard footsteps, and Mrs. Song came back with her maid. She quickly whispered, "So you are not only happy that Wu Ming came to the capital, but you are also happy that the prince uses Wu Ming."

Zhou Shuren smiled and said, "My wife is smart."

Zhulan calculated in her mind that at present, it seemed that the crown prince's ascension to the throne was a sure thing. As long as everything was cleaned up thoroughly, the crown prince would ascend the throne. At this time, the crown prince would use Wu Ming, and Wu Ming would lean on the crown prince, and the imperial power would be passed on. As long as Wu Ming seized the opportunity, his future would be smooth.

Mrs. Song came in at this time, "Dinner is ready, the hot pot has been served."

Zhou Shuren heard this and asked, "We should eat hot pot in winter. What kind of hot pot do you want today?"

Zhulan said, "The mutton hotpot will help you stay healthy. Go change your clothes."

"good."

When Zhulan and Zhou Shuren arrived, everyone was already seated in each room. Rongchuan was also here today, and so was Gu Liufeng. Zhulan had asked Mingyun to invite them this morning.

Zhou Shuren saw Gu Liufeng's face flushed with sweat on his forehead, "Why, is the room hot?"

Gu Liufeng heaved a sigh of relief when he saw Mr. Zhou, "It's not hot."

Zhou Shuren looked at his little son, who was laughing secretly with his fat hands covering his mouth. Well, this kid is bullying Liu Feng again. He looked away and said, "Everyone, take your chopsticks and eat. Lamb hotpot is the most nutritious food in winter. Eat quickly."

Having said that, he put down his chopsticks first.

There are quite a few people in the Zhou family, including many young men. I don’t know how much meat they ate in this meal.

At the Duke's Mansion, Duke Ning saw his youngest son coming over for dinner and asked, "Did Rongchuan go to Zhou's Mansion again?"

Ning Xu said pitifully, "Yes, so my son came to eat for free."

In the past, he didn't think much of eating alone and actually enjoyed the quietness. But ever since Rongchuan started eating with him, he no longer liked eating alone. Unfortunately, this son was like a concubine and wanted to go to Zhou's house all day long.

Duke Ning asked, "Hasn't the background of Zhang Jinghong been fully investigated? Is Your Majesty still waiting?"

Ning Xu nodded, "Well, it's not lively enough now. These days, everyone's attention is on expanding the navy, and no one mentions Zhang Jinghong's background, so there's no rush."

Duke Ning hummed, and when all the dishes were served, he said, "Let's eat."

At the Zhou residence, Xue Han, wearing a cloak, escorted Rong Chuan out of the residence. The two walked very close. It was a dark day, and they were both wearing cloaks. The maids and servants behind them were a few steps away.

Under the influence of alcohol, Rongchuan became a little bolder. He reached out and grabbed Xue Han's hand. His palm felt like it was burning. Xue Han's hand felt a little cold, and she couldn't help but clench it a little. Feeling Xue Han's struggle, her hand seemed to control her brain and she clenched it even tighter.

Xue Han didn't drink, but her face was red. She couldn't get away, and she didn't dare to make any big moves. She glared at Rong Chuan angrily. The man was getting bolder and bolder, but when he heard the sound of stepping on the snow, he slowly calmed down, as if he wished this road would never end.

Rongchuan slowed down his pace and grinned. Sometimes, it's good if your hands don't obey you. Well, it's just that your hands have their own ideas.

Unfortunately, they soon reached the gate of the mansion. Xue Han stopped and coughed. When Rong Chuan let go of her hand, she quickly hid her hand and lowered her head, "There is snow on the road. The carriage will go slower on the way back."

Rong Chuanjiao also had his own ideas and didn't want to leave, but when he heard the cough, he rolled his eyes in his heart, "I heard it, please stop coughing."

Xia Mo took advantage of the darkness and no one could see him, and rolled his eyes happily. Every time the young master and the young lady parted, he was reluctant to part. He remembered the words of the marquis, asking the young master to go home early.

Xue Han wanted to hide in the snow, so she turned around and ran away quickly, "You don't need to come these days."

Rong Chuan heard this and looked at Xia Mo with resentment, "I told you not to talk too much. Now there is no one around, so you cough violently."

Xia Mo, "......"

He is neither a human being nor a human being, it's simply terrible.

At the Gu family, Gu Liufeng entered the house and saw his mother waiting for him while sewing a handkerchief. "Mom, your son is back."

Hu, "You came back so early. I thought you would come back later."

Gu Liufeng explained, "I drank two glasses of wine today, and because there was snow on the road, I didn't stay long."

Hu was surprised, "Did you drink?"

Gu Liufeng nodded, "Master Zhou said that my son is not a child anymore, so he can practice properly to avoid suffering in the future. So my son tried it, and I didn't expect that my son can drink quite well."

Seeing that her son was indeed awake, Mrs. Hu smiled and said, "Mother doesn't know much, just listen to what Mr. Zhou says. Mr. Zhou won't harm you."

Gu Liufeng nodded, "Yes."

Then his cheeks turned red. Today, Mr. Zhou's youngest son asked him to call him "little uncle". Yu Shuang helped him, smiling foolishly.

Mrs. Hu came over and burst out laughing. It seemed that her son really cared about the eldest granddaughter of the Zhou family. She was relieved.

The next day, County Master Shen came again. This was his second visit in a few days. Zhu Lan said politely, "I'll send someone to call Su Xuan over."

Shen Yile shook her head, "Su Xuan has to take care of the two children, I'll just go find her."

Zhulan, "Okay, I'll send someone to lead the way."

She and Shen Yile had nothing to talk about, and since they were looking for Su Xuan, she didn't stay any longer.

Zhulan waited for Shen Yile to leave, and said to Mrs. Song, "I heard that the Queen doesn't want to see County Master Shen anymore?"

Mrs. Song: "Yes."

Zhu Lan said quietly, "The Shenhou Mansion is going to be quiet."

Mrs. Song is used to the mistress's sharp remarks from time to time. She is truly worthy of being someone that Lord Zhou holds in his heart. Even though the mistress deals with the women in the back house, her horizons are not limited to that area, and she has a very accurate view of the situation.